Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.
Appleby Arrows Reserve Keeper: Write about someone turning into a household pet (by choice or otherwise) and living as one for a while
AU: Magical Realism / I'm kind of sad I was pressed for time, but I enjoyed writing this! :)
Word count: 1,999
who needs fate? (i'm here)
She flicks her cigarette to the ground before crushing it under her boot and cutting across the street to enter the alley. She can't remember when she found the shortcut, but she long since has incorporated it into her regular route home. Her little puffs of air are visible in the cold night, and she burrows her face deeper into her jacket.
"Hello, there," a bright, airy voice calls out to her when she's halfway down the alley. Ginny pauses slightly but walks faster. She knows better than to stop and talk to random strangers in the dead of the night. "Well, you're being rather rude which I know is so different from your usual person."
Oh, no, a crazy stalker. She's about to break out into a run when a shiver runs down her spine and her body stops in its track. She tries to scream, but no sound comes out and that's when the panic sets in. The click-clack of heels grow louder by the second along with her heartbeat.
A young woman comes into view all smiles and laughter. She has long, blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She wears a long robe and radish earrings.
"I'm so sorry to do this, but I've just grown so frustrated! You would not believe the number of missed opportunities you've had. I was waiting for Fate to work her magic, but I'm far too impatient for that. I'll have to do some spellcasting myself."
The woman leans forward and kisses her on the lips lightly, transferring a blue spirit ball from her body into Ginny's. Horrible tremors run down her body until she begins to shake uncontrollably; her vision slowly fades to black.
Just before she's unconscious she can hear the woman whisper, "I hope you don't take this too harsh because I'll love to be friends when you're both in the know. In love and all that happiness that comes with it!"
When she finally comes to, she's aware of hands picking her up and carrying her away from the alley. Except that shouldn't be possible since she can't possibly be that tiny.
"Stop," she yells, but all she hears coming out from her mouth is a hiss. She blinks and realizes she's on all fours, but it doesn't feel unnatural. She glances around the streets and sees her reflection from a window shop.
She's a tabby cat.
More hisses and shrieks spill from her mouth. The woman holding her right now is not the same woman as before. Could this be the other witch's accomplice?
"Would you stop being so loud?" the woman asks in an irritated voice, trying to keep Ginny tucked into her jacket. "God, you'd think you'd be more grateful I just saved you from the cold."
Ginny huffs. She didn't ask her anybody to save her. She wasn't even aware she needed saving. The woman stops in front of a small witch's shop, and Ginny sits up straighter. There must be a cure for whatever has happened to her. She can't stay a cat forever because some crazy lady decided she would play Lady Fate.
"Daphne!" the woman yells as she pushes the door and the bell chimes to signal their entrance. Ginny meows in dismay when this 'Daphne' person pokes her head from one of the aisles and sends the woman a glare. This isn't the same witch from last night. Sure, she's blonde, but she also looks completely different. "I've found it!"
Daphne sighs loudly and makes her way to the counter where they are. "Pansy, how many times have I told you to stop screaming when you enter?" At least Ginny can now put a name to the woman's face. "I can hear the bell, you know. Also, what would you have done if I had been reading a customer?"
"But you weren't," Pansy scoffs, waving her hand in the air as if dispelling the notion. She unceremoniously dumps Ginny on the counter with a smug grin. "Anyway, look at this cat. I'm more than positive it's my familiar!"
"No, stop," Daphne is shaking her head before Pansy's even finished talking. She gives Ginny a pitying look, "you're wrong. That isn't a familiar. You've literally picked up a stray cat. Ugh, it probably has a disease."
Okay, wow, that's rude. Ginny hisses and swipes a paw at Daphne's hand. There's no way she looks like a stray cat. She glances at her fur and nods. For the most part, her fur is clean, save for a few rough patches that must've gotten dirty when she was unconscious in the alley.
"No, you're wrong. I found her in the most unlikely places when I least expected it. I've read all the books, and that's what they all say. I found her in the alley! You know me, I would never walk through that alley if it were up to me. It's absolutely filthy and disgusting, and I'd ruin my expensive shoes." Pansy sends a forlorn look at her white knee boots that have dried mud on the sides. Ginny rolls her eyes. "But I felt this strange feeling in my chest, so I crossed the street, unsure of where to go. Then I saw this orange glow coming from the alley which called me, and sure enough, I found her."
Pansy is surprisingly delicate when she runs her fingers through Ginny's hair. For such a loud and rude woman, the soft touch isn't what she expected.
There's hesitation when Daphne speaks next as if she's weighing her words. "Yes, I admit, that sounds suspicious and, if you were any other person, I'd agree. However, you're not a witch, so you can't possibly have a familiar. You're an empath. There must be something else to this cat."
Both women turn and stare at Ginny who's nodding her head desperately. She meows, trying to make them somehow understand.
"It's trying to tell us something, but I can't figure out what."
"Well, you're a witch, don't you have a spell or two for communication with animals or something?" Pansy raises a brow, pointing to the bookshelves. "Surely, there must be a spell in all those books."
Daphne hums, biting her nail between her teeth. "I'll message my mother and see if she's got a clue. Take your shift while I go figure it out."
Pansy half-heartedly waves her to the back of the store and goes behind the counter. She must work here, Ginny decides, when Pansy fetches an apron with the store's name on it. "What could we call you? Hm, Princess?" Ginny hisses and Pansy giggles. "Okay, not that. I'll think of something. How about Mary? Luna?"
Ginny hisses some more until Pansy gives up and calls her stubborn. Soon a customer walks through the door, and Pansy sets off to help them pick up the right incense for their ritual. It's then that Ginny begins to feel the strain of all that's been hurled at her. She's so terribly confused and scared. What if she stays in this form forever? She'd never see her friends and family again.
She lays her head on the counter and closes her eyes. When Pansy comes back and pets her softly, Ginny's worries disappear and she lets herself be drifted off to sleep.
So the situation goes a little like this: Daphne's mother didn't know anything, but she referred them to another witch called Minerva McGonagall who specialized in transfiguration and those types of spells. Pansy and Daphne have reached the conclusion after a series of tests that Ginny's most likely cursed which Minerva confirmed after examining Ginny herself. The other witch surprised her when she changed into a cat at her will. Something far too advanced for Daphne to attempt. Unfortunately, the potion which is supposed to make Ginny human takes a week to make, so Ginny's stuck with Pansy for an entire week before she gets her body back.
Minerva, being able to communicate with Ginny in her cat form, has told Pansy Ginny's real name. Ginny has also forgone telling her parents because they already have so much to worry about with her older brother, George, she doesn't want to burden them more. Luckily, she'd been able to call in sick for work.
Living with Pansy, on the other hand, has been surprisingly pleasant. Ginny figured out that Pansy is an empath which means she's able to manipulate the emotions of those around her and feel what everyone else feels. It's why she seems to always get her way and is disgruntled when things don't go exactly how she envisioned it. She's spoiled if Ginny is being completely blunt. But there's a different side to her that Ginny's been able to witness by living with her.
See, nobody sees that Pansy's all talk with her tough girl persona, but she's only pretending. For the ones she cares about, she's the type to drop all her work and show up for them when they need it the most. Yes, she can get snappy when she's having a bad day, but most of the time, all her jabs are teases because that's the way she shows her friendship.
But, uh, the most interesting about living with Pansy has been the dreams.
A loud moan echoes throughout the room as a pair of lips press into her neck with teeth sinking into her skin. She runs her hands up and down the back of the woman who's pressed flush against her. It's like she's trying to memorize every curve and dip of the woman's back. A hand pulls her hair back roughly and Ginny preens with the motion, giving the woman easier access to bruise her neck.
When the woman, shrouded in mystery and in the dark, tilts her head forward to capture her lips in a fervent kiss, she sees galaxies. It's like the world was built for this moment. For Ginny to experience the highest form of pleasure. Everything seems perfect, and Ginny knows there's no better feeling in the world than this.
Ginny flushes when she recalls the latest one. For the past seven days, they've escalated to the point where she is finally able to recognize Pansy as being the other woman in the dreams. And she's sure Pansy has been getting them too because she woke up one day and stalked over to where Ginny was and declared, "I'm going to take you out for a date as soon as you're back in your body."
Apparently, the dreams mean they're soulmates and the witch hadn't cursed her but sped up their timeline.
A soft knock on the door brings her out of her stupor. Pansy leans against the frame of the guest room, smiling at Ginny. "It's time, Ginny. Let's go see Daphne."
Ginny hops off the bed and lets Pansy pick her up. Pansy places her gently inside her jacket to protect Ginny from the cold air outside. The two walk idly to the shop where Pansy talks to fill up the quiet space. Ginny responds with soft meows, letting Pansy know she's listening.
Daphne greets them warmly when they enter the shop and holds the vial up. Daphne pours it in a bowl. "All you have to do is drink it and that should be it. Whenever you're ready."
Pansy squeezes her and sets her carefully on the floor. "I'm going to miss you in this form. You're like the familiar I'll never get."
This is it. She'll get her body back and find that meddling witch. She walks up to the bowl and drinks the potion. She can feel her bones growing and the fur leaving. And this time, when she comes to, she wakes up in Pansy's arm.