A/N: Just a random little one-shot that I wrote for my twin because she was bored. The story is set during either Philosopher's Stone or Chamber of Secrets, but I hadn't really decided. It doesn't matter too much though since the timeline doesn't have any bearing on the barely-there plot.
A Nap Disturbed
The tabby cat stretched out on the window sill. The sun was coming at just the right angle that it shed all of its warmth onto the feline without blinding it. She purred at the sublime surroundings. The castle was silent, or at least in the vicinity. The slightest of echoes could be heard of students talking, laughing, and running down hallways in the other half of the medieval structure. It was a soft buzz that only made the cat drowsier.
Then her ears perked at a sudden disturbance. There were now students running down her corridor. She twitched her tail in annoyance; hopefully they would turn down another corner and not reach her little haven. But naturally the universe was working against the tabby today. Three students came careening down the hall. The two boys were jumping around diving occasionally to catch the Fanged Frisbee they were tossing about, while the one girl was jogging to keep up with them and reminding them of all the assignments they had to get done and how Filch would have their heads for the contraband they were playing with.
The cat got up from her curled position; clearly there would be no rest for the weary today. She was debating with herself if she should hiss at them for disturbing her or just slink away to find a less active hallway. Instead she settled for a caterwaul as she just barely leaped out of the way of the Fanged Frisbee hurtling towards her. But the sudden jump hadn't left any room for proper calculations so she ended up bringing down the tapestry that hung next to the window. The tabby struggled under the thick fabric, trying to get out of its musty grasp. She could hear the girl yell at her friends, then was suddenly blinded with light as the tapestry was lifted by her rescuer who subsequently pulled her out.
The young girl cooed over the cat, "You poor little dear, almost getting hurt by these idiots." Her voice had turned slightly harsh on the last word but she easily returned to honeyed tones, "It's okay, kitty, you're safe now."
Turning her head in the girl's arms, the tabby ignored her soothing words and glared at the boy with the unkempt black-hair who kept shifting nervously from foot to foot. He pushed up his circular glasses that appeared to have slipped during his cavorting about with his friend. Where was the second one anyways? A sudden aggravated noise brought the cat's attention to the windowsill where the second boy was whinging about his now bent out of shape toy after its run-in with the window.
"The stupid cat could have at least tried to catch it. Fred and George are going to kill me if I can't fix this before they see it's missing."
"How could the cat catch it without hands, Ronald? You almost killed it! This is why those things are on Filch's list of banned items," the brown-haired girl said haughtily. She resettled the cat in her arms as it started batting at her thick curls; its claws were pulling on her hair. "No, no, kitty. Be a good little cat; that hurts." The cat just barely saw the second boy roll his eyes at his friend.
"Do you think it'd still work?" the ginger asked the other boy as he tossed it into the air.
The black-haired boy had just turned his attention to the other end of the hall, "Did you hear— Oww!" His question was interrupted by the airborne Frisbee that smacked him in the back of his head and knocked him over, "What'd you do that for?!"
"I just wanted to see if it worked!" his friend defended himself.
Only the cat was privy to the girl's muttered "Idiots."
"It's interesting to see the school rules still mean nothing to Gryffindors," the newly arrived Potions Master drawled.
The three students cast their eyes down simultaneously. They didn't paint a very good picture for the professor: one of them standing on the windowsill, the other sprawled on the floor with a broken and illegal Zonko's product, and the last standing next to a toppled tapestry with a tabby in arms. Only the cat looked the professor head-on, its gaze utterly imperious.
With a lazy flick of the wand, the tapestry flew up from the floor and hung itself on the wall again, "Twenty points from Gryffindor— each." He ignored the boys' gasps and dropped jaws and the cat's discomfited meow as she was suddenly squeezed by the girl. "And another ten points for the Frisbee," he Vanished it as he deducted points, paying no mind to the second boy's strangled whimper. "You three may go. Actually abide by the rules or I'll add a detention as punishment."
"Yes, Professor," they chorused hurriedly. The ginger clambered down from the windowsill, the bespectacled boy jumped up from the floor, and the girl quickly scurried over to her friends, still clutching the cat tightly to her chest.
"Granger," the professor called before they could make their escape. All three turned back to him, the girl with trepidation for being summoned and the boys with defiant anger that she would get even more punishment. Professor Snape merely held out his hand, "The cat."
She looked down at it, and the tabby looked back up at her with its deep green eyes. Looking up at him quizzically, "She's yours?" The disbelief was heavy in her voice; it was such a sweet cat, how could it belong to the despised professor?
He didn't answer, only arched his eyebrow that she would dare question him. Watching her walk towards him, he noticed that she gave the cat a slight squeeze and a few more strokes. Possibly for solidarity in the face of such a horrid person, or maybe the regret that she couldn't keep it for herself. He took the cat from her and sent them on their way. They couldn't seem to get away fast enough, except for the girl; she took a second look back at the cat.
Walking down the hallway from whence he came, Professor Snape nonchalantly tossed the cat ahead of him. She transformed mid-flight, landing with feline grace in front of him, her dark green robes swishing dramatically as she turned to face him and gave a slight scowl.
He treated her with a smirk, "I believe we're supposed to keep the students from breaking rules, Minerva, not aid and abet them."
"You don't think seventy points is a bit much, Severus?"
"Whatever helps them learn."
She rolled her eyes at him, "You're impossible."
The two professors walked down the corridor bantering back and forth as they headed for an area more populated with students to ensure their behavior. It was a shame that the tabby cat wasn't able to enjoy her nap on that sun-warmed windowsill.