I'm not a kitten... Okay, I'm Kitten

Chapter 21 - Pt.2

As Koty's eyes drifted through the room, he caught sight of a lovely set of muted blue armchairs with bronze piping and the warm scent of old books and chalk dust. The chairs were the only thing that was of his house colours, and were a good deal lower to the ground than normal. Here, his height (or lack thereof) would not be a hindrance. The entire wall to his left was a blackboard, and there was a lot of illegible writing over the whole thing. There was a rail along the very top, and Koty was amused to see that there was a rolling ladder in the corner. The walls were a soothing cream colour and even the bookshelves were a light oak. Under his feet was a large, plush area rug with a cream and bronze herringbone design.

Just as the professor entered the room, Koty stumbled back and gave a shout.

"Wh-?" Professor cut himself off, and stifled a chuckle. "I see you've found my bear."

"Why do you have a bear in here?!" Koty yelped out, willing his heart to return to a normal pace.

The bear in question was life-sized, and fantastically realistic. Even lying down, it looked like it was just sleeping. He was honestly amazed that he could not see it breathing.

Giving into the urge to laugh, Flitwick signalled him to come closer. "Go on, then. Poke his nose."

Eyes wide in horror, Koty didn't come any closer. "No thank you, sir."

"Ruby gave this to me when he received his diploma, several years ago." Taking pity on the terrified looking boy, he poked the bear's nose himself.

To Koty's surprise, the bear opened its eyes and mouth and began to sing a soft song in what he assumed was French. "That enormous thing is a radio?! And, who's Ruby?"

"Master Hagrid, of course!" He supplied cheerfully. "It took him a few weeks to make, and is a wonderful conversation piece, if I do say so myself. It is one of my favourite possessions."

Bear approached it cautiously, sniffing the radio all over, before turning on the spot and cuddling up at its side.

"He won't hurt it, will he?" Koty asked, hoping beyond hope that his doggy wasn't at risk of breaking his professor's favourite thing.

"No, of course not," he replied, waving off Koty's concern. "When he was making it, Ruby had to test the unbreakable charm he'd put on it, so he jumped on it several times. I highly doubt any harm will come from our Bears snuggling. And, I'll tell you a secret."

Koty listened closely.

"It makes a wonderful seat for reading. Marvellous way to spend an afternoon, if you ask me." He tapped the side of his own nose and grinned.

Concern bleeding away, Koty let out a breath of relief. Lovely living room, ginormous bearadio, a small kitchenette to the left. Check, check, check.

"This door here," the man said, indicating the middle of three doors, and pushing it open. "Is the bathroom. You may use the higher shelves for your toiletries and such. The next room is mine. While I am thrilled to have an apprentice, I will ask that you only enter in the most dire of circumstances. The last room, which I will have cleared out quickly, will be yours."

Koty beamed. "I won't go in your room, I promise!"

"And I will extend the same courtesy," Master Flitwick said with a smile. "Now, after everything has been cleared out, you will be able to decorate as you see fit. It will be your room for quite some time, up to five years, after all."

Despite knowing it was probably inappropriate, Koty couldn't help but hug the man tightly. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Laughing heartily, the professor clapped Koty's back a few times. "You are most welcome, young Apprentice."