Chapter 26

Hermione and Harry had come home for their winter break only to find that Lily had turned their entire home into a miniature version of what Hermione suspected the North Pole would look like if it were a real place. She's even charmed stuffed elves to walk around the house singing Christmas carols, much to Hermione's dismay.

Lily had for some unknown reason decided that she wanted to have a full house for Christmas Eve, despite Hermione's protests via correspondence when Lily had inquired about the small gathering. So now, Hermione found herself shut away in her room while she could hear her father and Ronald Weasley watching some sporting event on the television, Harry and Pansy had snuck off and were most likely having sex in the tool shed since Lily had done some charm to his doorway to not allow the two of them to go in there together.

The rest of the guests were a bunch of Harry's Gryffindor friends, because despite Lily insisting, Hermione had refused to invite anyone.

So, here she was, locked away in her room, avoiding the rambunctious party that Lily was hosting, trying to pretend like she was not pissed off at her mother. Hermione had been trying to reach Helen for a few weeks, to find out where she could send the gifts she'd gotten her.

Despite the fact that Helen was not the best mother in the world, Hermione still felt a sense of loyalty and dedication to the woman who birthed her. Can't choose your mom and all that.

There had been no response from the woman, and as Hermione looked across her room at the little box, she'd put together for her, Hermione's rotten mood deepened. Burying herself deeper into her thick blankets, Hermione pulled her knees to her chest and let herself cry over the mother she wished to have a relationship with but didn't.

It could have been a good hour of crying like that when something brushed against her leg, causing Hermione's tears to abruptly stop. When something pressed against her leg again, Hermione threw the blanket off her head. Looking around the empty room, Hermione was starting to think she was going insane, because everything was still.

Creeping out of the bed, unfolding each leg so that she was standing with her back to the door, Hermione slowly moved towards her only exit, scanning the space for the intruder. "Whoever's there," she called out, trying to remember where she put her wand, "show yourself and I won't have to curse you." She gave the empty threat, because without her wand she couldn't do anything to a ghost, and at the moment that was her current conclusion to what was happening.

Something brushed against her leg again, this time making Hermione yelp as she leapt into the air. When she fell to the ground in a heap against her door, still screaming, Hermione suddenly stopped when something large, fluffy, and orange jumped onto her chest.

Blinking, Hermione sat up straighter, looking at the most beautiful cat she'd ever seen. The squished face made its nose completely flat and only looked like two little slots and fur was sticking out in every direction, making the creature look like it had been tossed in a dryer. The bright orange eyes were intelligent and calculating as the cat studied her, as if sizing her up to make sure that they could be equals.

"And who are you?" Hermione asked, her heart filling with love as she ran her fingers through the soft fur.

The cat meowed, then turned and pulled out an envelope addressed to her. "You are a brilliant little thing aren't you," Hermione cooed, rubbing her face in the warm fur. Ripping into it, Hermione scanned the short letter. "Crookshanks?" she asked, looking at the cat who nodded his head, confirming his name. "Very fitting, how do you do? I'm Hermione," she said, scratching behind his ears with the introductions.

"Is everything okay?" Lily asked, rushing into the room, panicking as she looked around to see what the commotion was about. Hermione realized that her silencing charms must have fallen at some point, alerting the witch of the house to the chaos that was happening in her room. "Oh, what's he doing out?" She asked, spotting the cat curled up in Hermione's lap. "I thought I had him set up in a nice space until tomorrow," her stepmother said, coming into the room to pet Hermione's new cat.

"You got him for me?" Hermione was shocked at this revelation, because her father had always been adamantly against any pets in the house. Only agreeing to Harry getting his owl because when they were home, she spent most of the time or was out hunting was, therefore never bothering Richard.

"Well, Harry has Hedwig and I thought it was only fair that you would have a familiar as well." Lily told her, hands on her hips as she looked down at Hermione's new companion. "He must already feel a bond with you, because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to come to you. So clever aren't you," Lily cooed at Crookshanks, who purred his appreciation to the compliments he was receiving from the witches.

"Does dad know about him?" Hermione asked, rubbing her face into the soft fur as her new pet struggled in her grasp, trying to get away from her. "He always said a firm no against getting a cat."

"Oh, don't worry about your father. He knows and we've come to an understanding on the matter. Although, maybe keep him away from Ron. I don't know how many times he broke out of his carrier to attack him this morning, that's why I set him up in the mudroom with wards." Lily said but shrugged at the casual mention of Harry's best friend being mauled by the precious creature in Hermione's lap.

"I think I might love you even more," Hermione gushed at her new familiar. "Knowing the redheaded menace needs to be taken care of, oh yes, I think you deserve something special." Hermione told the cat, making Lily laugh as she walked out the door.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," the older witch said.

"Merry Christmas, Lily," Hermione told her, appreciating the woman just a bit more.