Harry didn't know where Filch was, but if Mrs. Norris wasn't anywhere to be found, the boy could only imagine the madness the grumpy caretaker must have been enduring; it was no secret that Filch was quite attached to the cat, and if he knew that Harry - or any Gryffindor for that matter - saw her in the common room and made no attempt to bring her to him, he might have earned more ire than when Filch caught him lost in the corridors.
Mrs. Norris purred in Harry's arms as he called out for Filch, his timid voice echoing down the intimidating architecture of the corridors. Hogwarts had felt more like a home in one month than number four, Privet Drive had ever felt during any of the eleven years he had been alive. Normal children would be marking down the days until summer vacation - not Harry.
Harry would be savoring every day, class, and lesson he had until it was time for him to return to Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley's malice. Compared to those ghastly three, tolerating Snape was a joyful run through a meadow of lilies.
Mrs. Norris's head nuzzled Harry's chin as he descended the stairs leading away from the common room's entrance. "Mr. Filch! I've found Mrs. Norris!"
Harry was spared his search once he reached the bottom of the stairs. There was a faint sound of shuffling feet and frantic grunts, and Filch was jumping out before Harry, startling him so badly he nearly dropped Mrs. Norris.
"Potter!" he gasped. Fraught beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and disappeared into his furrowed eyebrows as he eyed the boy and cat. "What are you doing...doing out of...?"
Harry gulped and cautiously put the cat down so that she could hurry to her master's shoes. "Mrs. Norris slipped into our common room. I was looking for you so I could bring her back to you, is all."
The dismay in Filch's features relaxed into exiguous gratitude, but Harry was still nervous.
"I suppose you're expecting thanks, boy?" he growled.
"N-No...not really. I can just go back to the common room, if that's okay," he nervously responded.
Filch was notorious amongst the students for sniffing out mischief and punishing students, and Mrs. Norris played her part in his crusade. But Harry wondered, as he stared trembling in Filch's flickering glare, if he was actually considering letting him off the hook.
Filch looked down at Mrs. Norris, who stared back up into the eyes of her owner. Harry silently observed this, and from what he could speculate the two were having some sort of silent conversation.
Filch looked at Harry again and kept his eyes on him as he picked up Mrs. Norris. "Back to your common room then, boy," he said without emotion before turning his back on him.
"Yessir!" Harry wheeled around and scuttled up the steps.
He hadn't stopped to confirm it, but before he walked away, Harry could have sworn that Filch lowly forced out between his teeth a terse "Thank you."
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were exchanging cruel jibes about the stuttering Professor Quirrell's "ridiculous-looking turban" when Fred and George walked into common room, guffawing loud enough to draw the attention of several other Slytherins.
"Did you see the look on her face when she realized they were gone?" George snorted. "My taffies! Who has taken my taffies? Please! Help me find them, someone!"
While many of the others simply rolled their eyes and returned to their studies or conversations, Malfoy and his hulking acolytes kept their ears open without looking at the twins.
Fred dangled a small black drawstring bag between his fingers. "She's probably bawling her eyes out. For someone so smart, the Muggle-born sure was easy to steal from."
They were passing by the lounging trio when George asked, "Are you gonna eat those, or what?"
"Nah, let's let Granger find 'em," replied Fred. Fred flung the bag away, paying no heed to where it landed - which happened to be behind the leather couch Malfoy was seated in. Crabbe and Goyle stared silently at each other while Malfoy turned in his seat to eye the discarded bag. He swiftly swiped it up when upon seeing Hermione hurrying through the common room's entrance...