Disclaimer: Can I stop this already?
Notes: A fifth chapter? ^_^ I must admit I didn't expect this story to last so long, but it's rather grown on me, and others as well. Well, the Slytherin student may never get a name. And remember, Harry and the others are in fifth year, while she's in seventh. She never met the Trio, and they've never met her.
If Cats Could Talk
Snape reentered his office after dinner, finding that the elves had been and cleaned things up, save for two things. The first was one jar on the shelf that he had accidentally blasted, and the other was an entirely new mess on his desk. The cat seemed to be hiding somewhere. He shook his head and went over to evaluate the damage on his desk. One of his vials of red ink had been tipped over, making a lovely crimson stain on the ebony wood, and there were several cat paw prints all over the place. There was also a piece of spare parchment with teeth marks around the edge and messily scratched out words in the red ink.
"HELP! NOT CAT! ANINACUS-STUCK!" it said.
"Aninacus?" he wondered aloud. "Animagus?" It dawned on him. "That cat is an Animagus?! Of course!" He whirled around, looking for the cat. "Where are you? Come out!" Nothing. Snape checked under the desk and scanned the shelves, but there wasn't a feline presence anywhere. "Where did that bloody cat go?"
***
-Helllp meeeee!- the student wailed in her mind. She lashed out at one of the house elves that had reached a hand up to pet her and hissed. -Get away from me you cat-napping little maids! I went through all of that trouble to get to Snape's office and you take me away?!- She slapped at another who was approaching with a plate of food and he scurried back off.
"Be nice Kitty!" an elf dressed in strange clothes demanded. "Dobby and other elves save you from mean Snape!"
-Oh gods above, they probably think Snape was going to cook me or something.- She jumped from the counter to the elf's bald head and leapfrogged to the top of the cabinets, high above the elves' reach. -Someone SAVE me!-
The door to the kitchens obligingly opened and admitted three large tom cats. A tabby noticed her and nudged his companions. "Hey, it's one of ours."
"I don't remember seeing her at the meeting."
"The walking food dispensers probably had her held captive." The elves were watching the new felines with mixed curiosity and apprehension. They had never heard one of these small furry things speak before.
"Well, let's rectify the situation," the leader stated.
-Oh no. Not again.- The three big toms howled a battle cry and dove at the elves, who took a moment to register the sudden danger, before screaming and scattering in all directions. -Why does everyone think I need saving? Why?- She looked heavenwards. -Why do you hate me, oh Irony Gods?!-
***
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all huddled under the Invisibility Cloak as they shambled along to the kitchens to visit Dobby and the other elves. It had been awhile since they'd last seen them, and they felt obligated to warn them of current events. They reached the painting that hid the entrance to the kitchens and paused.
"Do you," Harry pondered, "...hear screams?"
"Sounds like someone is attacking the house elves!" Ron replied. Hermione reached up and tickled the pear, and the large painting swung open and the Gryffindor students peered inside.
It was chaos inside, with house elves running all over the place, being chased by three very large cats. The elves tried to tempt them with food, but the cats apparently weren't there for the chow. They stood there in mute horror and wonder at the senseless violence. Then something landed on Harry's head.
Harry fell back in shock, but Ron and Hermione caught him before he could hit the ground. Whatever had hit him became entangled in the cloak and struggled to be free.
"Let's get out of here!" Hermione hissed. The others agreed and they left the elves to their own devices. They hurried down the dark corridor, Harry trapping whatever was in the cloak in the length of fabric and holding it before him. They found a dark corner and secreted themselves in it and gently unfolded the cloak to see what had attacked Harry.
A small-ish, semi-longhaired, deep black cat with long whiskers and green eyes looked up at them, looking very irritated.
"Oh, it's a cat," Hermione gasped. "Do you suppose he was there with the other three?" The cat hissed at her. "Oh, sorry, SHE."
The cat seemed content with that.
"What's your name?" Ron asked her. The cat looked up at him, but didn't reply. "Come on, don't be mad. 'Mione's sorry she called you a he."
The cat still did not reply, just glanced back at the kitchens where the screams finally died off. Harry hoped that meant to elves had either gotten away or the cats had decided to leave them alone. Ron sighed in exasperation.
"I give up. Fine. Don't talk. It's about time a cat didn't, anyway," Ron declared, throwing up his hands. Hermione shushed him, reminding him to be quiet lest Filch or some other member of the staff came along and caught them.
"Maybe the spell missed this one," Hermione guessed. "Maybe, for some reason, it skipped over her." She reached out and took the cat.
"So, what do we do with the only cat in Hogwarts that can't talk?" Harry asked, shaking cat fur from his cloak. Hermione looked the cat in the eye while she thought. Having lived with Crookshanks for a couple of years now, she was becoming well versed in reading a cat's mood. This cat was very irritated with someone.
"I guess we keep her for a little while, until we can find her owners-"
"Who's there?" The three massive cats that had been attacking the elves in the kitchens approached the trio. "Here now, what do we have here? Three young monkeys," the lead tabby said with contempt. "Who do you three belong to? Speak up!"
"Uhhhh..." Ron said.
"Could be three strays," one of the other three said.
"No, I know that female! She's Crookshanks' servant," the leader said, nodding at Hermione. "And there's the stranger. The other two might belong to her..." The black cat jumped down from Hermione's arms and stood before Harry and Ron possessively, stating without words that these were her humans.
"Well, that settles that, I guess. Let's go. Oh, and make sure you make the next meeting," the leader said to the strange cat. She nodded and the three toms left.
***
-This is just too perfect,- the Slytherin student thought sarcastically. -Now not only do I have two humans, but they're Gryffindors! Sweet Merlin just kill me and get it over with.-
~*~*~*~
Notes: A fifth chapter? ^_^ I must admit I didn't expect this story to last so long, but it's rather grown on me, and others as well. Well, the Slytherin student may never get a name. And remember, Harry and the others are in fifth year, while she's in seventh. She never met the Trio, and they've never met her.
If Cats Could Talk
Snape reentered his office after dinner, finding that the elves had been and cleaned things up, save for two things. The first was one jar on the shelf that he had accidentally blasted, and the other was an entirely new mess on his desk. The cat seemed to be hiding somewhere. He shook his head and went over to evaluate the damage on his desk. One of his vials of red ink had been tipped over, making a lovely crimson stain on the ebony wood, and there were several cat paw prints all over the place. There was also a piece of spare parchment with teeth marks around the edge and messily scratched out words in the red ink.
"HELP! NOT CAT! ANINACUS-STUCK!" it said.
"Aninacus?" he wondered aloud. "Animagus?" It dawned on him. "That cat is an Animagus?! Of course!" He whirled around, looking for the cat. "Where are you? Come out!" Nothing. Snape checked under the desk and scanned the shelves, but there wasn't a feline presence anywhere. "Where did that bloody cat go?"
***
-Helllp meeeee!- the student wailed in her mind. She lashed out at one of the house elves that had reached a hand up to pet her and hissed. -Get away from me you cat-napping little maids! I went through all of that trouble to get to Snape's office and you take me away?!- She slapped at another who was approaching with a plate of food and he scurried back off.
"Be nice Kitty!" an elf dressed in strange clothes demanded. "Dobby and other elves save you from mean Snape!"
-Oh gods above, they probably think Snape was going to cook me or something.- She jumped from the counter to the elf's bald head and leapfrogged to the top of the cabinets, high above the elves' reach. -Someone SAVE me!-
The door to the kitchens obligingly opened and admitted three large tom cats. A tabby noticed her and nudged his companions. "Hey, it's one of ours."
"I don't remember seeing her at the meeting."
"The walking food dispensers probably had her held captive." The elves were watching the new felines with mixed curiosity and apprehension. They had never heard one of these small furry things speak before.
"Well, let's rectify the situation," the leader stated.
-Oh no. Not again.- The three big toms howled a battle cry and dove at the elves, who took a moment to register the sudden danger, before screaming and scattering in all directions. -Why does everyone think I need saving? Why?- She looked heavenwards. -Why do you hate me, oh Irony Gods?!-
***
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all huddled under the Invisibility Cloak as they shambled along to the kitchens to visit Dobby and the other elves. It had been awhile since they'd last seen them, and they felt obligated to warn them of current events. They reached the painting that hid the entrance to the kitchens and paused.
"Do you," Harry pondered, "...hear screams?"
"Sounds like someone is attacking the house elves!" Ron replied. Hermione reached up and tickled the pear, and the large painting swung open and the Gryffindor students peered inside.
It was chaos inside, with house elves running all over the place, being chased by three very large cats. The elves tried to tempt them with food, but the cats apparently weren't there for the chow. They stood there in mute horror and wonder at the senseless violence. Then something landed on Harry's head.
Harry fell back in shock, but Ron and Hermione caught him before he could hit the ground. Whatever had hit him became entangled in the cloak and struggled to be free.
"Let's get out of here!" Hermione hissed. The others agreed and they left the elves to their own devices. They hurried down the dark corridor, Harry trapping whatever was in the cloak in the length of fabric and holding it before him. They found a dark corner and secreted themselves in it and gently unfolded the cloak to see what had attacked Harry.
A small-ish, semi-longhaired, deep black cat with long whiskers and green eyes looked up at them, looking very irritated.
"Oh, it's a cat," Hermione gasped. "Do you suppose he was there with the other three?" The cat hissed at her. "Oh, sorry, SHE."
The cat seemed content with that.
"What's your name?" Ron asked her. The cat looked up at him, but didn't reply. "Come on, don't be mad. 'Mione's sorry she called you a he."
The cat still did not reply, just glanced back at the kitchens where the screams finally died off. Harry hoped that meant to elves had either gotten away or the cats had decided to leave them alone. Ron sighed in exasperation.
"I give up. Fine. Don't talk. It's about time a cat didn't, anyway," Ron declared, throwing up his hands. Hermione shushed him, reminding him to be quiet lest Filch or some other member of the staff came along and caught them.
"Maybe the spell missed this one," Hermione guessed. "Maybe, for some reason, it skipped over her." She reached out and took the cat.
"So, what do we do with the only cat in Hogwarts that can't talk?" Harry asked, shaking cat fur from his cloak. Hermione looked the cat in the eye while she thought. Having lived with Crookshanks for a couple of years now, she was becoming well versed in reading a cat's mood. This cat was very irritated with someone.
"I guess we keep her for a little while, until we can find her owners-"
"Who's there?" The three massive cats that had been attacking the elves in the kitchens approached the trio. "Here now, what do we have here? Three young monkeys," the lead tabby said with contempt. "Who do you three belong to? Speak up!"
"Uhhhh..." Ron said.
"Could be three strays," one of the other three said.
"No, I know that female! She's Crookshanks' servant," the leader said, nodding at Hermione. "And there's the stranger. The other two might belong to her..." The black cat jumped down from Hermione's arms and stood before Harry and Ron possessively, stating without words that these were her humans.
"Well, that settles that, I guess. Let's go. Oh, and make sure you make the next meeting," the leader said to the strange cat. She nodded and the three toms left.
***
-This is just too perfect,- the Slytherin student thought sarcastically. -Now not only do I have two humans, but they're Gryffindors! Sweet Merlin just kill me and get it over with.-
~*~*~*~