What happened to senior scratchy at the end? It would’ve been cool if Billy took him from Agatha’s house and continued to keep him as a pet. She used to take him to shows and let Wanda borrow him for her magic act 😭 crazy how her pet name for Billy was literally Pet 😭😭😭
Little Agatha, CG Rio, and Senior Scratchy!! Salem era.
Agatha is playing in the garden and discovers a new friend in the bushes.
I didn't think I'd have something to post today, but I got this idea and couldn't not write it. It's slightly shorter and much less well-planned than normal, but I think it's cute. I love the idea of Senior Scratchy being protective of Agatha and letting her hug and carry him in such uncomfortable positions, especially when she's small.
Words-1.3k. Warnings- typical very brief allusion to Evanora. This is not proof-read yet, sorry.
...
With a flick of her hand Rio opened the windows in the room, letting the light summer breeze and sounds of the forest drift into the room. Agatha stirred at the noise, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“Good morning, Agatha, love. How do you feel?”
Agatha hummed. “Good. Could we play outside today? Looks sunny.” She leaned against Rio’s arm, tracing the floral lace patterns on the sleeves of Rio’s nightdress absently.
Ah, Agatha had woken up small, and slightly tired still. This was no shock- the girl had been coaxed through a few nasty nightmares by Rio the night before. Luckily, she didn’t seem to remember the upset. Instead only the remaining tiredness, sensitivity, clinginess to Rio, and the fact she’d woken up still around her 5 year old headspace even indicated that it had been a difficult night.
It would be fine though, Rio knew. They would just take the day slowly.
“Well, I cannot think why not, sweetheart. We should dress and eat first, but afterwards we certainly can.”
Clothes were picked out for both of them, light to combat the summer heat, but durable fabrics for time spent outside. Rio led Agatha through to the small kitchen area and heated up some oats and milk for her, putting it in a bowl with honey and a handful of nuts. Agatha ate slowly, blushing at Rio’s praise when she finished the whole bowl. She sat on a stool by the sink whilst Rio washed up, and once everything had been put away, they were ready to go outside.
…
Agatha was wandering the perimeter of the cottage, looking at all the pretty flower bushes Rio had bloomed there. She knew Rio was close-by, just by the backdoor tending to her herb garden, so she felt safe enough to wander a bit on her own.
She was admiring some particularly pretty purple flowers- she’d have to pester Rio to teach her all about them later- when she heard a rustling coming from beneath, the petals shaking slightly.
Cautiously, Agatha crouched down, not caring about getting dirt on her dress as she settled on her knees. She peered under the leaves and froze.
Huddled there, chewing on a few of the weeds, was a tiny white and brown rabbit. Agatha’s eyes went wide. Though she’d longed to play with them like the other girls, Agatha had never been allowed around the animals kept in Salem, but when she’d escape from her mother for the afternoon, and spend long spring afternoons wandering the woods, the rabbits were always her favourite animal to look for. She loved their fluffy ears and tails, their cute noses. She envied the baby rabbits, how they had somewhere safe and warm to hide from the bigger, scarier animals, how their mothers held them close, hiding them from the danger.
Now, she realised, she had that. She had her warm, familiar cabin, and Rio was always there to protect her from the scary dreams and memories. Rio had even started calling her ‘bunny’ as a nickname occasionally, realising how much she loved the animal after she eagerly picked out a baby blanket with a rabbit design at the market.
She and this bunny weren’t so dissimilar anymore, she thought. Maybe they could be friends.
Maybe she could even keep him.
Excited, though whispering, so as not to scare the small animal, Agatha spoke. “Hello, bunny. My name is Agatha.”
The rabbit looked up to Agatha, it’s beady eyes blinking slowly back at her. It’s nose twitched but otherwise it stayed still. Agatha was relieved she hadn’t scared it off.
“I don’t know if you have a Mami, but if you come with me, I can take you to Rio- she’s sort of like my Mami sometimes- and she can make you some food much tastier than weeds. She can grow anything!”
Slowly, the rabbit hopped over to Agatha. She held her breath as he stopped before her.
“I will be only a few minutes!” Agatha announced. But when she stood to fetch Rio, the rabbit stomped his little foot unhappily, glaring at her.
“Oh. I could stay if you like.” Agatha sat once again, and the rabbit stopped stomping and jumped, twisting happily. Agatha giggled.
“Okay, I shall stay.”
Over the next twenty minutes, Agatha played with her new friend. She found he liked being set on her lap and allowed to crawl over her- especially enjoying exploring her hair, burrowing through it when she layed on the grass. He was also very interested in her magic, which Agatha thought was unusual for a prey animal typically so easily startled. But he seemed to have lots of fun watching Agatha cast small harmless balls of purple light. He’d try to hop and grab them in his teeth, and scratch at them, which Agatha thought was very funny.
Eventually, Rio came over, having heard Agatha’s giggles from the other side of the cabin.
“What are you up to, Agatha?”
Before Agatha had the chance to reply, the rabbit jumped between her and Rio, frantically scratching at Rio’s skirt.
Rio screamed slightly, startled.
“Don’t scratch, silly! That’s just Rio.” Agatha scolded her bunny, who looked back at her, unconvinced, but hopped back over to her side, though he didn’t stop glaring at Rio.
“Agatha, who’s this?” Rio asked once she’d caught her breath back.
“My friend! Rio, please can we keep him? I do not know if he has a family, and I think he really likes me. I promise I will take good care of him, and play with him, and feed him, and I will never hurt or scare him.” Agatha pleaded. Rio didn’t miss the assumption that Rio expected she’d be a danger to the animal. Every day she was given more reasons to be grateful Evanora Harkness was gone from the universe.
“Well you’re right, he does seem to like you very much- he’s exceedingly protective.”
Not just that, but he seemed to be entirely comfortable around Agatha already, listening to her commands and sticking close to her side. Rio knew, of course, about familiars, and wondered if that could be what was happening now. Usually it took a while for a witch to form a sufficient bond with an animal for them to become one, but for a witch as powerful as Agatha… well, Rio wouldn’t be shocked if the connection was immediate. Agatha’s magic always had a way of surprising her.
“Does he have a name?” Rio decided to ask next, realising Agatha nerve mentioned one.
“I think I will call him Scratchy.” Agatha announced matter-of-factly.
Rio smiled. “A very fitting name, I think. Does Senior Scratchy want to come inside? It’s lunchtime for my little bunny, and I’m sure I could arrange something for her bunny friend as well.”
“I told you Rio would make you some food!” She whispered to Scratchy, whose ears twitched upwards. He started hopping up and down and pawing at Agatha’s skirt, begging Agatha to pick him up. She did so, and all three went inside to have some lunch.
…
Whilst Rio had to continue working in the garden that afternoon, Agatha found herself getting sleepy after lunch. Knowing she’d feel comfortable as close to her as possible, Rio allowed her to nap on the sofa, setting her up with cushions and a thin blanket. She also created a small bed out of a few scrunched up blankets and a small pillow on the floor beside her for Scratchy to nap on.
She kissed Agatha on the cheek wishing both her and Scratchy (at Agatha’s insistence) a good sleep, and headed outside.
However, when she came back in, around an hour and a half later, her heart melted. Agatha was still asleep, as was Scratchy from the looks of it. But the rabbit was no longer in his makeshift bed. Instead, the two were both on the sofa, Scratchy curled up to Agatha’s chest, the small witch holding securely onto him in a way she doubted any normal newly-acquired pet would allow. Agatha scrunched her face up at something in her dream, and Rio chuckled at how her expression mirrored her twitchy-nosed new friend. She supposed there would be two little bunnies in the house going forward.
