Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 13

"Hey, Moony," Jenna smiled at the man, who only stared at her with his mouth hanging half-open.

"You're — you're alive!" he said breathlessly.

"And you look old," she said with a grin.

     With that, as Remus failed to move a muscle, Jenna took the lead and moved forward, brining him into a tight hug as she closed her eyes.

Remus was still in shock, his eyes still widened as he could not believe that Jenna Potter was standing before him. But blinking a few times, he finally came back to his senses and so wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.

"I missed you," Jenna whispered, unable to let him go as they held onto each other.

"I — I don't understand," said Remus in a hollow voice, pulling away. "I thought you were — I mean everyone thought you were dead — they said the Death Eaters had gotten you and they never found your body — but you're here — and you're alive!"

"You know, I'm getting sick of hearing that sentence," Jenna said jokingly, chuckling. "No one believes that I'm alive, and now I'm starting to think that maybe I'm really not."

"But — how?" Remus mused, still staring down at her in disbelief.

"I'll explain everything later," she said reassuringly, "Professor," Jenna added with a wink before transforming back to a cat and looking up at the closed compartment door pleadingly.

"Oh— right — sorry," said Remus, opening the door for her and so Crookshanks walked outside.

He stood there frozen on the spot, still trying to figure out what had just happened. But then he shook his head and walked back to his compartment, completely forgetting why he had gotten out in the first place.

He paused as he entered, looked around and saw that Jenna had already crawled in a corner without anyone even noticing her absence.

Remus then smiled as he looked around at the others and said, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know..."

With that, Harry took a bite and to his great surprise felt warmth spread suddenly to the tips of his fingers and toes.

"I suppose we'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Remus. "Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry didn't ask how he knew his name, but nodded all the same. "Fine," he muttered, feeling embarrassed.

At last, the train stopped at the Hogsmeade station, and there was loud scrambling noises as everyone started going outside.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" called Hagrid's ever so familiar voice, and by that Jenna knew that she was back home.

Crookshanks was put back in her traveling basket and left behind with the rest of the luggage, which were going to be taken inside Hogwarts.

When she was finally let out of her box magically, she found herself in the familiar Gryffindor dormitory room, with four poster-beds which had red curtains all around them.

If Hermione was a Gryffindor and was friends with Harry, did that mean that Harry was a Gryffindor as well?

Jenna felt an exciting lurch in her stomach and transformed herself back to her human form for a brief moment to be able to open the dormitory door.

She then briskly turned herself back into Crookshanks and left the room, walking the stairs down to the common room.

She never thought she would one day come back here, where she had spent seven years of her life, leaving behind both good and bad memories.

After walking all around the circular room for long minutes in her cat form and taking in every inch of it, she went by her old favorite armchair by the fireplace and crawled up to it, watching the flames as she slowly drifted to sleep after a long day.

But she was soon forced awake when she felt someone pick her up. Opening her eyes, Jenna found herself in Hermione's arms.

Apparently, the feast was over and the students were making their way back to their common rooms. But Jenna was disappointed when she figured Hermione was carrying her up to the dormitory again.

Crookshanks tried to break free, but Hermione only let her go once they were back upstairs and then closed the dormitory door behind her.

Crookshanks sat down behind the door, staring up at it pleadingly and even scratching her hands on it so someone would take the hint and open the door up for her. But the four girls were all too busy to get to bed that they didn't pay the slightest attention to her.

Growing irritated, Crookshanks started meowing louldy until one of blonde girls finally said, "Hermione, I think your cat wants to go outside."

"Oh," said Hermione, walking toward the door. "There you go, Crookshanks."

With that, Jenna immediately stepped out of the room and went downstairs. She then went by the portrait hole and waited until a student came in. So she took the opportunity and leaped out of the portrait hole and left the common room.

She wanted to stay up the whole night, strolling the castle grounds and visiting all the places that she loved and missed. But before doing so, Jenna had one other thing in mind that she had to get done with first.

So with that thought, she started making her way down the familiar corridors, surprised that she remembered the halls so well.

She could remember all the rooms where each teacher would stay at, having tried to prank them all with James in their first few years at Hogwarts.

But at last, she got to one specific room which she was searching for, hoping that this was still the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's room.

Looking around her to make sure no one was there, Jenna transformed herself back to human and knocked at the door.

After a long pause, she saw the doorknob twist and a moment later, Remus opened the door.

"Hi," she smiled up at him.

"Jenna?" he said, for some reason still sounding surprised to see her once again. "What is it?"

Jenna grinned up at Remus before saying, "Can I use your shower?"