Chapter Twenty-One - Pets

Each of the Mafia Wizards has a pet. Most of said pets had been with them from before, and none questioned where the animals came from. This suited the wizards just fine, as the circumstances around their acquisition were highly embarrassing.

For Shamal, his pets (although that might not be the right word) include not only his mosquitoes, but also - to his eternal horror - a raccoon. Both of these chose him during a trip to the Americas that was supposed to be simple - he just needed to pick up some magical plants that grew only in specific regions and at specific times and had to be pick by the one planning on using them. And while he was successful with that, he picked up a few additions.

Namely, the mosquitoes who gave him the beginnings of his 666 warring diseases when they turned him into their personal blood bank and favored mode of transportation. They, at least, he could turn into something useful. The raccoon, on the other hand, quite possibly only stuck around because it hated Shamal's guts and wanted to make sure that he lived every day of the rest of his life terminally unhappy. The raccoon, also known as Basta, had snuck into Shamal's luggage before he'd left the states - after destroying Shamal's hotel room - and had attached itself to Shamal's face once they both reached Britain.

The hatred, obviously, went both ways, as Shamal was never gladder than when he managed to leave it behind upon fleeing to Japan. (Of course, upon his return to Italy, it was waiting to maul him, and Shamal was waiting to find a disease that would remove it permanently.) In fact, the only people alive that liked it were Bianchi and Selena, for reasons Shamal refused to understand.

For Viper, he has only Fantasma. Once, she been just a simple frog, gotten as a gag gift from Harry. Due to that, Blaise had not exactly kept track of her in those first few months. Of course, by the end of that year, he had to take extreme measures to keep her close. After all, a wandering frog in the dungeons of a magical castle could easily find its way into the more hazardous places - like the potions classroom or the private brewing room of the resident master. In the end, no one ever could figure out what exactly had happened to her, over the course of those months he had lost track of her. But they did know that they wanted a pet that could levitate and disappear, so eventually Blaise had to keep her close or risk losing her to thieves.

For Rinato, he, of course, has Leon. Leon, who had once been in the hands of a small time squib arms dealer operating out of Brazil. The squib and his business were rumored to have been consumed by the jungle soon after Rinato and Gringotts concluded their business with the man.

That left Leon without a family - or at least he would've been, had Rinato not scooped him out of the rapidly cooling fingers of his very foolish previous owner. From that moment forward, Leon was always to be seen with Rinato.

Selena, oddly enough doesn't have any obvious pets from before. Oh, she has her menagerie, but so few people can see the creatures within. Most had been found for her by Rinato, simply because he traveled so much more than she did. However, shortly after regaining his adult body, Rinato appeared on her doorstep early one morning, carrying a tiny bundle. He silently presented it to her, before pulling his fedora over his eyes and smirking. She fervently denies it, despite Rinato's recording, but upon seeing the crup puppy sleeping inside the bundle, she squealed.

AN: And that's a wrap, everyone. For now, this is the end. Thank you so much to everyone who's read and loved this, my first story. I might at some point rewrite this, or add another chapter, but my muse has long since moved on, and trying to promise more would be impossible.

I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

~ Sayanora.

PS, The raccoon's name means prick in Italian.