Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 42

Jenna led the two through the dark tunnel, relieved that they had decided to follow her and not go send for help. Her ears were sharp, trying to see if she could hear anything at the end of the tunnel, but everything was silent.

After long minutes of walking, the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone, entering a dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, looking frightened, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

Crookshanks meowed, walking up the stairs and disappearing out of sight, her heart still pounding in her chest. Quietly as they could, Harry and Hermione crept out into the hall and went up the crumbling staircase.

As Jenna walked into the room in which Remus always used to transform on the full moon, she saw Ron in a corner, clutching his leg with his eyes tearing up in pain.

Crookshanks looked over, only to see Sirius back in his human form, standing behind the door. His beard had grown, his teeth had gone yellow again, and his hair was again as dirty as she had first seen him months ago at the Potter manor.

Crookshanks threw an unsure look at him, but Sirius gave her a little nod, as if to tell her that he knew what he was doing. Jenna hoped that he had a smart plan and decided to trust him with it. And so she walked toward the dusty bed in the room and hopped on it, sitting down and awaiting Harry and Hermione.

Not a moment later, Harry kicked the door open wide with his wand held tightly before him, entering the room with Hermione by his side.

On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. But then they saw Ron on the floor, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle.

Harry and Hermione dashed across to him in horror.

"Ron — are you okay?"

"Where's the dog?"

"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Harry, it's a trap —"

"What —"

"He's the dog... he's an Animagus..."

Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.

It was Sirius Black.

"Expelliarmus!" Sirius croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.

Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Sirius caught them with ease. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful... it will make everything much easier..."

The taunt about his father rang in Harry's ears, boiling hate erupted in his chest. leaving no place for fear. Without knowing what he was doing, he started forward, but Hermione held him back.

"No, Harry!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" Ron said fiercely as he turned to face Sirius, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

For the first time, Jenna felt a new liking for the young boy. And for a second, she forgot all those times he had kicked her out or had tried to throw something at her. Obviously Sirius wasn't there to kill them, but those three didn't know that. And not many would stand up for their friend in moments of danger, the way Ron Weasley did.

"Lie down," Sirius said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

"Only one would die tonight," said Sirius, and his grin widened.

Jenna had the urge to go and smack him behind his neck for being overdramatic even in such state. But she held herself back.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew... What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward.

Jenna wanted to jump forward and stop him, but she was too late. Harry had hurtled Sirius over and thrown him to the ground, his hands around the man's neck. But Sirius made no move as to defend himself.

Her heart beating rapidly, Crookshanks sprang forward, sinking sets of front claws deep into Harry's arm as a hopeless attempt to stop him, but Harry threw her off him. But Crookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand.

"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting.

Harry snatched up his wand and turned in a quick motion. "Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione, pointing his wand at Sirius who was still laying on his back.

"Are you going to kill me, Harry?" Sirius whispered, laying down on the floor.

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

"I don't deny it," Sirius said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story —"

"The whole story?" Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," Sirius said urgently. "You'll regret it if you don't... You don't understand..."

"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me... and you did that... you did it..."

Jenna couldn't take it anymore. A part of her wanted to transform back to human form and to stop Harry. But maybe she was still too afraid. This was not the way she wanted Harry to meet her. He would think of her of nothing but a worthless godmother. Someone who left him behind and was now assisting a supposed murderer.

So instead, Crookshanks leapt onto Sirius's chest and settled herself there, right over his heart, so Harry wouldn't try to harm him. Sirius blinked and looked down at the cat. She could hear how fast his heart was beating.

"Get off," Harry murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.

But Crookshanks sank her claws into Sirius's robes and wouldn't shift. Jenna turned to look up at Harry with her large yellow eyes, as if silently begging him to stop.

Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip tightening on the wand as a series of thoughts made their way through his head.

So what if he had to kill the cat too? It was in league with Black... If it was prepared to die, trying to protect Black, that wasn't Harry's business... If Black wanted to save it, that only proved he cared more for Crookshanks than for Harry's parents...

Moments passed, but Harry stood frozen on his spot, his wand pointing down at where Sirius Black was laying on the floor with Crookshanks defensively on his chest.

But just then, they started hearing muffled footsteps echoing up through the floor. Someone was moving up toward them briskly.

The next moment, the door of the room burst open and they all wheeled around as Remus Lupin suddenly came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless and his wand in his hand.