That short note from Professor Wayland had all but made Felicity's year: a precious Aethonian foal was hers to look after, to name and watch grow right in front of her eyes. A foal who probably felt just as out of place as she did in the huge Castle. She hadn't even met her yet, but already her heart was exploding with joy at the prospect. And if she got to keep her? Well, the fourth year wouldn't think about how practical that would be in an apartment in London right now, for fear of getting upset, but if she told her Dad... Surely she could convince him to sort something out for her?

Making a mental note to write to them later, Felicity pushed all thoughts of her parents from her mind as she entered the Nursery, overwhelmed by the number of animals and all of the noises they were making. She wanted to go and pet every single one of them, in all honesty, but focused her attention on the stalls housing the Winged Horses, eyes scanning for her name as she approached. Giddy when she spotted it, Felicity's steps quickened as she made her way to the name plate. These were not tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of the adorable baby that she got to look after, no - it was... Her Kneazle allergy playing up, obviously.

"Hey," Felicity leant on the stall door, cocking her head to mimic the foal with a giggle. It was smaller than she had expected, even if she had read that they were on the smaller side of the Winged Horse family, stronger than they looked, and the chestnut coat was flecked with tawny across her chest. Even if she hadn't seen any of the others up close, Flick was quick to decided that hers was the most beautiful, and wished she had a camera to document it's growth. Unlocking the stall, she was careful not to make any too-sudden movements, watching as its wobbly legs retreated further to the back of the stall. "It's okay... I'm not going to hurt you," she cooed in a low voice, grabbing a rake and shovel before making her way into the stall, deciding to take advantage of the foals movement to clean up the stall, and let her get used to human presence.

It seemed to be a good call - by the time Felicity had mucked out the stall, the foal had taken a few steps forward, it's eyes shining with curiosity at the young witch before her. Felicity giggled slightly as she offered her hand, palm down, in the direction of the foal, and it nudged under it with it's nose, allowing her to stroke the coat. It was coarser than she had expected. Digging into her pocket, Felicity produced an apple that she'd taken from the Great Hall at breakfast, offering it with her other hand as she continued to stroke the horse. More giggling ensued as the horse's nostrils flared wide as it investigated the apple, before taking it from her in one huge bite and retreated back to the corner of the stall to eat it. After watching the foal for a few moments, Felicity turned to the trough, leaving the stall to grab some straw, which she distributed on the floor of the stall and into the trough along with some infant Aethonian food. Then she raised her wand. "Agumenti," she muttered softly, filling the water trough. By this point, the foal was sniffing around her pockets, no doubt in search of another apple. "I'll bring you more tomorrow, okay?" the Thunderbird managed softly, taking a brush to the foal's coat, who made appreciative noises.

A check of her watch revealed it was soon time to return to the Castle for afternoon lessons, and Felicity already felt sad about leaving the animal behind. She closed the stall door, offering it one last stroke. "I... Still don't know what to name you," she realised, and was sure the horse had sighed in response. "I'll have a think. See you tomorrow."

As she was leaving, Flick noticed Jessa's name on another tall, more excitement washing over her as she realised she could talk to her friend about having the same pet. OOH.