Remus groaned as something small and warm collided with his stomach.

"G'way…" he muttered, turning over to his other side. "Sleepin'."

The tiny warm thing made a small noise and rammed itself into the small of Remus's back. When this evoked no response from the sleepy lycanthrope, Sirius (a.k.a. tiny warm thing) clambered over Remus's side. He pranced up the bed to Remus's face, barked happily, and licked the werewolf on the nose.

Remus opened one amber eye and blinked blearily at the puppy. "Whayawan'?"

Sirius barked.

Remus groaned. "G'way…wanna sleep."

Sirius rolled his eyes. He bit down hard on the blankets covering the werewolf and began to pull them off, tugging insistently. He growled as the man pulled back, dragging him back forward the precious few inches the puppy had somehow managed to gain. He let go of the covers and crawled over to Remus's head.

He lay down, burying his face into the crook of Remus's neck. Remus looked down at him as best he could and found the puppy-Sirius fast asleep, tiny paws pressed gently against Remus's throat, head on Remus's neck. Remus chuckled and gently placed the puppy beside him on the pillow before closing his eyes and drifting off once more.


Draco yawned loudly and stretched. He climbed out of bed, wondering where Prosper was. He knew it had snowed last night – the dungeon was several degrees colder than was decent. Draco was glad everyone was gone for the Christmas holidays – he could be as loud and lazy as he wanted. He was the ONLY Slytherin staying, actually…hm.

Prosper apparently agreed with Draco's "loud and lazy" theory. The cat leaped out of whatever bed he had been hiding in and pranced around Draco, giving him a good-morning "kiss" on the cheek.

"Morning to you too, Prosper," Draco chuckled, scratching the kitten behind the left ear. He purred contentedly before clambering into Draco's lap. It was only then that Draco noticed the size change in the kitten – only two weeks until Potter was a person again.

Draco was momentarily stunned out of movement when he realized that he would MISS Prosper. Sure, the kitten was annoying sometimes, yet he was undeniably adorable and an endless source of amusement. But he had softened Draco up! But did Draco want to be the ice-bastard his father was? It was the Malfoy name! The Malfoy way! Well, what if Draco wanted to rebel?

It took him a few seconds to realize he was fighting with himself again.

Sighing, he shook his head. Shoving Prosper gently out of his lap (the kitten protested) he stood and stretched again before heading to the showers. He turned back in the doorway and looked at the cat sprawled on his bed. Prosper raised his head lazily and looked at Draco.

"Coming?" he asked.

Prosper flashed him a mental 'Yes' before standing, arching his back, and leaping halfway to the door before padding inside the bathroom. Draco rolled his eyes. "Show-off."

Prosper smirked.

That just wasn't RIGHT. Cats did not SMIRK at people. Cats COULDN'T smirk at people. They were CATS.

He sighed again, wondering just how stupid hanging around Potter was making him, and followed the tiger cat into the bathroom.

Prosper sat in the stall, watching Draco expectantly. The tail twitched back and forth, as if in anticipation of something. Wondering what the cat was watching him for, Draco stripped down. He stepped into the shower and turned it on. It was then he remembered that Potter knew just who he was.

"Ah, god dammit."


Remus yawned for the umpteenth time and poured himself another cup of coffee to have with his early-morning toast in the kitchens. Sirius sat on the counter beside the still-unopened newspaper, munching happily away on some bacon.

He heard the portrait-door swing open. He turned and waved at Draco as the Slytherin climbed through. Draco grinned and waved back. He came to sit on the stool next to Remus.

"Where's Harry?" asked Remus, glancing around.

"He's coming."

Sure enough, the tiger cat Boy Wonder leaped through the doorway not a minute later. Sirius barked a greeting, and Harry mewed back. He paused before the counter, weaving back and forth hesitantly, before leaping onto the counter with a single bound. He flashed a mental grin to Draco, who shook his head and ordered some sausages and orange juice for Harry from a house elf. To another, he instructed it to bring him coffee and some creamer with eggs sunny-side-up. The elf bowed so low that its long nose touched the floor before scurrying off into some obscure corner of the high-ceilinged room to prepare it. Just at that moment, a house-elf arrived with a plate of sausages and a goblet of orange juice.

"Mind if I use your saucer?" Draco asked, pointing to the curved dish beneath Remus's coffee cup.

"Not at all," said Remus, lifting his mug and allowing Draco to take the dish.

"Thanks."

Draco carefully poured some orange juice from the goblet into the shallow curved dish and pushed it towards Prosper, who sent him a Look.

"Yes, Prosper, you are to drink from a saucer."

After another Look, Prosper sauntered over to the goblet, stood on his hind legs, and drank deeply. He pulled up, stuck his small pink tongue out at Draco in triumph, and went back to his sausages. As soon as the cat's back was turned, Draco crossed his eyes, stuck out his tongue, and pulled his nose tip up with his thumb. Remus choked on his coffee.


"Hey, Kitty. Whatcha got?"

Prosper sent Draco a look which stated 'Call me Kitty one more time and your brain is gone' before dropping a note on the floor. Draco picked it up.

Draco –

You numbskull. You didn't even tell your father you wouldn't be going home! He yelled at ME! Said it was MY fault! God!

-Sev

Draco chuckled. He picked up a quill, dipped it into an inkpot, and scribbled on the reverse side of the note,

Sev –

If I'm a numbskull, then you're a twit/nitwit. Of course I didn't tell my father, he would have found some way to get me on that train. And it's your own fault. As my godfather, you have responsibility. Maybe that word has too many syllables and you can't wrap your tiny brain around it.

-Draco

He gave it to Prosper, who spat it out. He glared at Draco, who sighed. "Fine, make me use magic. Stupid cat."

Prosper playfully batted his leg with his paw before leaping onto the Slytherin's lap. After charming the note to return to Sev, Draco just sat on the couch before the fire in the Slytherin Common room, petting Prosper gently.

An hour later – though it seemed a good deal longer – Draco spoke.

"I'm hoping you're asleep right now. I think you are, but who can tell? Let me tell you something, cat. You may be an idiot, a twit, a complete lame brain, and a Gryffindork at that – but you know…you're not that bad. I mean, I've certainly had more fun since you've been around. I don't know about you, but I've actually been…dare I say it…enjoying myself. Gah.

"Anyway, I just…well, I guess I don't want you to be a human again. We've – well, I've – become so close…I don't want to let you go now." He cuddled Prosper a little bit closer as he continued. "You were so…different than the Boy-Who-Lived I knew and hated. You had a sense of humor, a bright streak, and a surprising bit of intelligence here and there. You were just…human, for once, strange as it sounds. I always saw that mask, and now…

"Geez, I'm getting…sentimental. Heaven forbid. See what you do to me, cat? This is all your fault," Draco teased. He buried his face in Prosper's fur. "I'm going to miss you," he whispered.