Adopting a pet is not that simple

A few days later, a student came to Anthony with a parental consent form, eager to adopt a cat. Anthony pulled out the aid station questionnaire from his drawer and went over it with him.

"Name, age. Please hand me the consent form. Let's fill in your parents' information, shall we?"

The student nodded and filled in his mother's name on the questionnaire. "Next item, occupation. My mother is a therapist at St. Mungo's."

"Great, write 'medical staff,'" Anthony suggested.

"Okay." The student lowered his head and wrote a few more words. "Living conditions."

Anthony took a look at the questionnaire. Since it was inconvenient to ask directly about income, the questionnaire tactfully inquired about the type of living conditions the adopter could provide for their pet.

"Spacious living area," Anthony read aloud. "Sufficient food supply, rich opportunities for exploration, ample companionship time, and chances for interaction with other similar species."

The student nodded, "Ah... okay."

Anthony added, "If you don't mind, you could also mention your family situation. I remember you have an older brother who's already graduated. You could write something like, 'Family is harmonious, eldest son is working independently, and second son is studying,' to show that your life is stable. What's next?"

"Pet preferences."

"I won't interfere with that. You can write down your preferences," Anthony said, watching the student scribble quickly. "Wait a moment, don't write 'Professor McGonagall,' just write 'tabby cat'."

"But I want her to be smart and clever too," the student replied.

"Then write 'smart and clever tabby cat.' Do you really want Hufflepuff to lose a few more points?" Anthony teased.

…

After registering the student's intention to adopt a pet, Anthony put away the completed questionnaire and prepared to contact Ms. Howard in a few days.

"The rescue station might reach out to the applicant for a personal chat. As far as I know, it's a trust-based rescue station," Anthony explained. "They won't ask for your specific address, but if you mention that you live in London most of the year, it could increase your chances of getting approved."

"I don't live in London all year round," the student said, puzzled.

Anthony nodded, "But your mother works at St. Mungo's, and she's the pet adoption applicant."

The student sighed, "Why is it so complicated? Do they want to talk to my mother? She can't go five sentences without mentioning at least three magical terms."

"It doesn't matter," Anthony said. "I can probably convince the aid station to talk to you instead."

He could already think of several excuses: medical staff are busy and can't be spared at the moment, the adoption is primarily to accompany the child, and the child will be the one primarily responsible for taking care of the pet in the future, and so on.

Judging by Ms. Howard's attitude during their last visit, she seemed to have a fondness for the students.

"So you need to be prepared," Anthony continued. "Once we submit the adoption intention questionnaire, the rescue center might want us to arrange an interview. If all goes well, I'll schedule it during the holidays, so it won't conflict with your classes or exams. But along with reviewing your homework and preparing for finals, you'll also need to prepare for the interview at the rescue station."

"Professor, please stop mentioning studying and final exams," the student groaned, "I still have a few papers to finish."

Anthony smiled. "Come on, you can do it."

"Okay, for my cat, I will!" the student declared. "What do I need to prepare, Professor?"

Anthony flipped through his lesson plan and pulled out a piece of parchment tucked inside. "I've listed the questions you might be asked, and on the back, there's some relevant Muggle knowledge. Based on your performance in class, I've tried to summarize some of the more challenging questions for wizards."

For wizards, concepts like deworming and vaccinations might not come naturally, and they could easily overlook how to ensure their pets don't disturb others. Plus, they'd likely have no clue about the various types of Muggle cat food.

"Make a copy," Anthony said, tapping the parchment and handing the conjured duplicate to the student, who was looking at it eagerly. "Here you go. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. If I'm not around, either leave a note or send me a message via owl."

"Okay, I'll prepare well." The student quickly glanced over the parchment. "Thank you, Professor Anthony."

"You're welcome."

The student tucked the parchment into his bag and left with heavy steps as if he'd just realized he had another test to study for—and he knew he had to pass this one.

Anthony smiled. If this student could genuinely prepare everything on that parchment, he might have a good chance of integrating into Muggle society in the future. In truth, he didn't need to know that much information. If he could just hold on until the interview, Anthony planned to give him a catch-all phrase to use.

Whether asked what to do if a cat scratches someone, or how to handle various feline illnesses, the student could simply scratch his head, smile cheerfully, and say, "I don't know, I guess I'll ask the more knowledgeable adults and let them handle it."

…

That day, a total of five students brought parental consent forms, including the Weasley twins. They mentioned they should have been the first to get consent since Molly Weasley agreed almost immediately.

"But Errol is so old," Fred said. "It took him at least five breaks before he finally delivered this piece of paper that says 'no problem'."

George added, "You can probably see why we want a new owl so much, right?" He noticed Anthony staring at a strange mark in the lower right corner of the consent form. "Oh, that's because Errol fell into Fred's pumpkin juice."

Anthony nodded, "I understand."

Given the unique nature of the "pet" they wanted to adopt, Anthony couldn't guarantee that the rescue center would approve. However, he had asked Professor McGonagall about the origins of the public owl in the school's owlery. After all, if Muggles who care about birds noticed a large number of owls flying in and out of a single area, it would be surprising that they hadn't discovered the strange school hidden there.

"It's because Hogwarts cannot be plotted on a map," Professor McGonagall had explained to him. "Additionally, the thirty miles surrounding the castle belong to Hogwarts. We've designated a portion of it as an owl habitat and registered it as protected land with several Muggle institutions."

Anthony's aim was to prove that the Weasley brothers worked and studied within this "reserve" and that bringing an owl to Scotland would be as compliant with regulations as possible.