The soft, steady sound the grandfather clock made as the pendulum swung back and forth filled the office. As the seconds ticked down to the hour, it chimed, alerting the occupant of said office to the time. Minerva glanced over her spectacles, looking up from the essay she had been marking. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and removed the wire-rimmed frames from their perch on the bridge of her nose, rubbing where they had sat. Placing her quill off to the side, she stood from her chair, rolling her shoulders back. She had been too long at her desk; everything was feeling a little stiff.
Crossing the short distance between her desk and the fireplace, she took a pinch of Floo powder from the pot on the mantle, tossing it in so she could call the kitchens. If she was going to finish grading the pile of fourth-year essays on her desk, she was going to need some tea.
'What can Effie do for Missy Professor?' asked the elf whose head swam into view moments later.
'Effie, would you be so kind as to send up a tea tray?' Minerva requested.
'Yes, Missy Professor,' Effie agreed enthusiastically. 'Effie will send it up.'
Smiling, Minerva nodded gratefully towards the creature. 'Thank you, Effie.'
The connection ended, and just as Minerva was settling at her desk once more, the tea tray appeared, complete with a plate of her favourite shortbread biscuits. The house-elves always went above and beyond. Pouring herself a cup of tea, she was just stirring in the milk as a panicked knock sounded at her door. Huffing out a disgruntled breath, Minerva waved her hand at the office door to open it. Argus Filch peered his head around the door appearing more than a little flustered, and as he stepped fully into the room, she saw his cat was clasped closely to him.
'Argus, what might I do for you this evening?' Minerva asked, picking up her quill and dipping it in the inkwell to return to her marking. Hopefully, Argus was just being his usual dramatic self and whatever the situation was would be easily resolved.
'Sorry to disturb you, Professor, but it's Mrs Norris, you see,' he explained, walking up to her desk and plopping down in the chair across from her. 'She's been listless of late. I took her to see Hagrid, but he reckons there's naught wrong with her.'
Reigning in the desire to roll her eyes, Minerva placed the quill down to address the caretaker. 'If Hagrid has suggested Mrs Norris is well, what makes you think otherwise?' she asked.
Argus squeezed the cat as he shifted her on his lap. 'It's not as if I don't trust Hagrid. I can just feel it,' he insisted. 'We have a connection, we do. She isn't running around as carefree as normal and sleeps almost all of the time. It's just not right.'
It was clear as day to her that Argus didn't value the opinion of their groundskeeper. Staring at him, Minerva was unable to believe her rotten luck. Dealing with disgruntled employees had not been included in the list of duties as Deputy Headmistress. Schooling her face so as to appear sympathetic, she turned her gaze to the cat in question. Other than looking as though she would prefer to be quite literally anywhere else, Mrs Norris did not seem that different from usual.
'What is it that you would like me to do, Argus?' Minerva queried.
'Well, I was wondering if you might, you know, transform into your Animagus form to see if Mrs Norris will tell you what's wrong with her,' Argus stammered, looking a little uncomfortable with his request.
Minerva's lips pinched together as she considered the request. He wanted her to do what? Transform and ask his cat what ailed her? As she had never tried to do so before, Minerva wasn't so sure she'd even be able to communicate with another animal. With her lack of experience, she felt she would have about as much chance extracting information from Mrs Norris as a cat as she did as a human. But as she gazed across the desk at the caretaker, she felt a sliver of compassion for him. Mrs Norris was the most important presence in his life, and if it would give him a little peace of mind, it wouldn't hurt for her to transform.
Feeling more than a little ridiculous for what she was about to agree to, Minerva nodded, standing up from behind her desk. 'I will do so, as a favour to you, Argus.'
The man's face lit up, and an uncharacteristic smile pulled up the corners of his mouth. It was a little disturbing to see if she was being completely honest with herself. Straightening out her robes, she drew her wand from her pocket and closed her eyes, taking a moment to focus and centre herself before silently casting the spell to shapeshift into a cat. When she opened them, the room began to grow larger in proportion to her shrinking form as she went from human to a cat.
Argus looked huge now by comparison, as he stood up from his seat and carefully deposited Mrs Norris on the floor in front of her. Minerva remained still, observing the feline. Mrs Norris' ears flattened upon seeing Minerva now in her Animagus form. There was no doubt in her mind the cat knew she was not kindred. After a few minutes of glaring and growling softly in the back of her throat, the caretaker's cat sniffed imperiously, flicked her tail, and jumped back up into Argus' lap.
Feeling even more ridiculous than before for having agreed to perform this fool's errand, Minerva concentrated on shifting back, and soon stood again before her desk.
'Argus, I don't think there is anything quantifiably wrong with Mrs Norris,' she told him, resuming her seat. 'She seems the same as ever to me. Perhaps you are being a little paranoid?'
Appearing dejected, Argus nodded with resignation, pushing himself up from his seat while still clutching his cat to him. 'I'm sure you are right, Professor,' he said quietly. 'I thank you for trying anyhow. I'd best be off to keep up with me work this evening.'
'I'm sorry I could not be of any further assistance,' Minerva told him, smiling gently.
Holding the cat to him closely, Argus moved back towards the door to the office. He nodded once more miserably before ducking out of the room. Minerva shut the door firmly, locking it behind him. She didn't want to risk any more disruptions while she was trying to mark the students' work. With a wave of her wand, she set a charm to alert her to any further visitors, before resuming the seat behind her desk, lifting her quill to pick up where she had left off.
A Deputy Headmistress' job was never done.
The following night, Minerva walked quickly and quietly through the halls, making her way back towards her office after her evening patrol. Miffed that she'd had to take house points from Gryffindor—having caught two daring sixth-year students snogging in an alcove—she tried to relax her features, a frown having taken up residence on her brow. Rounding a corner, she was nearing her personal suite, but caught sight of something in her peripheral vision as she passed a window.
There, perched on a ledge with moonlight streaming over her through the window, was Mrs Norris. The cat in question was statue-still, staring outside at the courtyard below. Minerva felt a tremor of guilt flood her from the day before. It wasn't her fault that Argus was paranoid about the happiness of his cat; however, she couldn't shake the feeling as it washed over her. Without questioning the reasonableness of her thoughts, Minerva pulled her wand from her sleeve, closed her eyes and cast the spell to transform into a cat.
Now, as a feline, she approached the window bay, pausing to launch herself up onto the window ledge beside Mrs Norris.
The cat turned to look at her, staring at her unblinking for a few moments. She definitely knew Minerva was not a cat, but did not seem at all disturbed by her sudden arrival. After a few more seconds of staring, Mrs Norris sniffed loudly before hopping down off the window ledge in one smooth bound. Minerva felt a momentary annoyance at the cat for abandoning her so soon, but was surprised when she heard the plaintive 'meow' from below, and turned to see the caretaker's cat looking up at her expectantly.
Realising that Mrs Norris intended for her to follow, Minerva hopped down off the ledge, following as the other cat took off down the corridor. She didn't know exactly why she did it, but Minerva soon found herself chasing the other cat through the corridors and up the stairs, the pair of them making their way up to some as yet unknown to her destination. Catching up to Mrs Norris at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Astronomy tower, Minerva's eyes widened in surprise.
They carried on upwards, Minerva's heart raced and the cool night air burned in her lungs as she hastened to keep up with the odd feline. At the top of the tower, Mrs Norris hopped up onto the parapet and sat, looking down at her once more before staring out at the night sky. Taking that as her cue, Minerva jumped up onto the stone wall and sat beside the other feline, joining her in staring at the moon and stars.
The two of them sat in total silence, simply enjoying the cool night air, the twinkling of the celestial bodies set against the obsidian sky. A sense of calm fell over Minerva as she enjoyed the simplicity of sitting and allowing herself a moment to just exist.
Catching a glimpse of Mrs Norris beside her, Minerva wondered about the cat. She wondered what, if anything, the cat might be feeling. Was she happy? Did she like her life with Argus Filch as her human companion? What would it be like to be a cat full-time? The questions swirled and grew in number until she had to blink from her eyes growing dry, and turned back to stare up at the sky. She supposed if there was ever a time for idle curiosity, it was now.
As they continued to exist beside one another, Minerva reflected on how exhilarating it had been to run through the castle, so carefree and unhindered by the mounting burdens of her work. It hadn't really occurred to her before, but the stress she was under as Albus' Deputy had her running herself ragged with how often he was called away to London to consult for the Ministry. She was practically handling both their roles, and had been for weeks. And tonight, for the first time in recent memory, she had done something simply for the sake of doing it, and it had been freeing.
After an hour of sitting in quiet companionship, Minerva jumped down from the parapet and made a soft 'meow' of acknowledgement to Mrs Norris. The other cat stared down at her silently, turning back to the night sky moments later. Making her way back through the castle swiftly—which was done more easily in her feline form—Minerva returned to the floor they had started from initially, shifting back into her human form before the entry to her chambers.
Smiling to herself, she entered her rooms, feeling an elation she hadn't had for a very long time.
And so began a series of adventures, night after night, of Minerva transforming into her Animagus form after her nightly rounds, and chasing the other cat through the halls. It was thrilling to her as they slunk around corridors, both of them attempting not to be seen by any of the students or staff. For her part, Minerva wasn't so sure she wanted anyone to become aware of her self-indulgent nightly jaunts. It wasn't seemly for an educator to run around a castle at night time just for the fun of it.
One night, two weeks following the evening she had gazed up at the sky from the Astronomy Tower, as Minerva was on her way to seek out Mrs Norris for their nightly adventure, she sensed that something was awry. Her suspicions were confirmed shortly afterwards, when she stumbled upon Fred and George Weasley as they were walking the halls.
'Mister and Mister Weasley,' she greeted primly. 'What are you two boys doing out of bed this late? It is past curfew.'
Both twins looked at one another before looking up at her, grinning in a way that made her skin prickle uncomfortably. Something was most certainly afoot. Now in their second year, the Weasley twins were more trying than ever before now that they had more than a year at the school under their belt. Their confidence at causing mischief was growing, and Minerva had long been concerned it would be outside of her control to manage.
'We just had detention with Mr Filch, Professor,' one of them intoned. She still hadn't quite gotten the hang of which twin was which.
'We were just on the way back to the dorms,' the other said, both looking far too pleased with themselves for two pre-teens just having left detention.
Narrowing her eyes at them, still very much in disbelief, Minerva crossed her arms over her chest. 'Both of you will head straight to Gryffindor tower and put yourself to bed, immediately,' she told them in her most serious tone.
Looking a little contrite, they both nodded in agreement. 'Yes, Professor,' they said in unison, turning to hasten their way up the nearby staircase.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Minerva stood and watched as they fled, waiting there until they were out of eyesight before she continued on her way. Picking up her pace to make up for lost time, she hastened to the library where she saw Mrs Norris was awaiting her arrival. Transforming as she walked, Minerva joined her in her feline form, excited for what the night would bring.
As usual, she followed the cat through the halls, finding secret nooks and alcoves she hadn't known existed, despite her long tenure at Hogwarts. It was always an adventure, knocking about the castle this way, and she had come to anticipate it; crave it. Later, as the pair descended from the East Tower, back down towards where Minerva's office was located, she skittered to a halt as she saw two familiar figures occupying the space at the foot of the staircase. Heart pounding rapidly from fear of being caught out, she hastily slunk back into the shadows, hiding behind a nearby suit of armour. If either one of them saw her, they'd know exactly who it was, and she'd never be able to look them in the eye again.
Argus stood beside Severus, gesturing wildly as he spoke, apparently very animated and worked up about something. A nugget of guilt slid into her belly as she watched the caretaker lambast the Potions Master with whatever narrative was agitating him that night. Odds were, the caretaker likely would have tried her office and chambers first before going down to the dungeons to rouse the other professor. For his part, Severus appeared rather annoyed, his arms folded across his chest as he stared at Argus with a mixture of irritation and boredom as he listened on.
Minerva overheard the words "Weasley" and "stole" and immediately knew the reason for the two boys looking so cheerful earlier, grimacing at her own lack of perception. When her name was mentioned by the caretaker, she knew it was time for her to finally put in an appearance. Transforming as she walked, Minerva made her way down the staircase towards them, catching the flash of relief that crossed Severus' face.
'Ah, Professor,' Severus said smugly upon seeing her. 'It appears Argus has had a run-in of sorts with two of your young Gryffindors.'
Fighting off the urge to roll her eyes at the younger Professor, she crossed her arms and turned her attention to the flustered caretaker. 'What seems to be the problem, Argus?'
'Those Weasley boys have stolen from me,' he huffed angrily. 'During their detention, I have no idea how they managed it––I keep me things locked away very carefully and they must have found a way to break into it.'
'What exactly have they stolen?' she questioned, trying to hurry him along to his point.
'Some parchment,' he answered. 'A prank map that was in the confiscated items from students. No telling what sort of trouble those two will get to with that.'
Minerva had to clench her jaw tightly to prevent herself from gawking at him unattractively. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut short by the Potions Master's curt tone cutting through the silence.
'You mean to tell me, you called us out of our chambers because two twelve-year-old boys got the upper hand and stole a blasted prank item from you?' Severus said coldly, his jaw tight with annoyance.
Argus sputtered indignantly, but Minerva couldn't blame Severus for his anger. A prank map was not a reason to harass any of the staff from sleep. Feeling a little guilty once more for her part in Severus' slumber being interrupted, Minerva put a hand on Argus' shoulder to calm him.
'Argus, why don't you let me deal with the Weasley twins,' she offered gently, before turning to face the other professor. 'I apologise for the interruption to your evening, Severus. I'll take care of everything from here.'
Without waiting for any further dismissal, Severus turned on his heel and in a dramatic swirl of his black robes, made his way back down towards the dungeons. Left alone with Argus, Minerva rubbed her temple before adjusting the spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose, turning to address the man.
'I can see you are distraught, Argus, so let's go to my office for a cup of tea before bed, hmm?' she offered to the caretaker kindly.
'All right, Headmistress,' he said, a lingering hint of discontent in his tone.
Gesturing for him to precede her, Minerva followed in his wake as Argus walked towards her office. Sensing that it was not just the two of them, she turned to look over her shoulder, catching sight of Mrs Norris lingering at the foot of the stairs. Minerva smiled conspiratorially as the cat flipped her bushy tail at her before turning to run up the staircase and off on another adventure.
Swallowing back a small amount of disappointment, Minerva faced towards her office once more; it was time for her to get back to reality.
I wrote this fun little adventure as a gift for MrFrenchie - a lot of the story itself was his idea! Beta love to hermioneclone and CoppersMama for the speedy edit! x