Chapter 2

Where are you taking me? Ginny screamed in her feline mind, shivering despite her will to not panic. She was in pitch darkness, as Draco had put her into his robe pocket, and he was now walking swiftly back to the Slytherin common room.

She bumped against his thighs at each step, giving her the dizzies. Closing her eyes, she tried to lose herself in the hypnotic rhythm of the steps, and slowly found herself to be doing so, drifting off into unconsciousness.

"Draco, darling!" Pansy cried out, jumping out of the couch and draped her body on the boy's. Draco looked at her in disgust, and shrugged her off. Looking as if nothing has happened, she continued, "Have you got what I wanted?" she raised her eyebrows at him condescendingly.

Draco smirked, and scoffed disbelievingly. "Me? Not being able to do such a simple dare? You must be kidding, Pansy. Or maybe your brains got turned to mush trying to come up with a worthwhile dare for me to attempt." Flinging the book of advanced dark magic at her, he turned around with a snort, and climbed up the stairs to the boy's dorms, opposite to that of the girls'.

"Hey!" Pansy shouted, crossing her arms and stamping her foot. "That was sooo unfair of him. Then again, he must be dying for me to give him all my attention, always teasing me like that," she smiled to herself, clutching the book to her chest. "Yes," she affirmed, taking a long look at the object in her arms, "he likes me," she giggled.

Crabbe and Goyle rolled their eyes at Pansy, who seemed oblivious to the world around her. They were not entirely stupid, the two of them. They had just stuck around Draco for the sake of their fathers, as they were under the mercy of Lucius Malfoy, being underlings of the right hand man of the Dark Lord. To gain an upper hand amongst the rest of the underlings, Crabbe and Goyle's fathers had ordered the seventh year boys to be Draco Malfoy's best friends, and well, they haven't been really successful, just following the pale haired boy around in their first few years, scaring everyone else away.

They had been making progress though, in the past two years or so, by actually trying to get to know Draco better. Sure, Draco wasn't the easiest person to get close to, but at least they had gotten him to open up about his feelings about superficial things like how school was, and had gone out together to have fun at the witches' arcade. The bonding was not so deep, but Crabbe and Goyle had grown to love and respect their leader, their fathers' orders forgotten, and they are willing to sacrifice anything, everything even, for Draco.

So they watched Draco's straight and rigid back as it ascended the stairs and disappeared into the dorm, and sighed. "Pansy's never gonna get it," Crabbe told Goyle, grinning.

"Yeah, but that's the whole point," Goyle grinned back, his black eyes glinting in mischief. "Makes life more interesting, you know,"

"I sure do," they laughed and looked at Pansy, who was still looking as dreamy as ever holding the dark magic book tightly.

***

Slamming the double oak doors shut behind him, he took off his robes, and threw it on his bed, which laid at the corner most area of the big room. The bed was placed in line with the window, illuminating his pristine white cotton bed sheets and silky forest green comforter. Realising his mistake, he stuck his tongue out boyishly, muttered an 'oops' before hurrying over to his robes, and frantically searching for the pockets, hoping that the kitten was not too badly injured.

The kitten lay sound asleep in his robes, cuddled up to conserve its body warmth. Reaching his hand in slowly, his fingers closed around the soft warm body of the cutie, and pulled it out with great care, trying not to wake her up.

Draco stared in wonder at the creature on his palm, it's body rising and falling to its own breathing rhythm, and he stroked the darkish red fur from her head down to her back softly, advertently, and took his hand back when she started to stir.

The kitten's fur stood on end as it stared up at him wide eyed, and began to shiver once again on his warm palm. "What? Not again? Will you relax, kitty?" Draco frowned, biting his lip. What would it take for the kitty to stop getting the creeps whenever she sees him? I have to gain its trust, he discerned, and scratched his head. Um. Hello. I'm Draco MALFOY. Malfoys don't trust, or need to be trusted. He eyed the kitten, which was backing away from him now. To hell with what Malfoys think. I'm dealing with this kitty first.

"Um. Hi. I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco tried, and looked at the cat expectantly. Surprisingly, the kitten had stopped shaking, and was now staring at him in confusion, it seemed. A moment later, the kitty had started shaking slightly, as if she was laughing at Draco! The nerve! He took deep breaths, and attempted to settle his temper. What he had said finally hit him, and he started laughing as well, breaking the tension momentarily. "Ok, that was a pretty stupid way of introducing myself to such a smart kitty," he grinned at her, cocking his head to the right. Draco reached out to the kitty, which shrunk back on herself, and scratched her behind the ear, smiling as the kitty warmed up to him instantaneously, stretching her neck towards him to give him greater access.

"Ha. You see? There's nothing to be afraid of," he cooed, now stroking her fur. "You've got beautiful copper red fur, you know that?"

The kitten cocked its head, and mewed softly, licking the side of his hand. "Aw… now you're getting all sweet on me," he mused, and grabbed the kitten in his hand, settling himself on his bed before laying the kitten on his stomach. "I'm really beginning to like you, kitty." He stuffed his hands behind his head and sighed. "What would Father say of this?" he chuckled bitterly, and the kitten mewled again, finally deciding that standing on all fours was tiring and sat down comfortably.

Draco yawned tiredly. "This is tiring, you know. Being humane and all that. I like being evil better," he smirked as the kitten shook her head vehemently, using her paws to hit his stomach repeatedly in annoyance.

"Ok, ok! Sheesh, lady, you just gotta calm down," Draco drawled, the feeling of sleepiness overcoming his senses. Taking a last look at the kitten, his last thought was to give her a name before he let himself drift into darkness.

***

What was that all about? Ginny thought to herself, and buried her head in her… paws. Was Draco being serious about actually liking her? Nononono. That just can't be. He's in LIKE with the KITTY, not with me, Ginny Weasley. Oh man, what am I gonna do when he finds out? I've gotta run… she hopped down from the sleeping form of Draco, and trotted towards the doors of the dorms, pondering on how she should get out.

Her answer came when the doors swung open, revealing the large bodies of Crabbe and Goyle, walking in casually, chatting and laughing. They actually talk? About Quidditch too! Ginny stared in disbelief. Shaking herself out of her trance, she tore down the stairs of the Slytherin dorms that swung open as another Slytherin student stepped into the common room. Once out of the room, she stopped, catching her breath. Not knowing where to go, she concluded that she should change back into herself before doing anything else.

Slipping into the girls' changing room, she closed her eyes and started to visualise becoming human again, chanting the exact same words that was printed in the book, giving every single ounce of concentration that she could muster. She was thinking of the change so much that her kitty brain was hurting very badly.

After the draining chant, she opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see herself staring into the mirror. She was sorely disappointed and frightened when it didn't work, and she was still in her cat body, not being able to transform. The hell?!! She scurried back into the library; sleep washing away from her mind in an instant.

As she sprinted towards the library, the fleeting ghost of The Bloody Baron floated by, making her hesitate a little, but she continued on as he past her, and got into the restricted section with no further delay.

Crawling under the shelves where she had chucked the book before Draco had found her, she dragged it out with by pushing the book with her nose, and squinted at the tiny words that were words of caution. What she read did not please her a single bit.

***

It was 7 in the morning when Crabbe had woken him up, shaking his shoulder roughly. "Hey Draco, it's time to get up," he persisted, and shook his whole bed.

Draco sprung up like a wound string released and glared at Crabbe dangerously. "What the hell are you trying to do?"

"We've got Quidditch practice in five minutes, or have you forgotten, Captain?" Crabbe snorted as Draco got out of bed trying not to look like he was in a rush. The Quidditch captain waved him away, as he grabbed his robes and dashed for the bathroom to change and get ready.

Five minutes later, he was down at the field, ranting at his teammates to hurry up and assemble in twos on the field. Giving them orders to warm up by running round the track 10 times, he led the team, setting a gruelling pace for all of them to follow. Luckily for him, his team was renowned for its discipline, and were considered one of the best Slytherin team in Hogwart's history, though they tended to play a little dirtier than the previous years'.

After the sweaty workout, they rode on their brooms, practicing their moves and dodges with the Bludger and played a game among themselves. Finishing the training session at 9 sharp, they headed for the changing rooms, each of them ready to collapse.

Draco frowned at their lack of stamina, and took a mental note of training them harder. "What's this? Dragging your feet acting all weak and defeated? Slouching like some hunchbacks? You guys are young people! Act like one! I don't want aged people in my team you got that?! Stand straight and walk properly!" he bellowed at them, and immediately, their posture changed, showing how much they feared their captain. Of course, it's not fear alone, as he had proven them that he was worthy of being Captain by showing his effort put into building the team, and coming up with strategies and the likes. He wasn't that cold hearted towards them all the time either. Whenever they won a match, the whole team would go to Hogsmeade to have dinner together, as Draco realised that team bonding was very important in winning.

Draco walked back to the field, and grabbed the chest containing the balls. He hefted it up and supported the dead weight on his shoulders, and was going to put them back when Goyle stepped up, and offered to put it back for him.

He gave a curt nod, and gave him the chest. A silent look of gratitude was passed from Draco to Goyle, and he could tell that Draco was as tired as the rest of them; even more so, as he had ran an extra 2 miles after the team was dismissed.

Pulling his damp blond hair that stuck to his sweaty forehead, he suddenly remembered the kitty. Where--? Oh my gawd! Breaking into a run, he stomped up to his dorms in his stinky robes and searched high and low for his kitten. Rummaging through his bedside drawers, his heart dropped as he wondered what could have happened to her. Taking a final look around after the mess he has created, he cursed, and trusting the kitten to be smart enough to look after herself, he went back to shower and to fill his stomach; he was goddamn hungry.

Entering the dining hall flanked by his two buddies, he sat down on the nearest seat he was to, too tired to even take another step. He helped himself to the ham and eggs that was placed in a huge serving dish in front of him and ate voraciously, stopping only to gulp half of his juice down in one long swig.

A tug at the hem of his robes got his attention as he stopped chewing, looking quizzically at Pansy, who was sitting right opposite him. If she dares try anything funny, I swear… Draco bored his eyes through the brown haired girl, and willed her to look at him.

She must have felt some negative vibes around her because she lifted her head up to lock gazes with Draco, and started blushing furiously. "Um… yes, Draco?" she asked, wiping her mouth delicately with a serviette.

"Are you trying to-" the tugging became harder and more desperate and Draco finally looked down at what he thought was Pansy's foot, but to his great relief, it was the kitten that he had found last night. He looked up again, and acted as if nothing happened. Pansy was still looking at him and expecting an answer. He shook his head and said, "Oh. It's about the book," the wheels in his head were turning desperately, thinking of something to say to divert her attention.

"Yes? What about the book?" came a slightly disappointed reply.

"My father wants a copy of the book too. Do you know where to get it?" at least the kitty had stopped tugging, and with a inconspicuous glance at it, he found her sitting quietly by his boot, waiting for him to pick her up.

"Oh, sure. My mom owns a bookstore, I'll ask her about it. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me about?" Pansy asked, searching his face for some kind of clue.

Alright already. I'll bring you out this weekend ok? "Yeah, I wanted to ask if you're free this Saturday? We could go out and have a butterbeer or something," he winced inwardly, trying not to show it on his face.

Pansy's face lit up at once, and she beamed at him with her best smile, which unfortunately, wasn't good enough for Draco. Instead of returning her smile, he stuffed more food into his mouth and ignored her totally. Pansy was already in la-la land of course, and therefore didn't notice his lack of attention.

Bending down, Draco quickly scooped the kitten up and placed it into his pocket, and continued eating. Crabbe gave him a weird glance, and he glared back, daring him to say anything.

"You really gonna take her out?" Goyle asked him from his left, and he turned around to face the guy.

"Yeah, I promised Father that I would," Draco explained, and breathed a deep sigh. "I have to follow orders, it's something about a transaction deal between her father and mine," he shrugged, pushing his plate away and standing up. "I'm done, I'll see you in a few," he waved and headed back to his dorms.

***

END CHAPTER2

What I have to say:

Ok, thanks for the reviews and encouragement from you guys out there, and well, I'm not really sure where I'm going with this story yet, but it'll be like what the title says, about interaction between my two fav chars and how they well, get to know each other. Hell, I'm not entirely sure about the animagus thing… anyone care to tell me how one does it? :Þ heheh. And about ginny having brown eyes instead of blue, well, I prefer her with blue ones. Too bad :Þ