Shadow Claw: The Life Story - The Fifth Chapter

Ch. 25 - Poisonous Friendships

February swiftly grazed past, leaving March in its wake, with no difference in weather except that the wind and wet picked up a notch. The next trip to Hogsmeade had been cancelled, much to everybody's displeasure.

There had been some incredibly dark rumours that Ron Weasley had been poisoned, which turned out to be true after I paid a visit to the Hospital Wing and had the pleasure of seeing Fred and George and a rather juicy bit of young love - Lavender and Hermione were waging war against one another, and quite frankly, it was amusing beyond spoken words.

Jenny had been increasingly distant, while James had been getting so worked up that I had set Tobias and Snowy on him just so that he'd shut up - however, I had not seen him all day. Shade and I had been managing to spend time together, and I had also been keeping the other females at bay - especially from the other warriors that guarded the school. Most were grateful, while a small portion called me a cold old lady. They got a very furious slap for that comment.

I was far from being old.

However, the Quidditch match was on - Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor. I watched grimly from underneath the stands while Shade stood beside me and watched Tobias and Snowy leap around in the dry grass, making sure they didn't slip or get cold. I sighed, leaning into my mate with a small groan - my fingers were getting cold, so I slipped them into his hands. "Baby, you're cold." He kissed my burning forehead, concerned that I might have a fever. "I don't feel cold. I'm hot." I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my head, and I groaned again very slightly.

"You're burning up. I can't help you here, Shadow. You need to get inside - you have a fever." He tried to take me away, but I insisted that I stayed to watch the game. He agreed on the conditions that I we would shift and cuddle to maintain my temperature. Tobias and Snowy flicked droplets of rain from their ears, joining us between my paws.

Luna Lovegood was commentating, for a reason nobody knew the answer to. The game was seventy-forty to Hufflepuff and Harry was getting incredibly frustrated at Cormac McLaggen throughout the ordeal - "Oh look! The Gryffindor Keeper's got hold of one of the Beater's bats." Luna stated rather calmly, and all eyes, surprised, turned to McLaggen, who had Peakes's bat. He was - for some reason, unknown to everybody like most other things that day - demonstrating how to hit a Bludger towards the Hufflepuff player, Cadwallader.

"Will you give him back his bat and get back to the goalposts!" Roared Harry, enraged with the meddling male. He pelted towards him, basically fuming from his ears. However, as he reached him, McLaggen took a ferocious swipe at the Bludger and misjudged the direction, sending it straight into Harry's head.

He fell from his broom instantly, and the crowd went silent, except from one scream.

"HARRY!" It was Jenny's voice.

I remained indifferent to the situation, and as Harry was escorted away, though he was completely unconscious, Jenny appeared and went with him, while James was still nowhere to be seen.

The game was rather violent from that point in, ending in a sore score of three hundred and twenty to sixty, to Hufflepuff.

"Come on, let's get you inside." Shade nudged my side as Tobias and Snowy climbed onto his back, and I reluctantly traversed back to school with exhausted paws. "I gotta see... Jenny... if Harry's alright." I mumbled out, but Shade wasn't happy with that answer - "No. Come to the common room." By the time he had scolded me and turned around to check if I was listening, I was off round the corner and headed towards the Hospital Wing, vanished from sight. I heard him sigh deeply and mutter that I'd never learn.

I reached my destination in double the time I would have had I not been clogged up and dead on my paws. "Is Harry alright?" I uttered out as I entered. Ron was sitting beside his sleeping form, while Jenny was pacing up and down with feared mumbles. "Yeah, cracked skull, but he'll be alright. I'm more worried about Jenny." Ron pointed out, gesturing to the girl with a strange expression. Jenny did not stop pacing, but I knew she was listening.

"I wouldn't worry, Ron. She isn't worth the time of day." I rumbled, adding a slight smirk in her direction just to piss her off further. She couldn't ignore my gestures, and so made a sneering expression at me. "Don't worry about little Jenny, she'll be alright, it's just a phase! I suppose you'd know all about phases!" She practically snarled out. It hit home - it struck a nerve and I advanced towards her slowly. "You don't know the horrors I've seen, Jenny Potter, the girl who got away! I have been through Hell and back to get where I am now, so don't you dare tell me all of that was a phase!" I roared, baring my teeth with the intent to kill - but I held back. Something held me back, inside my mind.

"You scraped your way through, Shadow! You never put effort towards everything, because you're the mighty Shadow Claw, and nothing gets past you!" Shouted Jenny, her hands balled into fists and her hair standing on end as it surrounded her face, giving the impression she had become rather animalistic.

I backed up slightly, my heart hurting. "Jealousy is a form of hatred built upon insecurity Jenny. You're still hiding something, and I plan to find out exactly what it is." My voice lowered, and I shuffled my wings as I left with harsh clacks of my claws against the smooth floor. Jenny would break one of these days, and I knew that deep in my soul, so would I. Perhaps not soon, but one day.

I headed back to the Slytherin common room, slumping as I got to my spot in front of the crackling, virescent fire. "What in Merlin's beard are you doing?" Draco accused from the sofa, however his tone carried no sneer. I supposed we were past that point of hostility. I told him to fuck off and rolled onto my side, ignoring Shade who stood at his post in human form, looking displeased as he scolded our kittens for trying to touch the fire - I sighed, groaning very briefly as my temperature soared once more.

"Where's Jenny, anyway?" He was trying to sound discreet, but his facade broke through.

"Hospital Wing, keeping Harry company." He made to get up, but after I mentioned Harry, he sat back down with a rather disgusted expression. I snorted, "He's unconscious, and I suspect Ron is asleep now too." He seemed rather relaxed at that statement.

Shade made his way over to me, crouching down and feeling my forehead. "Get some sleep, Shadow. You're much too tired." He laid his legs below my head, and so I fell asleep.

The last thing I saw in my waking visions was Draco getting up from the sofa, and Pansy asking him where he was going; he replied the Hospital Wing, for a reason I didn't hear, but Pansy bought it and he disappeared from the common room with swift intent.