Cats and Dogs

“This is all your fault, you do know that, right, Sirius?” I said as we all walked to our next class which was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.

“Pha!” he gasped, “Me?! You’re the one who had to switch seats and then you came over and started bugging me!” Sirius yelled with a bit of exaggeration.

“Padfoot, let it go, mate. You were the one that was butting in on our conversation.” Remus said who was walking on the other side of me.

“What? You’re actually siding with her, Mooney? Over me?” he placed his hands on his chest like his heart had just broke and I rolled my eyes.

“Yes.” Remus said bluntly.

“Prongs, do you hears this? What about you Wormtail? Any opinion?” Sirius asked turning to look at James who was walking along side Lily and then back at Peter who was walking next to Sirius. Peter’s eyes widened slightly and he quickly shook his head and James rolled his eyes.

“What is this?” I asked. “Padfoot, Mooney, Prongs, Wormtail? What’s all that about?” I said with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s called a nickname. You know, a name your friends give you. Though I’m sure you would know nothing about that, seeing as you don’t have any.” Sirius said smugly.

“Hey! I’m her friend!” Lily said in my defense.

“Yeah, me too!” James said after Lily, though I’m not sure it was in my defense, more so it was in Lily’s.

“Oh, bollocks, Prongs!” Sirius exclaimed. “You’re only saying that because your Lily Flower said that!”

“Ug! Don’t call me that!” Lily exclaimed.

“Well, I’m her friend, or I’d like to think I am.” Lupin said from next to me, that faint smile on his lips. To my surprise I began to feel my cheeks grow warm from a blush.

“What’s this?” Sirius said and when I looked Sirius’ face was an inch from mine and I immediately stopped walking and began to glare at him. “You’re blushing!” his eyes widened in surprise and then they squinted slightly in suspicion as he began to look at Remus and I.

“No, I’m not, Sirius! So, move out of my way, seriously.” I then pushed Sirius out of my way and continued walking.

I sat down next to Lily in our class and I looked curiously at a grey and black tabby cat who was sitting silently on McGonagall’s desk, watching the students enter the room. My eyes squinted when I saw what looked like square-shaped spectacles printed around the cat’s eyes.

“Huh…” Was all I said as I took out my supplies for the class.

“What?” Lily asked.

“Nothing… Well, it’s just that… That cat, it looks like- Nevermind.” I mumbled as I shook my head slightly.

“Psst! Lily Flower,” James chimed from behind us.

Lily let out a small groan and turned back to James, “What?” she hissed.

I looked back at the cat and it stood and then jumped off the desk and quickly morphed in Professor McGonagall!

“Whoa!” I exclaimed. “Professor, you’re an Animagus?” I asked, excitement written all over my face.

She looked down at me, “Yes. Are you familiar with Animagi?”

“Oh, yeah! I am-” I stopped myself. “familiar with them…” I added.

She raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly, “I would imagine… Today we are going to talk a little bit about Animagi and humans transforming into animals…”

I began to take notes on what she was going on about, though my mind was else where. I had almost spat out my secret. Though, it’s not a bad one, necessarily, but it gives me some advantages when people don’t know.

My brother doesn’t know… He thinks our house is haunted by some kind of animal. I smiled at the thought of all the times I had scared Alastor. Like the time when he was sleeping in his room and I got some red paint and dipped my claws into the paint and then went into his room and lightly “scratched” him. When he woke up and went to the restroom and saw himself in the mirror he nearly had a cow. He was so scared, more scared because he couldn’t feel the pain.

I laughed lightly out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Lily whispered.

“Hm? Oh, nothing… Just good times…” I smiled lightly.

She raised an eyebrow, “Uh-huh…”

The only ones who knew about me being an Animagus were my parents… I sighed and then shook my head and actually started paying attention to what Professor McGonagall was talking about.

After class was lunch and then we would head back to the Gryffindor Tower to retire for the day.

Lunch in the Great Hall wasn’t that eventful as our first class had been. James or Prongs, continued to try and get Lily Flower’s attention, she would pretend to ignore him but I knew inside she was paying close attention.

It wasn’t until lunch was over and we were making our way to the Gryffindor Tower when the ball began rolling.

“I know you like him.” I whispered to Lily as we walked down the halls.

Lily blushed and she quickly tried to shake it off with an annoyed look, “No I do not-”

She was cut off when she was rudely bumped into by a tall, lanky boy with shoulder length black, greasy hair.

“Severus,” Lily said breathlessly as she turned and watched the boy stop and slowly turn around.

He glared at her and I noted he was a Slytherin. Even though he was glaring at her with his black eyes, I could tell he was just covering up bottled up emotions. I was really good at that. Seeing the truth in people, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. Believe it or not, but it was a gift and a curse. There are certain emotions you would never expect to see in someone - evil emotions - hatred - disgust.

“Evans,” a boy with dark hair and eyes that matched his cold expression. “What do you think you are doing? A filthy mud blood like you should never talk to someone much more superior than you, like a fellow Slytherin.”

I took a step forward, protectively in front of Lily as I glared at him coldly. “What did you call her?” I hissed.

“A filthy mud blood.” he repeated, though more coldly this time as he took a step forward, his other friends behind him stood up more straightly and glared at me.

“I have something special for you, to make sure you never say something like that again!” I hissed. I quickly pulled out my wand and before he or any of his friends could make a move, I yelled, “Langlock!”

His eyes widened and it was silent for a moment before he began to try and speak, “eh! Ah appen?!” he yelled as he turned to his friends, his arms flailing around.

One of his friends looked into his mouth and gasped, “His tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth!”

“Lily?” James called as I heard a bunch of shoes running towards us.

“What happened?” Sirius and Remus said in unison once the four of them joined us.

“That swine called Lily a-” I turned to James and whispered in his ear, “filthy mud-blood.”

His eyes widened and his expression became dark and it churned with anger and a fury I never thought I would ever see on a humans face. “You!” James reached for inside his robes to pull out his wand.

“What’s going on here?” Professor McGonagall asked loudly as she stopped next to the boy I jinxed and myself.

The boy immediately raised his hand and pointed at me, “Er! He dih ih!” he said as he glared coldly at me.

“Excuse me? Who are you talking about? Miss- Amilia, is not a he.” McGonagall said looking back and forth between us.

“Professor, Nott can’t speak right! She jinxed him!” one of his friends yelled.

McGonagall turned to me with slightly eye wide eyes, “Is that true, Miss. Moody?”

I was silent for a moment and then opened my mouth to speak but was quickly cut off.

“No.” Sirius said stepping forward. “It was me. They’re just lying because she insulted them all and they want her to face the punishment.”

The small group and the boy began arguing but McGonagall raised her hand and silenced them. “Is this true?” she asked me.

“I-” I was at a loss of words.

“Yes, Professor. Now, please, can you give me my punishment after I am done serving detention with Mr. Filch?”

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, “Yes, you may meet me in my office after your detention. You,” she said turning and looking at Nott, “come with me. And the rest of you! Go to your houses!”

McGonagall quickly walked away with Nott on her heels and I quickly turned and looked at Sirius, my eyes still wide in shock.

“What?” Sirius asked.

“Uh, lets leave them alone for a moment…” James said as the rest left to go to the tower.

“Why did you do that?” I hissed.

“What? You’re angry?! I just did something nice for you and you’re angry at me!” he asked, his face in complete shock.

“Well, I didn’t ask you! I could have dealt with it myself! I’m a big girl you know!”

He looked me head to toe, “Yeah you are.” he mumbled.

I gasped and then punched him in the chest, “Ow!” he yelled as he stumbled back and then began to rub his chest. “But fine! I’ll never help you again, okay?”

“Good!” I turned on my heel and began to walk away.

“Where are you going?” he called after me.

“To detention!” I yelled back.

“You don’t even know where Filch’s office is!” He yelled back and I heard his feet hit the ground quickly as he caught up to me.