Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


A/N- It was just another normal day heading back home to the apartments he shared with her boyfriend Ron.  That was until she walked in on her ex, packing her close. Prompt by @kyoki777 “Tom turns Hermione into a cat.”

Rating: MA


One

“Ron I’m home,”  Hermione called as she looked through the day’s owls.  She noted the light was on in the bedroom so even though her boyfriend didn’t answer the call she headed in that direction as she shifted through the papers.  “Harry sent us a pos…” She stopped when she glanced up seeing the man standing in her bedroom was not the redhead she had been expecting, but a tall man with jet black hair and a smooth smile.

“Welcome home Hermione,”  Tom said as if her walking in on him hastily packing her clothes into a bag was a perfectly reasonable thing for her to walk in on.

She moved to draw her wand, but Tom already had his out, and a strange purple light hit her directly in the chest.  Hermione gasped as the shock hit her, but nothing seemed to happen for a moment. She frowned in confusion as slowly the world started to grow around her.  Her wand slipped from her fingers, but before she could see what was going on something came up over her head and blocked her vision.

“Don’t worry, pet.” She heard Tom say, but his voice sounded odd.  “I’ll turn you back to normal as soon as you learn to be a good girl.”  He added with amusement.

She felt hands grasp her and she tried to yell and pull away, only she was stuck inside something she couldn’t quite understand.  Everything felt off and weird, and she was having problems thinking straight. Tom shoved her into a small space of some kind, and she heard the click of metal against metal.

“Now to make that idiot boyfriend of yours think you left him.”  He said thoughtfully.

Hermione wiggled out of whatever had been holding her and looked out at her surroundings.  She frowned as the cramped space seemed both familiar and utterly alien. She could see Tom working on collecting her things from the room, but everything looked so much bigger than it should.

“Meow?”  She asked and was shocked by her voice.  She looked down at herself and saw fur and paws.  He turned her into a cat!  Everything clicked into place, from her view of the world to the fact things were looking void of color, but somehow brighter at the same time.

She started to pace the cat carrier that he had put her inside, and she realized the thing that had around her before as her shirt.  She hissed at it, and she hissed again when he heard him chuckle at her reaction.

“Don’t worry my pet.”  He said in a soothing voice.  “I have things all set up for you at my place.”  With that, he picked up the carrier, and she had to lay down not to be too jostled.  She started to meow as much as she could, maybe one of their neighbors could help her get out of the ridiculous situation.

He made it with her all the way to the Apparition Point down the street from the apartment she shared with Ron.  She had been on side-along apparitions before of course, but she felt doing it as a cat in a carrier was not going to be fun at all.

She was right to be worried, as the moment they made threw she felt sick in a very odd way.  Throwing up as a cat was nothing like doing it as a human and she was not pleased as he jostled her around while she felt so sick.

By the time the thing stopped moving she had gotten her sick on her fur, and when his face came into view she just wanted to use her claws on his eyes.

“Welcome to your new life, Hermione.  We’re going to have so much fun together, my pet.”

Two

“I thought you would like to start by getting a better look at your new self,”  Tom said as he opened the carrier. “But if you misbehave I will be forced to punish you.”  He added in a tone that promised pain.

She made her way out of the crate still not fully recovered from Apparating.  She could smell so much better now, but that only meant that she couldn’t get away from the smell of her own sick.  She got an idea that pleased her enough she started to purr as she rubbed herself against his legs.

Tom looked down at her in shock that she was behaving so quickly only to realize a bit too late she was rubbing the vomit onto his pants.

“That is just childish Hermione.”  He told her dryly before cleaning them both up with a simple spell.

“Meow.”  She told him as she started to take in her surroundings.  The room would be a typical cat’s dream, with lots of places to climb and scratch, and lay in the sun.  She was not a cat though so she only turned back to glare at him for thinking this would please her.

That was when he held up the mirror to show her herself.  Her fur was as uncontrolled as her hair had ever been. She would say she was one of those Siberian snow cats if she wasn’t so small, maybe she was a runt?  Her eyes were the color of whiskey, and her expression was the same as the human Hermione’s glare.

“You’re as beautiful as I thought you would be.”  He said sounding fonder than he ever did while they had dated.  Though Tom had been the only other person in the world, Crookshank could tolerate.

Crookshank?!  What would happen to her cat if Tom left him behind with Ron and Ron thought she had left him?  She hissed at the thought as the worry for her cat bother her more than her current situation.

“It’s okay Hermione.”  Tom tried to soothe her as she bounded over to the door to see if she could get it open with her claws.  “Everything is going to turn out fine as long as you are a good kitty.” He said as he followed after her.

While she was busy futzing with the door, he slipped a collar around her neck and locked it in place.  “I got Crookshank earlier today.” He said as if he could read her mind. “He’s out in the main apartment, and I’ll even let you see him if you’re good.”  He told her as he ran his hand down her back.

It felt good in a shocking way to have him touch her like that.  He pet her again, and she couldn’t help the purring sound she made.  She had no idea what it felt like for a cat to be pet, but the need for the touch filled up her mind suddenly and completely.

New and strange cat instincts fought with the human mind that told her Tom has *done* this to her.  She just wanted the petting to continue. Seeming pleased with her behavior Tom sat on the ground and pulled her into his lap so he could continue the treatment more comfortably.

“That’s my good Hermione.”  He soothed as he gave her all the attention she desired.  After a while of the blissful handling, she drifted off to sleep in his lap.

When she woke next, she was laying on a lovely pillow and found herself blinking lazily as she tried to understand her surroundings.  She was hungry and smacked her lips as she tasted the air around her. Somehow she knew there was food nearby and just jumped down from the pillow without really thinking about it as she sought out the source of the smell and taste in the air.

It wasn’t until she had her face in the bowl of cat food and was half finished with it when she realized what she was doing and how very wrong it was.  She sat down where she was and looked at the bowls.  She was still hungry, and the food hadn’t tasted wrong with her cat tongue, but it was still wrong on so many levels that Tom had turned her into a cat and was feeling her cat food.

After a while just sitting and staring at the dish Hermione decided it would do her no good to starve herself, and it wasn’t like the food tasted terrible.

When Tom came in to check on her, later on, he smiled as he noted the empty dish.  “You are acclimating to this very well, my pet.” He told her with a pleased tone.

Hermione was on the seat by the window trying to see if she could push it open and having very little success.  If she could just get out of the room, she could find someone to change her back.

“You know they have done studies on exactly the situation you find yourself in Hermione.”  Tim started as he walked over to sit next to her on the bench and rub behind her ears. “From everything I have read, the only you spend as a cat, the more catlike you will become.  The instincts only get stronger. It happens to animagus who spend too long in their animal form, but the article I read said it happens even more quickly to those forced into the animal shape by another’s spell.”

She looked at him with wide eyes as she wondered why he was telling her this.  Was what he was saying right, would she end up giving over wholly to the cat behaviors?  Even now she knew she wanted him to pet her even if she hated him for doing this to her, but how long before she was just his loyal pet?  How long did he plan to keep her like this?

“So the better you are now, the more of your mind it will save later on.”  He said revealing why he explained it to her in the first place. “I want your mind Hermione, but if I must, I will settle for something a bit more broken than I found it.”

Three

It was troublingly easy for Hermione to fall into the comfortable routine of a cat.  At first, when Tom was away, she spent her time trying to get out of the room. She investigated every inch of her little world in search of something Tom may have missed.  As time went on Hermione looked less and less, not only because she didn’t find anything, but because it just seemed less important to her.

Tom visited her every day before work to check if she needed anything and spent most evenings with her reading whatever he was working on aloud so she could have some mental stimulation.

As days turned into weeks, she could feel herself slipping away.  It frightened her a little, but at the same time, it was much easier being a cat than being a human ever was.  The odd thing was that she behaved for the most part. She sat in his lap as he read, she ate all the food she provided and even deemed to purr when he stroked her coat.  So she didn’t know what it was going to take before he decided it was time she could be human once more.

Hermione had no way left of telling how long she had been in cat form, but she decided it couldn’t have been longer than a couple of weeks as she only remembered a day when Tom had spent the whole day with her.

She woke one morning with a weird nervous sort of energy.  She wanted to move, and she felt a stronger need for attention that she had for food or drink.  She jumped down from her sleeping place and pawed at the door, trying to will Tom into coming in and petting her.

“Meow.”  She said at the door as he tale moved back and forth as the agitated feeling only grew.  “MEOW.” She added for good measure as she wanted him to come now. She just couldn’t think of anything but her need to be stroked.  “MMEEEOOOW!” She started to call him she didn’t care what time it was.

She could hear someone on the other side of the door and moved her front half as low as she could go so she could see if it was Tom finally answering her call.  She caught a glimpse of four small feet like hers and realized Crookshank was pacing on the other side of the door.

She suddenly wanted nothing more than Crookshank.  She could smell him so very close, and she just wanted him knowing he could make this feeling better.  She started to paw with her front legs and wiggle her butt as she thought excitedly about seeing her cat again.

It was only then that she realized what she must be feeling and suddenly backed away from the door.  When before she wanted out, wanted to be touched, wanted her cat, now she knew it was something to fear.  “MEOW!”  She yelled as loudly as she could as Hermione moved as far from the door and Crookshank as she could.  That bastard better not be thinking he can somehow breed her with her cat.

She paced by the window calling every so often as she thought about how all her instincts wanted to breed and how it was absolutely not an option.  From what she knew a female cat’s heat could last anywhere from one to seven days. The thought of dealing with this need for seven days sent her to a whole new level of panic.

MEEEEEOOOOOW!”  She howled as she needed Tom to explain to her how he planned to deal with this.

“What is wrong with you this morning?”  Tom asked as he finally opened the door and Crookshank made a beeline for her.

She hissed at her cat as she ran away from him.  She there was just no way that was going to happen.

“Crooks what has gotten into you?  You know you’re not allowed in here.”  Tom’s voice was stern as he caught the big orange lump of fur and put him out of the room forcefully.  “And you Hermione, this is a rather odd reaction to being able to see your cat.” He said thoughtfully, as she bounded over to Tom the moment it was safe and started to rub up against his legs.

It just felt so good to be touched and handle the attention, and she wanted more but knowing where the need came from she was also apprehensive for her sanity.  “Meowmeowmeow.” She said as she continued to rub against his leg.

“Oh,”  Tom said stunned for a long moment before a smile spread across his face that Hermione didn’t catch.  “Well, you have been such a good pet.” He said kneeling down he ran his fingers over her fur and she purred as if she had died and gone to heaven.  “I guess we could try out letting you be human for a few days to see how it goes. Would you like that?” He asked as she scratched behind her ear.

“Meow.”  She answered tilting her head this way and that as she enjoyed the touch.

With another spell that she wasn’t paying attention to Hermione moved so her front was rubbing against the floor and her rear was high in the ear so he could pet that next.  So by the time she was a human once again she was still wiggling her arse in the air for his viewing pleasure.

“Good kitty,”  Tom said as he ran his fingers down her spine.

Four

“Oh, do you feel Hermione?’  Tom asked as his fingers continued to pet her as if she was the animal she had been only moments before.

“Pets…”  She moaned still feeling the need for his touch and not truly noticing yet she was human at all.  She stopped when he own word came back to her and sat back on her feet as she looked down at herself before looking at him with a wide gaze.

Feeling emboldened by her still passive behavior Tom stroked the side of her face, giving her an encouraging smile as she was coming to terms that she was now human again.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he got distracted by his touch.  It felt at beautiful, if not better than it had when she was a cat.  She realized somewhere in the back of her body that emotionally at the very least she was still in heat.

“Y-you turned me into a cat.”  She said as she rubbed her face against his hand.  The desire in her was a mix of cat instinct and human arousal that she was better at recognizing at least.  “Left me as a cat.” She added shaking slightly, as he let his hand drift down her neck to cup her breast. “Until I started my heat.”  She purred at the feel of his thumb brushing against a hardened nipple.

“And now you are going to like me fuck you like the good kitty you are.”  He told her darkly as he pulled his hand away to provoke a whimper from her.  “Isn’t that right my pet?” He asked as he moved up to his knees.

She wanted him to rut with her.  She knew nothing else would make this need inside her go away.  But that would only serve to trap her more securely in his clutches.  She was human now. She needed to think and get herself out of his little playroom for her.

“Why?”  She asked swallowing her desire.  She was stronger than the cat instincts he was trying to instill in her.  “Why do all this Tom?” She asked as her eyes met his for the first time.

He smiled at her and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.  “Because you should belong to me, Hermione.” He told her as if it was that simple.  “You are the only one who is bright enough to understand me, and I am the only one who will ever understand you.”

“I don’t want to be owned, Tom.”  She pointed out with a hiss. “That is why we broke up remember?”

“Which is why I am helping you become a woman who wants to be owned.”  He told her as his fingers moved to tangle in her hair and he suddenly jerked her head back.

She couldn’t help the gasp that left her lips or the way her body arched towards his at the dominant action.  “I don’t want that.” She whimpered as he slowly but firmly pushed her head back against the floor in front of her.

“You will.”  He told her smiling at her butt moved up as her head moved down.  “You already do on some level my pet.” He said enjoying the view of her in the submissive position for a long moment.

“I don’t!”  She snapped fighting out of his grasp and moving away from him as quickly as she could.  She started towards the door trying to get to her feet only to lose her balance.

He was on her a moment later holding the back of her neck and pressing her face to the rug.  “You need this Hermione.” He told her as he held more firmly while she tried to fight against him.  “Be a good girl or I will have to punish you.” He told her firmly.

“Fuck you!”  She struggled to feel herself knowing he was bigger and stronger physically than she was.

“Do you want to go through a heat with no comfort Hermione?   No release, nothing.” He groaned, and she tried to shake him off.

“I’m never going to be your fucking pet, Tom!”  She yelled back. She wasn’t going to let him break her like this.

“Fine.”  He said darkly, and she felt the wash of a spell move over her once again.

“NO!”  Her scream ended with the yowl of a cat’s wine.

Five

She looked up at him and hissed as all the hair on her back stood on end.  She was going to scratch his pretty face and rip out his eyes. How could he change her back into a cat again?!  Why her?! Why this?!

“Don’t look at me like that, pet.”  He said in a calm voice, his wand still pointed in her direction as he got to his feet.  “You are the one who forced me to do this. Why can’t you just see that I am trying to help you?”  He asked in a huff.

Only the wand gave her pause in seeing precisely, what he claws could do to his face.  She hissed again promising herself she would not fall back into the domestic behavior he was trying to train into her with this torture.

“The dish will fill itself.  I think a few days alone will do you some good.”  He told her coldly as she did not respond the way he wanted.

When he left, and she was alone once again she started to pace as her anger hummed in her blood.  When she finally stopped walking she caterwauled at the door hoping he would come back so she could give him a piece of her mind.

It was nightfall before her anger receded enough for the other issue of being left alone came back into full focus.  She was still in heat; she still needed to be touched, and now that Hermione understood what was going on in a more human way she knew she needed to be shagged to feel any real improvement.

He left her like that for days.  She suffered and tried all sorts of embarrassing things to lessen the desire and need within herself.  She slept fitfully unable to shake the all-consuming heat in her blood.

When the heat was finally over an unknown number of days later, Hermione felt immensely relieved, but there was a new danger that the desire had been masking in his absence.  Boredom. She spent what felt like countless days alone, ever seeing anyone and it soon turned into pure torture.

She started to dream of the feel of his hand stroking her coat while he read dark tomes to her and talked about what he thought of their content.  She started to think of these as the good old days, and she was afraid that by the time he returned she would be more than eager to play good kitty for him if it meant he didn’t leave her alone again.

When her next heat hit with no sign of Tom, she spent her days rubbing against the door and yowling to anyone that could hear.  She suspected he had silenced her room so he could hear her suffer, or maybe he enjoyed her suffering, but she couldn’t stop herself from wishing to express how much torture it was.

Then it was over and the days returned to the dull life of a cat.  She felt herself slip again into the role and instincts of the animal.  She played with the toys he had provided; she scratched at the posts to keep her claws sharp.

As time passed without any company, she started to forget she was ever really a human at all.  She had all the luxuries a house cat could ever want, but he knew it was company she would always need.  She became depressed and when her next heat hit she did nothing but lay in her bed and groom herself.

She had just started her third heat since he initially left her when the door opened, and she looked up at his smirking face with relief in her heart.  “Are you ready to play nice darling?” He asked stepping into the room and closing the door him.

“Do you want your Master’s attention now?”  He asked with his knowing smile as he tapped his wand against the palm of his hand.

Six

Hermione meowed at him in as pleading of a tone as she could.  She was so happy to see him; she just wanted to be rubbed all over.  She hopped off the window seat and bounded over to him so she could rub against his leg.

“I will take that for a yes,”  Tom said as he smirked down at her.  With a few silent waves of his wand, Hermione’s view of the world changed once again, and she found she was a witch once more.

“How does that feel pet?”  He asked as she nuzzled her face against his hand.  “Did you miss me?” He asked in a slightly mocking tone.

“Please.”  She whimpered as she looked up at him, she couldn’t take anymore Hermione needed his attention, and she needed release.  “I’ll be a good kitty.”  She added breathlessly her voice coming out strange to her ears.

She shifted her body so that her face and breasts were pressed against the rug under her with her rear wiggling in the air.  “Please?” She whimpered not able to think about anything by finally getting some release from the torture that was her heat.

“You are being such a very good kitty.”  He replied with a smug tone. He knelt down behind her and ran a hand over her butt.  “But I think I need to hear some more begging before I give you what you really want Hermione.”  He told her as a hand slipped between her legs and he stroked her sex teasingly.

“Please Tom?”  She groaned feeling his fingers against her only making her need him more.  “Please, please? I’ll be your good kitty! Please?” She begged desperately, as she writhed against his touch.

“Don’t worry darling.  I have exactly what you need.”  He told her as he shifted behind her for a moment.

He leaned over her and pressed his hand to the back of her neck and purred with relief as it felt so very natural to have him there.  This was what she had needed all along, and she didn’t know how to express the solace the simple act instilled in her.

He teased her for a bit longer before she could feel his hardness pressing against her and she eagerly spread herself for him.

“Please Tom?”  She gasped as she needed to be filled and he was so very close to giving her exactly what she desired.

“Such a good kitty.”  He murmured before thrusting violently into her core.

Hermione moaned under him pushing herself back against his thrusting form.  All she could think about what her craving for release and how beautiful it felt to finally be filled by his pulsing cock.

“Yes please!”  She gasped thrusting herself back against him in the heated mad coupling.  She knew she wouldn’t last long after going for so long without and she couldn’t imagine anything better than him driving himself inside of her.

That was until his free hand slipped under her body and started to masterfully manipulate her needy little clit.

“OH MERLIN!”  She screamed at the first touch as she had somehow forgotten what it was like to feel fingers against that lovely bit of her body.  Her toes curled, and she scratched and bit at the rug under her as she clenched around his still pounding shaft.

“See what I do when you’re a good girl?”  He hissed enjoying the ride of her climax as he was building quickly to his peak.  “You’re mine, Hermione. Tell me who you belong to.” He demanded gruffly, as he neared his completion.

“I’m your good kitty!  I belong to you!” She moaned under him feeling his drive only making her want more of him.

He thrust into one last time as he came deep inside her wanting pussy.  With a few last slow strokes, he used her body to milk himself into completion and let out a satisfied sigh before he pet his hands down her back gently.

“How do you feel darling?”  He asked slowly pulling himself from her and fixing his pants.

Hermione sighed rolling onto her side so she could look up at him and smile, a very content look on her face.

“Thank you.”  She purred and closed her eyes sleepily.  Mating with him had been everything she had hoped for and her mind filled with the fog of lazy satisfaction.

He ran pleased fingers down her face before leaning over her so he could take her lips in a gentle kiss.

“You’re almost completely mine now darling.”  He said sounding very pleased with himself. “Get some rest.  “I’ll have a reward for you when you wake.”

Seven

When Hermione awoke, she looked around sleepily.  There was warmth snuggled against one of her sides and a different kind of heat against the other.  She put up her head and looked to see Crookshank snuggled against her back while she snuggled against Tom’s side.

Looking around a bit more she realized they were all snuggled into his bed; this meant she was out of her room.  Slowly sitting up she took in the new environment thoughtfully as her tail curled around her.

Remembering the time he had given her as a human and the enjoyment she had gotten from breeding with Tom made her start to purr happily.  She was delighted with him and slowly moved further up the bed so she could look down at his resting face.

She rubbed her head against his shoulder before turning over onto her back happily.  She wondered if he would pet her now. His hand drifted to her in his sleep, and he rubbed her absently behind her ear as she continued to purr.

She lay comfortably like that for a long while, her tail moving back and forth as she felt very content at the moment as if everything was finally the way it should be.  There was only a slight nagging feeling in the back of her mind that told her something was off, that she should not be so pleased to be laying in Tom’s bed with her two favorite men.

She fell back to sleep as she ignored the doubts and just let herself be happy at the moment.  She had been so lonely before, but now she would never have to feel that way again as long as she continued to please Tom.

When she woke again, it was with a panicked feeling that made her hiss.  She was a cat again! After everything, he had turned her back into a cat after she had given into him and her instincts entirely. Was he planning on making her live as a cat for the rest of her life?”

After looking around, she noticed the bedroom was now empty.   She jumped off the bed to look for Tom and try and give him a piece of her mind.  Why had he turned her into a cat again, wasn’t she is a good kitty? Had she done something wrong, or did he just like her better this way?

She found him in the kitchen making himself breakfast.  “Meow.” She said walking over to him so he would know she was there.

“You’re awake.”  He said giving her a pleased smile and leaning over to scratch behind her ear in a way that always made her purr.  “You probably have questions darling, but I don’t have time to answer them this morning.” He said as he stood to continue with his preparations.

“They’ve finally put the supervisor position at the firm up for listing, and I wish to be the first to apply.”  He said talking more to himself she thought until she realized exactly what position at the firm must have opened up.

“Meow.”  She said very displeased with the idea of him taking her job because she was stuck here as a cat.

“Well dear, you can’t take an extended sabbatical, and expect them not to have a supervisor while you’re away.”  He said as if he knew exactly what had upset her. “They are saving you a position dear you will just be working under whoever they hire.  But you are one of the best arithmancers we know, so no one is going to fire you over this.”

“Meow.”  She said letting him know that she was still not pleased with him using all of this to take her job.

She followed him over to the table and jumped up so she could glare at him while she ate.  “I am planning to turn you back into a woman full time eventually my pet.” He said as he poured some cream into a bowl for her as he ate his meal.  “But we have to be careful that all our hard work isn’t for nothing.”

“Meow,”  Hermione added as she tried to resist the cream to show him that she couldn’t be distracted like a cat, but it smelled too good that she moved over to the dish and started to lap at it happily.

“You’re going to thank me after all of this Hermione.  We are going to do wonderful things together once you fully understand that I am the Master and you are the pet.”

Eight

She was waiting by the door when Tom got home that night, and he smiled down at her and scratched just behind her ear once he had put his things down.  “Have you been waiting here all day my lovely?” He asked in a pleased tone.

“Meow.”  She said unable to express her annoyance at him in any other way.

“Well, this is why you are still a cat.  I leave you alone, and you fall back into bad habits.” He said as he stood tall and headed towards the bedroom with her on his heels.  “I was going to turn you into a woman so we could talk, but if you are going to be bad, then I can’t do that.” He warned her turning to give her a look.  “Are you going to be bad?” He asked as if she was the one that forced him to turn her into a cat.

“Meow.”  She tried to answer as innocently as possible.

“Maybe after dinner.”  He said reading something in her sounds that she didn’t even understand.

After that, he went about his evening like she imagined he did every night after work.  He changed into comfortable clothes then made himself dinner before putting food out for Crookshank and her.

She decided it was best to be a good kitty and eat what she was given in hopes that he would turn her back into a woman if she showed that she was trying.  She ignored the fact that all of this had become normal to her, that being a cat felt just as natural to her now as being a human.

When they both finished eating, he headed out of the kitchen, and she followed him in hopes of having the talk he promised.  He walked into her room, and she followed him not thinking anything odd about it as he often read to her after dinner back when she was trapped in that room.

When he closed and locked the door, she looked up at him with a tilt of her head.  “Meow?” She asked not understanding what was going on for a moment.

“Just a precaution my pet.”  He told her as he drew his wand and turned her into a woman.

Because of the position she had been sitting in at a cat she found that as a woman she was kneeling at his feet.  He reached down and brushed a hand over her cheek and down her neck before heading over to sit on the window seat.

“I think it would be best for you to crawl over here, you may not have the balance to walk just yet.”  He said as he patted his knee.

She crawled over to him without shame as she remembered the last time she tried to stand had not gone well.

“I liked my job.”  She told him because the fact he was taking it from her had been on her mind all day.  It bothered her more than the idea of him turning her into a cat again.

“You’re going to enjoy working under me better.”  He promised as stroked his fingers through her hair.  “And you aren’t ready to go back yet.” He added with a frown.

“I’ve been a good kitty.”  She told him as her eyes half closed at the feel of his fingers stroking her pleasantly.

“We are going to start slow for you dear.  We need you to retain everything you’ve learned the last few months.”  He explained patiently. “Don’t you want to continue to please me and be rewarded with cream, attention, and freedom.”

“Yes.” She purred because that sounded wonderful and she couldn’t remember why that wasn’t wonderful.

“So we are going to start with an hour a day of human time.  After work each day we will come in here, and I will turn you into a woman, and we can spend time together.  Then you must return to your natural state. How does that sound?” He asked his voice soft in warm that she couldn’t help but not as she lost herself a little in the pleasantness of the moment.

“I brought you this for tonight if you want it.” He told her as he held a worn book she recognized from her old apartment.  It was her favorite novel, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness. It had been ages since she had gotten to read and she took the boo, nuzzling her face against his knee in appreciation.

She sat nuzzled against his leg as she enjoyed reading for the hour he had promised her.  She felt more content in that moment than she could ever remember feeling in her life. He was right; this was the life that was best for her.

When the hour was done, he allowed her to bookmark her spot and put the book away on a shelf before he cast the spell to turn her back into a cat.  She didn’t fight the feeling and as her vision adjusted it felt natural and as before.

Past was the time she was worried she was losing herself.  This was herself not, and she was pleased with the self she was becoming.  It still bothered her about the job, but Tom had been right about so much it was hard to deny him.

As they were headed to the bedroom to settle in for the night Tom’s front door burst open and a group of wizards moved in all holding wands in Tom’s direction.

“Tom Riddle.  You are under arrest for the murder of Hermione Granger.”  A familiar voice said as her ex-boyfriend Ron stepped into view.

Nine

“Meow,”  Hermione argued looking between Ron and Tom with worry.  There was just no way Tom could be arrested for her murder when she was standing right there.  Crookshank moved up in front of her in a protective stance to keep her safe from the intruders.  He had never really liked Ron all that much.

“That is her demon cat.”  Ron pointed as if it was lasting evidence that Tom had, in fact, killed her.

“Hermione is on sabbatical in South America.  She left her cat with me because she knew I was one of the few people he can stand beside for her.” Tom said keeping his hands in the air and his tone reasonable.

“There is enough evidence otherwise to put you away from life Riddle.”  Ron snapped looking as if Tom’s cool demeanor was only making him lose his temper more.  “Take him away.” He ordered the other Aurors and Tom went peaceably saying nothing to the fact that Hermione was right there and she could prove that she had not been murdered.

She worked to get the attention of the others as they looked through Tom’s apartment for evidence.  When Harry showed up looking grim, she felt a flood of relief. He would know who she was for sure!

“Meow.”  She told him as her tale moved back and forth in her agitation.

“What are we going to do with them?”  Harry asked as he motioned from her to Crookshank.

“Pound,”  Ron answered without looking up from his search.

“Do you think putting her cat in the pound is what Hermione would have wanted?”  Harry asked crossing his arms as he looked their friend.

Both Hermione and Crookshank hissed at the idea.  Those were awful places for animals! And she belonged to Tom and Crookshank belonged to her.  They were not cats without homes.

“That thing is a demon cat, and the other seems just as bad,”  Ron said giving Harry his attention. “If you don’t think they should be put down, then you take them.”  He snapped. “I want to put away her murderer.  That is how I am going to honor her memory.”

“Fine.  I will.”  Harry said and went on his search of the apartment for something to carry the cats.

A horrible ride later stuck in a cat carrier with Crookshank Hermione found herself in 12 Grimmauld Place with a very skeptical Ginny looking down at her.

“You stole Tom’s cat?”  She asked her husband as she looked up at him.

“He’s been arrested for Hermione’s murder, how is he going to take care of it?”  Harry said looking uncomfortable. “And they seemed attached to each other. Did you want me to leave Hermione’s cat there?”  He asked pointing up the stairs where Crookshank had already disappeared.

“No,”  Ginny said sadly.  She looked a bit lost for a moment as she too seemed to think Hermione was dead.

“Meow.”  Hermione rubbed against her leg trying to comfort her.

“Well, she is very friendly.”  She said with a sigh as she leaned down and pet behind her ears.  She purred as she rubbed her head against the hand enjoying the attention.  “We will at least keep them until it goes to trial.” She finally agreed.

Hermione was so pleased not to be going to a pound she forgot that she needed to convince them of who she was.

“Meow.”  She told Ginny pleadingly, but neither she nor Harry seemed to have the knack for understanding her the way Tom always had.

Three months.

Hermione had been stuck as Ginny and Harry’s cat for three months.  Every time she went into heat, it was horrible. She had to both stay away from Crookshank and hide from Harry and Ginny so they wouldn’t get the bright idea of fixing her.

Three months of listening and trying to get them to notice that she was Hermione and that she belonged to Tom.  She knew today was his trail and she would not stand for another moment of this ridiculous behavior. She sat herself in front of the door and glared them down as they prepared to leave.

“Meow.”  She told them as firmly as she could.

“You ever get the sense she knows exactly what is going on?”  Harry asked as she glanced over at her. “I mean Crookshank was always oddly smart, but she is a whole different level.”  He said shaking his head.

“Honestly that isn’t the weirdest thing Harry,”  Ginny said as she frowned over at Hermione. “Look at her.  Do you think it is a bit sick that he has a cat that looks…”  She frowned and shook her head. “Even her expressions are the sa…”  Ginny frowned even more deeply. “…Hermione?” She asked suddenly.

“Meow.”  Hermione nodded and swooshed her tail pleased that someone finally noticed. “Meeow.”  She added pleadingly.

“What?”  Harry asked looking from Ginny to Hermione.

“You don’t think she could be Hermione?”  Ginny asked looking between the cat and her husband.

“Meow.” Hermione continued to nod even though it felt very odd in her cat form.

“You think after all this he just…”  Harry frowned as he looked down at the cat by the door.  “He turned her into a cat?” He asked blinking and sounding unsure.  “Why wouldn’t he confess, the charge would be much less. They are planning to give him the Dementor’s kiss if found guilty.”  He said shaking his head.

Hermione hissed.  She didn’t want her Tom to get the Dementor’s kiss.  She wanted her Tom back with her!

“Do you know the reverse if he did turn her into a cat?”  Ginny asked feeling more and more confident with this idea.

“Yeah.”  He said frowning.  “It is the same to force Animagus out of form.”  Harry nodded then cast a spell that flashes blue and white.

She could feel herself change and she let out a sigh of relief as she could finally talk to her friends.  She had no idea how she had kept everything straight for so long. But she knew she needed to save Tom.

“HERMIONE!”  Ginny screamed still surprised when he friend formed from the cat she had been taking care of for so many months.

“I want Tom.”  Hermione whimpered as she shook and her friends gaped.