Hey all! Larachan here with chapter four and some news:
I've ILLUSTRATED chapter 4!
Well, a section of it anyways…
But I don't know if that's a good idea or not. If you want me to continue illustrating, tell me and I'll provide links to illustrations in the A/N's so you can go see them. If you think it's a waste of time, tell me that, too!!!
And flames and reviews alike, as always, are quite welcome and will win you chapter 5 :)
Now, to my reviewers who ROCK MY BEiNG!
Nightwing 509 : Hehe, thanks so much, buddy! I'm glad you liked it and thanks very much for reviewing every chapter. It makes me so happy!!
adri2000 : oh, no reason to do that now! ::pushes chapter 4 towards you:: here ya go!
Admiral Lily : Haha, thankies! And here's the update, hope you enjoy!!
Hermione Graner Potter : heh, glad you liked the grim part! And you're right, us H/Hr shippers have got to stick together!! ::virtual high five::
artemisgirl : Hehe, read on to see what comes of it, hope you like!!
CajunRouge : Hmm, you'll have to ask Harry about his body…he says it's kinda 'personal', hehe. I have no idea how long this is gonna be, but I know where it'll end up! The length depends on reader retainment ;)
liz unfair : I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far! Hope you like chapter 4!!
Granger-gurl-rox : yesh, Trelwaney just can't get off that grim, can she?? Thanks for the review!!
numberoneseeker : ::is touched:: you think I'm a great writer? :huggles you: thank you! You're so nice! And I hope you like chapter 4!!
Quist : Quisty!! Hehe, what a LOOOONG REVIEW! Thank you! Canon says that Cho was jealous of Hermione's relationship with Harry, and she basically told him so in book 5, it was part of their relationship's undoing. (see scene about the Room of Requirements and Harry teaching DADA) I feel so special that you are reading this even though you are a R/HR shipper, it makes me so happy!! Thank you!!
Rukato86u :Harryshanks! I like it!! Haha, thanks for the review, buddy!
Inylan: well I'm glad I could make your day better! Hope you're sticking around to read chapter 4 and thankies for the author alerts bit!!
Wohsi : hehe, thank you! I'm glad you like it!!
Auntartic : Thanks very much! And thankies for reviewing my HP stuff, dear, it's wonderful of you to do so!!
Ashley Potter : hehe, Ron's part in the story is significant, he def. gives a lot of moral support everywhere. I hope you find chapter 4 and its ron-ness to your liking!
pottersweetie : I wish I could! But that stupid school so often gets in the way! I sowy!! But better late than never, ne? ;
Piratesluv22: Well thank you! And I hope you're sticking around to read chapter 4!!
fanjimmy: hehe, that will be a bit interesting, won't it? Thankies for the nice reviews!
l-to-dah-izzie: Thanks dear, I'm glad you enjoy the updates! Here's another one!!
Azulrealms: haha, I felt the same way in book 5, I'm such a H/Hr mongerer….I could NOT STAND HER!! Heh, thanks for the long review, friend!
Dampilleta : MEOWNIE! That's so cute!! Hee, I haven't heard of that ficcie, I might have to do some digging and try to find it to read! Btw, cool username. Where did you think of it?
Nisha : hehe, I'm glad you thought it was funny!! Thanks for the reviews, as always, they are delightful and positive and make me want to write more!!
Monkeystarz: What I wouldn't give for HARRY as a pet! That would rock!! Hehe, glad it was amusing. Hope you think the same about chapter 4!!
Pannikittypiggyphant: hehe, glad you thought so! ::chucks chapter 4 at you:: hope you like!!
tamar-shaki : your wish is my command!! Er…well…sooner than later…
Lunatic Pandora1: he could! But I hope you'll keep reading and find out what happens!!
Now, on with the story!! Title: 9 Lives for Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13 due to occasional strong/suggestive language, only when appropriate
Disclaimer: All characters affiliated with the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling and Scholastic Press
Summary: Harry has a problem… a furry problem… Somehow, he ends up in the body of Hermione's favorite cat, Crookshanks! But no magic is going to save him this time! H/Hr, R&R please!
Women…
Ron growled and checked his watch for the fifth time. Now it was Nine o'clock, twenty-one minutes, and thirteen seconds. It was official. Hermione was late.
Five more seconds and then he'd go to McGonagall's by himself.
One.
What was she doing up there, reconstructing a new face?
Two.
Does it really take thirty minutes to throw some clothes on?
Three.
You'd think if she was so worried about Harry she'd put a little hurry in it…
Four.
It was damned inconsiderate of her to make him wait this long.
Five.
Ron snorted and started walking to the common room door, unlocked the chain, pulled it open with a slight creak, and-
"Ronald Weasley!" Ron winced. You knew she was mad when she used the full name… "You are the most impatient person I've ever met! Thinking of leaving without me, are you?"
His neck muscles involuntarily tightened. "…Me? Impatient? After waiting half an hour for you to – to do whatever it is you girls do?!" Ron wheeled around, ready to give Hermione a good chunk of his mind, and…stopped dead in the middle of his sentence.
She looked…cute… and girly. She wore a pleated skirt that her parents had sent her last Christmas, it accentuated her…assets nicely. Her yellow shirt brought out something different in her eyes that he had never seen before. And her hair – her beautiful, slightly wild, slightly sophisticated hair - was pulled back in a low ponytail with strands sticking out here and there.
He shook his head, hard. Getta hold of yourself Ron, you git. This is your best friend we're talking about here. This is Hermione for God's sake!
And then, he noticed the bundle of fur at her feet. The bundle from hell…
Crookshanks rubbed against Hermione's legs as she smiled at him. Ron could hear the little devil purring from all the way across the room.
"No!" Ron pointed a finger at the possessed cat. "No! No! No! No! No!"
"Ron! What's the matter with you?" Hermione glared as she scratched the tabby's tummy.
"No way am I going if you're bringing that… that thing along with you!"
"Oh Ron, c'mon, it's just a cat…"
"That's not a cat, that's a man-eating beast!" Crookshanks let out a long hiss.
Hermione covered the cat's ears with one hand. "Shh! You'll hurt his feelings!"
Ron seriously doubted that the animal had feelings, or a soul for that matter, but he decided to keep that opinion to himself as Hermione was giving him a particularly mean-spirited glare. "Look, you leave it here or go alone."
"You are such a child…" Hermione rolled her eyes and started back up the stairs again, cat in tow. Crookshanks caterwauled and scratched her, threatening to jump out of her arms. "Ouch! Look, I – I know you wanna go, but you can't," Another loud meow. "So stay here and I'll be back in a minute!" She opened up the door to her dorm room, pried the cat's claws out of her sweater, and threw him inside, closing it fast behind him.
A decided thump rang out on the other side of the door. It almost sounded like a furry body ramming into wood…
"Well," The door thumped again as Hermione turned to walk back down the stairs. "Best be going then." Another thump.
"Yeah, c'mon." Thump. Ron held the door open for Hermione.
Thump.
If Hermione didn't know any better, she would've sworn that crazy cat was trying to break the door down…
Okay, he thought, let's be rational.
So, you're stuck in the body of a cat…
And not just any cat, but the cat of the girl you're madly in love with…
And now she thinks you're dead, or worse….
She and your best friend are about to go talk to the one person who might be able to help you…
But they're not taking you…
Instead, you're trapped inside a girl's dorm room with a snoring Lavender and a knocked out Parvarti.
On top of that, your kitty shoulder feels like it's about to fall off your body because you've rammed the door so many times.
Things could be worse, right?
No.
Harry sat down on the stone cold floor and placed his paws over his head. There had to be something he could do…. His tail flicked back and forth behind him annoyingly. It was such a distraction! How did cats live with it? It never stopped moving whether Harry wanted it to or not.
Wait a minute…That's right. Harry had a tail, and a very active one at that. And if he could master the art of controlling it, maybe it could come in handy. He would write a note! It would be simple, just dip his tail in the inkwell and scribble on the paper. It didn't have to be perfect penmanship, just legible enough for Hermione to figure out what he was trying to say. Now…how was he gonna find paper?
Harry looked around the room frantically at all the things that wouldn't help him. Curtains? No… Chocolate frogs? Yummy, but no. Trunks? No.
Except…maybe… Harry caught sight of Hermione's trunk at the foot of her bed, bolted shut with an oversized lock. Surely, surely Miss Bookworm would have some semblance of writing utensils in her trunk! He didn't know exactly how good cat claws were for picking locks, but he was about to find out.
Harry bounded across the room and leapt on the top of the trunk, hitting the wood hard. He knocked the lock with one paw. He couldn't get the trunk open. He tried to jam a nail in the keyhole and only succeeded in breaking it off at the quick, causing him to stifle a caterwaul. He was now bleeding and still couldn't get the trunk open…he started to freak out.
Slowly, Harry's chest began to tighten up, he became anxious and found it suddenly difficult to breathe. Great. He was going to hyperventilate. He was going to be a bleeding, hyperventilating 6th year stuck in the body of a cat. Things had just gotten a hell of a lot worse.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry caught a glimpse of a giant white thing spiraling across the room. He flattened himself across the top of the trunk and watched as the pillow whooshed over his head, landing firmly on top of Parvarti's sleeping form.
"Uh! Lavender!" Parvarti sat up in bed just enough to hurtle the pillow back at her friend. "What was that for?!"
"P-P-Parvarti," Lavender yawned. "you're keeping me up with all the wheezing. Use your inhaler or something, will ya?!"
"S'not me! S'the cat!" Parvarti fell face first under the covers again.
"The…cat?" Lavender raised up on one arm and scratched her head, catching a glimpse of 'Crookshanks'. "You've been keeping me up? Tsk, tsk, tsk." She swung out of bed and headed towards him, arms outstretched.
Holy sh-
Harry tried to scramble away, but she had him by the tail before he knew it. He felt himself being lifted up and carried across the room. Lavender lay back down on the bed and placed a heavy hand on 'Crookshank's' back. He tried to squirm, to break free, but she just held on tighter. "Now, you just stay right here, ok?" she cooed, before she shut her eyes and immediately fell into deep snoring.
Like he had a choice…
"It is entirely too early for your games, Miss Granger."
"Since when have I ever played games? I'm the responsible one, remember, Professor?"
"Hey! What does that make me-oof!" Hermione gave Ron a quick jab with her elbow and directed her attention back to the slightly peeved Professor McGonagall.
"This is ridiculous. I'm not a babysitting service and I am far too busy to entertain such crazy notions. People don't just disappear! Apparate, maybe, but disappear, no."
"That's what I said, Professor, but no one ever listens to me because, apparently, she's the responsible o-oof! HERMIONE WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!"
"RON YOU INCONSIDERATE-"
"ENOUGH!" Professor McGonagall slammed her fist on the desk, sending a few of her papers flying. She sighed and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'm not going to get any work done until I assuage you both, am I?" Hermione nodded sullenly. "Fine. I'll search for Mr. Potter… but be warned Miss Granger, when we inevitably find him, all three of you are going to be in serious trouble for wasting my time…"
Two hours. TWO HOURS! She had searched for two hours, overturned every stone, opened ever door, nothing. NOTHING! She ran through the halls, pushing past anyone in her way, toppling a few kids to the floor. A door swung open in front of her and she slammed it back with the palm of her hand, marching onwards, barely hearing the sound of a glass being dropped and muffled curse words from an angry Severus. Finally, she made her way to his office.
Her voice cracked and she fidgeted nervously. "er…Licorice gumdrops." The heavy wooden door swung open and she ran up the stairs.
She slammed her hands on his desk and gasped, pieces of hair falling out around her face from her usually secure bun. "Harry Potter's gone!"
Albus Dumbledore jumped at her tone, and then pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with a slightly unsteady hand. "W-what did you just say, Minerva?"
"Attention students!"
Dumbledore's voice came out of the corners of the dorm room where an intercom system might have been in any other school. Lavender sat up in bed enough for Harry to finally free himself of her.
"Effective immediately all Hogwarts students will be confined to the castle until further notice. Anyone caught in flagrant disobedience of this rule will suffer detention and risk expulsion from Hogwarts."
That was weird… Was there some strange danger on the outside of the castle?
"And furthermore, if anyone has any information about the whereabouts of Mr. Harry Potter, Gryffindor, please present yourself at the headmaster's office immediately."
Gulp. Harry's ears were ringing. This was really, really, really bad.
Lavender stood up and crossed the room. "'S'odd, isn't it, Parvarti. C'mon, let's go see what the others think." She opened up the door to the dorm room a crack and 'Crookshanks' darted out, and for all the world she would have sworn the cat was meowing to himself….
Minerva drummed her fingers on her desk to avoid the swallowing silence of her office. She was actually making herself sick with worry; a thousand different explanations of Harry's disappearance were tearing through her brain, each on gorier than the last.
Unexpectedly, a cat leapt up onto the top of her desk and sat down right in the middle of a stack of her papers. She recognized it as the feline Miss Granger was always dragging everywhere.
"Move, Crookshanks…I'm too preoccupied to fool with you." She raised a hand to brush the cat off of her desk and…
It scratched her, hard.
"Crookshanks!" She attempted to stare the cat down, glaring into its emerald eyes. "How dare-" Wait…emerald eyes? "YOU!" Minerva jumped out of her chair sending things all over the room crashing to the floor. She pointed an accusatory finger at the cat.
"HARRY POTTER, YOU GET OUT OF THAT CAT BODY RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
"……….Meowr…"
"What do you mean YOU CAN'T?! You got yourself in there, you get yourself out! That's what happens when you're a closet animagi!"
"……."
"….y-you're not a secret animagi?"
"meeeeeowr!"
"You're STUCK?!" Minerva plopped down in her chair again and placed her head in her hands. She fished around in her pockets for her wand. "Er…….transform!" A few blue shoots sprung out of the wand.
"Hey!" Harry yelped. "Watch where you're pointing that thing!"
"Don't get smart with me, Mr. Potter, or Hagrid'll have cat for dinner tonight!" Minerva sighed again. "Now, let's see…personificus"
"Metamorphose!"
"CHANGE, DAMMIT!"
This was getting tiresome, and Harry was becoming quite agitated with having to dodge all of Professor McGonagall's well-aimed sparks. The professor rose from her chair again and put the wand back in her cape. "Mr. Potter, you stay right here in this office and don't go anywhere." She said, as if the moment she turned her back on him, Harry would dissipate out of the room in a show of pink genie smoke. "I'm going to go talk to the Headmaster …"
"Hn…Hn…Hn….Ha….Ha…..HAHAHAHA!"
"ALBUS! THIS IS NOT AMUSING!"
Dumbledore whisked the tears from the corners of his merry eyes and stared at the ultra-serious Minerva. "Come, come, now, Professor. You can't honestly say that out Harry Potter doesn't get himself into some strange predicaments!"
"What makes you think this is all Harry's doing, Albus?" Minerva crossed her arms in front of her chest and scowled.
"Surely, Minerva, you aren't suggesting that Voldermort turned Harry into a cat, are you?"
"……no…… not exactly…..I'm just stating…..well….. It would make his job a whole lot easier, wouldn't it?!"
Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit.
"Ah, point taken…. Well… I suppose the trick is to act as if we are still searching for the 'missing' Harry Potter, and keep a very close eye on Mr. 'Crookshanks'."
"I-I guess, Albus… but don't you think we should tell the Order and the other teachers at least? Right now, they all still think Harry's in some horrible danger…"
Dumbledore stroked his long beard. "I think its best if this stays between me, you, and Harry." Minerva shook her head, surprised. "Experience has told us, Minerva, that one never knows exactly who one is working against in times like these." She grimaced. That's right, no one had ever suspected poor little Peter Pettigrew. And if something sinister was behind Harry's change, then more people knowing about it only served to endanger more people. Dumbledore was right, it was best just to keep it between the three of them. Now, if only she could convince Harry of that…"
"WHAT?!" Harry roared. Of course, it came out more like a loud meowing caterwaul.
"It's not like Professor Dumbledore and I won't be researching ways to bring you back…It's just that, in the meantime, we think it best if you keep this to yourself."
"Yeah, to myself, fine. But Hermione and Ron have a right to know, too!"
"But they can't, Harry."
"Professor! They're worried about me! I gotta tell them!" Harry hissed and batted a paw in Professor McGonagall's direction.
"Harry, I FORBID you to tell anyone, through any means of communication, about your…er…condition!"
"What're you gonna do if I do? I'm a CAT for God's sake!"
"I'll…..I'll….expel you!"
"You'd expel a cat?!"
Professor McGonagall sighed. "Harry. Look at me." She grabbed his furry face in her hands and turned her towards him. "You wake up one morning and you're a cat. We don't know why. And we don't know how to turn you back. Furthermore, we don't know what, or most likely, who, did this to you. Telling Miss Granger, or even Mr. Weasley might put them in danger…"
Harry's heart contracted. Hermione? In danger? That's the last thing he wanted… He nodded and Professor McGonagall let go of him. So that was that. He was a silent pet for now.
Would he be a silent pet forever?
Well children, that's all for now. Flames and reviews alike are quite welcome and will win you chapter 5! I'll reiterate my question again. If you want me to illustrate chapters and provide links to illustrations, tell me so. If not, tell me that too!
Till next time, and thanks for reading!
larachan