Albus sat at his desk looking through a stack about three feet high of unanswered ministry owls. His habit of leaving things until the last second was really a hindrance upon occasion. His hand hurriedly scribbled at the parchment in front of him rattling off this or that in reply.
At his feet a grey tabby cat sat looking out of the window over the grounds. She jumped up into the window seal her tail twitching below her. The stars seemed to have amplified around the castle as no window, aside from the one she was sitting in of course,showed any sign of light at this hour. The light grey, spectacle shaped markings around her eyes only enhanced the squinting gaze she took on as she stepped closer to the glass until her nose almost touched it.
Across the grounds a dark shadow could be seen dashing across the grounds from Hagird's hut to the forbidden forest. The tabby scoffed as the shadow bounded around a tree and back into the light of the hut. Fang the abnormally large bore hound was apparently out for his last evening relief. Padding her paws on the cold seal she gave a disgusted look and jumped down again shaking her front feet as she walked away.
She made her way to the fireplace across the room where a warm fire blazed deep inside its stone walls. Sitting down in front of it she closed her eyes letting the warmth seep through her. Her fur ruffled slightly as she puffed up to take in all the heat she could. The light caused her raven fur to shine with a particularly radiant luster.
She stayed rooted to the spot for about a half an hour until she was again over taken with boredom. Turning to look at Albus, his stack slowly growing smaller with the passing time, she quirked her tail up into a delicate arc. She jogged over to his feet again where she began to rub herself up against his legs weaving in between his feet. Reaching up a paw she flexed her claws and lightly grabbed at his robes.
When she received no reply she gave a disapproving look and lept up onto the desk. She padded her paws once again against the stack of unsealed replies, much like she had on the cold window seal. Albus glanced at her feeling a disruption and she paused mid step. Giving him an innocent look she placed both of her paws on the stack and bated her emerald eyes at him.
"If you wish to help you may." Albus remarked not looking at her but instead again the the parchment in front of him. The cat stuck out her tongue and jumped from the desk again. She looked around the room for something to do the usual twirling and whizzing instruments across the room caught her eye. She beamed in excitement as she dashed towards them, finally something that will play back.
Taking a giant leap for the table she stretched her paws out to catch the closest and by chance the largest instrument to her. Mid jump she was caught by a subtly disapproving voice.
"Those are not play things."
She tumbled to the floor rolling over before making it to her feet again. She glared hard at him, he still wasn't looking at her. She shook before stretching her back and setting about the room again. Nothing at all seemed interesting she had read and reread all of the Transfiguration Today magazines as far back as was available, and she refused to play another game of chess against herself. Pacing in front of the wall turned bookshelf she scanned for a book she had yet to read- nothing -not a single one she hadn't read at least once.
As she passed for the umpteenth time a flicker at the very tipy-top of the shelf caught her eye. She stopped and looked up at it, it was a book with gold leafed pages, by the look of it a rather large book, The Mysteries of Magical Marketing was blazed across the spine. She had never read that one before, the title alone was enough to put her to sleep, but it was something.
She took one last glace at Albus before setting to scale the bookshelf. Her small paws and long legs did her well as she climbed higher and higher slipping her paws between books and gripping the wood with her claws. As she neared the top she began to wonder how she would get the book down, let alone herself, she was a good twelve feet off the ground now and she had no intention of jumping.
Upon reaching the top shelf she looked down at the floor her eyes growing larger than ever. Oh Merlin, what have you done? Choosing not to look down again she shimmied across the shelf to the the book in question. Placing her paws on the book she pushed, it wiggled slightly and she had an idea. Lets see him ignore this.With all the strength she had she pushed the book over the edge of the shelf and sent it toppling to the ground.
She watched it fall and cringed when it hit with a loud thud. She closed one eye and drew up her paw waiting- waiting for anything really. It didn't take long before a familiar voice carried to her.
"What in the name of Quidditch-" the tabby cat peered over the shelf to look down at him, he was looking up at her, a not too pleased look on his face. "Minerva." he growled disapprovingly. "What, may I inquire, do you think you are doing? -and just how in the world did you get up there?"
She sat down and glanced at the trail of paw prints she had left in the dust behind her. Albus slipped his fingers under his glasses to grip the bridge of his nose. "My word Minerva Elizabeth McGonagall, how do you suppose you will get down exactly?" she shrugged and turned her back to him shoving yet another book off of the shelf.
Albus jumped as it hit the floor followed by two more. Apparently there were quite a few books she hadn't read yet. Reaching the edge or the shelf she jumped down to a lower structure and so on until she was comfortable with the leap to the ground. She trotted to Albus' desk and jumped up onto it swishing her tail over the edge.
"Minerva, you are something else." he looked into the emerald green eyes of the cat as in one swoosh and twirl she was again her human form a green silk dressing gown flowing over her bear feet that crossed as they hung over the desk. Her raven hair in gentile curls that hung down past the middle of her back and her emerald green eyes sparkling in mischief.
"I haven't read those ones yet." she purred innocently.