AN: Hey, y'all! Sorry for the long wait, but it's a pretty big chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it. Also; sorry for the exposition dump in this one, it had to be done. Anyways! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy with the Coronavirus spreading around everywhere! Praying for you guys! I hope this chapter brightens your day! :)
REVIEWERS!:
Eris: Thanks! Hopefully the reveal isn't as anticlimactic as it is in my head...
Acecove: Don't worry about it! Who knows if I even know, right? Haha! Just Kidding! Anyways, I'm glad and honored to hear it! I hope to continue delivering quality writing, and hopefully at a quicker pace, too!
EversoGreen: Mmm, very good sleuthing! You're on the right track, I think! And as for Frollo's connections: Yes. Be afraid. Be Very Afraid! HAHAHAHAHA! And thank you! :)
Music: "Everything Has Changed" by Taylor Swift (ft. Ed Sheeran)
NOTES: "How amazing is it to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on inside your head?"
Chapter 20: Everything Has Changed
She remembered crying because the other kids had been teasing her. They said she was weird; Crazy. They didn't believe her when she told them about the Mad Hatter and his tea parties, or the grinning Cat that was always stealing Hatter's hat. They kept calling her a liar, or saying she was mad, so she ran away.
She had built a blanket fort at the foot of her bed on the right side of the room. Her side. There was a bottle of fireflies she was feeding and taking care of, their glow illuminating the space inside the little fort, and her blankets and pillows made the hardwood floor more comfortable. That was where she hid away from the world, feeling secure in the small and familiar space.
It was late at night now. She'd had the room all to herself because big brother was sleeping in the living-room with his friend from school. Her sniffing sounded loud in the quiet of the room, and her hands felt damp and sticky from wiping at her tears.
She remembered him gently pulling back the blanket to peek in at her, looking hesitant and concerned all at once. She remembered looking up and feeling too tired to care that he'd found her crying. He and big brother had been sleeping in the living-room the past few nights, and she realized he must be a lighter sleeper than big brother.
"Are you okay?" He whispered, tilting his head. "Why are you crying?"
She didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say, and she wasn't used to anyone but mother and big brother caring all that much. And, she had to admit, she was a bit distracted by how his bright green eyes glowed in the dim lighting of the fort.
"I know we haven't had much time to get to know each other." He said thoughtfully. "Would you mind if I joined you?" He motioned with his head to the spot next to her, and she hesitated a few moments before giving a tiny nod.
He scooted in beside her, settling in a comfortable seated position that would've left big brother bending his neck awkwardly to avoid sticking his head into the blanket-roof. She smiled, in spite of herself, and he smiled back at her.
"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked, and that gave her pause. Were they nightmares? There were parts that were scary, but... She somehow enjoyed those parts too. Like all the fun made up for her feeling scared.
"It's not a nightmare," She murmured, looking up at him. "It's a dream. I'm falling down a dark hole, and when I arrive, I see all these wondrous things..." She trailed off, not entirely sure she wanted to go on. She didn't want her brother's friend thinking she was weird, too.
"What kinds of things?" He wanted to know, and she could see genuine interest in his eyes, so it eased her nerves.
"Well," She began, fiddling with a piece of string in her lap. "There's a rabbit in a waist-coat. He's always in a hurry, and then... There's the door mouse with a pin that he uses like a sword. There are singing flowers, and a blue caterpillar! And then there's the Hatter and his tea parties!"
"It sounds incredible," He said, and she nodded vigorously.
"It is! There are forests of giant mushrooms, and all sorts of creature-people that swim in the seas or wander the mountains!" She told him. "And then there's a grinning cat! He's always stealing Hatter's hat!"
"I didn't know cats could grin." He replied, one corner of his mouth stretching into half of a familiar curl that made Emma freeze. He couldn't be... But maybe?
"Neither did I," She whispered. "...Do you think I've gone round the bend?"
"Hmm," He hummed thoughtfully, looking at her, and then he leaned forward and placed his hand on her forehead to take her temperature. After a moment, he pulled back, nodding solemnly. "I'm afraid so." He said. "You're Mad. Bonkers. Off Your Head."
Her heart sank. She couldn't look away from him, but she felt like her heart was being ripped to pieces.
"But I'll tell you a secret," He gave her a full grin, and she felt a rush of joy. It was him!
"All the Best People Are."
"Professor!" Emma shouted, racing down the corridor as fast as she could. Her footsteps echoing off of the stone walls as she ran towards North's office. "Professor!" She shouted again, smiling when she saw North and the other Guardians exiting his office. She faltered slightly when she spotted the Prime Minister walking beside North, but quickly shook her head and pushed on.
This was too important to let some old politician scare her.
It looked as though North and the Prime Minister were arguing about something, but they stopped when she hurried over to them. The Prime Minister glared down his nose at her and North seemed frustrated. The other Guardians had mixed expressions that were harder to read, but that was also because Emma didn't waste the time trying.
"Professor, I think I've found something really important!" Emma said, but she was cut off by the Prime Minister.
"What is this girl doing here? Don't you teach these students any etiquette?" He snapped, blatantly ignoring Emma. As if she wasn't there at all.
"If you're worried about the students' manners, you'll need to take that up with Lady Tremaine. You did put her in charge of all Etiquette classes here at the school." North retorted before turning to Emma with a stern look and a crisp cut with his hand. "Now is not a good time, Miss Frost."
"But Professor, I -!" Emma tried again.
"Not Now, Miss Frost." North said, but it sounded like an order. It wasn't a tone she'd ever heard North use before. He turned to the Prime Minister and motioned for the older man to go first. Claude Frollo started down the corridor again and North was close behind.
Sandman stepped up beside Emma and patted her arm with an apologetic expression and then hurried after the two. Toothiana paused beside her for a moment and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Emma, but we have some very important things to handle right now. Try going to one of the Prefects if it's urgent." She said before fluttering away. Bunnymund stalked after them at the back of the group, his annoyance clear on his face.
"Professor," Emma reached out with a step forward, trying one last time. Bunnymund looked back at her, gave a heavy sigh, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, tyke. Another time." He said, but the promise was weak and they both knew it.
Emma stood alone in the corridor as she watched all of the Guardians and the Prime Minister leave. She felt sad over how she'd been ignored and dismissed, but that sadness soon gave way to frustration and anger.
"Arghh!" She screamed at the ceiling, and then she stomped her way out of the corridor, heading back the way she had come.
She slammed her way through the door of the Auror's Office, making it bang off of the wall so hard that it swung back and slammed closed. She yanked her book bag strap over her head and threw her bag onto the desk, slapping her palms onto the top of the flat surface as she tried to reign in the righteous fury and indignance she felt while ignoring the fuzzy images of scorched mushrooms and boiling oil in the corners of her eyes.
Her face felt hot, and she sniffed involuntarily as a tiny drop dripped off the tip of her nose. She swiped at her nose roughly. She'd worked so hard for so long, to be brushed aside like that had hurt her pride in a way she hadn't thought possible until it happened.
She'd been contemplating all of the random Pitch's random attacks on different villages and towns, trying to find a link for all of them. But then she'd started thinking about the theoretical hole in Hogwarts' defenses against Pitch's fear magic. If the hole was real, which she was inclined to believe that it was because of the state of Wonderland and how her mind was deteriorating because of it, then why hadn't Pitch used it?
A hole in the defense of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The safe place of an entire generation of young wizards, and the headquarters of the Guardians. And on top of all that, no one seemed to know there was the possibility of a hole. Meaning that Pitch not only had the ability to easily make that hole bigger and get inside, but he could also do it as a surprise attack that would leave everyone inside virtually defenseless. So why not use it? Why not attack the school already and take out one of the greatest strongholds of his enemies? Taking Hogwarts would not only start a War, but shift all of the odds to his favor.
By all means, it was a brilliant strategy. So why on earth wasn't he taking advantage of it?
It was this train of thought that had Emma go digging into historical records of the Old War, trying to find any similarities between then and what was happening currently. She eventually realized that one of the greatest factors that prevented Pitch from taking Hogwarts the last time was the positioning of the school geographically. Being in Scotland, Hogwarts automatically had allies and reinforcements from the Scottish clansmen, and then Durmstrang, though further away, was able to provide assistance coming from the sea on their ships by using some extremely advanced and impressive transportation magic that North managed to develop in the midst of the attack. Hogwarts was simply too deep within allied territory. They had comrades all around them to defend the castle.
That's why the ideal time to attack would be when the castle was nearly empty. Only the youngest students and the teachers who weren't as strong as the Guardians. A time when all of the most powerful and able-bodied people who lived in Hogwarts castle wouldn't be there, but there would still be enough people for Pitch to convert into his fearlings and add to his army.
But there was never a time like that. If anything, only the older students would stay in the castle during breaks, so there was never a time when the weakest of the school would be left there alone. Except, Emma realized, for one opportune moment.
The Final Challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
All of the schools, with their top Professors and all of the upper classmen, would travel to the Moor, leaving Hogwarts castle at it's absolute weakest.
That was when it all clicked into place. The reason she couldn't figure out the pattern in Pitch's attacks was because there was no pattern. There was no purpose to them except to keep the Guardians busy enough so that they wouldn't notice the weakened defense of the castle. Then when they all left for the Moor, Pitch would use that hole to take the castle and place his forces right in the middle of the allied kingdoms.
Emma had been so distracted by the corruption of Wonderland and her mind spiraling into madness, she'd practically ignored basic strategy. She was lucky that her searching had put it right in front of her face for her, but it left her uneasy knowing that she'd gotten the information based on luck, and now it seemed like the information wasn't even going to matter because the Guardians wouldn't listen long enough to hear it, let alone do anything about it.
Emma let her arms fold so that her elbows dug into the desk and brought her hands up to cover her face. What was she supposed to do now?
She didn't know how long she stayed like that, but eventually she heard the door open behind her. It was lunch time, so it was odd that someone besides her would be there, but she didn't care enough to move. It was probably just one of the Auror's who would ignore her anyways.
"Something wrong?" The voice was smooth and slightly accented, which surprised Emma enough to look up and over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't imagining it.
Antonio Perez. He was a Slytherin, the same year as her, and Emma had heard many of her classmates giggling over how "hot" he was. From what Emma knew, Antonio and Margo Gru had some sort of exclusivity with each other that had started earlier that year, but she couldn't be sure as she didn't really keep up with those things.
"Why such a sad face?" Antonio asked with a soft half-smile, one eyebrow raised just a little, and his eyes just ever so slightly pinched. "A girl as pretty as you shouldn't look so sad."
"Go away," Emma told him, rolling her eyes and turning back towards the desk to pick up her bag.
"Whoa! I was just trying to help," Antonio said, his expression turning to something a little more normal and serious as he looked at her. Emma looked back at him, watched his face for a moment, and then huffed a heavy sigh.
"If you must know; I think I've uncovered something pretty important, but no one will listen to me. They all just want me to stay put in Lady Tremaine's etiquette classes." Emma informed in a mutter him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What? Why would they want that?" Antonio scoffed with a chuckle, and Emma shrugged.
"Beats me. I guess people just don't see any potential in me, so they ignore me. That's the best guess I've got, anyways." She looked down at her feet, feeling tired and defeated.
"Well, that isn't very fair." Antonio kept talking. "If only there was some way I could help... Hey! What if you tell me about whatever it is, and I'll bring it to the Auror I'm studying under. I'll tell him everything, he'll bring it to the Guardians, and best part is, I'll make sure that he knows it all came from you." He offered, grinning at his own idea. Emma looked at him, surprised that he would do that for her.
"Do you really think it'll work?" She asked him, eager to hold on to the hope that they could still prepare for Pitch's possible attack on Hogwarts, and, if she was being honest with herself, to get someone to finally listen to her.
"Why shouldn't it? Come on, show me what you've been working on! It must be good with all of the hours you spend here." Antonio said, motioning to her bag full of notes.
Emma smiled and turned back to the desk, opening her bag. In her desperation to get the information into the right hands, Emma shared everything she could with Antonio, though she made sure not to mention her trips to Wonderland or Cat's involvement. No, she made sure to cover all of her sources as not all of them would be seen in the best light by the Aurors or even the Guardians, but she did tell him what she had uncovered and the basic trains of thought that led her to each discovery. It was made easier by the fact that she'd practiced doing exactly that in order to tell the Guardians about her discoveries.
Even still, sharing weeks worth of work within a couple of hours wasn't entirely possible, and if Antonio was going to convince the his Auror mentor of the importance of this information, he was going to need to know as much as possible. So that lead to Emma and Antonio meeting together for the next three days, spending hours at a time locked away in the Auror's Office or tucked in the back of one of the study halls with their heads bent close together.
By the end of their third meeting, Emma was feeling confident that she'd showed Antonio everything relevant, but not criminalizing, and she was happy to entrust the rest to him, which he assured would happen on Monday when everyone was back from the weekend. Emma didn't find this ideal as it was only Friday, but she supposed it was better than nothing.
For the first time in a long time she felt like a giddy little kid. Finally her work was going to bear some fruit! And she might even get some recognition for it too!
Emma skipped along the open-air corridor beside one of the smaller gardens that she visited frequently. It was on the edge of the castle's walls and not many people went there so it was very quiet and peaceful.
It was late, everyone had already gone to bed after dinner, and the moon was full and bright. She drank in the cool, fresh air with a smile on her face, reaching up to her tiptoes as she pushed on the railing with both hands to lift her head higher.
A shout and a thump made her jump and her eyes darted around the garden, trying to find the source. Moving around the railing to the archway that led out into the garden, Emma peered into the night, her eyes squinting. She walked down the path until she came to a little square surrounded by tall hedges. She could hear whispered voices, but she couldn't see through the foliage.
"Who's there?" She called out, sliding her wand out of her robes as her. "Show yourself!"
There was a yelp at her voice and then silence, so Emma slowly came to the edge of the bushes and peered around with her wand arm raised. What she saw had her arm dropping limp at her side as her mouth quirked up on one side.
She was both confused and curious as she stepped into the light of the garden square to find Toby standing with his back rod-straight as his fingers fidgeted in front of him, casting worried and guilty glances everywhere but at Emma to avoid eye-contact. Behind him was a very, Very, VERY big troll with green hair that ran all the way down his back, and he was balanced on one leg like a dancer with one arm in front of him and one arm behind him in what Emma had to assume was an attempt to blend in with the fountain statue that stood at the back of the square against a stone wall, depicting a dancing couple. Another troll, this one smaller, had tried to hide behind a tree, but the trunk of the tree was too thin for his wide-set body and four arms. A third troll, who was bigger than the second but still smaller than the first and had one arm made of metal, had dropped to the ground beside a rock and was holding a tiny daisy on his head.
"Who are your friends, Toby?" Emma asked, unable to keep the amusement out of her tone, and they all tensed up even more somehow. Toby's sweat started to bead down his face.
"Well, Ahem, uh... The thing is... What? Trolls? HAHAHA! NO! Those are just statues! Come on! Why don't we just go inside and -!" Toby started rambling and walking towards her, stretching out his arm to direct her back towards the castle, but Emma ducked under his arm and calmly walked over to the largest troll.
"Hello there," She said, arms tucked behind her back as the giant beast finally broke character and looked back at her. "My name is Emma Frost. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She held out her hand and the troll turned to face her fully with a smile.
"I'm AAARRRGGHH! With three R's." The massive troll rumbled, closing his fist and very carefully tapping his knuckles to hers in a fist bump. Emma beamed.
"What are you doing here at Hogwarts?" Emma asked. In the magical world there were several types of trolls, like the Mage Trolls who lived in the forests of Arendale, or the Gumm-Gumms that were banished to another realm. Earth Trolls were of the same breed as Gumm-Gumms, and so many people feared and, or hated them which caused them to withdraw into their underground homes and resolve to never interact with humans. Emma couldn't imagine why three of them would randomly show up at Hogwarts.
"Dance Lessons!" AAARRRGGHH! grinned and Emma tilted her head at that, but the movement caused her eye to catch a blue light coming from the shadows behind AAARRRGGHH!.
Emma moved around the giant troll, ignoring Toby's protests, and looked behind the large tree that stood there. She came face to face with big blue eyes that glowed so bright in the shadows. Instead of tusks that jutted up from his bottom lip, he had fangs that poked down from the top. He was much slimmer with long limbs; lanky, but not awkward. In fact, Emma could see confidence in his semi-crouched position that made her believe he was actually quite graceful. Instead of stone, he had flesh and blood and fur. Lots of blue fur with some fluffy black fur on top of his head and pointed ears that had little black tufts on the ends. His tail was very long and tipped with a blue flame that flickered with life.
"Jim?" Emma murmured, watching as the boy-troll stared at her with wide, uncertain eyes. She took a deep breath and then started in on him, "Well, that explains why the Gillyweed didn't last as long as it should have! You could've drowned! I would've made proper portion adjustments if I'd known!"
"I, uh..." Jim stumbled, looking startled and confused. He cleared his throat. "You're not scared?"
"Why would I be scared?" Emma asked.
"Cause... Well... I'm, you know," He gestured to himself and then over to the three trolls who had gathered by Toby now.
"Because you're a troll?" Emma finished for him, speaking slowly. "Why should I be? We're friends, and you've never done anything to hurt me. I trust you, so... I don't know, I'm not afraid of you."
Jim ears perked upwards at that as he stared at her with an unreadable expression, his tail sweeping away from it's tightly curled position around his feet subconsciously. Emma smiled at him, feeling something strange warming her chest as the silence continued to stretch between them. She assumed the feeling was probably caused by the singing flowers blooming in the tall hedges all around them that no one else was aware of.
The spell was broken when the smallest troll awkwardly cleared his throat. Loudly.
"My humblest apologies for interrupting, but... Uh... Master Jim?" The four armed troll gave a pointed look in her direction and Jim started.
"Oh! Right! Sorry, Blinky!" Jim straightened up, and Emma reeled back a little as she had to bend her head back to look up at Jim once he reached his full height. In this form he was easily head-and-shoulders taller than her, his feet elongated like a werewolf's, but he didn't struggle with a hunched back. He only bent down when he noticed her staring up at him in awe, ducking his head shyly. "Ah, well, Emma, these are my friends! You met AAARRRGGHH! And that's Blinky," Jim said pointing to the smallest troll who was still as tall as Jim was now. "And that's Draal." He pointed to the last troll with the metal arm, who waved stiffly but with a friendly grin. "They're just here trying to help me," Jim trailed off, scratching the back of his neck as his eyes drifted off to the side.
"Not to be rude, but I'm still confused: how can you look like this when just earlier today I saw you as a human? Do you use a spell to hide it? And why are you hiding it? I know Earth Trolls and humans don't get along too well, but surely it wouldn't be that bad at Durmstrang with a bunch of viking and warrior-type wizards." Emma looked at him, trying to piece everything together, but it just wasn't making too much sense. "I know you must be at least half human sense trolls don't have magic, in the traditional ways, at least."
"Quite right, my young, female friend! You are very perceptive. You must be the 'Wise Raven' Tobias and Master Jim informed us about!" Blinky beamed at her, and Emma felt her cheeks getting a little warm at the praise.
"It sounds like they may have made me sound better than I am." Emma tried to wave him off, but Jim cut in as soon as the words left her mouth.
"Not even close," He said confidently, smiling down at her as her cheeks got hotter.
"Yeah, Blinky! This gal is really smart! She likes books as much as your do!" Toby exclaimed.
"In any case, the situation regarding Jim's true identity is quite complicated, but absolutely necessary! It could be a matter of life or death." Blinky stated seriously. "Jim is what is known as a Kittroll, an extremely powerful kind of troll. The only troll capable of being born with traditional magic as humans are. Until we discovered Jim, we had believed they'd been hunted into extinction."
"See, my mom is fully human. But my dad..." Jim explained vaguely, letting Emma finish it for herself. "My grandpa discovered a way to shape-shift into a human form and it helped him stay hidden when all the Kittrolls were being killed. It got passed down the line, and now I can do it even easier and for longer because I'm half human, so the form is partially natural to me."
"Why were the Kittrolls hunted in the first place?" Emma wanted to know.
"Namely, for their healing abilities. Kittrolls excelled in the healing arts and they were heavily exploited during the war with the Gumm-Gumms on both sides. When the war was over and Gunmar banished, poachers continued hunting them and selling the on the black markets." Blinky explained.
"That's horrid! Why didn't they just refuse to heal them? They couldn't force you to heal anyone, could they?" She looked up at Jim, who's ears drooped down as he looked at the grass.
"Kittrolls try not to. Gumm-Gumms find other way." AAARRRGGHH! rumbled sadly.
"Kittrolls are classified as Magical Creatures, meaning their magic flows through them as much as their very blood does. The Gumm-Gumms would ingest the Kittrolls magic by biting into their soft flesh and drinking their blood. The effects were even faster than when a Kittroll purposefully heals someone, but because the drinker is taking the magic that would have healed the wound they inflicted, they leave the Kittroll in a weakened state." Blinky told her, looking despaired by the facts of history.
"Jim..." She whispered, looking up at him, and he gave her a weak smile.
"My dad died when I was really young to protect me from all that. I've only been bitten once, and it was my choice." He informed her, and a wave of thankfulness and relief rushed through her. "Besides, the only people that know what I really am are all standing here. To everyone else in the world, I'm just your average, small-town human kid."
"But wait, if everyone thinks you're human, how did you meet Blinky, AAARRRGGHH! and Draal?" Emma asked him.
"Uhh, well, you see," Jim reached into a pocket on the pair of baggy pants he was wearing and pulled out an amulet that glowed blue. "My ancestors have a sense of humor, I guess? Long story, but basically the Amulet of Daylight chose me to be the Trollhunter; the protector of Trollmarket and defender against the Gumm-Gumms. These guys have become my teachers and friends. But, like I said, everyone else still thinks I'm human."
"You must understand that keeping the Trollhunters secret is of the utmost importance." Draal's gravelly voice cut through the conversation as he leveled Emma with a firm look. She nodded and turned to Jim.
"I'll do everything I can to protect you and your secret." She promised, placing her right fist over her heart, and Jim chuckled in surprise, but then offered her a toothy-smile in thanks.
"Hey, this is pretty cool, right? Emma knows now! And she can use her big brain to help us out more!" Toby grinned, walking forward with arms spread wide.
"AAARRRGGHH! said something about dance lessons earlier...?" Emma inquired lightly, looking between the two boys with her mouth pulling up on one side again.
"Oh, uhhh..." Jim looked away, scratching the back of his head, and Toby leaned in, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Jim wants to ask Claire Nunez to the Ball, but he can't dance to save his life." He explained to her, receiving an annoyed look from his friend as Emma let out a laugh.
"Claire Nunez? The Beauxbatons girl with a mile long pedigree of high-society, pure-blood family? That Claire?" Emma looked sideways at Jim who blushed and nodded, scratching the back of his head again.
"That's the one! We grew up in the same town. Jim's had a crush on her for forever!" Toby supplied.
"Do any of you know how to dance?" Emma glanced at the two boys and the three trolls.
"Not really. Blinky was showing us what he learned through his books." Toby answered with a shrug, and Emma laughed harder this time.
"Dancing isn't something you learn from a book," Emma shook her head and then picked up Jim's hand, pulling him out to the center of the grassy square. "Just start with the basics; it's about having fun." She told him, rocking side to side and bobbing her head.
Jim looked nervous, but slowly started following her movements, and eventually smiling as he got more into it. Emma picked up his other hand and guided him through some simple things; like twirling under his arm, or matching their steps together.
At some point Emma became aware of music playing softly in the background and the others dancing around a little too, but her main focus was kept on Jim as he started getting the hang of the steps. Eventually she let him start leading the dance and they skipped and spun around the garden square for hours.
She was right to guess that Jim was graceful in his troll form, despite being even taller and lankier. It was clear to her pretty early on that he preferred his Kittroll form, and she felt humbled that he trusted her enough to be so relaxed around her, even if her discovering his secret was by accident.
They spent hours dancing together. Eventually they did switch to more typical waltz and other ball dances, but the most fun was when they just moved together. They danced through the night, and only when the stars started to dim did they realize dawn was coming. The trolls retreated to the Forbidden forest where they assured her was a tunnel that would take them home to Trollmarket, and Jim used his magic to transform back into a human before the three students made their way back into the castle.
They parted ways on the main staircase, them going to one side and her the other, and as Emma climbed towards Ravenclaw tower, she couldn't help the cheek-aching smile that took over her face. She stopped abruptly, though, and turned around to find Cat sitting in the middle of the empty corridor with his tail flicking back and forth.
"Where have you been? You've been awfully quiet." Emma said, crossing her arms over her chest as she faced the feline who was not grinning.
"I have other business that I must attend to, girl. I can't always be here to hold your hand." Cat retorted. "And you've been careless in my absence."
"Careless? How have I been Careless?" Emma demanded, uncrossing her arms. "I've finally made some sort of progress! Antonio is going to bring my research to the Aurors so that it will actually get reviewed!"
"Doors have locks. Locks need keys, which you don't have. Let's hope the doors are open." Cat growled in a less-than-hopeful tone.
"And if not, there may be more than one way to skin a cat, if you'll pardon the expression." Emma replied, lifting her chin.
"A most unpleasant metaphor. Please avoid it in the future." Cat hunched, curling his lip back at the imagery.
"I just don't understand why you're so upset about it. Even if I don't get credited for some reason, the holes in Hogwarts' security will be addressed, which is what we want to happen. Then we'll be stopping the corruption from it's source instead of chasing after that damn Train!" Emma argued.
"In times such as these you should trust no one." Cat pointed out, but a noise down the corridor alerted them to a coming teacher or prefect on patrol. Cat looked over his shoulder and then back at her. "They say a cat has nine lives. I hope you have as many."
And then he vanished. Emma hesitated for a moment, looking at the spot where he'd been, but then shook her head and hurried toward the Ravenclaw tower. She wasn't sure what put Cat in such a bad mood, but she figured he'd be back to his grinning-self soon enough. Until then she would triple check her notes to cover whatever it was Cat thought she was being careless about.
For now she'd just go to sleep and dream of dancing in the garden with singing flowers.
