For the Sake of Profits! (tag: Eleonora)

After some time hanging around Mavis, eventually had to dismiss herself from the conversation, probably to returnbto whatever real business she had in Diagon Alley. The moment she made her exit, Dein took the opportunity to lure Eleonora off the streets to somewhere they could hold a real conversation. Knowing she was a timid Care of Magical Creatures Professor, he specifically chose Eeylops Owl Emporium, to help her feel at ease as he gently prodded her with questions, much like a scientist would cut open a frog.

As they walked in, Dein shoved his hands into his pockets, where they were least likely to get chewed off by the tempermental birds. The store clerk must have been hidden in the back room somewhere, as he was nowhere to be seen at his counter. All the better for Dein as he stepped over to a bulky grey owl safely stowed in a cage, "I've been thinking about getting one to save the visit to the post office all the time. Do you have one? An owl, that is." He glanced over at the red head with a smirk, not concealing his usual habits when speaking to people, considering it was his day off from being Clovis.

How she had ended up inside Eeylops Owl Emporium alongside a near stranger was a mystery to Eleonora. One moment she was  happily strolling through Diagon Alley alone and now here she was, one awkward conversation with this man and an overly friendly ministry employee later. When Mavis had finally decided to leave Eleonora was sure it was her opening to make an exit as well and continue on her way in solitude. The man, however, had other plans. He began to speak to her of owls and his desire to choose a suitable one yet he had no knowledge of such things. It was near impossible for her to leave him as he somehow corralled her across the street and into the dimly lit shop.

Once inside she did feel a little better about the situation, though. While she still did not know anything about the man with her besides his name, she felt safe among the quietly hooting owls and the smell of feathers and dirt. She let herself relax slightly, her posture no longer as rigid as it was out in the street. Instead of looking at him when he spoke she slid her fingers between the bars of the nearby owls cage and gently ran them over its feathers, feeling the softness of his coat. A dreamy smile crossed her face before she looked away from the animal and back to Dein.

“I do, yes. I've got a lot of animals I take care of...” Her voice drifted off momentarily as she wondered how someone could survive without having an owl, or at least some other companion animal, around. “Oh, but an owl isn't too hard to care for. I'm sure you'd be fine taking care of one.”

Her eyes roamed the room again, eager to not maintain much contact with Dein just yet. “These are all nice...do you like any? What, um...what kind are you looking for?”

As she spoke, Dein approached a cage belonging to a female snow owl, staring intently at the yellow eyes that stared back. The owl didn't make a sound, nor did it move a muscle, like it was staring down a threat. Dein was certain that if the cage was open, that owl would try and attack. Not that Eleonora needed to know, but he'd never gotten along well with animals. "Not any kind in particular really," He said in response, "It would have to be self-sufficient, I travel a lot, and probably a big owl, my packages tend to have some weight to them. It's mostly the personality I'm concerned about."

He stepped away from the snow owl and passed a couple more cages before stopping in front of a rather large expensive looking cage, with a long eared owl perched inside. There was a tag hanging from one of the bars, that listed the breed 'Madagascar Long Eared'. Looking around at the other cages, he couldn't help but notice most of the cages didn't give a breed, so this one must've been something special. Had he been paying with his family's money it wouldn't have been much of a worry, but as he only had his own funds to pay for the bird, he decided that special equated to pricey.

He moved onto the next, this time stopping in front of a white-faced owl who hardly gave him a glance as he approached, seeing as the bird was occupied with a little bit of food. He slid his fingers through the bar carefully, and the owl turned to him, looking at his fingers like they were little worms, but instead of biting, the bird affectionately rubbed its face against Dein's fingers. He was honestly surprised as he turned to look at Eleonora, and the owl went back to nibbling on its own food. "What breed is this one?"

Nora wondered what the young man did for a living that had him traveling often and sending large packages. It could be many different things, she thought, but could not think of any off the top of her head. It was of course be rude to ask him, for if he had been willing to share he could have just come out and said it. She supposed it made no difference; his business was his own and had no relevance to her.

When she glanced back at Dein he was inspecting the cage of a medium sized owl who happened to be rubbing its face against his hand. It was unbelievably cute. “Aw. He likes you.” She stepped closer to the cage to look at the bird and smiled at the show of affection. This young man must not be too bad if the animals took to him so fast, she thought.

“He's a short eared owl. They're one of the most commonly sighted owls out in the wild, since they live just about everywhere,” she answered as she watched the exchange between the owl and man. “This guy is still pretty young...if I remember right they live about thirteen to fourteen years. My owl is already thirteen, but spotted owls have a little longer lifespan than these. I've had her since my first year at Hogwarts, actually.” Eleonora drifted off, her voice wispy and light as she spoke more to herself than Dein.

She did not like to think that she may only have a few more years with her owl, Timber. When she had first opened up her Hogwarts acceptance letter at the age of elven  her eyes had caught on the sentence allowing her a pet. She had many pets at home, as her and her parents lived on a farm, and was going to miss them all terribly when she went away. So she had begged and pouted when during her first trip to Diagon Alley she had seen the most beautiful owl in this every shop. Since then the dark eyed spotted owl had been her best friend and most reliable companion through the many stages of her life. She was getting older now, though, and Nora did not send her out very often, instead letting her roost happily with the other owls of the school and visiting her nearly every day.

Snapping back to the present, Eleonora's eyes refocused on Dein briefly before turning back to the owl in the cage. “I think it's great you're looking for an owl. They make such wonderful friends.” Her soft words were nearly lost in the hoots and calls filling the room.