Chapter 1
Owls stayed in the Owlery except when delivering post, no one admitted outright to owning a toad and cats were usually to be found in their owners house dormitory or roaming the dungeons in search of rats and so it was quite a phenomenon when early one December morning that a certain cat decided to attend breakfast.
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“Mione’ isn’t that your ginger beast?” Ron spat through a mouthful of breakfast.
“You’re a ginger beast” Hermione mumbled back, not gracing Ron or any Gryffindor with even so much as a glance, disgruntled at being disturbed before finishing her morning coffee.
“No, seriously Mione’, look” Ron choked out once more around a mouthful of scrambled egg.
“Ronald” Hermione snapped, eyes full of distaste upon seeing more of her friends breakfast than she would like “Crook’s knows better than to come into the Great Hall,” whipping around to prove her point she stopped upon seeing her familiar waltzing down the aisle towards her “oh”.
“Yeah, thought so” muttered Ron.
“Er, sorry Ron” she quickly countered with an apologetic look in his direction before turning back to her approaching cat.
“Everything alright boy?” she asked, reaching out her hand for a stroke which never came.
Crookshanks gave Hermione a look that said a cordial “morning” before continuing on his journey through the hall.
In Hermione’s seven years at Hogwarts she had never seen such an occurrence and it was clear that neither had anyone else for a silence fell and every eye turned upon the half-kneazle’s slow journey towards the Head Table.
“What is he doing?” murmured Harry to an equally confused Hermione, she slowly responded with “I have absolutely no ide..oh Merlin”.
Confusion turning to horror, Hermione and the whole of Hogwarts watched on as her Familiar jumped up onto the Head Table and bumped his face into the chest of one Severus Snape.
With his spying days over and skills apparently rusty, Snape had no idea of his audience and therefore could not see their reaction when he graced the cat with a small, previously unseen smile and a quietly whispered “Morning boy, fancy seeing you here” scratching the courageous feline on his head he asked “what’s it to be? Bacon or sausage?”
A silence reigned across the entirety of the Great Hall. With all eyes glued on the fearsome bat of the dungeon gently feed bits of bacon to Hermione Grangers cat.
“Hermione” Harry whispered in apparent shock, “what is happening right now?”
Hermione, unable to answer simply continued to stare with everybody else.
Having his fill, Crookshanks allowed Snape one more stroke under his chin before giving a flick of his tail and disappearing.
The space previously filled by the meddlesome cat was now unfortunately empty and even worse, filled with hundreds of round eyed faces upon him.
Giving a moan of displeasure, Snape once more set his face into its well known stony exterior and returned to reading his Potions monthly.
A great noise could be heard as everybody exploded at once discussing in hushed voices what they had witnessed.
All except one Hermione Granger who sat surrounded by her friends in something Ginny said was “shock”.