the case of dawna flynn - r.j lupin

seven

"Why do the dementors affect me so Professor?" Harry Potter asked Remus Lupin as they trekked the outskirts of the forbidden forest. Red wandered beside them, keeping her distance from Harry and brushing around Lupins feet.

"Dementors can feel our fear, Harry. They feed on every good feeling and memory and it just so happens that your pain is worse than most, you're not weak." Remus told the boy as they stopped by a boulder and Red jumped atop.
"I'm scared, Professor." Harry expressed and Remus let out an exasperated chuckle.
"I'd be concerned if you weren't." He scratched Red behind the ear and the cat purred lowly.

"Do you think you could teach me to fight them? You made that one on the train go away." Harry asked as he offered a hand out to Red and the cat sniffed it absent mindedly.
"Possibly Harry, but one dementor is one thing. More is another. I'm inclined to teach you, but not till after the holidays. You've had your fill of dementors for now boy."

Red moved away from the boy as he went to pet her. It wasn't that she didn't like Harry but she felt indifferent about him. She knew his importance and who he was.
"Be nice, Red." Remus scolded gently and the cat meowed and jumped up, landing gently on the professors shoulder.
"Its okay professor," Harry said with a smile. "She doesn't know me to well." This upset the cat and she jumped onto the ground and brushed up against Harry's legs and got her fur all over his legs on purpose before slowly trotting off on her own.

× × ×

Time had passed and it started snowing at Hogwarts. Remus was sleeping in late and Red was restless, she wanted Remus to get up so they could go and do something but she understood that he was tired and deserved the rest so Red didn't try wake him.

After making sure he was okay she slipped out the cat flap and strolled down the stairs and out into the castles corridors. It was cold and the tall stone walls made it worse then most could imagine, even as a cat it was almost unbearable but she put up with it as she needed the walk to just do something and lapping the school a few times would do her good anyway. Although a Hufflepuff at heart she found a comfort in the Gryffindor common room, whether it was the warmth of the room or the honey feeling she wasn't sure.

She sat outside the painting, waiting for it to open. The Fat Lady, although havibg been ripped from her painting a little while ago was back and staring down at her.
"Shoo you mangy thing." She hissed and the cat sat and stared still. "I'm not letting you in." she said and moments after the painting swung open but as she moved to go inside she was almost blinded by a shimmer of light. There was nothing there but it took her a few moments to realise what it was.

She'd seen the shimmer before, fifteen years ago and she knew very well what it was and who it belonged too. James Potter's invisibility cloak.

Red discarded the common room and chased the moving shimmer. As a person she knew she wouldn't be able to see the cloak but cat vision allowed it. She wasn't sure who was beneath it but she still followed out of curiosity for just a name. Following got easier outside as she could see the footprints in the snow and was watching those when eh almost got toppled over by two red heads and an invisible force.

Red knew the two as the Weasley twins and they said hello to her in passing and she followed them.
When they got in a stairwell Red watched in astonishment as Harry Potter appeared from under the cloak but it made sense. It was his father's cloak after all.

"Why have you guys done this?" Harry cried and the twins hushed him.
"We know you want to get to Hogsmeade but we have a quicker and more secret way for you." They shoved a blank piece of parchment into Harry's hand and Red recognised it immediately. She jumped onto the stair beside Harry and the boy gave her and odd look before patting her head.
" What's this rubbish?" Harry asked and Red could have laughed at the look on the boys' faces.

"He thinks its a bit of rubbish." Fred spoke to George and they both laughed.
"It's not rubbish Harry, its one of the best things we've found. Show him George."
George pulled out his wand and spoke simple words.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He tapped the map simply as he spoke and Red, in astonishment of seeing the mao again jumped up onto Harry's shoulder and he crumpled under her weight a little bit.

"Jesus, how does Lupin carry you for so long?" Harry asked and the cat swatted him, offended. The twins laughed.
"You get used to the weight, Red comes with us on our escapades sometimes." George told Harry and pet the cat affectionately. She did that because the twins reminded her of the Marauders, she had no idea they had the map though.

Harry turned his attention back to the map and was staring in astonishment.
"Messrs; Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders map." Harry spoke aloud and all Red could think was that she needed to tell Remus. But she didn't know how.
"We owe them so much." George said.
" This is Hogwarts, " he noted and then gasped. "That's Dumbledore-"
"In his study," George stared.
"Pacing. He does that alot." Fred told the boy and Harry laughed as the cat still stared at the map.
"So this map, it shows everyone?"

"Everyone." Fred started this time.
"Everyone?" Harry asked again.
"Where they are,"
"What they're doing,"
"Every minute,"
"Of Every day."

Red had jumped from Harry's shoulders in seconds and was out of the stairwell instantly and darted for Remus' room and when she got there he was awake getting ready.

"Oh there you are Red, I was wondering where you'd gotten too." he said as he glanced at the cat coming in through the cat flap.
"Woah!" he laughed as the cat headbutted his leg. "What's wrong Red?" he asked and the cat bit at his trouser leg and pulled to the door.

It took him a few moments.

"Want me to follow you?" Remus asked and the cat meowed and darted for the out the door. "Alright, one moment Red." He called as he threw on his scarf and a coat before grabbing his wand and following the cat.

After practically running after her they rounded by the stairwell where she had left the boys and she stopped short at the emptiness.

"An empty stairwell Red?" Remus asked as he picked up the confused cat who meowed in protest. Oh how she wished she could speak right now. "You silly cat, you just trying to get me to exercise?" He laughed and she jumped out of his hands and onto the top step and looked up at him

Red tried her best to act out the functions of the Marauders map but it was hopeless. There was only so little she could express.
Lupin looked at her for a few more minutes before he scooped her up again and placed her on his shoulder and she laid down across both and Remus scratched her head. She looked defeated.

"Oh how I wish you could speak sometimes Red. So I could understand what's going through that funny little head of yours." Remus hummed as he headed towards the Great Hall, yawning. She wished she could speak too, then people would know she wasn't meant to be a cat.

"I'd say its time for breakfast now, wouldn't you?"