"We broke up," Tonks stated plainly. Harry immediately noticed her mood shift and now realized why she was hanging around with them instead of her normal friends. She didn't want to risk running into the Puff in question.
…
He set all joking aside and turned his complete attention to his cousin. "What happened?" he asked seriously, the hint of steel in his voice making both girls unconsciously shiver a tiny bit in pleasure, while wrapping his arm around Tonks' shoulders and gently pulling her close to his body, giving her a sideways hug the best he could.
"The same thing that always happens," Tonks said quietly while leaning against him for support and taking in the feeling of safety she often felt when around Harry. She offered no further explanation, not that one was needed, of course.
Seeming to sense that this was a sore topic for them, Penny quickly changed subjects. "So Harry, why did you name him 'Shadow'?" she asked while gesturing to the handsome feline now sitting on Tonks' lap, who seemed to sense the mood of the one he sat upon and was trying to distract the seventh year with his cuteness.
"Well, Shadow here is not a normal half-blood kneazle as you might have thought; he is actually half shadow-cat," he offered in explanation as he reached across and stroked the feline's fur.
"Shadow-Cat?" the blonde-haired Ravenclaw asked, taking the bait as he knew she would.
Smirking at her smugly, he answered, "Shadow-Cats have the ability to 'shadow,' as it's rather unimaginatively called. In short, they can fade in and out of shadows at will. When shadowing, they can't be seen at all unless you flash a strong light directly on them. They are all but invisible in full darkness except for their eyes," he said as Shadow blinked, flashing them his eerily supernatural yellow eyes. "They are strictly nocturnal in nature and have the ability to see through invisibility cloaks and charms. However, most of their abilities only become possible in the evenings, when it's already dark."
"Impressive," Penny admitted, eyeing the cat with new regard. "Explains the sleeping anyways."
"Indeed," he dutifully noted. "But remember, Shadow here is half kneazle as well. Thankfully, he has also inherited those traits, like their high levels of intelligence, an independent nature, and the uncanny ability to detect suspicious and distrustful people. Now you can understand why I paid a good sum of galleons to purchase him. Fortunately for us, he hasn't developed kneazle aggression yet... still, he hasn't reached full maturity, so who knows what will happen in time." He added, "All these traits combined make Shadow here a very talented cat."
"Wow," Penny gasped.
"He's the first of his kind," Harry said softly with a good measure of smugness in his voice. "I looked around the shops but couldn't find a kneazle that felt right. Most were either too aggressive or hostile or just not smart enough for my tastes," he stated in explanation before Tonks rudely interrupted.
"No, you were just being picky, wanting the perfect little kneazle," his cousin stated heatedly, annoyance in her voice.
"Perhaps," he acknowledged, as Tonks sent him another look which he ignored in favour of telling the story. "Either way, I went straight to the breeder to see if she had any for sale which weren't in the store. There I found out that she was trying to cross-breed shadow-cats and kneazles together.
Shadow here was the first one born which showed the successful integration of the traits of both species, a true hybrid stronger than his parents individually. I had to have him; he was just too perfect for me. He cost me two hundred gold and the promise to keep the breeder informed of his development so that she could judge her success before attempting to breed more. I deemed it a very good bargain."
"That's a lot of gold," Penny expressed, while judging the cat with new eyes.
Shaking his head in disappointment at Penny for failing to realize what drove his decision-making—why he wanted the best specimen and why he was willing to pay so much for Shadow. "Gold doesn't matter if you're dead," he responded solemnly. Harry was a true businessman at heart, but the price didn't matter to him at the moment; he was doing everything he could to give himself better chances of surviving Pettigrew.
"So you don't have Serenity anymore then?" Penny asked.
"Of course I do," he said, sounding somewhat offended at the thought he would not have his owl with him. "Sirius and I just persuaded the Headmaster to see the benefits of my having two pets," Harry explained.
"Sirius and Harry bribed him," Tonks stated disapprovingly.
"Really? I can't see the Headmaster being bribed," Penny protested.
He snorted at the innocence behind a statement like that. "Not that type of bribe," Harry countered quickly. "Sirius and I made a generous donation of funds to the school. The greenhouses will be going under redevelopment and expansion. You think the Headmaster is going to pass on that type of deal—new greenhouses for the first time in over a century? At the small cost of me having an extra pet?"
"No."
However, before he could say anything else, the compartment door slid open. "Still alive then, Potter," Draco spat from the doorway. "Thought you would be dead by now," while Shadow hissed dangerously at the Slytherin, tensing up.
He ignored Draco, knowing it would easily infuriate the attention-seeking Slytherin, or ASS for short, as he looked over at Penny and stated easily, "At least I know the gold was worth it," while taking the cat off Tonks' lap, giving the cat an affectionate stroke.
"Want to stroke him?" he asked, while offering Shadow to Penny, totally ignoring Draco and his two goons in the doorway.
"Sure," she said while taking Shadow from him. "He has such lovely soft fur, Harry!" as Shadow purred in appreciation at all the attention he was receiving.
"I'm talking to you, four-eyes," Draco spat, as his goons chuckled like the idiots they were.
Taking off his glasses, he pretended to slowly clean them on his shirt to further annoy the Slytherin. "You know, Draco, I've heard better insults from six-year-old kids, but I have to say 'four-eyes' is a bit dated, has Muggle origins, and is hardly creative by any standard," he said plainly, sighing in apparent disappointment as he slipped his glasses back on. "From a second year, I personally would have expected better invectives," as the Slytherin trio seemed to respond only with confusion.
Giving an exaggerated sigh and a small shake of his head, "Invectives means insults, abusive language," listing off its meanings to the trio like he was reading from a nearby dictionary. "I also would have expected better manners from such well-born purebloods; ever heard of knocking and waiting to be invited inside, gentlemen? I would have thought that as scion to the Malfoy family your father had at least taught you the basic manners and decorum befitting your station," shaking his head again in mock disappointment as Tonks and Penny quietly giggled.
"What are you laughing at, mudblood?!" Draco fired off as if it was an automatic response.
"And there's the foul language, and such an insult to use openly in polite company," he said easily, looking over at Penny, who seemed to be in shock that a mere second year had said such a thing to her. "He doesn't even truly know what it means or its historical origins.
Druidic wizards used the word 'mud' because mud is fertile; mudblood was their term for fertile blood or new blood, but it's been corrupted over the many years by individuals like Draco here, pureblood supremacists who are ignorant of their own past and cultural roots," while shaking his head in disapproval.
"You know what's even funnier, Penny, Tonks, is that these fools think it's the funniest thing in the world. Just proves that they're even bigger idiots," he expressed.
Looking straight at Draco, he made eye contact. "The simple fact that you surround yourself with idiots and fools just lowers your own standing further," he stated calmly as his voice turned cold and deadly. "You are beneath me, Draco. Nothing more than a spoiled brat with illusions of importance, but important you are not. You are nothing to me and you have no innate talent or ability to justify or excuse your attitude.
The only reason you're on the Slytherin Quidditch team is because your godfather is your head of house. Remember that. Now get out," as his wand appeared in hand, sending a silent banishing charm at the blonde, knocking him through the open door before two more spells hit his friends in quick succession. "Next time, knock," as his fourth and final spell left the compartment, hitting Draco's brow, instantly resulting in the Slytherin's hair going a very familiar but distinctive shade of orange, as a pair of spells not his own left the compartment.
Smirking in amusement, he watched Penny holster her wand, deciding not to say anything about her actions before shutting the carriage door and locking it with a flick of his wand.
"You know you're not allowed to lock the carriage doors, right?" Penny voiced as he retook his seat.
"You're not allowed to cast spells either," he shot back at the older Ravenclaw. "But stuff happens. Anyways, why are we not allowed to lock the doors?"
"Because it helps discourage 'unsuitable behaviour' amongst the sexes," Penny stated evenly. "For student safety as well, so prefects can get in if need be."
"In other words, they don't like the idea of students going at it like horny rabbits while travelling to and from the school," Tonks stated bluntly.
"Anyways, changing the subject away from kinky sex in semi-public places," causing both girls to look at him in amusement. "My proficiency in the mind arts has now developed to the point that I can start to learn the art of legilimency. I believe that I'll even have an innate gift or talent for it. However, I need a partner I can practice with," his eyes darting between the pair. "I was wondering if either of you would be willing to assist me."
He waited patiently for one of the pair to step and volunteer or deny him outright; if that happened, he would have to wait for the summer and use Rita as his test subject. Both looked at each other, trying to decide between themselves who would be his willing test subject, neither of them stepping up, before they both spoke in a surprising show of unity and trust.
"We both will."
...
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