Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

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Hermione leaned over her library books, trying to figure out how to get most of her homework done. She was starting to be thankful of having dropped those two classes because the homework was getting higher and higher by the minute. She was turning the page when suddenly the library's door burst opened as Harry and Ron running over to her. 

"Hermione!" Ron hissed in a low/high whispered as they loomed over the table, panting and breathing roughly. Hermione's eyes shot over to the Firebolt in Harry's hand and sighed. 

"I see you've got your Firebolt back. Bet you just came here to get after me? But I have no time for that," Hermione asked, returning her attention to her homework. 

"Oh-- yeah Firebolt, whatever--" Harry said, causing Hermione to shoot her head up. Harry had been sulking around the school because he didn't have the broomstick and now that he had it, he actually said... 'whatever'? 

"Hermione! You're in danger!" Ron blurted out. Hermione narrowed her eyes. 

"We've already know this, Ron. Fenrir is keeping his eyes on me..." 

"No! Barty Crouch Jr.! He's back!" Harry told her. Her eyes widened. 

"What? But... but he... but we haven't seen him since second year... and even then he barely showed himself to me. Why is he back here?" Hermione stated, wondering what brought Barty Crouch Jr. back here again. 

"I don't know, but I saw him crunched over something. I think he's planning something now!" Harry told her. She shrugged her shoulders

"But what can we do? I mean he's supposed to be in Azkaban and no one has yet to report him missing from there, so everyone thinks he's still there. How are we going to explain him being here?" Hermione asked them. They looked as confused and fearful as she was.

The three of them headed towards the Gryffindor Tower, trying to think of ways of how to deal with Barty Crouch Jr., until they entered the common room. Soon the attention was shifted onto Harry's Firebolt. Hermione sulk over towards the fireplace, allowing Harry to show off his broomstick. 

"Okay, i better put this upstairs-- " she could hear Harry telling everyone. 

"I'll take it!" Ron said, eagerly, "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic." 

Ron took Harry's Firebolt and rushed up to the boys' staircase. Harry walked over towards Hermione as he sat across from her. 

"Cheer up, Hermione. We're going to make sure Barty Crouch Jr. doesn't try anything--" he didn't have time to say another word when a yell echoed down the boys' staircase. Everyone stood there, petrified to their spots. Then came hurried footsteps, and then Ron came leaping into their view, clinging to a bedsheet. 

"LOOK! LOOK!" Ron shouted, pushing it right into Hermione's face. 

"Ron, what--" 

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!" Ron cried out, his voice trembling. Hermione tried to keep her distance from the bedsheet that had something red on it. Something that looked horribly like--

"BLOOD! HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?" Ron shouted at Hermione. She didn't even had the time to ask when Ron shoved the locks of several long, ginger cat hairs into her face. 

It appeared as though it was the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Ron was enraged that she didn't take Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent. But she merely couldn't see it since they had no body, and she wasn't the only one there with an ginger cat! Plus, the hair could have been picked up by someone and taken up there since Crookshanks shedded a lot and fur clings to clothes easily. Also, she was convince, ron had always been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had showed up in the common room. 

Worse, Harry was on Ron's side about Crookshanks. She lost her temper with him, shouting at him. So she suggested that since they always think it's her fault, that they could just stay the hell away from her. 

Harry was upset. Just as when their friendship was starting to mend from the whole Firebolt situation, it broke back again with Scabbers's death. He was concerned since Hermione shouldn't be going around alone with Barty Crouch Jr. and Fenrir Greyback lurking around the school. 

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had finished with their practice but Harry hung back so Ron could have a few goes with the Firebolt. While Ron was in the air, Harry frozen when he noticed within the leaves there was a large pair of eyes that gleamed bright at him. He pulled out his wand and mumbled 'lumos'. The beam of light fell across the grass and found crouching among the leaves was Crookshanks. 

"Hey! You better get out of here or..." Harry warned the cat when he noticed Crookshanks's head was motioning at him like it wanted Harry to follow him. Crookshanks scurried across the leaves a few feet away before turning around and meowing at Harry. He peered over towards Ron, who was still taking a ride on the Firebolt. He would probably be gone for a minute, Harry thought as he hurried after the cat. 

Crookshanks wobbled a few yards away from the quidditch field and towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry was just about to follow Crookshanks into the forest when suddenly, Harry froze and quickly huddled behind a tree. A man walked out from behind the tree. It wasn't Barty Crouch Jr. or Fenrir Greyback. This man was medium-built with tan skin and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a pair of leather boots with a pair of plaid pants tucked into them with a button up shirt under a leather jacket. His long fuzzy, brown hair was pulled back in a low bow with some of his bangs left out to frame his face. 

Harry watched as the man bent down and began petting Crookshanks and Crookshanks... was purring! 

"Hello there, Kitty. How are you doing?" the man asked the cat like it was going to speak. Crookshanks meowed. 

"Aw, I see." 

"Meow..." 

"Really?" 

"Meow..." 

"Interesting? You did good, kitty cat. Thanks for informing me. You are a good cat. Hermione is in good hands with you around." The man told Crookshanks, who brushed its head against the man's hand and purred. Harry was glued at the sight as he watched the man stand up and hurried back into the forest and Crookshanks headed towards Hogwarts with its tail up high.