Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 16

Throughout the next weeks, Jenna remained in her cat form, trying to use every chance she got to try and sneak into the boys' dormitory, but somehow Ron Weasley was always there to stop her and kick her away; he sometimes even literally kicked her out.

      Even when Ron was in his classes, there was always a few sixth or seventh year students present in the common room, enabling her from doing anything, not to mention Ron usually carried Scabbers around in his bag wherever he went.

    Once or twice, Jenna had managed to sneak out of the common room and go down to the Quidditch Pitch once she found out that Harry played for the Gryffindor team. But her happiness and excitement increased when she saw that he was a Seeker just like herself, and an amazing one at that.

     Every once in a while, Jenna visited Remus at nights after dinner to have a chat, seeing as she felt too lonely at times, obviously having no one to talk to as a cat. The other reason, of course, was to use his shower and wash and dry her clothes with her wand, or sometimes eat the food he would nick from the Great Hall for her.

     "You know, you've become everyone's favorite teacher," Jenna told Remus as they we sitting in his office, drinking tea. "And Defense Against the Dark Art's definitely their favorite subject now."

     "Really?" Remus chuckled. "What gave you that idea?"

     "I heard the students say it." Jenna shrugged. "All I do is sit in the common room on an armchair in front of the fireplace and nap. Eavesdropping on the kids' conversations is the best fun I get all day. And I hear them saying how much they like your classes. I don't know why you'd never thought of a teaching career before."

    "Because of my condition, obviously," Remus said with a sigh. "It's risky, no matter where I am."

    "Speaking of your furry little problem," Jenna started with a grin and Remus chuckled, "when's going to be the next full moon?"

     "Next week," Remus answered. "A few days after Halloween."

      Jenna looked down, feeling an ache in her heart by that last word. Twelve years ago, on such day, she had lost everything and everyone, and had she run away from her life and her haunting memories.

     But now that she came to think of it, she realized that she never had the chance to go back to Godric's Hollow, back to where it had all happened. And now that after twelve years she was finally here, she could go there.

     "So... er..." Jenna cleared her throat. "Will you be going to the Shrieking Shack? Just like always?"

     "No, not really." Remus shook his head. "Severus has agreed to make me a Wolfsbane Potion."

    "A what?" Jenna questioned and frowned in confusion.

    "It was invented a few years ago. It helps me with my lycanthropy. It makes me be more conscious of who I am and what I'm doing while I'm transforming, and makes transformation less painful," he explained. "So on the full moon I'll just be laying low in my office."

    "Good, then I'll come here and keep you company."

     Remus opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it again with a smile. "You know what? I've known you for long enough to know there's no point trying to talk you out of something."

    Jenna grinned proudly. "Finally caught up, have you?"

***

On the day of Halloween, Jenna waited for the common room to nearly empty as everyone went to Hogsmeade. But what caught her off guard was that Harry wasn't allowed to go with the rest of his friends, because his aunt and uncle hadn't signed his form.

       She wanted to spend some alone time with her nephew, even though still in her cat form. Somehow Ron and Hermione were always there to keep him company.

     But even now that she finally found him alone, Harry was driven out of the common room when a second year boy named Colin Creevey enthusiastically asked Harry to join him and his friends for the day.

     Jenna waited for someone to open the common room's door in order to sneak out in her cat form, but it only happened after long hours, when it was way past noon.

    She took one of the secret passages and got herself to Hogsmeade before transforming herself back to her human form in a deserted alleyway, although in a random person's form so no one would recognize her.

      She looked around just to make sure no one was there and so took out her wand to start practicing Apparition. She first tried a feet, then two, and thus expanded the distance.

     When she was finally sure that she was ready to travel further, hoping that she wouldn't Splinch, Jenna closed her eyes and with one last breath, Apparated into Godric's Hollow.

      It was almost dark as she found herself in the quiet village. Looking around, she only saw an old couple in the distance, walking out of the church nearby.

      Jenna put her hands in her coat's pockets to cover them from the slightly cold weather as she walked through the village. But she came to a halt when she reached the village square. She placed a hand over her mouth the moment she saw a statue of James, Lily, and baby Harry right in the middle of the square.

    Jenna felt tears blur her sight as she stared at the statue. They were sitting with James's hand over Lily's shoulder as she held Harry in her lap.

      But just then, Jenna's eyes darted up when behind the statue, she saw a house in ruins in the distance and her heart sank painfully. She just stared up at it, not daring to move any closer to it.

      At last shaking her head, Jenna turned around, knowing that if she took one more step toward the house, she would burst into tears once more. But the moment she did so, Jenna's eyes fell upon the little graveyard near the church which she had passed. Could they be in there?

     Gulping, she started taking hesitant steps toward it. She passed each grave, throwing glances at the tombstones for names, until she finally came to a stop when she came upon a headstone with their names engraved upon it.

James Potter        Lily Potter

     Jenna stared down at it, her heart throbbing mercilessly against her chest. For a moment, she even forgot how to breathe.

     As if out of her control, her knees gave in and she dropped to the ground, looking at those names, as if trying to make meaning out of them.

     "I'm so sorry," Jenna whispered. This was the only thing that she could think of saying. "You had told me to take care of Harry... but I failed you..."

     She didn't go on as she felt tears run down her cold rosy cheeks. But then she suddenly smiled when she remembered something.

     "You have to see Harry now," she said with a little chuckle. "He's an amazing Quidditch player. But I guess I won the bet... Harry became a Seeker in the end. You owe me five Galleons."

     Jenna then let out a shaky laughter, wiping her teardrops away my running the back of hand against her cheeks.

      "You'd be so proud of him, J.P. So proud." She smiled. "I — I just you guys were here to see the person he has grown into."