As the final day of summer break fades to an end, Danu sits on the edge of her borrowed bed and looks around the small room she has called home for the last month. This has been the first time in her short life that she has had a room of her own, she will miss it. There is still a quarter of an hour before it is official nightfall, a little over an hour before Snape arrives to ensure she is in her chambers. Danu decides to go for a final walk around Hogsmeade.
On the first day of her Hogsmeade stay, Snape had warned her not to wander off, and she took it quite literally. It was nearly two weeks before she could muster up the courage to ask him if she could go for walks; he stared at her like she had two heads, then laughed as he told her that he did not care what she did, as long as she was in that room by the time he arrived.
Danu's feet carry her to her usual evening spot; a small garden behind The Three Broomsticks. Large pots of culinary herbs litter the area, desperate for upkeep. Lilac shrubs grow large and out of control, having been weeks since their final bloom of the year, their secret beauty is now a mystery to the untrained eye. English lavender pops up sporadically, their deep purple heads reaching her hip. Danu closes her eyes and lifts her head to the setting sun and places her hands just above the heads of the lavender, letting the strong evening breeze flutter the plants oils against her palms. A rustling pulls her from her tranquility, a tiny scream causes her to drop to her hands and knees and begin carefully separating the low hanging branches of the lilac shrub. She spots the intruder cowering close to the trunk of the shrub and reaches for it; it hisses and swats at her hand but is too slow. She wraps her fingers around the tiny kittens midsection and gently lifts it from the ground, she hugs it to her chest and sits down in the dirt as the little creature trembles and screams.
Danu looks around, hoping the mother is close by, but sees nothing. She clutches the screeching fuzz ball closer to her chest and looks down at it. The kitten is black with huge paws and long downy fur that sticks up in every direction, giving it the appearance of a cartoon cat that was struck by lightning. It's little tail a quivering numb on its otherwise chubby body, she flips him over quickly to catch a glimpse, a boy. As she shushes him and rubs the pad of her thumb between the kittens eyes, he begins to quiet down.
"Where is your mommy, little guy?" No answer.
"Did you get lost? I'll take care of you, don't worry." She loses track of how long she sits in the dirt, stroking the kittens soft head. A strong breeze blows through the garden, wafting the scent of lavender with it, the faint scent of cloves follows.
"Put the cat down, Miss Black." Danu jumps slightly at the intrusion but has grown used to Snape sneaking up on her. Snape stares down at her in the dirt, he offers her his hand, and she takes it, pulling herself up to her feet, the kitten still clutched to her chest.
"But, he's all alone."
"I am sure it is quite capable of being on its own. Put it down."
"Can't I keep it?" She asks, looking down at the little kitten cupped in her hands.
Snape pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head as if she has just said the most ridiculous thing he has ever heard. "No, Miss Black, you cannot keep it."
"Why? You are allowed cats at Hogwarts."
"You are hardly in any position to care for a cat, the thing is probably lousy with fleas, and who knows what else. Besides, its mother is likely searching for it." Snape stands straight and proud, towering over her, as if using every bit of his intimidation power to force her to put the cat down, but she stays strong.
"I can get rid of fleas, plus, his mother isn't around."
"It is likely someone's pet then. Put. It. Down."
"If it were someone's pet, they would be out here searching for it. I haven't seen or heard anyone."
"Why must you insist on being difficult?" She is beginning to wear him down; she can feel it.
Before Snape can stop her, she turns from him and practically sprints around the building and to the front of The Three Broomsticks, she rushes through the door with Snape hot on her heels. A few patrons linger at tables near the back of the pub, the place has been quieter with school starting back soon. She spots Madam Rosmerta behind the bar, and rushes towards her before Snape gets to her first.
"Madam Rosmerta!" She says, a little too loudly, all heads turn towards her. "Is this your kitten?" She thrusts the tiny body towards the landlady, who takes it from her hands with a smile.
"No, Mis Black, it is not."
"Can I keep it in my room, just for the night? Please?" Madam Rosmerta ponders for a moment, glancing between her and an amused looking Snape, and finally relents, passing the tiny, hissing kitten back to her waiting hands. Danu thanks her and rushes up the stairs, the thud of Snape's boots right behind her. In her room, she places the kitten on the bed and drops to her knees in the floor, resting her chin on the bed, she wiggles her fingers on the mattress for the kitten to pounce on and bat with his tiny paws.
"Proud of yourself, Miss Black?" Snape asks, looming over her, scowling.
Danu grins up at him and nods her head. Snape whirls around and slams the door hard enough to rattle the empty Firewhisky bottle on the bedside table.
Danu gives the kitten a bath with her shampoo in the bathroom sink, all while the little creature scratches her with the force of a lion. Snape was right, there were fleas, they sink to the bottom of the dingy water as she pulls the kittens dripping body from it. She dries the cat quickly with her wand and places him on the floor to explore, while trying out a number of names for the little beast, none of them fitting. He makes a beeline for her formal dress hanging on the back of the bathroom door, it's long skirt barely skimming the ground obviously the perfect toy in the cats mind. Danu tucks the bottom of the dress into the hanger to keep away from the cat and lays on her stomach on the bed with her latest borrowed book in front of her, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Before long, the kitten begins to whine, she brings it up on the bed with her, he quickly snuggles in under her neck and falls asleep.
The door to her room opens, and Snape stands in the doorway with a box under his arm. She pushes herself up on to her elbows while still lying on her stomach as he places the box on to the foot on the bed. The kitten stretches, then curls back up into a ball against her chest. Snape stares down at the sleeping cat suspiciously as she tips the box towards her to look inside without waking the kitten. Inside is several cans of wet kitten food, a small silver bowl, a vial which she knew to be flea repellent, and a toy mouse.
"Have you named the filthy thing?" Snape asks, leaning against the door frame.
Danu thinks for a moment, glancing down at the cat, and it hits her.
"Bram."
"Bram? As in, Bram Stoker?" Snape stalks forward and plucks the opened book from the bed, reading aloud where she had left off. "That I may die now, either by my own hand or that of another, before the greater evil is entirely wrought. I know, and you know, that were I once dead you could and would set free my mortal spirit, even as you did my poor Lucy's. Were death, or the fear of death, the only thing that stood in the way I would not shrink to die here, now, amidst the friends that love me. But death is not all. I cannot believe that to die in such a case, when there is hope before us and a bitter task to be done, is Gods will. Therefore, I, on my part, give up the certainty of eternal rest, and go out in to the dark where may the blackest things that the world and netherworld holds!" Snape slams the book shut and tosses it on to the bed before returning to his post in the doorway.
"Touching." He mutters, dryly.
"Well, you're the one who brought it to me." She finds herself matching his dry humor and sarcasm more often these days, whether it be boredom or a desire to see just how far she can push him. It has not escaped her notice that he treats her differently than he is known to treat others.
"How much do I owe you for this?" She gestures towards the box of cat supplies, Snape simply shakes his head, still glaring at the sleeping cat as if it personally ruined his life.
Shortly before sunset on September first, Danu finds herself standing next to a carriage to be brought back to Hogwarts as hundreds of students move around her. Snape instructed her to be on the trains platform and out of sight as the Hogwarts Express rolled into the station. She was to stay as inconspicuous as possible and try her best to file in with the other students so as to not draw attention to herself, the goal here was to not give any of the other students any indication that she had been in Hogsmeade all summer long.
Danu takes her usual seat at the Ravenclaw table, Bram stretches out on his back on her lap and falls asleep, the girl next to her with blonde hair a dazed look on her face reaches out and strokes his stomach before smiling up at Danu warmly. Danu returns the smile and listens intently as the girl warns her of the dangers of Wrackspurts, which, apparently, are known to make kittens go mad.
The Sorting Ceremony ends with a roar of applause as the students begin to pile their plates high with food. Danu and the girl next to her, whom she learns is named Luna, continue their conversation while grazing at their plates. The two of them seem to have the same appetite, fruit, pastry, pudding. Suddenly, the room quiets. Danu and Luna stop talking abruptly and look towards the front of the Great Hall where Dumbledore has taken his place behind his podium.
"So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it." Dumbledore begins his speech, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as they are so known to do.
Dumbledore introduces a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Moody. The man stands and bows, then takes a long swig from a flash he pulls from his cloak pocket before sitting back down. Danu glances a few seats down from Professor Moody and spots Snape, his eyes fixed on the new professor. Students around her begin to giggle, they gossip about Snape's undoubted jealousy towards Moody for "stealing" his position. Just then, Moody shifts his gaze towards the Ravenclaw table. The candle illuminated the dozens of scars across his face, a large chunk missing from his nose, and a fake eye that whirls and spins in the socket. Danu gasps involuntarily before immediately feeling guilty.
Danu's attention is drawn back to Dumbledore, who is in the middle of telling them about a tournament. She had missed the first portion of his explanation, and looks towards Luna to help her out, but it is of no use. Luna is fidgeting in her seat, humming a tune while looking up at the ceiling. She had heard none of the speech. Dumbledore goes on to explain that students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining in the castle until the end of term. They must welcome the guests with open arms, and support the winner of the tournament, even if they are not a Hogwarts student.
Students begin to clap and cheer, ones around her whisper excitedly about entering. Others scoff and say that it is unfair that you must be seventeen to enter. Dumbledore cuts them all off with a clap of his hands and sends them up to their dorms.
Danu stands to leave, clutching Bram to her chest, when she feels a hand slip in to her own; it is Luna. She smiles at Danu, and the two of them make their way up to Ravenclaw Tower while Luna speaks excitedly about Nargles.
"They think I'm a bit odd, you know." Says Luna, gesturing towards the other students lounging in the common room as the two of them part ways outside of the seventh year dormitories, "Some people call me, 'Loony' Lovegood, actually."
"Oh, Luna. I don't think you're odd. I think you're brilliant."
"That's nice." Luna says with a smile, spinning towards her own dorm.
Luna and Danu had become fast friends over the course of several weeks since term began. The morning following their meeting, she presented Danu with a strip of blue beads with a Butterbeer cork attached to it for Bram. Luna went on to explain that it kept the Nargles from infesting his thick black fur and hung it proudly from Bram's neck. Bram, however, was not a fan of the necklace and spent most of his time gnawing at the cork. Luna often volunteered to keep an eye on Bram while she had her study time with Snape. Danu would often wake in the mornings to find Bram missing, only to spot him leaving Luna's dorm when she emerged from her own. Danu didn't mind, though, he was happy to share Bram with Luna, as he seemed to make her incredibly happy. Secretly, Danu was mostly happy to have a friend outside of Professor Snape, even if it took adopting a kitten to achieve that.
Danu stands in her usual spot in Snape's potions room chopping lavender for Calming Drought as Snape weighs out crocodile hearts on a brass scale.
"Where is your cat, Miss Black?" Snape asks, not taking his eyes off his work.
"Bram is with Luna while I'm here. She's actually an excellent baby-sitter."
"Loony Lov-"
"Don't call her that!" Danu snaps, a bit harshly. Snape cuts his eyes at her and scoffs.
"Luna is lovely. I enjoy her company."
The two of them continue working in comfortable silence, it is only when the Calming Drought turns a light blue that Snape clears his throat and turns to her.
"I'm sure you are aware that St. Mungo's has an internship for seventh year students."
"Yes, but I was under the impression that it was strictly for Healers."
"Ordinarily, yes. The headmaster has taken the liberty to write to St Mungo's on your behalf, requesting an internship."
Danu's heart leaps with joy and a smile spreads across her face. Dumbledore would do this for her. After what she had done over the summer, she feared he had decided that she was too flighty.
"Don't get too excited, Miss Black. He has not received a response as of yet. I will inform you when he does."
"Thank you, Professor."
The two of them return to the cauldron and begin bottling the potion to bring up to the hospital wing. She realizes, suddenly, that she would be sad to not see Snape every day. Since term began, he has produced an excuse nearly every day to have her down in the dungeon brewing. She even mentioned the outdated potions book she had read in the Shrieking Shack, and he showed her the updated version of it, going as far as special ordering ingredients from Diagon Alley for some of the potions. Danu feels at peace with Snape, almost as she had with Hagrid, minus the hugs and laughter. The closeness has not stopped him from calling her out in his class, nor acting as if he despises her in front of other students, but she is no longer terrified of him. She must admit, the two of them do work well together. She will miss these moments most of all when she finishes term in a few short months.