Cat and Elf

Cat and Elf

Mrs. Norris was a sadistic cat. She had grown callous over the years as students fled before the gaze of her lamp-like yellow eyes. She knew they detested her. And she loathed them right back.

She had to be thick-skinned given that she was sincerely devoted to Mr. Filch who was perhaps the bitterest human in Hogwarts. Years of witnessing the ways in which students of the Wizarding School mistreated her master had made Mrs. Norris more and more annoyed by the day. "My poor Master," she thought. "As though he doesn't already have plenty to be getting on with."

One evening, while engaged in her favorite pastime - prowling the castle to find some miscreant child out of bed - Mrs. Norris overheard a curious sound around the corner near the girls' loo on the second floor. She crept silently to listen. The conversation was coming from within the bathroom.

"Miss thinks she has it rough?" a low voice croaked. "At least Miss is dead and can escape the beasts. If Kreacher's poor mistress could see him now... what he has been reduced to... serving blood-traitors and filth... the shame of it all!"

"Oh! You think it is nice being dead?" wailed a ghostly voice. "No one will talk to me ... unless they want to make fun of my glasses. No one even comes in here except to throw things through my head or tease me...."

"If Miss only knew how nice it would be to be left alone," replied Kreacher, dismissing her apparent suffering. "All the time, that brat of a boy Potter keeps poor Kreacher spying on decent Wizards. All the time having to give filthy Master reports."

"You know Harry Potter?" sobbed the ghost. "He used to visit me ages ago. He stopped coming after his friend turned herself into a cat! I suppose he thought it was my fault. I've seen him in the bath though... He was dreamy," she continued in a far-off kind of voice.

"Master is a nasty little blood traitor!" screeched Kreacher in anger and frustration. "Master is certainly not dreamy!"

"Oh - what do you know?" the ghost wailed in despair.

Mrs. Norris heard a bawling moan followed by a splash. Then there was silence. Eventually, the door opened and a House Elf emerged grumbling from the bathroom. The cat backed away slowly and cautiously not knowing what to expect.

"Oh - the cat slinks about as though it owns the place," Kreacher observed malevolently. "Probably spying on Kreacher for the Mudblood girl that says she is Master's friend. Kreacher will pay it no mind. Kreacher must search for a Christmas present for his wretched Master. Oh, Kreacher hates Master .... Kreacher would like to find a poisonous toadstool for Master. Perhaps Master would eat it and then Kreacher could return to his dear old Mistress. If she could see what Kreacher has become...."

Mrs. Norris stood aside while Kreacher stomped past her muttering. She felt she understood why the Elf would hate the students in the Castle. Perhaps he could understand why she too loathed the petulant youngsters at Hogwarts. Plus, this devotion to his previous Mistress was appealing. Being devoted to Mr. Filch as she was, the cat could appreciate the trials of a dutiful servant. She wasn't entirely sure she quite liked the Elf though. Trying to gain more information, she decided to follow him to learn a little more.

Carefully, Mrs. Norris followed Kreacher down the stairs by the Great Hall toward the kitchens. She kept to the shadows so as to not be seen by the Elf. She stopped when again she heard Kreacher talking to someone.

"Drunk again. She is the worst House Elf poor Kreacher has ever seen," Mrs. Norris heard Kreacher say. "She will get out of Kreacher's way. Kreacher has work to do before going spying for bratty Master. And Kreacher must find Master a Christmas present."

"Hic!" came the reply from a gray lump that until it made a noise, Mrs. Norris didn't even notice.

"My moor Paster! (Hic!) He is needing his Winky!" the lumpy Elf replied. "How will (Hic!) poor Mr. Crouch get along?" She began to sob uncontrollably.

"Her Master is dead for years now and still she goes on about him. Pathetic Elf, she is..." said Kreacher. Then, turning his attention on the empty bottle near the crying Elf, he continued, "Perhaps Master would like her drool laden bottle as a gift though?" he mused.

Suddenly, Mrs. Norris gave an instinctive hiss as a mouse scurried across the floor. On hearing her, Kreacher turned quickly to face her. "The cat still slinks about. Useless animal."

Kreacher tried to shoo Mrs. Norris away, but she backed off only a few steps enticing the cat to follow her. The Elf tried again and she backup up the stairs a few step this time, keeping just beyond his reach.

"She wants to play 'follow the cat'," said Kreacher. "Kreacher will follow her ... and lock her outside. Then Kreacher can get some peace."

Mrs. Norris continued to lead the Elf to the front door of the Castle and eventually outside. Once out of the front door, she jumped under a bush and began to paw at the ground.

Scratching under an oddly gnarled bush, Mrs. Norris unearthed a dead sparrow. Its carcass was infested with maggots. Suddenly Kreacher began to show more interest.

"Ah!" croaked Kreacher with great delight in his voice. "The perfect Christmas present for my dear old master. Maggots!"

And from that day on, Kreacher and Mrs. Norris were the very best of friends.