Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then I don't own it.

The next in my very-far-behind 12 Days of Christmas series! "On the 9th Day of Christmas, I gave to Dear Harry..."

Nine Tails on Foxes!

Petunia Dursley sent a simpering smile to the woman sitting at the chair nearest to her, offering her the sugar bowl in order to prepare her tea as needed. They were discussing another one of the local ladies' newest acquisition, a pet dog she had purchased at a new and exotic pet shop in London's Chinatown.

"It was the strangest thing!" that same woman, one Mrs. Rachel Allens, age 67, was informing them as she stirred her own tea before adding a twist of lemon. "I was determined I wanted a bird, something pretty but smaller, like a parakeet or some form of songbird. Something to keep me company, you see, since dear Lawrence passed. But I ended up taking home a dog instead! He's about 2 years old, fully trained and everything! He's been such a wonderful help around the house, responds so well to commands and even requests! I can actually ask him where I put my purse, and he'll find it for me!" She took a sip of her tea while the other ladies made appropriate impressed and interested sounds.

The Dursley matron leaned forward in her seat, curious. "You know, my dear Dudley has been asking me for a dog for weeks now! With Christmas coming up, and him doing so wonderfully in school and making so many new friends... Vernon and I were wondering if perhaps it was time to get him one. Would you recommend this pet shop to be our best option? Vernon's sister, Marge, breeds dogs, but we didn't want a puppy, they make such awful messes, and we don't want to have to send it away for training or anything..."

That was how, a week later, and a week before Christmas, they found themselves in Chinatown, entering the pet shop labeled as 'Count D's'. Unfortunately for the Dursley's, Mrs. Figg was unavailable to watch little 6 year old Harry, and so the boy was tagging along. Petunia was just relieved that Vernon had spoken to him about how he was to behave on this trip, silent and out of the way, not using any of his... unnaturalness. And most certainly not thinking for a moment that he would be receiving anything, let alone a pet of his own!

Upon entering the establishment, it took until Count D began to speak for either parent to realize that not only was this person Count D, but that he was, in fact, a man. Already, Petunia could feel the disgust wanting to show on her face, and knew Vernon's smile would no doubt be gone, replaced by his slight frown of disapproval. But, they were here for a reason, and if Petunia was extremely lucky, she could even have her family be invited into the legendary 'back room'! She'd asked around, and found that the back room was for the more rare and exotic animals, and usually where a 'perfect match' was found. Oh, to have a pet from there! The other ladies would be so envious! And so, she put on a simpering smile and complimented the man's... dress... before introducing her family. And the boy, of course, just not in the same breath as her precious Duddykins!

After a few minutes of chatting, and explaining what they were looking for, the Count suddenly tilted his head slightly and gave them a small, mysterious smile.

"I believe I may have just the pet, in the back room. Would you care to look?" he offered, moving to open the door before them.

'Perfect!' Petunia thought gleefully. 'I can't wait to gather the other ladies and inform them of this visit!'

Count D led the family through the corridor, and past a few large doors, towards where the pet who had decided to claim this family as theirs was waiting. He was very curious and concerned for the smaller boy in their group. Oh, the other three were easy to read. Vain, gluttonous, proud, greedy, however one wished to put it, they were disgusting examples of humanity. The tiny child with them, though, gave off the same air as some of his dogs, the strays he found who were scared and desperate for someone to care for and love them. Oh yes, he couldn't see that child stay with such a terrible family. And to be honest, he was surprised when they arrived and instead of the glossy bird he had believed would be waiting, which would have truly been a Japanese Tengu in disguise, instead it was none other than a familiar fox.

Well, the family likely saw a fox. D saw none other than the fire-loving nine-tailed Ten-chan. In a way, it made sense. Ten-chan was always fond of children, and was no doubt just as upset to see the small child's condition. Perhaps the amazing, intelligent green eyes and skittish nature the little one possessed reminded him of a little fox cub as well. Still, to override the child-protector that the Tengu was...

"This is Ten-chan, and I think he has chosen to go with you today," D began, ignoring the spluttering of the overweight man who began to insist that they had asked for a dog, instead focusing on the small child. The little one was looking at Ten-chan with wide eyes, looking a little above where the fox sat. This was enough for the pet shop owner to suspect that this was a very special child, who was able to see Ten-chan as he really was, a beautiful young man with a long white braid.

"As you can see, Ten-chan is a white fox, his breed originates from the far East, where foxes are not only viewed as creatures of Inari, the god of industry, prosperity, merchants, and agriculture, but white foxes are seen as specifically being messengers of the god, and therefore the deliverers of prayers and requests made by believers in hopes of gaining favors. They are also viewed as protectors." Count D was no fool, he had listened to the introductions when they were offered, and knew that the husband revolved around his job selling drills, and the mother cared for her home and son. So he focused only on the aspects of the kitsune that they would care about, and was most certainly not about to mention Inari's connotations with fertility. Some humans should not be breeding, in his opinion, and the last thing he wanted to do was encourage these two to do so again. One was already more than enough.

"In fact, there are many shrines depicting foxes all over China, Japan, and Korea, and many businesses even bear a fox statue at their headquarters in hopes of prosperity. As for their care, it's relatively simple, compared to most animals. They are nocturnal, preferring to doze through the day for roughly 10 hours, if possible," when Count D knew the children would be at school, and something he could tell was a great relief to the wife. "I can include instructions on how best to care for him, though it will really be quite easy."

It took a little bit of convincing, with the wife being very adamant to her husband about wanting the fox, eventually hissing into his ear that they, 'would be the envy of the neighborhood for weeks, if not months, at least!', though D and Ten-chan shared a look, both having heard it. The white-haired man was also busy, greeting the small black-haired child even while allowing himself to be picked up by pudgy, greedy arms who dangled him uncomfortably and squeezed his chest, the brat squealing like the pig he was that he wanted the fox.

Once they reached an agreement, informing D that they did, in fact, want to purchase Ten-chan, the count retrieved the contract, and provided the three conditions, as usual.

"One, he will be provided with the food which I will provide a flexible recipe for. Two, avoid loud sounds around him, due to his sensitive hearing. Three, he must be kept in a safe and comfortable environment. If you fail to follow these rules, our shop will not be responsible for the consequences."

Dudley had wanted to carry Ten-chan out of the shop, but Vernon had insisted on a cage, not wanting the fox to get loose in his car. After all, why take the train when you have a company car that can be shown off? Even if it did mean driving from Surrey to London and back again, nearly an hour each way. In the end, though, they did get home, and Dudley 'carried' Ten-chan around the house, while Harry was put to work in the kitchen. Not cooking, heaven forbid! He might try to sneak something, or contaminate their meal! No, he peeled the potatoes and carrots and washed dishes and set the table.

That night, though, as he lay curled up on his cot in his cupboard, his tummy growling as he waited until it might be safe to sneak out and get a slice of bread and cheese, he was surprised when the door suddenly opened, revealing the white-haired young man from the pet shop.

"Hello again, little one. I was hoping you'd still be awake. Are you hungry?" he offered, holding out a plate with a sandwich and an apple, his other hand holding a glass of milk. "I didn't see them feed you much, after all."

"I'll get in trouble," Harry whispered, even as he scooted closer. He had liked talking to the other male earlier, when Ten-chan had introduced himself in the pet shop and explained that he had magic, and was having the family see what they wanted to see, while Harry was special, and could see him as he was. The 6 year old had been thrilled at the idea, and as soon as Ten-chan assured him that he would be perfectly safe, he watched with a sad smile as Harry nibbled almost frantically, torn between his eagerness to fill his belly, and the knowledge that making it last longer would fill him up more. As he ate, Ten-chan spoke about many things. He talked about his youth in Japan, and his travels into China, where he met D, and began to travel with him. He spoke of the places they had been, the things he had seen there, and also simply what life was like in the pet shop. It was no wonder the little boy fell asleep quickly after finishing his meal, and Ten-chan smiled and tucked the boy in before cleaning up their mess. Then he began to plot. He had an idea, and he was sure D would agree to it. Little Harry had been so eager to hear about their travels...

It was actually Christmas Eve when Vernon finally broke one of the rules. Actually, he broke two, but only after Petunia started it. She had found Harry giving a small piece of carrot he'd been given as part of his meager Christmas dinner to Ten-chan, and had begun screeching that if Harry was going to just waste food, then he obviously didn't need it, the ungrateful brat! This was followed by the fury that came with them seeing it as Harry trying to 'steal' their dear Dinky Duddydums' pet. That was when she called for Vernon, who entered the room with the bulk and sounds of an enraged bull. As he bellowed, and she screeched, and Dudley laughed, Harry fought not to cry, and Ten-chan hid under the table, looking for all the world like a frightened animal. Instead, though, his eyes were on the stove, where Petunia had left the old gas-powered stovetop on, the tiny blue flames not visible, but the heat waves above them were, which encouraged him.

Tendrils of magic reached out, encouraging the fire to grow, until suddenly there was a roaring sound that wasn't from Vernon, though it wasn't until the bright light of the fire and heat finally attracted their attention, that it was noticed. Ten-chan was surprised that they actually blamed Harry, and went to strike him for it, but then the fox leapt from under the table, biting at the fat man's hand. In their eyes, he leapt into Harry's arms and the child ran off with him, but to him and Harry, he had wrapped the little boy up in his arms, promising the fire couldn't touch him, then encouraged him to go, and finally escape that hated place.

As they escaped, Dudley was waddling to his room to get as many of his games, and maybe his computer, while Petunia raced to get her jewelry and nicest clothes, and Vernon tried to call the fire department. The call went through, but when he hung up, he also raced upstairs to retrieve items he felt were important. The materialistic greed of the family caused them to ignore the danger they were in, especially as they only had one escape route once upstairs, while Harry left everything behind and fled with Ten-chan. Standing outside, though, was none other than Count D, calmly watching on as if he had expected this to happen, and was merely waiting for them.

"Hello again, Harry," Count D greeted the child, kneeling down in front of him and holding out one long-nailed hand. "Would you like to come live in my pet shop? I promise, you'll never worry about food again, and you'll always be safe." The little boy looked up at him hopefully, then nodded and slipped a tiny hand into D's, before being picked up, Ten-chan draping himself over D's shoulders as they left the neighborhood and headed back to the shop, ignoring the wails of the fire engine and the gasps and cries of neighbors at the sight of the burning house. Only little Dudley would be saved, retrieved from his bedroom window and sent to live with his Aunt Marge out in the country, after recovering from smoke inhalation.

"Merry Christmas to you, little one."

"Welcome to Count D's Pet Shop," the Count began, welcoming the latest customer inside on the day after Christmas. The little girl was giggling over the kittens, then stopped when she saw an adorable sight. A pair of foxes, one pure white adult fox, and the other a tiny black fox, still very fluffy, curled up together asleep. The black kit was completely surrounded by white, as if the baby had curled into a ball, and the white one had wrapped itself around the little one.

"They're so adorable!" she squealed, before looking up at her mother. "May I have them, Mama?"

"I'm sorry, miss," the Count inserted before the mother could. "Those are not available. The baby is much too young yet, and the parent is too protective. Any hand that might reach for them would likely be bitten, and I wouldn't wish for you to be hurt." Thankfully, the mother agreed, and the Count was able to steer them away to look at kittens, the girl easily distracted by a gray Scottish fold with big blue eyes.

Where she had just been, a newly-awakened white fox with nine tails stood before picking up his adopted cub in his mouth, causing the little one to blink sleepily up at him with glassy green eyes. Ten-chan relocated them into a little den made of blankets, curling back up around his kit again, who merely yawned and went back to sleep, happier than he had ever been.

The end!

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you had a wonderful holiday!