Late night conversations with a cat
James Potter didn't have a bad day. He was always happy, always smiling. He helped others and was never the one needing the help. That’s precisely why James wasn’t sitting on the floor in the astronomy tower when he should actually be patrolling the corridors and hallways of Hogwarts.
James wasn’t sure when the astronomy tower became his go-to place when he needed a break, but ever since Sirius introduced him to the night sky, it had been a calming thing to do – stargazing that is. In the astronomy tower, he didn’t owe anyone to be happy. The whole tower was oozing with melancholy.
The door creaked, and James instantly got to his feet, wiping the corner of his eye where tears had gathered. At first, James thought he must have heard wrong. Then he contemplated whether it was a ghost or simply Peeves, but his eyes caught sight of the small silhouette at the foot of the door.
Blue eyes stared curiously at him, and James sighed, slumping down against the wall again.
It was just a cat.
James looked up again, as it struck him that it could be Mrs. McGonagall, but one look at the black fur told him that it wasn’t. He was also pretty sure his professor didn’t walk around the castle in her cat form.
The cat still hadn't moved, and James tilted his head, giving it a careful smile. He was tired.
“Hi,” James said. He knew the cat wouldn’t understand him, but it honestly didn’t matter to him. He would talk to the cat if he felt like it.
Quickly, the cat ran out again, the door closing behind it, and James sighed.
“Sorry,” he murmured, closing his eyes and allowing himself dwell in the silence.
The door creaked open again.
James slowly pried his eyes open, seeing the cat standing in the doorway once more. He laughed to himself.
“You’re allowed to come inside, you know,” he said, and maybe the cat had just decided that it didn’t care about his presence because it walked in, letting the door fall shut behind itself.
James closed his eyes again, once more telling himself to breathe. It was an exercise his mom had taught him, and he did it whenever he was alone or feeling sad.
A miaow gained James' attention.
The cat was standing next to him, clearly not scared of him anymore. A question was written in its eyes, and James smiled at the cat before saying, “I’m okay, thanks for asking.”
The cat looked at him for a few seconds more before sitting down on the floor next to James, seemingly content with the answer.
It curled up around itself, and James watched as it got comfortable only half a meter from him. He reached out to stroke it, and the cat lifted its head, examining both James and his hand with an expression James could only describe as judgemental.
“May I?”
The cat laid down again, exposing its neck and head to James. He took it as an invitation and carefully stroked the cat. It started purring. James smiled.
“You know, I usually come here to be alone, but I don’t mind your company,” James said to the cat. “It’s calming.”
The cat gave him another judgemental look, and James laughed.
“Why are you doing that?”
The cat made the grimace again. Doing what? It seemed to ask.
“You’re scowling at me. I didn’t even know cats could scowl.”
James must have imagined it, because there was no way it was possible, but he thought it looked like the cat rolled its eyes at him.
James stroked it carefully, dwelling in the relaxed atmosphere.
“What are you doing up here?” he asked to which the cat lifted its head, staring emotionlessly at him.
Exactly how do you expect me to answer that?
James smiled, scratching it behind the ear. It leaned into the touch, closing its big blue eyes for a moment before opening them again, now with a new question shining in them.
What about you?
James shrugged. “Just tired, I guess. It's nice being around people, but,” he paused momentarily, choosing his words carefully. The cat let him. “I think everyone needs some alone time, if you understand what I mean.”
It probably didn’t. He knew that. Still, he felt like it was listening as it laid down again, resting its head on its paw, training the blue eyes on James.
James shifted closer before continuing, and he was happy to see the cat didn’t move away. It started purring again as James went back to stroking its black fur.
“It’s lovely to be around people. I genuinely enjoy it, you know. I enjoy talking to them, laughing with them; it’s one of my favourite things to do, honestly.” James stopped letting the silence fill the room.
The cat was looking at him patiently, waiting for him to continue. So, James did.
“I just. I’m James, you know. James Potter. Always happy and nice. I don’t get to be sad, and to be honest, it’s really exhausting.”
James sighed, leaning his head against the wall and fixing his gaze on the stars visible from his place on the ground. He wasn’t exactly sure of what he was looking at, but it didn’t matter to him. Suddenly, the cat stood up, and James was sure it was about to leave when it walked closer, carefully stepping up on James’ thigh and snuggling up against his abdomen.
James couldn’t fight the giddy smile spreading across his face, and he let his hand rest on the cat’s back, careful not to scare it away.
A warm feeling bobbled in the pit of his stomach. And yes, it was just a cat. But to James it felt different. He didn’t know why, but he felt like the cat liked him. Maybe just because he was stroking its fur, but James chose to ignore that.
The cat was lying in his lap, and James felt slightly less alone, as if the cat had told him he didn’t have to be alone, offered a friendship. Some would say James was delusional, and he most likely was, but he chose to let himself live in the fantasy where the cat had a mind and liked James as he was. Not just happy or helpful James, but James, even on his bad days.
James wasn’t sure how long he stayed in the astronomy tower with the cat sleeping on his lap. All he knew was that the cat wasn’t very content with being woken, but eventually, it ran off, disappearing into the night.
The next night, James couldn’t help but wear a giddy smile as the black cat carefully pushed the door open, blue eyes coming to meet his.
James had indeed made a friend.