Black Cat

A/N: Yes, I'm finally able to put this up. I've had most of it written out for awhile and hadn't been able to finish up this chapter in till tonight. Sorry about that, I've been so busy and every thing has been screwing up lately. It seems like as soon as we get some thing payed off or fixed around this house, some thing happens and we're having to pay off some thing or having to get some thing else fixed. My nightmare!!!

Anyways, I haven't gotten any where's good yet, but I'm leading up to it, as you'll see at the end of this chapter. And I know there are most likely mistakes made in this chapter and I looked over it and fixed several errors, but my eyes are tired now, so I hope it's at least satisfying.

Also, I'll be trying to update sooner by making myself a schedule. I'll be updating Black Cat on Monday's, but if I don't do it on that Monday, then the following Monday I'll have a new chapter up...hopefully. Thanks to everyone who's reading, especially to all my lovely reviewers.

Chapter 3: Molten Chocolate

Harry spent the last week of the holidays testing out the black cats abilities, all because Hermione seemed to deem him her new project. Surprisingly enough there were plenty things to go over. One of which was his hearing which was incredibly pronounced. Sitting in the Weasley's back yard he was able to decipher the difference between the whole families footsteps. Ron's was the most easy of all to make out. His best friend always seemed to have the loudest steps imaginable even though he was just about the most laid back of the bunch.

Then there was his sense of smell which was usually the best or worst aspect of his new abilities. His favorite thing about it was when Mrs. Weasley began preparing food and the whole house seemed to be filled with the enticing smell of sizzling meats and seasonings. Yet, the downside was when your closed off in a room and your best friend decides to let one loose, so to speak. Poor Harry thought he was going to die by the sheer oder that crowded the room.

His taste buds also enhanced the taste of breakfast, lunch, and dinner were amazing. He consumed more now then he used to, which pleased Mrs. Weasley to no end. She was just so willing to feed him more then the rest of the crew at the table. Harry adored the taste of meat, but the disturbing thing is that he also delighted in the taste of raw meats. A couple days before he went in to the kitchen hoping to ask Mrs.Weasley if she'd be willing to make him a snack, when he found the room empty of her presence. He was so hungry that he reached in to the cooler and grabbed the salmon that Mrs.Weasley had thawing out. He shamelessly began shredding through one of the fish his fangs delighting in the feel of tearing flesh.

To say the least he was told off for what he done, more so for the fact that Harry ate everyones share of dinner which lead him to a lot of guilt. But, everyone seemed much more supportive with Harry's new transformation, most seemed to just look past it now, which Harry was most grateful.

Another of his new traits was the incredible night vision he developed. Some times at night he just walked around in the dark and humored himself by pretending he was some spy on a mission sent out by the Queen herself, but eventually it got old and he got much tired none the less. That happened to be another thing that got to be a little to much. At night he was just so wide awake and the most strangest of urges seemed to pass through him. One of which was to go outside and roam the forest behind the Weasley's garden, but he was smart enough not to allow that urge to control him. Then when day comes all he desired was to curl up where ever his body was willing and cat nap. Some times you could find him curled up in the most bizarre places. Once, Fleur found him in hers and Bill's closet sleeping on a pile of Bill's dirty shirts. Strange enough Harry hadn't a clue how he got there, not to mention the strain in his pants was increasingly painful.

Harry, turned to Hermione as she wrote some thing new down in her little 'Harry Journal' she kept all her Harry watching information in it which annoyed him to no end. He felt almost like some science project that's being constantly studied by Dr. Granger. "What is it this time 'Mione?"

"Oh, nothing just jotting down some last minute comments."

Rolling out of bed, Harry decided to take his Quidditch robes down to be washed. On the landing he bumped into Ginny, who gave him a small smile as she warned him of the intense atmosphere he was walking into.

Sure enough, when he entered the kitchen it was to find Fleur sitting at the table, in full flow about plans for her wedding to Bill, while Mrs. Weasley kept watch over a pile of self-peeling sprouts, looking bad-tempered.

"Ah, Harry!" said Mrs.Weasley loudly, cutting across Fleur's monologue. "Good, I wanted to explain about the security arrangements for the journey to Hogwarts tomorrow. We've got Ministry cars again, and there will be Aurors waiting at the station ---" And so she went and Harry listened to the prepared plan to get him to Hogwarts without insident, as well as no one catching a glance of his new appendages.

***

The trip to King's Cross station went much smoother the following morning. They were greeted by two grim-faced, bearded Aurors in dark muggle suits the moment the Ministry cars stopped. Flanking the small group, they marched them into the station without a single word.

Harry seat some what uncomfortably in the compartment with his two school mates Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. Not that the two weren't good company, but the fact that his ears were tucked hidden under an worn old cap and he could barely make out most of Neville's mumbles and Luna's soft words, was a little unnerving. Not to mention, the fear of the two taking notices of his other noticeable features disturbed him terribly.

He sure wished Ron and Hermione were with him, yet the two were prefects and had to patrol the train. Ginny was no help either as she had her own friends and boyfriend to accompany her. Lying back in to the seat Harry decided to tune out the two who seemed to enjoy each others conversation a lot more then his silence.

They already had an incident with some girl named Romilda Vane, who clearly just wanted to be around Harry, just for his fame. Sighing, Harry was ready to curl up and take a good cat nap when the door opened and Ron and Hermione entered the compartment at last. Ron instantly began complaining of food and Harry couldn't help but agree,his own stomach answering the group with it's own groan of hunger. A round of giggles hit the room as Harry himself blushed madly, "I guess I agree with you, Ron."

"Hey guess what? Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

Harry sat up straight, interested. It was not like Malfoy to pass up the chance to demonstrate his power of prefect, which he had happily abused all the previous year.

After the short conversation on why Malfoy wasn't being Malfoy, the group was interrupted by a breathless third-year girl. She handed over two scrolls to both Neville and Harry, both were perplexed as they took away the girls burden before she stumbled out the compartment.

In his hand lied what seemed to be an invitation from Slughorn for lunch in compartment C. Both agreed to go, after all the man is their Professor.

***

The meeting with Slughorn seemed to consume the entire evening with the mans boring conversation, it was nearing dark when the group was aloud to leave. Harry and Neville, along with Ginny were relieved as the step out of the compartment.

With a shove from behind, Harry was bumped in to Ginny. Blaise Zabini, moved his way down the hall, not before leaving with a leer thrown Harry's way. Harry glared in turn, but couldn't figure out why the boys molten chocolate eyes seemed to leave a shiver in their wake.

Rubbing his left arm to calm himself, Harry turned to his friends jumping back in to the short conversation, "Hey, I'll see you guys later. I think I need to walk for a bit."

Ginny just gave him a warm knowing look before dragging a bumbling Neville back with her.

Harry's feet seemed to carry on their own, with out his mind showing him the path. Strangely enough his feet seemed to be following Zabini, who also took notice of the boys stalking.

"Why are you following me, Potter?" The boys eyes narrowed with a frightening light hidden in their depths.

Harry looked away, "I'm not following. I'm walking. You just happen to be in the same direction."

"Right." Turning away, the dark boy begin walking further down, Harry following behind him.

Finally, Zabini came to a halt and entered his compartment with a smirk on his face and his eyes not leaving Harry's. Closing the door behind him, Harry seemed to fall out of the daze he had been under. Shaking his head from side to side to clear his mind from the stupidity he was under, he turned around prepared to head back towards his friends, but the sliding of a glass panel door had him slowing in his step.

"You could come in if you wanted to, Potter. I promise you, we want bite...hard." A females laughter rang from the compartment, with a couple of male gruffs in her wake.

"I may be a lot of things, but I'm not an idiot. The moment I step in there, there is no telling what you'd do to me." He made to leave again but a firm hand closed around his upper right arm. The taller boy seemed to hover over Harry, but instead of being alert and ready to fight. Harry's whole body seemed to relax in the other boys grip. Looking up towards the boy he saw the amusement and that strange glint from before in those eyes. "Come inside with me, Harry."

Unable to form a coherent thought he allowed himself to be pulled in to the compartment of snakes.