Quid 2, Posts 71 - 75

[tales_of_josan]

Title: Quid 2
Series: Posting 71 - 75
Pairing: Threesome: S/H/D
Posting began: August 22, 2006
Posting ended: April 7, 2007

Warnings, etc.: See Post 1



Quid 2, Post 71
Another Conversation.
**********

"Exercising? Or pacing out of frustration?"

Severus spun around at the far end of the hallway. Kitty Parfitt was standing at the landing end of the hallway. She gestured to the tray floating behind her.

"I can go eat in my room if you're not in the mood for company."

Severus caught himself from snapping. He dug his hands in his hair as he smoothed it back. "No," he sighed. "I think I may have had enough of my own."

"Ah, frustration, then." Kitty directed her tray to one of the small tables by the couch.

Severus found that Archy had delivered his lunchtime meal to the desk he'd been using for more of those damn scrolls of Minerva's. The Third Year assignments, worse yet than those of Fifth, had been removed from the desk and were stacked neatly in their basket.

"And some exercise. Madam Pomfrey has indicated that a certain amount of activity is required."

Kitty smiled as he sat down at his meal. His was lighter than her own, he noticed.

She noticed his noticing and grinned. "Veela blood. I can pretty much eat anything and never gain an ounce. Gavin says that when I burst into my real weight, no one will recognize me." She shook her head. "Great-grandmama is one hundred and thirty and still trim."

Severus sniffed lightly. His tray contained soup, a small cutlet with new potatoes and a side salad, along with a pot of his favourite tea. Dessert was another of those bloody custards Poppy insisted he eat for the calcium.

Parfitt's was laden with soup, a variety of sandwiches enough for a small gathering and two bowls of ice cream, one chocolate, the other lemon. Not to mention the pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"Are you here on Madam Pomfrey's suggestion?" Severus asked as he began spooning soup.

Kitty shook her head. "Downstairs, they're wallowing in Quidditch along with their meal."

Ah. By they, Severus assumed she meant the others.

"I don't mind the occasional discussion," she continued.

She'd better not, not when she had attached herself to a future professional.

"But today they're discussing past games. You know, who scored the best last minute goal; who perfected the Wronski Feint; if Krum played Seeker for Grodzisk, would he be better than Wronski? The kind of minutia that they'll argue over for the next week."

"My sympathy," murmured Severus, knowing exactly what she meant.

She shrugged and finished her soup.

Severus looked around for some topic of conversation that wouldn't make him sound like a teacher interrogating a student.

"Do you still plan on opening a hospital, Miss Parfitt?"

She took her time choosing a sandwich. "I sympathise, Professor. I understand that you still consider yourself a teacher and myself and the others students, but the case is in fact a little bit different, is it not? You will be forced into close proximity with us for the next while. Might it not be a little more comfortable for all of us, including yourself, if you called us by our first names?"

"I am still a Professor, Miss Parfitt."

"You call Harry and Draco by their first names."

How could he explain that that was different?

"Blaise has noticed," she said quietly. "He's hiding it, but it hurts him."

Severus sighed. His cutlet, so inviting only seconds earlier, now seemed slightly repellent.

"How about we specify for the duration? Until it is safe for you to return to your classes."

"Are you suggesting reciprocity, Miss Parfitt?"

She laughed. "Harry and Draco may get away with referring to you as 'Severus', but I doubt that the rest of us will feel comfortable or audacious enough to do so, even should you give us permission. No, if I might suggest, calling us by our first names will not push the ethical boundaries of teacher-student relationships."

Severus frowned. He had to admit that none of the students who had probably been forced into sharing their space with him was the kind to take advantage of a lessening of that boundary. He cut a small slice of cutlet.

"Are you still planning on opening a hospital, Kitty?"

Kitty smiled as she acknowledged his step. "Yes, of course. Not right away. I need to train first, but later on. I have more than sufficient funds at my disposal to open a small one when it is time."

"I would think St Mungo's would be more than pleased to have a healer join their staff."

Kitty shook her head. "Not the kind of hospital I intend to open, Professor."

"Oh? What other kind is there?"

She drew her feet under her and poured herself a glass of juice. "Have you noticed, Professor, that this world of ours has definite ideas on what makes a wizard or a witch?"

Severus felt himself freeze. Without being able to access his Magic, was he even a wizard any more? Bad enough that, this very morning, he'd sensed that Harry and Draco were aware that something about him was different. Usually, they got up and rushed to the Prefects' washroom, coming back flushed from more than a hot shower. This morning, only one had left the room at the time, the other watching him with a certain intensity. It had been unnerving. Severus had been more than happy when they'd rushed off to breakfast.

"Yes, Kitty, I have. What does this have to do with your plans?"

"Did you know that I once had an older brother?"

Severus thought, going through the mental filing cabinet he kept on former students.

"You won't have had him. He never came to Hogwarts. He'd never have lasted very long if he had."

Severus forgot his meal and sat back to listen to her.

Kitty Parfitt folded her hands on her lap and stared at them. "Zeffy is the only one who knows about him, outside of family. He was my half-brother, child of my father's first wife. He was seven years older than I."

She smiled sadly. "I loved him. No, I adored him. And I know he loved me. He had to, to put up with my following him all over the place once I could walk. I don't remember him ever yelling at me, or chasing me away, though there must have been times when he wanted to. I mean, what older brother really wants a pesky kid sister around all the time?"

"But Daniel seemed to. Even those times when I would have to hunt him down, when he was hiding away from Father. Or when he was hiding from the darkness that seemed to surround him at times."

She looked from her hands to Severus. "You see, Daniel was a disappointment to our father. He had Magic, just not a lot of it. Oh, he wasn't a Squib, but he hadn't the kind of Magic that would get him a letter from Hogwarts. Our father felt that keenly. Every one of his family had attended Hogwarts. Every one of Daniel's mother's had as well. He had no one to blame for Daniel's seeming failure except Daniel.

"And blame Daniel he did. He thought that Daniel wasn't trying enough. He thought if he pushed hard enough, Daniel would suddenly acquire the correct level of Magic he needed to be part of our society. So, to that end, Father berated him, mocked him. I think he occasionally resorted to violence of a physical kind. I know that Mother tried to intervene on Daniel's behalf. He was a lovely child, and he'd welcomed Mother when Father married her.

"But Father wouldn't stand for it. He'd yell that Daniel was his son, not Mother's, and that she had nothing to say in the way he was bringing up his son."

Kitty grew very quiet. Severus had an idea why, so he remained silent. It was her story and she would tell as much of it as she cared to.

She raised her chin. "When Daniel was sixteen, and I nine, he killed himself."

Severus noted the sheen to her eyes. The pain was still as fresh to her as it must have been when it happened.

"He needed care, you see, Professor. A place to go where he could have been taught to accept himself, a place where Father, had he wished, could have learnt to accept Daniel for the talents he had. His generosity, his ability to love a pesky half-sister, his laughter.

"That he hadn't enough Magic to qualify for Hogwarts did not mean that Daniel had nothing to contribute."

He thought she was expecting him to challenge that, but he wouldn't. He had been too much of a misfit to deny someone's role in the world of wizards.

"No, you are quite correct, Kitty." Severus kept his voice gentle. "Unrealistic expectations can be very damaging, no matter the level of one's Magic."

She nodded acceptance of his understanding. "So, my hospital. A place where those suffering from unrealistic expectations can go and put their lives back in order."

"I believe Muggles call them psychiatric hospitals," Severus offered quietly.

She nodded as she reached for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. "Gavin is another, you know, whose family can't accept. But he's very lucky. He has an uncle, a brother of his mother, who is also homosexual. He's had someone to go to, someone to help him find his way. His uncle and his lover have become his family, though his immediate one has basically washed their hands of him."

Kitty shook her head. "It's their loss. Gavin may be extrovertly flamboyant and..." she sighed, "...purposely in-your-face, but he doesn't hide his true character. Besides, he's a typical Hufflepuff. Loyal and patient and accepting. And he has an overly developed sense of justice, you know."

She didn't allow him time to respond. With a small laugh, she leaned forward to confide. "Gavin and I were in the same learning group before Hogwarts. Several parents had chosen what they considered to be the best tutors and had set up a school of sorts. A sophisticated hedge school."

Severus nodded.

"Well, we were the smallest of the lot, Gavin and I, and one day, one of the bigger boys wanted something I had and, when I wouldn't hand it over, he threatened to beat me up. Gavin pushed himself between us and threatened right back. Of course, he got beat up, but that's Gavin. He still has a tendency to put personal safety aside when he sees what he considers to be injustice."

Severus couldn't keep the cold out of his voice. "Might this particular story be in reference to what I owe Gavin Bennett?"

Kitty blinked, then frowned before making the connection. "Good grief, no, Professor! Gavin wouldn't think of it that way and neither do I!"

She seemed horrified to Severus. But he'd been fooled before. "I owe him a lifedebt."

Now she was indeed horrified. "Professor! How can..." She shook her head. "No. Maybe in your mind, it's a lifedebt, but I can assure you that, in Gavin's, it's nothing more than...than..." She was truly lost for words.

Severus let go some of the cold. "His being in the wrong place at the right time?"

She thought about that before shaking her head. "I think, should you ask Gavin, he would tell you it was in turn for being fair with him." She leaned forward again. "Professor, do you have any idea how Gavin is treated by some of the other professors here?"

Severus slowly shook his head.

"Oh, Professor McGonagall treats him no differently than any one else. That's not in her. Professor Flitwick only sees Gavin's ability in Charms and Spells and encourages him. Professor Sprout, if she notices him, frowns and wishes he'd do something about his hair. Professor Sinistra tries very hard to treat him like any other student, but tries too hard, making him stand out all the more. We won't mention Professor Quirrell. He was an outright bully. Professor Umbridge treated him like dirt, making Quirrell seem a novice when it came to it."

She was growing angry; the Veela in her was making her voice sharp, her eyes spit fire.

"And we won't talk about the others who just ignore him."

She must have felt the change in her for she stopped, took several deep, calming breaths, getting herself under control before concluding. "But you, Professor, have neither ignored him, nor belittled him, nor mocked him any more than you have any of us. You never permitted any student to do so in any of your classes. Gavin loved your classes. For him, I can assure you, there is no notion of your owing him; if he thinks of it at all, he was merely repaying you for seven years of acceptance."

Severus knew he wouldn't be able to accept her evaluation of the situation, but it did give him something to think about. Time to get them off this track of conversation.

"So he would have no need of your hospital."

She shook her head as she reached for the bowls of ice cream. With a rather wicked look at him from under her eyelashes, she dumped one bowl into the other and used her wand to mingle the two flavours.

Severus rolled his eyes and took up knife and fork. Of course, his cutlet was ice cold, but he pretended it was how he preferred it.

"No, Professor. Gavin is not one of those who would need my hospital."

He was aware of her eyes on him. Slowly, he looked up.

She was sitting in an unthreatening manner, yet he suddenly felt threatened. "I don't see you as someone to beat around the bush, Miss Parfitt, so say what you want to say."

"Oh, dear. Not Kitty any more." She sighed as she ate a spoonful of the chocolate-lemon blend. "Your meal is cold, Professor, and you haven't warmed it up."

"Maybe I like cold cutlets, Miss Parfitt."

"Maybe you have lost access to your Magic, Professor."

He said nothing.

"I've watched you since you've joined us. You haven't used your wand at all. If you want to refill your cup of tea, you stand up to do so."

"Maybe I just want the exercise, Miss Parfitt." His usual glare didn't seem to affect her at all. Was he losing that power as well?

She shook her head. "In class, you used your wand as though it was a natural extension of your arm, Professor. A thing of beauty to behold. I notice, you see. Living with Daniel, I learnt to notice things."

Severus licked his bottom lip. Damn these brats! Did they have to be so perceptive, so bloody intelligent?!

"Since you are still here amongst us, I am assuming that your Magic is not gone. If it were, I am certain that Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey would have found you haven elsewhere. Probably among Muggles. The fact that you are here would indicate that you are still one of us."

"Very good, Miss Parfitt, Severus sneered. " What other conclusions have you arrived at?"

She ignored his tone and forged on. "That it is must be the result of either the torture you survived or the Ritual you endured. My vote leans towards the Ritual."

He was curious. "On what grounds?"

"Well, both you and Neville's parents endured the same combination. On waking, they too lost the ability to do Magic. But they also lost much more. I haven't seen any of their medical reports, but the psychological damage to them seems to have been far more extensive than it was to you. I assume the length and repetition of their torture may have had something to do with that."

"Minerva and Poppy assume that the fact that I was practicing Occlumency at the time may have protected my mind."

"Ah!" Kitty thought about that, spoon in mouth. "Hmmm, there's a good basis for that assumption. Thank you, Professor, for sharing that with me." She thoughtfully scraped the bowl of ice cream. "So, if that's true, then the torture explains why they are as they are. But you, Professor, you're mentally competent, lucid, dare I say," she offered him a hint of a smile, "even sane? You've all three undergone the Ritual, you've all three awakened from a coma state, but then what is it about the Ritual that would deny you access to your Magic?"

"That, Miss Parfitt, is the mystery. Unfortunately, other than the Ritual itself and some traditional Guardian rites, Augusta Longbottom has no other knowledge of the Old Ways."

"Well, then, we merely have to find someone who does, Professor."

Severus actually managed a laugh. "It's not that easy. The Old Ways have been thoroughly discouraged for a millennium. Other than scattered traditions, nothing much has survived the arrival of the New Ways."

Kitty shook her head. "I refuse to believe that knowledge like that can be lost, Professor. We just need to look for it."

And he knew what - his grandfather's hidden library - but not the where and most certainly not the how. Even his childhood home had been warded against him when he'd chosen Dumbledore over his grandfather. He focused on what he could know. "We?"

Kitty grinned as she returned her dishes to her tray, stood up, and went to reheat Severus's meal. "Madam Pomfrey will read us all the riot act if she discovers you aren't eating properly."

He merely looked at her.

Her grin grew even wider. "We, Professor. The exiles of Hogwarts. McGonagall's katzentisch. Nothing like a mystery to get the creative juices going. Just what we need to get us in practice for NEWTs." Then her eyes lit up and Severus braced himself. "A topic of far more interest, I think you will admit, than...Quidditch?"

In spite of himself, Severus gave a short bark of laughter. "Oh, Kitty. Does Zephyr Strange have any idea what she's got on her hands?"

Kitty's smile was positively radiant at being forgiven her intrusion into private territory. She batted her eyes in a manner reminiscent of the Beauxbatons females who had visited for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. "She certainly does, Professor. And may I say, that she certainly knows what to do with them."

Severus groaned. "Too much information, Kitty. Get yourself off to class before you're late. And thank you for reheating my meal. I would have eaten it cold just to keep Poppy from coming to see why I hadn't eaten it."

As she reached the door, Severus called to her. "Kitty. I would appreciate if this conversation remained just between the two of us for now. I'm certain that the others will notice my not using Magic, but I would like some time to get used to it."

Kitty nodded. "Of course, Professor. However, there will be a charge."

Severus lost his smile. "Oh?"

"I need someone to look over my Potions work. Professor Slughorn is more interested in my father's financial standing than in my actual work. He's given me an A++ on an assignment that I doubt he even read."

Slughorn again. Severus sighed and offered, "After the fact, Kitty, not before."

She nodded. "Deal, Professor."

With that, Severus was left alone to eat his meal and wonder who else among the katzentisch was going to reveal unknown aspects of themselves to him.

**********

Quid 2, Post 72
Things Get Better. Maybe.
**********

It took Severus several days to put his finger on it. And the 'it' was the fact that life for him was far calmer than it had been.

He allowed the book he'd been reading to drop onto his knees as he thought about that.

He was growing used to sharing a room with two horny teenagers, both of whom exuded sex and hormones. They'd finally stopped looking at him in that way that had made him wonder if he'd grown horns overnight.

So far, they'd been circumspect about their sexual activity.

He knew they showered together in the mornings, taking care of their morning erections at the same time. One of them always checked that he'd be in the common room for some time before they engaged in sex in their room. Severus made certain to arrive a little later than his normal time whenever they did. It gave them time to clean up, to rid the air of the musk of sex, and once, to have fallen asleep, wrapped around each other.

He'd stopped then, to look at them, to remember that, in the Chamber, he had been in the middle of them. That he would have had Harry at his back and Draco in his arms. Or vice versa.

He'd gone to the bathroom then, to try and nudge his libido awake, but with no success.

Poppy had been checking him over on a regular basis. She was still harping on his taking it easy, that his body might appear to have recovered, but that, in fact, he was a long way from his former self. And she still could find no reason for his impotence. It was driving her crazy, so she said. It was making him crazy. He was having the most erotic dreams and should have awakened if not with a hard-on, then with sheets sticking to him as they would have been in the past.

Nothing.

He did have the sense that Harry and Draco were up to something. He had expected them to refer to events in the Chamber now that they knew he'd regained the knowledge from his Pensieve. But they didn't. What they did was smile at him as though they knew something he didn't. Lucius had smiled at him like that too often in their past for Severus not to know that something was up. But what specifically? No idea.

He sighed as he looked around the common room, seeing the piles of books, a robe abandoned over the back of a chair, quills where they had been dropped onto a table, scattering ink over a rolled-up scroll.

Minerva's katzentisch were quite accepting of his presence in their lives and environment. They treated him with the respect due one of their instructors - even if he wasn't in the classroom - yet with a little less awe.

With, dare he think, some friendliness?

They included him in conversations, discussions, often asking him for his opinion and being comfortable enough to argue with him if they didn't agree.

He'd reread the two Potions essays as he had promised to do. Gavin had been right; his deserved a B. Not brilliant, but well developed and it covered the material required. Kitty's was about the same as Gavin's. Certainly not deserving of the accolades Slughorn had scattered all over the scroll.

These two were bright and proud enough to know when they were being misjudged. All the katzentisch were.

Bright enough so that, like Kitty, the group had cottoned on to his non-use of Magic. No one questioned him about it - maybe Kitty had counseled them not to - but he noticed that they came to his assistance whenever they thought it appropriate. Gavin was getting very good at surreptitiously heating up his tea for him in the evenings.

Severus tried to think the last time he'd been this much at ease with a group. Even back in his student days... Well, there'd been Evan. But that relationship had come about late in Fifth Year. As for the others, Slytherins were always just a bit competitive with and wary of each other.

There was a knock on the door and his attention sharpened immediately. So much for calmness.

Minerva was watching him, one of those feline smiles on her face. It made him wonder how long she'd been there without his sensing her presence.

That made him growl, "What do you want?" Besides, she'd expect it of him. "I thought I was done with those disasters of yours that pass for work."

"All done for the nonce. Did I remember to thank you for making my duties that much lighter?"

She sat on the couch, carefully spreading her skirts as though she cared for wrinkles.

That did not bode well.

"Out with it. What's wrong?"

She cocked her head and considered him thoughtfully. "What makes you think there's anything wrong, Severus?"

He rolled his eyes. "Get on with it, you old cat."

Minerva lost the smile. "All right. I suppose you want it point blank."

He braced himself, glaring at her. He should have known that he'd been too comfortable.

"Horace has insisted that he be put in charge of Potions until the end of the academic year. No matter how well you heal. He says he came back as a favour to Albus, but now that Albus is gone, he wants surety that he will have a position until June. Personally, I think he's got the scent on someone he thinks will make his retirement far easier. He doesn't care about next year, he says, but if he doesn't get what he wants, he's leaving this Saturday."

Severus slumped back into his chair. "I..."

"I have the intention of telling him that he has what he wants." She held up her hand to forestall his complaints.

"Yes, I know. He hasn't changed since he was last here. He plays favourites. He barely pays attention to students whose families have neither pull nor wealth. But other than that, he's competent enough, Severus."

She waited for him to protest, but he didn't. What could he say? Without Magic, how could he...?

"Several of the students who are in your special NEWTs class are not very pleased with Horace Slughorn. As you know, Horace prefers to spend his weekends away from Hogwarts. I think that, with some compromise and adjustments, a special Sunday seminar can be set up at the landing where they could present you with their concerns and you could deal with them."

"Minerva..."

"Not a lab, I know. But the students you selected for that class are those who intend to continue studies in Potions and they need contact with someone who is more than just competent. I'm certain that you must now be delighted that you didn't allow Miss Granger to join that class as her interests lie more in Arithmancy."

"As you say. Not that..."

"Yes, yes, I know. You're not able to attend them in a lab." She leaned forward, her face serious. "Your knowledge is what they need, Severus, far more than your skills in a laboratory. I think we should let it be known that your Magic is behaving in an erratic manner and Poppy has forbidden you to use it. That will explain why you're not able to be in a classroom. And Sunday morning should be a safe time for meeting as Horace, even were he here, would be recovering from his indulgences of Saturday evenings."

She'd thought it all out before approaching him. Still, he did have one objection to offer her. "Minerva, what about Albus?"

She stood up and smiled a little wickedly. "Oh, I've been given to understand from Alastair Moody that Nes hasn't changed all that much. In fact, the Ministry is certain that he's been sent so that when an agreement is finally hammered out, we will be so relieved to get rid of him that we'll agree to everything his Ministry wants."

She patted him on the shoulder as she passed him. "Oh, do you mind very much if I join you all tonight?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "They're your katzentisch, Minerva. Why are you asking me?"

"Well, from what I've been told, they seem to have become yours far more than mine, my dear."

He grimaced, not wanting to show how much that pleased him. "Bring some decent treats. And remember they're always hungry, so bring lots."

She laughed as she left him.

Severus picked up his reading, tried to find where he'd been but gave up and tossed the book over onto the couch.

With a growing sense of frustration, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Special classes on the landing. Reports from his Prefect on the landing. Hell, he might as well just plain move out onto the bloody landing!

**********

Quid 2, Post 73
An Evening with the Kitties.
**********

Severus, Draco and Harry sat stunned at the sudden proliferation of cats surrounding them in the common room.

Harry was the first to laugh as he slid off his chair to sit on the floor. Neville-cat came up to him, sniffing him before allowing Harry to stroke him. His purr attracted Blaise-cat, who hissed a little angrily until Harry's other hand descended on his head and scratched that spot so hard to reach, even for a cat.

Draco shook his head, not knowing if he was intrigued or put off at the potential of so much cat hair littering his clothing.

Zeffy-cat took care of that concern by jumping onto his lap and rolling herself against him.

"Damn it, Zef! It'll take me a good dozen spells to get rid of all these hairs!" But her loud purrs of pleasure increased in volume when his hand decided - against his better judgment - to rub her belly.

Severus glared at Minerva. "If I had known that I was living in the midst of a cattery..."

She laughed at his expression. "Oh, Severus. It's just a little fun. They've had a hard week and they needed some recompense."

"Hard? How?"

He sat straighter and she suddenly wished she'd kept her mouth shut. She tried to wave him off the topic, but he shook his head.

"Minerva."

She really hated it when he used that tone with her. Reminded her too much of her father wanting an accounting of some misdeed. And she knew how much he truly hated being confined to this tower, when he really wanted to be back in his classroom, in his own office, in the calming solitude of his own quarters. He'd seemed, according to Poppy, to be handling his inability to do Magic well, but Minerva wasn't so sure. Severus was an expert at hiding his feelings.

Draco had joined Harry on the floor and the kits were taking a certain perverse pleasure in covering him with samples of their hair. Blaise-cat had left off hovering by Neville-cat for the chance to add his share to Draco's shoulder, his sharp teeth nipping at Draco's ear. Neville-cat was reluctant to leave Harry, but the sight of his lover giving cat-love-bites to a fellow Slytherin proved too much and he bounded over to Draco, taking up position by the boy. If cats could glare...well, this one could.

Harry laughed aloud and Draco shook his head before reaching up to remove Blaise-cat from his shoulder. He set him down by Neville-cat. "I told you no poaching and I meant it."

Gavin-cat had made himself comfortable on the couch next to Minerva when she'd changed her katzentisch into real cats. He'd been very involved in his grooming and must have been satisfied with the way he looked because he stopped, sat up and looked over to where Severus sat.

Minerva had a flash of idea what he was planning to do when she saw him eyeing the distance but decided it was his funeral if he went through with...

Gavin-cat bunched up his hind muscles and leapt gracefully from the couch onto Severus's lap.

"Wha...!"

With a look of self-satisfaction, Gavin-cat made himself comfortable on Severus's lap and, when attention was slow in coming, he nudged Severus's arm with his head.

Minerva bit her lip. The boy was pushing his luck. Severus hadn't - yet - shoved him off.

Severus didn't seem to know what to do with the large orange-white cat on his lap. His hands hovered over the animal as though ready to grab it and toss it away from him.

Gavin-cat merely stretched his neck and nudged again.

Severus's hands slowly dropped onto the arms of the chair. "If you think I shall be rewarding such inappropriate behaviour..."

Gavin-cat got to his feet, turned around to look Severus in the face, and very deliberately butted his head against Severus's chest.

Harry, propped up on hands resting behind him, snickered. Draco bent his head to hide what was obviously a wide grin.

Minerva looked at the boy. She realised suddenly that she had seen him smile and laugh more since Christmas than in all the years he'd been here at Hogwarts. More relaxed as well. She would have to give him the spell to remove cat hair before she left this evening.

Gavin-cat, meanwhile, was determined to get Severus's attention. He settled on his haunches and waited.

"Oh, for..." Severus sighed loudly. "If needs must and this is the only way I'm going to get rid of you..."

One long finger deigned to rub between cat ears. Once. Twice. Then pulled away.

Minerva had to give Gavin credit. He knew when to stop pushing. With a loud, contented purr, he turned once more to settle, this time against Severus's abdomen, where he made himself comfortable, all the while purring.

Severus frowned, his lips tightened, but Minerva noticed that a hand settled onto the cat's back and its fingers rubbed against the pelt.

"Wonder what kind of cat you'd make," Draco said to Harry.

"Professor?" Harry cocked his head, looking very young, Minerva thought. Very carefree.

She wondered if her katzentisch was deceiving itself or were they really all able to cast aside the whispers, the shunning that, in some quarters, had begun. There'd been discussion in the staff room, not when she was present, of course, about the rivalry that these open relationships was causing. Not so much that they were, as she had heard several Muggle-borns say, 'out of the closet', but, as the student body felt, the inappropriateness of Gryffindors pairing off with Slytherins.

Seemed House rivalries were something that carried through even to adulthood. Something to think about when...if she ever truly became Headmistress.

She had a fairly decent idea who was at the basis of that particular train of thought. Hermione Granger had a jealous, possessive streak that was making things a little difficult for both Harry and Neville. Not that Minerva could call the girl in and present her with proof; Granger was far too intelligent for that. But her reported comments in the common room, her behaviour towards any Gryffindor who was seen or thought to be siding with Harry and/or Neville was causing a rift in Gryffindor ranks.

Minerva sighed. Of course, that spilled out to the other Houses. Slytherins were no more pleased to see Blaise with a Gryffiindor. And even though they had ostracised Draco in their midst, he was still a Slytherin.

The Parkinson girl had taken the fact that Draco preferred Harry to her particularly hard; her comments and behaviour were far more overt than Granger's. And in that House, there was the added difficulty that its Head was in internal exile in a tower that housed these so-called dissidents.

Minerva wondered how both sides would react if they knew that Severus was actually sharing a room with Harry and Draco. So far, that little bit of gossip wasn't making the rounds of the hallways.

But right now, Harry was watching her with eyes that certainly didn't display any of the frustration he must be feeling at the slights that came his way throughout the day.

"Yes, Mr Black, I too have wondered that very thing."

She took out her wand,and all her kits suddenly stopped doing whatever had caught their attention to sit and watch.

The cat that appeared before them was...different.

First of all, he was huge. Easily twice the size of Neville-cat, who was the largest among them. His coat was black, but held a hint of red. It was dense, thick and plush.

Harry-cat was broad-faced, with a short stub of a nose, powerful jaws and large ears that were surprisingly still. His large green eyes were focused on Minerva and she, who had so often been accused of being feline, felt a chill of discomfort.

He rose to his feet and the sensation increased. Harry-cat had a stocky build that was more muscular than any other of her kits. His legs were short, but well proportioned to carry that body. His tail was short but thick.

Harry-cat sat back on his haunches and raised a paw to examine it. The claws he displayed would be capable of inflicting a fair amount of damage if he decided to use them for that purpose.

"What kind of cat is he?"

Minerva didn't want to take her eyes off this cat for fear that he might decide to attack. "I have no idea, Severus. Usually when one assumes a feline form, it reveals something about the personality or character of that person. I think..." She hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I think that maybe we're seeing just how powerful and dangerous a wizard Harry is."

Draco shook his head. "Powerful and dangerous, maybe. But not to us."

As if to prove Draco right, Harry-cat...well, it wasn't exactly a walk, more of a clearing of the pathway as the cats carefully made way for him...but he progressed over to Draco and sat down in front of him. Draco confidently reached out and scratched Harry-cat's head.

The large eyes closed in happiness and it took Minerva a moment to realise that the loud rumble filling the room was Harry's contented purr. Then he dropped to the floor, rolled over, presenting his belly. With a snicker, Draco obliged him, rubbing away. Four large paws reached up to grab Draco's arm and Minerva held her breath. She moved her wand, ready to stun the animal if the rough-housing got out of hand. But it didn't. After a few rubs, Harry-cat seemed to dissolve on the floor and his purrs grew even louder.

Draco laughed aloud and the tension in the room dissolved.

"I wonder what my cat-self is like," hinted Draco, adding red-black hair to his collection.

The spell didn't work as well this time. Oh, a cat appeared.

"An Egyptian Mau," Minerva declared. "Why am I not surprised."

Large, almond-shaped, pale green eyes held the same aristocratic Malfoy glance as Draco-cat looked himself over. He was right to be pleased with himself.

"A fine example of the species."

Draco-cat looked up at her. The scarab marking on his forehead denoted his purity of lines. The cat preened, in a manner very reminiscent of the boy.

His coat was bronze in tone and had the usual markings, yet...

As they watched, it seemed to Minerva that the markings were changing. They appeared to be shifting about the sleek body until they resembled...wings?

And it wasn't her imagination, but the shape before them was also shifting in form. Minerva blinked, shook her head and wondered if she was seeing things. The cat seemed to be changing shape, from cat to...bird? Not a bird bird. No, a...

The long cat-nose was stretching, lengthening, becoming harder and sharper.

"Minerva. Reverse the spell. Quickly! Minerva!"

She shook her head, calling herself back to attention.

"Minerva, reverse the spell!"

She did so.

Draco sat before them, face almost green. "I don't feel..."

She had the presence of mind to call over a wastebasket in which for him to be sick.

Severus went over to the boy, hunkered down by him and offered him his handkerchief to wipe his mouth. "I think," he said quietly, "that you should stick to the shape that has already been determined for you."

Oh. Something for another private conversation with Severus.

Draco nodded. "That was not fun. I felt...pulled."

Severus stood up. "Well, I think this may be time..."

Minerva had always wanted to know what kind of cat Severus Snape would make. She knew he would never be interested in that himself, but she was certain that her kits would want to know.

It was impolitic of her to do so... She would have to deal with him after the fact, and Severus's temper was not something to tease. But...

It took her a moment to identify the breed of the cat that stood in front of them.

That Draco had been an Egyptian Mau hadn't surprised her all that much. The Malfoys and the Blacks each were an ancient line of wizards. But the Snapes were even older.*

That this cat was black was also not a surprise. But it was a pure, matte black. The kind of black that grew invisible in a darkened room. Especially if the eyes - almond-shaped, orange angry eyes - were closed.

Its coat, neither long nor short, would be silky to the touch, with a rougher-feeling, thick ruff around the throat area. The long, tapered tail was curled around the hindquarters.

It was watching them with a certain dislike over its longer than normal nose. It yawned and displayed a fine set of sharp teeth, ivory against the blood red interior of the mouth.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"One of the oldest of felines. As old if not older than your own. And, unlike any of you, not linked to any other breed. Severus is a Turkish Angora."

Severus, hearing his name, rose to walk around the room, obviously examining it from his new perspective. His hind legs were longer than his front, stretching out the muscles of his slim body as he walked.

Minerva suddenly giggled and, at the cat's disgusted glare, tried to recover her dignity. Draco sent a silent inquiry her way. She explained, "As a breed, the Angora is highly intelligent, but rather aloof. And," her eyes glittered as she leaned towards Draco and confided, though loudly, "they can be known to be very temperamental."

Draco pretended surprise. "No! Really?!"

Giving a soft growl, Severus-cat jumped onto his chair and settled himself, front paws tucked under his chest. With a certain dignity, he yawned, closed his eyes, and ignored them all.

*****

* Remember, the Snape family is not canon in the Quid stories.

**********

Quid 2, Post 74
The Plot Grows (On the Correct Path, at Long Last).
**********

Harry and Draco were really quite pleased with themselves. They congratulated themselves for being on top of the situation with their timing.

Severus was off on the landing, tutoring his special NEWTs class. Most of them had shown up, with a pile of questions and complaints about their replacement teacher. Horace Slughorn was not popular with the group. He'd made it far too clear that first week that he was interested only in those who were destined to bring, as he so condescendingly put it, 'prestige upon the noble craft of potion brewing'.

So the student from Ravenclaw who had produced an original potion with the potential of ameliorating certain age-related mental deterioration was ingratiatingly smiled upon. Not that she couldn't see - as she told Professor Snape, in no uncertain terms - that Professor Slughorn was looking out for his own interests. Did he think that his coming in like this, at the near end of her Seventh Year at Hogwarts, was going to outweigh all the special instruction and attention Professor Snape had given her? All the time he'd spent encouraging her interest and creativity? Did the man not know that it was Professor Snape who had got her that interview with the Healer at St Mungo's, a former student who was so interested in the same frustrating field?

Draco and Harry snuck back up the back stairs, confident that Severus was going to be busy for some time, soothing ruffled egos and getting everyone back on track.

The other katzentisch were working in the common room, catching up on work or reading. Gavin had disappeared, who knew where? Gavin did tend to disappear whenever he felt like it and always managed to deter any questions when he returned. One thing about Gavin, whoever he was screwing didn't have to worry about Gavin spilling the beans.

"Did you find what we needed?"

Harry shrugged as he and Draco picked up the bag of items they had stashed in the back of the small wardrobe they shared. "Think so. I found a book about fashion that has a few pictures. We should be able to improvise."

Just in case Severus suddenly got it into his head to return to their room, they decided to use the bathroom for their experiment. They shouldn't be interrupted there. No one had indicated that they wanted to bathe - as a matter of courtesy, whoever wanted a bath or shower usually announced it beforehand - and there was a small toilet off the common room for personal use.

Harry felt a giggle make its way up his throat as he and Draco closed the bathroom door behind them. Draco cast a warning ward on it, just in case, and double warded it locked.

Looking around the room, Harry dropped the bag and pulled out his wand. He cleared a small table of its pile of towels, and sent them to rest on the bench that sat on the other side of the bath, before placing the books he'd been carrying onto it.

"Let's see," asked Draco, leaning over Harry, one of his hands resting on Harry's arse, to read the cover. "Les modes intimes. I wonder why it's always the French who produce books like these."

"They have more use for them?" Harry shuffled through the pages until he found, "See, like this."

Draco took the book away from him and angled it to the light to better see the drawings of the intimate apparel. "Hmmm. Yes, I see. But..."

"Er, maybe I should leave."

Harry and Draco had their wands drawn and pointed before they had time to recognise the speaker.

Gavin slowly raised his hands, showing he was unarmed. He was leaning against the corner wall where the bathroom was darkest.

"What are you doing here?" Draco snarled, his heart still beating far too quickly. He hated being taken unaware at the best of times, and these were anything but.

"Sorry. I was napping, I guess. Didn't hear you guys come in until you warded the place tighter than my father's arse."

Harry lowered his wand. From his vantage, he could see the streaks of wetness that lined Gavin's face. "Gavin? What's happened?"

Draco picked up Harry's unease. He quickly checked out the room for any other surprise.

Gavin said nothing, just shrugged. Not normal behaviour from this, the most talkative member of their group.

Draco surreptitiously closed the book they'd been examining before refocusing his attention on Gavin.

Harry went up to Gavin. "You've been crying. Gav, if it's anything we can help with... Hey, we're all katzentisch. We look out for each other."

Gavin smiled far too weakly for him.

Draco went to stand by Harry. "He means it, Gavin. If we can't help, maybe McGonagall... Or Severus?"

Gavin shook his head. "Not that important." He shrugged again. Harry grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the bench. The towels hit the floor as he forced Gavin to sit down.

"Now, then. Out with it. What's wrong?"

Gavin looked from Harry to Draco, then to his hands clenched on his lap. "Oh...HELL!" He rubbed his eyes with his fists and shook his head. "It's...everything and nothing. I just get like this once in a while and I needed to be by myself."

Harry didn't let up. "To cry?"

Gavin was getting a little colour back in his face. "Sure, why not? A good cry works wonders."

"On what?" Draco's voice was gentle as he hunkered down in front of Gavin. Harry sat down next to him and placed his hand on Gavin's shoulder.

Gavin leaned his head back against the wall. "I got a letter from my mother. About Easter. Not surprising, really."

Harry and Draco exchanged looks. "What wasn't surprising? That you got a letter from your mother?"

Gavin shook his head. "My older sister is bringing her fiancé and his parents for a visit this Easter. My mother wrote to tell me that the family thought I would be more comfortable if I spent the hols here at Hogwarts. Meaning, of course," his voice roughened a little, "that they would be more comfortable if I wasn't around to embarrass them."

"Fuck them," swore Draco. Harry blinked at the vehemence but nodded in agreement.

Gavin's smile was a little watery. "Yeah, I know. Usually, it wouldn't bother me so much, but lately..."

"Lately?" Draco encouraged.

Gavin sighed loudly. "Lately, I'm not exactly welcome in the Hufflepuff common room." He shrugged. "Funny, after all these years, I thought of my House as...as family. There for when shit like this happened. I thought they liked me at least. But this morning, when I went..."

"Not exactly friendly?" Harry knew. He'd got the same reaction the last time he'd dared enter the Gryffindor common room. Even after making certain that Hermione or any Weasley was not around.

"They stared at me like I was some bug daring to come out from under a rock. When I spoke to one of them, he got up and moved away from me."

"All of them?" Draco thought that kind of thing only happened in Slytherin.

"No. But the ones with the most pull. One or two of my so-called friends looked sheepish but not one of them approached me."

Harry nodded. "Same here. Other than Neville, I don't think any Gryffindor has spoken to me directly in weeks."

Gavin agreed. "It's the indirectly that's really beginning to bug me. The whispers when my back is turned. Hell, I get enough of that with my family; I don't need it here as well."

Draco sympathised. "That's been pretty much the norm for me in Slytherin since I decided to stay and not follow my father."

There was silence as each thought of his life.

Gavin rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Well, enough wallowing. Self-pity should be given in to rarely and only for five minutes when one does indulge. My five minutes are up."

He stood up and went to wash his face in cold water. Harry handed him a towel.

Gavin took them both by surprise by reaching for the book they'd been looking at.

"Hey!" Draco was less understanding of a sudden.

Gavin grinned, looking more like his usual self. "Les modes intimes, eh? Nice copy. My uncle and his lover have a copy as well. Personally, I like the corsets..."

Harry went beet red. Draco paled, with spots of rose appearing on his upper cheek bones.

"Oh!" Gavin commented, turning to the correct page with no hesitation. "Like these?"

Harry found the tips of his shoes very interesting.

Draco scowled, "Gavin Bennett, give me that book."

Gavin turned his body so that Draco couldn't grab the book away from him. He looked over his shoulder, the old curious, mischief-making Gavin back in full force. "What are you two up to, eh?"

**********

Quid 2, Post 75
Ratcheting up the Anticipation.
**********

Minerva McGonagall pulled the bedclothes over her shoulders and snuggled into the warm cocoon she'd made for herself. As was her nightly habit, she went through the things that she needed to get done the next day, but the ritual was put aside for her to snicker yet again at the image of Severus Snape in his cat form. He'd remained imperious on his chair, ignoring all the kits as they gamboled and cavorted around, until Draco had picked him up - the expression of astonishment on his cat face at Draco's daring made her laugh aloud - and settled the cat on his lap. The attempt at escape had been soon foiled when Draco had begun scratching between ears and even Severus at his most dour had had to give in. Severus's purr, those orange eyes closed in contentment...

Draco's obvious satisfaction at holding Severus-cat close to him and seeing to his pleasure made her regret less that he couldn't participate in the feline fun.

Harry had taken objection to the attention Draco was paying Severus, so that Minerva herself had had to get involved. Hoisting a jealous ten kilo cat onto her lap, especially one armed as Harry was, had its own sense of daring. Still, it seemed she was allowed certain liberties as his Head of House. He'd finally settled against her, offering his belly for rubs.

She wriggled to get the pillow just right.

Her last thought before falling asleep was that Severus the man had looked much more relaxed after spending an hour as a cat than she'd seen him look in a very long time.

*****

All the bed pillows were piled high behind Zeffy so Kitty was using her as her prop. She made herself comfortable while looking over the latest report from her financial advisor. Grekzks, the goblin Gringotts had assigned to her account, had listened to her with far more consideration than she'd found from her father's wizard advisor. One of the reasons she'd moved her business affairs from him to the goblin when she'd turned seventeen. Moreover, she knew Grekzks had her best financial interests at heart, less concerned with maintaining social standing among her father's friends.

Her father's financial advisor hadn't taken her removing her inheritance from his care very well.

Too bad. Profits spoke for themselves and her hospital needed all the funding she could provide herself in order to convince others who thought as she did to invest.

One of Zeffy's hands was resting on Kitty's side, the other holding up the latest internal report from Puddlemere United. She shook her head, reading the details of the mess their last match had been against the Montrose Magpies. Surely the captain should have noticed that his Beaters were off that day. Not by much, but enough to allow the same Magpie to score twelve goals. And what were the Chasers doing through all that? Sleeping?

When she got there...

She sighed. When she got there, she'd be relegated to the second string, if she were lucky. She knew she was good - she wouldn't have been scouted and signed to contract if she weren't - but she'd have to prove it to the team and management before she'd be in a position to do more than watch.

When she was captain...

*****

Blaise buried his head in the pillow, his teeth biting the fabric in an effort to keep his whimpers under control. Behind him, Neville was doing his best to make that impossible.

Oh, Merlin! Who would have thought, that day in the greenhouse, that Neville Longbottom was so good at this?

A natural talent because Blaise believed Neville when he said he hadn't much experience.

So good with his hands...

So caring...

So...OH, SHIT! That felt soooo good!

Blaise would have to remember to pick up those Honeyduke's Pralines Gavin so liked as thanks for disappearing this evening, giving Blaise and Neville time...

The gentle stream of air playing in his ear made him pay attention. As did the soft voice. "What did I say about touching yourself, Blaise?"

Oh, bloody hell! He'd forgotten.

Now he was going to be made to pay.

Had life ever been this good before Neville?

*****

"Let me take a good look at the two of you."

Harry and Draco stood still for Gavin's inspection. They could see the final product in the mirrors over his shoulder. Not what they would have seen if he hadn't got involved.

Nothing this...perfect.

Gavin frowned as he reached for the make-up palette he'd pulled out from among the things he'd brought with him. Face frowning with purpose, he added a touch of rouge with a light brush to Draco's cheekbones, dusted a hint of colour to the underside of Harry's chin.

"That's better."

Harry and Draco exchanged small smiles of bewilderment. They didn't see the difference, but it was obvious Gavin did. And so far, he'd proven to be correct about pretty much everything. As he'd told them, why go with amateurs when an expert was at hand.

"Turn around. Slowly."

He tugged here, fluffed there, fixed the line of drape before stepping back and looking them over with the kind of intensity that made both men hold their breaths.

"Walk to the other side. Harry, more slowly or you wobble. That's better. Draco, try the curtsey. Nice. Remember to keep your eyes down and look up through your lashes. Harry, you try. Hmmmm. Back straight. That's it. Now back here again."

He looked them over as though evaluating his work objectively. Which he was.

Slowly and finally, he nodded. "You'll do."

**********

on to the next part