Me & Thee *A Marauders Tale* {Chapter 6}

*Mary's Point of View
I'd finished shopping, so I decided to head back to Hogwarts with all of my bags and my kitten's cagein tow. It wasn't very difficult because I'd charmed them light.
I had one problem: I couldn't take it all with me on the floo network.
I passed Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor and then did a double-take. I decided I needed a break.
I walked inside and over to the bar that ran across the room, plopping my bags downhalf-hazardly and pulling my kitten's cage (complete with kitten) onto my lap.
Fortesque, a man in his early twenties,came over.
"What can I get you?" I thought about it and then grinned.
"Can I have...a brazil-nut ice cream sundae with chopped almonds, caramel pieces and extra toffee sauce? Please" I said, as innocently as I could manage. He smirked.
"Your wish, my command," He turned to make it for me.
My kitten meowed dolefully.
I stuck my fingers through the holes at the front of his carrier cage and wiggled them.
After a few seconds, I giggled, feeling them being licked.
"If you're a good boy, kitten, I shall give you some ice cream. Would you like that?" He licked his chops and I laughed.
Fortesque came over with my sundae, and I looked up. I smiled.
"Is it a brazil-nut ice cream sundae with chopped almonds, caramel pieces and extratoffee sauce?" I asked. He bowed his head,
"Yes, milady," Before laughing and rushing off to serve another customer.
I dug into my sundae, thinking. I would have to just take my kitten with me on the floo and come back for my bags right away.
Yes, that would do it.
Just before I was about to finish my sundae I stuck my fingers into it, then put them in through the bars of my kitten's cage.
He immediately began licking them clean and I giggled.
I put my sundae glass on the bar and stood up.
"Hey, Fortesque!" I called, and he came over.
"Hmm?"
"You wouldn't happen to have a fireplace I could use to get back to school do you? And I 've got so many bags I'm going to have to come back and get them separately,"
"Yeah, sure. There's floo powder back there," He said, jabbing his thumb towards a door behind him.
"Thanks," I said gratefully, grabbing my stuff and dashing around the bar.
As I had predicted, floo travel completely freaked my kitten out, and he nearly jumped out of my arms, but he was fine when we arrived.
It was Dumbledore's office.
He looked up, from whatever he was writing when I stepped out of the fireplace and smiled, shaking his head.
"I'll be a few more seconds, I promise," I said, grabbing another handful of floo powder.
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It took three journeys to get it all back (some of it was quite bulky) and by the time I stepped out of the fireplace for the final time, my white-blonde hair was grey and lank and my face was smudged with soot.
I took a seat in front of his desk.
He had long since finished what he was doing and was now smiling at me.
"Now, Mary, I think we now need to sort you into your house, don't you?" He asked, standing up as he did so. He disappeared for a moment behind the staircase and came back holding a dirty, patched andpointed hat.
I eyed it nervously.
"I'm going to put this hat on your head, and it tells us which house you should be in,"
"Um, okay," I said meekly, before the hat was dropped onto my head, blocking my sight.
Mmm, a voice said in my head, what a curious character. Lots of courage, I see...and my, my! What a mind you have. Yes, I can see it now...and a thirst for power, to prove yourself.
So where to put you?
There was a second of pause and the hat shouted out loud,
"Raven-!" And then stopped, mid-name. It seemed to have changed its mind.
Ah, but there's a fierceloyalty there. Yes, I can see that now. I know just where to put you.
"Gryffindor!"
The hat was whipped off my head, and Dumbledore was suddenly shaking my hand, beaming.
"Well done, Mary, well done!" He said, and I smiled as he let go of my hand, and went to sit down behind his desk again. He clapped his hands together,
"Right! It is now five o clock and dinner shall begin in half an hour. I suggest that you gather your things and unpack in your dormitory - Room 5, I believe - and I think that you shall need a guide, seeing as it's your seventh year and you have never been here before.
"Another 7th Year - a prefect, in fact -is on his way now, to show you where everything is and to show you how everything works. And now, I think I shall take a quick nap before dinner. Good luck,"
As Dumbledore left the room, she distinctly heard him laugh and say to himself,
"Ah, youth!Such a breath of fresh air!"
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I had gathered up all my things, and started down the moving staircase.
I was thinking... about what I was going to do, if I would make friends...all the usual things that people think when they start at a new school.
But I'd never been to a school - I'd never even been around witches and wizards my own age.
If there was one thing I was positive of, it was that this year was going to be a year to remember.
I sat down next to the stone gargoyle and deposited my bags again.
Then I let my little (or not so little) kitten out of his cage and watched as he cautiously snuck out, looking this way and that for signs of danger.
"Hello!" I whispered and he suddenly looked at me with wide eyes before realizing who I was. He trotted over to me and gave me a look that clearly said Please pick me up.
I did.
*Remus's Point of View

I was running as fast as I couldthrough the castle, feeling really guilty. Padfoot and James had made me late again because they said they wanted to show me thisFilibusters firework they had modified.
Before I knew it, I was five minutes late.
I glanced at my watch, and groaned; ten minutes late.
As I turned the corner that led to Dumbledore's office I didn't slow down, but kept running until I saw a familiar figure and slowed to a walk, my heart pumping faster than it had when I was running.
I realised I must look like a fool watching her the whole time I approached and Icompulsively grabbedmy rolled-up sleeve in my right hand, watching the ground.
I looked up again when I knew I was very near and smiled at the site that greeted me.
She was stood up, but bent at the waist talking to adeep bluish-purplecat with huge white paws. The cat stood on its hind legs and stretched,resting its paws on her waist and yawning.
She scooped him up and laughed, turning to look at me for the first time.
She looked surprised.
"Remus?" I winked.
"That's me," Oh god, tell me I did not just wink at her. Oh, kill me now. My palms were already beginning to sweat and I wiped them off nervously while I towered over her and tried to think of something to say that wasn't utterly stupid.
"What's her name?" I asked, indicated the cat that was lazily blinking up at me.
"He's simply called kitten for now. I just bought him - about half an hour ago,"
"Wow, you're good with cats," I blushed deeply, wanting to smack myself. What was wrong with me?
I looked over her to see she had quite a few bags and I picked them all up, noticing they were all light.
"Oh, you don't -" She began quickly.
"No, I want to," I said, smiling.
She tentatively smiled back and fell into step with me.
As we walked, we didn't talk, but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable. Just silent.
I lookeddown at her, and I felt sad.
She looked so delicate and fragile, I felt that if I flicked her she might break into a thousand tiny pieces.