Cast Aside

Kitty Intermission

A/N A little peak into Jasper the half knezle kitten's life. I sort of forgot about him. Ill be adding a second chapter today as well. 

Chapter 31

Jasper missed the red haired children. They had only stayed with them for a short time, and they were loud and sometimes sticky, but they gave him all the attention he could ever want. The youngest still needed to learn how to hold him properly but Jasper missed him all the same.

When his mistress, her mate—and those other two—had returned without them after a week away, he had been rather put out. His mistress must have noticed, because she had cuddled him and promised they wouldn't be away forever. He thought she missed them too.

As he let himself into his mistress's room, leaping onto her recently vacated bed, he wondered if she would ever have children. He hoped so. If she and her mate kept at one another the way they had done since the moon had risen earlier in the day, there would be piles and piles of little ones.

Jasper may still be a young kneazle but he knew where kittens came from. Humans weren't much different. He only hoped they wouldn't smell like their sire.

Deftly avoiding her mate's dodgy smelling side of the bed to curl up on her pillow, Jasper kneaded around the feather lump until he faced the edge of the bed. Once his mistress's scent was all he could smell, he settled in and dozed off.

Unceremoniously woken from his short kip by a surge of family magic, he fled the room when he realized his mistress needed the bed again. Out in the hall, Jasper stretched and sniffed at the door in annoyance. Oh yes. There would definitely be piles of children.

Following his nose, Jasper headed down for a snack. By the sound of it, the other two were still awake. They could feed him.

○●○

Belly full and ready for a night of excitement, he nosed open the door to the parlor. He'd thought there was a dog of some kind when he'd first caught the scent. Instead, when Jasper looked around, he found only a sleeping wizard.

Upon closer inspection, he determined it was the sleeping man that had drawn him to the room. The mistress's mate smelled like a beast too. But where he smelled like something wild and a bit dangerous, this man just smelled like wet dog.

Jasper snuffled a bit around the man's hand. It hung limply at his side where he lay on Jasper's preferred afternoon kip sofa. Determining he wasn't a threat, he alighted onto his chest.

The dog-man let out a small grunt and woke with a start. When his eyes landed on Jasper, he frowned.

"Send you to spy on me, did they?"

Jasper sneezed once. Was this man someone that should be spied upon? He flicked his tail once in response.

"You're not an animagus, are you?"

Jasper may be a very clever kneazle kitten, but he didn't know what an animagus was. His head cocked to the side for a moment as he considered. Deciding he didn't care overmuch, he proceeded to lift his hind leg and clean himself.

The man huffed a breathy laugh. "No, I suppose not. I can hear everyone else." He tipped his head to the side as if to listen. "Gideon and Fabian are in the kitchen, arguing about something." He laughed softly again. "Do they ever sleep?"

He brought the previously limp hand up to scratch at Jasper's head, disrupting his impromptu bath, and chuckled. "Merlin, I think the other two are shagging!" He strained to hear again for a moment before shaking his head and relaxing. "Yep, definitely shagging."

Giving up the bath for a bad job, Jasper settled too and allowed the man to continue petting him.

"Usually more of a dog person." He sighed. "I suppose I should get going though. My mates will be looking for me." Jasper opened his eyes, preparing to leap to the floor but the man made no move to get up. "Maybe I should talk to Kingsley. I trust Kingsley."

When his hand stilled and he sighed again, Jasper mewed and butted his head against his arm.

"Sorry, mate." He scratched him once behind the ears before scooping him up and setting him on the floor. "I've got to go."

Jasper watched him stride across the room and scratch something out on a bit of parchment at the desk in the corner. When he slipped from the room, down the hall and out the front door, Jasper followed.

"See you around, fluff-ball." With a wave and a wink, the smelly man bent at the waist and transformed into a huge black dog. Jasper was so startled he leapt a foot in the air and yowled in fright.

The man-now-beast barked once in farewell and was gone in the night.

So that was an animagus.

○●○

Opening his eyes, Jasper watched as the round man that ran the local pub loudly bustled out the back door and into the alley below. Four times he came and went, bringing with him crates of empty bottles. The last time there was a greasy paper sack perched atop the crate.

Catching the scent of whatever it was, Jasper stretched and leapt from the low branch where he'd been napping to the ground beside the man. With his mistress and the rest gone for the last day and a half, he'd slipped out himself to enjoy the weather.

There had been a flurry of activity for the week previous. Magic hats being made, owls coming and going, and, most annoyingly, his mistress sequestered in her room surrounded by piles of parchment and books. He'd been fed by one of the other two or the mate and snuggled when he managed to catch her attention on the way to or from the loo, but it had been an annoying week.

Now they were all gone. No one had even bothered to tell him where they were going. Mistress had put out food and water, given him a tight cuddle, and said something about being back in a couple of days.

Hopefully they wouldn't be so busy when they got back. Until then, he would wander the little muggle town in search of amusement and fine napping spots.

Howard—for that was what Jasper had heard the angry woman call the round man on previous excursions—was sitting on a stool by the door. The crates must have been heavy for he breathed hard from the exertion. Glancing surreptitiously back at the door from which he'd come, he reached into the top crate and pulled out a bottle.

Not all empty then.

Stepping out of the shade, Jasper tried to make his little mews sound as pathetic as possible. From past excursions, he had learned that that seemed to get him the most sympathetic pets and the best free snacks.

"Ah, hullo there, little fellow." The round man took a final sip of his drink and slid it back in the crate. "I've not seen you in a few days. Where've you been hiding yer'self, eh?"

Mewing again, Jasper reached up, placing his front paws on the man's knee. He started to purr when the man scratched him behind the ears just how he liked.

"Ah, you're a good little fellow, aren't ye?" He cleared his throat and reached for the greasy paper bag. "Just came out here to have me lunch with some fresh air and eh..." He chuckled to himself. "A bit of peace and quiet. Here..."

He fished in the bag and pulled out a crisp piece of fried fish. Jasper meowed loudly with delight as he watched the man break off a sizable chunk and hold it out to him. Taking it with his teeth, he allowed a final pat before sitting beside the man to eat.

The round man chatted to him while they ate, occasionally tossing a chip down for him to eat as well. The kneazle food his mistress fed him was good, but Jasper definitely preferred fish and chips.