Chapter Three: Opening Feast

Menace bounded her way through the feet of students that were rushing for their tables. Each near miss was an argument in Severus's favor in keeping her locked away from the student body, and each easy dodge was an argument in her favor.

It was a long standing argument between them.

That made her think about how, now that the students were back, he would not speak aloud to her until they were safely cloistered away in their quarters and the blanket would no longer be flipped over her head.

While she didn't like the cover being flipped over her head, it said something about the change the students brought out in her Severus.

These same students that brought laughter and shouts and taunts and life back into Hogwarts. And Hogwarts responded.

Around her Hogwarts sang with joy at the return of students, thrumming under paws, and she rushed over to the first group of students that she loved.

With a powerful leap, she landed on the shoulder of a redhead and his identical twin laughed as he picked her up off his brother's shoulder, easily holding her and she let out a happy 'mrew' sound before she licked his nose.

He laughed and his twin scratched at that spot behind her right ear. She arched oddly and the twin holding her (she was sure he was Fred) looked at his twin. "Its our favorite planning buddy George!" Fred (she was right) stated and George laughed. They continued to pet her until she carefully scrambled over Fred's shoulder and jumped away, bounding away.

She didn't pause, running around. She jumped up into the lap of some Hufflepuffs, greeting each in her own way before she 'disappeared' to make her final round at the Slytherin table.

Menace carefully settled on Marcus's lap as the new students (Menace privately called them Hogwarts's litter and Hogwarts was amused by it) began to march in and she felt…something curl along her spine. She twisted and turned on Marcus's lap until she found the source.

The boy was small, and scrawny.

He was the runt of this litter.

Menace perked up and watched him.

Glasses, messy black hair, and scrawny.

She shifted a bit on Marcus's lap and the boy looked down at her. "What's wrong girl?" he asked softly and her tail twitched, flicking his arm. He blinked a bit in surprise and he scratched at that spot between her shoulder blades. She purred, to show her appreciation, but she was focused on the Runt.

He would be hers too.

Being the runt hurt and, unless he had someone to protect him, like her Severus for her, he would fall. He would come to harm and Menace was Menace.

She would be his protector.

Severus, she was sure, would not mind.

Especially if she didn't tell him.


Marcus didn't try to stop Menace as she slipped of his lap to go over to her Runt.

She slipped along the floor as quickly as she could, and Severus was thoroughly distracted by his pain and his rage.

And she didn't prod, because he would tell her if he wished to share. She didn't pause as she jumped up and the boy, her Runt, jumped in surprise before he immediately melted.

"Oh, hello. Who are you?" he greeted softly and scratched along her jaw. She purred loudly and pushed up against his chest, curling in his grip, and her Runt smiled, before he found her collar.

He flipped over the crest. "Menace?" he questioned and the cat purred louder. She, of course, could not spend all her time with her Runt, but he would he hers and she would protect him, just as Severus had protected her.

Just as she protected Severus…when he didn't realize she was.

Her Runt, however, would be much easier to handle.

She cuddled against his chest again and settled down just as the food appeared.

And then her Runt, being the precious boy he is, immediately gave her some food. He ate himself, but only after she nudged his hand when he tried to feed her after not taking a bite of his food.

She cuddled again and let her eyes slide into slits as she dozed.

It wasn't often a Runt came through.

A Runt was more then just the smallest of the group (though this one was the smallest). A Runt was one who needed extra care, extra attention.

Despite the terminology, it was not an insult, or someone to write off.

A Runt, in what Menace conceived, was someone who was special.

One came through a year ago, but she had been…inadequate, to say the least.

She had not been a true Runt.

Menace heard the warning chime Hogwarts always gave her, before the students got excused, and she hopped off the boy's lap.

He let out a soft sound and she turned to him before hopping back up. She reached up and bat the crest before she turned and left.

She had to get to the quarters she shared with Severus.