Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 107

Jenna and Sirius returned back to their room before the other children had woken up for breakfast, trying to rest their eyes a bit before Harry's return. Although for hours, neither of them could even close their eyes out of worry. They were both laying on their back against the soft mattress, their eyes fixed on the ceiling.

     "Hey, Jenny?" Sirius whispered, breaking the silence.

     "Hmm?" Jenna muttered, her glance still upon the ceiling and her mind far away from that lonely room.

     "I-I wanted to confess something..." This caught Jenna's attention, and so she turned her head to look back at him with her head still resting on the pillow.

     "What is it?" she mused curiously.

     "Well... I-I know this might make me sound like a terrible person, but..." He sighed, closing her eyes for a moment longer. "Look, I do want Harry to win this and to get back to Hogwarts. I really do. But — it's just that — I was thinking that if — if he doesn't win this and gets expelled... would it really be too bad?"

     Jenna's eyes widened and she hoisted herself up on one elbow, staring back at him. "What?"

     "All I'm saying is that — I mean — if he gets expelled, it's not like he would have to live with the Dursleys. He'll just have to visit them once a year, according to Dumbledore. He can come stay here with us. That way, you wouldn't have to go to Hogwarts either. So it's gonna be the three of us here, living together. Just like how it was supposed to be."

     Jenna remained quiet. She had no idea how she was supposed to answer him. She knew how he was feeling, and knew how miserable he must've felt to be stuck in this horrible house, specially after everyone was supposed to leave in a few weeks to Hogwarts.

     "Sirius... I honestly don't blame you for wanting this," Jenna started, trying to speak as softly to him as possible, "but this is not the best way to go by it."

     "I know," Sirius said curtly, tearing his eyes away from him and gazing back at the ceiling.

     Jenna pursed her lips together, looking at him with sad eyes. "Look, maybe we can —"

     But her words were cut off when they suddenly heard loud shouts coming from downstairs. On cue, the two of them abruptly jumped off the bed and to their feet. Jenna quickly transformed into Crookshanks and they left the room together, making their way down to the kitchen.

     They both stopped dead when they saw that Harry and Arthur were back from the Ministry and were standing in the kitchen along with everyone else.

     "Well?" Sirius asked quickly, his eyes fixed on his godson.

     "I got off," said Harry, his smile widening. "Cleared of all charges."

     Sirius said nothing, but a part of him was relieved. He only went forward and brought him into a hug, patting him on the back as Crookshanks watched them from a corner, her heartbeat speeding up in happiness.

    "I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"

     "They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen. "There was no case against you, none at all!"

     "Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.

     Molly was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went, "He got off, he got off, he got off—"

     "That's enough, settle down!" shouted Arthur, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry —"

     "What?" said Sirius sharply.

      Jenna's yellow eyes widened at those words as she stared up at Arthur. She knew that Lucius wasn't supposed to be at the Ministry that day, and this wasn't good news.

     "He got off, he got off, he got off —"

     "Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

     "Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

      "Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner —"

     "He got off, he got off, he got off —"

     "That's enough — Fred — George — Ginny!" said Molly, as Arthur left the kitchen. "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast..."

Molly then rushed over to set the table and Lexi went forward to help her, meanwhile Harry remained with Sirius by his side, telling him all that had happened at the hearing. He even explained what Lucius Malfoy had told them.

     Once the meal was served, everyone gathered around the table and ate cheerfully, feeling happier than they had in a long while. But Sirius, who had looked rather pleased at first upon hearing the good news about Harry, seemed to be getting gloomier. As it seemed, the realization that he was going to be left alone again was catching up to him and was becoming more and more clear.

    "Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potatoes onto everyone's plates.

     "Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. "I wish he'd talked to me, though. Or even looked at me."

     No one else seemed to have noticed this, but Jenna, who was still watching Harry carefully in her cat form, saw that he suddenly winced and clapped his hand over his scar.

    "What's up?" said Hermione, looking alarmed.

     "Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing... It happens all the time now..."

     Ron then said happily, "I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening to celebrate with us, you know."

     "I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," said Molly, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. "He's really busy at the moment."

      "HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF —"

     "SHUT UP!" Molly roared, and they all laughed.