Chapter 4
Lucius Malfoy stared at the sight of the Dark Lord angrily cleaning up a messy desk, with a black cat sitting in the waste paper basket. He didn't know why he started. After all, this wasn't the strangest situation he'd seen his Lord in. there was the time they'd gone to Ireland for a raid.
"My lord?" he asked.
"What is it?" asked Tom irritably, not looking up.
"Have you finally decided to clean your desk?" asked Lucius before he could stop himself.
"No," said Tom, "My desk is perfectly fine the way it is. I have a system that works. It's that bloody menace in the bin,"
"What did the cat do?" asked Lucius, unable to stop the amusement from breaking out in his voice.
"She decided to jump into my reports, getting them everywhere, and spilling ink on most of them," said Tom.
"You could get the house elves to fix it," said Lucius, walking over to pick up the cat. He was surprised when she hissed at him, before wriggling out of his grip, and running for the still open door.
Lucius turned with a startled cry, but before the cat could get out of the door, it slammed shut in her face, and she skidded to a halt, staring at the door.
"My lord, why do you have a cat?" asked Lucius, wandering over to pick the cat up again. She hissed in his arms, and tried to scratch him. He tapped her on the nose absently.
"I found her out in the rain yesterday. She had breached the wards, and she only registered because she showed signs of magic," said Tom, standing back to look over his desk once again, "Not only that, she also showed signs of the cruciatus curse, and she's awfully war-…Lucius? Are you listening?"
Tom turned around to find Lucius cooing at the black cat, who was smugly nuzzling his face.
"Merlin," sighed Tom. He reached over and plucked the cat out of the Blonde's arms, and depositing her on the bed, "I thought you didn't like cats,"
"Well, she is…cute," said Lucius, struggling to maintain his dignity. Tom swore he saw the cat snigger.
"Really?" said Tom, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," said Lucius.
Tom sighed, and turned back to the cat on his bed, only to see it trotting along the headboard. He watched as it jumped to the window sill.
"What is it doing?" asked Lucius.
"I don't know," said Tom, frowning. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to what was at the other end of the window; his desk.
Before he could stop her, Esmeralda jumped, landing on top of the pile of newly stacked papers once again. Once again, she and the papers landed in a pile on the floor.
"So, are you keeping her?" asked Lucius after Tom only stared at the cat.
"No," said Tom, glaring at the black cat on his floor.