InsaneJournal

Who: Vicky Frobisher & George Weasley
What: Showing off the new kitten
Where: Vicky’s Flat in Diagon Alley
When: Sunday, May 31, 1998. BACKDATED LIEK WHOA
Rating: Adorable

Vicky had barely read George's journal note when she heard the pop of apparation outside her flat door and got up to greet whoever was there. The kitten ran past as she walked, dashing between her legs so fast Vicky almost didn't see her, and chirped as she almost caught Artemis.

As expected, George was standing in the hallway, waiting for Vicky to open the door. "Wow. You really meant it when you said ten seconds."

"I was going to say kittens are serious business, but let's be honest, nothing is serious business with me." He grinned, but then his expression softened into something more reflective. "I do really need distractions lately, though. Is it a bad time? I can come back later if you're busy."

A crash came from inside the flat before Vicky could answer. She winced. "Only protecting breakable things from small, excited animals." For such tiny creatures, the kitten and the pygmy puffs were capable of a lot of destruction. "Come on in. You can help."

“I’d be delighted to.” George followed her inside the flat, peering around for the source of the mayhem. He didn’t have to look for long. Artemis tried to climb up his leg in escape, and the kitten—more successfully—tried to climb up his leg in pursuit. He scooped up the kitten, gently removing its needle claws from his trouser leg. “What are you calling her?”

“Well, I’m not sure she’s a her yet.” Vicky grabbed Artemis and put her and Apollo in their nest, hoping that the kitten would leave them alone for a while. “I’m taking her to the Menagerie tomorrow to get her checked out. Percy just brought her over tonight. Apparently she was in the alley behind your shop.”

Percy had been planning to take her to the Menagerie himself, but he’d gotten a journal ward about a job interview in the morning, and had gone home to prepare for it before Vicky pasted the picture in her journal. She’d arranged to come in late so she could take the kitten to the Menagerie herself.

“I’ll figure out what to call her once I know for sure she’s a girl.” She was certain she was going to win that bet with Percy. “And think of one.” She winced. It had taken her a week to name the pygmy puffs. She should probably name the kitten faster than that.

George tucked the kitten against his shoulder, stroking her gently behind her tiny ears. “What were you doing back there, anyway? Was the smell of pygmy puffs too enticing to resist? Poor little mite.” He beamed at Vicky. “Good thing you took her in. Otherwise we might have had to, and I’m pretty sure we’re testing the bounds of Lee’s good humour every time another pygmy puff turns up already.”

He looked over at the puff nest, thoughtfully. “Maybe you could continue the theme? Athena? Ares if it’s a boy?”

That was a brilliant idea, and Vicky told George so, beaming as she scratched the kitten behind the ears. “What do you think, little one? Do you want to be named after the Greek Gods like Artemis and Apollo?”

The kitten chirped and her ears perked up as Apollo stuck his pink nose out of the nest. Vicky laughed as she squirmed against George’s shoulder. “She really likes the pygmy puffs.”

“Hopefully she’ll learn to play nice. They like to be chased, but I don’t think they’ll like her teeth or claws.” He gently lifted her down from his shoulder, turning her loose again. “I wish they could stay that size. I wonder if we could make pygmy cats?”

“They are awfully cute when they’re that small.” The kitten was stalking Apollo now, crouched down low with her tiny tail wiggling in the air. “I’m not sure a pygmy cat would be a good idea. Can you imagine something this small and cute with all the cunning of a full-grown cat?”

Apollo made a break for it, running out of the nest toward the small saucer of water in the corner of the kitchen. The kitten jumped forward, missing Apollo by mere inches, and dashed off after him. Apollo dashed toward the dish at full speed, then swerved at the last minute and hid behind the chair leg. The kitten was going too fast to stop, though she tried, and skidded into the wall.

“That sounds like the most amazing mischief-making creature ever, I have no idea why you think I’d be dissuaded by that.” George was already picturing all the hijinks tiny adult cats could get up to. Too bad he didn’t really have the time to pursue that right now!

He tried not to laugh when the kitten skidded into the wall, but it was impossible--especially when it mewed at the wall as if offended. “Oh, Merlin, you should start taking pictures and sell scrapbooks. Just think of how much a book full of this cat could brighten someone’s day!”

“George, if I were trying to dissuade you from something, I’d tell you it was a great idea that would be approved by the ministry, endorsed by the Prophet, and garner approval of the snotty purist crowd.” Vicky shook her head. She wasn’t actually sure that pygmy cats were a great idea, but if anyone could make it work, it would be Fred & George Weasley.

She laughed as Apollo dashed across the kitchen, and the kitten, seemingly done arguing with the wall, chased after him. Artemis was staying safe in the nest for the moment, but Apollo kept dodging out of the way and then twirling around to look for her when she didn’t catch on fast enough. “I think Apollo is playing a game with her.”

He had to laugh at that, but she was probably right about the best way to discourage him. “I hope you know I’m going to treat you telling me to do something--or not to do something--with extreme suspicion from now on. I didn’t realize you were so sneaky!”

“At least they’ll wear one another out for you!” Watching kitten and puff skitter back and forth, the wheels in his brain began turning. “I feel like we should make an obstacle course for them. Kind of like the climbing things they make for cats, but with ramps so the puffs can get up too?” They had little claws, but they weren’t really skilled climbers.

Vicky bumped her shoulder against his. “You’re lucky I’m not a manipulative person.” Most of the manipulating she’d done lately had involved getting George and Percy to talk civilly to each other, and she didn’t think he’d mind that at all. And, okay, she’d maybe manipulated her way into extra sweets as a child, but really, who could blame her for that? Certainly not one of the people she’d shared them with.

“An obstacle course would be fantastic. I bet I could charm stuff so that the pygmy puffs could get through but the kitten couldn’t and vice versa.” She was already picturing a complex thing winding around the main area of her flat. “You know, I saw a Muggle picture once of a cat trail that went on the walls. I bet we could do something like that. They’d love it.”

George’s eyes lit up, the wheels already turning. “That could be really fun to design. Tunnels and trapdoors and platforms…” And of course, because his mind always ran towards things for the shop, he started imagining all kinds of kitten/puff playsets--a miniature Hogwarts, maybe, or a Hogsmeade, maybe even a pygmy-puff-sized imitation of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. “If you want it to go on the wall, we could make it look nice, blend in with your other decor? Or make it something fun, like an art piece? I hope you actually want to do this because I’m getting excited about it now.”

“Of course I do!” Vicky looked around the room, trying to imagine what would look best. It would be possible to get it to blend in with her decor, but then if she ever changed her furniture or color scheme, she’d have to change everything they designed too. “An art type thing, I think. I don’t want it to blend in too much, but I don’t want it to look out of place, either, you know? Oh! What if we went with the theme? Make it look like little scenes from Ancient Greece?”

“Only if we can call it the Puffenon.” George grinned at the awful pun. “Are you thinking like, with little columns and triangle roofs? That would be brilliant. Do we know any good artists? I want little pygmy puff friezes.”

“Of course it will be the Puffenon. In the Purropolis.” Vicky giggled. This was going to be so ridiculously perfect she almost couldn’t stand it. “I don’t know of any off the top of my head, but I’m sure we can find someone. If it works, you’re going to make versions to sell in the shop, right? I bet we could get someone we don’t know for cheap if you offer a profit share on that part.”

“You know it. I’m already thinking of all the different places they could look like. Wee Wizard Wheezes, anyone?” George dug in his pockets for a notebook and pencil--he hadn’t had this kind of on-the-spot planning session in quite awhile, but he still carried them just in case. He started drawing a sort of diagram, boxes connected by ramps and causeways, openings marked with P or K or both. “What do you think, sort of like this? With a little bendy bit to go around the corner there…? Maybe some sisal columns for the kitten...”

“And an arena up there.” Vicky pointed to the other corner, the one that could be most easily seen when sitting on the couch. “There’s room, especially if we put it up high. We could put glass on the front of it so the puffs don’t fall off.” She wasn’t worried about the kitten. It would either be close enough to the ground that it wouldn’t matter or she’d manage to land on her feet, unharmed, assuming she was ever undignified enough to fall. The puffs on the other hand, could hurt themselves falling from any sort of height… and Vicky knew from personal experience how high some things were to something that size.

“Good idea. Maybe some cushioning charms on the area underneath it too, just in case?” George was pretty sure the puffs wouldn’t fall, but it was better to put safeguards in place and not need them than vice versa. “I’m pretty sure this is going to provide hours of solid entertainment. Once we get it all together, you should have a viewing party.” He grinned at the idea of all their friends piled onto the couch to watch a kitten and a pair of pygmy puffs play chase, but really, it was surprisingly fun to watch even without the obstacle course.

“Yeah, cushioning charms would be a good idea. Maybe you can package some up and sell them with the sets in the shop too, so everyone can have cushioning charms beneath their… whatever you end up calling this.” She had been thinking of little nets or something to catch the puffs, but the kitten would get caught too, and neither puff nor cat would have an easy time getting out of a net. A cushioning charm was a much better idea.

“And of course I’ll have a viewing party when it’s done. Everyone else can bring food and drink, you and I--and the puffs and kitten--will provide the entertainment. It’ll be a blast!”

George offered her a high-five. “I feel like every time I come over I end up with new ideas for the shop. Anytime I get stuck from now on I’m just going to invite myself over.” He paused, then wrinkled his nose-- “Not without warding you first, obviously.”

Vicky accepted, smacking her palm against George's, and then giggled. "You're welcome just about any time, but yeah, warding is a good idea." She was certain he didn't want to accidentally show up when she and Percy were involved in certain activities.

She pulled two butterbeers out of the icebox and handed one to George as she sat on the couch. The kitten jumped up next to her and chirped at George, apparently done chasing Apollo for the moment. "I think she wants you to sit. And to help." She scratched the kitten behind her ears. "Is that what you want? Are you going to help us design this?"

He flopped down on the other side of the kitten, laughing. “I’m afraid we haven’t invented quills for cats yet, so you’ll have to settle for supervising. Meow once for yes, twice for no.” But all jokes aside (well, all right, as many jokes as George could put aside anyway), he was genuinely excited to make this thing. He settled in to start taking notes on the various enchantments they’d have to work out, toasting Vicky cheerfully with his butterbeer.

“You’re the best muse, you know that?”