Can I just say, wow thank you so much for all your reviews! Thank you Thank you Thank you! Words cannot express how happy you have made me! And I have a Maths Exam on Tuesday. That's how great you all are! I order you all to pat yourselves on the back and say " I am a good person."

Anyhoo, I think it goes without saying that all my minions are OCs... or are they?

Cats on a Train

Bella

"Bella, over here!"

I dragged my trunk down the train towards the head sticking out of a compartment.

Four faces beamed at me as I set Xerxes on a seat and tried to levitate my trunk onto the overhead rack.

"You know Bella, you really shouldn't be using magic 'til we're back at school."

My trunk fell into place with a crash and I turned to stare haughtily at the minion.

"Oh please Rita! Does anyone actually pay attention to that stupid law?"

Rita and the rest looked suitably uncomfortable.

"Oh! You mean you're not allowed to do magic at home?" I laughed nastily. "Do your Mummy and Daddy not trust you? Do they think bitty baby Rita isn't old enough to do big bad spells with out a teacher to make sure it doesn't go wrong?"

Rita was shaking with rage, her mousy brown curls bouncing round her face.

"Shut up Bellatrix," she snarled.

My eyes narrowed to slits.

"What did you just say to me?"

I leaned towards her menacingly, hand going straight to my wand pocket.

Lucky for her the rest of the minions were there.

"Oh come on now!"

"We don't need to be caught fighting on the train!"

"We'll get into trouble!"

"McGonagall will eat us if she finds out!"

"You know what she's like..."

"To us Slytherins..."

I straightened up.

When did I go into a fighting crouch? Oh well...

"Yeah McGonagalls a right cow," I said scornfully.

"She's a bitch," Rita muttered from the corner.

I backed her into a corner?

"Yeah, and what's worse is I'm going to be seeing a lot more of her now."

I threw myself down beside Xerxes basket with a huff.

Rita's head jerked up immediately, her undeserved verbal attack on me forgotten. Never could resist a gossip story, Rita.

"What do you mean?"

"I have to have extra lessons with her this term."

The whole compartment gasped.

"Why?" prodded Rita.

"Because apparently I'm 'gifted'," I grimaced.

"Yes, go on."

"Well you remember that time in Transfiguration when I taught the class..."

"That was brilliant Bella."

"McGonagall looked like she was gonna spit fire."

"So funny."

"Yes well the point is I'm gifted and instead of being nice to me and giving me presents and praising me, which I clearly deserve seeing as I'm gifted, my parents have to decided to side with Dumbledore and let McGonagall torture me!"

Finally the sympathy I'd been looking for, for weeks!

"Oh Bella, that's awful! How could they?"

"Glad I'm not gifted."

"Extra lessons? How are you going to survive?"

"I'd die if it was me!"

"I'll just have to grin and bear it," I said tragically.

"Oh you're so brave!"

"I know."

Xerxes started making a fuss. Poor kitty. He hates being stuffed into that tiny little wicker cage.

"B-Bella? What is that?" Louisa asked fearfully, staring wide-eyed at the hissing basket.

"Oh that's my new cat. Daddy got him for me."

She looked relieved as I pulled a grumpy Xerxes out.

"Oh he's so sweet!"

"Awwwwww!"

"Hello Xerxes. Happy to be out of there? Yes you are. Good boy. Bella's here. That's my good kitty."

He purred and would himself round my shoulders nuzzling my cheek, as they cooed.

"Oh! He's adorable Bella! Can I hold him?"

Perfect

I smiled innocently.

"Of course Rita. But I must warn you, he doesn't much like strangers."

He jumped down to my lap and I handed him over. He was a perfect little angel ... right up to the second he left my hands.

"!"

"!"

Its funny, I mused, How a cat and a witch can make the exact same sound as Xerxes became a blurr of fur and claws.

Smart Xerxes knew when someone deserved to get it. Stupid Rita. She should know better than to snarl at me.

Rita finally managed to reach the door and wrenched it open. She shrieked and ran down the corridor with Xerxes hot on her trail and us following. Various students poked their heads out and laughed at the first year being chased by a kitten.

I heard my cousin Evan having hysterics, as we ran past him.

We finally caught up with them at the end of the train. Rita was cowering against the wall. Crying like a baby. And Xerxes turned into a purring little cherub, the second he was back in my arms.

I smirked as the rest of them followed me back to out compartment half carrying Rita, as the older students jeered.

I heard Evan still laughing to his friends as we passed him again.

"Honesty Rodolphus, it looks like a kitten but I swear to Merlin, the little Skeeter girl was smart to run."

I let Xerxes jump onto a seat and turned to point my wand at Rita.

"Here I'll heal those for you. You're not bleeding. Well not really bleeding, bleeding. These are just little scratches. You should've seen what he did to my sister Andromeda. That's bleeding!"

Rita just sat shivering never taking her eyes off Xerxes. And Xerxes never took his eyes off her. Which was really freaking her out.

Merlin! I'm learning intimidation techniques from a kitten!

I smirked to myself.

Well, I don't think I'm going to be having any more trouble from Miss Rita Skeeter.

Well I was on HarryPotterWiki and noticed Miss Skeeter and Miss Black were born in the same year. And lets face it, Rita is definitely a Slytherin. In my mind at least. "Ambition, cunning, determination, resourcefulness, self-preservation, pure-blood" Yup that's Rita.

And I would love to hear you opinions *Shamelessly begs for reviews*