Chapter 5 ~ The Meeting of Tawny and The Great Spider ... Cat
"Get off!"
"I'm not on you! Stupid – OW!"
"Well somebody is! Whoever's on me get the bloody hell off!"
"Sorry!" cried a female voice.
"What the hell?"
"Who is that? LILY?"
"NO!" said the voice, sounding offended.
"Well, who is it then? Not many people are that light, that's kinda why I assumed it was Sirius or Lily."
"I do not weigh as much as a girl! You've offended my masculinity!"
"You do too Sirius, but back to the matter at hand. Who are you Miss?"
"I'm OW! Who just elbowed me?!?"
"Sorry," whispered Peter.
"It's all right. I'm Tawny."
"Hello, I'm James."
"Allo, I'm Sirius."
"Hi! I'm Peter."
"And this voice belongs to Remus."
"Um... hello."
"You know the castle has never been dark for this long before," Remus said dreamily.
"And we call you the sharp one," Sirius retorted."
"Well, I could get up if whoever this is gets up." She poked the male on her.
"HEY! HANDS AWAY FROM THAT GENERAL AREA!" squeaked Remus.
"Oh! Sorry! Well, can you get up please?"
"I will, hold on." A muffled crash and a girlish squeal of indignation followed.
"Moony! Geez – just tell me!"
"Yes," panted a breathless Peter, "warn people! He landed on me."
"I don't' weigh that much!" snorted Sirius. "Plus, you're the one who squealed."
"As I stated earlier," coughed James.
Tawny rose, free of the werewolf's weight.
"Lumos." She said, and looked down at the tangled Marauders. "Well, goodbye for now." She walked away cheerfully, using her wand as a guide. They stared after her.
"Who was that?" asked Sirius.
"I think she's a Ravenclaw," said Remus. Then they heard a cry from the end of the hall.
"Let go of my leg!!!" followed shortly by a smacking sound.
"Snivellus," Sirius hissed. "I'm going to curse you under the rug!" He pulled himself up and ran down the hall, Remus at his heels.
"Hey, wait for me!" called James, already up and running after them. Unfortunately Peter was having difficulties.
"Help!" James looked back to see a dark lump struggling to his feet.
"Merlin Peter, what's your problem?"
"I'm stuck."
"Well, sit up and then try getting up!"
"Something's got my leg, and James – it's furry."
James sighed. "Lumos."
The room brightened a tiny bit, and he looked to see Peter, hands over his eyes, a cat wrapped around his legs.
"OH MY GOD PETER IT"S A GIANT SPIDER!!!"
James regretted his joke the moment the wailing began.
"Peter! PETER! I was joking! It's a cat! I swear it's a cat! Can you hear me Peter?" he shouted rather loudly.
"IT'S GONNA EAT ME!!!"
"PETER! SHUT UP! IT'S JUST A CUTE FURRY KITTEN!" he screamed above Peter's cries.
"The cat wants to eat me!" He began to shrink and grow fur.
"No, Peter! Stop! The cat will eat you if you become a rat!"
He froze mid-transformation, "I-I-it w-w-will?"
"Yes!" James laughed at Peter's new look, "So reverse the process and reach down and pet the kitten."
"I can?"
"Can what?"
"Pet the kitty? It won't get mad?" Pet looked up hopefully.
Yes, Wormtail, just reach down and pet the kitty," James said, then added before Peter's hand reached the cat," with the fur; not against it."
Peter changed back and began to gently stoke the cat. The cat purred softly.
"James, it's making a noise," Wormtail whispered.
"It's called purring. Have you never held or played with a cat before?"
"Mum was allergic."
"I see. That's rather sad, Wormy."
"Its fur is really soft." I wonder who it belongs to," Peter replied cheerfully.
As he opened his mouth to answer, James heard a scream echo down the hallway.
"Come on Wormtail, get up! We have to go! Bring the kitten with you if you want!' James turned and ran. Peter scrambled to his feet and picked up the cat, He followed James at a slower pace.
"Get off!"
"I'm not on you! Stupid – OW!"
"Well somebody is! Whoever's on me get the bloody hell off!"
"Sorry!" cried a female voice.
"What the hell?"
"Who is that? LILY?"
"NO!" said the voice, sounding offended.
"Well, who is it then? Not many people are that light, that's kinda why I assumed it was Sirius or Lily."
"I do not weigh as much as a girl! You've offended my masculinity!"
"You do too Sirius, but back to the matter at hand. Who are you Miss?"
"I'm OW! Who just elbowed me?!?"
"Sorry," whispered Peter.
"It's all right. I'm Tawny."
"Hello, I'm James."
"Allo, I'm Sirius."
"Hi! I'm Peter."
"And this voice belongs to Remus."
"Um... hello."
"You know the castle has never been dark for this long before," Remus said dreamily.
"And we call you the sharp one," Sirius retorted."
"Well, I could get up if whoever this is gets up." She poked the male on her.
"HEY! HANDS AWAY FROM THAT GENERAL AREA!" squeaked Remus.
"Oh! Sorry! Well, can you get up please?"
"I will, hold on." A muffled crash and a girlish squeal of indignation followed.
"Moony! Geez – just tell me!"
"Yes," panted a breathless Peter, "warn people! He landed on me."
"I don't' weigh that much!" snorted Sirius. "Plus, you're the one who squealed."
"As I stated earlier," coughed James.
Tawny rose, free of the werewolf's weight.
"Lumos." She said, and looked down at the tangled Marauders. "Well, goodbye for now." She walked away cheerfully, using her wand as a guide. They stared after her.
"Who was that?" asked Sirius.
"I think she's a Ravenclaw," said Remus. Then they heard a cry from the end of the hall.
"Let go of my leg!!!" followed shortly by a smacking sound.
"Snivellus," Sirius hissed. "I'm going to curse you under the rug!" He pulled himself up and ran down the hall, Remus at his heels.
"Hey, wait for me!" called James, already up and running after them. Unfortunately Peter was having difficulties.
"Help!" James looked back to see a dark lump struggling to his feet.
"Merlin Peter, what's your problem?"
"I'm stuck."
"Well, sit up and then try getting up!"
"Something's got my leg, and James – it's furry."
James sighed. "Lumos."
The room brightened a tiny bit, and he looked to see Peter, hands over his eyes, a cat wrapped around his legs.
"OH MY GOD PETER IT"S A GIANT SPIDER!!!"
James regretted his joke the moment the wailing began.
"Peter! PETER! I was joking! It's a cat! I swear it's a cat! Can you hear me Peter?" he shouted rather loudly.
"IT'S GONNA EAT ME!!!"
"PETER! SHUT UP! IT'S JUST A CUTE FURRY KITTEN!" he screamed above Peter's cries.
"The cat wants to eat me!" He began to shrink and grow fur.
"No, Peter! Stop! The cat will eat you if you become a rat!"
He froze mid-transformation, "I-I-it w-w-will?"
"Yes!" James laughed at Peter's new look, "So reverse the process and reach down and pet the kitten."
"I can?"
"Can what?"
"Pet the kitty? It won't get mad?" Pet looked up hopefully.
Yes, Wormtail, just reach down and pet the kitty," James said, then added before Peter's hand reached the cat," with the fur; not against it."
Peter changed back and began to gently stoke the cat. The cat purred softly.
"James, it's making a noise," Wormtail whispered.
"It's called purring. Have you never held or played with a cat before?"
"Mum was allergic."
"I see. That's rather sad, Wormy."
"Its fur is really soft." I wonder who it belongs to," Peter replied cheerfully.
As he opened his mouth to answer, James heard a scream echo down the hallway.
"Come on Wormtail, get up! We have to go! Bring the kitten with you if you want!' James turned and ran. Peter scrambled to his feet and picked up the cat, He followed James at a slower pace.