Nigel loved to give presents, and he counted himself rather lucky to have a girlfriend who loved to get presents. One might have thought that wouldn’t be so rare, but having spent years living with her sister, he appreciated the complement Emma was to him. That might be why he bought Emma so many things: partly because he wanted to, partly because she wanted him to, and partly because he was making up for years of not having someone to buy things for… There were a lot more boxes in the entry hall of their suite, and Nigel had to buy Emma a whole new Wizarding trunk with hidden compartments and extra space inside to fit all the new things she was taking to school with her. He could have just given her his, which was a behemoth of a trunk with room for all her stuff plus a couple of dead bodies, probably, but he was thinking of doing some traveling, so he might need it. Plus, he figured she was tired of hand-me-downs.

“Cats? … For me?”

Her reaction to one of his presents, though, was surprising… and disappointing. “Well… just one is for you. The other one is for me,” he explained. He had gone to the pet store actually for a different purpose. His sources had led him to believe that there was a chap who worked there who would be able to deck out a common Muggle Polaroid camera with charms to suit a magical person and keep it easy to use. Nigel could have gotten a book and done it himself, as he was no slouch at charms, but he was of the frame of mind that touted paying for convenience. The chap was there, as a matter of fact, and he did come to an agreement with Nigel over the cameras, but while Nigel was there negotiating, he spent quite a while watching the litter of tiny Siamese kittens exploring their little habitat. They were adorable, and Nigel asked the chap about them. Apparently at that time, they were still too young to leave their mother, but several of them had already been spoken for, leaving only two for sale.

Of course Nigel decided to buy one for Emma, who he thought would enjoy having a cat. She was very cat-like at times, and he thought she might appreciate a companion with similar tastes, especially since he wouldn’t be around to cuddle her. And then, he had to buy the last lone little kitten for himself. Maybe he needed someone to cuddle, too. The fellow said that he’d contact Nigel when the cameras were ready, and he thought he could have them done by the time the kittens were old enough to be taken home. His estimate coincided nicely with the end of the summer and Nigel’s plan to see Emma back off to school, and it had worked out that way, too. One of those cameras was in another box he had placed in front of Emma. The other was in his own trunk at home, as he planned to take his own pictures while they were apart. He liked the idea of them having matching things.

“I have an owl…well…Lettie does.”

“That’s her owl,” said Nigel. “You have a kitten.” Capturing the prowly one, he held it up to his chest and slid his cheek across the soft fuzz on the kitten’s head. The kitten let out a chirpy yowl in response, and Nigel chuckled. He set the baby kitten down on the blanket near Emma and watched her study the one she was holding. She held it like it was something she picked up in a dirty alleyway and was wondering if it had something contagious. That was how Nigel looked at most things, but he wasn’t sure that was the proper response for having been given a kitten. The cheerful grin slid away into a impassive expression. “You’d rather have an owl?” he asked. “I thought you liked cats.”

Actually, Nigel was newly recruited to the joys of cat ownership, if ownership was a word that could be used for such independent, indifferent animals. His grandmother had two exceedingly fluffy ones, and when he had lived there last summer, they had followed him around, which had alarmed him at first, but he soon got used to it. The strange creatures had grown on him, but he had not considered getting one himself, until that day in the pet shop. Picking up the little bundle of fur that Emma had released, he scooted back against the headboard. Most of the pillows had gone into Emma’s little nest, but he was alright with the one she left him. He propped it against the headboard and curled the baby against him, petting the ivory fur of her belly until she squirmed away and started to climb him. This kitten seemed quite fascinated by his hair. Could cats see colours? He wasn’t sure. Laughing, he craned his head a bit to look at the kitten, flicking the tip of her tail to distract her. “This one’s mine,” he said to Emma. “I’m calling her Coco.”