Hey! A new chapter! Thanks to my reviewers.
Niki: Sorry I didn't choose Crups. I had more votes for Kneazles, and I have a really good idea for them.
By the way, I am not making this up. My bro got me the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book that Rowling wrote. Here is the description of Kneazles.
Kneazle
M.O.M. (Kat's Note: Ministry of Magic) Classification: XXX (K.N.: How dangerous it is)
The Kneazle is originally bred in Britain, though it is now exported worldwide. A small catlike creature with flecked, speckled, or spotted fur, outsize ears, and a tail like a lion's, the Kneazle is intelligent, independent, and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes and excellent pet. The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters and can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they are lost. Kneazles have up to eight kittens in a litter and can interbreed with cats. Licenses are required for ownership as (like Crups and Fwoopers) Kneazles are sufficiently unusual in appearance to attract Muggle interest.
Ok. On with the chapter.
"… Kneazles," he finished. "They remind me of cats, and I like cats."
"So do I," agreed Hermione. "Let's go to the Pet Store now. How will we get there? The Knight Bus?"
"No, I have a better way," Malfoy replied. "I'll be right back." He ran off to who knew where. Harry took this time to come over to talk to Hermione. The kissed, and then Harry sat down in the chair Draco wouldn't take. He looked at her very seriously.
"'Mione, if he does anything to you, just tell me," Harry said. Hermione giggled and told him she could take care of herself. "I know you can, I just love you too much to let anything happen to you." He pulled her in for a long kiss.
"Ahem," Malfoy coughed, back with a small pouch. "Come on, Granger, you can make out with Potter anytime. I don't have all day, you know." They broke apart abruptly, both bright red. "I got us some Floo Powder. I hear Muggles don't use it. Do you know how to, Granger?" he asked, sneering.
"As a matter of fact, Malfoy, I do," she replied haughtily. With that, she stalked off towards the fire. Malfoy shot an amused look at Harry before swaggering after Hermione. He threw a pinch onto the flames. He and Hermione stepped in.
"Knockturn Alley," Malfoy yelled.
"What are you doing?" Hermione yelped. Malfoy opened his mouth, but he couldn't answer because they began to spin.
Draco nimbly jumped out, and caught Hermione as she tipped over, dizzy from the ride. He smiled toothily at her and began to kiss her on the lips. She slapped him and ran a few feet away. Malfoy smirked to himself and wiped his lips off. He had succeeded in making Granger feel very uncomfortable. Not that he had wanted to kiss her, of course. But then again, she had been an improvement over Pansy.
"Why the heck did you take us to Knockturn Alley?" she screeched, making Malfoy want to cover his ears.
"I have something I wanted to look at. You don't mind, do you?" he asked, knowing full well that she did.
"Malfoy, you do know that we could be expelled for being here, don't you?" she whimpered, looking around guiltily. "How do you get to Diagon Alley from here?" Suddenly she was bumped into by an old wizard.
"Hey, baby, wanna come home with me?" he asked, revealing broken teeth. Draco stepped in front of her. The man faltered. "Master Malfoy, I wasn't meaning to be impressing upon your lady!" he apologized and scurried away.
Draco began to laugh. "My lady? That is a laugh. But at least he went away. So my rank isn't always bad." He began to walk away, but he noticed Hermione hanging back. "You might wanna stick with me, toots. They wouldn't dare to mess with my lady." She nodded and ran up and grabbed his hand. He could see her visibly cringe, and laughed softly to himself. They walked, both lost in their own thoughts, until they could see the large white stone of Gringotts. Obviously relieved, Hermione dropped his hand like it was red-hot and ran to the Magical Menagerie. She stepped inside and was greeted by the musty smell of many animals. It hadn't changed much from when she had bought Crookshanks. The case containing the fancy rats had been replaced by a box of newts, and the jeweled tortoise was replaced by an owl cage, but mostly everything else was the same. She was suddenly awakened out of he daydreams by a small mewing sound by her ankles. She looked down to see a tiny spotted cat. She began to cuddle it in her arms.
"Ahh, that be the runt of the litter…" the owner said, looking at Hermione's new heart found joy.
"Excuse me sir, but what litter is this from?" she asked tentatively.
"I am sorry. A new litter of Kneazles that just came in. They are over in a little box over there," he replied. Hermione pushed her way past a box of golden fuzz balls that she could only assume to be Puffskeins. She lifted up the leaf of a catnip plant that had grown over a small wicker basket. Inside, mewing contentedly, were seven kittens, much bigger than the one in Hermione's arms. Suddenly, huffing and puffing, Draco appeared in the store's front. She giggled as he came strolling, smoothing his hair, over to her.
"Hello, Granger. I see you have found the Kneazles," he said importantly. She giggled again and nodded. She reached down to the basket. All the kittens began to purr and rub against her. The biggest, however, did not. He began to be very concerned in seeing that the one Hermione had just set down did not get to nurse on the large mother cat who was sprawled on the pillow. She tutted and picked up the tiny cat. She held it so it could drink without being disturbed by the larger cat. It couldn't have bothered her anyway, because Draco Malfoy was stroking it and picking it up, talking softly to it.
"This is just like the one Father bought for me a few years ago," he admitted, looking up at her. "We will get this one," he declared. Hermione and the cat she liked began to look at him with such sorrowful eyes that he couldn't resist.
"Draco, why would you but such a bully?" she said, her eyes filling with tears. Malfoy loved to make her miserable, but this was too much even for him. He was a gentleman, after all. And gentlemen weren't supposed to make ladies cry.
"Fine, fine," he gave in. When he looked away, she pumped her fist and wiped away her tears. It was a little talent she had, to cry whenever she wanted to. And it always worked. She began to walk up to the counter, the tiny Kneazle at her heels. The owner of the store began to smile when he saw the choice she had made.
"Well, young lady. It seems you are always taking the pets nobody else sees good in. Why, wasn't it only a few years ago that you took Crookshanks? I had been trying to sell him for years! How is he?" the owner said. Hermione said that he was doing well, and received a new toy for him to play with. She waited with the Kneazle while Malfoy ran to his vault to get some gold to pay for it. It already seemed to have taken a liking to her. It made quite a show of following her in the exact way she walked. The owner laughed. "I think she is going to really like you."
"I hope so," she replied and began to leaf through a pamphlet on taking care of the Kneazles. Then she filled out a license for owning the kitten. They looked pretty much like cats, so she needed a license, to have them in areas inhabited by Muggles. Malfoy came back with a small bag of gold, enough to buy the whole store. They picked out some toys, the best food, a nursing bottle, a wicker basket with a pillow. They got matching dishes that could be inscribed with the pet's name. They also got a collar and made a tag that looked like this.
Blank (they hadn't thought of a name yet, they could do that later)
Hermione Granger ~ Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts
Draco Malfoy ~ Slytherin Tower, Hogwarts
Hermione insisted on getting a luxury brush for the Kneazle, and begged for one for Crookshanks, and some treats for both of them. Malfoy, sick of her begging, rolled his eyes and handed her the gold. She thanked him and ran off to buy her treats. He actually began to smile, seeing her so happy. But he caught himself in time. 'Get a grip, Malfoy! You are Draco Malfoy, not Golden Boy, the Boy Who Lived, or his slave Weasel.' He scolded himself. Hermione came back, her smile quickly becoming a serious frown.
"Malfoy, I have a question. Can I call you Draco?" she asked timidly, wincing for a reprimand, possibly containing the word "Mudblood". But to her relief and surprise, Draco Malfoy gave her the first smile she had ever seen him make.
"Of course you can. What shall I can you?" he asked.
"Hermione is just fine," she replied, glowing. They smiled at each other for a few more seconds, before Malfoy, or shall I call him Draco, realized that they needed to go home.
"I'll go ask if we can borrow the owner's fire," he declared. She nodded, and he walked off, mentally beating himself up. 'What was that? "Of course you can. What shall I call you?" Now she is going to call him Draco in front of the whole school! And she will probably get all offended if I call her Granger, or Mudblood, because she will be expecting to be called Hermione! You are in deep dragon dung now, Malfoy. Or Draco, as Hermione will now call you. Ughhhhhhh!' he thought furiously. He asked if they could go home by Floo Powder here, and the manager nodded toward a fire for that very purpose, as it was very warm in the shop, with all the bodies. Draco called to Hermione. "Over here," purposely not using any name. She hurried over, expecting to start a conversation with him. But she saw the look of fury on his face and let that idea fall. He threw the pinch in, and stepped in. Hermione followed suit, the cant and the supplies in her arms. Draco tried to help her by holding that Kneazle, but it only burrowed deeper into Hermione's arms. She giggled again and offered him some of the bags. He took two in each hand, leaving Hermione the Kneazle, which was now purring. Draco took a breath and said clearly, "Professor Minerva McGonagall's office at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." They were then whisked away, spinning wildly. The kitten's purring quickly became yelping, and Hermione held her tighter in her arms.
Well, how was chapter two? Four pages!!!! That is a record for me. So, please tell me how much you like it, or hate it, in your review. Or I will sick my mad guinea pig on you!!!! He is so fat, he will sit on you and squash the daylights out of you. SO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to my reviewers of my last chapter. Luv, Kat.