Magic Isn't Always Beautiful

The Thestral

Zara stepped into Lumière Avenue, her eyes wide with excitement. Here, the street unknown to her, had been waiting for her entrance. Each step sent a pulse of energy through her body. She looked around her. Everywhere, witches and wizards were fluttering around, walking into shops and coming out with their purchases.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Aurora asked.

"Let's get my books, then my items, then a pet, but I want to save the wand for last," Zara said.

"Alright," Aurora said.

She led Zara into a place called Gertrude's Bookshop: The Place to Look for Knowledge. As Zara walked inside, she saw hundreds of books, all over the store. She picked one up. Once again, there were moving pictures.

So the books in the cavern had been magical, Zara thought.

Aurora helped her look through the books, until she found all the ones that she needed. They brought them out to the front desk.

"Wait, but how will I pay?" Zara asked.

"Look inside your jewelry box," Aurora said.

Zara opened the jewelry box. It was filled with galleons.

"But how?" Zara asked.

"You haven't figured it out yet? Your mother was a witch. All of her riches are transported into the jewelry box everytime it gets emptied. So, that's like a personal bank, but every time you run out, it gets filled again. At least until your mother's riches run out, and trust me, your mother was very wealthy," Aurora said.

"What?" Zara said.

It all made more sense now. That was how she got her magic, it was handed down by her mom. Even though she was gone, it made her feel even closer to her.

"Did you know my mother?" Zara asked.

"She was my best friend."

"Oh"

They sat in silence for a minute, waiting for the line to diminish, and for them to be able to go to the register. When it was their turn, Zara handed the clerk the number of galleons needed to pay. They left the bookstore, then went to the potions shop, got her cauldron. They went to the astronomy store to get the telescope, they went to get the beauxbatons outfit. It a pale blue dress, with a pale blue top, black tights, and finally, a pale blue hat and shoes.

Aurora are Zara went into the pet shop. It had more animals in one place then she had ever seen in her life. There were cats, toads, owls, bats, all sorts of creatures.

"It says on the letter that there are thestrals and pegasi. Two questions, where are they, and what is a thestral?" Zara asked.

"Follow me, you'll see what a thestral is in a minute," Aurora said.

The walked out into the back of a shop, where there was a large wooden door. When they opened it, there was a huge room, containing a forest, with the very high ceiling bewitched to look like the night. It was beautiful.

Zara peered closer into the trees. She saw a pearly white pegasus emerge. Then, next to it, a black, almost reptilian creature with the body of a horse emerged.

"Is that a thestral? The thing next to the pegasus" Zara asked.

"I can't see it. So in that case, yes. They can only be seen by someone who has seen someone die," Aurora responded.

"In the letter it says I can buy one as a pet, can I do that?"

"Yes, is this what you want?" Aurora asked.

"It is."

Zara walked forward and stared at the Thestral. It looked at her, then walked over to Zara, nudging her with its beaklike mouth.

"Follow me," Zara said.

She led the thestral up to the front desk where she bought it, then exited the pet shop. Even though it looked weird, it had a strange beauty to it, unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Here is Cast a Spell, the wand shop," Aurora said. "Let me hold your thestral. Anyways, what are you going to name it?"

"I need to think about it," Zara responded. "How about Crépuscule, the French word for dusk."

Then, Zara turned around, and entered the wand shop