A/N: Sorry for updating late I couldn't get signal,I'm on a train lol, send power stones ladies and gents
"Misty wha-"
Jarvey's words were lost as I felt my body dissolve into mist, rushing through the air like morning fog across a lake. For a heartbeat, I existed as nothing more than vapor, formless and free, before materializing inside the library.
The sensation was entirely different from apparition - where that felt like being squeezed through a tube, this was more like becoming one with the air itself, so yeah both were really dizzying for some reason.
Jarvey dug his claws into my shoulder as we reformed, his fur bristling. We were in the library, it was much, much smaller than the one at Hogwarts and it was filled with muggle stuff so most was pretty uninteresting to me.
"Okay, how did you do that you bastard," Jarvey whispered, his claws still firmly embedded in my shoulder.
"I don't know it just came out, I was trying to apparate and here we are. Now be quiet." I whispered back, pressing myself against a shelf as footsteps approached. My heart hammered in my chest as I peered around the corner, wondering if I'd need to cast another spell - though probably not "I Cast Endometriosis" this time.
A librarian walked past, her sensible shoes clicking against the wooden floor. I held my breath, willing myself to become as still as the books surrounding us. Her perfume wafted past - something floral and old-fashioned that reminded me of pressed flowers - but she didn't glance in our direction. Once she disappeared around a corner, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Shit now how do I move, without getting spotted," I muttered to myself, scanning the library. Tall windows let in streams of winter sunlight, creating patches of brightness that would make sneaking more difficult.
"I really should have learnt illusion magic or the disillusionment charm, wait no the better question is why the hell did I try to apparate into the school, am I fucking stupid."
Jarvey opened his mouth to respond, probably with something colorful, but I answered my own question first. "Yes Felix yes you are."
I quickly looked back outside the window and began.
"I Cast Misty Step."
I was back outside once more, the winter air biting at my face after the warmth of the library. I looked at my watch. 14:15.
"Ok it isn't long until she gets out of school."
"So what we're just going to stay in here until she gets out," Jarvey asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"I guess so."
I settled against the brick wall of a nearby building, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible while waiting. The rough brick caught at my jacket as I leaned back. Jarvey shifted on my shoulder, his claws digging in slightly as he adjusted his position, making himself comfortable for what was clearly going to be a long wait.
"Tell me about this Louise girl," he said, his usual acerbic tone softening slightly. "Must be something special if you're willing to wait around like a lost puppy."
I absently scratched behind his ears, earning a grudging purr that he would probably deny making later. "She was my first real friend," I explained, my memory flipping through pages of shared moments. "Before Hogwarts, before magic, before everything really. She stuck by me even when weird things started happening around me."
"Weird things like what?"
"Oh, you know, the usual accidental magic stuff, plus some which were not so accidental. Books floating off shelves when I was trying to reach them, windows shattering when I got angry, that sort of thing." I paused, remembering those early days, how she'd laugh it off or help clean up without question. "She never ran away, never called me a freak. She just... accepted it. Accepted me. Even when other kids started avoiding me because strange things happened around me, she stayed."
Jarvey was quiet for a moment, which might have been a first since I'd met him. His tail twitched thoughtfully against my neck. "So we're actually waiting," he finally said, breaking the unusual silence.
"Yep pretty much," I admitted, shifting against the wall to find a more comfortable position. I looked around for a second before thinking. "Where did I put the hot chocolate?"
"The hot chocolate?"
"Yeah."
"You left it in the bus, you absolute dimwit."
"Oh, I completely forgot," I said. Though I couldn't really forget anything anymore I just hadn't flipped to it. The memory was there, filed away like everything else, I just hadn't bothered to access it.
We fell into a comfortable silence after that, watching the comings and goings of the school. Jarvey occasionally provided colorful commentary about passersby, which I had to shush more than once. His observations about one particularly stern-looking teacher nearly made me laugh out loud. The winter sun crept slowly across the sky, casting long shadows across the pavement and making the frost glitter like scattered diamonds.
"You know," Jarvey said after a while, his tail curling thoughtfully, "I've been thinking."
I grinned. "You thinking, woah now I'm really getting worried."
"Shut up," Jarvey stayed quiet once more, his ears twitching in what I was learning to recognize as embarrassment.
"Okay come on tell me Jarvey."
"I was thinking of what to call our relationship."
"That's simple a pet and a wizard."
"Not that, never that if anything you're the pet," he said, emphasizing his point with a light nip to my ear.
"Okay go on, so what do you think we should call our 'relationship'."
I said while putting quotes in the relationship part with my fingers.
"How about familiars, you're my familiar and I'm yours."
"Wait so we're familiar with each other, so our relationship is now familiar."
I stifled my laugh, though my shoulders shook with the effort.
"Shut up you blonde-haired bastard."
"Okay, okay, don't get your fur in a jumble. We're familiars."
Time passed more quickly after that, marked by the lengthening shadows and Jarvey's increasingly creative observations about the school's architecture and occupants.
Finally, a little later than three o'clock, the school doors burst open and students began pouring out. I straightened up, scanning the crowd for that familiar face. There - Louise emerged with a group of girls, all wearing the same uniform, all laughing at something one of them had said.
She looked... happy. I hadn't seen her since a few months so I was happy myself. I rose up from my sitting position, brushing off my clothes as Jarvey maintained his perch on my shoulder.
But then she turned and saw me. Our eyes met across the schoolyard, and I raised my hand in a tentative wave. She said something to her friends, who all turned to look in my direction with obvious curiosity, before making her way over to us.
"Felix?" she said, stopping a few feet away. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm home for Christmas break," I explained, suddenly feeling awkward. "Thought I'd come say hi."
She smiled a broad grin like always. "That's nice. How's your new school?"
"It's perfect," I said. "I've been enjoying learning for once."
"You enjoying learning, are you sure you're Felix."
"So how's yours?"
"It's good! I'm top of my class in mathematics now." She beamed with pride, and I couldn't help but smile back. That was pure Louise - always striving to be the best.
"That's brilliant," I said sincerely. "Your mum told me where to find you."
Something flickered across Louise's face - confusion maybe? - before she nodded. "Yeah, she's been great. Really supportive of everything."
Jarvey, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, chose that moment to sneeze loudly.
Louise's eyes widened. "Is that a ferret?"
I smiled. "Yes he is a ferret."
Jarvey seemed to be fuming, wanting to bite my ear off but I quickly grabbed his nape as he went limp.
"He's cute," she said, reaching out to pet him. Jarvey allowed it without comment, though I could feel him trembling with the effort of keeping quiet.
We chatted for a few more minutes about nothing in particular - her classes, the weather, plans for Christmas.
"You wanna go to Mr J's."
"Yes I do, I'm gonna tell my friends." She was about to walk off but then turned at me again. "Wanna meet them?"
"Why not?"
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