My name is Tabitha Aphrodite McGonagall.
I only know that because Mom says it when she's mad at me. Usually from climbing up the drapes or running off on my own. Up until just now, I have always been a kitten. Exactly ten years and three hundred and sixty four days and twenty hours. I loved being a kitten. I could play all day and sleep whenever I wanted and didn't have a care in the word. Except maybe if Mom didn't bring my food quick enough, then I got to meow loudly like a ferocious little tiger. Mom was only a cat some of the time and Dad was never a cat. I wasn't allowed to go see Dad. His room was in the dungeons of the castle and Mom didn't want me getting lost on my own. Sometimes though, Dad would come over to see us. He was awesome at playing fetch, he even let me hide the mouse so that he'd have to find it.
I was really terrified by this recent development of becoming human. I didn't want to be human, I never asked or wished for it. I was happy and content as a kitten. Now I was cold and hungry and scared. What would Mom say? Would she even recognise me? I don't think I'd even recognise myself. As a kitten I have brown and grey and black stripes and I look super ferocious. Especially when I show my sharp teeth. Maybe I could change back and Mom would never know. It shouldn't be too hard. Maybe I could just imagine myself as a kitten again? I tried really really hard and only got shooting pains all over for my efforts. I tried to hiss at them but nothing came out of the ridiculous human mouth. I missed my tail too. How on earth are people supposed to show how they feel if they don't have a tail?
I resorted to going to tell Mom. The only problem was that I couldn't fit through the cat flap into the living room. It was too small. Gosh I must be a huge human. I tried to push on the door instead but nothing happened. Scratch at the door? I looked at my huge gangly horrifying human hands and decided to think better of it. I sat on the floor by the flap with the hands underneath me. I'd give up all the wonderful mousies in the castle if I could just be a kitten again. Even the ones which smelled delicious. Something trickled from my eyes and down my face and right into my mouth. It tasted salty and horrible. Why were humans so ridiculously complicated? I just wanted to meow until Mommy came in. That always worked normally. I sat shivering with water trickling down my face and hoped this would all just be a nightmare.
After what felt like forever, the door opened. Mom came in to view wearing her long night gown, turned to me and shrieked. Her hand went to her face, her long brown hair around her. Dumbledore stood behind her in the doorway as though he knew something was wrong. I tried to move backwards but was up against the wall, as close as I could get. She was horrified. I knew it. More water travelled down my face until I could barely make out the people in front of me.
"I told you Minerva. Something was different." Dumbledore said. He walked around the two of us and picked something up from on top of the drawers. He passed her a blanket.
"Thank you Dumbledore. I never thought this day would come." She moved towards me and I tried to move backwards again with no more success than I'd had previously. "It's alright Tabitha. You don't need to be scared, everything is well. We can handle this." I wasn't sure about all the words she said but it sounded reassuring. She took my hands and helped me to my feet. How odd that people walk on two feet. It'd be so much more efficient to walk on four. Mom pulled the blanket over my shoulders and then pulled me towards her in a hug. I half expected her to start licking my ears. It would have been more reassuring to me than the hug.
"She should visit Madame Pomfrey. Made sure everything is in working order. I'll accompany you." Dumbledore said to Mom. She let me go and my knees dropped. I fell to the floor but felt a cushion beneath me before I hit it. Stupid knees bend the wrong way.
"Are you okay?"Mom asked. I understood the question but the mouth still wouldn't work at all. I nodded. Nodding was something I could do even as a kitten. Nodding meant yes. Shaking my head meant no. Mom got mad at me once for saying no too much. I wasn't really okay but I didn't hurt myself, which is what I thought the question was aimed at.
Dad had arrived in the midst of the chaos and was stood behind Dumbledore. I looked at him and as he moved towards me, he had water running down his face like mine had been. I wished I could make his water stop but at least he didn't look sad. He looked happy. Dad almost never looked happy. He placed his hands under my arms and pulled me up from the floor. He readjusted the blanket and moved my legs so that I was sat against him before he pulled his robe around me for more warmth. I leaned my head against him and wished I could go to sleep as he began moving. I stopped listening to everyone else. I couldn't understand much of what they said anyway.
Dad placed me down gently on a bed in the hospital wing. I'd been here before but not for ages. Last time was when I broke my front right leg trying to get through a door before it shut. That door was heavier than I thought. Madame Pomfrey had fixed me up really fast though so it didn't hurt for long. Now she bustled over with a calm expression and a reassuring tone and began prodding and poking at me. Eventually she went away and arrived back with an extra blanket which she laid over me and a bottle of milk. It was a bottle like the ones Mom fed me from when I was sick and wouldn't eat anything, except this one was bigger. Mom touched the bottle to my lips and I began to drink it slowly whilst listening to the new conversation.
"She is alright?" Dumbledore asked Madame Pomfrey who was clearing away various items she had prodded me with.
"Perfectly healthy. Besides the obvious dehydration and transformation. The very first animagus child born in animal state is also the very first animagus child to transform to human. Ironically, the very night before her eleventh birthday. " She mused.
"Are you insinuating that she should receive a Hogwarts letter?" Dad snapped.
"It's no coincidence, Severus." Dumbledore said serenely.
"Albus, you can't be serious?" Mom said quietly. Her expression a little anxious. "She cannot walk or talk. Two hours ago she was a kitten and had been since the day she was born." She fretted.
"That will come very quickly Minerva, especially if you help her." Pomfrey added in.
"I am against any idea, even thought that she should attend Hogwarts as a student." Dad commented.
"I both hear and see your doubts. As parents you want to protect her. Someday she is going to be a very powerful witch. I daresay more powerful than I. For now, you both must humble my wishes and prepare Tabitha as much as possible for the start of term. She is the missing student who has disrupted my sleep since the end of last term." Dumbledore turned slowly and walked swiftly from the room as though his business here was done.
"Are you in agreement Minerva?" Dad asked.
"I trust in Albus." Mom replied. "Can Tabitha come back to my quarters?" She then asked to Madame Pomfrey.
"Of course. Be aware however, she may change back at any point. I expect it will take time for her to learn to control it." She replied.
Once the bottle was entirely empty, I was bundled up in blankets and Dad carried me back home. A small human bed had appeared in my room whilst my kitten bed and toys were all lined up against the wall at the end of the bed. The cold white sheets didn't look very welcoming but Mom quickly got me settled with the extra blankets.
"Do you want me to stay? Just in case?" Dad asked Mom.
"Yes." She said quietly. She placed her lips on my head in a kiss. I wanted more than anything for her to not leave me alone but she and Dad departed the room, leaving the door ajar.
I shut my eyes and wished and hoped that it was all just a dream.
·●҉●·
I woke up crying. Fully, noisily crying. I was cold and wet and my stomach hurt. Moreover, I was still human. The noise coming from my mouth made me more upset and cry even harder. The door opened fully as Mom came in, Dad came in too and they talked but I was crying too much to hear let alone understand. He picked me up out of bed and carried me through to the bathroom. The bath filled with water instantly and he placed me in the warm water. Although, being a kitten before yesterday made me really adverse to water, Mom had often made me have baths so it wasn't as traumatic as it could have been. Mom and Dad switched placed and Mom bathed me. Afterwards she dried me off and wrapped me in a new blanket. She hugged me tight until Dad returned and carried me back to bed. I began crying again because I didn't want to be alone. Mom laid down beside me and stroked the long hair that came down from my head. She talked in a soothing tone until I fell asleep.
The next time I woke up I felt warm and cosy. There was morning sun streaming in through the window and I didn't feel unwell anymore. I turned over to see Mom stood in the doorway, watching me intently. "Are you okay?" She asked knowing it was a phrase I fully understood.
"Yes." I answered. I was taken aback by the sound of my own voice. It was soft but deeper than anticipated. It was not ferocious like a tiger. Which would have been nice. Mom smiled at me and came towards me.
"How about getting dressed. I managed to sort out some clothes." She said. I sat up with some help from my arms and Mom lifted them to pull a t-shirt onto me. It felt restricting and tight even though it wasn't. Next she pulled some white fabric onto my legs followed by a blue flared skirt. After that she had me try to put on my own socks but ended up helping a lot. Awkward feet. Paws looked much nicer and even worked better. Mom brushed my hair. It was such an odd feeling to have hair only on my head. And for it to be so long. She put a scrunchie around it to keep it all together. When I turned to face Dad who had appeared in the doorway, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and stared transfixed. I had long black hair and almost black eyes which made me resemble Dad and yet my soft features resembled Moms.
For the next six weeks the same thing happened every morning. I was stuck being human so I tried harder to understand people and to help myself. I adapted to new foods and other things amongst this new awkward body and even how to walk. I also began to learn things. I learnt about witches and wizards and muggles. I learnt about good and evil. I even learnt that no one besides Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey knew that my Dad was my Dad and that it had to stay that way. For everyone's safety. To the general world, I had no Dad. Personally I was glad I had a Dad, he's awesome.
On the thirty first of august I got up and dressed myself. I brushed my hair and sat down to a plate of toast opposite Mom.
"We need to go shopping today, to Diagon Alley. Get all your supplies for school." Mom said. At first I had been very uncertain of the thought of being a student. I knew a lot about magic but having been unable to read and write and even understand made it difficult to see it being possible. That was different now. I'd read A History of Magic from cover to cover. That was the book I learnt to read on.
"Okay." I said. I was nervous. In all my time I'd never left the school grounds. Hogwarts was my home and my world. Going somewhere new seemed terrifying. I only managed one slice of toast before I started feeling sick.
"We'll take the floo, just hold onto me tight." Mom said reassuringly. I stood in the alcove of the fire place and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Diagon Alley." She said clearly. When we landed in Diagon Alley we went straight to Olivander's Wand shop. Inside there were shelves with boxes stacked up to the ceiling. It was quite a sight. A small old man walked over behind the counter with a wide grin on his wrinkled grey face.
"My my, how amazing it is to meet you Tabitha the Animagus." He seemed very pleased. He turned and pushed his glasses up his nose before reading several boxes.
"It's very nice to meet you too Mr Olivander." I replied.
"Now then, I expect this may just do the job nicely." He passed the handle of the wand to me. "Give it a wave, towards the target." He said. I took the wand from him and aimed it at the target board. It transfigured into a dart board. I smiled and looked over at Mom who had stayed at the back of the shop. She was smiling too. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect Tabitha. Seven inches, Fir with a core of thestral tail hair. Extra firm. The perfect blend of both your mother and Father's wand." I was taken aback that he knew. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul." He took the wand back and placed it into a box.
Mom went to the counter to pay and said to him. "Thank you." Which I felt was for more than one reason.
We went to Flurish and Blotts for my many school books and to the apothecary for my ingredients and cauldron. We bought parchment and ink and new quills. Next we went to Madame Malkins. It was a beautiful big shop with clothes on manikins and hung on rack on the walls. She came over with a grin on her face.
"Now who do we have here? Good morning Minerva, how nice to see you." She said.
"Pleasant day to you. My daughter, Tabitha. She needs school robes." Mom replied.
"Tabitha the Animagus?" Madame Malkin asked coyly.
"Of course." Mom answered feeling tiresome of the same repeated question.
A tape measure flew at me and a jumped back a little. It began taking measurements flying here there and everywhere. I was quickly measured up for school robes, shirts and skirts. I wasn't quite the smallest size they had but not far off. Being a kitten was much better exercise than being human and I felt as though it showed.
As we walked back to the entrance of Diagon Alley to floo back home, I glanced over at the pet emporium. I wondered what it must be like to be sold to just anyone. Not knowing if you'd be loved or happy or safe. I wondered if I'd ever be a cat again. I really hoped so. I'd gotton used to being a person and walking on two feet and talking. Nevertheless, I felt like I was trapped in the wrong body.
"I'm not going to buy you an animal, Tabitha. Maybe next year if you want one." Mom said quickly.
"I don't want one. I was just... Hoping I can change back someday. I feel like part of me is missing." I admitted.
"You've never said that before." Mom commented.
"I don't want you to be sad about it, or think I'm not grateful." I admitted once again.
"I love you whether you're kitten or person. When you can change back, if you want to stay that way, you won't be disappointing me either way. Your choice is the only thing that matters. There's nothing to say you won't be able to switch back and forth like I do." Her reassuring words were exactly what I needed. I really had worried about disappointing her. Everyone's hopes for me to become a witch seemed very high. "Let's go home." Mom finished.
·●҉●·
The next evening I walked beside Mom to the antechamber where the first years were awaiting. I wore my brand new robes and a worried expression. I stopped in my tracks. Mom turned back to face me.
"Mom, I never thought about it until now. Do you care what house I get into?" I asked with nervous butterflies in my belly. She looked at me with intense and honest eyes.
"As long as you're happy, I absolutely don't mind." She replied. She drew me into a hug and kissed the top of my head before letting me go to enter the chamber.
I tried to blend in a little at the side of the crowd and listened to her speech before entering the great hall with the others. It felt odd to be nervous. Every year for as long as I'd been alive I'd attended the start of year sorting ceremony and feast. Though normally as a kitten. Name after name was called until eventually mine came about after a boy with blond hair who became a Slytherin. A loud murmur erupted in the hall when my name was said. Most of the students who had attended previously knew who I was, as a kitten. Many of them had petted me when I had sat on my Moms desk as she taught class.
I nervously walked up the steps and sat on the stool. Mom placed the sorting hat on my head. It was really too big so she had to hold it up a little. Suddenly a voice appeared in my head.
"You are a tricky one indeed. Mother and father head of different houses. It's a wonder they were ever together. The clash of bravery and ambition is poignant."
"I'm not brave. I'm scared almost always." I admitted to the hat.
"Very well child of two houses." He said. "SLYTHERIN." The hat finally yelled aloud. I was relieved that he picked a house at all.
A cheer erupted from the table with the green ties. I looked back at my Mom when she removed the hat. I couldn't tell if she was happy or sad. I looked to Dad. He had a slight, hidden grin. I got up and walked quickly over to the Slytherin table. I sat beside the blond boy, who up close I realised had white hair not blond. It was slicked back over his angular head. He had shining grey eyes and was pleasant enough to look at. I realised I might have been staring.
"I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." He said.
"Tabitha. It's nice to meet you." I said trying to remember the manners Mom had taught me. I wasn't too great with them. He smiled a little at me before turning to watch the rest of the sorting. When it was finished, Dumbledore gave his speech and the feast began. I scooped a pile of vegetables onto my plate and added a couple of new potatoes.
"Do you want any chicken passing?" Draco asked.
"No, thank you. I don't eat meat, as a person anyway." I said. He grinned.
"So it's true. You did used to be a cat." He stated. "You know talk about you is more interesting than the famous Harry Potter. You make him seem like a nobody."
"Of course." I said. "Now I'm stuck being human." I added.
"You prefer being a cat?" He asked.
"It's a lot easier." I replied sadly and pushed the vegetables around on my plate.
"Hey Tabby, good to see your in Slytherin. I have your back okay?" Adrian Pucey, a third year Slytherin who had often petted me in Mom's class had walked down the table a little to talk to me.
"Thank you Adrian." I replied. He was a chaser for the quidditch team and had once joked that he needed me to sit on the end of his broom. I found the thought nauseating but knew it was in good humour.
Eventually we were led away towards the common room by the prefects. It was way down in the dungeon near Dads quarters. The common room itself was large and elegant. There was a huge fireplace on the opposite wall to a window which was half underneath the black lake. The giant squid floated past. There were multitudes of sofas and tables with chairs. The fire looked really alluring. It would have been nice to sit in front of it until I fell asleep but we were redirected to our dormitories. The girls and boys were on opposite sides of the room, girls were on the left. The first year dormitory was exactly half way along the seven. I followed the other four girls inside to reveal five beds lined up neatly. Each separated by a desk and a wardrobe and each, except one, with a trunk at the end. The one with no trunk as at the far end, beside another door which led to the bathroom.
"I guess I'm at the end." I said.
"Why don't you have a trunk?" A black haired girl with the bed nearest the entrance piped up.
"I've lived here my whole life, I don't need a trunk." I answered coyly.
"So you really are a teachers kid?" She asked with a snobby snarl.
"Of course. I'm a McGonagall." I stated. I found my pyjamas in my wardrobe and changed quickly before climbing into bed.
·●҉●·
In every class the next day, Draco sat beside me. As soon as classes for the day were over, Mom headed me off on my way back to the common room.
"Was your first day okay Tabitha?" She asked me with a worried look.
"It went well Mom. Everyone was nice."
"Good. It's okay if you want to sleep back home sometimes, tonight even if you want." I could see that she wanted me to.
"Okay." I said and walked back with her home.
She had food ready waiting for us which I ate quickly to avoid talking too much. Mom told me to take a bath and get ready for bed which I also did quickly. I guessed that my homework would have to wait until tomorrow. I snuggled down in bed and drifted off to sleep thinking of the white haired boy who insisted on sitting next to me.
·●҉●·
I woke up feeling odd. I tried to sit up but I wasn't so great at throwing myself forwards as a kitten. A kitten? I raised my paw in front of my face. Oh paw, how I missed you. I licked it a few times and used it to rub at my whiskers. I jumped up on all four paws and wiggled my little tail. It swished merrily for a few moments before sticking up happily. I jumped down from the bed and climbed up the cat tree and into the cubby near the top where I found my favourite plaid mousie. I grabbed in with my sharp teeth and jumped down the tower to the floor where I batted it between my paws and chased it whenever it ran away. I played contentedly until Mom came through the cat flap. When I wouldn't hold still so that she could bath/lick me, she held me down flat with her paw. I struggled playfully and when she turned me over to get my belly I batted at her playfully too. She was really methodical to make sure I was really clean before letting me go and chasing me around the room. I looked back at her to see a twinkle in her eye as she pounced at me. This earned me some very clean ears. I ran off again this time with a bright green mousie in my mouth and Mom tore after me.
"I thought I might find the two of you in here. Your late for class." Dad said. We both stopped in out tracks. Mom changed back to human. I tried my very hardest too but all it did was make me feel queasy.
"Tabitha is a kitten again." Mom stated.
"I see that. Now what do you intend to do? She has classes to attend." Dad asked her.
"Could you take her to class, ask another student to look after her?" She asked him.
"I suppose. I also have to live in hope that the NEWT level students I'm currently supposed to be teaching don't get suspicious."
Dad picked me up from where I was sat with the mousie in my mouth looking up at them. I kept a strong hold on the mousie. If I had to go to class I wanted to play too. I laid down on Dads hand, sprawling onto his arm a little too. He swayed back and forth for ages until we reached a classroom.
"Excuse me Professor Flitwick. I have Tabitha McGonagall here. I trust I can leave her with a fellow student to watch her?"
"Certainly Severus." He answered, surprised at the intrusion and noticing that I was a kitten again. "Mr Malfoy. If you will watch Miss McGonagall and take some notes on her behalf."
"Yes Sir." Draco answered. Dad walked over to where he was sitting and passed me over to him. I was promptly placed on the desk in front of him. Whispers broke out which Flitwick quickly quietened. I jumped off the desk and onto Draco's lap before climbing his jumper a little and laying on his stomach. His hand touched to the back of my head where he gently rubbed my ears. It felt like bliss.
Draco happily carried me between classes and another Slytherin boy called Blaise helped out too. After classes we went back to the common room, somehow avoiding bumping into Mom. Draco placed me down next to him on the sofa in front of the fire and began pulling out his books and homework.
"I figured you would have at least changed back by now. I think they'll know if I did your homework for you." Draco sighed. It almost seemed in a worried way.
I did want to change back really, I didn't want to get behind on school work. Maybe I'd be stuck this way for six weeks until I changed again. It wasn't a happy thought. I did love being a kitten, more than anything. I'd gotten used to being human though. Even those horrid hands and awkward feet. I concentrated really hard on changing back, I even quashed the shooting pains it caused as much as I could. Once it reached an unbearable level and a hiss escaped my mouth I felt my body changing. Arms and legs and I looked down. Thank gosh I was still dressed in my night gown. Certainly better than had I had nothing on. I put my head in my hands until the pain had completely gone.
"Are you okay?" A question I heard far too often.
"I'm okay Draco." I said quickly. "I'm going to get my books." I got up and quickly returned with them, now dressed in regular clothes.
"Did you manage to listen in class?" Draco asked.
"Mostly. It's harder to distinguish what is being said sometimes. Which is even harder when we're learning new things." I admitted.
"I think the notes should be okay. There isn't loads but if you read them you should get the jist of it." He opened his History of Magic book and began reading. I read though the notes and pieced together the parts I hadn't understood.
"You know, six weeks ago I couldn't read at all." I commented. He looked at me and grinned a little.
"What was it like, becoming human?" He asked.
"I got used to it quickly, I had to." I said, sparing the details. Just them the door to the common room opened and Dad walked in.
"Good, Tabitha. Your Mother insisted I tell you she needs you. I expect you need to invest in an Owl. I'm not a messenger." He snapped and left.
"I have to go." I said to Draco, packing my books into a bag.
"I could wait here for you." He offered.
"No. Chances are I won't be back until class tomorrow." I insisted. I got up and headed toward to door.
"Good night, Tabby." He called after me.
·●҉●·
The day we had our first flying lesson, I was a kitten. I was sat on Blaises hand as the class begun. I did feel a little gutted that I wasn't human to join in but I had realised that changing too often made me feel really unwell. So I was stuck being a kitten and watching class or I could be a human and spend the day in the hospital wing. I picked kitten, for now.
Madam Hooch appeared on the pitch and started dishing out instructions. I ended up in Blaises other hand so he could hold his right arm out at the broom and say 'UP'. His broom zoomed up from the ground and I zoomed back in surprise. I toppled off of the hand but luckily landed on my feet on the damp ground. I was quickly scooped up by Draco and clutched to his chest. Draco and I had really hit it off recently. We studied together each night in the common room and talked sometimes too. I learnt that his Father worked at the Ministry for Magic but also had a lot of money invested and in the property market. His Mother was a Psychiatrist, which I was assured although sounded like a muggle job was actually very magical and used something called Leginimancy. It all sounded quite complicated to me.
I looked up and down the row of students, I had quite a good vantage point as Draco was stood forwards a little. Everyone had managed to rise their broom and had hold of it in their right hand. Even Draco had regained hold of his after dropping it to get me. A Gryffindor boy suddenly shot high into the air before plummeting back to the ground with a crack. It was a wonder he could even make the broom go that fast. In all the commotion Draco bent down and grabbed hold of a glass orb rolling across the grass.
"Give it back!" Another Gryffindor boy yelled. He was Harry Potter. The boy who lived. Mom had told me about him and Draco loved winding him up.
Draco mounted his broom whilst still holding me and the glass orb. He took flight into the air. I dug my claws into his jumper and shut my eyes tight.
"Give it back Malfoy." I heard and tried to shut my ears too. In a brisk movement Draco let go of his broom, placed one hand on me and used the other to throw the glass orb as hard as he could. It was a miracle we stayed on the broom. We landed back on the ground by Blaise who quickly took hold of me when Draco realised that Mom was on her was across the grass. She talked to the Potter boy and took him away. I was uncertain but I would have thought that Draco was in the wrong.
Class was quickly dismissed and we went to the common room for the rest of the lesson. Blaise passed me back to Draco who put me down on our usual spot in front of the fire.
"Are you going to change back yet? I thought you wanted to be a person for quidditch?" Draco questioned. I rolled my eyes. "Very funny Tabby. It'd be better if you could read with those eyes as well as roll them as a cat." I forced myself to change back and grimaced in pain.
"I changed into a cat in my sleep, it's not my fault." I sulked. "I decided I don't like flying either. I could have fallen."
"I wasn't going to drop you Tabby. It was great to see the look on Potters face when I flew up though." He grinned.
"Well, maybe the next flying lesson will go better." I mused.
·●҉●·
It did. Just before the next flying lesson Draco bet me I wouldn't be able to get on a broom and take off. So I marched out next to him, raised my broom and mounted it. The butterflies in my belly were something else. The aim of today's lesson was to fly through the red smoke circles which floated all over the grass. The first person through would be allowed to do the course again. I set off at a gentle pace whilst Draco raced ahead. My interests were all for staying on the broom. I heard a small cheer as Potter made it through the lap first and whooshed past me on his second. I happily carried on around and landed gently down.
As soon as I touched my feet to the ground I could feel myself changing. I got off the broom and tried to force it to stop but the pains got worse and worse the more I tried. I gave up and let myself become a kitten. I looked around to see people running and flying around me. I was sure to get stomped on by someone. I ran in the general direction of the castle only to find myself scooped up into the hands of Madame Hooch.
"I'm not sure that flying lessons and kittens are a good mix." She said whilst carrying me back over to the group.
The lesson was quickly over and Draco carried me back to the common room where he and the other first years studied whilst I napped and sat on notebooks people were trying to read from. When everyone headed to bed, I followed. I curled up on the top of the cat tree which was a fixture by the wall opposite the end of my bed. I fell asleep listening to the other girls talking.
I awoke to the undeniable sound of my arm breaking. The other girls rushed off their beds toward me and tried to help me up. I realised what must have happened. I changed in my sleep and fell from the top of the cat tree, breaking my arm when it hit a lower ledge when I dropped.
"We need to get you to the hospital wing." Pansy said gently. Tears sprung to my eyes as I realised how much my arm hurt. Pansy ushered me out into the common room.
"I can get there on my own, I don't want you getting into trouble for being out of bed." I said.
"Okay." She replied. If it hadn't been for the thought of Filch and Mrs Norris I think she would have insisted on going with me.
I left through the door way and turned to go down the stairs to the right rather than up the stairs to the hospital wing. Once I reached the bottom I knocked loudly on the door and waited, cradling my arm and resting against the cold stone wall. Eventually the door swung opened and Dad appeared with an angry expression which instantly softened when he realised it was me.
"What's wrong Tabitha?" He asked looking at me from head to toe before realising I was cradling my arm.
"I think it's broken." I cried.
"It'll be alright." He reassured and picked me up. He hugged me closed and I cried into his shoulder as he set off at a brisk walk towards the infirmary.
When we arrived at the hospital wing Dad placed me down gently on a bed and Madam Pomfrey rushed over from her office.
"Let me assess the damage" She said shooing Dad over to the other side of the bed. She took my arm gently in her hands. "Clean break." She stated. She rested my arm back beside me on the bed and took out her wand. She silently cast a spell and the pain in my arm dulled to an ache. "It'll have to finish healing a little bit on its own for a few days but then it'll be right as rain." She produced a bandage and began wrapping my arm. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" She asked gently. She was known not to pry but I was sure she could tell it was from an accident.
"I fell asleep as a kitten at the top of my cat tree. I woke up as human, toppling from the cat tree. I hit my arm on a lower ledge." I answered honestly. She mused for a moment as she finished wrapping the bandage and tucked in the end.
"Have you been forcing the change between feline and human?" She asked.
"No." I snapped defensively.
"You're a terrible liar Tabitha." Dad interrupted. I glared at him and instantly felt bad about it.
"Fine." I said.
"I suppose you feel pressure to change so that you can be human with your class mates?" Madam Pomfrey asked gently.
"I don't want to miss out." I sulked.
"Your Mom mentioned to me that it seemed to hurt when you change, I expect that is from forcing or fighting the change." She said.
"You make me sound like a werewolf." I moaned.
"You are unlike anyone else Tabitha. There is no way of knowing what is right and wrong. I'd suggest allowing the change to happen when it wants. If school work becomes too much I'm sure Professor Dumbledore would be happy to suggest some ideas." She said reassuringly.
"So I should just let myself change only when it does the work for me?" I asked curiously.
"I would suggest so. I'd also suggest not sleeping on your cat tree. Although I would hope that if you stop forcing and fighting the change it will refrain from happening when you're sleeping. " She said.
"Okay." I answered hesitantly. Sometimes I felt awful being a kitten becuase everyone else felt that they had to look after me. I couldn't navigate the castle alone for fear of getting stomped on and someone else always had to take notes for me in class. As a kitten I was a burden.
"How about I take her to spend the rest of the night with her Mom?" Dad asked Madam Pomfrey.
"That should be fine. Make sure the bandage stays on and dry for three days. " She said and headed back to her office.
"Is that okay with you Tabitha?" He asked. I sighed.
"I guess." I answered expecting a hundred questions from Mom.
"I could stay over there too if you want." He replied. I was never sure if I should say yes or no when he asked me if I wanted him to stay over. I wasn't certain if he wanted to or if Mom wanted him to. I didn't think he slept on the couch when he stayed over though, so I assumed that was a good sign.
"Okay." I whispered as he picked me up. I leaned my head against him and began lulling back to sleep as he walked over to Mom's quarters.
Mom was a little frantic when she found out that I broke my arm but somehow I quickly ended up in bed with the lights out, listening to Dad reassuring Mom. It was times like these I wished that everyone knew who my Dad was.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want me to continue. If I do it will be shorter chapters from here on out. Rx