Chapter 117
Chapter 117
After promising Myrtle that he would return later for a long conversation, Suer hurried up the stairs.
Nothing could stand between him and seeing the catgirl!
Then he ran into Harry and Ron beside the Entrance Hall.
What was this? He only wanted to see a catgirl.
“Suer, why are you back? Listen, Hermione, she–” Harry raised a hand in greeting, but Suer left him nothing except a swiftly departing back and empty air.
“Looking at him, he must already know.” Ron curled his lip, sounding rather annoyed. “It’s good he’s back. He can take Hermione’s cat this afternoon. If we keep looking after that animal, it’ll eat my Scabbers!”
The closer Suer drew to the hospital wing, the quicker his steps became and the higher the corners of his mouth rose.
Goodness, a catgirl… A living one! A living one! A living one! Important things had to be repeated three times.
“Stop! No running in the hospital wing!” Madam Pomfrey happened to emerge from a side room carrying a tray. When she saw Suer sprinting towards her, her face darkened and she shouted for him to halt.
Suer immediately skidded to a stop and stood obediently before her.
“Sorry, Madam Pomfrey. I’m here to see Hermione. I heard she’d been admitted to the hospital wing.”
“Even so, running in the hospital wing disturbs the patients’ rest,” Madam Pomfrey said sternly. She then launched into a long lecture on everything that could happen if patients did not rest properly…
Suer’s expression grew increasingly miserable, but he remained standing there obediently.
“Every one of you is a worry.” With that final pronouncement, Madam Pomfrey’s expression softened. “Go on. She’s in the innermost ward.”
Suer felt as though he had been pardoned. “It won’t happen again, Madam Pomfrey.”
This was far from Suer’s first visit to the hospital wing. He headed straight for Hermione’s ward.
A catgirl. A catgirl. Let me see what sort of cat you’ve become.
Heh heh heh…
Despite his anticipation, Suer’s expression remained unchanged, though the frequency and breadth of his steps increased.
Hermione’s bed was easy to identify. It was the only one in the entire ward completely enclosed by curtains.
Suer crept closer, but accidentally bumped the chair beside the bed with a thud.
“Madam Pomfrey?” Hermione’s voice came from inside, and the curtain opened a narrow crack.
Then a feline head poked through. Two long, pointed cat ears rose from it, the eyes were bright yellow, and three playful whiskers marked each cheek.
Suer clearly saw Hermione’s pupils contract into narrow slits.
“Ah!” Hermione gave a short, sharp scream and vanished behind the curtain.
“Ah!” Suer released a prairie-dog shriek in perfect unison inside his head.
Satisfied. Completely satisfied. If only he could touch those ears. They looked wonderfully soft.
“Hermione, Hermione.”
If his heart desired it, he should act. Even one touch would make the trip worthwhile! Suer immediately called to her.
Only after a long while did a muffled voice emerge. “Why… why did you come back to the castle so early?” The voice sounded close to tears from shame.
“I came to see you,” Suer answered cheerfully.
“I didn’t ask you to see me,” Hermione replied from within. “Go away. I look hideous.”
“Who says you’re hideous?” Suer dragged the chair closer to the bed, sat down heavily and began taking items from the cloth bag he carried.
“You never replied. Aunt Granger is worried about you too, and she asked me to bring you a great many things.”
“The Polyjuice Potion worked, didn’t it? How did you become a cat? Don’t tell me you put in fur from Crookshanks.”
“N-no!” Hermione denied it. “I meant to turn into Millicent, but…”
“That girl must own a cat!”
“All right,” Suer said. “May I come in? Aunt Granger asked me to bring you something. They’re Christmas biscuits she made with my mother. I’ve tasted them, and they’re excellent.”
“N-no!” Hermione answered from inside. “Put them on the cabinet beside the bed. Don’t come in!”
“All right, but make sure you eat them.”
Suer had no intention of leaving so easily. An idea came to him. He deliberately made some noise as he placed the things on the table, then took several audible steps. After that, he moved quietly to the foot of the bed and hid, pretending he had gone.
Sure enough, rustling came from behind the curtain. It opened by a tiny crack, and one feline eye peered out. Suer ducked and withdrew just in time.
He waited patiently behind the bed until all sound ceased, then cautiously raised his head to look.
Ha! Hermione, dressed in a hospital gown, was sitting on the chair Suer had just vacated, her back to him as she faced the table. Suer quietly rose and approached, hearing the crunch of teeth through biscuit.
“Ahem.” He raised a fist to his mouth and coughed softly several times.
Hermione went rigid. She slowly turned, half a biscuit pinched in one hand and a few crumbs clinging to the corner of her mouth.
Now Suer saw everything with perfect clarity.
He had satisfied his curiosity, but Hermione plainly did not share his delight. Her crushing embarrassment snapped into fury.
Like a cat with every hair standing on end, she adopted a fighting stance.
Step by step, she advanced on Suer and extended her claws.
Terrified, Suer caught both her hands and backed against the wall. “Calm down, Hermione. Calm down. I didn’t mean to.”
Hermione had no intention of listening to his excuses. Fire blazed in her eyes, and her sharp little canine teeth gleamed. She struggled hard but failed to free her hands, so she closed her eyes–
Cat-head strike! Prepare to die!
Bang…
“Oof… Cough, cough…” Pain exploded through Suer’s chest. His breath caught halfway, but he did not dare release her hands.
Heaven knew what the scene would become if he let go…
“Cough… cough… Are you trying to murder your own husband, Hermione Granger?”