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

Chapter 24 - Pt.2

Koty woke earlier than usual, which was certainly saying something. It was pitch black outside, rather than the mottled purple and grey haze of the rising sun he was used to seeing every morning. How had he gotten back to the rooms he shared with Professor Flitwick, when the last thing he remembered was drinking cocoa in the Slytherin common room with Sev? Oh, Sev must have brought him up! He really did have the most considerate mate.

Flicking his wrist, he was not really surprised to see '4:03' light up his room. He flopped back, groaning. It would be hours before anyone could take them to see Penny and Olive! "Please be okay," he whispered softly into the air. "You have to be okay."

Too anxious to just lie there for at least two more hours, Koty picked up his copy of the charms book by Sarah Sanderson and went into the sitting room. After the briefest moment of thought, he settled on the deceptively soft bearadio and poked its nose.

As the captivating sound of violins filled his heart with calm, he flipped the book open to page ninety-seven and continued reading about a charm to make fire take the desired shape of its caster. Much like many of the spells in the book, it seemed like control was more important than the spell itself, which was figura flamma.

It was fascinating, really. It seemed like with the emphasis on control, all magic should be able to be done wordlessly. While he himself could do a lot of magic without speaking, he knew that most people struggled with it. So, why weren't these lessons being taught to everyone from the beginning? Was it like stepping stones? Learning what the spells feel like in a simpler way before teaching them how to manipulate the magic without saying anything?

"Oh, goodness!"

Koty was yanked out of his musings and saw Professor Flitwick standing in the doorway, his hand placed over his chest.

"I'd nearly forgotten you were here, Koty. You startled me."

"Sorry, Master Flitwick," Koty replied sheepishly. "Good morning?"

Chuckling, the man scrubbed his hands over his face. After letting out a loud yawn, he tapped on a delicate looking tea cup on the end table.

Koty watched, enthralled as the cup filled and steam began wafting the delicious scent of English Breakfast tea throughout the room.

Flitwick smiled at his apprentice's wonder. "The spellcrafting club came up with these special cups in 1986. Each cup has an exact duplicate in the kitchens. Each staff member has one that is uniquely designed for them. The duplicates in the kitchen are tended by the House Elves. Anything done to the duplicates will automatically happen to ours. When we tap on them, the duplicates flash, alerting the Elves to fill them with our preferred beverages. When the duplicates are washed, these are cleaned as well. Quite marvellous, truly."

"That's so cool!" Koty gushed, though his thoughts quickly went back to his friends. "Do you know when we'll be allowed to go to St. Mungo's, sir?"

"I was able to speak with Miss Clearwater's mother and Miss Ellison's father last night, and all parties have agreed that you and your friends may visit during lunch this afternoon." He patted the boy's hands comfortingly. "I wouldn't be surprised if letters awaited you all at breakfast."

Eyes wide, Koty flicked his wrist once more to reveal the time, and was pleased to see that it was nearly time for breakfast. He scrambled off the bearadio to get dressed, thanking the diminutive professor on his way.

Within twenty minutes, he was dressed and ready to go, Bear at his side. Bear leapt out of the high doorway and unfurled his wings, gliding gracefully to the floor.

Koty hadn't really done much with his wings, as far as flying was concerned, but he was working on exercises to strengthen his back and wings enough to handle flight. Just a few days before school began, he'd managed to hover for about two minutes before he had to stop, feeling the strain in his back and shoulders. It was Severus' idea to have him do the exercises, and it was already making an impact. Thin chords of muscle now adorned his small shoulders and biceps. Just a few days ago, he'd been able to push Bear off his chest when he needed the loo in the middle of the night!