puppy love

4.

Anastasia was woken by Rotisserie pawing at clawing at her face, practically begging her to wake up.

'Okay, okay jeez I get it man you wanna shit,' The young Avery was not a morning person.

She sat up slowly and stared at the wall for a good five minutes before the frantically mewing kitten distracted her. She found a purple ribbon laying on the side and used it to tie around the kittens neck as a makeshift lead as she didn't want it to be spooked by the daunting corridors. There was one small flaw to her plan... she didn't know the password. Thankfully the solution was right under her nose. Again, literally.

Lupin lay sprawled across the rug next to where Anastasia's feet now were. She bent down and shook him slightly wanting to wake him up in the most gentle way possible.

'Huh?' he muttered turning to the girl crouched next to him.

'I'm really sorry to wake you up but Ro needs the toilet and I don't the password to let myself back in...'

The still half asleep boy grumbled, 'Why can't Ro use the toilet himself?'

Anastasia paused for a second wondering if he was being for real. He was. She gestured to the tiny ginger and white tabby cat on the sofa,

'Because he's a kitten?'

The now awake Remus looked at furious kitten before grumbling an, 'oh yeah.' and standing up. Ana placed the kitten on the floor, grabbed the other end of his makeshift lead and began walking him through the castle. Remus picked him up and placed him in a random plant pot near the Slytherin occupied corner of the school.

'Remus!' Ana raised her eyebrows in shock.

'What,' Remus shrugged with a slight grin on his face. She rolled her eyes before picking the finished cat up and walking back up to the common room with Remus.

'You don't have shoes or socks on... it's cold,' he pointed out when they were half way there.

Anastasia looked down at her bare feet with embarrassment, 'My only shoes were a pair of broken high heels with no socks so I don't really have a choice.'

'You can borrow a pair of mine.'

Remus had to stop himself laughing. He was nearing a size 14 mens and she couldn't be more than a six in womens. He turned to see her suppressing a laugh before they turned the corner and were back at the dorms.

'Follow me,' Remus looked at the girl as they walked though the common room and up the boys stair case, 'sorry for the mess you're about to be exposed to.'

He severely under exaggerated by calling it a 'mess'. The boys had been there two nights and it already looked like a shit-hole. There were random socks and discarded underwear on the floor, door handle and even Peter's pillow. James' clothes lay at the end of his bed in a pile with several strange trophies (like a broken wand) littering it. Sirius had many hair bobbles, sprays, clips, brushes, mousses, balms, masks, perfumes, sprays and more scattered across the floor. The only tidy part of the room was the small rectangle in which Remus' bed was. He dug through the draws before pulling out a pair of knitted grey socks and handing it to the girl.

'They're my smallest size,' he muttered, slightly ashamed of his height. She sat down on the floor seeming to not mind the mess and tried them on. They did not fit. The part for your heel was half way her calf and the toes were far to large even when fully pulled up. She just grinned at him and thanked him for saving her from a lifetime of cold feet. The pair then went back to the common room in an awkward silence whilst they waited for everyone else to wake up.

~

'C'mon tell me where you wereeee,' Ada Montag desperately begged Ana.

Ada was Anastasia's only friend. If you could even call her that. She had joined Hogwarts towards the end of last year so the two weren't particularly close but they still spoke.

'I was in the Gryffindor common room,' she answered with a sigh.

'YOU WHAT! I mean lucky you, have you seen Sirius Black,' Ada had been head over heels for the young Black son since he first turned her hair bright pink.

'Unfortunately. I just don't know what you see in him you know he's just annoying.'

Ada held a hand to her heart, 'Oh dear Ana i'm afraid we can't be friends anymore I cannot believe you just called the future love of my life ANNOYING.'

Anastasia let out a little huff of annoyance, 'Watch it you almost smacked Rotisserie in the face.'

Ada had fallen madly in love with the tiny cat and instantly turned to him giving him lots of fuss whilst apologising profusely for even going near him. Ana rolled her eyes in a playful manner before grabbing Ada and the kitten and dragging them down to the great hall.

'Ana!' came a shout from the Gryffindor table.

She looked over to see Marlene waving her over. She couldn't help but smile a little. Still holding onto Ada and the cat she walked over to them and took a seat.

'Oh uh this is Ada by the way...' She wasn't sure how they would react to this but her worries were quickly washed away when Ada, Mar and Lily began a friendly conversation. At some point, the boys made their way over and sat with them.

'Who's this pretty little lady then?' Sirius asked Ana while gazing at Ada.

She grinned a little, 'Ada... she's single by the way.'

Sirius' faced flushed a little but gave Ana a thankful smile before introducing himself to her. She swapped seats with Sirius so the two could really get to know each other. She was now sat in between Remus and Peter.

She didn't really say anything for the rest of the meal just stared at her food and poked it round her plate. Truth be told, It was a bit awkward sat in between two people she barely knew.

'Is anyone planning on going to Hogsmeade when they open trips there?' Lily asked causing Ana to look up.

'I'm going as soon as I can, took weeks of begging my parents to get them to sign the bloody form,' Anastasia grumbled earning a sympathetic look from Sirius who knew all too well what pureblood parents are like.

The rest of the group either shrugged their shoulders or said they would if they find someone to go with.

'Why don't we just go together?' Anastasia suggested, 'I mean we don't know each other that much but we seem to be getting on quite well.'

'That's a brilliant idea!' Marlene grinned at the girl, glad to see her coming out of her shell.

'God this pissing cat is in love with me,' James whined as the kitten sat in front of him not letting him eat. Ana smiled to herself as she realised she was no longer alone.