The Cat's Pyjamas

by Healer Pomfrey

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
The translation of the Pangur Ban poem is from an unknown author (chapter titles).

A huge thanks to JB5391 for her absolute brilliant beta-ing!

#+$

This story is dedicated to my wonderful friend and beta Mushcorn

2 – 'Tis a like task we are at

"Minnie," Madam Pomfrey said, sighing. "Take Harry to your quarters and wait for me. I'm going to exchange a few more words with Albus in private."

"Thank you, Poppy," Minerva said and turned to Harry. "Harry, I will change you back to your cat form for the time being. Fortunately, the Headmaster doesn't know that you're an Animagus, so you'll be much safer as a cat."

"Okay," Harry said, although he had to admit to himself that it didn't feel good to find himself at wand point. To his delight, Minerva transformed into her cat form as well, and he happily followed her upstairs, through the empty corridors and staircases to her quarters. He looked in amazement at the enormous fireplace, around which the huge, airy living room was built. The tatami mat in front of the fireplace looked extremely inviting, and Harry looked longingly in the direction. The Transfiguration Mistress saw this and smiled; her whiskers and tail twitching in amusement.

=Harry, why don't you go and take a nap in front of the fireplace?= Minerva suggested kindly. =It is my favourite spot when I'm in my cat form.=

=Yeah, thank you,= Harry said gratefully, letting out an exhausted yawn as he curled up on the comfortable spot.

Minerva smiled as she observed the small, marmalade cat drift off to sleep. 'I need to wait for Poppy and then I'm going to take him to McGonagall Manor. I can lock off the fireplace, so that Albus won't be able to get to us, and then I'll contact Medusa.' Her thoughts went haywire as she contemplated her situation. Her sister, Medusa O'Leary, was married to an Irish wizard, living in the Unites States of America. They lived in a huge Manor, which he had inherited, and it was so large that her sister had invited her more than once to come and live together with them. 'Maybe I should take Harry to America.' Knowing that she couldn't talk to her sister through the Hogwarts fireplace, because the Headmaster would easily be able to listen in, she dismissed the thought for the time being and instead called Malcolm, her personal house-elf.

"Malcolm, we will leave Hogwarts. Please pack all of my private belongings and take them to McGonagall Manor," she instructed him, causing the small elf to let out a huge gasp.

"Mistress Minerva, what happened?" he asked in surprise.

Minerva let out a long sigh and explained what had happened, just when Poppy burst through the door.

"I think I won, Minnie," she said breathlessly, grinning, before her expression turned apprehensive. "Minnie, do you have any kind of plan of where to go and what to do? If you take Harry with you, you're responsible for him and..."

"Poppy," Minerva impatiently interrupted her friend. "I am not a teenager. I am thinking of taking him to my sister's home. If you're willing to come along, we could found a magical school there. Medusa even suggested I should do that a few years ago."

Poppy remained quiet for a moment, pondering the matter. "Well, the Manor was large enough for me to get lost when we visited your sister the first time," she said musingly. A small lop-sided smile appeared for an instant then disappeared. Changing the subject, she sighed. "Anyway, I told Albus that if I informed the Ministry of Magic about the abuse little Harry had to endure, he would end up in Azkaban. I remember well when Severus was in a similar situation. Unfortunately, at that time I had neither the experience nor the courage to stand up for him and put Albus under pressure. Anyway, Albus swore me a wizard's oath that he would not prosecute you for child abduction. Nevertheless, I believe that it is a brilliant idea to set up your own school, and living abroad would make it significantly more difficult for Albus to lay his hands on Harry."

The two witches decided to retreat to McGonagall Manor to make more detailed plans. Minerva took the still very sleepy cat Harry through the Floo network, allowing Poppy to travel after them, before she blocked the fireplace for any incoming calls from Hogwarts. She instructed Malcolm to prepare the room next to the Master bedroom for Harry, carefully laying the small cat on the sofa in the living room for the time being. A longer Floo conversation with her sister, who lived in Kentucky, confirmed that Medusa would still love Minerva to come and live with her and that she liked the idea of founding a magical school, especially since there was no wizarding school in Kentucky or the adjacent states at all.

"Minerva," Poppy said thoughtfully. "We need quite a few people to begin a school. Is there anyone, whom you'd like to invite, apart from Rolanda of course?"

Rolanda Hooch was Minerva's and Poppy's best friend. The three witches had met on their first travel to Hogwarts, when they shared a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Ever since then the trio had been inseparable.

"Medusa would surely be willing to teach," Minerva said thoughtfully. Before she married Patrick O'Leary, she taught magical children, but when she moved to Kentucky, she didn't teach again but helped him with his veterinary practice. Patrick might be willing to teach Care of Magical Creatures, at least a few hours a week, considering that the O'Leary's Magical Animal Emporium is on the grounds of the Manor, and the older students could even help him care for the sick animals."

"Yes, I remember that I saw very strange looking animals in the farther part of the park," Poppy threw in, her voice laced with concern. "Don't you think this would be dangerous for the students?"

"No." Minerva shook her head. "I don't think that he cures dragons or other dangerous animals in his clinic, and if so, we'll set up strong protection charms, which reminds me of something. I know someone who could teach Defence Against the Dark Arts." Seeing that her friend looked at her in expectation, she continued, "Remus Lupin. My brother-in-law will surely have a room in his clinic, where he can keep a werewolf safe once a month."

"That's a good idea," Poppy replied, smiling. "He is a very pleasant person." She sighed, before she continued to speak. "Minerva, if I may suggest someone, I'd like to ask Severus Snape, if he was willing to join us as the Potions Master and Potions professor."

The two friends spent the next hour continuing with their planning, before cat Harry woke up and meticulously began to clean his fur.

"Harry, is it all right if I transfigure you back into your human form?" Minerva asked gently and, seeing the marmalade cat nod, waved her wand over his feline form.

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully, sitting up on the very comfortable sofa. 'Where are we?' he wondered, looking around the large room that was very bright and surrounded with bookshelves in amazement.

"We are at McGonagall Manor," Minerva answered his silent question. "Harry, are you sure that you want me to take you in? Do you want to live together with me and not return to your relatives?"

"If that's possible," Harry replied in a barely audible voice, knowing that he was a burden for everyone; however, the happy twinkle that appeared in his wide emerald eyes was answer enough for Minerva.

"Very well then," she said with satisfaction and explained to the child about her plan to move to Kentucky, until Malcolm popped up in front of them and informed them that dinner was served in the dining room.

"This is my house-elf, Malcolm," Minerva introduced the small elf to Harry, noticing that the boy looked at the creature with a mixture of interest and anxiousness.

"Hello Malcolm," Harry said shyly, and a small smile appeared on his lips at the sight of the elf that was not much taller than he was.

Minerva motioned for Harry to follow her and Poppy into the dining room, and Harry obeyed, before he stopped at the doorframe, looking at the table in shock. 'It's my job to cook dinner,' he thought and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for, sweetie?" Poppy asked kindly, pulling him into the seat next to her.

"I'm not allowed to sit at the table," Harry mumbled, only for Poppy to hear.

"Of course you may sit at the table. This is where we eat our meals," Poppy replied softly, trying not to let the shock show from the boy's statement in her face.

"Harry, you're living with me now," Minerva threw in gently. "Please forget everything that you learned at your relatives' home. You will sit at the table with us and eat what we eat. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry said quietly, hesitantly watching Poppy pile a little of everything on his plate. He slowly took a few bites of the meal, noticing that it tasted very well, even the pumpkin juice, which was in the goblet next to his plate. Too soon for his liking, he felt stuffed.

"Is that all you can eat?" Minerva asked kindly and, when Harry cast her an anxious look, wondering if he was going to be punished because he didn't clean his plate, suggested, "Well then you can take a bath and go to bed. It's already late tonight."

'A bath?' Harry thought, terrified. 'What did I do to make them angry that they make me take a bath?'

Minerva took in the boy's reaction, flabbergasted. "Let's clean you up nicely, before you go to bed. Look here." She took a tissue out of her robe pocket and to Harry's amazement transfigured it into a comfortable looking set of yellow pyjamas with a pattern of small marmalade cats that were moving around and letting out small meowing sounds from time to time. "All right, Harry, let's get you into the bath, and afterwards you may wear the nice cat pyjamas, hmm?"

Seeing that Harry still looked horrified at the thought of a bath, she asked, "What would you like to play with? Do you want to have a fish to play in the water?"

Harry's face slightly changed from horror to confusion. 'Play in the water?' he wondered bewildered. 'I don't want to hurt myself in the hot water more than necessary,' he thought, giving her an enquiring look but hesitantly followed Minerva into the bathroom, which was decorated in white and a burgundy colour. Seeing that Minerva pointed her wand at two of the taps in the wall, allowing water and soap to pour into the bathtub, mixing into bubbles, Harry anxiously pressed himself against the wall, as though he wanted to be part of it. 'Madam Pomfrey made all my pain go away. I don't want to take a bath and make myself sore again,' he thought, terrified.

"What's wrong, Harry? Why don't you want to take a bath?" Minerva asked softly.

Harry gave her a frightened look. "Baths always hurt," he said in a subdued voice.

"Why Harry? Was the water too cold or too hot when you took a bath at your relatives' place?" Minerva enquired, her eyes widening at Harry's shy nod.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sure that Minerva would never let you bathe in too hot or too cold water," Poppy, who had just entered the bathroom, tried to coax the child into taking his clothes off and stepping into the bathtub.

As soon as Harry hesitantly put a foot into the tub, he noticed that the water was comfortably warm. He carefully climbed in and sat down, while Minerva conjured a few animal toys for Harry to play with, noticing in relief that the child immediately engrossed himself in his play, his eyes twinkling happily.

'Wow, this is too cool. I get to play with toys that Dudley hasn't broken,' Harry thought as he continued to play, feeling very comforted and happier than he could remember having felt ever before.

Minerva threw Poppy a flabbergasted look, who in return gave her a calming smile and proceeded to carefully wash Harry's hair, ensuring no soap went in his eyes, saying, "I will bathe Harry, Minerva. You know that I'm used to bathing children. Is everything prepared for him for the night?"

Minerva quickly excused herself and returned to the living room to fetch the book "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," which she used to make the Muggle born first year students read. In the meantime, Poppy wrapped Harry in a fluffy towel and proceeded to dry him off carefully. Harry was very relaxed after the warm bath and allowed himself to be led into the room, which Malcolm had prepared for him. He sighed tiredly when he obediently lay down in an extremely comfortable bed.

"Thank you," he quietly said to Minerva, smiling at her. "I loved the bath. I love staying with you."

"I'm glad to hear that, Harry," Minerva replied kindly.

"Now sweetie, I'd like to check on you to see if you need another potion before you go to sleep," Poppy informed him in an equally soft voice and quickly waved her wand at him. "Does your head still hurt a lot?" she asked, giving him a sharp look.

"No, only a bit. It's all right," Harry replied, letting out a huge yawn.

Before Minerva had even finished reading the first small story from the book, Harry was already fast asleep. "I'm glad to have you here, too," Minerva whispered as she turned to leave the room, casting a charm that would alert her if the child had any problems as she stepped out into the hall.

The two witches retreated to the living room, where they wrote letters to Rolanda Hooch, Severus Snape, and Remus Lupin, inviting them to McGonagall Manor the following evening. They spent the evening and half of the night making plans, and Minerva decided to blood adopt Harry and introduce him as her grandson in order to hide him from the magical world and its expectations towards the boy. However, they agreed to wait until the meeting with Severus, Remus, and Rolanda to listen to their advice and to possibly ask Severus for a blood adoption potion, which usually was not easy to lay hands on in Britain's magical world.

猫のパジャマ

In the morning, Minerva entered Harry's room shortly after the charm had let her know that he had woken up. "Good morning, Harry," she said gently, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Have you slept well?"

"Uh huh," Harry replied, sleepily reaching for his glasses, banging his hand on the night table several times until he felt the frames, only to sit up in shock as he heard Minerva's next words.

"Get up then, so that we can have breakfast."

'Oh no, they're waiting for me to make breakfast,' he thought, terrified as he scrambled out of the bed. "I'm sorry for being late," he apologized. "I'll go and make breakfast immediately."

Minerva's arm shot out, wrapped carefully around Harry's waist, and gently pulled him back onto the bed. "No Harry, you are not a house-elf. You don't have to make breakfast. Malcolm already prepared everything. I just want you to get up and eat breakfast with us." She placed a few tissues on Harry's night table, pointing her wand at the first to transfigure it into dark blue trousers, the next into a green T-shirt with a purring marmalade cat in the front. Finally, she made underwear and socks for him, placing everything on the bed. "Now Harry, get dressed and come to the dining room. Do you remember where it is?" she asked kindly.

"Yes," Harry replied in a small voice, chuckling as he eyed the green T-shirt. "Thank you; I 'specially love this," he said shyly fingering it, waiting until Minerva had left the room, before he quickly dressed into his wonderful new clothes. He walked downstairs eyeing the portraits of McGonagall ancestors long gone. When he arrived, he hesitantly opened the door to the dining room and stuck his head in.

"Come in, Harry," Minerva said softly, pointing to the chair that he had occupied the previous evening.

'This is better than anything I could have ever dreamt of,' Harry thought contentedly as he leaned back in his seat a few minutes later, feeling completely full and unaware of the concerned looks that he received from the adults.

Since Poppy deemed Harry not really well yet, Minerva suggested spending the morning in the living room reading books or drawing pictures, noticing that Harry's eyes began to twinkle happily at her plan. To her surprise, Harry looked at the coloured pencils that she conjured in pure delight. He cast a questioning look at Minerva, and, seeing her nod encouragingly, he began to draw a meticulously accurate picture of her own Animagus form on the Dursleys' wall. When Minerva and Poppy thought that the picture was complete and gently commended him, he stared at the tabby cat, causing it to jump down onto the ground and transform into Minerva's human form.

'Oh no, I did magic,' Harry thought, noticing that he suddenly did not feel very well anymore.

"Harry, don't do magic," Poppy said firmly, "although I have to admit that you did that very well, sweetie."

"Yeah, sorry," Harry said miserably, sighing in relief when Minerva suggested that he should lie on the sofa for a while and she would read to him from the book, which they had read the evening before.

The afternoon was spent in the shade of the old oak trees around a small clear lake, and Harry had a great time playing in the shallow water at the shore of the lake. He smiled joyfully when Minerva told him that the garden of her sister's manor had a much bigger lake and that she would teach him to swim when they moved to Kentucky. Meanwhile Minerva and Poppy sat on a plaid blanket talking, with books and journals scattered about, which got less attention than expected, as they loved watching Harry enjoying himself on the water's edge. Much too soon for Harry's liking, it was time to head inside to take a bath, dress and get ready for dinner.

"Today, we'll have guests for dinner," Minerva informed him, when they returned to the first floor. "I'm now going to open the fireplace, since they should arrive within the next ten minutes."

Harry eagerly followed her into her office, looking at the flaring fireplace in awe, since he had been asleep when he had arrived at McGonagall Manor the previous day. 'I missed such an interesting way to travel,' he thought sadly, unaware of the fact that he would spend more time in the Floo network than he'd like it in the next few days.

tbc...

Thank you so much for your kind comments!