Cat Zoomies and a New Friend PV Piper Hart

Piper hadn’t intended to wander in the grounds today, but the sun was out and she couldn’t resist. And so here she was, wandering through the quieter corners of the Hogwarts grounds - places where she could think without overthinking, where there were others around but not a crowd.

Carrying her sketchbook under one arm and looking around thoughtfully, she rounded the corner and something ahead caught her eye. Not too far in front of her, sitting beneath the branches of an old tree, sat a girl Piper didn’t recognise. She wasn’t reading or chatting with anyone - just sitting there, seemingly relaxing in the warm afternoon sun. But as Piper looked closer she realised that the girl looked slightly tense. Following her line of sight, Piper noticed something in the grass that she hadn’t paid attention to when she first stopped walking. It was a cat!

Piper, thinking back to when she’d paused, realised that the cat had been prancing about in the typical, playful feline way. It reminded her of something her neighbor’s tabby used to do back home. She had been walking down the street, gathering trinkets and scraps from the curb for her next invention, when the cat suddenly paused, eyes gleaming mischievously - just like this cat in front of her - and then proceeded to knock over every flowerpot in sight.

This made Piper think for a moment. Maybe I shouldn’t get closer. Maybe I should stay back for a minute. Or go a different way.

But for some reason, Piper found her feet carrying her forward. She didn’t want to, or at least that’s what she was telling herself. The cat was drawing Piper in - she didn’t know why, but it was. And maybe, in some way, this girl was too.

Interacting with: @Piper Hart Mentioning: N/A Date: 06/21/25

Word Count: 250

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

"Jasper. Calm down. Please." Avery begged the cat, but it was no use. He crouched low to the ground. Claws outstretched and digging into the dirt beneath his paws. He was preparing to pounce. This time it wouldn't be playful. It would probably turn into something bad. Something Avery wasn't sure it she was ready to deal with. zoomies. She had only witnessed this a few times in her life. Actually, all of the times until now were when her mother's cat went crazy after she played with one of her toys. She had later come to find out that something called 'catnip' caused cats to go crazy. But, as far as she knew, Jasper had never even smelled catnip. Maybe the nice weather and the chance to stretch his legs triggered this? She hoped so. That's when it happened. He pounced and chaos erupted. The cat was a blur as he dashed across the grounds. Avery stood up and just watched in shock as her cat went crazy. It was at that moment she realized who else was standing there in the path of Jasper's chaos. A girl around her age that didn't seem to notice her impending doom. "Watch out!" Avery tried to cry out, but it was too late. Jasper had pounced onto the girl. Avery ran over to her as Jasper trotted and sat down nearby. Zoomies done for now, but for how long? Avery didn't know. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Avery asked.

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

Piper stopped walking as soon as she saw the cat coming towards her. He was so fast she could hardly see him. It reminded her of one of her cats at home, Tabitha.

Tabitha, or Tibby as Piper called her, loved to play and would often pounce on things and destroy whatever was in her path when she was excited. This was a complete contrast to her other cat, Kepler, who was observant and much more gentle.

As she thought about the cats back at home, a surge of sadness came washing over her. She missed them - the way Kep always watched her and the way Tibby was always dashing around the house.

But suddenly she was pulled back to the present when the cat came up and pounced on her.

Piper was in shock for only a few seconds, but then a large grin spread across her face. This cat was so much like her Tibby - energetic, playful - Piper was sure they’d get along very well.

The girl, who Piper assumed was the owner of this cat, came up to her and asked if she was okay, to which she responded with a quiet, “Yes, I’m alright.” The grin was still plastered on her face, but much smaller now.

“What’s his name?” Piper asked the girl. Realising she hadn’t asked for the girl’s own name, Piper quickly added, “And your name?”

Feeling slightly embarrassed for having paid more attention to the cat than the girl, Piper made an effort not to walk over to the cat, even though every fibre of her being was itching to sit down with it. Instead, she kept the sketchbook tucked tightly under her arm and tried to focus on what was going on around her, though her eyes kept drifting to the now calm cat sitting nearby.

Interacting with: @Piper Hart Mentioning: N/A Date: 06/21/25

Word Count: 208

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

Avery let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when the girl said she was okay. She knew from experience in the past that not everyone enjoyed her cat’s reckless behavior when he wanted to have fun. “I’m glad you’re okay. He can be a bit crazy sometimes and in the past caused some pretty big problems.” Avery smiled warmly. She watched as Jasper walked up to sniff the girl’s foot before beginning to roll beneath her. Avery smiled. He obviously liked the girl. “I’m Avery and this is Jasper. You’re welcome to pet him if you want. He’s super friendly and sweet. What’s your name?” Avery commented as she continued to watch her cat roll and stare up at them expectantly. Avery bent down for a moment and scratched her cat’s head and under his chin. He purred contentedly at that. Avery smiled and almost laughed. It always made her day when he was happy. There was just something about cats that made her feel calm and safe. “Do you like cats?” Avery asked once she had stood back up. Jasper didn’t look happy that his pets were finished, so instead of asking his owner for more pets, he looked to the other girl expectantly.

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽