1Chapter 6: Inn

Mara and Red were walking down the main way of traffic for a while. Taking in all the odd sights, smells, and sounds. That was until, Mara realized something.

She was tired.

And she conveyed her thoughts to her familiar. Who in turn suggested that they go to a little inn called the Leaky Cauldron.

Following the large feline, they made their way to a brick wall. Mara was about to make a statement about Red's sanity, when the wall began to recede from the center out. Red trotted through, followed by the secretly sheepish girl. Going through a door that looked to be a back entrance, led them into a pub. Mara timidly walked up to the counter with a man with no front teeth. Inwardly cringing, Mara remembered a saying she heard a few times back in America.

Europeans do not have very good dentists, if got any at all.

And they in turn say Americans are very vain about their teeth and looks.

But then again, as she glanced at the man, this was coming from people that had teeth like that. So, she was more than happy to be a bit vain about her teeth, especially now that she had fangs.

"Hi, ummm... I am looking for a room for an unknown amount of time."

The man, again smiled at her. "Sure, I have a few rooms made up for such occasions. Just give me a minute to get the key and I will be right with you."

Nodding, Mara and Red waited patiently for the man to grab the key and to talk to his employee at the other end of the counter. He quickly made his way back to them and gestured them to follow, up the stairs and down a narrow, winding hallway. Along the walls were many doors that could not be several inches from each other. Mara wondered how there would be enough space for the actual rooms, if they were so close together.

She pondered a moment and then shrugged. This was a magical world, they probably had a way to ex-span areas without increasing the out side perimeter. Which went against everything she learned in her geometry class.

Realizing that they had stopped, she watched as the man opened the door and handed her the key.

"My name is Tom and if you need anything at all just let me know."

Red stated that he was hungry and Mara relaid the message.

"Actually do you know were we could get something...fresh for my friend here?"

"Yes, I will have something brought up for you in a few minutes"

Saying her thanks, she entered through the door and took a look around. Nothing big or fancy, but a definite cozy felling to it. Shutting the door she moved over to the nice, comfortable, big bed. Stopping at its edge, she allowed herself to flop face down on the bed, bouncing a bit, happily snuggling her face into the comforter.

After a few moments of that place between wakefulness and sleep, a small pop startled her to awareness. Turning her head to where the sound originated, she saw Red happily munching on a freshly killed rabbit. Sighing, she returned to her previous position and drifted to sleep.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Blinking heavy eyelids, Mara slowly returned to the land of the living.

She looked at the window, a bit miffed that the blinding sun was shining in her eyes because she did not close the curtains. She allowed herself to at least enjoy its warmth for a bit. After all it did wake her up, so it should give her something in return.

Not without disdain, Mara slowly rolled her body into a sitting position. Realizing that she was wearing the same clothes for the past three days and going without a shower for just as long, suddenly made her feel very, very gross.

Moving to stand up so she could take a shower that she desperately needed, she found that her feet were not moving with her brain's commands. She looked down to see what was impending her movements.

Her adorable black beast was laid out on his back, two front paws in the air while the two back legs were spread out on either side of his body.

Chuckling, she shoved her beloved cat off of her feet.

At least she tired to.

Shaking her cat, she called out his name hopping to wake him up. He just snorted and rolled his head to the other side, not even flinching.

Well, it is good to know that some things didn't change.

"Red get up! I need a shower"

Nothing

"Red!"

Nope

Reaching the end of her patients, she reached over to his hind end and pinched.

"MEOW!"

Scrambling off the bed, Red looked around for the thing that had caused him pain. Hearing laughter coming from the bed, her glowered at her.

"Hey it is not my fault that you slept on my feet or that you sleep like a rock"

Red just grumbled as Mara got up to take her shower.

After taking a half hour to do her morning routine, made possible by the inn and the toiletries that they provided, walked out and looked at Red. He told her how to cast a engorgio to enlarge her trunk. Then a scourgify to clean her clothes.

After dressing in her now clean clothes that were way too big for her, she decided that she really needed some new ones. From both worlds. Though she was not to keen on the robes.

Telling Red this, they headed to where Tom was standing and paid for their night stay. Going back the way they came in, they headed for Gringotts to exchange some wizarding money for muggle pounds. She was surprised that a hand full of coins would give her several thousand pounds.

She looked at the money and shook her head. She knew that English pounds were worth more than American dollars. Shrugging she stuffed the money into her pocket. She stuffed more money into her pocket that she ever had at one point of time.

Red led them back to the inn that they were staying in and paused long enough to change into the small red cat that she grew up with. She scooped him up into her arms and was directed by him to go out the front door. Into muggle London.

Author's note: I did not mean to step on anyone's toes with the teeth comment.