Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. P
Notes: Wrapping things up, this is the last chapter. Thank you to all my loyal reviewers, you have really helped me get through this. I am so happy to actually finish a story. Hugs! Cats rule!
If Cats Could Talk
Dumbledore sat in his office, a pleased smile on his aging face and a twinkle in his blue eyes. A crisis had been averted. One of the worst since Voldemort returning, and the world once again had only one maniac tyrant to worry about. The week of the misfired Beast Speech spell was ending today, and the cats had happily returned to their former lives, but a Silence Charm was kept on Crookshanks to prevent any further attempts on world domination.
It never hurt to be too careful.
And now their mystery Animagus was waiting in his office for the last two people to arrive so she could be changed back. Kat sat impassively in one of the armchairs in the office. She barely flicked an ear when someone knocked on the door and Dumbledore bade them enter.
Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall entered. Kat bothered to sit up, showing she wasn't quite entirely cat yet. But it would be interesting to see how she adjusted to being human again. She would have to relearn respect, and she might always think of other humans as monkeys, but otherwise the headmaster wasn't concerned.
Professor McGonagall was there to perform the spell. Snape was there because she was in his house.
"Are we ready, then?" Minerva asked, looking both to Dumbledore and Kat, who both nodded ascent. She pointed her wand at Kat and said, "Transforma Reversus." They watched as she slowly stretched back into a human form, the transformation a reversal of her Animagus one. In a minute, a young Slytherin seventh year sat in the chair.
"Are you sure you got that spell right, Minerva, her eyes don't look right..." Snape mused. It was true, her eyes still looked quite feline.
"Of course I did," McGonagall snapped. "She's just been a cat for long enough that she might never become entirely human again. I'm afraid that there at the end she might have begun to lose herself as a human. If it had taken much longer, she might have been a cat forever."
"Perhaps now we can find out your name," Snape said of the cat-eyed student. She looked up at him, quite unconcerned, face blank like a cat's, and shrugged. After a moment of his scowling at her, she grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, habit. Wow, it's strange being able to speak again after so long," she said with a laugh. "But I'm afraid I don't remember my name still. But I have managed to figure out where my memory's gone. I believe Malfoy was out of bed that night, probably following Potter around, and I snuck up on him while in cat form. He Obliviated me reflexively." She shrugged. "Took a couple of brain-wracking nights to work through it."
"Your memory should come back in time," Dumbledore said. "Including your name, but until then I guess you're still Kat."
"What I would like to know is how such an obviously bright pupil could slip under our radars," McGonagall stated. "To become an Animagus at your age, while not unheard of, is very rare. I would think more people would at least know who you are."
"Not really. I never attracted attention to myself, and I didn't have many friends," Kat replied indifferently. "Wish I had now."
"And now as to the matter of your BEING an illegal Animagus," Snape drawled slowly, entering punishment mode and stalking slowly to her side. "That in itself is enough to have you expelled. Even given the circumstances of the past week, you broke the rules."
"I know. I first went to your office knowing I'd probably be kicked out. I'll go start packing," she said, and stood to go.
"I didn't say we WERE kicking you out," Snape said. Kat turned back to face him. "It would be a shame to kick out one of Slytherin's brightest when they're so close to graduation, and if you say nothing to the others, they'll never know what you are. We'll have to think of a good explanation for your eyes however..."
Kat glanced at Dumbledore for confirmation, and he smiled.
"I'm not expelled?"
"You're not expelled."
"I got off?"
"You still have detention."
"Aw man..."
"Don't complain."
"Okay. WHEEE! I'M NOT EXPELLED!!!!!!" Kat ran out of the room, whooping at the top of her lungs all the way to the rest of the school. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.
"Maybe we should have left her as a cat..."
"You know Severus," McGonagall said, "if that were a Gryffindor, or anything other than Slytherin, you would have expelled them."
"Of course."
McGonagall shook her head as the two opposing head of houses exited Dumbledore's office, bickering like usual. Dumbledore chuckled to himself and turned to his phoenix, who cooed at him softly.
"Well Fawkes, it's good to see that things have returned to normal."
***
-If you think I'm just going to give up on world domination, you haven't been paying attention,- Crookshanks thought to himself as he curled up placidly in Hermione's lap. -I just need to wait until it's my time. This is a minor setback, that's all.-
~*~*~*~
Notes: Wrapping things up, this is the last chapter. Thank you to all my loyal reviewers, you have really helped me get through this. I am so happy to actually finish a story. Hugs! Cats rule!
If Cats Could Talk
Dumbledore sat in his office, a pleased smile on his aging face and a twinkle in his blue eyes. A crisis had been averted. One of the worst since Voldemort returning, and the world once again had only one maniac tyrant to worry about. The week of the misfired Beast Speech spell was ending today, and the cats had happily returned to their former lives, but a Silence Charm was kept on Crookshanks to prevent any further attempts on world domination.
It never hurt to be too careful.
And now their mystery Animagus was waiting in his office for the last two people to arrive so she could be changed back. Kat sat impassively in one of the armchairs in the office. She barely flicked an ear when someone knocked on the door and Dumbledore bade them enter.
Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall entered. Kat bothered to sit up, showing she wasn't quite entirely cat yet. But it would be interesting to see how she adjusted to being human again. She would have to relearn respect, and she might always think of other humans as monkeys, but otherwise the headmaster wasn't concerned.
Professor McGonagall was there to perform the spell. Snape was there because she was in his house.
"Are we ready, then?" Minerva asked, looking both to Dumbledore and Kat, who both nodded ascent. She pointed her wand at Kat and said, "Transforma Reversus." They watched as she slowly stretched back into a human form, the transformation a reversal of her Animagus one. In a minute, a young Slytherin seventh year sat in the chair.
"Are you sure you got that spell right, Minerva, her eyes don't look right..." Snape mused. It was true, her eyes still looked quite feline.
"Of course I did," McGonagall snapped. "She's just been a cat for long enough that she might never become entirely human again. I'm afraid that there at the end she might have begun to lose herself as a human. If it had taken much longer, she might have been a cat forever."
"Perhaps now we can find out your name," Snape said of the cat-eyed student. She looked up at him, quite unconcerned, face blank like a cat's, and shrugged. After a moment of his scowling at her, she grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, habit. Wow, it's strange being able to speak again after so long," she said with a laugh. "But I'm afraid I don't remember my name still. But I have managed to figure out where my memory's gone. I believe Malfoy was out of bed that night, probably following Potter around, and I snuck up on him while in cat form. He Obliviated me reflexively." She shrugged. "Took a couple of brain-wracking nights to work through it."
"Your memory should come back in time," Dumbledore said. "Including your name, but until then I guess you're still Kat."
"What I would like to know is how such an obviously bright pupil could slip under our radars," McGonagall stated. "To become an Animagus at your age, while not unheard of, is very rare. I would think more people would at least know who you are."
"Not really. I never attracted attention to myself, and I didn't have many friends," Kat replied indifferently. "Wish I had now."
"And now as to the matter of your BEING an illegal Animagus," Snape drawled slowly, entering punishment mode and stalking slowly to her side. "That in itself is enough to have you expelled. Even given the circumstances of the past week, you broke the rules."
"I know. I first went to your office knowing I'd probably be kicked out. I'll go start packing," she said, and stood to go.
"I didn't say we WERE kicking you out," Snape said. Kat turned back to face him. "It would be a shame to kick out one of Slytherin's brightest when they're so close to graduation, and if you say nothing to the others, they'll never know what you are. We'll have to think of a good explanation for your eyes however..."
Kat glanced at Dumbledore for confirmation, and he smiled.
"I'm not expelled?"
"You're not expelled."
"I got off?"
"You still have detention."
"Aw man..."
"Don't complain."
"Okay. WHEEE! I'M NOT EXPELLED!!!!!!" Kat ran out of the room, whooping at the top of her lungs all the way to the rest of the school. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.
"Maybe we should have left her as a cat..."
"You know Severus," McGonagall said, "if that were a Gryffindor, or anything other than Slytherin, you would have expelled them."
"Of course."
McGonagall shook her head as the two opposing head of houses exited Dumbledore's office, bickering like usual. Dumbledore chuckled to himself and turned to his phoenix, who cooed at him softly.
"Well Fawkes, it's good to see that things have returned to normal."
***
-If you think I'm just going to give up on world domination, you haven't been paying attention,- Crookshanks thought to himself as he curled up placidly in Hermione's lap. -I just need to wait until it's my time. This is a minor setback, that's all.-
~*~*~*~