Chapter One - Unanswered Letters and Really Big Cats
Hermione chewed on the end of her quill as she lay across her bed, a piece of parchment in front of her. A few lines were written across the top, but the rest of the words failed to come to the end of her quill. As she pondered what to say, her thoughts drifted to the potential recipient of the letter.
Harry had become increasingly withdrawn over the past year, ever since his godfather was murdered in front of him. Hermione and Ron had worried about him all summer, and when he was brought to Grimmauld Place he didn't say a word to either of them...just locked himself in Buckbeak's room. Hermione had nearly been sick with worry at his absolute silence, though he did improve slightly when school started. Even then, he was so quiet. It reminded Hermione of first year, before they'd been able to slowly draw him out and teach him to interact with people. He would disappear for long stretches of time, then come back looking absolutely exhausted and refusing to say where he'd been.
Needless to say, Hermione was terribly worried about him. It was only two weeks into the summer, but Harry had yet to answer a single letter from her. Ron had written to her, complaining that Harry was ignoring him too. She'd owled Dumbledore, but the elderly headmaster had only replied that Harry was perfectly fine and not to worry. That letter had done precisely nothing to help her, as she was sure he was *not* fine at all.
She looked down at the parchment and re-read what she'd written. Dear Harry, it said. Why haven't you been answering your letters? You can't just shut us all out, Harry. We care about you too much just to let you go, no matter how hard you try. That was as far as she'd gotten, wondering what to say. She didn't want to accidentally make him retreat even further into his isolation, breaking all contact with her because she'd offended him.
She was saved from her thoughts when her mother knocked on the door. "Hermione, honey, there's someone here to see you."
For a moment, her heart leapt at the thought that it could be Harry. Then she mentally shook herself. Harry can't just show up at my door. The Order wouldn't let him, even if he wanted to. "Someone to see me?" she repeated, putting the quill down.
"He's downstairs," her mother said. "A tall redheaded man and his pet."
Pet? Hermione was thoroughly bewildered, and followed her mother downstairs. Her mind jumped to the conclusion that Ron was visiting, but she didn't know why Ron would bring Pigwidgeon with him. As she stepped into the living room, her first thought was that Charlie Weasley looked rather out of place in her house. Her second thought was that the large beast that he held on a chain at his side stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Hermione, so good to see you," Charlie said, giving her a bright smile and a hug. "How've you been?"
"Charlie, what're you doing here?" she asked, ignoring his question. "And why do you have that...er...creature with you?"
The "creature" looked as though it wasn't sure whether to be amused or offended, and instead settled for sitting down on the carpet and staring intensely at her. She knew she should feel frightened at being eyed up by such a large predator, but for some reason she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Dumbledore asked me to deliver something," Charlie explained. "We found this fellow wandering near Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid wanted to keep him, but he has a mission from the Order and can't take the panther with him. Everyone else is too busy to make sure he doesn't get into trouble over the summer, so we voted and decided that the best place for him is with you."
"Me?!" she squeaked, taking an unconscious step backwards. "Why me?"
"For one, you already have a cat, so you know how to take care of them. This one's just on a bit...hmm, larger scale than most." The panther made a sneezing sound at this, which Charlie ignored. "Dumbledore trusts you more than most of the other students, and that's saying a lot. Also, Harry recommended it."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "This was Harry's idea?" She looked back at the panther, which was obediently sitting at Charlie's feet, doing nothing but watching her. "Is he well-trained?" she asked with a sigh, giving in. If Harry thought the big cat should stay with her, well, who was she to argue?
Charlie grinned. "Oh yes, he has wonderful manners. We suspect he's at least partly magical, as he has very high intelligence for a panther. Sometimes we suspect he understands every word we say, though he doesn't always listen if he thinks he knows what's best. He's usually right, too."
Hermione looked over at her mother. "And you're okay with this beast staying here over the summer?"
Mrs. Granger smiled. "Jacob and I don't see a problem with it, as long as he doesn't destroy the house."
Charlie smiled at her. "He won't if we tell him not to, Charlotte." He crouched down to look into the panther's eyes. "This is Hermione," he instructed it. "You will stay with her until she goes to school in September. Try not to cause too much trouble."
The panther rumbled as Charlie unclasped the chain from its thick leather collar, but didn't move. Charlie straightened, pocketing the chain. "Well, if that's all, I'll be off. Have a great summer." With a loud cracking sound, he Apparated away.
Almost in the same instant as Charlie's departure, the panther got to all fours. Hermione watched him, feeling a faint nervous twinge as the big cat stepped closer. She held out her hand, letting him catch her scent, knowing that cats were often wary of strange people until they were able to do so. The panther bumped his head against her hand instead, like Crookshanks did when he wanted to be petted.
Feeling bolder, she stroked the soft, shiny fur on the top of his head. He closed his eyes in contentment, and she gently scritched behind his ears. A faint rumbling purr rose from his throat as she ran her hands down his back.
"Shall I leave you two alone?" Charlotte teased, causing both of them to jump.
Hermione smiled sheepishly, having forgotten that she was standing there. "Actually I was going to write a letter to Harry. Call me down when lunch is ready?"
"Sure," her mother agreed.
Hermione turned and headed back upstairs, and she was somewhat surprised to find the panther shadowing her every step. He really must be smart, she thought to herself. He's taking Charlie literally, for crying out loud. Stay with me indeed.
She stretched out on her bed to continue writing the letter, and the panther only watched her for a few moments as if determining if she would stay there. Then he walked around the room, investigating anything that caught his attention. She watched him discreetly as he prowled around the room, and at one point she could've sworn he was reading the titles of the books on her shelves.
With one last look at her, the panther left the room to investigate the rest of the house. Shaking her head, she turned back to the letter and began to write.
~~~~~~
The panther explored every inch of Hermione's home carefully, eventually ending up in the kitchen. He inhaled deeply as the scent of roasted chicken reached his sensitive nose, and Mrs. Granger jumped only slightly as she saw him lurking in the shadowed doorway. "You!" she laughed slightly. "Don't scare me like that. Try to make some noise next time or something."
Obediently, the panther extended his front claws, letting them click on the tile a few times before retracting them again. "Yes, just like that," Charlotte agreed, setting a plastic bowl of chicken on the floor. His ears still pricked and alert for any sound of danger, he approached and began to devour the meat.
A jealous meow reached his ears, and he looked up to see Crookshanks on the counter. The ginger cat stared down at him, almost as though the smaller cat didn't trust him. The panther tilted his head to the side for a moment, considering the housepet carefully, then picked up a piece of chicken and delicately offered it to the other feline.
Crookshanks watched him warily for a moment, then cautiously took the food from the panther. The panther dropped his head back to the bowl and continued to eat. Crookshanks purred as he did likewise, knowing that there was nothing to fear from this strange new cat in his mistress' home.
Inwardly, the panther smiled. Only a half hour in Hermione's home and he was already integrating himself into her everyday life. Yes, things were going perfectly for the Animagus named Harry Potter.
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