A Game of Cat and Mouse
mentioning: @Dahlia Lee | date: 04-09-2026 | fit: x
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If things hadn't been bad enough already, Avis knew disaster had truly struck when she witnessed her cat's tail slyly disappear between the double doors of the Hogwarts library. She watched as the startled student who'd opened the door jump back in surprise. Avis sighed. Great Merlin's Bollocksing Beard, what a predicament.
With a dry swallow, Avis scurried across the hallway, weaving through students passing in and out the spacious room. With a quick apology to someone she'd knocked into in her haste, the Ravenclaw found herself in the entry way, her eyes peeled for the mottled gray pattern of Quigley's fur between the numerous shelves and study tables.
Despite her panic now, it had actually been a relatively calm Wednesday morning to begin with. Avis had napped through the hour and a half of History of Magic, a habit that hadn't changed for the past two years apparently. And afterwards, she'd been able to snag not one but two muffins from the Great Hall's breakfast spread before jaunting off to Flying class. A good morning indeed.
However, to her despair, the minute the Ravenclaw had later stepped foot back into her dorm room to officially finish unpacking for that year, her infamously mischievous cat Quigley had greeted her with a mouse the size of a small Niffler. After the initial shock, she'd almost bad for the thing when it let out a few forlorn squeaks, but any sort of pity left her heart when the damn cat quickly exited the room, mouse hanging from his jaws.
What had ensued next was a frantic chase down multiple flights of stairs, past some very alarmed portraits and directly into the library, which seemed to be the worst possible scenario in Avis' mind besides the headmaster's office or something truly horrible.
"Psst!" the girl hissed in a whispered tone. "Quigley!" Currently, she was flat on the floor in between bookshelves, face squished against the polished wood. She thought she'd heard a squeak of terror underneath one of the shelves, therefore, found herself in a most ridiculous position. A position she hadn't fully thought of an explanation to, should someone find her there...
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sta 8 | eva 8 | str 3 | wis 7 | arc 6 | acc 10
inpc: bastien archambeau
A Game of Cat and Mouse
@avis greymond // september 4th, 2026 // speech in bold
𝕮eilings were, arguably, one of the worst inventions belonging to the architectural sphere. Dahlia would know. She had, for the past ten minutes, been locked in an intense staring competition with the Hogwarts Library's wood-paneled ceiling.
The witch was winning, of course. She had chosen to sit in her chair correctly for once. Dahlia's feet, with the few extra inches she had grown over the summer, reached the floor comfortably. Her hair spilled over the backrest of the chair as she focused her attention upward.
Ten, eleven, twelve... Dahlia's brow furrowed as she attempted to count the panels, losing track. The beams, divided horizontally every few feet, made a satisfying arch. The curve was gentle, easygoing perhaps. It too would become a librarian if it had the opportunity (or so Dahlia decided.) Unfortunately, ceilings did not have corporal human forms. A shame. The witch was sure it would make a great conversation partner, albeit being overly traditional for her liking. Ceilings reminded her of halted ambitions.
Nevertheless, Dahlia would have sooner conversed with it than with her Transfiguration textbook. She was not on speaking terms with the subject as a whole. Unfortunately, given that she was not yet in her NEWT years, she had to be. Bureaucracy had told her so. Also her mother who had, unfortunately, found that top-secret test paper and uncovered the mysterious A. She ought to, once again, try improvement by means of miracle— the strategy that brought her through first year. However, there was the matter of the rat.
Unless a former seventh year had taken it upon themself to ruin Dahlia's life (which she highly doubted), the rat was among the current students of Hogwarts. Dahlia intended to set them a trap. However, until she found a way of ending them for good, she had to at least maintain appearances as an upstanding and studious individual. She could gag.
Sitting in the library and memorizing the curves of the ceiling was a safe activity. She appeared studious due to the textbook in her lap but did not have to actually study anything. Dahlia had not read two sentences of the chapter yet, nor did she know the title. She glanced downward. Was this really the correct book. Idle fingers flipped through the pages, lifting up the cover with the energy of an ant moving a baguette. It was not.
Dahlia pried herself from her seat with a long sigh. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. The correct book, most likely, had been left in her dormitory. She did not intend to make the arduous journey back to the Gryffindor tower so, perhaps, she could find it in the shelves.
Two steps towards the bookcases led her to be face-to-face or rather foot-to-forehead with a girl. Was she talking to herself? Dahlia glanced for a millisecond but failed to perceive the presence of a cat or Quigley as the name of an animal. The Gryffindor stood awkwardly.
"Is that... a spell to make yourself fit under the bookshelves?" Of course Dahlia had to comment. Any excuse to keep her from her studies served a vital purpose. She did not know the first thing about spell design but figured it would take some trial and error. Lying face-down on the library floor could be part of that.
A Game of Cat and Mouse
mentioning: @Dahlia Lee | date: 04-09-2026 | fit: x
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“Bloody hell,” Avis muttered to herself as she rubbed the newly blooming bruise on top of her head. The bump, of course, was the result of the Ravenclaw hitting her head on the bottom library shelf after she started violently from the pair of talking shoes that appeared inches from her face.
Shimmying out from her previous position, Avis gripped the shelf and pulled herself up, brushing her uniform off as she went. As soon as she looked up from her dusty vest, the girl found herself face to face with another student sporting a quizzical yet interested expression. Avis gave her a dubious look as she tried to maintain the last bit of pride clinging to her person.
“No,” she retorted, not unkindly, despite it being a rather silly question. “It’s… the name of my cat,” the girl admitted. “He’s lost.”
The mouse’s pathetic squeaks echoed in the back of her head and Avis swallowed nervously. Did she tell this curious stranger that her pet had brought a whole rodent into Hogwarts’ study sanctuary? Or hope she wouldn’t immediately point fingers at Avis when an unlucky someone stumbled upon the pest?
The Ravenclaw regarded the other girl with suspicion, unaware that it was showing plainly on her face.
“You wouldn’t have happened to have seen him?” she decided upon asking. Best thing was to feel this girl out for now.
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sta 8 | eva 8 | str 3 | wis 7 | arc 6 | acc 10
inpc: bastien archambeau
A Game of Cat and Mouse
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Dahlia winced as the girl bumped her head. Had she forgotten that she was under a shelf before attempting to sit up? It seemed to be an evitable mistake especially given the notable darkness one would find themselves in if they chose to stick their head under a bookcase. She took a small shuffle-step backwards regardless.
Her eyebrow raised as to return Avis' quizzical look. Perhaps, if she had not attempted to shove her person under a bookcase in search of what was apparently a missing creature, she would not find herself a spectacle worth the delay of Dahlia's studies. The Gryffindor was lost on whatever else could be expected of her. She did not, as per habit, partake in the act of 'minding her business.' The world's business was hers to mind.
She hummed once at the explanation. The young witch was too far in the business of asking embarrassing questions to even note her question as embarrassing. It was a daily occurrence at this point. "Quigley does sound like it ought to be the incantation of a quill-retrieval transfiguration or something like that," Dahlia remarked, "It's a good cat name though. Better than something basic like Buddy." A pause occurred in her speech as she stopped to process what she had said. "Buddy is more of a crup name but my point still stands," she added on.
The imperative part, as became apparent, was that Quigley was lost. Dahlia cast a glance around. Did cats find comfort under bookcases? She had never owned a cat but, from what she knew, they seemed to prefer climbing to burrowing. Hence, it would be more likely to find Quigley atop a bookcase rather than under one. Dahlia refrained from providing unsolicited advice in an act of great restraint, instead opting to do what she did best: ask more questions. "So. Quigley," she moved on from the previous topic. "Where does he like to hang out?"
STA 5 | EVA 5 | STR 3 | WIS 5 | ARC 6 | ACC 6
& half-veela