Side Chapter 1: The Queen's arrival

"Salmon, Tuna, Sole, Cod, Marlin,... fish, fish, tender fish, your flesh melt on my tongue."

"Fish, Fish, tender Fish, I eat you whole, bones included, if my tummy is not satiated by your delicious flavours.

"Fish, Fish, Tender Fish…"

A fat ginger cat walked joyfully between the chairs of a yellowish round room emblazoned with badger and decorated with plants. The cat was wiggling his tail as if he was dancing. On a chair not too far, lounged another cat, this time Siamese, with smooth fur and prominent whiskers. The cat was watching the fat ginger cat do his dance while singing/meowing with a slight scowl.

"Dear Louis, can you stop your ridiculous juvenile performance. It's only morning and my royal person would like to bask without having to hear you whine about your love of fish." meowed the Siamese.

The fat ginger cat stopped his song and stared back at the siamese. Not at all offended by his peer's remark, the cat raised his paw to his chest and appeared overwhelmed by emotion.

"Lord Whisker! How can I deny the sublime gift that is fish any longer. Let us sing to the glory of the fish that our humans bring us. Let our voices carry the truth for all our fellow human beings. Fish is life." replied the ginger cat.

Lord Whisker slapped his forehead at the exuberance of the big cat. As the two cats returned to their morning activities, jumping on a sofa not far from the two companions, another cat appeared. Dressed in a pearly white coat and with black paws like the tips of its ears, the cat glanced at the other two felines. The two domesticated animals did not have to wait long before sensing the presence of the newcomer.

"My dear Louis and Lord Whisker, what a pleasure to see you on this magnificent day" meowed the almost white cat.

"If it is not Sir Botté! Always delighted to see you at this time of year, would you also like to sing to the glory of fish?" expressed Louis, the ginger cat.

"Botté, still among us, old friend. I thought you were too old to play with children. Hasn't your master already finished his schooling? Have you been abandoned?" meowed the Siamese cat in a sarcastic tone.

"Lord Whisker, old friend, always ready to laugh, I see. Don't worry dear friend, this time I'm accompanying the little sister of my former human. The poor girl needs my advice to avoid falling in with the wrong feline entourage" replied the white cat just as sarcastically.

"Fish, Fish, tender fish. Bless is your flesh. Sashimi, sushi, maki, or just caught, I eat raw or cooked. Fish, Fish,tender fish…" continued Louis the cat.

"Please Louis, can you stop singing. My poor ears are very sensible" meowed Sir Botté.

"Yes Louis, please stop." agreed Lord Whisker.

The Ginger cat puffed his cheeks and simply laid down on the ground not bothering to sing anymore if his love for fish were denied by his comrades. Lord Whisker and Sir Botté sighed with relief. Their friend was a pleasant company, but when he started to sing, the mandrakes clogged their ears.

Sir Botté turned to Lord Whisker with a questioning look.

"News of the detestable Norris" asked Sir Botté.

"What do you want to know old brother? The good or the bad? Unfortunately dear friend, none of them are good... Alas the heinous Miss Norris still walk among us. The whispers of kittens still flee when she passes and the milk sour as she approaches " replied Lord Whisker.

"I see. Another year stuck within these walls, then." meowed Sir Botté.

"I'm afraid so, old friend." sighed Lord Whisker.

"What a detestable cat! Do you realise dear friends that this little kitty prefers chicken to fish. What an outrage!" exclaimed Louis.

If there was one thing that brought the Hogwarts cats together, it was their shared hatred of Norris, Filch's cat. No feline could stand her. This old kitten dictated her law to all the cats in the castle and those who did not obey her were hit with a broom by her most hateful master.

And to make matters worse, the cat seemed almost immortal, considering the years she had already lived.

"I tell you, brothers. This tyranny must end. Let's raise our paws against the vile matriarchy of this damned feline who shames our fellow cats," Louis exclaimed angrily.

"Calm down Louis. What can we do? This cat knows every corner of this castle and its master has more authority than our own humans. No cat can stand up to her in this place." meowed Sir Botté.

Louis lowered his head in sadness, patting the ground with his big round paw. Sir Botte and Lord Whisker heaved a sigh. Norris was a pest to each of them, but none of them knew how to defeat her for a bright future in the castle. That was why most of the cats at Hogwarts stayed in their Common Rooms. Here Norris had no access and the cats could live peacefully.

As the cats went back to their respective activities, usually sleeping for Lord Whisker and Sir Botté, Louis having lost his taste for song, a slight noise attracted the attention of the cats who turned their heads in the direction of the sound. There, sitting on a high table, a beautiful black lady cat with sparkling eyes was watching the trio of cats in the middle of the common room.

Sir Botté and Lord Whisker stood up at once to face the new arrival, entranced by the beauty of her fur and the splendour of her eyes. As for the big cat Louis, he began to wag his tail at a speed that would be hard to achieve for a feline appendage.

In a simple and refined way, Lady looked in turn at the three cats who stared at her with entranced gazes. Lady in all her splendour was about to change the fate of Hogwarts forever.

"Fellow cats..." spoke the sublime cat with the majestic black fur.

"Tell me more about this hateful Norris and her also, if not more, despicable master. Would you my dear fellows?"