Hermione
Harry didn't buy a purple suit. But he did visit the shop long enough to check prices. He promised himself that he wouldn't be back there until he stopped growing.
He tried muggle stores next. The ones that Aunt Petunia took Dudley should have worked fine, except they kicked him out for having Nim with him. Not like he had much choice in the matter anymore. It made him so angry that they discriminated against cats, or cat owners, like that. But he also realised that they might just be concerned she'd try to climb up the merchandise and leave most of it in tatters.
He thought about wearing his cloak in and doing all his shopping then taking it off right when he was ready to pay, but he wasn't sure where or how to put Nim.
Unexpectedly, the second time he got escorted out by the same employee, he took Harry aside and muttered, "I've seen how well behaved your cat is, and you remind me a lot of my younger step-sister, so … well anyway, I realise how unfair the company policy is, and I'm sorry that I have to enforce it. Err … I guess it's not a real apology if I can't promise to act different in the future but … Anyway, I don't know whether you're keeping your cat with you because you don't have anywhere safe to leave it. Or because you need a comfort animal at all times or what. But … when I was a bit older than you, I worked in a thrift store not that far from here. We had … homeless people and people with mentally difficulties all the time. They won't kick you out for needing help, that's what they're there for."
Harry bristled to be called crazy homeless person, but he recognised that the man was in fact trying to help. Harry stared to the side for several seconds, then he nodded. "Thank you for understanding, for half the day I'd started to think that it was the rest of the world that had gone crazy."
The man shrugged, "I won't say the system isn't broken, I'm just saying that I'm just a cog in the machine. You … maybe I envy you a little bit if you've found a way to break free."
"Not really," said Harry, "Just too young for anyone to legally employ, I mean … err I guess I do know all about being cast into a mould that doesn't fit me."
"You're not really crazy are you?"
"Not to my knowledge," said Harry.
"Then what's with the cat?"
"I rescued her, now I'm her comfort animal."
Nim tensed a little, Harry winced a little.
"Oh," said the man, "But surely you can lock—"
But that's as far as he got before Nim tensed snarled and hissed.
He took a step back.
"Nim is very intelligent," said Harry.
"I've heard of dogs that can understand a few words but…"
"Nim has way too much experience with certain bad words," said Harry.
"Poor girl," said the man. And stared at her for several moments, "Do you have a license for her yet?"
"What?"
"It used to be all the rage to have a big cat for a pet, but … well a lot of people got them because they calculated that they had the money to feed them, but then realised that they didn't have the space to let them roam or the money to repair everything they tore up or marked, with the result that enough of them got locked in cages much too small. The government in their infinite wisdom said 'from now on licenses are required,' so instead of buying one and realising it was a mistake and locking it up, people have to prove they have enough resources provide the cat a healthy environment before they can get a license. A lot of people figured out that they couldn't afford to comply and just took their pets into the country and released them. Now we have a wild cat population in an island country that never had wild cats here naturally. Farmers got mad of course, so did the government … So now … there might also be grants if you can show that you rescued her, and she's formed an attachment, but that you can't quite afford to keep her."
"Hmm," said Harry.
"Then again, they might say you're under-age and tell you to surrender her to one of the rescue shelters specially designed for cats like her, and help you get transportation to volunteer there as often as possible."
"If we weren't so attached, I might consider that," said Harry.
The man nodded, "good luck, you know."
"Thanks," said Harry.
"And I know it's summer right now, but you might consider a denim jacket so she doesn't tear your other clothes up so bad with the shoulder riding thing."
"Good thinking," said Harry.
.
In the thrift store everyone gave Harry a wide birth, almost like they weren't paid enough to deal with him, or as the other clerk had said, homeless people shopped there all the time and brought their pets with, so he got slacks and trainers that fit, even a pair of jeans. He tried on the denim and leather jackets but all of them were even more oversized on Harry than the castoffs from Dudley that he normally wore. But at second hand prices, he decided to buy the smallest too-big jacket anyway, and see if he could get a re-sizing charm to work on it. It might even be extra protective for having been shrunk.
.
Back in Diagon again he did some more exploring, feeling oddly relieved to be back among people who didn't look at him askance for walking around with some sort of mini-lioness on his shoulder. Whenever he found a shop selling something required for school he went ahead and bought what he needed, he wasn't systematic about it, that wasn't the point, exploring was the point. Being free of the chore schedule his relatives set down, also being free of the study schedule Hogwarts set down. Not that he'd ever payed too much attention to that anyway. There was always Hermione to make him read more than the coursework demanded. Also to find interesting non-coursework for him to read. Maybe that was why Ron never wanted to read what she was interested in, he'd already heard about it from being from a magical family.
When his route took him past The Magical Menagerie, he stepped in to see if they could identify what breed Nim was, but they just said, "Half-Kneazle mix, not sure what with." So that was useless. Once the clerks were ignoring him again, he greeted the snakes and went out. Nim paid close attention to him, and seemed to immediately divine that he wasn't hissing to rebuke her.
Smart cat.
Almost back to the Leaky, Harry decided to step into Flourish and Blots to see if they had a book on cat breeds. Not only did they, but not three titles away were books on 'bonding with your familiar' the next shelf down had two books on 'interpreting animal dreams' and below that, 'an illustrated guide to identifying your animagus form'. Harry knew from leafing through his third year transfiguration book that the animagus transform was an advanced and dangerous form of living to living self-transfiguration. Much more dangerous than apparition, most mages didn't learn it.
He leafed through the book, at first it seemed trippy mostly grey-scale images, then on the next page, the same image with coloured lines drawn around the fuzzy blobs explaining what is being seen. What different animals saw when they looked in the mirror. No wonder! The only images from Hedwig he'd ever really made sense of was flying through falling snow, and stealth dive bombing mice and other small protein sources. Almost without prompting Nim offered him an image of herself sitting on the bathroom counter in his suite glancing back and forth between Harry through the shower curtain, Harry through the shower curtain and the mirror, and herself in the mirror.
Now that he was primed to understand what a cat might be seeing, he could interpret the images.
He wasn't used to seeing himself from below, and in washed out colours, and … did she really see his face as that cat-shaped? Or were her eyes really as bad as the pictures in the books made them out to be. Maybe the trade off to be able to see in the dark really did cut down on acuity in other regards. She seemed to find the edges of things by moving her eyes rather than paying attention to the colours.
Or maybe it was an affect of the oblong slit of her eyes.
It raised the unanswerable philosophical question, how did the real world differ from the images of the world that his own eyes could see.
Nim sneezed.
"I'm glad you're amused," said Harry drily.
She hopped down and walked deeper into the shop. Harry re-shelved the books that weren't what he was looking for and followed her.
When he found her, she was in what he'd come to think of as the 'grown up' part of the shop, no adventure stories, no text books, just manuals for everything you could think of, and some that you'd rather not.
She was sniffing around the base of several books on the second shelf up. When he bent down to catch her, she ducked wrong way around his hand and went back to sniffing that book. He glanced at the title. Some unknown script, possibly Babylonian. Well he certainly wouldn't get anything from trying to read that.
He pulled it out a couple inches to see if she was sniffing the book or the shelf.
The book. He pulled it farther out and the book next to it came with, they weren't stuck together exactly, just that the Babylonian book had a rubbery texture to the raised ink of the title. And it pulled the next book with it.
The next book's title was in English but arranged across the cover in the exact same design as the first. He flipped to the title page, yup a translation of the other. Advanced Research into Transfiguration of Living Things.
He put the Babylonian version back and held the English translation out to Nim, she rubbed her cheek on it.
"Do you want me to become an animagus?" said Harry, "Or do you just like books that smell like happy cats?"
Nim purred and jumped into his lap.
"Or did you just interpret everything I just said as an invitation to nap while I read?"
Nim purred harder and walked in a circle and laid down.
"Damn it, Nim, I'm not even sitting down, just crouched on the floor to see what you were sniffing at."
Nim sneezed.
"You're asking for it," said Harry, and picked her up (a little roughly), and made his way far enough out of the grown up section to find enough light, and a comfy chair and table.
He decided he'd a least try to get far enough into the book to learn what it was about and decide if he could even make any use of it before seventh year or whenever. Nim was content for him to be sitting still and letting her lounge.
And that's where Hermione found him.
"Harry?"
"Hermione, Hello!" said Harry, putting down his book. "I'd do the 'jump up and hug you thing,' but … Nim."
"No, you wouldn't," Hermione glanced them over. "You do look particularly possessed at the moment. The cat is a better excuse than anything you normally come up with."
Nim perked up and stared at her.
"Is he one of the shop cats, or is he yours?"
"She's mine," said Harry.
Nim purred.
"I call her Nim, short for Lady Nimrodina, victorious in battle, and of the sharp claws."
Hermione smiled, "a big name for a big cat."
Nim perked up farther. So Hermione gave her a head scritch.
"Where did you get her?"
"I found her … behind / next to Magical Menagerie on Diagon, and next to / behind Urgent Unguents on Cornish Way, getting bullied and chased by a slightly smaller slightly uglier orange monster."
Nim hissed.
"Alright, have it your way," said Harry, "a much uglier, orange tabby-kneazle mix. Are you happy now?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway," said Harry, "I offered her a snack and help getting the spilled potion out of her fur and she followed me home."
"Sensible cat," said Hermione.
"She is," agreed Harry, "That was Sunday, Sunday night, Hedwig woke up and they had a row, before I finally convinced them to either sit still for pettings or go out to hunt, they did some of each. Then last night they graduated to a hunting competition, and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse. But at least the hunting competition seems friendly and quiet compared to the row."
"What do you mean a hunting competition?"
"Hedwig brings home mice or beetles or locusts sometimes, I presume to mother me into eating more. Last night there were six, two on the windowsill and four by the door."
"Oh dear," said Hermione.
"Anyway, she'll sit in my lap for story time or ride on my shoulder for shopping. Or run along beside for exploratory expeditions."
Nim was back to purring, but she was still watching Hermione. Hermione took this as permission to administer more pettings. Nim did not object.
"Sooo," said Hermione, "you read to her?"
"Not usually out loud," said Harry, "Though I do that sometimes too, mostly just read in my head, sort of … aimed at the part where I … feel like snuggling or feel like flying."
"What do you mean?"
Harry shrugged, "I had Hedwig before I learned to fly on a broom, so, I'm not certain, but … I think I liked it so much from previously sharing flying dreams with Hedwig."
"Oh!" said Hermione.
Harry shrugged again, "I've had only one Nim prowling dream. And a couple things that I don't know whether to classify them as daydreams or sent images, or just … leaked through images."
"Like mind reading or telepathy?"
"Not like either of those things I don't think," said Harry, "yes, like telepathy in the sense of mind-to-mind contact. But no, about … different species of animals having all that much compatibility of thoughts."
"So intermittent telepathy with an alien?"
"Exactly," said Harry, "Little furry or feathery alien, but yes. There's a book over on the animal shelf you should see."
"Where?"
"Nim? May I get up and show her?"
Nim growled.
"The one of animals looking at themselves in mirrors," explained Harry.
Nim hopped down and led the way.
"Is she really that … did she just lead the way?" said Hermione, "she knew which book you meant?"
"Yeah," said Harry extracted and handed over the book.
Hermione started opened to the introduction.
"Oh, don't read it from the beginning," said Harry, "Just look at several of the pictures. You'll get the idea."
Hermione glared at him, apparently affronted.
"It's a reference work," said Harry, "you don't read the encyclopedia from the beginning?" When she didn't immediately shake her head, he stared at her in horror, "do you?"
"Not generally," she said, "I though I did try that once. I'd heard of someone who'd done that. But it was in the context of him being stuck alone in a blizzard for three months and running out of everything else to read."
"Oh."
"Anyway, the instructions for how they arrange entries and how to interpret them is usually at the beginning." She flipped one page studied for three seconds, "seems simple enough."
Hermione took a deep breath and flipped a quarter of the way through the book, she stared at it several different angles, then flipped the page to read the answers. She flipped back and looked again, then went on to the next page. About five pages later she put the book down. "I'm not sure," she said, "if this ought to be more use figuring out how to understand images leaking through from your familiar, or how to identify your animagus form, as it claims. After all, if you can already transform, you could just get your friendly neighbourhood Creevey™ to take a picture of you, then transform back and review a regular species identification guide."
Harry put his hands up, "I'm not arguing."
Hermione shrugged.
"Oh, I forgot," said Harry, "flip over to snowy owl while we have that out."
Hermione did, it was about what Harry expected, almost completely grey scale, but very sharp focus, except a slight blur of motion and … oh wow, that wasn't a mirror that was a lake.
"Stars and trees and an owl, over a lake," said Harry.
Hermione flipped the page, "it just delineates the owl. Points out which markings help identify the breed."
Harry shrugged.
"But yes, in flight."
Nim mewed.
"Right," said Harry, "do you want to sit with us, or do you have shopping to finish quickly?"
"Both and neither," said Hermione, "Mom works weekends (and charges triple or something) and takes Tuesday off instead. And every second or third week, she brings me here for more books."
"Oh, nice," said Harry.
"She stays to read sometimes too, mostly histories and social commentaries, but some medical also."
Hermione yawned and turned in place apparently to orient herself to the shop, "I'll just grab some things and bring them back to go over and choose."
"Sounds good," said Harry and watched her disappear among the stacks. He turned back to his comfy chair. But then paused. He'd come into the shop to find a reference work on cat breed identification. He retrieved the recommended volume and went and sat down again.
By the time Hermione reappeared he was manhandling Nim onto her back so he could examine something abstract about the way her toe joints connected to her foot. (Biologists were apparently very weird people.) Nim oddly enough seemed into it.
"Harry, What are you doing to that poor cat?"
"Verifying dorsal flexor tendons or some such," said Harry, "There's a picture in the book."
"Why?"
"I think she's … some kind of 'serval,' except her spots are white instead of black."
"That's a not unusual trait for things crossed with white kneazle."
"I think if she was a kneazle-cross, she'd be smaller."
"She's not that … Oh, depending on what size her species is without that cross?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"Hmm, alright, I'm not going to argue." said Hermione, "Her long thin limbs amuse me, most cats aren't like that."
"That's apparently also common in another swamp-and-jungle cat that they share some range with, something about better for wading through swamps. And there are bits of expected personality that sort of sound like dogs. Although now that I know they hunt in swamps, the 'not minding damp feet but liking baths after' seems a lot less like a dog trait."
"Does she play fetch?"
"Not sure, I'll have to try later," said Harry, "I think her cooperative hunting style would be more like search and point." Or maybe that's her 'teaching kitten to hunt' style.
"Fair enough, What's your other book?"
"I think it's 'everything you should know to decide if you want to become an animagus.' I swear if you ask a pureblood about an animal they expect you want to brew it into a potion, have it for a familiar, turn into it, or send people subtle insulting messages by insinuating that they can turn into one."
"About like plants then," said Hermione, "except the bit about turning into them. Except then it's about turning other plants into them."
"They have a way of subtly insulting people with potion ingredients?" said Harry, "wait …of course they do."
Hermione nodded, "did you ever go back and try to interpret what Snape quizzed you on on the first day of classes?"
"Huh, what? No, this is the first time I ever realised that it could be interpreted another way."
Hermione hopped up and ran through the stacks, a minute later she was back, (and being trailed by a clerk telling her not to run in the book shop) "Here!" she said breathlessly and resumed her seat.
"You think I remember all these years later?" Harry muttered and closed his eyes, after a few seconds it came back to him, "What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" he flipped through, both meanings were somewhat violent, but there was a clear difference between … a saving people thing and a … staying away from people thing? Well he did have both of those characteristics, depending on circumstances and if he'd had enough to eat and drink lately.
What was the other? asphodel and wormwood.
Asphodel had to do with death or mourning, but was technically a kind of lily. Wait what?
So Snape still missed Mum even after she was dead?
Did that even make sense? Were they even ever friends? Maybe just … 'I regret someone died' might not be about … anyone Harry knew. Given the potion that could be brewed with them, it was all about death, but also about not dying, or rejecting the need to kill or something. Was it … "I'm sorry that the dark lord died, if you're so all blasted powerful, couldn't you have survived some other way?" Damn, Snape was messed up in the head.
Or he just had the same obsession with power or with the powerful that all the slytherins seemed to have.
Or was that, "the dark lord isn't really dead, that's just an illusion." But whether that counted as 'Fair warning' or as 'gloating' I can't tell.
Harry sighed and pushed the book away, and just for a moment he'd almost thought …
Stupid flower language, you could only say so much, the rest had to be from context. He flipped back to the instructions, detailed but vague. Almost like interpreting dreams again.
A gift of a flower means one thing, with slight variations for whether it's a cutting or a live plant. Owning and growing them means something different. Brewing them in potions probably means a bunch of other things, depending on what else is in the potion.
Harry almost wouldn't be surprised if potions were actually just spells that used ingredients for syllables and stirs for grammar and … no that was wards and inscriptions not spells, but whatever.
Harry pushed the book away again, "I'd rather learn something nice and straightforward for a change, like … like German."
Hermione glanced up blinked several times and then giggled.
Harry smiled.
"Was that just to see if I was paying attention?"
"Were you?"
"Not really," said Hermione, "but futhark is one of the first two alphabets to master in Ancient Runes."
"Oh, OK," said Harry, "But … what's it good for?"
"Wards and inscriptions," said Hermione.
"I've heard that," said Harry, "What are wards and inscriptions good for, other than apparently, making sure no one apparates into your house?"
"Theoretically anything you can imagine, you can express in runes, a lot more versatile than charms, and optionally more permanent. But harder to cast repeatedly, that's why they're generally used to protect buildings and luggage that you might keep for decades, whereas charms are used for clothing that you're only going to wear for a year or two. And anyway, it's not like we can cast most of the permanent forms until NEWT year anyway."
"Hmm," said Harry, "Yeah, I see."
Hermione stared at him.
"Hmm," said Harry again, that seemed significantly more useful than divination. Option 1, waste his time, but be sure that no one could condemn him for how he wasted it, except people already were condemning him and he hadn't even taken the class yet. Option 2, study something potentially useful, rumoured to be hard, but also rumoured to have one of the best teachers at school. One of the best teachers since the headmaster stopped teaching transfiguration. The material could be three times 'harder' than potions and still be easier to learn if the professor was better at teaching that material.
Hermione tilted her head.
No matter what he decided it would be better to look before leaping. Which is precisely what he didn't do last time.
"Do you have your shopping list on you?"
"What?" said Hermione.
"I want to look at the ancient runes text, see if it looks like something I can manage," said Harry, "I don't know why I didn't think of that before."
"I haven't received my letter yet, seems like it's about a week late."
Harry sighed, there went that idea.
"But I did review the books first, the library has a full set of all the standard texts right by Madam Pince's desk. I can show you… Or you can find it over in the back-to-school text book section."
"Right," said Harry.
It wasn't very hard to find, he took it back to his chair and sat down. As far as memorising arbitrary meanings for things went, it wasn't that much different than flowers. According to the first chapter, most everything they'd be doing for quite some time was translating other people's inscriptions. That seemed fine. Less likely to blow up before you know what you're doing than potions. Then in the second half of the year they'd get into spotting common mistakes. And anyway, the whole time they'd be practising runes, both with quill on parchment, and carving with a knife on leather or metal plate, and rumours of with a chisel into stone in the coming years. Nice.
"I think," said Harry, putting the book down, "I'm going to attempt the most Slytherin letter of my life."
Nim purred and stood and stretched. Which is when Harry realised that the lap she was snuggled in was Hermione's not his own. Weird sensation … but whatever.
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"What about?" said Hermione.
"For once in my life, I'm going to attempt to have an ambition, also lean on my connection to the power of the Deputy Headmistress, to further my ambition."
Hermione looked sick and repulsed for a second and a half, and then grinned, and glanced at the runes text.
Harry nodded.
Hermione grinned wider, "it's about damn time."
"Thanks," said Harry.
"Come on Nim, let's go tickle sleeping dragons."
No, no, 'it's help comes to those who ask.'
Same difference.
It's really not.
We're talking about Deputy Headmistress McGonagall.
Oh, right.
"Are you coming back here after?" said Hermione.
"Yes," said Harry, "and … even if I miss you, I'll in check here on Tuesdays, if I can, between all my other pressing engagements."
"I like the sound of that," she said.
"Were you going to buy either of these?"
Don't need either of the species identification books, Might as well get the transfiguration manual even if I won't understand the second half until next year.
Or I could get the forth year transfiguration textbook also.
And read it when?
Until school starts and they start making me write essays to prove that I understood what I read, as if we can't understand things without writing essays about them.
He put the reference books back and bought the grown up transfiguration book and asked the clerk to verify that the runes book he'd found was the third year runes book. The clerk glared at the ceiling and muttered something about the upcoming school year finishing on an even number, then said that this year it was the third and fourth runes book, and for the next year they'd have the exact same book, but with Greek characters and their meanings instead. Oi what a way to teach things.
But that meant they'd have review with all the rune carving skills, while only learning one alphabet at a time. That might be very wise, all things considering. Also it meant combined third and fourth year classes, which could mean longer time slots for both. Or more time off for the teacher, if it was as hard as they said maybe the teacher needed more prep time anyway.
.
Back in his suite Harry composed a letter to Professor McGonagall, rewrote it once, resisted the urge to take it down and let Hermione correct it. Then gave it to Hedwig to deliver.
Hedwig gave him an appreciative look, and Nim a superior look, then she flew off.
.
Now what?
Nim hopped on the bed and stared forlornly between him and the stacks of books on the nightstand and on the rickety dresser by his trunk.
"Reading here, or in the book shop with Hermione?" said Harry.
Nim sent him a grainy grey picture of what was probably him and Hermione both reading, on the bed. Harry wasn't sure if Nim just didn't comprehend any limits on the flexibility of human limb joints, or if the point was just implying that two humans would make a better cat bed than one.
"It's nice to know I'm not the only one with impossible desires," said Harry.
Nim sneezed, turned to stare at the door, and crouched in the middle of the bed. Ready for him to curl up with a book, ready to dash to the corner of the bed and leap onto his shoulder if he went out to find Hermione.
It took him all of ten seconds to decide to hang out with Hermione. Nim didn't hesitate to add a new set of holes to his robes.
.
By the time they re-entered Flourish and Blot's, Hermione had relocated to a different table, also occupied by a middle-aged witch deeply engrossed in a book of her own.
Hermione didn't even look up until he put down his new selection, then she said, "Oh, Hi Nim, Harry."
The middle aged witch looked up, as if to reprimand them for talking in the library. Except this wasn't a library and …
"Mom, this is Harry Potter and his cat Nimroda, of the sharp claws."
Nim purred.
"Nimrodina," corrected Harry, "Nim to her friends."
"Well hello," said the woman, apparently not a witch, though she seemed to carry off the clothing style quite well.
"Harry, my mother."
"Glad to meet you," said Harry.
"Likewise," said Hermione's Mum, "I've heard so much about you."
Harry's eyes widened involuntarily.
"Mostly about you rushing in to save the day a lot."
Harry shrugged, "I don't think I do anything that everyone else wouldn't do, it's just been luck that I managed first, or whatever."
They stared at each other, "So … you think that you're not all that heroic, just overcame the bystander effect fastest?"
"Huh?" said Harry, "or maybe I'm just … I don't know, paranoid or curious enough that I notice problems and solutions before other people get done noticing problems."
"Oh," said Mrs. Granger, "that is different, I was about to say something about most of heroism is overcoming the bystander effect fastest. But you seem to think your success has more to do with some kind of intelligence gathering or engineering acumen?"
"I don't really know what engineering is," said Harry.
Mrs. Granger narrowed her eyes for several seconds, then said, "If I was trying to explain it to myself at your age I would say, It's … one of the main disciplines of being an inventor. But more properly: it is a systematic way of doing the planning necessary to design and build things, without them going wrong later. For instance because you forgot to make one part strong enough for what the other parts are doing. The joke is that the Engineer's favourite saying is 'I told you so,' because basically you pay them to plan things, (and to tell you so), that way if things don't go according to plan, they and your insurance company fight each other and leave you alone."
"So …" said Harry, "They make a plan, and if you follow it, nothing should break, so if something does break it's probably your fault for not following the plan, not their fault for planning badly. So they say, 'I told you so.' But they also say things like, 'just follow this plan, I made it simple for you,' except it's not simple at all?"
"Something like that," said Mrs. Granger, "why? you know anyone like that?"
Harry blinked and glanced at Hermione. And did his best to keep a straight face. Hermione didn't seem to notice. He looked back at Mrs. Granger, "Not exactly, but … I'd bet my uncle knows several."
Mrs. Granger nodded, "it's good to know a few, but they … aren't always the most comfortable type of people to have over for tea."
"Are we talking about Uncle William?" said Hermione.
"Yes," said Mrs. Granger.
"OK, because for a second I thought you were talking about arithmancy."
"That too," said Mrs. Granger.
They stared at each other for several seconds, before Hermione said, "alright, got it." And returned her attention to her book.
Mrs. Granger turned her attention back to Harry, as if daring him to say anything about Hermione skipping lots of steps that other people needed. But Harry just smiled, "I take it she's not the unique case in your family that she seems to be at Hogwarts."
"Certainly not," said Mrs. Granger, "she's definitely Dan's and my daughter."
"And I'm not unique at Hogwarts," said Hermione, "Percy Weasley, a quarter of Ravenclaw, and an eighth of Slytherin. Probably others but they don't all stand out the same way."
"Um," said Harry.
"Also Parvati, though she goes out of her way to hide it in order to seem extra distinct from her sister. And you, except you get all modest and weird about it at the oddest moments."
"I'm fairly sure we're talking about traits that are real but distinct from each other," said Harry.
"Oh," said Hermione and looked up from her book, "What were you talking about then?"
"Never mind," said Harry, "What were you talking about?"
"A certain kind of creativity that goes well with a certain kind of planning."
"Hmm," said Harry.
"Basically what you said earlier about jumping in as soon as you have a solution, sometimes before anyone else believes there's a problem to be solved."
"So those others you just listed?"
"Probably could also get solutions fast," said Hermione, "they just don't notice the problems the way you do. Or don't notice the same problems that you do."
"So Parvati solves Lavender's hair problems, and Percy solves … what?"
"Whatever his teachers tell him to solve," said Hermione, "There's a reason he's prefect and a favourite for Head Boy, though rumours were that he might be planning to turn it down because the responsibilities would take up too much of his study time."
"Hmm," said Harry, "alright, I believe you."
Nim grunted and hopped down onto the table and from there into Hermione's lap.
"Fair enough," said Harry, "May I sit here?" he motioned to the empty chair where he'd placed his books
"Oof, you're big," said Hermione before looking up, "did you just say that, or were you interpreting for Nim?"
"I said that," said Harry, "Nim invites you up to my room for reading snuggles, but I told her reading together here or in the common room of the Leaky would be more err appropriate."
"Is that so?" said Hermione giving Nim an appraising look.
"Yes," said Harry, "I'm beginning to fear that I am not sufficiently wide to provide an acceptable cat cushion for a cat as big as Nim."
"Yes, well," said Hermione, "Nim is an exceptionally big cat." She looked down, "aren't you."
Nim hissed and lifted a paw to push Hermione's face an inch farther away.
"A cat with boundaries?" said Hermione, "I've heard of these mythical creatures. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Nim."
Nim sneezed and curled up.
Hermione pet her once and looked up, "sit down already Harry, what are you reading now?"
"Futhark again," he said.
"Ah," she said, and held up her own book, "Principles of Arithmancy, based on how the store usually arranges the back to school section, I'm betting it's next year's book."
Harry nodded, which given this was Hermione he was talking to, meant she probably bought this year's book her first trip here this summer, and has already read it twice or three times.
.
"So are you only reading ahead because you're bored, or also because I'm here, or … wait you were reading that transfiguration manual when I got here."
"Yeah," said Harry, "Not just because I'm bored, usually I don't get to do any homework over the summer, this year I worked something out with my relatives. It was working alright until … until it wasn't and I decided to run away. Now I …" Harry shrugged, "Now a lot of it seems easier. Maybe I'm just better at understanding things when I'm warm enough and not in a crowd." Especially not in a crowd of gryffindors being crowdy and gryffindory.
Hermione stared at him, "the library is too cold for you? I never realised that."
Harry shrugged.
"Maybe you should consider getting the warmer school robes."
I didn't know there was a warmer version.
It might only be in the girls section, but I'd bet they'd make them for you as well if you ask. Surely several of the other undersized students have similar needs.
That's not the way I normally think about … skinny kids, who did what to my head?
But there was silence in his head for several seconds.
Do his parents starve your cousin Malfoy the way your relatives starve you?
Malfoy is my cousin?
Didn't the Minister say, Everyone important is related to the House of Black.
Why didn't he tell me, instead of acting all … Probably thought I already knew.
What about the Weasleys?
Molly's my cousin through House of Prewett, Arthur is much more distantly related.
So just being Malfoy's cousin wouldn't necessarily have gotten him on my side.
No, but refusing to shake his hand certainly attained his rivalry.
Why is Hermione looking at me like that?
She suggested warmer school robes.
Right.
"That's a good idea, Hermione."
.
A bit later Hermione's Mom told her that they should be going soon, and Hermione should begin 'finalising her purchasing decisions.'
So Hermione stopped reading and sorted her pile of books into two stacks. One to re-shelve and one to take home.
While she worked she stopped and looked up, "Harry, you said something about running away and living at the Leaky Cauldron for a while?"
"Yeah," said Harry, and he told her about Aunt Marge, and getting the emotional-tingling sensation that he'd learned to expect meant accidental magic getting ready to erupt. Which he'd managed to recognise because he'd had several small bouts during his martial arts training.
"Accidental magic at our age isn't a healthy sign," said Hermione.
"Not for wizards," agreed Harry, "But some of the muggle martial arts techniques intentionally trigger strong emotional states, I'm not sure if it's only for the emotions, or if muggles normally have very tiny amounts of magic, not enough to cast spells, you know, but enough to do small bits of accidental magic in combat."
"Hmm," said Hermione, "I always did think it implausible that muggles had no magic at all, It seems like there's a significantly different mathematical problem between 0 and 1 compared to an infinitesimal amount that happens to usually be not enough, and a bit more that happens to usually be enough. And then getting stronger from exercise after that."
Harry nodded, "Could be."
Nim sneezed and hopped down, then up into Harry's lap.
"No," said Harry, "shoulder or heel, I'm going to stand up too."
Nim looked at him, grumbled a little, then aimed for his shoulder and leaped up.
"Alright," said Mrs. Granger, "that is smart for a cat."
"I told you," said Hermione.
Harry grinned. Mrs. Granger didn't even seem to notice, "have you taught her any other tricks or commands?"
Harry shrugged.
"I mean, if she's as smart as a dog—"
Nim hissed.
"— you might as well figure out if she's obedient enough to be helpful."
Harry glanced at Hermione, she didn't seem about to go off on a rant about house elf rights, but … she should, she just didn't notice because Nim's face wasn't human enough. Oh, well whatever.
"There's a difference between obedient and cooperative," said Harry, and I try not to ask for the former if the latter will do.
Both women blinked.
Nim purred and stropped her cheek against his temple.
Mrs. Granger tried to give Hermione a meaningful look, but Hermione was still staring at Nim.
.
Settling
The next day after a shower (which Nim again insisted on sharing with him) and breakfast, they went exploring again. They got all the way to the end of Cornish Way and back, and were just barely starting along Old Manxim Court when they caught sight of two aurors disappear into a shop farther on. Nim hopped down and plastered herself almost against the wall before stalking rapidly forward.
So we're spying on Aurors now? Thought Harry, Or do you have acquired a mistaken impression that they'll buy you better meat than I can afford, if they drag us to lunch.
Once they got there, the shop in question turned out to be leather goods and accessories.
Nim pointedly directed his attention to the door handle, so he opened the door and she darted in and disappeared among the shelves before he could get the door fully open and enter himself.
At the sound of the door gong, one auror turned and assessed him, while the other kept her eyes directed among the racks.
Harry directed his attention away and towards the nearest racks. There were belts and shoes, purses and satchels, gloves and gauntlets and masks. And bolts and bolts of leather in the sizes of full hides and remnants. Some were dyed and some were whatever passed for natural from whatever animal they came from. As his eyes adjusted to the interior light levels he could make out the difference in textures, some of the wares were normal sorts of mammal skin, but some were just as obviously from reptiles, snake or dragon were the scale patterns he recognised immediately. For alligator he had to check a label.
He moved to pick out a new pair of dragon hide gloves, since he needed that anyway. Gradually he became aware that the could follow the muffled conversation between the other patrons.
Apparently the aurors were warning their charges that certain enchantments on wand holsters were considered 'law enforcement only' and others while legal for the average citizen were considered cheating by the various duelling organisations. An invisible holster which did not hide it's wand was legal, one which did hide its wand was illegal.
Just as apparently one of the girls just wanted to see what enchantments were possible, while the other really did want a wand holster, and wanted her friend to get one as well.
More to the point, cats must hear as much better than owls as owls see better than humans, and Nim was listening so hard that the meaning of words at least, if not the nuances of tone were filtering through from mind to mind.
Maybe also the spatial positioning of the voices.
Harry straightened, took a short glance at where the aurors were and where they were looking, then ducked below the level of the racks again and stood still.
After a few more paragraphs he had an idea where the voices were compared to Nim's head, and where the same voices were compared to his own. And therefore where in the store Nim's head must be.
And therefore how tall were the girls that the Aurors were guarding.
This seemed a very useful trick. Harry wondered if he could get faster with practice. Or if Nim even had the temperament to sit still long enough to either practice, or in battle for him to triangulate the location of targets that they could hear but not see. From the way Nim had gotten proactive that one time in muggle London when he thought he was going to get mugged, most of the time she'd probably be too busy defending him to lend him her ears.
Harry decided that of the dragon hide gloves that fit him, he liked the green ones best. He turned around to find the proprietor (complete with scarred and stained leather apron) watching him.
"Made your selection then governor?"
"Well," temporised Harry, "I need these for school, so I picked them out first, the other thing I'd like is … err shoulder pads."
"Quidditch?"
Harry blinked, "similar, I … both my familiars like riding on my shoulders."
"And both like to hold on with their claws?" guessed the proprietor.
"Yes, sir," said Harry.
The man tilted his head slightly, "And one of the birds you've had for quite a while."
Harry opened his mouth, then nodded, "Birthday gift when I was eleven."
"And a familiar?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I'm guessing either your friend has an exceptional grasp of your character, or let you choose, or … well eleven is young enough that the mind is still flexible enough to attain some level of compatibility with even the most unsuitable creature."
Harry considered getting angry, but … the right to be offended and the will to be offended were two different things and he didn't really have the time, nor the inclination, he sort of wanted to go to lunch as soon as Nim had satisfied her curiosity about the Aurors.
"He might have let me choose without telling me he was letting me choose."
The man smiled, and nodded. "Knew you were destined for slytherin and wanted to buy you a familiar, not let you test his loyalty and veracity by 'picking' the most expensive animal in the shop?"
Harry shrugged, "or just didn't want to buy me anything that wasn't allowed at Hogwarts."
"Certainly," he said, "forcing a child to abandon a familiar is a different sort of mental development than most parents will admit to wishing on a child."
Harry narrowed his eyes.
He's trying to chase you off, either put the gloves back, which would serve him right, or call me over and let him see why you're serious about wanting a sturdy shoulder pad.
Harry shrugged, it was becoming his habit after getting lost in thought. "Nim! Heel or Shoulder."
"Kitty!" squealed two girls at the opposite end of the shop.
"Merlin that was big." "What was that?"
It sounded like the whole party was scrambling to follow Nim.
Harry smirked, Somehow he was beginning to enjoy the attention Nim brought him.
Without hearing her coming, just from hearing the narrowing of the gap between Harry's perception of the world and Nim's perception of the world, Harry leaned back into the impact of Nim landing on his shoulder. He wasn't as fast re-balancing after Nim arrived from the back as he was at when she arrived from the front.
Nim glared imperiously up at the proprietor. Who looked appraisingly back.
"That's quite a cat, Mr. Potter."
"Thank you, sir," And then he saw it, "Are you related to the Mr. Engelbert at the Magical Menagerie?"
The man nodded, "cousins on my father's side, I'm Frederic Engelbart."
"Engelbart, sorry," agreed Harry.
"No problem," Mr. Engelbart looked him over again, this time assessing the claw-marks in his robes, rather than the cat, and who knows what else when he decided that Harry's 'first familiar' was a bird. Then he narrowed his eyes and said "may I?"
"May you what?" said Harry.
Mr. Engelbart said "turn around," and made a gesture apparently to the same effect.
Harry turned around, the crowd that had gathered behind him consisted of Susan Bones, Hanna Abbot, and two aurors to bookend them.
"Hello Harry," said Susan.
"Their eyes are the same shade of green," said Hanna.
"Hi Susan," said Harry, "This is Nim. Nim this is Susan Bones, Hanna Abbot, and two aurors I've never met before."
"Where did you get her?" said Susan.
"Rescued her," said Harry, "now she follows me everywhere."
"Except when she can get a ride," said Susan drily. Which she immediately ruined by winking at him.
"Exactly," agreed Harry.
"What did you rescue her from?" said Hanna.
Nim's claws tightened into his shoulder. Apparently he wasn't allowed to say 'being chased by a smaller cat' again.
"An evil smelly awful potion that was only defending its territory when she took a shortcut through the basement of Urgent Unguents to … avoid an annoying bully."
"What do you mean a potion attacked her?" said Hanna.
Harry looked at her like she was stupid.
"He means, what did it seem like to the cat?" said Susan, shooting Harry an impressed expression.
"Yeah, but why would he say it that way?"
"Because," said Susan, "she's his familiar, so it's how he remembers that part."
Sort of, thought Harry, What does she know? On the outside, all he did was nod.
"Is having a familiar really like that?" said Hanna.
"It can be," said Harry. One of the aurors nodded but didn't say anything.
"You might find it reassuring to know," said Mr. Engelbart, "that the 'panics when she can't see you' part of the relationship usually starts to taper off after about a month, sometimes two."
Harry closed his eyes and calculated, Just in time for classes to start. Actually he wouldn't mind her following along to most classes… But potions … probably best for everyone if she would let him attend that one alone.
"Mildly reassuring," said Harry.
"Alright," said Mr. Engelbart, "do you want a plain sheet of leather covering your shoulders? Or do you want it quilted?"
"Not sure," said Harry.
"Do you want to wear it over your robes to protect all your clothes, or under your robes, to mainly protect your shoulders?"
"Not sure," said Harry.
"Do you want pads that just protect the affected parts of your shoulders, or something that masquerades as some other piece of clothing, like a vest?"
"Hmm," said Harry, "I got a denim jacket for when I'm in the muggle world, I'm not sure what is considered compatible with the Hogwarts uniform."
"Good question," said Mr. Engelbart.
"I can answer that," said one of the Aurors, "a vest or jacket counts as a piece of clothing, and may be worn under Hogwarts robes, but not over. A shoulder protector for carrying an animal (familiar or not), is considered a protective accessory and may be worn over robes, to the appropriate classes but not to formal events like scheduled feasts."
"Tell me again why you aren't a barrister?" said the other auror.
"Boring," said the first auror. They snickered at each other.
Susan looked irritated.
"I think," said Harry, "I want it quilted, or at least a layer of softer leather for her to sink her claws into so she can balance well. And a layer of harder leather that will keep her claws from digging deeper."
Mr. Engelbart nodded his approval.
"Can I get the straps or whatever long enough that I could wear it over my robes or under?"
Mr. Engelbart looked thoughtful for several seconds, then nodded. "Certainly."
"What was the other question?"
"Just enough for a saddle, or a whole vest?"
Both. Thought Nim, I've been watching you, you like looking good.
But just the cheaper one for now, thought Harry, I'll grow some more if everyone else's sizes are anything to go by.
OK, but you deserve a fancy leather vest, even if you're too cheap to pay for it yet. We'll have to find a way to make you some money.
I'm alright with that, as long as it's not anything mean or illegal.
I'll keep my ears open.
"I think, for practicality's sake, just the saddle right now," said Harry, "I'll come back for the full vest when I've stopped growing."
"Ah," said Mr. Engelbart, "a wise plan, Do you know how much more you're likely to grow?"
"Not really," said Harry.
"Then I'm going to make the straps entirely removable, and you can come back for longer ones, if you need to."
Harry nodded.
"Alright let me get some measurements."
"Certainly," said Harry, "And symmetrical, even though Hedwig doesn't claw as far down my side as Nim does."
"It will be more aesthetic, and simpler to construct that way," agreed Mr. Engelbart, and turned to the shelf to find tape measures.
Take off your robes, thought Nim.
Why?
How often do you have an excuse to take off your robes when 4 women are watching? And anyway according to your muggle foibles, you're fully clothed underneath, right?
Well yes…
Nim dropped to the floor. And anyway, he'll get more accurate measurements without robe wrinkles confusing things.
If you say so.
Harry took off his Hogwarts robes, revealing his new second hand tee shirt and slacks, except these were second hand from a thrift shop and fit and weren't full of wear holes, only of Nim holes.
He heard the girls gasp just as he started to disrobe, then quiet when they realised they weren't going to be seeing anything. The aurors murmured something and one pulled the other one aside.
What are they talking about?
Nim disappeared into the racks. A moment later he knew, they were discussing whether he was malnourished, and if there would be legal or political ramifications, and whether anyone besides Madam Pomfrey knew already, and if knowing and not getting it taken care of counted as additional cases of neglect or conspiracy. Or not reporting it through proper channels counted as accomplice after the fact.
Remind me to ask Madam Pomfrey about all that.
If she still works at Hogwarts by the time you get there.
You think she might not?
Aurors are protective, but unreliable, more so on both counts for female aurors.
You sound sexist.
Maybe. Or maybe I've had experience with most humans not being as good at rescuing as you are.
Sadly that doesn't surprise me.
Nim did something … that might have been the mental version of a sneeze.
.
After taking his measurements, and his money, and telling him to return in a week for a test fit and perhaps to choose dye colours. And selling Susan and Hanna their holsters, all five humans and one cat were back out in the sunlit street.
Time for lunch.
Yes, but don't invite them for lunch, then they get to let you pay. Instead ask where is good to eat around here.
How do you know all that?
Never mind me, ask them before they wander away. I can tell you want company.
"Hmm, Do you know where is good to eat on this side of Diagon?" said Harry.
"Thai'd beans and curried noodles," said Hanna instantly.
"NO!" said Susan.
"Not this again," said the auror, "we're meeting your mother and aunt for lunch at Fortescue's, as prearranged."
"It's good!" insisted Hanna.
"It's horrible," said Susan, "cilantro and curry should both be banned from our fair island."
They huffed at each other. Then giggled and turned back to Harry, "you should try it once," said Hanna, "then you can cast the tie-breaking vote, yes?"
Susan rolled her eyes, "more like, because you're a gryffindor and you won't believe anyone's warning, and have to learn the hard way for yourself."
"Hmm," said Harry, "like you?"
"No," said Susan, "I was deliberately led astray, not warned properly."
"I see," said Harry, "It just goes to show."
"What?"
"That loyalty and hard work don't get you into that much less trouble than bravery," said Harry as drily as he could, then ruined the effect by winking.
"Right," smiled Susan, "We're going to Fortescue's, are you coming?"
Harry shrugged. I want to, but her aunt is in charge of the aurors or something. And I … ran away from home recently.
And the aurors are going to want to report about you being malnourished as off the record as possible, until they can figure out what's already happened on the record.
Could be.
If you're there, you might be in the way for that reporting, or your presence might keep it hard to forget, until something gets done.
I'm not actually sure I want that.
Oh, why not?
Yeah, I wish my relatives would feed me more, but I don't actually want them punished. They … tend to kick cat.
Hiss.
It's an expression that means taking out your frustration with authority on those you are in authority over. It's considered bad manners, maybe even a character flaw.
Obviously.
And I'm the one they'd take their frustration out on.
All the more reason too…
They've killed me before.
What?
They've killed me before, or so they claim. So far I've gotten better, but I'd rather not push my luck.
No doubt! Dear Merlin! Are you sure?
Relatively.
.
Harry decided to check out Thai'd Beans and Curried Noodles rather than be checked out by Susan's Aunt.
It was delicious. Especially the flavoured milk.
.
{End Chapter 2}
