Guardian of Hogwarts

4.4 "Hello Schools"

It was a few days after, when Bourbaton and Durmstrang arrived. Early in the morning each head-of-house got up to prepare for their welcome, even though they'd be introduced in the late evening. Pomona Sprout, Hufflepuff's head-of-house, was just about to leave when she was stopped by a student.

"Ah, professor are you leaving already?"
She turned to them, "Huh? Why yes today is an important day. But why do you ask little one?".

The student got up and shook a certain cat awake, "Councelor, Prof sprout is leaving". A dimm green eye struggled to open, the owner eventually getting up like most other grumpy specimen of his kind 'Ah, thank you for waking me; I didn't want to go alone'.

The student grinned before going back to scribble on a parchment, leftover homework or a letter perhaps. Harry jumped from his comfy white blanket as his fur turning black, he stretched on the ground, and waltzed up to the older lady 'Let's go together...?'.

The herbology professor blinked dumbfounded before accepting the offer (request) with a nod, "Let's, Councelor". Harry was picked up under the armpits and carried out of Hufflepuff and through the castle.

[Feeling a bit better Harry?]
'... Yes, I can't go on mulling over spilled milk'
Holly wanted to laugh at the likely unintended pun but held it in.

[Well that's good to hear, the other kids were worrying about you.. though Tom wondered if you were brooding out a hairball]
'Heh~' Harry had a dark look, 'Well if that's so I hope he won't mind'.
Madam Sprout wondered if she didn't wear enough...she felt a cold shiver around her, maybe she'll drink tea later.

They arrived at the Great Hall, it mostly being devoid of any students and teachers so far. It was easy to guess why. Students didn't have classes today (though some had to fight with homework assignments) because the staff was busy with preparations to welcome the other schools. Harry jumped off wandering over the tables where there was a plate set out here and there.
While Prof Sprout rounded the table before sitting down, Harry just jumped over the Abyss between the two spaces. By lieu of the house elves magic, food appeared before them.

Bacon and egg being the only thing both plates had, other than that it was bread or fruits, milk or tea. 'Thanks for the meal.'

After eating Harry went to his lil birdnest (again, it was bigger from the inside, kinda like Hagrids hut almost). "Let's see what do I need... Maybe I should clean this place up first", he was still an animal, but no one was there to hear him speak so he didn't have to resort to his usual other method. As for why he needed to clean up, there were feathers of random owls inside that must've fluttered inside with some of his stuff lying here or there. He spent the entire morning cleaning it up (he had to think what to do with the feathers so it took longer).

Then in the early afternoon he spent some time to visit a healthy Basilisk. Besides Holly - and maybe Tom who had yet to visit - the Basilisk in the chamber of secrets, Shesha, didn't get many guests. Harry, still moody but putting up with it - Shesha saw straight through him - informed the female serpent of the event taking place starting this week. Her surprise was well within his imagination.

$The otheeeer sschoolss? It has been a whiiile sinccce I last heard of them.. Sso Durmstrang iss coming.$ She smiled with an open mouth, Harry saw himself out.

Eating lunch, he was greeted by the students who patted him - the twins playing a prank on him by having made someone else disillusioned as one of them. While Harry knew who was who, he was hard pressed to guess who the third one was. It had been Ron out of all the students (he had been none to happy; neither for pretending to be Fred or George, or to cheer up their dumb and rude councelor).

Harry ate at the Slytherin table, hearing some bits of the tournament from the next table over, 'Sure enough the Ravens don't want to participate anymore'. He then grumbled feeling the eyes on his figure, he was a baby black panther at the moment so he could eat better and not attract attention while sitting at the 'dark houses' table.

Unpolitely staring at him was none other than the recently - since about two or three years - dark lord with his snake almost a tongue away from him. He looked from Nagini to Voldemort '..Do you need something..?'.

The other smiled eyes upturned, "Just wanted to say I liked your speech a couple days back. Also I'm pretty sure they will arrive soon". Like the devil hadn't just foretold it the first shout came from outside. Harry stopped nibbling on a piece of chicken he had torn from a turkey on the table - Theo had been so kind as to get him the wing - before swollowing the piece whole.

Others around him heard him as he left 'Well I'll go see how these schools are'. Tom turned to look in the round of students he sat with while holding his fork up, "Let's follow him?". Draco was the first to place his cutlery down and leave.

Going to the bridge, Harry turned the seize of an adult panther with Draco, the twins, and Luna coming up behind him. Luna had actually already been there watching as the carriage came into sight.

"How fitting that the famous all girls school arrives riding a carriage pulled by Pegasus's" Draco commented while holding his chin, the bridge was getting crowded with fellow onlookers.

While they watched Hagrid move around almost as if shaking his hip to music, Harry wasn't sure if what he saw was correct. In the water, there was a curving moving figure that - like a drawn line - almost swam up to the mountains, 'No way right'.

$Dear fresssh meat~$
Both Tom end Nagini jumped looking down hearing the deep snake voice coming from below. Besides Harry, they were perhaps the only ones to see Shesha going to greet Durmstrang's ship as it breached the surface.

"Is that..?"
'Sure is. You should go greet her if you have the time.'
Tom's head whirled around to look at Harry who's front paws where on the ledge, the other gave him a look that was borderline deadpan or smug.
"...if I have the time I will".

Shesha was following the ship almost up until the docks before sinking back into the waters, both 'kids' released a sigh. What was she trying to do with that? Scare the opposite side?

In the evening Hogwarts awaited their brother and sister school, Harry lying between Snape and McGonagall (closer to Snape who while waiting somehow came to absently stroke his fur).