Chapter Three: The Cat Met the Rat
Disclaiming it once again…
So sorry for the wait! Enjoy!
"Please? We haven't seen them all summer long," I begged.
"We'll be really careful too, I swear," Harry added.
"It's the last day before school starts!" I reasoned.
"And we have to ride the train in!" Harry stated.
"Yeah, Harry didn't get to last year," I added.
"I don't think that it's wise to let them go, sir," Snape said, putting his two cents in.
"Why not? Ron and Hermione will be there!" I argued.
"Precisely my point," Snape answered. "The more you four are around each other the less you seem to follow the rules,"
"But Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be there too," Harry pointed out.
"Please, Professor, you have to let us go to Diagon Alley!"
"It's not practical, you both already have your books and you're already at Hogwarts. It's just an extra trip," Snape added with a roll of his eyes.
"But I've been here the whole summer! I want to go to Diagon Alley," I begged, using my best puppy-dog eyes on the old headmaster.
"Severus, really, what is the harm in letting them see their friends?" Dumbledore asked, turning to Snape.
"Well, who is going to watch them on the train then?" Snape fumed.
"Remus has already agreed to take the train in, actually," Dumbledore replied, thoughtfully. "I was going to tell him to just come strait here; however, I think he may enjoy a ride,"
"So we can go?" Harry asked for clarification.
"I do not see why not," Dumbledore replied. "Kailey needs permission from her father, however," he added.
The three of us all looked at Snape. He shook his head as though he had a headache. "You may go but you must listen to the Weasleys. And don't go sneaking off anywhere either," he added. "Or else Gryffindor will begin the year in negative points,"
But Harry and I weren't listening to the last part. We had run out of the Great Hall to Snape's quarters to gather our wands, cloaks and an over-night bag so that we could stay at the Leaky Cauldron.
"Where do you think they could be?" I asked Harry. We had gotten ourselves two rooms at the Leaky Cauldron and were now roaming around Diagon Alley in search of Ron and Hermione.
"Don't look at me, I'm not the one who's supposed to already know this stuff," Harry answered, holding his hands up in defense. "We'll find them or they'll find us."
"I guess. You did send the letter back with your answer, right?"
"I thought you did?"
"You're joking, right?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "So they don't even know that we're here?"
"Don't worry, we can still find them. In the mean time, why don't we get some ice-cream?"
"Typical boy thinks with his stomach," I said, shaking my head but following a grinning Harry none-the-less.
Just as we were sitting down with our ice-creams, I looked up and spotted a band of red-heads (along with Hermione) coming up the street from Gringotts. They paused in front of one of the shops and all seemed to be listening to their leader—the Weasley matriarch—before they disbanded.
"Hey! Ron! Hermione!" I called, waving over at the two of them. Harry turned from his seat and began waving to them as well.
Both of them were much tanner than when I had last seen them. Ron's hair was longer and brighter than it normally was while Hermione's seemed to be a little bit more on the tame side as it was pulled back in a long braid. Both of them were taller, though Ron much more so than Hermione, and both were wearing large grins.
"Kailey, Harry, how are you both? How were your summers?" Hermione asked, accepting a spoon from me out of the utensil jar that sat on the table. "How long have you been here?"
"We only just got here," I answered. "The twit over there forgot to write a response to you guys after we got permission," I added, giving Harry a mock glare which he returned.
"No way, Snape actually let you guys out of the castle?" Ron asked, failing to suppress a grin. "This is going to be great! He won't punish us or be as mean to us as usual," he added.
I laughed. "Please, Ron, what d'you think I did all summer? Worked on potions. I swear he taught me up to fifth year!"
"That's really lucky though," Hermione replied. "I mean, now I won't be the only one who understands what's going on," she added in response to the look the three of us had given her. "What a lovely change it will be going from just you three copying my work to the two of them copying us,"
"That's where you're wrong, Mione," I replied. "We are two very different kinds of friends and whereas I owe you for helping me, I don't owe either of them at all,"
"Very true," she replied. "I suppose we could let them do some of it themselves for once,"
"Uh, hello? We're sitting right here you know!" Ron said, giving us a wave to emphasize his point.
"Yes, you're there and I'm here," I answered. "But I think we should get a move on with this school shopping business." I said, throwing the now empty ice-cream bowl out into the trash.
We went to the book store first which may have turned out to be a mistake. Hermione disappeared after about two seconds so the rest of us paid for Ron's books before browsing around. Aside from the occasional shredding of pages from the Monster book of Monsters, the shop was quiet.
"Kailey, come and look at this," Harry called over to me. I walked over to see what he was pointing at. It was a book on death omens.
"Superstition, nothing more," I replied, dismissing the book immediately.
"No, I've seen that dog before," he answered, shaking his head. "That night, before the Knight Bus came, I saw one just like it," I raised an eyebrow. "Well it wouldn't be the first time I saw something nobody else did."
"You didn't see the grim, Harry," I said, shaking my head. "It's a myth."
"What did I see then?"
I shrugged. "Probably just a dog,"
"Are you sure it was a dog?"
"Harry, think about who you're talking to. Yes, it was a dog," I said. It was, after all, a true statement. "Now let's find Hermione and get out of here,"
After Flourish and Blotts we headed to the Apothecary where Hermione began to make use of my potions "expertise" as she had put it. She said that she didn't want to have to restock on the ingredients that we wouldn't be using and figured I would be able to help her. It didn't matter what I said because in the end she ended up restocking in everything anyway.
"Where to next?" Harry asked as we made our way out of the questionable smelling Apothecary, walking by the Quidditch store.
Without waiting for an answer from me or Hermione the boys turned to one another, grinned mischievously, and ran inside. Hermione and I shared an annoyed glance before going in
after them. We found them crowded around a case along with several other boys. Inside was the newest and supposedly fastest broom yet; the Firebolt.
"It's beautiful," Ron murmured.
"Magnificent," Harry agreed.
"It's a broom," I stated. The entire store seemed to go quiet and everyone turned to look at me, some glaring. "I mean…uh…I'm just gonna go…" Hermione followed me as I made a quick exist away from the mutinous looking Quidditch fanatics.
Not five minutes later the boys came back out of the store again. They were both looking as if they'd just been woken up from a really good dream and would've liked nothing more than to be asleep again.
"They figured out we were with you," Harry said before we could make any comments about their quick return.
"Yeah that and the price on the Firebolts are debatable, meaning it's more expensive than Diagon Alley," Ron added. "Doesn't matter, I've got to go to the pet store in any case. Egypt and Scabbers don't get along," he pulled out the thin, balding rat and I forced myself to take a small step back or else I may have cursed the traitor into oblivion.
"Kailey, you've been around him for two years, please tell me you're not still frightened by him?" Harry asked, grinning as we began heading for the pet shop.
"I can't help it," I replied, still eyeing the rat with distaste. "Something just isn't right about a balding rat," I added so that only Hermione could hear me.
"He's probably just old and sick. I think I'm going to buy myself a pet," she added. "My parents gave me some birthday money and I don't need any more books."
"What kind of animal?" Harry asked as we neared the pet shop.
"An owl I think. They're terribly useful and it would make communicating with my parents much easier." She answered thoughtfully.
"What about you, Kailey, are you ever going to get an owl?" Ron asked, holding the door open for the rest of us.
"What for? It can't fly across the ocean and if I end up spending every summer at Hogwarts I'll just borrow their owls," I answered as we approached the counter. "I may ask Snape if I can get a cat, though, so it's not so quiet,"
Ron began talking to the sales witch with Harry and Hermione began looking around the store. Along the walls were varying sizes and colors of jeweled eyes staring down. The smell was similar to the Owlery at Hogwarts combined with too much cat fur. Suddenly I felt something small rubbing up against my leg. I looked down to see a small black kitten with white tips on her tail and ears.
"Looks like you've got yourself an admirer," Hermione smiled as she walked over to where I was standing.
"Yeah," I agreed, picking up the small kitten and scratching behind its ears causing it to purr. "Oh, so cute," I cooed.
"You should get her," Hermione said. "Send a letter to your father and ask him,"
"I don't--"
Before I could finish my thought, Ron gave a loud yell as something orange and stripped landed on his head. As I turned towards the counter, the kitten began hissing and pawing towards that general direction.
"I am so sorry," the witch was saying. "Naughty Crookshanks, very naughty,"
Ron paid for Scabbers' medicine and he and Harry made a quick exit. Hermione, however, was looking at the cat with curiosity as she and I approached the counter, the little kitten still in my arms.
"How may I help you," the witch asked kindly, though a little out of breath.
"That cat, what was his name?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, Crookshanks? Yes, he's been with us for some time, poor dear," she said, rubbing the orange cat's ears as he laid himself out on the counter. "Why? Are you interested in him?"
Hermione grinned. "Yes, I'd like to get him, he's adorable,"
"He's yours then. I'll just have you pay for his food and box. And how may I help you?"
"Is this kitten for sale?" I asked, holding her up. She gave a little meow and pawed at the counter again.
"Yes, would you like her?"
"I would, but I've got to ask my dad, and he's at—home."
"No problem, you can floo him, we've got a fire for the impulse buyer right over there,"
After a quick argument with Snape, I managed to convince him that I would be less bothersome and more responsible if I had a pet to keep me company. That and Dumbledore's annoying twinkle won me my argument and two minutes latter Hermione and I were carrying our cats out in their cat-carriers.
"Finally, we were wondering what you were doing in there," Ron said, failing to notice the hissing noise from the basket Hermione was carrying.
"Your dad let you get a pet, Kailey?" Harry asked.
"I convinced him it would make me more responsible," I grinned.
"What are you going to name her?" Hermione asked as we all began heading back for the Leaky Cauldron.
"I think I'm going to call her…Whitetip," I said, holding the cage up to my eye level.
"That's…original," Hermione said, trying to hold in her laughter.
"Oh, please, at least my cat's name isn't goofy, like Crookshanks," I shot back with a grin. Hermione thought for a moment then shrugged, nodding her head.
"Wait, you got that—that—monster?" Ron asked, outraged. "It nearly scalped me!"
"Oh, Ron, Crookshanks didn't know what he was doing, did you?" She began cooing at Crookshanks and Ron's ears turned slightly pink.
"It was going to get Scabbers!" he added, digging said rat out of his pocket. "I think he lost more hair because of it," he added, prodding the shaking rat with his finger.
"Well, he is a cat, Ron, and I don't doubt that Kailey's cat will act the same," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "In fact, Whitetip was pawing at the counter the same time Crookshanks appeared," she added.
"But I thought you wanted an owl?" Harry asked, jumping in before either of them could get any angrier. I was too busy cooing at my kitten to notice just how bad their fight was coming along.
"I'll just use the school's owls to talk to my parents," she answered with a shrug.
We reached the Leaky Cauldron and Ron and Hermione carried their items upstairs and put them in their respective rooms. I put away Whitetip's things before carrying the kitten back down with me and sitting next to Harry who was talking to Percy about something.
"Security at the school is going to have to be very tight. I believe that Dumbledore made the right selection for Head Boy; I will not tolerate any nonsense this year," at these words I noticed Percy make a quick glance at the other end of the table where Fred and George were muttering things under their breath to each other.
"I doubt you'll have to do much, Percy, some rather unpleasant guests are going to be looking out for us," I stated, rubbing Whitetip's belly. "Dumbledore wouldn't tell me who, but he said that the ministry is providing the 'best creatures for the job'," I added.
Percy frowned and puffed up his chest. "Well I doubt they'll be expected to handle the students," I just shrugged and went back to doting on the kitten before I brought her back upstairs before dinner.
At dinner the Weasleys told Harry, Hermione and I numerous stories about Egypt and the ancient Egyptian wizards. A few photos were passed around and before dessert was over Percy's dish exploded in his face causing an uproar of laughter followed quickly by Fred and George being dismissed to go to bed. Not long afterwards the rest of us made our way upstairs. Ignoring the yelling coming from down the hall, I opened my door and Whitetip jetted out and made a beeline towards the stairs.
I ran after her and nearly knocked Harry, who was at the bottom of the stairs, over. He gestured for me to be quiet and held up my kitten, who was sniffing around in his hair. He pointed to the door and we leaned in to listen.
"Well, I agree with Fudge, Harry is too young and this would terrify him," Mrs. Weasley was saying. "There is no need for him to have this sort of thing hanging over his head,"
"He should be warned at the very least; I don't think Keena ever even mentioned Sirius to him," Mr. Weasley argued.
"And don't you remember what they've said in the papers about her recently? They think she had something to do with Black's escape. Apparently she escorted the minister to Azkaban a week before Black escaped. Not to mention the fact that she's all but disappeared,"
"Molly, you can't go saying that,"
"And why not? It's probably true, don't you remember how much involved the two of them were? Even if she wasn't in league with You-Know-Who, she would have done anything for Black. No it's far better that she never mentioned him to Harry,"
"I still think that Harry has a right to know,"
"Arthur Weasley, you will not breathe a word to the boy. If Dumbledore feels it necessary, he will tell him,"
A scraping of chairs signified the end of the conversation and Harry and I rushed down to where we had eaten earlier just as the elder Weasleys headed up to their room. Harry knelt down on the floor, hand shaking slightly; to retrieve a small, red vial of rat tonic before the two of us began making our way up the stairs. Two doors down from Ron and Percy's room we heard sniggering. The twins were huddled together listening to Ron and Percy's shouting match, holding a badge that had been enlarged ever-so-slightly and read 'Big-Headed Boy' in flashing gold letters.
"Is that the best you could come up with?" I asked, though I was having trouble suppressing my laughter. They both shrugged.
"We've tried to get in touch with Keena," George said. I noticed Harry's hands tightened into fists.
"But the letters just keep coming back to us," Fred finished.
"Any idea why, Harry?" George inquired.
"Apparently she's not in the country and is out of contact." Harry answered quickly, pretending to be examining the rat tonic in order to avoid more questioning.
"Damn," Fred said, shaking his head.
"We've got some really good prank ideas,"
"But we don't know if they've already been done,"
"We don't want to go down as repeat prankers,"
"It isn't very impressive,"
"Plus we want to be able to shock Dumbledore," George finished.
"Oh well,"
"I suppose we can always try to get Remus to tell us something," George suggested.
His twin snorted. "Yeah, right,"
"Good night," they said in unison before heading to their room leaving Harry and myself alone in the hallway.
We both stood there somewhat awkwardly for a moment before Harry leaned against the wall and slid into a sitting position on the floor. I knelt down next to him, unsure of what to say.
"Kailey, whose side, is she on? At least, which one is it supposed to be?" Harry asked in a choked whisper.
"Ours," I answered quietly. "She and Sirius both," I added.
"Next I suppose you'll tell me that Voldemort wants me to come over sometime for tea?" Harry all but sneered. "Why didn't she tell me about him if she thought he was still good?"
"Maybe no one believed her," I suggested. "Sort of like how you don't believe me right now,"
He looked up at me warily. "I trust you, Kailey, I just don't trust wherever it is you get your information from. I mean, it's been wrong before right? So why should I believe it now?"
"Because, so far, all the major things that I have said or known would happen, happened. Why won't you accept this? Wouldn't you rather everyone was wrong about this whole thing?"
"What I would like and the direction of the evidence are in two opposite directions right now. I've got to think this over a bit," he said standing up. I stood as well. "See you in the morning,"
"Think carefully, Harry,"
He nodded and we went into our rooms. I shut the door and waved my wand, lighting the candles (it was the only type of underage magic allowed out of Hogwarts). Suddenly Whitetip began hissing and clawing towards the closet.
I set her down gently, holding my wand steady as I approached the door. I slowly reached out my hand and turned the handle before I wrenched the door open. The only thing that kept me from screaming was a silencer sent my way.
Mwahaha! Cliff hanger (in the third chapter no less!)! Sorry, couldn't resist! Please review if you want an update! (you'll get one regardless but the time space might be shortened…) Up next is number 4!
:-D