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Mutom Beatitus

Chapter 3; The Captors

Composing himself, Malfoy smirked, "Muffins a good name, Goyle."

Hermione wondered how long she'd have to be a "Muffin"—though, it did beat being a "Tart."

~x~

It wasn't long before Hermione found herself in a room with a low-ceiling and an odd green sort of glow. Before they'd entered, she'd heard Malfoy mutter, from above her, "Harpoon Pixies," or something to that effect.

She saw several familiar faces throughout the room, one of which turned in her direction the second she was brought it. It was the excited, pug-like face of Pansy Parkinson.

"Draco, back so soon?" she called over from her flock of girls. Hermione recognized most of them, but had difficulty remembering their names. She dark haired girl to Pansy's left was Daphne, and the one to her right was in Ancient Runes, her name was Tracey Something...

"Yeah. Goyle found something we thought you'd like to see," Malfoy replied, his tone bored but polite.

Goyle nodded vigorously, pointing to the kitten in Malfoy's arms. "Found a cat," he muttered, going a little red in the face.

Like a pack of wild animals (maybe a troop of hyenas), Pansy and the girls flanking her hurried over. The other Slytherins didn't seem to be paying them much mind, so Hermione figured such a commotion must have been a common occurrence.

"Oh, it's so cute!" squealed one girl, and Hermione felt herself leaving Malfoy's arms. At first, the was relieved at this development, but as she was passed around from one girl to the next and back again, she found that not all hands were as gentle as his, though a few were a tad gentler.

After being passed around a little longer, she ended up in Pansy's less-than-gentle arms, and Pansy didn't seem eager to give her up, squishing her and whispering absurd questions like, "Who's da cutest kitty in da world? Who is? Who is?" and "Who's a good kitty kitty?" She tried to meow sarcastically, but it seemed to have the opposite effect as the other girls joined in the cooing, hoping she would speak again.

The dark haired Daphne Greengrass looked up, smiling at the three boys, who'd been standing awkwardly by as the cat was greeted, and asked, "What's the kitty's name?"

Goyle answered quickly, "Muffin."

"Muffin's a cute-" Daphne began, but Pansy cut her off, looking up suddenly at Goyle.

"Muffin is an awful name for a boy cat."

"It might not be a boy?" Crabbe suggested, his voice trailing off as Pansy glared at him.

"Well, I already have a girl cat, so."

"You do?" Goyle asked, his face falling.

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Obviously. She just stays up in the dormitory, of course. Can't have her walking around the halls like a common cat." Hermione shifted a little, trying not to take offense. Of course, she wasn't a common cat—but she also wasn't a cat, so it was really a trivial thing to take personally.

"We found this one in the halls," Malfoy replied with a shrug, "If you don't want him, we can just put him back?" Hermione looked up hopefully.

Pansy gasped, "No, no, that's awful, Draco!"

"If you don't want it..." Crabbe paused, appearing to be thinking very carefully about his words, "I could take it? Feed it?"

One of the girls shouted in protest, "Don't give it to him, Pansy, he'll kill it!" Hermione tried to get a good look at her face, so she could remember to be kind to her in the future.

"Of course Crabbe can't watch her," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. Another girl looked as if she were about to speak, but then Pansy continued, "Draco should."

"What?" Malfoy snapped, he looked as if he were about to add something rude, but decided against it.

"Well, she can't stay in our dorm because Selene will get jealous if it's a girl cat. She used to fight with Millicent's cat all the time before they learned to get along," Pansy reasoned, with several of her followers looking crestfallen at this news, "And you're so gentle, and good with animals, Draco." She put on a sickening, simpering look and Malfoy sighed.

"Fine."

"I could-?" Goyle began, but stopped abruptly when Pansy shot him a look.

Malfoy took Hermione gingerly from Pansy, muttering quietly about Psychotic Hippogryffs and Blast-ended Screwts.

He carried her silently through the door that lead, apparently, to the boy's dormitories, and through another door to lead to his year's, Crabbe and Goyle following behind him all the while. When the door shut behind them, Goyle spoke.

"Pansy didn't like Muffin."

"No, no," Malfoy said, his tone lacking enthusiasm, "She likes her, she just doesn't want her."

Goyle looked very confused.

Malfoy turned then to Crabbe. "No killing it. Pansy will be upset if you do, and it's just a cat."

Crabbe looked very upset for a moment, but soon his face slacked back to blankness again.

Goyle, though, still seemed alert. More so, at least, than Hermione usually saw him. "When's dinner?" he asked.

"After lunch," Draco replied.

Content with this answer, Goyle wandered off to sit on his bed.

"Can we beat someone up before lunch?" Crabbe asked.

"Sure," Malfoy murmured with a shrug, "Should probably get some food for Muffin while we're out."

"Food," Goyle agreed from across the room.

Hermione felt herself being places gently on someone's bed. She eyed the door, but it had closed. When the three boys opened it again, she ran towards it, but it was too far away, and she was trapped. She tried to groan, but it came out as a hiss, and made her way back to the bed she'd been set on before and curled up into a ball to try and sleep.

~x~