Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 171

Sirius had killed one of the Death Eaters. But before he could finish off the next one he was battling, the Death Eater made a run for it and escaped with the others. Sirius thought he had even seen Bellatrix among them. He wanted her dead as much as she wanted to kill him, but it was too late. They were gone.

After a few moments of standing on the spot to catch his breath, the thought of the battle cleared away from his mind, and immediately he thought of Jenna. He didn't even allow himself for a second to think that she was hurt.

With that, Sirius set off to search for Jenna through the dark grounds. The oak front doors of Hogwarts stood open ahead of him, light flooding out onto the drive and the lawn. Hesitantly, everyone was creeping down the steps, looking around nervously for some sign of the Death Eaters who had fled into the night.

That was when Sirius's eyes caught sight of a mass of people, gathered at the ground at the foot of the tallest tower. Someone was laying there on the grass. For a quick moment, the horrible vision of Jenna's dead body flashed through Sirius's mind, but he tried shaking it away.

     Feeling the aches and pains in his face and his legs where the various hexes of the last half hour had hit him, Sirius still moved forward and walked past the murmuring crowd to see what was going on. But his whole body froze when he saw Dumbledore in the middle of the crowd, laying on the ground motionlessly, his blue eyes closed, never to open again.

    Hagrid was sobbing loudly, and Harry had crouched down beside Dumbledore's body. Sirius felt the breath leave his lungs, as though he had forgotten how to breathe for a second. He couldn't believe his eyes.

    It was Ginny who finally came forward and kneeled beside Harry, throwing a comforting arm around him. She too looked shocked and pale after the battle.

    "C'mere, Harry..." said Hagrid through his sobs.

     "No." Harry let out a sob.

     "Yeh can' stay here, Harry... Come on, now..."

     "No." He did not want to leave Dumbledore's side, he did not want to move anywhere. Hagrid's hand on his shoulder was trembling.

    "Harry, come on," Ginny whispered softly, pulling him upward. "We're going to the hospital wing."

    "I'm not hurt," said Harry.

     "It's McGonagall's orders," said Ginny. "Everyone's up there, Ron and Hermione and Lupin and everyone —"

    That was when Sirius snapped back to reality. He quickly turned to face Ginny, stopping them from walking away.

    "Is there another woman in the hospital?" he asked urgently. "Blue hair — actually, no, brown hair. Hazel eyes. I-is she at the hospital wing?"

    Ginny felt pity as he looked into his anxious eyes, shaking her head. "I'm sorry... I didn't see anybody else up there."

    Panic gushed over Sirius's body. Without another word, he left their side, trying to find Jenna. All he could think about was the image of her being dead.

    She's not dead, he kept repeating to himself as he ran around the grounds like a mad-man. She can't be...

    But all his fears appeared right before his eyes when the next moment, from afar, he saw a woman laying on the dusty ground, blood dripping down her head.

    "JENNA!" Sirius bellowed, running forward.

    He dropped himself down on the ground beside her, his eyes wide with horror.