For Immediate Distribution
"Well something needs to be done. May I have them?"
It was a gentle request, and had it come from anyone else, Dumbledore would probably have said no, that he'd take care of the matter himself. But Luna Lovegood was well-suited to Ravenclaw and the headmaster gave a little nod to her.
"Very well my dear; they are yours," he agreed, waving his wand. They settled into the cardboard box, clinking faintly.
-oo00oo-
She looked up, studying the scene before her with a critical eye. Hogwarts had hundreds of paintings on its walls; landscapes and portraits galore, art from centuries ago to more modern works along the Dining Hall, most of it in elegant, gilded frames.
This painting held a small courtyard, probably somewhere in Spain given the style of the fountain and general atmosphere of tropical sunshine. Near the fountain was a girl sitting on a blanket with a book in her hands. The artist had done a lovely job speckling the sunshine through the trees and the dappled shadows across the woven blanket. One could almost hear cicadas in the warm distance.
Luna cleared her throat.
The girl in the painting looked up.
"Excuse me, but would you like-" Luna began. The girl in the painting made the helpless smile of someone who didn't speak English, shrugging her shoulders.
Undeterred, Luna reached into her satchel. The gold leaf around the rim glittered, but the girl focused on what sat in the center of the dish, and she let out a little coo of delight.
"Disculpe Señorita, pero- le gustaŕia un gatito?" Luna asked her.
"Si! Oh si por favor!" the girl set her book down and reached out her hands. Luna stepped forward and pressed the plate to the painting, holding it steady as the girl scooped the kitten up from it. It mewed more in curiosity than fear, fluffy and small in the girl's hands.
Luna nodded. The girl was already cuddling the kitten, smiling brightly. "Gracias, muchas gracias!"
"I knew you'd like one. Every time I passed by your painting, I thought to myself, 'There's someone who needs a kitten," Luna told her. "I'm glad you have one now."
She smiled and waved to the girl before picking up her satchel and heading to the next painting. The bag clinked, but the sound was much softer now.
And by the end of the day, nearly every painting at Hogwarts had a new, small, fluffy addition.
end