This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Word Count: 1246
Title: Fuzzy Orange Surprises
Note:
Warnings:
Beta: Butterflies765
Golden Snitch
[Name] Crissie
[School] Uagadou
[House] Ogyinae
Quidditch League:
[Team]:
[Position]
[Theme]: Quidditch Supplies
[Prompts]:
[Theme]: Book Club
[Prompts]:
[Theme]: Pokemon
[Prompts]:
International Wizarding School Competition:
[School]: Durmstrang
[Prompts]:
[Theme]:
[Position] Exchange
Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
[House]:
[Assignment]:
[Task]:
The House Cup:
[House]: Gryffindor
[Class] HoH
[Prompts]: [Colour] Orange, [Object] Handmade quilt
[Category]: Standard
Hogwarts
Assignment
Yearly:
Seasonally:
Quarterly:
Writing Club:
Oracle Challenge:
Fortnightly:
1:
2:
Crookshanks has a crush- following around Mrs Norris everywhere, until Hermione discovers the cat's secret love affair.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw orange—I would bet anything that it was him again.
He was constantly sniffing around me; I was sure he had a crush on me, but he had yet to speak to me about it. His determination made me smile though. I wondered if the reason he stayed away was the "Mrs" that my slave so kindly stuck me with. He was a good man, but I didn't think he was aware that making me sound married was not the best way for me to meet suitors at Hogwarts. Perhaps that was his intention; Merlin knows that he never had anyone sniffing around his goodies.
I sighed. It wasn't him. It was just a flicker of sunlight through an open window. That cat really had me paranoid. I heard the bell signalling the children needed to be in their classes, and I let out a loud meow to make sure everyone scattered into their various rooms with a little bit more haste.
I enjoyed being a hall-monitor. It was fun when my slave, Argus, was with me, but for some reason he was busy with a teacher so he had left me to my own devices today.
It had all started when Crookshanks had jumped from a counter nearby, startling me, and making me see orange everywhere. I had furr envy, I had to admit. His orange coat was fluffy and luxurious, while mine was sleek and black. Argus often spent time running my brush through it, making sure there were no knots, but something about Crookshanks' wild appearance made my heart race, and it wasn't just the jump scare.
Was that—oh no, just an orange bird flying past the window. I rolled my eyes. I needed to relax. Once classes were out for the day, I went to check on the bushy-haired slave of Crookshanks, Hermione.
I saw her talking with her friends, but what drew my attention was the project in her hands—it was a quilt, it looked like she was still busy making it; it had different patches, and it looked like it would be very comfortable.
"Um, Mrs Norris." I heard his voice. I spun around, seeing Crookshanks behind me.
"Crookshanks, hi," I greeted. Then, as if it was an afterthought, I added. "It's Miss, actually."
"Oh, really?" His eyes seemed to smile at me. I knew it! He was so into me!
"Why are you spying on my owner?" Crookshanks asked, seeing where my gaze was.
"That quilt she is working on looks comfortable, I would like to test it out once it's ready," I said without thinking. But I needn't have worried about him getting the wrong idea, he was distracted by something, and hadn't heard my last words.
I knew he was much younger than me, and when I noticed him distracted by a feather quill. Despite wanting to be annoyed, I found this nature adorable. I knew I had completely lost his attention when he ran off, swatting playfully at the feather with his paws. I watched him playing, admiring his pink toebeans. I wandered off after a couple of minutes, I was sure he would find me again. Now that he had spoken to me, it was a step in the right direction.
It was a couple of days before he spoke to me again, but I couldn't shake the feeling of his big eyes on me everywhere I went. I smiled to myself thinking about the fuzzy orange cat. There was something so delightfully innocent about him.
"Um, Miss Norris," I heard him say. I was out on a walk in the grounds, and saw him appear from behind a bush. Had he been following me?
"Crookshanks, hello," I said, stopping in my tracks. The setting sun on his fur made him look like he was glowing. We went for a walk together, it was nice, not feeling the need to look over my shoulders for a constant orange blob. Time flew by, and I knew our night would soon be coming to an end.
"I had a nice time tonight," I said. I went closer to him, watching his brown eyes widen in surprise as I nuzzled him.
"I, um, me too," he stammered.
"We should do this again."
"How about tomorrow night?" he said immediately. I laughed at him. Seems like now he had his voice, he wasn't holding back, but something inside me liked that about him.
"Sure," I agreed.
Our nightly walks soon became habitual, after making sure Argus was sorted, I would vanish to the grounds where I would meet with my mate. Our evenings would usually end with some nuzzling and I had never been happier.
On this walk, Crookshanks and I were talking about various things, the details of which seem less important than it did at the time. I came to a sudden stop.
"Norri," he said, stopping beside me instantly and looking at me with concern. I suppose I looked as off as I felt.
"I'm okay, I think..." I paused. I had known for a little while about this, but I wasn't ready to tell him. Some males just didn't handle the news very well.
"Let's get you inside, my owner, Hermione's, quilt is finished, perhaps you can lie down there until you feel better."
I don't remember how we managed to get me into the Gryffindor common room, the red and gold had always been an assault on my senses; it had probably been my least favorite of all the common rooms. Strange how things change with time. The nights I have spent here had made me appreciate it more, and I can only say the vibrant colours had come to be associated with Crookshanks, making it a lot more appealing.
He found the quilt, it was on a chair in their room, and he pulled it down for me. I made it onto the couch, bundling it up, and soon my mate had vanished. I wondered if he went to fetch Hermione, his "owner", as he called her. So sweet and wholesome. I kept pawing at the quilt, it had to be perfect, this was it...
I curled up in my blanket nest, and prepared myself for what was about to happen next.
"Norri, Norri," Crookshanks was saying. He was beside Hermione, and she was gawking at me. Well, not me, but my four little babies. Three of them were orange and fuzzy like their father, and I smiled. Only one had my sleek black fur, and yet I loved them all the same. I never believed the day would come where I would choose a mate, and now I had my own little orange family.
Hermione gasped and I heard her shout for her friends, I made a low hissing sound, she better not be planning on taking my babies from me. She seemed to notice my reluctance.
"I won't take them away from you, Mrs Norris," she assured me. "I just want my friends to see them."
I nodded my head slowly, but kept my eyes suspicious.
"We have babies, we have babies," Crookshanks was saying, his eyes wide in surprise and delight. I knew I never should have doubted him for a second. He lay down on the ground in front of the couch, as if readying himself to protect his new family at a moment's notice.
Yes, everything was coming up orange.