Scarf for a Stray

Ron and Hermione were bickering (again) about Scabbers and Crookshanks, and I was being driven to the absolute limits of my patience. I needed a distraction, desperately.

That distraction came in the form of Katie Bell, who plopped herself unceremoniously between Ron and Hermione. The latter shifted awkwardly to make space.

"Hello," she grinned at us, either oblivious or uncaring of the tense mood. "I have a proposition for you lot."

My cheeks pinked a little as she winked at me. Katie was a huge flirt. She loved teasing me in particular; said I had the cutest reactions. I didn't know what to make of that.

Since the beginning of the year, I began to think about girls differently. Seamus had said, in not-so-polite terms, that it was simply puberty. He'd promptly proceeded to rank the girls in Gryffindor Tower. Weirdly enough, at least to me, Katie had been pretty close to the top of that list.

He'd made a lewd comment for which I'd felt honour bound to whack him over the head with my transfiguration textbook.

Still, he wasn't wrong. Katie was very pretty. I noticed that at our first practice this year. The team had been doing laps around the pitch, getting used to the feeling of flying together after a summer apart. Suddenly, she swooped into a steep dive that felt a touch too sharp. Concerned she might have lost control, I followed her into the dive, reaching for her in case she fell. She pulled out of the dive with a gleeful whoop and grinned at me.

"Were you trying to catch me in case I fell?" she asked. Her short, sandy hair was tousled from the wind, sticking out at odd angles. Her hazel eyes the colour of fresh caramel sparkled with exhilaration, and her nostrils flared as she took heaving breaths. Her mouth was stretched into the widest grin I'd ever seen, emphasising the smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose. She winked at me. "My knight in shining armour."

I blushed furiously. I wasn't able to look her in the eye without looking like a fire engine for the entire rest of practice.

"Harry?" Katie asked me in the present. "Like what you see?"

I realised I'd been staring and averted my gaze sharply. "No! Yes? I mean, no. Not that you're not pretty or anything – I just – wasn't trying to stare. Sorry?"

Katie laughed. Despite my increasing flush, I found the sound to be pleasant. She sounded vaguely like the songbirds that had lived around Privet Drive when I was little. The Privet Drive Homeowners Association ended up driving the birds out because they were 'interrupting the peace and quiet' of the town. It was so painfully in character for the Dursleys that it would have been funny if it weren't so pathetic.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you three wanted to join me, Angie, 'Licia, and the twins. We're going to build a snowman. Maybe have a snowball fight after."

"Isn't that a little childish – Oomph," Ron stopped mid-sentence when Hermione elbowed him.

"That sounds splendid, Katie," Hermione said brightly and winked at me, much to my embarrassment. "We'll go grab our coats and we'll be back down in five."

Katie gave Hermione twin thumbs-ups before following the twins and the other chasers, who also went up to their dorms.

Hermione shooed Ron and me off to our dorm to get ready. We came back down a few minutes later to see the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team minus Oliver plus Hermione sitting around the fire.

"Oh, so now you get ready on time?" Ron poked Hermione on the arm. She swatted his hand away.

"That's enough out of you."

Katie and Angelina shared a look, and I wondered what they found so funny.

The troupe filed out of the common room, and I tagged alongside Katie to get away from Ron and Hermione's bickering for a minute. She was dressed in a long grey coat and wore a white bobble hat which bounced with each step. Her bobbed, straw-coloured hair peeked from underneath the hat and around her neck was a bright yellow scarf. She threw an arm over my shoulder as I approached. I turned a fine shade of magenta at her touch.

"It's good to see you talk to people other than Granger and Weasley, Harry," she said.

"Whaddya mean?" I frowned.

"No offense to either of them, but you tend to ignore your other friends when they're around, you know?"

"They're my best friends," I stubbornly insisted.

"I'm not denying that. They seem like great people, but the rest of us would like a chance to talk to you too, you know?" Katie shrugged. "We've been teammates for three years now and I don't know your favourite colour. What is it, by the way?"

"Red," I said. "What's yours."

She looked intensely into my eyes. "Emerald green."

I flushed bright red, and she giggled when I shoved her away.

"You're evil," I grumbled, and she laughed harder.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said insincerely. "You're so easy to tease and get so cute when you get flustered."

I scratched my neck in embarrassment.

"See?" She bumped my shoulder. "I wasn't even teasing you. I was being genuine. You need to get better at taking compliments, Harry."

I could only shrug. Twelve years of the Dursleys made it hard for me to take any compliments without expecting a backhanded barb to follow it.

"You never said your favourite colour," I said, glancing at her surreptitiously. She looked momentarily surprised.

"Yellow," she smiled, tugging on her scarf. It wasn't her usual teasing smile. It was something different. Something still fundamentally Katie but warmer somehow. "The colour of this scarf, actually. It's my favourite.

"That's nice," I said, not sure how to continue the conversation.

She let go of my shoulder and I momentarily lamented the loss of warmth. Her arms swung as she walked – no, skipped – to the grounds.

Once we reached a clear patch of snow, the older students, and even Ron and Hermione, quickly exchanged words before setting off to work, piling snow and patting it down. Everyone seemed to know what to do, except me. I stood awkwardly to the side, not sure what to do or who to ask for help.

Ron noticed me standing alone and said something to Hermione. She looked as if she were about to come get me before she stopped herself. A mischievous smile appeared on her face. She whispered something to Ron, who snickered as his gaze flitted between me and Katie.

Uh oh.

Ron waded through the snow until he was walking behind Katie. He bumped into her. Not enough to trip her up, but enough to make her stumble – right in my direction. She noticed me standing by myself and waded over.

"What're you standing around for?" She raised an eyebrow.

I flushed and looked at my feet. "I dunno what to do. I've never made a snowman before."

She frowned slightly. "Alright, come on then. I'll show you."

I followed her to where she had a small ball of snow the size of her head.

"So, here's our job," she pointed at the ball. "We're going to make this into a snowball that's taller than us. Then, we levitate it onto another ball that's going to be bigger. Ron and Hermione are going to beg Hagrid to give us some spare logs and tree branches we can use for arms. Then we find some stuff to turn into eyes and a scarf. Make sense?"

I nodded. "How do we make the snowball bigger?"

She gave her best Cheshire Cat grin. "We rock and we roll!"

She dragged the 'o', pretending to play a guitar riff in the air. I stared at her, nonplussed.

"You're no fun," she pouted, which I thought was cute as all hell. "You just roll the ball like this."

She rolled the tiny ball, and it picked up the snow underneath, gaining a little size. "You keep doing it until you're happy with the size. Wanna try?"

I hunched over, pushing the snowball a couple of meters. It grew in size, and I grinned, feeling proud of myself. She laughed at my infectious excitement. We took turns pushing the ball and when the ball was almost the size we wanted it, we stopped, only to realize we'd strayed just past Hagrid's hut on the edge of the forest.

"I wonder what's in there," Katie mused, squinting into the thick cover of trees.

"Acromantulas, centaurs, unicorns," I counted on my fingers and grinned at her wide eyes. She took a step back.

"How do you know that?" she asked, and I grimaced.

"Those are just the ones I've met."

"Merlin's balls, what do you get up to, Harry?"

I sighed. "Nothing fun, I can promise you that."

She looked like she was going to ask more questions, when a rustling sound alerted them. Katie's eyes widened in fear, and I instinctively moved in front of her and pulled out my wand. The rustling grew louder, and a large black dog bounded out of the brush.

The dog was rail thin, and its hair was matted. It had dark eyes that shone with intelligence. It didn't look dangerous, and I relaxed slightly. It slowed down as it neared us, wagging its tail as if it were happy to see us in particular, which I thought was weird, seeing as I had never met it before.

"Hello there," Katie grinned, all semblance of fear gone. She petted the dog as it approached, scratching it behind the ears. It barked twice and licked Katie all over her face. She giggled and continued to pet the dog. "Are you a stray? You're too thin; are you having a hard time hunting in the winter?"

The dog almost seemed to nod. Katie didn't seem to think much of it. She frowned instead. "Poor boy. How about we get you some food?"

She turned to me with pleading eyes. "Can we take him back with us?"

"You want to take him back to the castle?" I asked, bewildered. But my resolve was already crumbling to her very effective puppy eyes. Especially when combined with the actual puppy eyes from the dog next to her. "What if someone sees him? Dogs aren't allowed as pets, I don't want to know what'll happen if we bring in a stray."

"You're right." Katie looked so put out I nearly caved on the spot.

"How about this. Let's take him near the entrance and we can get him something from the Great Hall. How's that sound?"

Katie nodded emphatically. "Brilliant, let's do it!"

I levitated the snowball back to the others before joining Katie and the dog on their trek to the castle. The first thing I noticed was that Katie's scarf was missing.

"Where'd your scarf go?"

She pointed to the dog, who was wrapped in the yellow garment. "I put it on Mister Tibbs. He seemed cold."

"You named the dog Mister Tibbs?" I stuffed my fist in my mouth to stifle a laugh. Katie glared at me.

"Shut up."

I held my hands up. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to," she grumbled. I laughed, and she stuck her tongue out at me. I only laughed harder.

We reached the entrance hall, and Katie told the dog to stay put before following me inside. I revelled in the warmth and pushed the door to the Great Hall open for Katie.

She grabbed a variety of roast meats into a napkin and folded them up before running out of the hall. I followed her at a more sedate pace, enjoying the energetic atmosphere that always seemed to surround her. Outside, Mister Tibbs barked excitedly as she approached. She held a piece of roast beef out to the dog who gobbled it up hungrily. One by one, Mister Tibbs devoured the napkin till there was nothing left. The dog whined contentedly and licked Katie again, eliciting another round of giggles from the girl.

Then the dog approached me and nuzzled my leg. I patted him awkwardly. My only experience with dogs was Aunt Marge's pit bulls, which left me with no idea how to interact with them when they weren't trying to maul me. I scratched him behind his ear like I'd seen Katie do, and was heartened when he seemed to like it.

"He likes you!" She beamed at me, hazel eyes shining with a myriad of emotions. I grinned back, when our attention was grabbed by the creak of the door opening behind us.

The dog yelped in panic and ran off, Katie's scarf still wrapped around it.

"Mister Tibbs!" Katie cried, watching the dog flee. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked back at the door angrily.

Professor Lupin stood at the door with an odd look in his eye. "I'm sorry, was that your dog, Miss Bell?"

"No, professor," she shook her head. "He was a stray we found by the forest. He seemed cold and hungry, so we got him some food and I gave him my scarf."

Her voice cracked at the mention of her scarf.

Lupin's expression turned concerned, but he quickly masked it under a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about your scarf, Miss Bell. However, I do ask that the two of you stick close to the castle if you're to roam the grounds."

"Sorry professor," she mumbled. Remus gave them one last nod before going back inside.

Professor Lupin was my favourite professor, maybe ever, but looking at the usually vibrant Katie's downcast expression, I felt an intense surge of anger towards him.

"Come on," Katie mumbled, still staring at her shoes. "The others will wonder where we are."

I frowned. I hated seeing her like this. It felt wrong. Katie was like sunshine after a rainy day. She was refreshingly energetic. Always willing to share her joy with those around her. Seeing her sad felt wrong in the most primordial way.

I looked down at my scarf. It was black and yellow, but a lighter yellow than the Hufflepuff house colours, with a little wasp embroidered on the ends. I found it in Quality Quidditch Supplies the last time I snuck out to Hogsmeade, and thought it looked warm.

I took it off and wrapped it around Katie. She looked up at me, confused.

"It's not all yellow like yours," I said bashfully. "But it's yellow enough, I reckon."

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," I smiled. "I want you to have it. I'll just buy myself another one or use one of my old ones."

"Wait, you're just giving it to me?" She stared in surprise.

"Yeah," I frowned. "You were doing a really decent thing there, helping Mister Tibbs, and I think it's unfair that you were punished for it."

"Oh, Harry," she pulled me into a hug, and I flushed as scarlet as a quaffle. "You're so sweet, thank you."

"Anytime," I said, in what I hoped was a nonchalant tone. Judging from her giggles, I failed. But she was smiling again, and all felt right in the world.

We walked back toward the snowmen in contented silence, when a particularly cold gust of wind sent shivers down my spine.

"Aren't you cold?" Katie looked at me worriedly.

"No," I lied, as I tried to keep my teeth from chattering.

"Do you want your scarf back?"

"No! I mean – no, you're probably colder than I am – keep it. Unless you don't like it –" I sputtered through my words.

Katie smiled at me then partially unwrapped the scarf, wrapping it around my neck. She was standing right next to me, and I was on the verge of hyperventilating. Then she pressed her cheek against mine and I nearly fainted.

"Better?"

Internally, I was screaming. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH –

What I wanted to say was something smooth like James Bond. Something like, "Darling, do you even have to ask?"

What came out was, "Don't even ask."

I panicked. Just a little.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks but thankfully, Katie just laughed. That sound like the call of a morning bird filled my ears and settled my nerves just a little. Her arm snaked around my waist and my knees buckled for a split second.

"Then I won't ask."

She hummed a jaunty tune as she walked, and my stomach did flip flops to the rhythm of her song.

Six Months Later

"Perhaps after all this, you and I could live together," Sirius Black suggested hesitantly. "I mean – I imagine you'd rather live with your relatives. But if you wanted to –"

"Are you kidding me?" I asked with wide eyes. "I would love to."

Sirius smiled. "Oh, and before I forget."

From his robes, he pulled out a familiar yellow scarf.

"I knew it!" I exclaimed. "You were Mister Tibbs."

Sirius laughed, sounding suspiciously like a bark. "Yes. Yes, I was. Your father would've loved that nickname. Never would've let me live it down."

I smiled wistfully as I took the scarf.

"Give it back to your little girlfriend for me, will you?" Sirius winked.

I turned scarlet and stammered. "She's not my – I don't –"

Sirius laughed again. "Could've fooled me. She looked as besotted with you as you did her."

"You really think so?" I asked quietly. Sirius' expression softened.

"Yeah, kiddo, I really think so," my godfather smiled encouragingly. "She's a good one. Not many people would've done what she did that day. I might've starved or frozen to death without her help."

"She really is the best," I said. Sirius snickered.

"Ooh, you've got it bad. Only time I've seen a Potter like this was when James met your mum for the first time."

I was speechless.

"Now, I've got to fly, but don't be a stranger, okay? I'll try to keep in touch – dunno how, but I'll figure something out," Sirius smirked as he mounted Buckbeak. "Next time I hear from you, I want to hear that you've got yourself a girlfriend. Don't let her slip, Harry. Kindness like that is rare. When you find someone like that, you've got to treasure them."

I nodded. "I will, Sirius. I promise."

"You really are your father's son," he shook his head fondly. "Until we meet again, Harry."

Buckbeak took off into the night and I watched as he and Sirius became tiny dots in the sky that eventually blinked out of view. Hermione stood next to me.

"What's that?" She nodded at the scarf.

"Something I need to return to someone," I said absently, still staring at the stars. Hermione had a knowing smile as I turned around and headed back downstairs. I needed to return to the Hospital Wing, yes, but if I rushed it, I might be able to get back to the common room before she went to bed.

I had a scarf to return and a confession to make.