Nine Lives

Two

"Mummy, can we keep it - pleaaase?" The girl pleaded, clutching onto her mother's sleeve.

"Er - I am not sure, Melanie, dear," said her mother, eyeing Voldemort skeptically. "Maybe not. I mean, look at it, cats aren't supposed to sit or look this way, are they? Let's leave it here and go home."

"But maybe it's ill, mum!" cried her son. "We can't leave it like that, the poor creature will die!"

Yes, he nearly did. Of shock.

The woman rolled her eyes, trying hard to maintain her composure. "This is another reason for me to not keep it. I don't want any infections in my house."

"But it will die!" yelled Melanie, snatching the cat and holding it close to her chest. She looked at her brother for support.

"Yes, we won't leave it!" he snapped at his mother.

"Fine," the mother groaned as she was too weary to argue. "Do whatever you want. Can we please go home now?"

The two kids grinned and resumed walking with their mother, and their new pet.

Voldemort was still immobile. The whole world around him was moving and turning so that his brain wasn't able to function. He didn't find any strength in him to fight the girl's tight grip. In fact, he didn't became aware of it until the girl approached his ear and whispered into it.

"We will have a lot of fun together!"

He gulped. This was not going to be good at all.

The Dark Lord felt that he couldn't possibly be more unlucky. Since his childhood, he had disliked all animals (except snakes, of course), but cats were a special case. They had always been the second on the list of creatures he deeply loathed, the first being Albus Dumbledore. He remembered how at Hogwarts he murdered almost every cat any Slytherin student dared to bring, until there were no animals left but owls and toads. He couldn't explain this odd feeling against the species, but it was there as though he had been born with it. He just hated cats. And now since he was one, he hated them even more.

His confusion diminished gradually on the way to the kids' home, and slowly he began to put the pieces together in order to figure out how this catastrophe happened.

So he went to the Potters last night...

James Potter tried to stop him, but he couldn't...

He told Lily Potter to step aside, but she refused...

He cast the Killing Curse on Harry, but it somehow...rebounded? Was that what actually happened? That sounded quite absurd but it made sense...

Alright. Now to the second enigma, the one he was most determined to solve.

He went to the Potters last night...

James Potter tried to stop him, but he couldn't...

He told Lily Potter to step aside, but she refused...

He cast the Killing Curse on Harry, but it rebounded and...

Voldemort felt dizzy as it dawned upon him.

The Potters had a cat..

There in the corner of the room, where Lily and her son tried to hide, the animal was whimpering. He saw it. He ignored it. But his soul, too fragile and too weak to move on, possessed its body when it had left his. He was indeed in a bottomless abyss of adversity.

Now he wanted to fight and escape more than any time before, but his body in its new form was so weak and exhausted that he couldn't even lift a limb. The girl was still holding him tightly as her brother stroke his tail. Their sweetness made him feel more sick, although he was sure that any decent cat would have enjoyed it.

After some more minutes, they arrived at a house with a small, yet neat front garden. The mother, who hadn't spoken a word on their way back, turned to her kids.

"Listen, Jerry and Melanie," she said, pointing her index finger at the both of them. "If you want to keep that thing," she indicated Voldemort, "then do, but know very well that I won't allow it, and god knows whatever harm it carries, into my living room or kitchen. You will play with it here in the garden. Do you I make myself clear?"

"Yes, mum," the two children said in unison.

"Good," she grunted. "Now - tell your grandmother inside that I will go to your auntie Sam's and come back in an hour or so. And don't leave the house until I am back. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mum."

"Brilliant! See you later!"

And thus the woman left her children with their cat.

"Alright," said Jerry when his mother was out of sight. "Let's bring it up to my room."

"Are you crazy?" Melanie shouted, wrapping her arms more securely over Voldemort. "Didn't you hear what mum just said?"

"I did," shrugged the boy. "She said," - he cleared his throat and mimicked his mother's voice - "'I won't allow it into my living room or kitchen.'"

"Exactly!"

"But she didn't say anything about my room, did she?"

The girl considered this for a moment then said, "I think you are right."

Jerry smirked and led the way into the house.

"We're back, granny!" Melanie cried hastily as she hurtled upstairs so as not to be seen with the cat by her grandmother.

"And mum is at Aunt Sam's," added Jerry, following his sister. "She will be back in an hour!"

The two kids ran inside a room and shut the door behind them. With a sigh of relief, Melanie put Voldemort down on the floor and smiled.

"So how do you like Jerry's room, Mr Butterpaw?"