the case of dawna flynn - r.j lupin

eight

Just after the christmas break Harry was back with Remus in the DADA classroom.

Now it wasn't that Red disliked Harry but Remus seemed to not talk to her as much when he was around and ut annoyed her. She sat on the stairs and lazily watched as Harry tried his second time to perfrom the patronus charm and blinked as he did it. It was impressive, she doubted she could do it herself if she was human. Red had thought about what happy memory she would choose if she were to cast the patronus charm but she didn't think she had one happy enough it coukd shield her from some of the wizarding worlds most foul creatures.

When Remus and Harry sat down on the steps she got and ran to sit between the two and Harry pet her gently. He'd tried gaining the cats trust but it had proved difficult.

"You'd have given your father a run for his money." Remus told Harry and the cat laid down as he spoke.

Red had never spoken to James like she'd never spoken to Remus but in the time that she had spent in Hogwarts she'd of course known of the boy.

James Potter was a quidditch legend and he was part of the Marauders himself. Until she found comfort in Remus Lupin, she had been rather fond of James. Although he appeared snobbish and extremely arrogant at times he was friendly and kind.

When Remus had first taken her in, James was the first to warm up to her as a cat and they bonded almost as well as she and Remus did. It was with James she started napping across shoulders, and her cat self seemed to find it one of the most comfortable places to nap.

"Remus is going to be fine, Red." James Potter spoke in a soothing voice as he picked up the cat and helped her onto his shoulders. Red was smaller back then.
"He's just tired, how about we go and terrorise Sirius?" James offered and the cat perked up at the that and the boy laughed before he made sure Remus was okay one last time before leaving the dorm.

The pair found Sirius in the common room with Marlene McKinnon and Peter Pettigrew.

Terrorising Sirius wasn't really terrorising in a sense, it was more that Sirius hadn't really warmed up to the cat yet.
"Hey guys," James called and the three looked up towards him with welcoming smiles. Sirius' fell when he saw Red.
"James, I swear to-" Sirius couldn't finish his sentence before James had dropped Red atop Sirius' lap and Red made quick work.

She brushed up into Sirius instantly and rolled about ontop of him until Sirius had gathered himself and threw the cat off of him.

" James man.. " Sirius whined as he stood up trying to brush all of the ginger and white hairs off of his uniform. James picked up Red and held her like a baby.
"Pads, don't throw her." James scolded as he babied the cat, rocking her in his arms.

"Don't drop her on me then,"

As Red thought back she knew that Sirius Black didn't hate her at the time but it made the cat feel jovial at the time. She got to mess with the one and only Sirius Black with no repercussions.

Red watched as Harry left the room and turned to face Remus who was already looking at her.

"Did you know my patronus is a wolf Red?" Remus asked the cat, she sat there in silence. Remus hadn't expected an answer.
"Its ironic isn't it, considering the whole Werewolf thing." Pulling out his wand, he cast the patronus charm and they both watched as a silvery wolf sprung out into the world. Remus hated his patronus which is why he scarcely performed a corpreal patronus although they proved stronger.

Red got up and played with the patronus for a few minutes before Remus couldn't bare to look at it anymore and dropped his wand, causing the patronus to vanish.

He sat with his head in his hands and his shoulders shaking. He was crying.

It seemed pathetic in retrospect. A grown man, well into his thirties was crying over the animal his patronus came out to be. But the animal had emotional repercussions on him.

Being a werewolf was the biggest burden of Remus' life. For years he'd been afraid of himself, afraid of how people would judge him and treat him differently if they found out what he was. He'd carried that burden on his shoulder since he was 4 years old and it caused him mental constraint.

Red came and pushed inbetween his hand and brushed against his face trying to rid it of tears and Remus laughed at the attempt and pat the cats head affectionately.

"You're such a good cat Red, you keep me grounded." Remus spoke and the cat purred in amusement. If only he knew Remus kept her grounded too.