Chapter 3

Mrs. Norris knew she should have said something to Minerva about Crookshanks sooner. She had known Crookshanks was delusional, and had been obsessed with that rat all year, but never did she think he would stoop so low as to kill another student's familiar.

Oh, she didn't want to imagine the paperwork Argus would have to do for this. He would certainly not be in the mood for pets until after dinner.

Which did not help her mood as she tried her best to remain impartial while addressing the half-Kneazle in front of her.

"Crookshanks, did you or did you not eat that boy's rat? I need you to answer me. I just need to know, so we can finish cleaning up before we decide how we are going to move forward. Did you eat the body? Or did you hide it somewhere for later?"

"I didn't touch him, and for the millionth time, that thing is not a rat. I don't know what happened to it. All I know is that that thing is not a rat, it's never been a rat, and it is never going to be a rat."

Mrs. Norris knew to continue was a lost cause. He was lost to his delusions. She'd just have to speak with Minerva and make sure that Crookshanks did not board the train next fall. Under any other circumstances, killing a fellow student's pet would be grounds for immediate expulsion of the guilty party. However, the Weasley boy's rat didn't technically meet the requirements set by Hogwarts to be considered a pet. "Cat, owl, or toad" the regulations said. Plus, rats were natural prey to cats, a pest to humans, and a general blight upon the Earth. So, although he was completely mad, and had left an absolute crime scene in the Weasley boy's bed, she didn't have grounds to have him shipped home in the middle of term.

That didn't mean she didn't have the grounds to threaten the absolute piss out of him though.

"Your denials are boring me. Just like your antics the last several weeks have annoyed me. You ate the rat; you didn't eat the rat. Fine. But your obsession with the rat stops here. Or the next time you bring it up you'll be on the train to Muggle London before you can say 'cattery'," she growled.

He huffed in annoyance but didn't argue for once. She stalked away to find Argus, perhaps they could relax before patrols.

Mrs. Norris was appalled.

It had been in the wee hours of the morning that Minerva roused Mrs. Norris and Argus to inform them of what had occurred in the Shrieking Shack and Whomping Willow. All the while a haggard looking Crookshanks nestled in her arms, clearly shaken by the ordeal. As Argus rushed off to quarantine the willow, Minerva was left to explain the details of Crookshanks behavior that year to Mrs. Norris.

"You mean the rat…really wasn't a rat?" she asked Minerva.

"I fucking told you," Crookshanks grumbled.

He really could be the worst.

Minerva bowed her head "It would appear that several former Hogwarts students have managed to become animagi, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black included."

"So, the dog on Halloween…?"

"Was Black. I had my suspicions after the events of Halloween, but there wasn't much more that we could do in terms of security. The dementors couldn't detect Black as a dog, so we were forced to rely on vigilance."

"And the rat…?"

"Pettigrew," her tone was grim.

"And I told you so" came from a smug Crookshanks.

Merlin.

She really had thought he was insane.

Turns out he just wasn't a cat.

Mrs. Norris couldn't help but speculate. Had it been Crookshanks in the corridor on Halloween rather than Leo, would he have sensed that the dog was not, in fact, a dog? How long would it have taken for the Kneazle to recognize the rat, dog, and Minerva as the same? As animagi?

But she would never know what Crookshanks would have sensed in the presence of that dog. And thank Merlin for it. Black had disappeared and was assumed to be on the run, and the Hogwarts inhabitants were left to resume their canine and rodent free lives.

Mrs. Norris prowled the now empty halls of Hogwarts with Minerva and Leo at her side. It was a tradition they did every year after seeing the students off to the train. After a full year packed to the brim with teens, the silence that now echoed off the walls of the castle was almost deafening.

Yet it was impossible not to relish in the peace of it all. The possibilities. There was something about being a cat with an entire castle to explore, a kind of almightiness lost upon the masses.

But here in Hogwarts it was tradition.

The three felines made their way into the now empty cattery for the second part of their little tradition. Minerva shifted briefly to put out some freshly ground catnip before shifting back and beginning to sniff. They each took a turn, sniffing and rolling in the herb until they felt a light buzz.

Once they all were intoxicated it was time for that 'hot goss' as the students in Hogwarts were calling it nowadays. They swapped stories and thoughts on the old and new faces of Hogwarts and reviewed the most scandalous incidents of the year.

When they reached the topic of Crookshanks, and the many, many moments of perceived insanity Mrs. Norris wondered. "Do you think he will be back next year?"

"Oh yes," Minerva purred. "I daresay we can expect to see big things from Crookshanks and Miss Granger."

Mrs. Norris cringed to think what that could mean.

She really needed to retire.