13.2
Scaredy Cat-
My girls and I are in The Room after classes to spend the rest of the night together while doing the homework we were assigned earlier in the day. It's around five pm when the boys barge into the serene space, interrupting the comforting silence with the chaos that follows them everywhere they go.
Sirius and Remus make their way to the couch and sit on each of my sides. Potter and Pettigrew favor the armchairs while the two girls are on the floor opposite me, using the coffee table as a desk to do their homework. Sirius throws his arms onto the back of the couch on my right, while on my left, Remus lets his leg rest against mine. Sirius and Potter continue whatever conversation they were having about something I don't care about.
Making eye contact with Elle, I wordlessly ask if this new situation is okay for her. I would kick the four boys out of our space if it weren't. She shrugs at me before going back to her work. Jo nods her head when I move my gaze to hers.
My thoughts go blank as I adjust to the new vibe of the room. Doing a breathing exercise, I calm my racing heart and lean my head back more on Sirius' arm than on the couch. My senses are overcome by the sensations of the two boys. I roll my lips as I go back to reading the book in my lap silently. I can feel Remus's stare, but I ignore it in an attempt to be casual. This is all thrown out the window when I feel Sirius start to rub his thumb against my shoulder. I swallow hard as the air in the room pounds on my chest, making me feel as if I'm suffocating. Rolling my shoulders, I let out the breath I was holding as I feel the pressure depart from me once I finally feel myself adjust to the new aditions to my surroundings.
Closing the book on my lap, I rise from my seat. Rounding the couch, I make my way towards the snack bar. I look down at the drawers of junk food before finalizing my decision. This is the perfect moment to do it. And so I do.
I can feel myself fundamentally shift. I become smaller, and I feel my senses shift as well. It's only after I have completed the transformation that I decide just how to proceed. It's a split-second decision to jump onto the back of the couch, right where I was just sitting.
"Putain de merde!" Sirius jumps back and places his hand on his chest in surprise. This is the first time I've heard Sirius speak in French since we were children. It makes sense that he would exclaim surprise in his first language. The other people in the room also express surprise before starting to laugh. The boys are confused, while my girls let the boys question where the cat came from before Elle finally tells them.
"It's not surprising that Leon would be a cat." is Remus's thought on the matter as he runs his hands through the fur on my back. It's a weird sensation. I've never been touched while in this form, so it is going to take some getting used to.
Jumping off the back of the couch I run to the place where I am most wanted. Eleanor Belle's lap. I settle in between her legs as she can hardly contain her excitement. I can feel myself start to purr as she smoothens my fur.
I spent the next hour and a half in her lap before dividing to finally shift back and sit between those two boys. And there I spent the next multiple hours talking, smiling, and laughing with the people around me. The sleep that followed was dreamless but comfortable.
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