Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise. – Alice Walker

That night, I introduced Jayfeather to the rest of the house; or rather, he introduced himself. Apparently, I wasn't allowed to carry him around and treat him like a helpless kit, whatever that meant. He told me he could manage on his own, and if he needed help ('which is very unlikely,') he would ask for it.

First, he sniffed around my room and the other bedrooms, though he didn't linger in James' room. Next he cautiously took the stairs one at a time down into the sitting room. There he met my brother, Albus, who was reading his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. Jayfeather sniffed Al's hand carefully, then jumped on his lap.

'Oof, hey!' Al exclaimed in surprise. Getting past the initial shock, Al relaxed and stroked the little tom's head. 'Hey there mate,' he said softly. Jayfeather purred quietly, then sneezed in Al's face, ruffling the messy mop he calls hair. Wiping the cat saliva from his face, he thrust Jayfeather into my arms. 'Bloody cat,' he muttered and picked up his book once more. Jayfeather gave me an apologetic look as I put him on the carpet.

We found James at the kitchen table, scribbling down his charms essay. I guess he realized start of term is in four days, I thought with a smirk. While Jayfeather was busy sniffing through the kitchen utensils, I took a seat next to my brother.

'Finally realize what day it is?' I asked in amusement. He didn't say anything, just tapped a piece of parchment off to the side. I examined it closely. 'Ah,' I replied, figuring out what it was. 'How are you going to write a good essay while chatting with your girlfriend at the same time?' James stopped and looked at my smiling face.

'Don't you have something better to do then bother me?'

'No, I finished my homework ages ago and no one's around for me to hang out with.' As soon as the words left my mouth, there was a crash of pots and pans and scrabbling claws. Both of us turned around to see Jayfeather in a heap on the floor under a large pot.

'Bloody cat,' James sighed and returned to his work. I picked up the shaking tom and cleaned up the mess he made.

'I think that's enough adventuring for one night.'

'How was James talking to his girlfriend?' Jayfeather asked once we were upstairs. 'He wasn't saying anything, and I didn't see anyone.' I set him on the bed and sat next to him.

'It's two-way parchment,' I explained. 'My uncles Ron and George invented it. You write the name of the person you want to talk to at the top, and then write them the message underneath. The writing disappears after a few minutes, perfect for passing notes in class.'

'Where is his girlfriend?'

'Her name is Keira Brooks. She's an American, Muggle born exchange student from Delaware and she's starting her seventh year at Hogwarts this term. Right now she's visiting her family, but she's coming back tomorrow.' Jayfeather nodded, but I wasn't sure if he understood completely.

'Do you have a girlfriend?' This question caught me off guard.

'Um, I'm a girl, in case you haven't noticed.' I retorted. He looked confused. 'No, I don't have a boyfriend.' He nodded in understanding and licked one of his forepaws. 'What about you?' I asked hesitantly. 'Do you have a girlfriend? Or whatever you'd call it.'

'Medicine cats aren't allowed to have mates.' He said almost regretfully.

'Well, that's no fun.' I said in what I hoped was a sympathetic tone. 'Why did you become a medicine cat?' I asked as an afterthought. He turned his head towards me and sighed like the answer was so obvious.

'I can't fight, I can't hunt, and I can't patrol the borders. What else am I to do, take up space?'

'So you didn't ask to be a medicine cat?'

'I wanted to be a warrior, like my brother and sister, and I was apprenticed too,' he began. 'Brightheart was my mentor; one of her eyes was clawed out by a dog. Firestar supposed she could help me get past my blindness and become a warrior, but I couldn't do it. I nearly got my ears shredded in a battle with Windclan. After that, I gave up trying to be what I couldn't and became Leafpool's apprentice as medicine cat.' Jayfeather hung his head dejectedly. 'I'm quite good at it, but I'll never stop wanting to be a warrior.' When he was done, I felt like crying. He doesn't have a very good life. Imagine being stuck with a job you don't enjoy for the rest of your life! I stroked Jaypaw's head.

'That must be difficult,' I said softly. He shook his head as if trying to get his ears off.

'Enough of this,' he said firmly. 'I need to think of a way to find Squirrelflight and save my clan.' He started pacing the length of the bed. 'How, in the name of Starclan, am I going to do this?' he muttered to himself.

'Maybe Keira could help!' I suggested. 'She wouldn't think I'm mad if I tell her I got a talking cat for my birthday. And she's good at figuring stuff out like this.' Jayfeather gave me a doubtful look. 'Honestly, she's the best person to go to.'

'Can we trust her? I'd be putting the fate of the forest in her paws.'

'Again, she's the best person to go to.'

'Alright, I'll give it a try.'

I heard the 'pop' of someone apparating in the back garden and jumped up from my bed. Not bothering to get dressed, I dashed down the stairs.

'Keira!' I exclaimed as I entered the kitchen. The back door swung open and in came a young girl with silky black hair that hung to the middle of her back. She wasn't much taller than me, even though she was four years older, and was dressed in a light blue T-shirt and cargo pants.

'Hey, Lily!' she greeted and gave me a big hug. As soon as she let go, she was in the arms of James. I sighed, but smiled nonetheless. James and Keira were virtually inseparable.

After a few minutes, Dad stumbled into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

'What's all the bloody racket for?' he demanded, slipping his round glasses over his face. Al was behind him, doing the same.

'Nice to see you too, Harry.' Keira replied cheerfully. She hugged both him and Al. 'Where's Ginny? She's normally up and around this time of day.'

'It's seven in the morning,' Al complained.

'Fine, I'll come back later then.' Keira made her way for the door.

'Ugh, you're impossible,' Al muttered and went back upstairs. Grinning, Keira looked to Dad to answer her question.

'She had a game last night and wasn't home 'till two this morning.' He replied wearily.

'I guess I'll have to make breakfast then. Go get changed.' She dismissed us with a wave of her hand and turned to the stove. Surprised, we all trudged back up the stairs. Keira was never that awake in the morning.

Jayfeather was still trying to sleep, so I left him in my room and hurried downstairs. When I arrived in the kitchen, I found it empty, save Keira, so I seized this rare opportunity of being alone with her.

'Hey, Keira,' I started nervously. 'Can I get a favour of you?' Keira put down the plate she was carrying on the table and looked at me curiously.

'Sure, kiddo. What's up?' She took a seat and I grabbed the chair next to her.

'Um, I have this friend I met two days ago, he's new to this area, and I was wondering if-'

'Oh, do you like him?' she cut me off. 'Is he cute? Where is he from? Does your dad know? He's gonna flip. I'm so happy for you!' She gave me a one-armed hug as my cheeks grew red.

'No, no, no, it's not like that.' I said quickly. 'I don't like him, he's a friend and he needs help.'

'I'm not a physiatrist.' I glared and continued.

'His name is Jayfeather and he came from a forest a long way from here. He's a cat, and he can speak to me.' Keira was gaping by the time I finished. When she came to her senses, she looked doubtful. 'Look, if you don't believe me, come to my room tonight and I can introduce you. Well, I can introduce you now, but not to the talking Jayfeather.' It was a while before she spoke again.

'Alright, I believe you,' she said softly. We heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. As she stood and went back to the stove, I heard her mutter something along the lines of, 'It's too ridiculous to make up.'

When breakfast was over, I grabbed some milk and a strip of bacon and stole upstairs. In my room, Jayfeather was sitting up and licking his forepaw, swiping it over his ears a few times to get his fur to lie flat.

'Hi, Lily,' he said brightly.

'Good morning!' I replied. 'I brought you some food; no, it's not cat food.' I set the milk and bacon on the floor and he ate it gratefully.

'I talked to Keira,' I said quietly after some time. Jayfeather froze for a second, then jumped up next to me on the window seat.

'Did she laugh at you and call you a mouse-brain?' he asked. I shook my head.

'She said she believed me, but I'm not sure if she thinks I'm mental or not.' I told him. He didn't say anything after that. 'She's coming tonight. Do you want to meet her now? As a normal cat?' He snorted and stood.

'Lead on.'

We padded down the hall to the door at the end. Behind the door was the stairs to the attic, or what used to be the attic before Keira moved in. Before we ascended the stairs, I picked Jayfeather up, much to his dislike.

'Keira?' I called from the top of the steps.

'Come in!' I heard her respond. We found Keira sitting with James on the window seat. She smiled when she saw us. 'Hey,' she greeted us.

'Keira, I'd like you to meet Jayfeather,' I said, setting the gray tom on the small bed. He froze for a moment, then sniffed and tried to get a sense of what the room was like without moving.

'Aww, he's so cute!' exclaimed Keira. She came over to the bed and let Jayfeather sniff her hand. Accepting her, Jayfeather leaned into her hand as she scratched him behind the ear. He purred quietly. 'Hello,' she said softly. 'Jayfeather.' She said the name with a thoughtful look. 'Where did you get that name? It's very creative.'

'I've been known to have bouts of creativity now and then,' I replied, shrugging. Keira chuckled and picked Jayfeather up, cradling him in her arms. He didn't seem to mind.

'I've missed cats,' she said. 'I grew up with at least three at a time, and when I came here, I had to leave them behind.'

'Are you regretting coming here?' James asked with a smile. 'It couldn't be worth it to leave your little kitties and come live with us.' Keira smacked him in the back of the head. Jayfeather started to laugh, but covered it up with a sneeze. Nice, I thought, trying to hide my own laughter.

There was a knock on my door, so soft I almost didn't hear it. Slipping out of bed, I quietly turned the knob and found a pyjama-clad Keira standing in the hall. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, I closed and locked the door, glad James didn't come of age for another ten months. Keira stood in the middle of the room uncertainly. Tapping my finger three times on the edge of the dresser, I watched Jayfeather jump up onto my bed.

'Greetings, Keira,' he said, dipping his head respectfully. Keira glanced around the room with wide eyes before replying.

'Hi, Jayfeather,' she said almost inaudibly. 'This is really weird.'

'I agree.' Jayfeather blinked and gazed at Keira with unseeing eyes. 'I have to ask you a favour, but first you must swear to keep everything I say a secret.'

'I swear.' With Keira's promise, Jayfeather recounted everything he had told me two nights before. When his tale had come to a close, the room was very silent. It remained so for countless minutes, or at least, that's what it felt like.

'Will you help me save my clan, Keira?' Jayfeather asked pleadingly. Keira let out a strangled laugh.

'After a story like that? How can I refuse?' She shook her head and sighed. 'How are we going to do this?'

'No idea,' I replied. 'Well, we can't do anything now. We'll have to wait until at least the holidays.'

'Maybe 'till the end of the year.'

'How many moons are left until the end of the year?' Jayfeather asked skeptically. I had no clue what he was talking about, but Keira seemed to understand.

'About ten moons.'

'What?'Jayfeather asked incredulously. 'We can't wait ten moons! I've spent enough time traveling here, we can't waste more!'He stood up and worked his paws on the mattress. 'Squirrelflight could be dead right now, and the whole forest could be flattened!' He hissed and frustration.

'I'm sorry, Jayfeather, but we have to go to school.' I apologized. 'Besides, we can't figure anything out at the moment. If we do while we're at school, maybe we can…'

'We'd have to tell someone, or leave by ourselves, none of which we can do,' Keira pointed out. 'Unless you're willing to break the rules…'

'You spend too much time with Fred and Jacob,' I said, rolling my eyes.

'Who are they?' Jayfeather asked.

'They're my twin cousins,' I explained. 'and they're the top pranksters of the century.' Keira chuckled fondly and yawned, standing. 'Well, if I don't go back upstairs right now, I might have to bunk with you.' She hugged both me and Jayfeather. 'Night.' With that, she left.

A/N: For more info on the Weasley family, check out Questions and Answers by little0bird (chapter 4)

By the way, the title for the story and the chapters are from the song A Daily Anthem by David Cook.