Cassie found herself heading towards the kitchen. As she walked she stopped by the Hufflepuff barrels and memories started to flow through her of when she was a kid going in and out of the puff entrance. She smiled and chuckled to herself not really paying attention if anyone else was around. Her thoughts consuming her Cassie leaned against the barrel.

As she continued to think about the past she noticed something pass her feet and glanced closer, "Well who are you?" She reached down and picked up a kitten that had just walked past. "Are you out for a stroll of the castle?" She was use to seeing student pets moving around the castle, but it was always fun to meet a new one.

Henry replayed the wand tapping rhythm to get into the Hufflepuff common room over and over in his head. He was pretty sure he had it down pretty well, but it wasn't second nature yet and he had heard rumors of what would happen if it was done incorrectly. And he didn't want that to happen to him.

As he was walking back to the common room from the kitchen he noticed a lady with a cat. For a moment he thought that she had Chewbacca, but he soon realized that the cat in her arms was a kitten and far too small to be his kneazle.

"Hello, Professor," he greeted her politely with a smile before his eyes fell back to the kitten again. Henry wasn't completely sure who she was or what she taught, not having had her for class yet, but he figured there'd be time enough to learn everyone yet.

"Oh aren't you the cutest little kitten. Who is your mommy or daddy?" She was cooing at the little creature and not noticing anyone around her until someone spoke. Looking up she smiled, "Hello, is this your kitten?" Maybe he would know who it belong to. He looked as though he was a first year, so maybe he wouldn't know all the names yet, but if he could at least say the little guy belonged in the common room they could place him safely there.

"I'm not sure I've caught your name yet?" She held the purring kitten close as she talked to the first year. "Are you getting along alright?" She worried about first years getting lost in the big castle, but knew that some were doing alright. Her lessons would start in the next few days, but many first years never came to Divination so it was hard to learn all their names.

Looking back down at the kitten she pet its head.

Henry lifted his eyes from the cat in the professor's arms to the woman's face as she spoke to him and he shook his head. "No.. mine is a lot bigger." He tentatively reached his hand out to pet the kitten. "Is he lost?" Obviously he did not belong to her, but did he belong to someone else? Henry would feel bad if he couldn't find his owner or if he didn't have one. Maybe he could help take care of him.

Petting the cat a few more times, he looked up again. "My name's Henry." He hesitated a moment, not sure if it was rude or not to ask her name since he didn't know hers either. But then he figured he'd leave that up to her or else he'd find out soon enough. "Yeah, I guess so," he shrugged. "I haven't gotten too lost yet, but I haven't gone everywhere. It's pretty big here." That's what she meant, wasn't it? Or did she mean about being homesick and stuff? That wasn't too bad yet either, but it was kind of personal so he didn't say. And he still had time to get lost as he wanted to explore all the places, just hadn't gotten to that yet.

She kept petting the kitten and wondering where he belonged. Soon she felt her two sneaking a peek from her purse. "Don't worry guys this one isn't going to be ours. He has a home somewhere." She was positive it was in the hufflepuff common room since he was so close to the barrels. Hearing that it wasn't his she went back to petting it. She knew she had seen the child at the feast, but couldn't place his name. The hard part about being bad with names. Too bad the cats didn't know it then maybe she could remember. "I don't think he's lost, but I'd like to get him back in the common room before he does become lost. He is young so I don't think he knows his way around the castle just yet." She'd hate for him to get lost or hurt.

Without asking she got the name, "Well Henry it is very nice to meet you. I am Professor Morgan, but everyone calls me Professor Cassie. " She beamed warmly at the boy. It was always nice to meet little first years. He guessed so, well that wasn't a very positive answer, but she didn't press him further. "Well I'm glad you haven't gotten lost yet. If you haven't yet then you should be fine. The castle is big, but you get use to it quickly." Unless one finds a secret passage or the stairs move, then it couldn't be so easy.

"You know I was a Hufflepuff when I went to school. Fabtastic house it is." She hoped he was proud to be in that house, she knew she was proud to have been a part of it.

Henry gave the kitten a few more pets, then his eyes snapped up to the professor as she spoke, thinking she was talking to him. But she wasn't. She was talking to a couple little cats poking out of her purse, he noticed, as his eyes drifted that way. "Oh, cool!" he suddenly exclaimed, a broad smile growing on his face as he looked at the cats. They looked kind of funny with their heads sticking out of there but that was pretty neat that she could carry them around like that.

"I can take him back in and ask around, if you want," he offered as she talked to him about the cat in her arms again. He hadn't seen the kitten before, so it was likely that he didn't belong to anyone that he really knew but someone might know. And he would also feel bad if the kitty got lost too.

Professor Cassie.. he'd try to remember that, especially if he had her for.. well, whatever class she taught. And he returned her smile. She sure seemed nice. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked behind him. She didn't think he'd get lost at all? He wasn't too sure about that, figuring once he did really start exploring there would be at least a few times that he'd got lost. "Is it true that the stairs move? I might get lost then..." He had heard that from some of the older kids, but he hadn't been too far up the castle yet to experience that for himself. That or the stairs he had been on hadn't moved at that particular time.

He turned back to look at her once she said she was in Hufflepuff too. "Oh you were? That's cool. My mom and dad were there too, they said it's the best house. My sister was a Hufflepuff too." And from what he knew it really was the best house and the one that he was meant to be in. It was neat that one of his teachers was a former Hufflepuff as well.

Looking up and then looking back at her fur babies she smiled, "This is Gemini and this is Aries, they love their purse carrier." She pet Aries head before focusing on the kitten once more.

"Could you do that for me?" She could go into the common room, but it wasn't really her place. If there was a student who was wiling to ask around then she felt better about not going in. She could possibly give the kitten to Meredith or Cossy, but this would be faster to find its owner. She handed the kitten over for the boy to take him. "Just be careful with the little guy. He's a bit scared and anxious about finding his owner." She could sense he would soon be reunited though so her smile was calm.


Chuckling she waved off his comment. "You will be fine. The stairs do move, but as long as you pay close attention you will learn which floor the move to and how to get back on track. They are actually kind of fun to be on when they move." She remembered holding on and giggling as a child. They could be annoying if you were running late too.

"It's a great house and a great honor to be part of something every single person of your family was in. My family was mostly Hufflepuff, but we've had a few that went to other houses." She had a few Ravenclaws in her family, though Ravenclaw was a nice house to.

The Common room door had opened as a few students entered Olathe who was now the small fuzzy orange and white cat thanks to her successful brew in potions class took the opportunity to venture out into the castle. She bolted between the feet of some students as they chatted the castle was entirely new from this angle. Olathe attempted to leap on the stack of barrels, it wasn't as graceful as a normal cat but her new claws clung to the top giving her the leverage she needed to make it a couple more leaps and she took her higher. The small cat sat looking down the corridor. " It was i nice view from up here

Stairs presented an interesting challenge. They were easy enough when one had two feet, but Olly had never faced them on four feet before. He had never had four feet. So it took him a lot longer to get up the stairs as a fox, but he did eventually make it. He decided not to try any more, or try going down. It probably would not be hard to stay on the same level until the potion ran out. Speaking of which, he had no idea how long the potion would last. Less than an hour, he was sure of that. Hopefully more than half an hour, but he really had no idea.

Now, where was the smell coming from? His sense of smell was a lot stronger than it had ever been before. Now that he was on the kitchen level, the smell was even stronger than it had been. He could no longer tell exactly where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from all around him, and the exact source was hard to pinpoint. But it was probably coming from the kitchen, because where else could it be coming from?

Oh, there was another strange smell. The small fox halted, searching for the source of this new smell. It wasn't a person, he was fairly positive on that point. Searching was weird, considering he was at a much lower vantage point than usual. But sight was all that could help him, considering the smell was too strong for him to find the source with senses he was not used to.

His gaze lifted to the top of the barrels. Was it that? The cat? He crept closer, his nose in the air and sniffing as he approached. Hm. It was certainly an interesting smell. Cats did not smell like that when sniffed with a normal human nose. Olly stuck his fox nose as close to the cat as he could get.

Wait. Was that a real cat? Or someone else doing the same homework as him?

SPOILER!!: let me in on some of this action >:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by potter girl

The Common room door had opened as a few students entered Olathe who was now the small fuzzy orange and white cat thanks to her successful brew in potions class took the opportunity to venture out into the castle. She bolted between the feet of some students as they chatted the castle was entirely new from this angle. Olathe attempted to leap on the stack of barrels, it wasn't as graceful as a normal cat but her new claws clung to the top giving her the leverage she needed to make it a couple more leaps and she took her higher. The small cat sat looking down the corridor. " It was i nice view from up here

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Stairs presented an interesting challenge. They were easy enough when one had two feet, but Olly had never faced them on four feet before. He had never had four feet. So it took him a lot longer to get up the stairs as a fox, but he did eventually make it. He decided not to try any more, or try going down. It probably would not be hard to stay on the same level until the potion ran out. Speaking of which, he had no idea how long the potion would last. Less than an hour, he was sure of that. Hopefully more than half an hour, but he really had no idea.

Now, where was the smell coming from? His sense of smell was a lot stronger than it had ever been before. Now that he was on the kitchen level, the smell was even stronger than it had been. He could no longer tell exactly where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from all around him, and the exact source was hard to pinpoint. But it was probably coming from the kitchen, because where else could it be coming from?

Oh, there was another strange smell. The small fox halted, searching for the source of this new smell. It wasn't a person, he was fairly positive on that point. Searching was weird, considering he was at a much lower vantage point than usual. But sight was all that could help him, considering the smell was too strong for him to find the source with senses he was not used to.

His gaze lifted to the top of the barrels. Was it that? The cat? He crept closer, his nose in the air and sniffing as he approached. Hm. It was certainly an interesting smell. Cats did not smell like that when sniffed with a normal human nose. Olly stuck his fox nose as close to the cat as he could get.

Wait. Was that a real cat? Or someone else doing the same homework as him?

Wait...where was he?

Squinting ahead and spinning around in place, the astronomer finally realized that his little detour to the kitchen had gone astray. Very VERY astray. Sweet solstice where was his mind these days? He really needed to compartmentalize and not let certain thoughts continuously distract him. Thoughts and hopes, as the case was.

Merlin...he hadn't been down this way in ag----

Standing incredibly still, almost too nervous to even BREATHE, the astronomer GAWKED at the two BEASTS strutting about. Maybe if he stood still enough they wouldn't notice him....

But of course the man was incapable of keeping his mouth shut for too long.

"A fox is not a permitted familiar at Hogwarts," he informed the creature, glancing nervously back and forth between it and the FELINE. You just...stay up there you ferocious BEAST you.

Medea would probably fancy a fox - if she hadn't found one already. Maybe he could...catch this one and present it to her as a sign of...er...certain steps he was becoming willing to take again.

....

But all that FUR...

But if it could keep felines at bay like it was doing - because surely it had chased the thing up there on the barrels - then maybe it was an alright ball of fur...

Enjoying the high perch she had found Olathe was about to hop down and explore some more when she froze. was that a.. Fox? her back arched in fear and her fur stood on end as she hissed. As the Fox nose came closer she backed to the back edge of the barrel her ears flattened as she hissed again. As someone approached. ...

Olathe's ears pricked when the man said foxes were not permitted, Which meant maybe this one was just someone else doing their potions homework. better safe than sorry though. maybe it would be wise to stay here for just a little while longer.


OOC: LOL @ the Astronomer

Henry looked down at the little kitties poking out of Professor Cassie's purse. "That's pretty neat. I've never seen one of those before." He thought for half a second that maybe he should have something like that for Chewbacca before dismissing the thought as silly. For one thing, the kneazle probably wouldn't fit or stay in it very long, and for another, he'd probably look ridiculous carrying around a purse even if it was a cat carrier.

Henry nodded then held out his hands for the lost cat, making sure to hold him just the way his mom showed him how. "Sure.. I'll be careful." Holding him secure with one arm, he pet the kitten's head with his other hand to help calm him down. The kitten wasn't struggling to get down so he saw that as a good sign.

He smiled and nodded as she talked to him about the stairs. He figured it wouldn't be so bad and it actually sounded kind of fun. "I bet it's really good for exploring... as long as you don't have a place you're in a hurry to get to right then." Then he supposed it could be a little frustrating. But he was kind of anxious to try it out for himself.And as for Hufflepuff, he thought it was a pretty great house so far himself. But her whole family wasn't sorted there? "Why are some people in families put into other houses?" His whole family, as small as it was, having been in Hufflepuff had given him the impression that most families all went the same way, though he supposed he knew a few exceptions among his friends anyway. Still, he was curious.

Hissing? Oh no that was not good. Cats had claws, and hissing cats were likely to use said claws. Olly did not like the idea of a cat using its claws against him. He backed up rapidly, away from the barrels even though the cat was also moving away from him. His intent was to minimize all risk of injury. Maybe it would be best to just move away from the cat, to make sure that it could not viciously attack him. Yes he decided that would be a good idea. But as he turned to leave, his fox nose caught the scent of a new smell approaching their area.

He turned his fox head to search for the source of the new scent. A few moments later, he caught sight of professor Flamsteed heading down the hallway. What was he doing there? It was pretty far from his office in the Astronomy tower. Had he also been lured by the delicious scents coming from the kitchen? Probably not, considering he just had a regular human nose and not a fox one.

For some reason, it was exciting to see the professor. It was partly because Olly was a fox, which he usually was not when seeing the professor. Also because it was a different part of the cast than where he was usually seen. So it was more exciting than it usually would be. Olly's fox tail wagged twice and he leaped toward the professor. As he landed he fell, but managed to regain his balance quickly. The more he walked around, the more adept at walking he became. His fox nose was sniffing toward the professor, figuring out the new smell. He couldn't usually smell Flamsteed with his human nose so it was a new experience. He was so excited that he didn't even think that maybe the professor would not appreciate a fox leaping toward him. huh.

WHAT? Not allowed? But it was for homework so it was fine, right? Right.

SPOILER!!: you two cuties

Quote:

Originally Posted by potter girl

Enjoying the high perch she had found Olathe was about to hop down and explore some more when she froze. was that a.. Fox? her back arched in fear and her fur stood on end as she hissed. As the Fox nose came closer she backed to the back edge of the barrel her ears flattened as she hissed again. As someone approached. ...



Olathe's ears pricked when the man said foxes were not permitted, Which meant maybe this one was just someone else doing their potions homework. better safe than sorry though. maybe it would be wise to stay here for just a little while longer.


OOC: LOL @ the Astronomer

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Hissing? Oh no that was not good. Cats had claws, and hissing cats were likely to use said claws. Olly did not like the idea of a cat using its claws against him. He backed up rapidly, away from the barrels even though the cat was also moving away from him. His intent was to minimize all risk of injury. Maybe it would be best to just move away from the cat, to make sure that it could not viciously attack him. Yes he decided that would be a good idea. But as he turned to leave, his fox nose caught the scent of a new smell approaching their area.

He turned his fox head to search for the source of the new scent. A few moments later, he caught sight of professor Flamsteed heading down the hallway. What was he doing there? It was pretty far from his office in the Astronomy tower. Had he also been lured by the delicious scents coming from the kitchen? Probably not, considering he just had a regular human nose and not a fox one.

For some reason, it was exciting to see the professor. It was partly because Olly was a fox, which he usually was not when seeing the professor. Also because it was a different part of the cast than where he was usually seen. So it was more exciting than it usually would be. Olly's fox tail wagged twice and he leaped toward the professor. As he landed he fell, but managed to regain his balance quickly. The more he walked around, the more adept at walking he became. His fox nose was sniffing toward the professor, figuring out the new smell. He couldn't usually smell Flamsteed with his human nose so it was a new experience. He was so excited that he didn't even think that maybe the professor would not appreciate a fox leaping toward him. huh.

WHAT? Not allowed? But it was for homework so it was fine, right? Right.

HE KNEW IT! FELINES COULD SMELL FEAR! DID EVERYONE SEE THE WAY IT WAS BARING IT'S TEETH LIKE THAT?!

His only hope? The burnt orange looking furry thing that had the feline at bay. Sweet solstice what had his life come to?

AND END! THAT'S WHAT IT WAS COMING TO!

The fox, clearly miffed by the professor informing it that creatures of its nature were not permitted on school grounds as familiars without written permission (AND HE HAD HEARD NOTHING IN REGARDS TO A FOX), was leaping EAGERLY towards him to attack.

Et tu, Brute? And here he thought he had found an allay! See what happens when you assume, kids?

Eyes widening, his mouth swung open in a silent scream as the creature bound towards him. Now all he needed was the cat to join in and there would be some proper leakage occurring. He turned to run, his flight instincts fully taking over for the time being, and had covered a few feet before the sobering thought of catching the fox was brought back to his attention thanks to a spider web clinging to a corner.

Something he was going to have to get the house elves to take care of because NO. NOT AGAIN. ALERT THE HEADMASTER TOO!

Swiveling back around with his wand clutched in his hand, he waited for the opportune moment to conjure a net or a cage or SOMETHING.

Steady man...steeeeeeaaaaaaaaady...

Olathe continued to hiss from her perch on the barrels until the fox finally started to back away. It was working! She wasn't to sure that it actually should have worked it was a fox after all wasn't it? regardless she was relieved. The last thing she wanted was to become some creatures lunch all because of a simple homework assignment. A professor thank goodness surely she was safe now....
Olathe's relief was short lived the professor looked horrified as the fox leap and stumbled for a bit. Foxes weren't clumsy creatures surely..? As she watched the fox a bit closer now that its attention was on the professor and not her things made more sense. She had been a bit disoriented when she first transformed and it had taken her a few minutes to get use to her knew legs. the fox had to be a student working on their homework too and now a scared professor was pulling his wand on them. Olathe tried to warn the fox but only a loud meow escaped her mouth. She jumped from a top of the barrels and ungracefully hit the floor. So much for cats always land on their feet.

Oops.

It looked like Flamsteed was not a big fan of foxes. Or maybe it was just ones that rapidly approached him that he did not like. That was a logical fear, and maybe Olly should have taken it into consideration before leaping toward the professor. He opened his mouth to reassure the man that it was just him, a student, but he was still a fox so all that came out was a sort of yippy bark noise. So that's what a fox says.

Then there was a meow from the cat who...he still was not sure if it was a real cat or not. Judging by the way the cat fell to the ground from the top of the barrels, he was willing to make a logical guess that it was not a real cat. Cats always landed on their feet and whatnot, right? He'd scared her too by getting to close too fast in his fox body. Maybe it was not the best choice to make for this assignment. Something less threatening, like a regular dog or a bird, might have been better.

Completely oblivious to the intentions of Flamsteed, Olly just sat in front of the barrels. Between the two - cat and professor. There was a lot going on, a lot of sounds in his fox ears and a lot of smells in his fox nose. He needed to take a second to get used to it in his unfamiliar body.

Professor Flamsteed looked as if he was beside himself, and now he had his wand ready and she too along with the fox was within his line of sight this would be the perfect time for someone to open the common room door. But there was no one she scowled well if cats could that would have been the look on her face. She sat looking for a quick exit.

What in the...

Maybe not moving did make it more difficult for them to see him? Never seemed to work on any of the critters Medea had running around their home. He wasn't going to question it. Staying put was far better than running towards him with eyes out for blood.

This was it. THIS was his chance.

Swallowing hard, he took another moment to compose himself before raising his wand hand and flicking a spell towards the fox to catch it in a net of sorts. Not to worry, feline, he wouldn't try to catch you too.

Oliver had his gaze focused on the cat. He was considering the only real question there. Was it a real cat or someone else doing their potions homework? The answer didn't matter much, but he was curious. And if it was another student, he wondered who it was. If he knew them. But considering they were near the Hufflepuff common room it would most likely be a Hufflepuff student. He didn't know many of those.

Considering he was looking at the cat and not at the professor, he did not see the net come toward him and he was not prepared for it. Oliver flailed in his fox body, scratching at the offending net and trying to run. But it did no good. Flamsteed had effectively captured him. It was almost humorous, except for the fact that Oliver did not like being trapped in a net.

No professor. I'm not a fox, I'm a student. Oliver Tate Thomas-Borzekowski. He would have yelled, but of course he could not speak. That didn't stop him from trying though, but all that came out was that weird barking noise that foxes made. He did not stop struggling, trying his best to free himself from the net. That was not the plan. And it was not his idea of fun. The only comfort was that he would not remain a fox for long, and Flamsteed would surely let him out of there once he was that he had captured a human and not a real fox. But he was much larger as a human boy than he was as a fox. How would it feel if he transformed back while still trapped in the net? He didn't want to think about it.

What was Flamsteed planning on doing with him? Throwing him in the forbidden forest? That might be fun. He just hoped he wouldn't be taken anywhere outside the gates of Hogwarts, because it would be...interesting to try and get back in.

Come on, potion. Wear off.

SPOILER!!: Foxy Olly

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Oliver had his gaze focused on the cat. He was considering the only real question there. Was it a real cat or someone else doing their potions homework? The answer didn't matter much, but he was curious. And if it was another student, he wondered who it was. If he knew them. But considering they were near the Hufflepuff common room it would most likely be a Hufflepuff student. He didn't know many of those.

Considering he was looking at the cat and not at the professor, he did not see the net come toward him and he was not prepared for it. Oliver flailed in his fox body, scratching at the offending net and trying to run. But it did no good. Flamsteed had effectively captured him. It was almost humorous, except for the fact that Oliver did not like being trapped in a net.

No professor. I'm not a fox, I'm a student. Oliver Tate Thomas-Borzekowski. He would have yelled, but of course he could not speak. That didn't stop him from trying though, but all that came out was that weird barking noise that foxes made. He did not stop struggling, trying his best to free himself from the net. That was not the plan. And it was not his idea of fun. The only comfort was that he would not remain a fox for long, and Flamsteed would surely let him out of there once he was that he had captured a human and not a real fox. But he was much larger as a human boy than he was as a fox. How would it feel if he transformed back while still trapped in the net? He didn't want to think about it.

What was Flamsteed planning on doing with him? Throwing him in the forbidden forest? That might be fun. He just hoped he wouldn't be taken anywhere outside the gates of Hogwarts, because it would be...interesting to try and get back in.

Come on, potion. Wear off.

HA! AHA!

Did everyone see that?

Er...well...of course they didn't since there was no one but a feline around at the moment. But it had been a VERY impressive shot and people SHOULD have seen it.

Giving himself a pat on the back, literally, he scurried over to scoop up the net. "Can't believe I just saved a feline," he grumbled to himself, almost laughing about it. The fox had been about to charge at the astronomer CLEARLY because he had distracted it from its prey. "You best scurry off back to your own common room," he told the cat. "And...don't tell your owner that I saved your life." Pause. Nervous staring. "In fact, don't tell anyone anything. Especially that I was talking to a feline."

And don't give him that look, Pebbles. He was not cheating on you.

"As for you," he said, raising the net bag to eye the fox. "We will be making a stop to see the Headmaster." Security breach and all. Seeing how easily this creature had ventured into the castle after what had happened last term, well, it was a serious concern.

Throwing the feline a quick salute, the Gryffindor Head of House turned cautiously around and began to make his way towards the stairs while taking a moment every now and then to glance over his shoulder to make sure the feline was not following him.

"Oh really? Well they have them at any store really." She couldn't even remember when she didn't carry her cats around with her. Maybe when she was his age, but it was soon after she found the great invention and then the rest was history. "Do you have any pets?" It was always nice to have a pet.

Watching him take the kitten she smiled, "Don't worry I sense he's calm, he isn't afraid of people at all. Actually he likes his left ear scratched. " She chuckled and looked back towards her own two.

She chuckled about the stairs, "Yes, as long as you aren't late for anything, but maybe there was a reason your path was interrupted by the stairs." She believed everything happened for a reason and that was just one thing that happened was the stairs. "Depends on a persons qualities. Everyone is different even if they are in the same families. Some have different ways of thinking then others. My younger brother for instance wasn't a Hufflepuff and doesn't believe my families Divination ways is the correct way. He actually lives in the muggle world as a pilot now."

Olathe was locked in a staring contest with the fox only for a split second before the professor was aiming his wand. If the fox was in fact a student she needed to warn them, Her words sounded like the pathetic meows and hisses of a scared cat making her warning a pointless effort. As the net launched towards them both Olathe made a mad dash for cover between the barrels.

Olathe slipped out from between the barrels and made her way down the corridor careful to keep her distance from the professor as she looked for a safe place to wait for her potion to wear off. She had finished the thought when she began to feel strange she darted into the first open door. Several minutes later Olathe emerged from the empty storage room relieved to be back to normal.