Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 7

"Severus? Arvin?" Harry once more heard Minerva's concerned voice as the Transfiguration professor stepped into the room, letting out a surprised, "Harry?"

"Severus is very ill," Harry told her, just when the thermometer let out an annoying beep. "Thirty-nine point eight," he read, throwing Minerva a helpless look.

"Stay here. I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey," Minerva replied in concern, hurrying out of the room.

"Bronchitis," Poppy diagnosed a few minutes later, throwing Harry a curious look.

"I had to look after him. He has been sick the whole week," Harry admitted in a small voice.

"And he forbade you to tell anyone, didn't he?" Minerva queried, sighing in exasperation as he nodded weakly. "Now, is it so bad in your human form?" she continued.

"I'm going to transform back," Harry replied shortly and changed into Arvin, causing Minerva and Poppy to sigh.

"Well, are you willing to look after him in your human form while I'm teaching?" Minerva queried. "Afterwards I'll take over."

Arvin nodded in confirmation. The Mediwitch made each of them drink a potion, stating it should prevent them from catching the illness from Severus.

Unfortunately, Harry noticed soon the preventive potion didn't have the required effect. While he looked after the professor during the following two days, he noticed his head and chest became sore, and he developed a slight cough that became harsh during Friday.

By the time Minerva came back after her last Friday afternoon class, Harry was feeling outright ill. "How is he?" the professor queried, throwing her colleague a concerned look.

"He doesn't feel so hot anymore, but I don't think he feels much better, and he didn't eat anything. I was just going to check on him and give him his potions," Harry replied.

"Not so hot anymore?" Minerva asked in disbelief as she released Severus' forehead and laid her hand on Harry's, gasping at the heat she felt. "That's only because you're burning up as well, sweetie." With a flick of her wand, she divided Severus' large bed into two single beds, transfigured Harry's hand-me-down clothes into warm pyjamas, and motioned him to lie down. "You're running a high fever. I'll call Poppy to check on you," she announced, hurriedly leaving the room.

HP

During the weekend, Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy took turns looking after the two sick wizards. Only on Monday morning, Severus' condition improved, and Poppy, who was just on the verge of taking both of them with her to the hospital wing, grudgingly allowed him to remain in his quarters and look after Harry, provided he promised to rest, while the Headmaster was taking over his classes for the whole week.

Harry was surprised to see Severus sit on the edge of his bed as he lazily opened his achy eyes. "Severus, are you feeling better?" he mumbled sleepily, fiercely rubbing his forehead in a vain attempt of getting rid of his splitting headache.

"Easy, Harry," Severus said softly, gently prying Harry's hands from his forehead. "I know you feel horrible because your potions have worn off. Let me quickly take your temperature, and then I'll give you the next dose of potions." With that, he coaxed a thermometer under Harry's tongue, causing the boy to shiver violently at the cold touch.

Like in a trance, Harry obediently swallowed the liquids Severus coaxed into his mouth, drifting off to sleep soon afterwards. He didn't notice Severus call Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy to witness his fevered dreams, in which he hoarsely begged his uncle not to hurt him or not to use his belt. Unaware of the amount of diagnostic spells Poppy cast at him, revealing all of his past wounds as well as his still lingering injuries, he merely noticed Severus was at his side trying to make him feel better whenever he was conscious enough to open his achy eyes.

"Thank God, your fever finally broke," Severus told him one night, giving him a sharp look. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better," Harry replied, suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings. "Oh no! Are we still in your bedroom? Did everyone see me in my human form?" he asked, panicking, letting out a few harsh coughs.

"Easy, Harry. Only Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy saw you, no one else," Severus replied softly. "If you feel well enough to transform, and only then, you may change into Arvin now, but be careful, please. You have been very ill for more than a week, and I have to go back to teach from Monday onwards."

'A whole week?' Harry mused, terrified. 'I'll try anyway.' He concentrated on his Arvin form and transformed, feeling somehow relieved when Severus changed into Nero, jumped onto the bed, and curled up next to him.

Arvin woke up startled, sensing that someone stuck a thermometer into his ear. Unwillingly batting the thing with his paw, he jerked away vehemently, before he lazily opened his eyes as a small shiver shook his body.

"Oh Arvin, please behave yourself," Minerva scolded him lightly. "I need to check on you, before I can give you the next dose of potions."

'Ah, all right,' Arvin mused, throwing the woman an apologetic look as he turned his head so she could easily reach his ear.

It took the small cat another full week to completely recover. He remained asleep in the cat's den during the whole day, only waking up several times a day when Severus came to check on him and make him drink his potions.

'Is it the weekend again?' he mused, waking up during the night, seeing Nero, Herbifera, and Felina curled up and fast asleep next to him. 'Thank God, I'm finally feeling better,' he realised and scrambled onto his feet to take a small walk around the herb garden right in front of the cat flap to Severus' quarters, before he returned to the cat's den, curling up close to the lynx.

"Arvin, there is something we need to speak about with you," Felina told him when they were lazily relaxing in the sun on the next day.

"While you were ill, Poppy did several diagnostic checks on you, and she noticed you have many old injuries," Nero continued in a soft voice.

"Since we assume they were inflicted by your relatives, we spoke with the Headmaster about the matter and told him about your cat form," Felina explained, causing Arvin to instinctively extend his claws.

"It's all right, sweetie," Herbifera spoke up. "We managed to convince Professor Dumbledore to let you stay at Hogwarts." Ignoring Felina's snort, she continued, "You may choose one of us, whom you wish to become your guardian, so you can remain here. However, he set up one condition."

Arvin threw the marmalade cat a frightened look.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Felina said softly. "He demands you stay in your human form, at least during the school days, and you attend classes with a tutor decided by your guardian."

'In my human form?' Harry thought, panicking. 'People will hate me.' "I don't know," he replied, uncertainly glancing up at the lynx.

"I guess you'll want Nero to become your guardian?" Felina queried, causing Arvin to nod hesitantly.

"Could I..." Arvin cleared his throat, "could you still call me Arvin, even if I was in my human form?" he asked shyly.

"Of course we can do that, if it helps you overcome your bad memories," Nero reassured him softly. "I can even adopt you, so we can officially change your name to 'Arvin Snape,' if that's what you want."

"Really?" Arvin asked, and his eyes lit up in excitement. 'Maybe people won't hate me as much, if I had a different name and was a complete different person,' he mused, and a hopeful expression spread on his face. "I'd like that," he agreed quietly.

"If you were in your human form, I could ask Cicero, my old house-elf, who taught me when I was your age, to teach you, until you're old enough to become a student at Hogwarts," Nero said thoughtfully.

"I believe that's a very good idea," Felina agreed warmly. "Maybe we should transform into our human forms, and you could introduce Cicero to Harry, Severus."

Seeing the three cats transform, Arvin hesitantly followed their example, sitting on the sofa next to Severus.

"Cicero!" Severus called out, causing an old house-elf to appear, bowing deeply, before he looked around curiously.

"Cicero, would you be willing to teach this boy here, until he's ready for Hogwarts?" Severus enquired gently, causing the small elf to bow again.

"Of course, Master Severus, Cicero would be so happy to teach a boy again. What is his name, and may Cicero begin tomorrow morning?" he asked excitedly, causing Harry to chuckle.

"He will be Arvin Snape as soon as I receive the adoption papers back from the Ministry, and you may begin as soon as Arvin is ready," Severus replied in obvious amusement, raising an eyebrow at the child.

"Tomorrow is fine," Harry replied happily, turning to the elf. "Hello Cicero; I'm Arvin, and I'd love you to teach me whatever you deem useful for me."

"Oh, such a polite boy," Cicero said happily. "I shall teach you common knowledge about the wizarding world as well as Potions, which is my speciality, and easy Charms, along with many things that will come useful once you become a student."

Epilogue

Twenty months later, a cheery Arvin Snape was sorted into Ravenclaw. During the seven years of being a student at Hogwarts, he continued spending the weekends together with his three Animagi cat friends at the cat's den in his adoptive father's quarters, and even after his NEWTs when Arvin took over the position as Charms professor and Ravenclaw Head of House, he didn't miss one weekend in the den together with the other three Heads of House. And if you happen to walk into Professor Severus Snape's small herb garden and stand in front of the door with the cat flap leading into his quarters on a weekend, you might still hear a quadruple miaowing concert take place inside.

The End

I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them.

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.