Why am I not surprised.

A/N just a funny nothing to help me cheer up between writing tears and grief..:-) I hope you like it.

It was one of those nights. Ever since she mastered the art of turning herself into a cat, she had experienced it every once in a while. She needed to run. She wanted to hunt. She wanted to chase mice, catch them and play with them in the cruel way all cats do. She wanted to roam the corridors and fight intruders. She wanted to feel free. Free from having to be stern and sensible, prim and proper, decent and dignified. She had expected the urge to dwindle down with age, but the opposite was true. Every year the itch became stronger. Her hair greyed and her knees cracked alarmingly at times, she wasn't as flexible in her joints as she used to be, but her feline body wasn't hindered by impediments caused by age. She had wondered about what they said about cats having nine lives.

And tonight was one of those nights. It had been a week beyond nightmarish; students failing in her classes, failing spectacularly in Potions class, which had made even sweet, patient Poppy rant about their stupidity, meetings even more dull as usual and the Weasley twins in full force. Although she had to admit to herself assisting Dolores Umbridge in clearing her classroom of two hundred white and blue canaries, all whistling Scotland the Brave at full force, had been fun. She suspected the twins to have invented this especially for her.

But Minerva McGonagall, the stern Deputy Head Mistress, first checked the staff schedule before indulging herself. Very well. It was a late Friday evening, Pomona and Filius were scheduled in for emergencies, students were supposed to be in bed. She smiled happily.

Minutes later a small tabby cat hunted Hogwarts less visited cellars and dungeons. The castle housed many cats, to control the mice and rats that were always eager to visit old buildings, so one more never had drawn attention. She knew to avoid any places and corridors were she might collide with staff or, Merlin forbid, wayward students and she set out to have fun.

The tabby ran and ran, stairs up and down, chased mice, caught them and released them afterwards, she knew from experience eating them didn't go well with her human form. The fur and little feet proved to be hard to digest.

Crookshanks made an appearance like she knew he would, he always seemed to know when she was running free. Like her, he wasn't supposed to behave in any cattish way and enjoyed it immensely when he had the chance. He threw her a toy; one of Miss Granger's hairclips. She ran after it, catching it just before it hit the wall, and managed to throw it back at him. He jumped the clip with all paws, threw it in the air and then bounced it back. They ran around and played as cats for a good quarter of an hour, then the tabby rolled on her back and stretched.

Tired?

No, just like to stretch.

It was fun, Minerva.

It was, thank you.

He took his time stretching himself and walked away. Miss Granger's hairclip was left in a corner. The tabby yawned for new energy and set out to the dungeons. She happily ran up and down the stairs near the potions classroom when she heard a hiss that made her freeze in her steps.

Mrs Norris, no doubt.

She and Crookshanks were the only ones who knew her other form, and while Crookshanks was a jolly companion, Mrs Norris was just a menace. Pestering her whenever she appeared as tabby, and being foul and scratching her in her human form.

There you are puss pussy.

Go away.

Ha! You have to make me.

She should know better, really, she should, but she ran and attacked the other cat, who just jumped aside and a slippery goo on the floor made her collide with the wall.

Ha ha Minerva!

Mrs Norris hissed and walked away.

The tabby had hurt her shoulder and elbow. She scrambled to her paws and slipped away in the goo. She bent down to wash her paws and licked the slippery stuff away. Right, now she was able to stand. She ran back to her rooms….

Only to discover she was unable to change back in her human form.

The usual spells didn't work. The spells for extraordinary circumstances didn't work. Finite Incantatum didn't work.

TBC….. if you wish? Let me know, love george