A/N: I don't own anything you recognize.

This is for the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges forum

Are you crazy enough to do it Challenge

70. (animal) cat

If you dare challenge.

2. Vague Misery

Crookshanks stalked across the floor. It was nearly dinner time and his witch hadn't returned yet. Normally she stopped before dinner, petted him, complained about the Weasel, and dropped off a huge stack of books. He would claw at the books for a minute, sharping his claws. She always laughed at him and then would give him a hug. Today she wasn't back yet. Maybe he should go look for her?

He was unhappy, it was much later than dinner time. She hadn't come back yet. He whined loudly at the door. Sure he could have pushed it open, but he wanted everyone to know he was miserable and lonely. Surely she hadn't left him. He curled in a ball on her bed to wait.

He blinked his yellow eyes, he had heard footsteps, was it her? Had she come back to him? No. It was the other girl, the one who always wanted to put bows in his fur. He hissed loudly.

"Here, kitty, kitty..." she called softly. He eyed her before standing up and jumping off the bed. Maybe she would know where his witch was? He walked over to her, rubbed against her ankles, purring, maybe she wouldn't put bows on him?

"Hey, it's alright, kitty." She hadn't even bothered to learn his name.

"Mrow?"

"Are you looking for Hermione? Here, she's downstairs, she fell asleep in the common room. Want me to take you down there?" she asked. He knew where the common room was, why was his witch sleeping there, her bed was in here. Humans made no sense. He allowed the girl to carry him down the stairs. True to her word, his witch was sleeping a chair, a ball of yarn at her feet.

"There you go, kitty." She set him down next to the chair and he jumped up into this witch's lap. She mumbled something, but started petting him. He snuggled against her purring. Maybe the girl with the bows wasn't so bad after all?