The first few weeks flew by in a blur as the girls got into the routine of their classes again. Most days they only saw each other during meals and study sessions, or the rare occasion when two of them shared a class.
Lorelei preferred to study in solitude at times and had found the perfect spot on her way to Transfiguration class one day. She had taken a detour to avoid the groups of students that liked to clutter the main hallway between classes.
As she was rushing down the dim corridor, Lorelei was momentarily blinded by a flash of warm light. Shielding her hands with her eyes, Lorelei saw a large stainglass window with a deep ledge. She immediately fell in love with the spot and made a mental note to come back this way after class and investigate further.
The spot was now her go-to study nook when she wanted to get away from the noise of the common rooms.
"Mmmm… Go away…" Lorelei swatted at her face. She was so cozy and sleepy. Something smacked her face again. She cracked her eye open a slit and saw a mangy looking cat sitting next to her.
Lorelei looked around the cat in front of her and realized where she was; she was still in the window nook where she had been studying. It was pitch black outside the window, the moon climbing higher each moment.
Lorelei sat up, her books slipping off her lap. She looked back down at the cat. It wasn't Jester. This cat had bright yellow eyes, and not to mention, a fluffy coat of fur. Lorelei had heard tales of a cat with yellow eyes that roamed around the castle with the Caretaker, but she hadn't met either yet.
"Oh! You must be Mrs. Norris!" Lorelei gasped. "Filch's cat."
Mrs. Norris blinked once in reply and stared intently at Lorelei.
"What time is it?" She said to herself. "It has to be late. I'm going to be in so much trouble." Lorelei started gathering up her books in a rush.
Mrs. Norris put her paw on The Meaning of Alchemy as Lorelei was reaching for it. She sank her claws into the cover, tearing the new leather. Removing her paw, Mrs. Norris went back to staring at Lorelei.
Lorelei winced at the gouges in the shiny leather. "I guess that's fair. I really shouldn't have been here, especially this late. It's so quiet here though, the perfect spot for studying." She found herself explaining to a cat.
In answer, Mrs. Norris hopped down from the stone nook they were in. She walked a few paces away and turned to look back at Lorelei.
"You want me to follow?"
Mrs. Norris blinked her yellow eyes.
"Okay." Lorelei picked up her books and followed.
Mrs. Norris led Lorelei back through the castle to the Slytherin common room. Instead of going through the main entrance however, Mrs. Norris took a different route. She slid into a small gap behind a statue near the common room's main entrance. Lorelei followed, barely able to squeeze into the gap.
Once through the gap, Lorelei found the entrance to a tunnel. Mrs. Norris was nowhere to be seen, so Lorelei assumed she had gone down the tunnel and followed. She had to bend almost in half to avoid hitting her head on the stone ceiling. The tunnel was fairly short and after about 50 feet she could see the end, with Mrs. Norris waiting at the opening.
"Ouch!" Lorelei stood up and stretched her back. She looked around and was surprised to find herself in the girls' dormitory. "There's a secret tunnel into the dorms? That seems a bit dangerous." She could see other girls sleeping in beds not far from where she stood.
Lorelei turned around to thank Mrs. Norris, but the cat was gone. "Thank you." she whispered into the darkness regardless. She looked around and saw an identical statue right next to the tunnel. There were scuff marks on the floor indicating it had once stood in front of the passage.
"How did Norris manage to move that?" Lorelei wondered to herself. She took out her wand and waved it at the statue. "Levioso." She whispered. The statue hovered a few inches off the ground and slowly moved back into place, settling once more on the stone floor.
Lorelei looked around, making sure no one had seen or heard anything. Satisfied that she had escaped detection, she put her books next to her bed, slipped into her night clothes, and got under the covers. She snuggled deep into her warm blankets and fell asleep.
That wasn't the first or last time Lorelei would see Mrs. Norris. The yellow-eyed cat began showing up whenever Lorelei was in her secret study nook. Lorelei began saving scraps of food from meals for her, and before long Lorelei and Mrs. Norris were the best of friends.