Twin Sister

By: Neko-chan

A/N: *huggles readers* I'm glad that everyone likes the little ficcie so far! Anyways......sorry 'bout not writing for a long time. I've been busy. *glares at school* But I hope you guys like chapter three! Just to let you know: Tasuki is the name of an anime character in Fushigi Yuugi. (He's my fave! *huggles her Tas-chan*) And the plot thickens......

Sano: What plot? You have NO plot so far!

*BONKS* Oh, and let me introduce you to my mascot from my site. Everyone, this is Sano. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter and check out my site if you can! ( http://www.geocities.com/nekochansplaceofotakuness/index.html)

Chapter Three

Bright light filtered through the large window in Harry and Bryanna's room, hitting Harry in the face and waking him up from a pleasant dream. It had been wonderful--Bryanna had come to live with him and his godfather's 'crime' had been pardoned; Sirius and Remus had decided to adopt them officially and all four lived comfortably in the wizarding world. It was a pity that real life couldn't be more like dreams....

Bright green eyes slowly cracked open and Harry yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Absently, he looked over at the other bed, where his twin was still asleep. And then he promptly screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

There, sleeping on the bed next to his sister was....was the largest tiger he had ever seen! It was easily 15 feet long, and that wasn't counting its striped tail. Its canines, which were oh-so-close to Bryanna's head, were more like a sabertooth tiger's teeth. Teeth that big had no right being on a modern cat.

Bryanna blinked stupidly and stared at Harry with bleary eyes. "What's gotten into you?" she asked sleepily, covering a yawn with a hand. All Harry could do was squeak and stare at the tiger. He slowly pointed and his hand shook. Bryanna frowned at him in puzzlement and looked over her shoulder at the huge tiger. "OH!! I see you've finally met Tasuki!! He's my tiger."

The tiger, Tasuki, opened an eye and snorted at the redhead.

Bryanna grinned sheepishly and poked the tiger in the side. "Oh, all right," she said, as if answering a comment that the tiger had said. Once again, she returned her attention to Harry. "Actually, Tasuki is more than just a tiger. He's my best friend. He has been since I was four years old."

Just then, as Harry was about to comment, Professor McGonagall and the rest of the Gryffindors came charging through the doorway.

"I heard a scream. Is everything all right...." Professor McGonagall started, then trailed off when she noticed the tiger. "Who is THAT?!" she finally exclaimed as Tasuki watched her with amused golden eyes.

"This is Tasuki," Bryanna replied. "He's my friend and my cat. After all, didn't the list of wizarding supplies say that I could have either a cat, an owl, or a frog?"

"But...but..." Professor McGonagall sputtered, pointing at Tasuki as Harry had done earlier. "That is not a cat!! That is a tiger!"

Bryanna grinned innocently. She quickly shot a glance at Harry and he noticed that her eyes sparkled at the mischief that she was causing. "Professor McGonagall, if you studied the feline species carefully, you will know that a tiger is a cat. A rather large cat, true, but a cat nonetheless."

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, her throat working, but no words coming out. She was made speechless. Bryanna was right--tigers were in the group known as the big cats. And Professor Dumbledore hadn't specified what type of cat a student was allowed to keep. McGonagall blinked, then a small smile flickered on her lips. In fact, Dumbledore would probably be pleased to learn that a student had found a loophole to one of his rules. He'd probably find it amusing.

Professor McGongall sighed, then shook her head ruefully. "You are right, Bryanna. A tiger is a cat.....and that means that Tasuki gets to stay here at Hogwarts. Now, get dressed and go down to the Dining Hall to eat your breakfast."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Bryanna and Harry replied at the same time. The twins grinned at each other as Professor McGonagall left, taking with her the Gryffindor students that were looking over their shoulders and staring at Tasuki in amazement.

They both grabbed their robes and went into their bathrooms, quickly changing. Once done with that, the two made their way downstairs and plopped into chairs next to Hermione and Ron.

"So is what I hear true?" Ron immediately asked when Bryanna and Harry reached for toast. Bryanna hid a grin behind a hand and stuffed her food into her mouth, leaving Harry to answer Ron's question.

"If you're asking about Bryanna's tiger, then yes. We just discovered him this morning. Some people had to find out about him the hard way......." Harry said, with a pointed look at Bryanna. But all she did was grin and reach for more food.

"What type of tiger is he?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Ask the Tiger Queen over there. All I know is that he's big."

The redhead quickly swallowed her food and grinned at Hermione. "Tasuki is a Siberian tiger. And not only is he big.....he talks," she answered, shooting a mischievous look at her brother.

"WHAT?!" Harry exclaimed, standing up. Students around him suddenly quieted, and he knew that they were all listening to their conversation now.

Bryanna's grin broadened. "Well, he doesn't talk to everyone," she retorted.

Before Harry could reply to this, Dumbledore stood up, drawing everyone's attention. "Please excuse my interruption, students," he said. "But I have an important announcement for this year...."

To be continued.....