Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 23

It was by now proved that taking someone else's form in order to attack Pettigrew was rather risky and therefore it was still Jenna's best shot to chase after him as a cat. But the problem was that due to Scabber's ill state, Ron carried him in his bag with himself everywhere he went.

Jenna couldn't visit Sirius too often and more than once a day, afraid that she would attract attention to where she kept going. Although the two did occasionally take detours in the Dark Forest, because Sirius couldn't shut himself up in one place for too long.

Although throughout her time at Hogwarts and up the girls' dormitory, Jenna had noticed something; Hermione Granger — her supposedly owner — was using a Time Turner to be able to get to all her classes.

Other than her visits to Sirius and Mickey, Jenna had to stay the remainder of her day in the common room, napping in front of the fireplace, because even Remus was busy all day with his classes.

Although today was an exception and Remus had missed his Defense Against the Dark Arts class and Snape was teaching instead of him. All this was due to the fact that the full moon was approaching that same night and Remus was going through his transformation in a few hours.

So while the others were in their classes, Crookshanks made her way down the castle to where Remus's chamber was. Once she entered the place, Jenna turned back to human form and quickly closed the door behind her. Just then, she saw Remus on his bed, looking pale and tired with his eyes closed.

"Hey," Jenna said quietly, walking toward where he laid in bed.

At her presence, Remus managed to open his eyes half-way and glance at her sideways, offering her a weak smile.

"Hi," he whispered back, closing his eyes again.

"How are you feeling?" Jenna asked, sitting at the edge of the bed beside him.

"Better than other months," Remus said feebly, his eyes still shut. "The Potion that Snape made me was really helpful."

"W-well..." Jenna started hesitantly, gulping. "Harry and his friends have been saying that — that Snape has always been after this job — and you guys have bad history —"

But Remus cut her off with a small chuckle, which came out as a little cough in the end. "Don't worry, Jenna. I assure you that Severus is not trying to poison me."

"Yet," she muttered darkly, making Remus laugh.

But then he struggled to sit up straight and so Jenna helped him to lean his back against the bed's headboard.

"Could you hand me that?" Remus asked, pointing a finger at a cup that laid on his nightstand beside Jenna.

Nodding, she leaned in and picked up the goblet, glancing down at the potion inside it suspiciously before handing it to Remus and helping him drink it up. He then grimaced after taking a sip and handed it back to Jenna, who placed it on the nightstand again.

"Only a few more hours to go," she said, watching him worriedly. "Remus, if the potion really helps, why didn't you do it before yourself?"

"You know I never had a talent for Potion making, and Wolfsbane is an extremely tricky potion to make," he said, closing his chocolatey-brown eyes once more as he let out a sigh, laying back on the bed again. "Besides, the ingredients for it are really rare and expensive. I couldn't have made it for myself once a month, even if I had the ability to brew it."

Jenna paused and fell silent then, feeling guilty for some reason even though this had nothing to do with her.

"Remus, you know that if you ever needed any help... well... the money my parents left me is still untouched in my vault in Gringotts," she said, the sympathy obvious in her sad tone. "You can always count on me."

"You know, now come to think of it, you never said how you used to live by these twelve years." He tried to change the subject, and so Jenna didn't protest any further, afraid that she would make him feel uncomfortable. "I mean, if you haven't still used your parents' money, what have you been doing?"

"Ugh, I can't say. You'll laugh." Jenna groaned playfully, even though she was now grinning.

"Oh, come on." Remus smiled. "Tell me."

"Well, at first I lived on some money that Dumbledore had left me there for a few months, but then I had to find work. And — well..." Jenna gulped, before finally saying in defeat, "I became a secretary at a stupid company."

Remus let out a little chuckle, but he grimaced afterward and winced, as if it had hurt him and had brought him pain.

"Told you, you'd make fun of it!" Jenna retorted jokingly, though she was laughing herself too at this point.

"No, no, I'm not." Remus reassured her with a shake of his head. "It's just that... I could've never imagined you at an office job. Let alone at a Muggle office job. I remember how you always wanted to become a professional Quidditch player."

Jenna let out a miserable sigh, looking down. "I mean, I could've... only the Order always had to come first. For all of us."

Remus nodded and then an eerie silent fell between them. Although he soon broke it again as he spoke once more.

"So, just out of curiosity..." he started hesitantly, his tone changing, "throughout those twelve years... did you... did you find someone else?"

"No." Jenna shook her head lightly, looking down at the ring on her finger. "I couldn't."

"But at the time you didn't know he was going to escape," Remus mentioned Sirius, his eyes now fixed on her. "Would you really have gone all your life alone?"

"Hey, it's not like you found yourself anyone either, Mr. I'm-a-lone-wolf!" Jenna said jokingly, nudging him lightly on the arm.

Remus let out a quiet chuckle. "When did I ever use that phrase?"

"I'm just messing around," Jenna smiled, her eyes still down at her ring and she ran a finger over it, her mind wandering away.

"So?" Remus started again, his eyes on her with emotions she couldn't recognize. "Would you have moved on if... things were different?"

She let a little frown form on her forehead as she pondered the question, until she finally shook her head.

"No," Jennas whispered, looking back at him again with a sad smile on her lips. "I love him too much."