Chapter Text
Marv seemed to settle in after a couple of weeks. He had explored the whole house, broken three vases and destroyed two curtains, five quills, four pillows that apparently had been used for target practice, and not to mention an unnumbered amount of plates, cups and glasses as the bloody thing seemed to love sneaking up on Kreacher. The elf was terrified of the cat, claiming it was evil reincarnated.
Harry´s small consolation was that Marv apparently was housetrained as he went to the door to the terrace when he wanted out.
At the moment he was sipping a cup of coffee out on the terrace, while watching as Marv was hunting in the dwindling sunlight for something or another in the yard. The cat was laying low in the tall grass, only his tail moving, eyes intently fixed on something or another that Harry couldn´t see.
Slowly Marv lifted up on his hind legs and after wiggling a bit, he shot off into a bush and Harry could hear a squeak of something that sounded like a mouse. There was a lot of rustling and the bush moved as if hit by a strong wind all of a sudden. A couple of seconds and then Marv reappeared with a, what Harry assumed at least, dead mouse in his mouth and a proud look.
The mouse was dropped at Harry´s feet and Marv looked up, blinking slowly and looking very pleased with himself.
“Thanks,” Harry said warily, wondering what to do with the dead mouse. “You gonna eat that for breakfast?” he asked, hoping the answer was no. Marv looked down at the mouse before wandering off into the house. The mouse was left at Harry´s feet.
“Apparently not,” Harry muttered. He used his foot to carefully nudge the mouse to check if it actually was dead. He had heard somewhere that prey would pretend to be dead to lure the cat into letting go, as cats general found hunting more amusing when the prey was fighting back. Unfortunately the mouse seemed to be dead. By the looks of it Marv had broken the neck on the poor thing.
He could remember Ron complaining that cats were worse than most other predators, because cats killed because they wanted to, in cold blood. They didn´t kill because they had to feed themselves, they killed because they found it amusing and fun. For a brief second Harry´s mind went to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Perhaps they were like cats in some regards. They did seem to torture, rape and murder without cause sometimes. No other cause then to spread fear and panic.
The sound of something crashing to the floor and by the sound, getting turned into several pieces brought Harry back from his musings. He sighed. What had Kreacher broken this time? He took out his wand and quickly vanished the mouse before going back into the house and the kitchen.
He called out as he entered the room. “Kreacher?”
On the floor were the remains of what had been a bowl if Harry remembered correctly. Luckily this seemed to have been empty at least when it met it´s demise against the tiles that made up the kitchen floor. Kreacher bowed as soon as Harry entered.
“Kreacher very sorry. Kreacher bad elf!” Before the elf could find some inventive and painful way of punishing himself, Harry held out a hand and smiled.
“It´s all right. I´m assuming Marv had something to do with this?”
Kreacher glared towards the fireplace and when Harry followed his line of sight he found Marv sitting on top of the mantel, licking his tail and looking like he had no care in the world. Which he probably didn´t, Harry thought.
With a sigh he strode over and picked the cat up by the skin of the neck. It growled but hung limp as Harry carried it out of the kitchen and back out on the terrace. Well outside he lifted the cat up so that they came eye to eye. The red colour of Marv´s eyes still unsettled Harry´s stomach to some degree, but he was getting used to them.
“Bad cat,” he scolded. “If you keep sneaking up on poor Kreacher like that I´ll either have to confirm you to a room when you are indoors or buy a cage to keep you in when I can´t keep an eye on you.”
Marv looked furious. He hissed and growled and tried to lash out with a paw, not that he had snowballs chance in hell at hitting Harry. The cat really had a temperament.
Harry sighed. “Marv,” he said in a slightly exhausted tone. The cat quieted. Why was he keeping the cat again? “I should just turn you over to a shelter or something,” Harry muttered. For some reason that seemed to catch Marv´s attention because the ears flickered back and forth and something akin to worry bled into the crimson eyes. He meowed softly and somehow managed to actually look like he was sorry.
“Yes, yes, I know.” Harry rolled his eyes. “You are sorry. Do try to behave at least.” He put the cat down and it sat there looking rather pathetic. Harry crouched down and petted it a few times over the head, impressed when the cat accepted the touch, as Marv wasn´t one for petting and cuddling. “How about a new mouse to hunt? Mhm?” he pulled out his wand and transfigured a nearby branch into a mouse. It would turn back to branch once Marv killed it, but it would keep the cat entertained for little while.
The mouse sat stock still for a couple of seconds before it ran over the terrace and down onto the lawn, disappearing in the high grass. He really should get around to mowing the lawn, Harry thought. Well, it could wait until the next day.
The black cat watch as the grey, slightly long mouse got a head start, his red eyes following it´s every move. Then he slowly rose and stalked after it.
Harry smiled. At least the chances of getting mouse and rats into the house was declining rapidly with Marv skulking around.
“Master´s guest are arriving.” Kreacher appered in the doorway.
“I´m coming.” With a last glance towards the black killer stalking around in the garden, Harry went inside to welcome the order members.
***
Harry didn´t notice that Marv had entered the dining room until the cat suddenly jumped up onto the table next to Harry´s seat.
“Oh, when did you get a cat, mate?” Ron asked. The rest of the Order stopped their discussion to look at the big cat now sitting at the table staring at them like they were dinner.
“Why does it have red eyes?” Remus looked sceptical, his brow frowning slightly.
“Where did you get it?” Hermione was on her feet coming forward to take a closer look at Marv. The cat looked at her, eyes following her movements, but he did nothing.
Dumbledore looked like he was torn between saying something and keeping his mouth closed, and Snape looked slightly paler, which was saying something considering how little colour the man had to begin with. Harry took in the different reactions with out giving away what he was thinking. They mostly reacted as he had the first time he saw Marv.
“This is Marv,” he introduced with a gesture towards the cat. “He´s a stray. Probably belonged to or was bred by a wizard or witch, seeing as he has an unnatural eye colour.”
“Should he be here during the meeting?” It was Snape who spoke, still looking rather pale. He was gripping his cup of tea like he was afraid the poor cup would try and escape before he could drink it.
Confused Harry looked from Snape to Dumbledore and back. “It´s a cat, Snape. I don´t see what harm it could do for him to be here.”
A growl made Harry look back and he saw that Hermione had reached out to pet Marv.
“Careful,” he warned. “He isn´t too fond of humans yet.”
Hermione pulled back her hand. “Have you had him chipped and neutered?”
A loud coughing as Snape, who had just taken a sip from his apparently escape-happy teacup and swallowed the wrong way, followed the question. Dumbledore patted him helpful on the back, his blue eyes twinkling with humour and a smile was present on his lips.
“Ehh, no,” Harry answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Ron looked like he was about to be ill at the thought of the poor cat getting neutered.
Marv was stone still. His eyes fixated on Hermione. The tail was swising so rapidly back and fort that Harry was afraid it would get dislocated. The ears was pinned back and the whole cat looked like it was moments away from attacking Hermione for the suggestion.
“You should,” Hermione continued, returning to her seat, red eyes following her the whole way there. “It will reduce the likelihood of him getting lost during breeding season and it´s less likely that he will get into fights. Not to mention it is every cat owner´s responsibility to make sure the cat population is regulated.”
Marv was tensing up, and Harry quickly grabbed him and put the now hissing, growling and fighting cat in his lap, thus preventing it from actually lunching itself at Hermione.
Harry stood, taking the fighting cat with him. He smiled tightly as he tried to hold onto the clearly pissed of Marv in his arms. “I´ll be right back. I´ll just put Marv in the library.”
“Of course, my dear boy.” Dumbledore looked to be enjoying himself as he took another sip of the tea. At his side Snape seemed to have recovered from nearly being strangled by his tea. He was still looking pale and wary, but nearly dying could do that to one, Harry thought.
***
“Marv?”
Harry entered the library sometime later that evening once the meeting was finished. The first thing that met him was a ruined pillow that had belonged to one of the armchairs. Feathers were everywhere. The chess that normally sat on the table in front of the fireplace was missing all it´s pieces, which was scattered around the floor. Several books seemed to have found it´s way out of the shelves as well, and a poor plant had paid with it´s life and was lying in a heap of broken shards and mold under the window.
“MARV!”
The cat in question was sitting on top of one of the armchairs, looking completely pissed of.
“What in Melin´s name have you been doing?!”
Looking around Harry pulled out his wand and started setting the room straight again. Once everything looked somewhat normal he stalked over to the cat and pointed his wand at it. “Give me one good reason not to ship you of to a shelter right this instance?!”
The threat did make some of the attitude bled out from the red eyes and the ears flicked. Marv moved his front paws slightly, as if fidgeting. Harry sighed and put his wand away. He reached out and watched as the cat slightly nuzzled against his hand, looking slightly sorry at least. Against better judgement he picked up the cat.
“I´m not going to send you to get fixed,” he told the cat, feeling slightly insane for talking to a cat. Marv went stiff as soon as Harry lifted him up, but seemed to relax ever to slightly when Harry went to scratch it behind the ears. He relaxed even further as Harry carried it with him upstairs.
“Hermione is just a little too fond of right and wrong,” he explained and put Marv down on the bed.
The cat looked around and Harry realised the cat had not yet been in his bedroom. Red eyes seemed to take in the large double bed that stood against the south wall. On both sides where black nightstands with identical lamps on. On the opposite wall was a fireplace that was burning heartily. In front of it a small table separated two black armchairs.
The wardrobe was also in black material and located against the wall beside the door. Two large windows with heavy, cream coloured curtains, in the same colour as the bed sheets, dominated the east wall. The room wasn’t big, but it was warm and cosy. Harry loved it. A door on the right side of the south wall led into a bathroom.
Harry left Marv sitting on the bed and went into the bedroom to make him self ready for bed. When he came back out Marv was sound asleep on the bed, curled into a tight ball. He couldn´t help but smile as he climbed into bed. The cat might be a menace, but it was hard to stay angry at him.