18 Aug 2024, 19:30
The Cats of Hogwarts
Keen Eye / Lovely Creature / Healing Sage / Calming Presence / Animagus
almost midnight
The full moon had become a hard night for Rose. Ever since her brother had been turned into a werewolf that past winter break, Rose thought about it every time the full moon rose in the sky. He started feeling horrible before, and also was off for a couple of days after, and she felt terrible watching him bear that weight.
What was she thinking? It was a hard night for her, but it was exponentially more a hard night for Gabriel. Rose felt a twist of guilt in her stomach for even thinking that.
Either way, Rose couldn't sleep. The summer had thrown her off- she had stayed with him the full moon night during the summer. It had been most of her reason for becoming an animagus- to be able to stay with him during those nights and comfort him. Since they had gone to summer camp, the second time she had been so exhausted for her thoughts about him to keep her up, but during the school year it was different.
Rose sat in her bed, unable to sleep. The worst part was that she knew he was fine. He was safely taken to the Shrieking Shack, and he was safe with all the other werewolves. He had taken his potion, and everything was fine. So why was she worrying? Why couldn't she sleep? She clenched her jaw, frustrated, but not wanting to wake up her dormmates.
So, instead, she slipped out of bed and into her feline form. Her hair shortened on her head, but grew on the rest of her body, shifting colors to her calico coat. Her striking green eyes stayed the same.
Rose had been an animagus for around six months now, and had gotten the hang of it. Changing into a cat was almost instinctual at this point, and it was a comfort that she tried not to take for granted. Chaska, Rose's pet cat, landed softly on the floor next to her. Chaska slept in Rose's bed with her, and seemed willing to walk with Rose. They both could nap tomorrow anyway if they didn't get as much sleep, Rose decided, since the next day was Saturday.
Rose, in her feline form, and with Chaska, set off. They went through the common room and out of Gryffindor Tower, and started to wander around the castle. The calico cat knew that this was technically breaking the rules, but if she was caught, there was a very small chance that whoever caught her would recognize her as an animagus- only a student's pet or perhaps a stray wandering around the castle. And she knew that a small chance of being caught was not a good reason to break the rules, but she wasn't planning on abusing her power. This was an occasion where she felt it was okay.
Chaska was a welcome and quiet company. While Rose could communicate with her in a manner that was like speaking, they rarely spoke to each other in meows like that. She had found that most cats were that way- communicating mostly through body language or not at all. They were more solitary creatures, and Rose wondered if that contributed to why her animagus form was a cat. She enjoyed spending time with Chaska, the silence stretching between them not uncomfortable or awkward.
After a while of wandering, Chaska's ears perked up, and so did Rose's, instinctively. That was another thing that was strange about being an animagus- the incredible instincts and senses that cats had that Rose in her human form would never possess. She could hear and smell all kinds of things that she only detected before by Chaska's ears perking up. They only saw a golden tail turning a corner. The two cats bounded around the corner to find a familiar cat. He had light brown tabby fur, a white muzzle marking his age, and was visibly spoiled by whoever his owner was. Rose and Chaska had met him before around the castle. Since she didn't know his name, Rose called him George in her head. He seemed like a George to her, at least.
He probably heard them coming but was too lazy to turn around, so the two younger cats butted into him from the side. He turned to rub cheeks with them, meowing a hello. George was kind but lazy, and didn't care much for exercise or running around like Chaska did.
Then, the three cats walked together, finding themselves soon in the courtyard, where a black cat already sat in the moonlight. Rose recognized her immediately. If it wasn't for the full moon's glow against her fur and her blue eyes, this cat, who she called Sky in her head because of her eyes, would probably have just blended into the darkness. She was sitting on the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, gazing up at the stretch of stars above them.
Rose leading the way, the three cats joined her on the fountain, George somewhat reluctantly. Rose sat next to Sky on the fountain, while George laid down on the other side of Sky and Chaska sat next to Rose, their fur touching. And the four cats gazed up at the midnight sky.
Her stomach twisted again thinking of Gabe. He was fine, she knew that, but she couldn't help but worry that he wasn't. She couldn't help but worry that he needed her. That was probably selfish, wasn't it?
Ah, Rose didn't know anymore.
Franklin had tried to talk to her today, too, which hadn't made anything better. She was still so furious with him for running away while they were attacked by werewolves. How could he have just left them like that? How was he living with himself, knowing that he could be responsible for the death of their sister and the turning of their brother? She should have known that he would just look out for himself. She should have known.
Faith would be travelling the world right now, if it wasn't for him. And maybe Gabe and Jess could forgive him for that, but Rose knew she never would.
He had said he wanted to talk it out. Rose had snapped at him, probably said things she shouldn't have said, and stormed away.
She used to think she was a fairly kind person, but more and more about her was changing recently, and she couldn't fit herself inside that word anymore, because what she had said to her brother wasn't at all kind. Giving him the silent treatment wasn't kind.
He didn't deserve her kindness.
But that still made her unkind, didn't it?
Cats had a weird sense about them. They could tell when someone wasn't okay, and Chaska could tell now, her silver eyes on Rose instead of the starry sky. Rose laid down, her body feeling sluggish but her thoughts racing. Why was there so much distance between the person she thought she was and the person she really was? Could she go back to that girl who took it all for granted? Could she ever be the person who was kind and friendly and forgiving, sometimes even to a fault? Or would she always carry around the weight of the fire of her anger, burning the bridge between her and Franklin until it was nothing more than ashes and he stopped trying?
Chaska laid down next to her, facing her so that their paws intertwined. Sky laid down behind her, starting to run her barbed tongue over Rose's forehead. George hauled himself up, laying in front of them so she could lay her head on his side.
It was comforting in the strangest way to lay in silence, curled up with these cats. They didn't have to know what was going on, and they probably never would understand, but Rose couldn't help but feel a release in her.
She turned her head to the sky again, the moon glaring its light at her. She wished the stars would tell her all their secrets, all the truth that she didn't know yet.
But for now, she drifted into sleep among the cats of Hogwarts.
