Crookshanks padded through the castle. He was wondering if he should try to find Mrs. Norris first, or check out the entry hall. The problem with finding his own body was that he couldn't actually go into Gryffindor Tower. Mrs. Norris wouldn't have any reason to go in there, and would therefore not be able to enter. She knew the castle better then anyone, but she wouldn't know the Common Rooms and Dormitories. Crookshanks had taken the time to learn a little bit about the castle, but most of the time, he just stayed curled up in the Tower. Lately, when things has started to feel more sinister, he had taken more time to move about the castle and grounds.
He headed for the front doors, since he decided it wouldn't do to put too much focus on Gryffindor Tower. Without his own body, nothing was feeling right. Usually he would get some sort of feeling with every person he passed. It could be enough to overwhelm Mrs. Norris. Crookshanks felt like the work was a little dull without those feelings. He had never known what it was like to be a normal cat. From now on, that wouldn't be a problem. He noticed lots of nasty looks from every one of the people he passed. He realized he would really have to keep on his guard. Mrs. Norris was clearly not liked at all. It would be weird having to run from the first years that usually fed him. Now they were trying to jinx him or kick him. One spell just missed him as he rounded a corner. He wasn't sure if it was aimed at him, or one of the other students in the hall. If they had kept that up, he might have to run for the Caretaker himself. He knew he would have to stay consistent with what the real Mrs. Norris would do, at least to some extent.
Entering the front hall was different from this much smaller perspective. He could see lots of spaces he would normally ignore, that at this moment would be perfect for hiding in. He headed for one near where he had seen the Rat. He needed to wait for classes to begin, or he would get no chance to fully explore the front hall. Things slowly cleared, and then the bell rang. Crookshanks came out of hiding. He slowly crept across the floor. He was looking for anything that might explain what had happened. He was also looking for any spot that the Rat could have hidden. There was a chink by the door where the Rat might have been able to get in or maybe even out.. Crookshanks knew that it was new. Peeves had thrown a fit one day last week, and it ended with him throwing a heavy light fixture at Filch. No one must have seen the chink, or it would have been fixed. It was behind a big heavy table that must have been moved there for blocking the door. Lots of things had been moved to help in the protection of the castle, in case the normal spells were broken down. The school was much emptier, but there were still plenty of students around. Crookshanks settled down by the chink to study it. There were Rat hairs stuck in the upper side of it. Sniffing around, him was sure that it was how the Rat had gotten in, or out. He decided to sniff around the hall to see if he could find any other traces of the Rat. As he came to the side closest to the Slytherin Common room, Blackie came out of the shadows.
"So, what is Miss nosy doing stalking around the hall? I heard that you had a nice hit with a spell the other day," sneered the black cat.
"Mind your own business. You have no idea what happened the other day, and things have changed more then you think," growled the normally ginger cat sitting on his haunches.
"What is with the hostility? You know I'm just teasing you. Have you seen that half breed walking around today? It seems he is jumping at his own shadow. Every time anyone or any creature gets near him, he jumps sky high! He must have gotten hit harder on the head then you did. Too bad it didn't finish him," laughed the black cat mean spiritly.
"Where did you see him? I really need to talk to him," started Crookshanks.
"Since when did you want to talk to the likes of him? What could you possibly need that information for? As for that, what is in it for me?" snarled the black cat.
"I need to talk to him about what happened. It proved that we aren't safe even here! There was a dark creature here that will try to do something else, if we don't stop him," coaxed Crookshanks.
"Now you’re starting to sound just like that crazy half-breed! You know he is just talking nonsense. What is going on is between some of the Masters. It has nothing to do with us cats!" laughed Blackie.
"There will come a day when you will wish you had listened. It doesn't matter if he is full blood or not. It matters what is really going on and what could get even your Mistress killed! Maybe he does know something that you don't. It doesn't hurt to hear him out," answered Crookshanks.
"You really must have knocked your head. You sound like him, and not yourself. Normally all you worry about what is going on to upset your Master and nothing else. You are getting involved in things you don't want to know. He will get himself hurt or killed, and you will be next," exclaimed Blackie.
The little dirt colored cat advanced on the midsized black cat with his ears back and hair raised. He was very angry, and would have attached had he been in his own body. "What do you know? What is going on? If it involves this castle, then it involves me!" threatened Crookshanks.
"What are you talking about? You really are mad! I could kill you in one swipe, you little wimp. Just take my advice and stay to the side. I don't know what exactly is going on, but I know something is afoot. My Mistress doesn't seem to agree with many of the others. The two big males seem to think something big is about to happen. That is all I know. I'm going back to my pillow. Have a good day!" laughed Blackie haughtily as he stalked away.
As Crookshanks turned around, he saw himself. Mrs. Norris was crouched in a space almost too small for her. Crookshanks slowly walked across the floor and sat down right in front of her.
"Did you hear all that? What a bunch of crap. It means we have to figure out how to get things fixed real quick and try to warn my Hermione and your Master," said Crookshanks.
He then noticed how bad his body was shaking. "What's wrong?" he asked Mrs. Norris.
"How do you do it? All these different feelings going through your bones. I can barely tell which way is what! I can't take this. I need to get back to my Master! I need to get back to feeling normal! I can't identify half of what I'm feeling. Master! Where is Master???" Mrs. Norris cried.
"Calm down! Come on. We need to get to a quieter part of the castle. Everyone will be in the halls again soon. Do you know a good spot where we can talk, and people won't be coming by?" asked Crookshanks soothingly.
"I think I know a good place. I've only seen Master there," sobbed the shaking ginger cat.
Crookshanks followed Mrs. Norris. He needed to find a way to calm her down. They would just have to stay in secluded parts of the castle, and slowly work her out into the more populated spots. He didn't think of how different it would be for her.
She came to a stop in a small corridor that Crookshanks had never noticed before. He looked around in curiosity. "Wow! I would have never found this spot. Where does it lead," he asked.
"It goes to a room that shows up when needed. What are we going to do? I don't know what to do," sobbed the now less shaky Mrs. Norris.
"The first thing is for you to calm down. I have no idea how we are going to get back to ourselves. We will have to find a way to let one of the Masters know what happened. I don't know of any that can speak cat, though. Until then, you will have to try to act the way I do. Otherwise, you will get my Witch in trouble. The males that stay around her have come to know my signals of what is ok. If you don't act like she is ok, they might not trust her," advised Crookshanks.
"I need to get back to Master! I don't want to be you! Why did this happen? I need to get back to Master," whined Mrs. Norris.
"I don't know how to do that! We will have to work together to figure out what is happening. I will get you back to your Master! I need you to look after my Witch in the meantime. I need to know she is ok. Do you know of any of the Masters that can talk to cats," questioned Crookshanks.
"No. I wish I could come up with something, but I can't. I will help you as I can, but I need to stay away from people for a while, or I'll go mad," sniffed Mrs. Norris.
All of a sudden she got a very severe chill in her bones. She gasped in surprise. Something very evil was nearby. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.
