Harry Potter and the Philosophers Chamber

Chapter 25 - Petrified Cats

Wiping tears off his cheeks, he commenced to hobble along to the medical wing.

Taking all the right shortcuts so far avoided any classrooms and potentially any common traffic areas that could bring into confrontational with stray teachers.

Thinking of how to explain this mishap, a strange yet familiar voice seemed to emanate from the walls again.

Soooo hungry.....soooo hungryyy musssst eat...mussst feed

Harry froze. Dear Lord, was he going mental now? Desperate to double check whether it was his head or perhaps a ghost messing with him, he put his ear to the wall where the voice was coming from. Straining to hear a sound Harry jumped when he heard it again.

Coommeee to meee.....yesss...

Panicked Harry began racing to follow the voice. It was going to eat someone!

Keeping up began to take its toll on Harry as breathing grew harder again, each inhale stabbing his side.

Come to meeeee......

Almost there. Slipping nearly on a puddle of water Harry skidded around a corner to see a true lay horrifying sight.

Laying dead on the floor was a fur ball of some sort. Small specks of blood dotted on its fur.

WHOOSH!

Ducking down, Harry barely avoided being beheaded by a flying axe.

"FUCK SAKE PEEVES!" Bellowed Harry.

He picked up the ball of fluff to see that it actually was a cat, it was oddly stiff though. Cradling it in his arms he ran as fast as he could to the medical wing.

----------------------------------------------------

"Madam Pomfrey! Madam Pomfrey!" Shouted Harry bursting through the door.

A head poked out of an office.

"Harry? What's wrong?" She asked approaching him.

He presented the cat corpse and taking no notice of his strained breathing, he kept jabbing the animal at her.

"Come here." She commanded dragging him into one of the examination rooms.

Rummaging through her cupboards she grabbed a small blue bottle and returned to Harry.

"But it's dead? What will a potion do?" He asked, gasping to catch air.

"This isn't for her! It's for you!" She snapped.

"You're having an asthma attack you doughnut."

"Bu-" he started but she shoved the potion down his throat. Within seconds all the pain subsided and a gentle numbness spread through his torso.

"You'll need an appointment ASAP. I'm going to book one for tomorrow morning till then no strenuous exercise! Why was this not brought to my attention sooner!" She huffed walking away to scribble the appointment in her books.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey but what about her?" He thrust the cat back at her.

She glanced quickly at it and wanted to return to her notes but seeing that he wouldn't stop, she sighed and stopped to check the animal.

"Where did you find it?"

"On the 2nd floor. By the girl's toilets."

"And what exactly were we doing there Mr Potter?"

"Errr....coming to you."

"Mmmm ok...I'll believe you for now.....Harry...did you say you found her like this?"

Her casual manner changed to a concerned demeanour.

"Yes, I swear." He hastily Confirmed.

'Why what's wrong with her?"

"The good news she's not dead but she's definitely unwell!"

Ringing a bell, she summoned a small elf which suddenly appeared, whom she ordered to immediately summon Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"I'm not in trouble...am I?" Hesitated Harry. She ignored him however and grabbed a stethoscope to check the heartbeat.

Within seconds 2 sets of footsteps were audible as they approached the medical wing.

Slinking away Harry tried to hide behind the door but McGonagall instantly caught sight of him.

"Why is it that every time something's happened today it's you." She accused.

"Ahhh first day mishaps. I remember those." Chuckled Dumbledore.

"Surprisingly it's not Mr Potter that's got me summoning you both here. It's her." Interrupted Madam Pomfrey.

Both directed their attention to petrified cat laying legs up on the examining table. The headmaster's smile disappeared as he bent over to examine it. Harry meanwhile pressed himself further back into the door to try and avoid further rebuking from his head of house. She herself was also busy though, observing the cat from a distance.

"It was found like this?" Asked Dumbledore.

Madam Pomfrey nodded in reply.

"Albus..." Whispered McGonagall.

"She's definitely not dead. Looks more like petrified." He confirmed.

This couldn't be good. At a school where murder by ghost was acceptable, what could be nefarious enough to get this type of reaction? Harry fidgeted with the sleeves of his robes.

"This wasn't...". Murmured McGonagall.

"No - not a curse. More physical." He said.

The bell rang signalling the end of period 3. Everyone jumped and the adults suddenly remembered Harry was with them.

"Potter? Straight back to lesson with you!" Ordered McGonagall shoving him out.

"And no more nonsense or I will put you in detention!"