The Cat's Pyjamas

by Healer Pomfrey

Please refer to the disclaimer, warnings and notes at the beginning of chapter 1!

14 - Pangur Ban my cat & I;

Pangur looked around the stone room, where the Death Eaters of his inner circle were assembled in front of him.

"We have a traitor in our midst," he roared. "No one but the few of you knew about my plans to attack the Hogwarts Express. How come that the old coot knew about it and the train was full of Aurors?"

The Death Eaters immediately began to state their innocence, bowing and kissingok Voldemort's robes. However, the evil wizard's rage did not vanish easily. Only after casting spell over spell at his most confident followers did he put his wand away and dismissed the men.

"Pangur, are you all right?" Severus' voice brought him back to reality.

"Yes, I'm fine," the boy replied, unconsciously rubbing his achy forehead. "He was just very angry and cursed the Death Eaters. May I get the Anti Cruciatus potion please?"

Severus shot him a terrified look, knowing all too well how the after effects of Voldemort's favourite curse felt. "Of course," he said, already summoning a small phial from the shelf.

"A boy of his age should not need that potion every now and then," he said to Minerva an hour later, when everyone remaining at the school over the summer met in the Atrium for lunch.

"I hope Albus will be able to do something about Voldemort," Minerva replied, thoughtfully. "I will not allow Pangur to become involved in anything."

猫のパジャマ

During the following three years, Pangur often had to witness how Voldemort killed Muggle families, Muggle born students and even half-blood wizards and witches. To his great relief, it never happened during the Hippolo practice that took place on three evenings a week. However, at the beginning of his ninth school year at the Kentucky Foundation for Children, he was pulled into a vision just during the Hippolo match of the second and ninth years versus the fifth and sixth years. Fortunately, Goldie knew him so well that she realised after a few seconds that Pangur was unresponsive and instinctively did the right thing; she carefully descended to the ground, landing right next to the teachers, who had been watching the match. Before the fifth year Seeker was able to catch the Snitch, Madam Hooch stopped the match and after some discussion with Minerva and Severus announced that it would probably be continued after half an hour.

A vision, a potion and a hug for Goldie later, Pangur once again sat on his familiar and took into the air, where he managed to catch the Snitch twenty minutes after the re-start of the match. 'Thank Merlin I was lucky today,' he thought as he led Goldie away from the pitch, speaking to her in a soft voice.

"Pangur, according to your grandmother, this was your 100th match, and you have never lost even one. You're amazing," Hermione said, catching up with him from behind.

"Mione," Pangur replied in surprise, smiling. "Will you come with me and help me to care for Goldie? She was really awesome today."

"That's true," Hermione agreed, smiling as well. "In fact, I'd also like to speak with you about the counselling classes next week."

"Oh right," Pangur remembered. "Sorry, I didn't even think about it yet. Do you know what you want do after our tenth year?"

"I'd like to remain here as a teacher if that's somehow possible," Hermione replied, sighing. "All the teachers are still young and maybe won't need anyone else though."

Pangur chuckled. "My grandmother is not exactly young, and maybe she'd even prefer only being the Headmistress instead of fully teaching Transfiguration as well," he said, thoughtfully. "You'd make a brilliant teacher."

"What about you, Pangur?" Hermione asked, curiously, giving him a sharp look.

Pangur let out a long sigh. "Well, considering my problems with magic, I don't have so many options, at least not in the magical world. I think I'd like to become a vet."

"I believe that you're very good with animals," Hermione agreed. "Maybe you could still work together with Professor O'Leary, even after your graduation."

"That would be awesome," Pangur replied, smiling.

猫のパジャマ

In the following week, the Headmistress was leading the counselling talks with the ninth years. 'I hope Minerva will agree for me to remain here at the school and not suggest that I should better live in the Muggle world,' Pangur thought, worriedly, inwardly groaning upon realising that he was the last on his grandmother's list that was put up on the wall in the common room. In the evening before his own talk, Hermione, Eddie and Adrian had already finished their conversations with Minerva and were happily telling that the Headmistress had promised Hermione the position as Ancient Runes teacher and Adrian the Transfiguration post and had offered Eddie to work in the library, since due to the increasing number of students, the school urgently needed a librarian. 'They're all so lucky,' Pangur thought, feeling very sad as he imagined that his friends could all remain at KFC and he would have to seek a new life in the Muggle world just on his own.

'They love you and won't leave you alone,' a small voice told him from the back of his head, while he tossed and turned around during the night, unable to sleep more than a few minutes, before he woke up by strange nightmares for the first time since Minerva had rescued him from the Dursleys'.

猫のパジャマ

Seeing Pangur sit in the Transfiguration class, looking extremely pale with dark rings under his eyes, Minerva instructed him to stay after the class. "Pangur, what's wrong? Are you ill?" she asked in concern, worriedly feeling his forehead for a fever.

"No, I'm fine," Pangur said in a small voice. "I just couldn't sleep last night." Realising that Minerva looked at him in expectation and knowing that he would not get away without some explanation, he hesitantly told his grandmother about his fears.

Minerva let out a long sigh, before she pulled him into a light hug and said, "Pangur, you're the last on my list, because I thought that in your case everything was already clear anyway." She glanced at her wrist watch. "I suggest that you go and take a nap, while I have to teach the third years. Afterwards, I'll wake you up and we can have lunch together in my office and speak about the matter. I'll excuse you from both your last morning class and lunch."

Pangur gratefully agreed and managed to sleep until lunchtime, feeling very much refreshed and reassured when he woke up. To his relief, Minerva immediately approved of his ideas. "Yes Pangur, I believe that a vet would be a wonderful profession for you," she said gently. "In fact, I have already spoken with my colleagues about the matter, and Patrick would like you to become his apprentice. Also Poppy and Severus told me that they'd be interested to have you as an assistant."

'Thank Merlin,' Pangur thought, letting out a relieved sigh. 'Assisting all three of them will be enough work so I can remain here at KFC, and I really like Poppy, Severus and Patrick, and helping them is always fun.' "Yes, that would be great," he replied, suddenly getting aware of the fact that his grandmother was observing him in expectation.

Minerva and Pangur decided that he should spend the last two years of classes focussing on Healing and Potions classes. "You should also attend classes in the main subjects; however, save your magic for the classes that are more important for you," Minerva instructed him, when she dismissed him on time for the afternoon classes with the words "I'm proud of you, Pangur."

猫のパジャマ

Knowing that he and also his best friends would be able to remain at the school even after their tenth year, Pangur was very happy. He knew he would miss the twins, who were going to graduate in the summer; however, with the encouragement and some financial help from the Sears, with whom the whole Hippolo school team had become good friends, the twins planned to open a small joke shop in Lexington, and once a month, when Pangur's class was allowed to go to the town for the day, he intended to visited them.

Apart from his problems with magic, the only really unnerving aspect in his life were his visions that caused him at least two disturbed nights every week and prevented him from enjoying his weekends. Even if the after effects of the curses could be easily helped with potions, the scenes of the Muggle families being attacked by the Death Eaters did not easily leave his mind. 'I just hope Hermione's parents will be all right. Voldemort mustn't find out that she is a witch, especially not that she is my best friend,' he thought more than once and managed to convince Minerva and Hermione to invite the Grangers to the school over the winter holidays, so that Hermione would not have to travel home to Britain.

猫のパジャマ

It was a few weeks after Christmas, which Pangur enjoyed very much, especially with his best friend and her family spending the holidays at the school, that he managed to sleep through a Saturday night without being pulled into a vision. 'Thank Merlin,' he thought, when he woke up, feeling more refreshed than on any other Sunday morning since he could remember.

"Pangur, did you not have any visions recently?" Severus asked a week later, when Pangur was assisting in the potions lab on a Sunday afternoon.

"No," Pangur admitted, smiling. "Not since before the last weekend, and my scar doesn't hurt anymore like it often does when he's especially happy or angry. It feels as if the connection had been cut off, but that can't be true now, can it?"

Severus let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Pangur, but considering that he is said to have gained immortality, this is very unlikely. Maybe he is just recovering from the wizard's flu."

Pangur could not help chuckling at the thought, before he sighed as well, thinking, 'It would be so great if I didn't have to fear being pulled in visions every now and then. I would definitely be able to sleep and study better.'

tbc...

Thanks to the kind readers who commented on the previous chapter - For you is the quick update!