#Kneazle | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aesopsharpmybeloved · 3 months

Text

Tess' Sharpuary - 6. Kneazle

Aesop meets a small, fluffly stranger. Where could its parents be, though?

chapter specific tags: slice of life, fluff, aesop sharp being a cat dad

relationships: aesop sharp & reader

6. Kneazle (2.7k)

tw: none

It was one of those days that are simply good.

Aesop began his day feeling well rested - something he had to pat his back for, since he actually made himself go to bed early the previous day - the cool morning air felt fresh and rejuvenating on his heated body instead of causing a chill, and his leg was obviously having a good day as well, as his morning dose of Wiggenweld left him with only mild discomfort instead of the usual annoying dull pain. He attended breakfast feeling carefully optimistic, his eggs with soldiers perfectly warm and filling, his tea brewed just right. He had a pleasant chat with Dinah, and was happy to find the politicians over at the Ministry were, for once, not wreaking havoc upon the wizarding community, when his friend passed the Daily Prophet over to him.

Even his classes went well that day. The students were focused and attentive, nobody blew up their cauldron, and even the worst brewed potion would probably get no worse than an A from him. Mr Weasley kept his mind on the task at hand, and didn’t attempt any of his usual shenanigans, and the Now-Not-So-New Sixth-year Ravenclaw frankly impressed him with her Draught of the Living Death. Seeing her turn her head and beam at him when he praised her work was the highlight of his already great day.

The potions master felt so well, he actually decided to use the time he had after his last class before dinner to take a leisurely stroll over Hogwarts grounds.

The sun was setting quickly, the last bits of departing winter making themselves known, but Aesop was feeling rather content. He had the mind to apply a heating charm to his clothes, so not even the cool air blowing gently in his face and through his hair were able to make him feel cold.

Then, however, and it was only because the wind stopped blowing for a few seconds, he heard an unexpected sound. Aesop didn’t know what it was, the sound having been so quiet, but his ears instantly perked up and he stopped in his tracks. He waited for several seconds, straining his ears, and sure enough, there it was again. It was coming from the bushes somewhere to his left, and he slowly began walking in the direction. The sound would repeat every now and then, becoming louder and louder, until he could properly identify it.

It was a kitten’s meow.

Normally, that’d be hardly out of the ordinary. After all, there were dozens of cats roaming the castle, both inside and outside, and there was the occasional litter of kittens, but it was most unusual for kittens this little to be all by themselves, out in the cold no less. At least, Aesop presumed it was a little one, judging only by the pitch of the cry. Poor dear, Aesop thought as he continued walking towards the source of the small meowing.

Aesop liked cats, and the only reason he didn’t keep one himself was the fact that he could hardly have it in his always dutifully locked rooms, unable to run around as it pleased. Not to mention the fact that he’d be worried about it accidentally breaking some potion or, Merlin forbid, poison and getting hurt as a result. So instead he made friends with some of the Hogwarts felines, gladly petting them and doting on them when nobody saw, and he didn’t even mind having to cast the scouring charm on himself to get rid of the cat hair whenever one of the little creatures rubbed against his legs, or when he actually picked one of them up.

Finally he reached the shrubs where the sound seemed to be originating from. The meowing was clearly audible here, but he couldn’t see through the thick greenery. Deciding to test his leg a bit, he crouched down, and was glad not to find himself in immediate pain. He put his dominant hand in front of himself and flexed his fingers.

“Here, kitty kitty… pspspsps…” he whispered, keeping his voice soft.

The meowing got louder, and he could hear some shuffling noises from the shrubs. Suddenly, a small but very fluffy head appeared at the bottom of it. The creature had large ears which were even fluffier at the top, bright yellow eyes, and a dark nose, and it mewed loudly at him, but it was immediately obvious that it wasn’t a cat.

“A Kneazle?” Aesop wondered out loud, his voice making the tiny creature startle. He cringed slightly, lowering his voice again.

“Sorry, sorry… Come here, I’m not going to hurt you.”

The kitten approached him very slowly and sniffed at his fingers warily. It must’ve decided the potions master posed no danger to it, as seconds later it rubbed its cheek against his index and middle finger. “There you go…” Aesop praised softly. Was this one of Bai’s Kneazles? How did the poor thing get all the way out here? In any case, he couldn’t just leave it here, the nights were still cold, and he frankly couldn’t imagine leaving the defenceless kitten by itself like that.

“Will you let me pick you up, hm?” he asked and slowly moved to scoop the Kneazle into his hands, something it didn’t seem to mind too horribly. He brought it close to his face to properly look at it, and the kitten seemed to do the same with him. It craned its neck to look and sniff at everything. Aesop couldn’t help but chuckle when a tiny paw made contact with his face. Then, however, it seemed the little creature became particularly interested in his sleeves, and actually tried to crawl down one, prompting him to chuckle again.

Ah! He realised suddenly. The heating charm. “You must be cold…” Aesop wondered where he should place the Kneazle for transport to keep it warm. When he slowly lowered it to his coat pocket, its inside already enlarged by charm, he was quite surprised that it not only didn’t seem to mind, but actually climbed straight in, making itself right at home. It peeked out of his pocket, happy to be able to look around while enveloped in the warmth. The potions master thought he could hear quiet purring. He shook his head - the little beast was quite bold for being so small.

Nevertheless, he made his way over to the beast enclosures and Bai’s hut. He didn’t even have to knock on her door to know the teacher wasn’t currently present, as it was dark on the inside, and there was no answer when he called her name out. Oh well.

He knew where he was going when he made his way over to where the Kneazles were kept. During the winter, many of the beasts were kept within the battlements during the nights, despite the fact that they’d be perfectly alright outside. Aesop entered their hutch, and instantly felt even warmer. The kitten hid further inside his pocket.

“Hm? What gives? Don’t you want your mummy?” he asked. He gently pulled it out of his pocket, but found that the kitten was resisting. Nevertheless, he managed to put it down on the hay-lined ground. A few of the Kneazles seemed interested in the young one, and approached warily. The large cat-like beasts sniffed the air, their heads turning to Aesop’s and the kitten's direction.

Two females came closer to sniff at the shivering kitten, its fur standing on end. To Aesop’s surprise, the two adults then simply turned and walked away from the kitten. Another one came closer, but it didn’t even take the time to take the kitten’s scent, and instead immediately hissed and growled, prompting further panic. Aesop was quick enough to pick it up once more, right before the large Kneazle’s paw connected with it in a clearly aggressive strike.

It was at this point that Aesop finally realised something - there were no other kittens around. It wasn’t unheard of for Kneazles to have a litter of one, but it was most unusual for a clowder of Kneazles consisting of several females to only have a single lone kitten. This wasn’t a Hogwarts Kneazle, Aesop realised, putting it back in his pocket and swiftly making his way out of there, as it seemed the grown female wasn’t exactly keen on sharing her space with the little stranger any longer.

If it wasn’t one of the Hogwarts Kneazles… then how in Merlin’s name did it get here? Of course, Aesop knew that there were clowders of Kneazles littered all throughout the Highlands, but he also recalled professor Howin saying that none of them is particularly close to the school. Definitely not close enough for a kitten this small to make it all the way here from over there. Was there a new clowder close to the school? Or… Aesop knew the answer. Poachers. While most of them had disappeared during the previous year, some were still there, and they were often bold. It wouldn’t be the first time one such group grew as bold as to operate this close to the castle.

And if that truly was the case… then this little one had nobody to take care of it… Blast it. He didn’t even consider finding Bai and just giving the Kneazle to her at this point, seeing the others’ reaction to the small one, but then what else was he to do? Bring it over to Brood and Peck? Surely Ellie could take care of it…

And then it hit him.

The Room of Requirement! The Sixth-year Ravenclaw told him she kept a few Kneazles in one of her vivariums; perhaps she could take care of this one too!

“Are you alright there?” he asked, looking at his side. The kitten was once more peeking out of his pocket, but it seemed slightly more wary than it was before. He reached a finger towards it to scratch it under its neck, prompting it to purr and lean into the touch slightly.

Aesop took a deep breath in preparation for the long climb up to the Astronomy tower and set off.

The little beast was very very lucky his leg was behaving today, else he’d probably do something unwise, such as send it to the Ravenclaw by owl. He cringed inwardly - he could hardly imagine that turning out well. Luckily, his ascend wasn’t too horrible, and he soon saw the door leading to the hidden room materialise out of nowhere. He normally wouldn’t go into the room without the young woman, seeing it as a breach into her privacy, but he supposed this was a special situation.

Still, as he entered the now increasingly familiar room, he called out for her. There was no answer. It seemed Deek wasn’t here either, most likely busy aiding the other house elves in preparing the dinner. He stepped further into the room, and was once again enveloped in its comfort. It was grand and spacious, but it felt cosy and comfortable, and he thought it wouldn’t be exactly a punishment to curl up on one of the sofas with a good book and ignore reality for a while.

The potions master shook his head to banish the thought for now. “Now, where does she keep the Kneazles, little one?” he asked mostly to himself, but it seemed the kitten sensed it was being addressed, and squeaked in answer. Let’s see - the one in front had Unicorns, Fwoopers, Puffskeins… no. The one on the right? Hippogriffs, Diricawls and… Aesop winced. He very much hoped the Kneazles weren’t in the same vivarium as the graphorns… The one on the left? No, no… Aesop made his way up the stairs, and then to the last vivarium.

A wave of energy coursed through his body as he entered, the air shifting and changing, he felt the sudden warmth of magical sunlight and wind blowing gently through his hair.

His lungs filled with the fresh mountain air. The first thing he saw was the fiery plumage of a majestic Phoenix soaring up in the sky, cutting through it like pure flame. And then - then he heard the sounds of creatures. He was easily able to identify the squeaking and sniffing sounds produced by Nifflers, and was quick to spot them on the far right. His eyes scanned the area, and just as he was about to turn back and explore the other vivariums (keeping the coastal one for last, obviously), he saw it.

A large, fluffy head was staring at him from one of the windows of the ruined building to his right.The professor began his approach slowly, his hand unconsciously coming to stroke at the kitten’s fur again. He entered the ruins and saw them. A small family of Kneazles; two grown ones and two kittens. It was obvious the kitten in his pocket didn't belong with them, its colour and pattern was entirely different from both parents. Speaking of the parents, they were watching him with mild suspicion, but neither of them seemed too defensive. He approached slowly, and once again pulled the small Kneazle out of his pocket, placing it on the ground. He kept more of a distance now, and was ready to pick it up if necessity called for it, but stood his ground, even as the kitten got frightened once more.

The female Kneazle got up from her litter and approached the stranger curiously. Like the Hogwarts Kneazles, she sniffed at it slowly, and then began turning away. Aesop’s shoulders slumped in disappointment and frustration. However, then instead of walking away from the kitten, the female gave a meow. The male, large and robust, slowly walked closer and imitated his mate, taking in the newcomer’s scent. The kitten itself seemed ever so slightly less frightened now, but was still looking at the two large beasts warily.

And then Aesop’s lips spread into a wide grin when both adult Kneazles began cleaning the little one with their tongues. He gave a big sigh of relief and happily watched the mother grab her newly adopted child by the scruff in order to bring it over to her own two squeaking offspring, the father following close behind.

“She was supposed to have three,” sounded next to him and Aesop jumped visibly. He turned around, wand drawn, accidentally startling the Kneazles behind him as well. “Sorry, sorry!” said the Sixth-year Ravenclaw, lifting her hands in front of herself in defence “M-Miss (L/N)!” was all Aesop managed to get out. They stood like this for several seconds, but then Aesop realised he was still pointing his wand directly at the poor girl.

“Uh,” he said eloquently, “I’m sorry, I-...” He put his wand away, feeling terribly awkward about having been caught unprepared like so, “sorry to have come here without your knowledge. And for pointing my wand at you, you… surprised me.”

“It’s alright,” she said, a smile beginning on her face, “both of it. I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have creeped up on you like I did. As for being here, well, you can come here anytime you like, it’s not like I’ve got something secret here.” The potions master chuckled.

“Apart from a few very dangerous beasts, you mean?” he asked with a wry smile. She merely shrugged her shoulders: “Professor Weasley knows about them, so they’re not exactly secret.”

The two of them turned towards the newly expanded family of Kneazles. “What do you mean she was supposed to have three?” asked Aesop then and sadness flashed in the girl’s eyes visibly: “What I said. She gave birth to three kittens, but… well, one of them didn’t make it. I had to bury it, outside of the castle, and she… Well, she’s been an amazing mother, but I could see that she was still sad. They’re very clever and sensitive creatures, Kneazles, with a full scale of emotions… People don’t give them enough credit. Look at her now!”

And indeed, the female Kneazle had all three kittens nursing on her, her head resting on the ground, her eyes blinking happily. The male was keeping watch it seemed, protecting his mate and their children. “Where did you get the little one?” asked the Ravenclaw, looking at her teacher curiously, but before he could answer, she spoke up again: “Would you mind telling me over tea?”

Aesop couldn’t help but grin back at her: “No, not at all.”

---

Thank you for reading! You can also check out the entirety of Sharpuary on my AO3 ❤

[AO3] - [Sharpuary 2024] - [Masterlist]

#sharpuary #sharpuary 2024 #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #hogwarts legacy fanart #fanarz #digital art #artists on tumblr #aesop sharp #professor sharp #mc reader #aesop sharp and reader #kneazle

45 notes · View notes