𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆, regulus black

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟒: 𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The group of Slytherin sixth years were walking from Hogsmeade station to the clearing path through The Forbidden Forest to get to the carriages that took them to Hogwarts. 

Rune stopped abruptly and Evan clicked his tongue at her. 

"You're causing a traffic jam!" 

He nudged her out of the way as he continued along the path behind Rabastan and Barty. 

"Did you hear that?" asked Rune, turning and looking into the forest. 

"What?" asked Regulus. 

"That. There was a cry for help." 

Regulus strained his ears to listen, but he shook his head, "I can't hear anything." 

Rune gasped. "There it is again!" 

He sighed and tried to make her walk forward. "Hearing cries from The Forbidden Forest is a sign of insanity. Ask No-Eared Naomi." 

"Who's No-Eared Naomi?" 

"She's a ghost who lives in the prefect's bathroom. When she was a student here, she kept hearing cries from The Forbidden Forest. The day she went in to investigate what it was the day she walked out with no ears. She's never heard again." 

"You're just trying to scare me," accused Rune. 

"Come with me to the prefect's bathroom and I'll show her to you." 

Rune rolled her eyes and took a step forward but then she heard the cry again and before Regulus could stop her, she turned and sprinted towards the sound. 

"Westwood!" called Regulus, but she trudged forward along until the cries got louder and louder.

Finally, she stopped in front of a 3ft deep hole and looked down to find a kitten stuck inside. 

Immediately, the kitten began to hiss at her and something inside Rune made her want to hiss back. 

Serpents and cats were natural enemies, but that was only a part of her. 

The part of her that had full control over her thoughts had her bending down holding her hands up. 

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to save you."

The kitten hissed again, and Rune heard the footsteps behind her before Regulus spoke and said, "Maybe if you meow or hiss back, it'll understand you." 

"It's just a kitten and it looks like it's injured." She turned to him. "Help me get it out." 

"What must I do?" 

She held out her wand. "I'll levitate it and you grab it, okay." 

Rune was about to recite the spell when she turned to Regulus and said, "Take off your blazer." 

"Why?" he frowned. 

"Kitten looks cold. You're a boy, you give your blazer." 

She thought he would have argued with her about it, but without a word, he shrugged the blazer of and handed it to her. 

Rune bent down at the side of the hole. "Okay kitty, let's get you out of there."

As soon as pointed her wand at the kitten, it began to writhe and hiss and bare its teeth at her as it mewled loudly. 

Still, she said "Wingardium Leviosa", and the kitten began to float upwards until finally, Regulus reached out and took it in his arms. 

"Oh, I think its leg is broken," he said, "And it's definitely shivering."