( Author's Note: You'll love the animal Hagrid has. Hahaha. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Um, Poswet gets interesting in this. )
Poswet heaved a massive threatrical sigh as she tromped into the Care of Magical Creatures arena. This was the part she usually didn't like about school - the whole learning bit - well, fie on it all! Fie with pie, she said, indeed. She nodded her head at herself. Then she scowled angrily. Hermione gave her a curious sideways glance, remembering that Poswet wasn't very good at school and, well, concentrating.
"What are you so depressed about? This is one of the less studious classes! And we have it tripled Mondays, so it's just this until lunch."
"But it's school," Poswet whined, looking around.
"You'll like it," Hermione said knowledgeably. Poswet shrugged dubiously.
Hagrid came out of his shed, grinning in a way that Hermione, Harry, and Ron had come to realize met he had some specifically dangerous pet. Harry looked a bit interested, if apprehensive. Ron was white under his freckles. Hermione fidgeted. Poswet grinned maniacally.
"Good mornin'!" Hagrid boomed, smiling at them from behind his tangly black beard. Poswet boomed back.
"OHAYOOOOO, SENSEI!!"
Hermione blinked and pushed the loudmouth girl back down with a muttered 'shh.'
Hagrid blinked a little as well.
"Yer new?" he asked. Poswet nodded, wrapping an arm around Hermione.
"Yessah, that I be, fresh from Canada, ey?" Poswet sang in three-quarter time. Hermione edged away til' Poswet couldn't glomp her. Hagrid just stared at Poswet, at her skinniness, her odd height, her bizarre hair, and her insane grin, for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing.
"Anyhow, I got somethin' yeh should really enjoy.. a catperson!" He opened a cage and something covered with a black cape staggered out. "Now, 's still a bit disoriented, so 's more cat than human. If it starts ter go human on yer, I dun' want anyone bein' immature o'er it! Yer clear on that? Yer to ask her about their life, an' do a report on it, since the Headmaster wants more written stuff."
There was muttered assention.
Poswet ran over and glomped the catperson, who squeaked and pushed her off, along with the cape. There stood something with a very shapely girl's form, but rapidly disappearing white fur was on the back of its neck, a messy pink mane was on its head, it had white ears, and a long pink and white striped tail. It was quite naked, and several of the boys went red and stared (including Ron and Harry (well, Harry just went red and looked away), until Hermione smacked them with her notebook). The catperson had huge, gleaming, turquoise eyes that regarded them warily.
"Hi!" chirped Poswet, still trying to latch onto the poor thing. The catpreson whimpered and cowered away.
"Oh, honestly, Poswet," Hermione tittered, pulling the lanky girl off the animal, "Leave it alone."
"I'm a her, thank you," snapped the catperson, placing clawed digits on it, or rather, her hips. Oddly enough, only Poswet seemed to frighten her, Harry noted curiously. Maybe it had something to do with Pos's insane exuberance, or maybe something else.
"Right," Hermione murmured, embarassed, "Well then.. where are you from?"
"Japan." The catgirl settled herself, cross-legged on the ground to prepare for some questioning. She'd never had this experience but her kin had and she knew what to expect. "Hokkaido, to be specific," she added, just to make sure. There was much scribbling until Hermione had another question.
"Do you give birth in litters?"
"Heavens no!" The catgirl looked shocked at the thought. "Why, we don't give birth at all.. We're asexual. Or rather, we're sexual," she flashed a rather fangy grin at the Gryffindors -- boys AND girls, "But we don't have children. The girls anyway."
"Then how do you reproduce?"
The catgirl giggled. "It all depends. With the males of my kind, they can impregnate human girls.. but the offspring will be catgirl or catboy. And us girls can't give birth at all.. it's up to the males to keep our species going. We just get a sex free-for-all." This was making EVERYONE (except the catgirl and Poswet) get very red and embarassed. Poswet was lurking along the back of the crowd, occasionally peeking out between people's shoulders.
"Er.. er.. what do you eat?" Hermione was desperate to change the subject.
"Food," the catgirl responded blandly. She wasn't very interested in this topic but she supposed it was necessary for stupid human students. She grinned again, her fangy smile creeping them all out further.
"What's your name?"
"Bree. Bree Mandan, actually, from the Sorewa tribe in eastern Hokkaido. We're the upper grounders, meaning we live underground but not deep underground and we come up for sunlight a lot."
"Um.. and what're your communities like?"
"Small.. not more than twenty people in each. We must only have ten males, ten females. Once you're past thirty you have to leave. It's basically based on sex and looks."
"Sounds interesting," commented Harry, getting used to the wanton, pink-haired catgirl.
"It is," she said, flashing him an interested grin. Her turquoise eyes lingered on his scar and her grin widened. "Scars are sexy."
Harry was about to respond with something along the lines of "stammer, stammer, voice crack, thank you", but before he could say a word, Poswet marched up, her embroidered robes swishing, her dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"Sorewa tribe?" she queried, putting her hands on the catgirl's shoulders. Bree reeled back as if burned, batting Poswet's hands away, growing more and more agitated. She got a little shorter and her fur began to grow longer, her face a little more feline.
"Stop, stop! Stop.. please! What are you!? Are you Sidhe?" The poor thing was mewling in terror before Poswet took a step back. Hermione grabbed Poswet's arm.
"Poswet, what are you doing?!" Poswet pushed her away and Hermione went tumbling to the ground, the lanky girl never taking her intense gaze off the feline creature.
"Where is the Fool? Are you allied with him still?"
"I don't know! He disappeared after Morgana's heiress went missing," moaned Bree, "Please, stop!" The catgirl writhed under Poswet's touch and Harry was reminded of his first year, when Quirrel couldn't touch him without being consumed by agony, as if -- on fire? Yes, it was very similar only Harry didn't think the catgirl was.. evil, just slightly depraved.
Poswet slowly took a step back, dropping her hands. Bree fell down, rubbing her arms and staring at Poswet with a terrified, bewildered expression on her beautiful face. She looked at Hermione.
"I'm sorry. Tell Hagrid I got sick." She slowly walked up towards the school, and Harry could read in the rigidity of her shoulders that she was tense and on guard. He didn't know what had happened -- one second Poswet was giddy and giggling and, well, Poswet, the next she was like flamelet, angry and upset.
He looked at Bree, who was slowly becoming humanish again.
"What happened?" He said in an undertone to her. Bree shook her head, clamping her lips firmly together.
"Please would you tell me? Poswet is our friend, it's kind of important." Bree shook her head harder and looked away. She wouldn't answer any questions after that and they had to tell Hagrid that Poswet had offended Bree somehow by calling her a name, and that Bree'd smacked Pos around a little so Poswet had to go to the infirmary. Hagrid was thoroughly confused, though he didn't know too much about catpeople.
"I never knew a catperson ter be insulted before," he mused.
"Er, I think it was just Poswet's overall.. Poswet-ness," Ron said lamely, wishing like hell class was over so they could go to lunch and find out just what had caused Poswet to act like a maniac.
Hagrid seemed to accept this, having realized that Poswet pretty much WAS a maniac.
The bell sounded at that very moment, much to the Gryffindors' collective delight, so they all ran off to go to lunch. They had Defense Against the Dark Arts next and they were all anxious to see what the new teacher would be like. Would she be a Lupin, or a Quirrel? Or a Moody? (In truth, she was a little bit of all three). Would she last longer than the year?
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked over at Gryffindor table. Poswet was standing near the end with Lili, her arm loosely around the Hispanic girl's waist. She muttered something and Lili's eyes widened imperceptibly and she murmured something abck. Poswet nodded and they headed towards the exit.
Of course, to leave, they had to pass the incoming students. Poswet smiled weakly at them and mouthed "I'm sorry," again to Hermione, who had been quietly thinking about the exchange between Poswet and the catgirl. She was a little off-guard by Poswet's shove, but she knew the girl had been very angry. Those words seemed familiar.. The Fool? Sidhe? She'd read it somewhere.. Maye in Hogwarts: A History? No, that couldn't be it.. but it was historical, she knew that.. She'd ask Professer Binns after Defense. He'd know, if anyone did.
Ron caught Poswet's arm, though, and angrily started to yell.
"What was wrong with you? Why'd you push Mione? What are you ON, anyway?!" He shouted, grabbing the tall girl's arms and shaking her a little, despite the fact she was about his height.
Before she could react, though, Lili had swept over and shoved Ron herself. Despite the delicacy of her features, she was strong -- shockingly strong. Ron felt amazement wash over him and then he realized that shaking a girl, even a slightly psychotic one, wasn't a good idea. But before he could apologize, Poswet was.
"I'm sorry! It's a long story, not really interesting, I've just had some run-ins with catgirls, especially the Sorewa tribe.. I was just so mad, I lashed out!" She looked at Hermione, who smiled and shook her head.
"It's okay.. I could tell you were upset."
"Oh, good.. well, Lili and I were going to for a walk. Promise we'll be back for Defense," she said hastily, catching Hermione's expression, "Promise! We have that and Potions with the Slytherins anyway." Hermione knew that and just shook her head.
"You better not skip, Poswet To, or I'll take points off Gryffindor. I am a prefect, you know."
"Yeah," Ron mumbled, "You only told us a million times."
Poswet grinned cheekily at them. "Oh, you're just happy to be with her, Ronniekins!" She grabbed Lili's arm and sailed out, apparently with a fresh wave of perky weirdness.
The trio realized three things at once.
Ron realized that Lili hadn't apologized for pushing HIM.
Hermione realized that Sidhe were faeries.
And Harry realized the most important thing of all.
Poswet heaved a massive threatrical sigh as she tromped into the Care of Magical Creatures arena. This was the part she usually didn't like about school - the whole learning bit - well, fie on it all! Fie with pie, she said, indeed. She nodded her head at herself. Then she scowled angrily. Hermione gave her a curious sideways glance, remembering that Poswet wasn't very good at school and, well, concentrating.
"What are you so depressed about? This is one of the less studious classes! And we have it tripled Mondays, so it's just this until lunch."
"But it's school," Poswet whined, looking around.
"You'll like it," Hermione said knowledgeably. Poswet shrugged dubiously.
Hagrid came out of his shed, grinning in a way that Hermione, Harry, and Ron had come to realize met he had some specifically dangerous pet. Harry looked a bit interested, if apprehensive. Ron was white under his freckles. Hermione fidgeted. Poswet grinned maniacally.
"Good mornin'!" Hagrid boomed, smiling at them from behind his tangly black beard. Poswet boomed back.
"OHAYOOOOO, SENSEI!!"
Hermione blinked and pushed the loudmouth girl back down with a muttered 'shh.'
Hagrid blinked a little as well.
"Yer new?" he asked. Poswet nodded, wrapping an arm around Hermione.
"Yessah, that I be, fresh from Canada, ey?" Poswet sang in three-quarter time. Hermione edged away til' Poswet couldn't glomp her. Hagrid just stared at Poswet, at her skinniness, her odd height, her bizarre hair, and her insane grin, for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing.
"Anyhow, I got somethin' yeh should really enjoy.. a catperson!" He opened a cage and something covered with a black cape staggered out. "Now, 's still a bit disoriented, so 's more cat than human. If it starts ter go human on yer, I dun' want anyone bein' immature o'er it! Yer clear on that? Yer to ask her about their life, an' do a report on it, since the Headmaster wants more written stuff."
There was muttered assention.
Poswet ran over and glomped the catperson, who squeaked and pushed her off, along with the cape. There stood something with a very shapely girl's form, but rapidly disappearing white fur was on the back of its neck, a messy pink mane was on its head, it had white ears, and a long pink and white striped tail. It was quite naked, and several of the boys went red and stared (including Ron and Harry (well, Harry just went red and looked away), until Hermione smacked them with her notebook). The catperson had huge, gleaming, turquoise eyes that regarded them warily.
"Hi!" chirped Poswet, still trying to latch onto the poor thing. The catpreson whimpered and cowered away.
"Oh, honestly, Poswet," Hermione tittered, pulling the lanky girl off the animal, "Leave it alone."
"I'm a her, thank you," snapped the catperson, placing clawed digits on it, or rather, her hips. Oddly enough, only Poswet seemed to frighten her, Harry noted curiously. Maybe it had something to do with Pos's insane exuberance, or maybe something else.
"Right," Hermione murmured, embarassed, "Well then.. where are you from?"
"Japan." The catgirl settled herself, cross-legged on the ground to prepare for some questioning. She'd never had this experience but her kin had and she knew what to expect. "Hokkaido, to be specific," she added, just to make sure. There was much scribbling until Hermione had another question.
"Do you give birth in litters?"
"Heavens no!" The catgirl looked shocked at the thought. "Why, we don't give birth at all.. We're asexual. Or rather, we're sexual," she flashed a rather fangy grin at the Gryffindors -- boys AND girls, "But we don't have children. The girls anyway."
"Then how do you reproduce?"
The catgirl giggled. "It all depends. With the males of my kind, they can impregnate human girls.. but the offspring will be catgirl or catboy. And us girls can't give birth at all.. it's up to the males to keep our species going. We just get a sex free-for-all." This was making EVERYONE (except the catgirl and Poswet) get very red and embarassed. Poswet was lurking along the back of the crowd, occasionally peeking out between people's shoulders.
"Er.. er.. what do you eat?" Hermione was desperate to change the subject.
"Food," the catgirl responded blandly. She wasn't very interested in this topic but she supposed it was necessary for stupid human students. She grinned again, her fangy smile creeping them all out further.
"What's your name?"
"Bree. Bree Mandan, actually, from the Sorewa tribe in eastern Hokkaido. We're the upper grounders, meaning we live underground but not deep underground and we come up for sunlight a lot."
"Um.. and what're your communities like?"
"Small.. not more than twenty people in each. We must only have ten males, ten females. Once you're past thirty you have to leave. It's basically based on sex and looks."
"Sounds interesting," commented Harry, getting used to the wanton, pink-haired catgirl.
"It is," she said, flashing him an interested grin. Her turquoise eyes lingered on his scar and her grin widened. "Scars are sexy."
Harry was about to respond with something along the lines of "stammer, stammer, voice crack, thank you", but before he could say a word, Poswet marched up, her embroidered robes swishing, her dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"Sorewa tribe?" she queried, putting her hands on the catgirl's shoulders. Bree reeled back as if burned, batting Poswet's hands away, growing more and more agitated. She got a little shorter and her fur began to grow longer, her face a little more feline.
"Stop, stop! Stop.. please! What are you!? Are you Sidhe?" The poor thing was mewling in terror before Poswet took a step back. Hermione grabbed Poswet's arm.
"Poswet, what are you doing?!" Poswet pushed her away and Hermione went tumbling to the ground, the lanky girl never taking her intense gaze off the feline creature.
"Where is the Fool? Are you allied with him still?"
"I don't know! He disappeared after Morgana's heiress went missing," moaned Bree, "Please, stop!" The catgirl writhed under Poswet's touch and Harry was reminded of his first year, when Quirrel couldn't touch him without being consumed by agony, as if -- on fire? Yes, it was very similar only Harry didn't think the catgirl was.. evil, just slightly depraved.
Poswet slowly took a step back, dropping her hands. Bree fell down, rubbing her arms and staring at Poswet with a terrified, bewildered expression on her beautiful face. She looked at Hermione.
"I'm sorry. Tell Hagrid I got sick." She slowly walked up towards the school, and Harry could read in the rigidity of her shoulders that she was tense and on guard. He didn't know what had happened -- one second Poswet was giddy and giggling and, well, Poswet, the next she was like flamelet, angry and upset.
He looked at Bree, who was slowly becoming humanish again.
"What happened?" He said in an undertone to her. Bree shook her head, clamping her lips firmly together.
"Please would you tell me? Poswet is our friend, it's kind of important." Bree shook her head harder and looked away. She wouldn't answer any questions after that and they had to tell Hagrid that Poswet had offended Bree somehow by calling her a name, and that Bree'd smacked Pos around a little so Poswet had to go to the infirmary. Hagrid was thoroughly confused, though he didn't know too much about catpeople.
"I never knew a catperson ter be insulted before," he mused.
"Er, I think it was just Poswet's overall.. Poswet-ness," Ron said lamely, wishing like hell class was over so they could go to lunch and find out just what had caused Poswet to act like a maniac.
Hagrid seemed to accept this, having realized that Poswet pretty much WAS a maniac.
The bell sounded at that very moment, much to the Gryffindors' collective delight, so they all ran off to go to lunch. They had Defense Against the Dark Arts next and they were all anxious to see what the new teacher would be like. Would she be a Lupin, or a Quirrel? Or a Moody? (In truth, she was a little bit of all three). Would she last longer than the year?
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked over at Gryffindor table. Poswet was standing near the end with Lili, her arm loosely around the Hispanic girl's waist. She muttered something and Lili's eyes widened imperceptibly and she murmured something abck. Poswet nodded and they headed towards the exit.
Of course, to leave, they had to pass the incoming students. Poswet smiled weakly at them and mouthed "I'm sorry," again to Hermione, who had been quietly thinking about the exchange between Poswet and the catgirl. She was a little off-guard by Poswet's shove, but she knew the girl had been very angry. Those words seemed familiar.. The Fool? Sidhe? She'd read it somewhere.. Maye in Hogwarts: A History? No, that couldn't be it.. but it was historical, she knew that.. She'd ask Professer Binns after Defense. He'd know, if anyone did.
Ron caught Poswet's arm, though, and angrily started to yell.
"What was wrong with you? Why'd you push Mione? What are you ON, anyway?!" He shouted, grabbing the tall girl's arms and shaking her a little, despite the fact she was about his height.
Before she could react, though, Lili had swept over and shoved Ron herself. Despite the delicacy of her features, she was strong -- shockingly strong. Ron felt amazement wash over him and then he realized that shaking a girl, even a slightly psychotic one, wasn't a good idea. But before he could apologize, Poswet was.
"I'm sorry! It's a long story, not really interesting, I've just had some run-ins with catgirls, especially the Sorewa tribe.. I was just so mad, I lashed out!" She looked at Hermione, who smiled and shook her head.
"It's okay.. I could tell you were upset."
"Oh, good.. well, Lili and I were going to for a walk. Promise we'll be back for Defense," she said hastily, catching Hermione's expression, "Promise! We have that and Potions with the Slytherins anyway." Hermione knew that and just shook her head.
"You better not skip, Poswet To, or I'll take points off Gryffindor. I am a prefect, you know."
"Yeah," Ron mumbled, "You only told us a million times."
Poswet grinned cheekily at them. "Oh, you're just happy to be with her, Ronniekins!" She grabbed Lili's arm and sailed out, apparently with a fresh wave of perky weirdness.
The trio realized three things at once.
Ron realized that Lili hadn't apologized for pushing HIM.
Hermione realized that Sidhe were faeries.
And Harry realized the most important thing of all.
