Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 84

It was later that night when Remus, Jenna, and Sirius were sitting in the living room, a bottle of butterbeer in their hands. They were discussing Dumbledore's plans that suddenly a Patronus in the shape of a phoenix appeared before them.

The three fell silent as the phoenix opened its mouth and said in Dumbledore's voice, "Be at the Headquarters in an hour, and memorize these words: 'The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.'"

Once the Patronus had said these words and its work was done, it vanished before them, and the living room fell silent once more.

Remus, Sirius, and Jenna wasted no time to get ready and leave for the headquarters. They knew that the first Order meeting wasn't until later that night, but Dumbledore had asked the three to go there a few hours earlier than the rest of the members, so they could make sure everything was in order. It was, after all, Sirius's house.

"Ready?" Jenna called out, and the two men nodded before following her out of Remus's house.

Once outside, they stood beside one another, ready to leave. Although Sirius's eyes were fixed on the plain ahead, letting out an inaudible sigh. He didn't know how long Dumbledore actually wanted him to stay hidden, so he just took one last deep breath of the fresh air, taking in his last moments of freedom.

Glancing at him sideways in concern, Jenna gulped and then reached out, holding his hand tightly in hers and giving it a comforting squeeze. Immediately, at her soft touch, Sirius felt calmer.

Remus was first to Disapparate away. Although Jenna and Sirius had to go together, seeing as Sirius still didn't have a wand, and so he couldn't Apparate on his own.

So with their hands still intertwined, they both Disapparated out of the plain, appearing the next moment on a quiet street in London.

Once their feet hit the ground, Sirius let go of Jenna's hand, staring straight ahead grimly. Jenna could tell that he hated being back here, but he knew that it was necessary.

With Remus by their side, they all walked through the patch of grass, across the road, and onto the pavement. The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.

Remus and Jenna both had their wands in their hands and at the ready, while they looked around cautiously as they walked forward.

Once they had crossed the street, Jenna looked up only to see that there was a house missing between number eleven and thirteen. So closing her eyes, she thought of the words which Dumbledore's Patronus had told them.

No sooner had she thought about those words than a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way.

"I hate this place..." Jenna heard Sirius mutter miserably under his breath, as if talking mostly to himself while he stared up at the house.

At last, the three walked up the worn stone steps, staring at the newly materialized door. Its black paint was shabby and scratched. The silver door knocker was in the form of a twisted serpent, with no keyhole or letterbox.

With that, Remus raised his his wand and tapped the door once. They heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain, and the next moment, the door creaked open.

Without any other words, the three quickly walked inside the house and abruptly closed the door behind them after making sure that no one had been following them.

Jenna had been in this horrifying house once before, last year. She had been there to get Sirius's key to the Blacks' family vault at Gringotts. But she still could smell damp, dust, and a sweetish, rotting smell. It was as if no one had lived in here for a century.

"Dumbledore has to be here already," Remus whispered as the three quietly made their way through the dim corridor, taking slow and careful steps forward.

As they walked on, the old-fashioned gas lamps across the corridor sputtered into life all along the walls, casting a flickering insubstantial light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway.

     No matter where they looked, cobwebs were surrounding the place. The chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls.

As Jenna looked up while walking alongside the two men, she realized that both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped like serpents.

Although their attention was caught when they saw Dumbledore walking toward them from downstairs, a tired smile upon his face.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming," he said politely, beaming at all three of them before turning to face Sirius. "I can't thank you enough for letting us use your house as the new Headquarters, Sirius."

"I don't really think of as my home, but it was the least I could do," said Sirius, giving Dumbledore a firm nod. "I'm happy I could be of any help."

"Well, first things first," Dumbledore started once again, "I believe there are enough protection charms around the house, and I've already asked the Order members to join us tonight for the first meeting, in a few hours. Sirius, as understanding your old house elf still lives in this house. I want you to go and talk to him immediately; he is currently down in the kitchen, in his cupboard. Make sure he knows that he must never tell anyone what he hears here, and under no circumstances is he to leave this house, unless ordered otherwise."

"I will," said Sirius, walking down the stairs immediately to meet with Kreacher after years.

Dumbledore then turned toward Remus once Sirius had gone, saying, "Remus, please go to Diagon Alley and pay Ollivander a visit. We are in need of a few spare wands, one for Sirius."

"Yes, of course." Remus nodded.

"Tell Ollivander that you're there on my order, and he'll know what to do. The wands have already been paid for," said Dumbledore, and so with that, Remus left the house once more.

     After a pause filled with silence, Jenna finally said, "What can I do?"

     "For now... I think it's best to stay with Sirius. I'm sure it's not easy for him to stay at this house," he said. "But I think you agree with me that it's not reasonable for him to go on missions just yet. His name is not cleared and the Ministry might capture him. They're still searching for him."

    "I know," Jenna whispered, throwing her gaze down.

     "And also, you may return to Hogwarts this year in disguise," said Dumbledore. "Once Harry is back at school, it would be best to have someone there to keep an eye on him at all times."

     "What about now?" Jenna questioned. "Will he be safe at the Dursleys'?"

     "Don't worry," Dumbledore shook a reassuring hand at her, "I will appoint a few Order members to look after Harry throughout summer. As long as he doesn't wander too far off, he'll be fine."