The Soft Kitty Chronicles

A Mix Up In Time

The following morning, Albus was first to rise and go to work, leaving his partner to pass the time with his malfunctioning time turner. One wrong turn later and Grindelwald found himself in a room that was shockingly pink. Everything from the curtains to the carpet was a pale shade of pink, with several vases containing an assortment of dried flowers perched upon the furniture.

He took a step forward, eyes narrowed as he examined the floral print on the wallpaper, then wrinkled his nose in disgust as he caught a whiff of the lavender fragrance wafting from the surface of the paper.

"What is this?" he muttered, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Did I mistakingly walk into a florist's living room?"

Something soft brushed against his leg while he was examining the wallpaper, and he spun around, his eyes traveling downwards where he spied a Siamese cat sitting at his feet. More cats started filing into the room; white Persians, grey and orange tabbies, two black Manx, and even a hairless Sphynx.

Cats filled the room, from the living, breathing animals that surrounded him to the ones on the decorative plates lining the walls. Grindelwald tried stepping over the multitude of cats, moving left then right, his back against the wall as he squeezed past an overweight Tabby, then stopped halfway across the room when he spied a plump witch standing in the doorway.

Their eyes met across the sea of cats, a curse forming on his lips, his hand reaching for his wand. He was seconds away from cursing her into oblivion when she vanished from sight, a girlish smirk curling her lips as she appeared beside him.

"My, but you're a pretty little thing, aren't you, dear?" she cooed, admiring the way his black and silver eyes gleamed in the firelight. "You look just like my baby, Miss Prissypants. You know, she has eyes just like yours," she added thoughtfully, tapping him on the nose with the tip of her index finger.

Grindelwald stared at her, his mouth opening in astonishment. Her fingers nestled in his hair, and she stroked him as though he were one of her pets. At first he resisted, ducking out of reach as soon as he realized what she was doing. But the witch was persistent, her arm outstretched as she followed him around the room.

"Come here, Snowball, you naughty kitty!" she said, still running after him as he dove behind the armchair.

"Good lord, woman!" Grindelwald exclaimed, peeking out from behind the furniture. "Are you out of your mind?!" If he weren't completely flabbergasted by her bizarre behavior, he would have hexed her the moment she started chasing him around the room. But for the time being his mind was completely blank, his thoughts disintegrating as she resumed petting him.

This time he leaned into her touch, his eyes closed, purring as she scratched him behind the ear. It felt too good to resist. And if he was going to be stuck here with this crazy cat lady, he might as well enjoy himself until he figured out how to return to his own time.