Cats Bring People Together

[Fleur van Houten]

Fleur had seen castles before coming to Hogwarts, but they were always old and empty, only open for muggle tourists to look around. Her brother had always loved to go to places like that, daydreaming he was living in one, but Fleur had never seent he appeal. She did see the appeal now, though, as Hogwarts was completely different from those dead and boring buildings. Hogwarts was alive with people and light, it made a world of difference and she couldn't help but love the atmosphere. It made her excited to see the look on her brother's face when he finally joined her at school in a few years, he would love it even more than she did.

As fun as the castle was, Fleur was more interested in the surrounding area today. She had taken Jack and decided that today they would explore the grounds together. Being a cat, Jack didn't loyally trail her steps like a dog might, but she kept noticing him appear as she took her walk on the grounds, sniffing around and keeping an eye on where she was even as he seemed to be doing his own thing. It was one of the things Fleur loved about cats, how much they pretended not to care about you sometimes but still showed it in different ways.

After wandering around on the grounds for a while, Fleur coaxed her cat closer by offering him a treat, picking him up when he ate it. Jack meowed but didn't struggle as she carried him for a bit, stroking his fur. She was really happy to have her pet with her, some part of home. She didn't know what she would have done if she hadn't been able to bring him, as she was used to being surrounded by animals. She held Jack comfortably as she edged closer to the forest, she glanced up at the trees, wondering why it was so forbidden. She wasn't going to find out today, but she was sure she would find her way in there sometime soon.

 

[Lia Barros]

Lia had initially planned on first fully exploring the castle before working her way outdoors and into the surrounding grounds. However, after the first few days, it had soon become apparent that if she followed though with her inital plan, she likely wouldn't get to the outdoor portion of the campus until at least sixth year. The castle was massive, far larger than she had expected. Just a few days ago, she had discovered that there were secret passages hidden behind the portraits. The castle would take some time, and the grounds were likely the same, so she needed to get a start on them as soon as possible.

There was another reason for her hesitation. While in the castle, she could focus on trying to navigate the twisting corridors. But out here, well, all she could see was the Forbidden Forest. No matter how much she wandered around the lake or the cliffs, all she could think of was the forest and how it was practically calling her name. The only reason she hadn't immediately rushed into the woods at the first available chance was because the Headmistress had made it clear that there were "many dangers" in there. While Lia didn't entirely believe this, she wasn't about to rush off into unfamiliar territory without at least trying to get a sense of what magical wildlife could possibly be living in there. She'd heard plenty of stories from her father of foolish people who had wandered into the wilderness with zero knowledge of their surroundings and had inveitably gotten lost.

Yet once again, despite having started her walk near the Quidditch Pitch, Lia found herself wandering close to the forest's border. It took all her willpower not to at least duck in there and check out the very edge. But she had promised herself that she would at least do some research before entering. And if research meant "asking a couple of other students about the forest," well that still counted, right? Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone around. Giving the woods one last longing look, Lia turned and forced herself to walk parallel to the forest's edge.

After a few minutes, Lia spotted a girl who seemed to be about her age. She also appeared to be contemplating the forest. Maybe she knew something about the creatures that supposedly lurked beyond the trees? Lia hesitantly approached her, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything. Just as the Hufflepuff was about to speak, the orange ball of fur in the stranger's arms caught her eye. Lia couldn't help but smile and let out an "Awww."' The question she had initially planned could wait. "Your cat is really cute. Can I pet her?" She took a wild stab at the gender, figuring the other girl would correct her if she was wrong.

 

[Fleur van Houten]

Fleur was just contemplating what sort of things could be hiding in the dark forest to make it forbidden when a voice caught her attention. She turned around at the sound and smiled as she saw another first year girl approach. Fleur didn't know her name, not having remembered many from sorting as she had been very focused on her own sorting that evening and hadn't paid too much attention to anyone else. She was fairly sure the girl wasn't in Gryffindor, however, as she figured she knew who she was sharing a room with pretty well by now.

The girl pretty much planted herself firmly in Fleur's good books by complimenting Jack, and Fleur smiled at her. "Well, it's a he but I don't think cats really care about gender identity and all that." She said jokingly. "Sure! He looks grumpy but honestly? He loves to be pet and coddled." She turned her attention to the cat. "You do, don't deny it." Jack looked at her and seemed unamused, though he didn't struggle or do anything else, relaxed in her arms. Fleur held him out slightly so the girl could pet him easily. "So... you're not in Gryffindor. Right? Unless my memory is worse than I thought."

 

[Lia Barros]

"Oh, sorry!" Lia quickly apologized once the other girl mentioned that the cat was actually a he. Thankfully, the girl didn't appear too upset. Lia smiled when the girl pointed out the cat's grumpy expression. "I think it adds to his charm." She held out her hand for the cat to sniff before reaching out to scratch his chin. "What his name?"

"No, I'm not," Lia said in response to the girl's question. "I'm in Hufflepuff. My name's Lia, by the way." She paused before asking, "I'm guessing that means you're a Gryffindor? What's that like?" From what she had seen, the Gryffindors seemed like a rather loud bunch. The other houses held a certain allure to the young Hufflepuff. Perhaps it was because they were one of the few places in the castle that were off-limits to her.

 

[Fleur van Houten]

Fleur smiled at the girl's quick apology but shook her head. "I'm really sure he doesn't mind." She lifted the cat up higher. "You don't, do you Jack?" She then smiled at the girl. "That's his name. Jack." She said, though it was a bit unnecessary now she supposed.

Fleur was glad her memory hadn't failed her that badly, as she had been certain this girl wasn't in her dormitory. "Hi Lia, I'm Fleur." She said with a grin. "And I am a Gryffindor. It's..." She paused to think, remembering the house meeting on the first night. "Loud. But nice. Common room is like filled with these comfy chairs and there's a fire, and everything is red. So are our beds. I match everything." She joked, holding up a strand of her hair. "So what's Hufflepuff like? Everyone holding hands and singing songs together?" The impression she got from the yellow house was friendly people, but maybe not the most exciting, boring even. This girl definitely seemed nice, though, and not boring at all. Maybe having these ideas about who people were just from their house wasn't the best. There could be some very mean Hufflepuffs, who knew for sure?