The door slowly inched open. The movement was so slight that you wouldn't have noticed it unless you were waiting for it to open, which you were.
Milady stuck her head out though the doorway.
"You're here," she cried. "I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting you so soon. I'm not supposed to be the one opening this chapter today. It's just Lylian has been having a bit of trouble." She spoke Lylian with some distain.
The cat turned her head and spoke to another just outside the door. "Crookshanks! Get her in here!"
"I'm on it," he called.
There were shuffles and sounds of struggle heard.
Milady smiled maliciously, showing her sharp teeth. "She'll be here any second now."
Finally, with an "Ouch!", Lylian bounded though the doorway with Crookshanks at her heels.
"You don't have to bite," she muttered to the ginger tabby.
Crookshanks closed the door with his back paw and hissed, "Sit."
She sat. Then she turned to face you.
"H-Hi again," Lylian said embarrassed. There was a shy silence.
"Get on with it," Milady said.
"But I don't want to!" she whined.
Both cats glared at the narrator.
"Fine!" Lylian said and quickly she added, "Msuferotutdaitin."
Crookshanks spoke up, "Look them in the eye and say it coherently."
She sighed and lifted her eyes. "I'm sorry for not updating for the past two and a half weeks. I know you've been waiting."
"Good girl," Milady grinned. Lylian grunted. "Now go on with the story."
Lylian looked alarmed. "But I-I can't! They're going to kill me!"
Milady smirked evilly and extracted her claws.
"No need to get violent now. I'll get on with it. But it's not going to be pretty."
She folded her hands on her lap and smiled.
"Hello again, faithful readers! I'll have to warn you right now that this is not going to be the second chapter." She cringed as she heard some boos and hisses from your side of the screen. "I know, I know. Two and a half weeks and no second chapter? No, no. Put down those weapons. No need for bloodshed. Good.
"This chapter is only a remake of the first. Because I wasn't pleased with it," she spit out, eyes closed tightly. "Don't kill me! Hear me out first. . ."
Hermione stepped out of the horseless carriage to have a warm summer's breeze caress her face. The magnificent Hogwarts castle stood in reverence and in welcoming, filling Hermione with a strong feeling of...
"Home," she breathed out.
Hermione looked down at the bundle in her arms to find a pair of yellow eyes staring back at her.
"Mreow," said Crookshanks.
"Yeah," she smiled. "We're home."
The cat struggled in her grip until she loosened. He leapt off and ran out of sight.
"Are you going to stand there all day, Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Yeah c'mon! I don't want to miss the welcoming feast again," said Ron, just ahead of her. "I'm starving!"
Hermione jogged to catch up with her two best friends. She smiled. After so many years of knowing them, she was glad that some things never changed.
Draco Malfoy stepped out of his carriage. He said curtly, "Milady," and his feline landed gracefully on the ground. Milady's plush fur, that looked as if it were made of pure silver, gleamed in the sunlight.
Draco made his way towards grand castle; Milady, who walked by his side, was his only companion.
Crookshanks trotted his way though the crowd. He sniffed the air. There was a particular scent he had never inhaled before, and it wasn't the stench of first years. Crookshanks followed the mystery scent into the Entrance Hall where the fragrance still lingered.
Looking straight at him was a pair of emerald green eyes connected to a silver furred, striped body.
Crookshanks walked out to greet the new-comer. "Hello."
As he approached, the other feline said, "My, my, my. What have we here? A Kneazle, perhaps?"
"Actually, only half a Kneazle." At this, her face scrunched up with scorn. "The name's Crookshanks by the way."
"I'm sorry." She turned her back to him, not acting the least bit sorry. "But I don't associate myself to mutts."
"Hey!" Crookshanks said indignantly. "That was awfully rude."
"And?" she called over her shoulder.
Crookshanks took a few strides next to her. "And," he continued, "I think I deserve an apology."
She glanced sideways at Crookshanks but ignored him.
He stepped in front of her to block her path. This caused her to stop in her tracks.
The feline hissed, "What do you want?"
"I already said that—an apology."
"Well, seeing as that isn't going to happen anytime soon, you might as well wait for snow in the summer or something equally as impossible."
Crookshanks place his face inches from hers. "I really dislike your attitude, missy."
She extracted her claws and...
SMACK!
Crookshanks howled in pain.
The silvery cat grinned. "The name's not Missy. It's Milady." She licked her nails clean.
Crookshanks was now sporting four cuts on the bridge of his nose. Nobody hurt Crookshanks and got away with it. Seething with anger, he pounced on Milady.
"Catfight!" an excited third year yelled. He was sniggering at his own irony. The crowd in the Entrance Hall formed a circle around the two felines.
They gnawed each other's necks and rolled around fiercely. This went on for several minutes. Then Milady jumped out of his clutches and hissed, daring him to make another move. Crookshanks would have had another go, if it weren't for his human pushing though the crowd.
"Crookshanks!" She did not sound happy. "What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?"
Hermione observed the scene before her. Crookshanks tending to his wounded nose and another cat seemingly grinning madly.
"Aww, Shanky-poo! You're hurt." All pretences of anger had evaporated.
A flick of her wrist and his cuts were healed. Hermione then wrapped Crookshanks in her arms and stroked his head.
A blond headed boy walked up to Milady.
"Hello, love," Milady purred as her human approached. "It's too bad you weren't here to see the damage done. You would have had a good laugh."
Crookshanks hissed as he heard this. Hermione, who was still soothing him, looked up. There was Draco Malfoy with Crookshank's attacker at his heels.
"You have a vicious cat, Malfoy," said Hermione seething.
"Your fur ball should watch his back then," he replied.
Hermione stirred with anger. She was very touchy went it came to Crookshanks. "Keep that thing away from Crookshanks unless you want a hairless cat instead."
Milady looked appalled.
Draco Malfoy turned his back and began walking, his feline in tow. "Milady,"
he spoke loud enough for Hermione to hear, "remember not to associate yourself to ill-breeds." He stole a glance over his shoulder in time to see Hermione fuming. He entered the double doors leading to the Great Hall.
"Prick," Hermione stated to no one in particular. She then took notice of the crowed that still gathered (who were all disappointed for lack of good argument).
"What are you staring at? Get moving! There's nothing to see here." Hermione watched as the crowd quickly dispersed either for fear of their house points (Hermione was Head Girl) or that she would instead take her anger out on them.
Harry and Ron approached Hermione.
"What was that all about?" asked Harry.
"Oh nothing really. Besides the fact that Malfoy's cat tried to harm Crookshanks. And he's a git," she added as an afterthought.
Ron, who was still apprehensive around Crookshanks, said uncommitted, "That's definitely not good."
Hermione took this as a push to continue with her story. "That thing nearly killed Crookshanks!"
Crookshanks glared.
"Not that I'm saying Crookshanks isn't a good fighter. But Malfoy's cat—I could have sworn it was wild." Hermione paused. "Now that I think about it, she did seem a bit—"
"Grruhhhmmmg" went Ron's stomach.
Harry laughed. "You weren't kidding when you said you were starving, were you?"
Ron turned red.
"Aw poor Ronnikins! We better feed him before he dies of malnutrition," said Hermione.
"Finally," said Ron. "Food! And to think, I thought you guys meant to keep me out of the Great Hall."
The trio entered the Great Hall. Hermione tried to push the Draco Malfoy incident out of her mind. Right now she just needed to enjoy her last year at Hogwarts.
"C'mon you!" Hermione called behind her. Crookshanks was sitting there with a big fat bottom lip. "Did you think I forgot about you?"
Crookshanks whole demeanor brightened up.
"How could I?" She picked him up and hurried after her friends.
Lylian blinked. Once, twice, trice.
"So..." she tried, "Did you like it?"
She waited for a few seconds then let out a "Phew!"
"I thought I was a goner there." She smiled cheerfully. "Wonderful! I'm so glad. Now if you'd just tell me which you liked better, you'd be such a sweetheart. It's either #1 or #2."
Crookshanks was lying lazily on the desk. "I still didn't have a big role in that."
"Oh, stop being such a sour pus," said Milady. She then laughed. "Get it? I called you a sour pus. Because you're such a big pussy!" She laughed and laughed.
"Not funny," said Crookshanks but Milady was still in hysterics.
"Well," interrupted Lylian. "First I'd like to thank my Mum and Dad whom this is all dedicated and the two cats you see here. Of course my lovely reviewers, beginning with Hotaru420, Steelo, Kidden—"
"You're not winning a bloody Oscar, you know," huffed Crookshanks, the Sour Pus.
"Hey! I can read that!" shouted Crookshanks.
But Lylian continued on. "Angelps7, and Serena Tasneem. All of you deserve a cookie! Here. Now for the rest of you that read this but didn't review...here's half a cookie. It's not as good as a whole cookie, but thanks for reading anyways."
Milady said, "Lylian it's late, we have to go."
"But I don't want to, they love me here!"
Crookshanks and Milady shared a look. They turned to the narrator and extracted their claws.
She was oblivious. "They love me, I can't believe they—OUCH!"
Lylian coughed, sputtered and ran. "Stop! No, stop. Stop it! I said stop already! At least tell my readers to review! Ouch!"
But all three of them were already out the door, and it shut with a swift "click".