Shadow Claw: The Life Story - The Fifth Chapter

Ch. 17 - Change For Worse

Okay, so I REALLY want Salem to be good, but his actions so far are much too evil for me to change his perception of the world. Salem lovers? (If there are any) I'm so very sorry. He's evil, full stop. And there's a bit of Drarry in Nova's letter, if you can sense it with your gay-dar.

+ Extra long chapter, because I haven't written one in two days.

Another Month Later

Dear Shadow,

I've been talking with Hawthorne, and we have reason to believe Jenny is a Death Eater.

I know it sounds crazy, but just read on and I'll explain: Jenny is friends with Draco, and we all think he's a Death Eater - come on, you can sense dark forces all around him, surely - so perhaps he's using his closeness to her to get to Harry. He's been frustrated recently, and I don't think it's just because of Quidditch and those girls that are fawning over everybody these days. Perhaps that's Draco's special mission - Harry has said he's been acting weird ever since he got off the Hogwarts Express this year. It's like he's worried about him or something, I don't know.

Shadow, please tell me you agree! You need to keep an eye on Jenny - she's been causing a little bit of ruckus, I hear. She's never had a detention, Shadow, and suddenly she's this- oh, I don't know, some kind of badass-wannabe. She dip-dyed her hair, she's slacking, she tried to pierce her ears, she's getting bad reports and she's stirring up arguments that should stay in the past!

I don't have anything against Jenny, Shadow, but isn't it all a bit suspicious? This can't be a teenager thing, or even a human thing, right?

The kits are doing well, and I hope they get along with Snowy and Tobias. Are you sending them back or keeping them at Hogwarts?

Write soon,

Nova. x

P.S. - Salem has been spotted around your area, so try not to go anywhere alone.

My fists clenched around the paper, and a sullen Jenny beside me snatched the letter from my fingertips after analyzing my expression. Her eyes rolled as she tossed it aside, but I caught it again and hissed at her, "She's got one thing right - your attitude is pissing me off." I watched her with contempt, curling my lips slightly. She stuck her chin up at me and sauntered out of the Slytherin common room, her hips swaying dramatically, her jaw tensed and her scarlet dip-dyed hair swishing across her back. I caught Shade watching her lower quarters and he returned to his post, looking very ashamed, as he should be. Snowy and Tobias were sleeping in his spot, curled around each other and purring happily. The cold weather didn't bother them much since Snowy was a Snow Claw - very used to cold climates, whether they lived in a tundra or not - and Tobias was a Fire Claw, which meant his body temperature was usually higher than normal, so he never really got cold unless he was sad.

I shook my head, writing a quick letter back to Nova with furious eyes. I was angry at her, but I was also enraged at Jenny - over the last month, she had... changed. Nova's letter explained it all - her grades were dropping, she had obtained numerous detentions with all her teachers, she had dip-dyed her hair and added a red streak to her new fringe that sat across her right eye, she had failed an attempt at piercing her ears, she was causing ridiculous amounts of trouble, her reports were worse than James' and her cares might as well have flown out the window and been eaten by the giant squid.

I took a glance at Nova's letter, and I might have laughed at the little paw prints over the parchment if I wasn't so agitated. I began to write a reply, forcing my hand to calm itself or I'd cut the paper.