Shadow Claw: The Life Story - The Fifth Chapter

Ch. 27 - A Fault

Jenny's POV

There had been rumours flitting around that Aragog, Hagrid's massive Acromantula, had died and Harry Potter had been there for its funeral. I believed the rumours, at least, not the exaggerated ones. It turned out to be true.

I was in a bad mood, though.

Harry wished to tell Ron, Hermione and I something very important during lessons, and so I decided that I would tolerate them at least for a small while. He cast the spell Muffliato on the surrounding people, and then began to tell us everything that Dumbledore had told him, and I had a feeling I should have told Nova, but Shadow was out of the question.

It went something like this: Voldemort had acquired certain objects and turned them into Horcruxes by murdering people - Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets, Marvolo's ring from the Slytherin family, both being destroyed, however there were a total of six apparently: the diary, the ring, Nagini the snake, the locket of Slytherin, and the Hufflepuff cup, but the last one was unknown to them at present. However, Dumbledore had explained that without Voldemort, Harry would not have been the Chosen One, he would not have his scar, or his Parseltongue language, and perhaps the Prophecy would not have mattered, but Voldemort chose to take action and destroy that which would destroy him, unintentionally creating his enemy which he feared almost out of respect.

The lesson ended abruptly and we had a free period. I decided that causing trouble was the last thing I wanted to do since the lessons were getting harder, though we had less homework which was always nice.

More rumours spread throughout the day, that Katie Bell, the girl cursed by the strange necklace, had returned but could not remember how the ordeal had occurred. I believed it also, and it too, turned out to be true. She slipped back into the Quidditch team, kicking off McLaggen with Ron back in place too - even for my horrific mood, their practice was outstanding. Harry seemed to rather flirtatious around Ginny, though that was none of my business.

James still did not speak as much, and Shadow was just as bad.

However, as jealous as I was of the Gryffindor team, and as much as I was agitated with my friends, and as desperate as I was to help Draco, I was dreading the days that followed one after the other, one by one, slower and slower.

The Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match was only a few days away, and May was slowly drawing to a close, its sluggish days almost caustic towards me.

I spent my nights drawling around in the corridors while I was supposed to be at dinner. However, on one particular night, I was flitting around the boys' bathroom corridor, contemplating what it was like to be a ghost and imagining what my death would look like and my appearance returned from the grave, and I happened to pass the bathroom, when there was an ungodly racket.

"No! No! Stop it!" Moaning Myrtle was wailing like a child, which was common for her, but not at this aptitude. "Stop! STOP!"

There was a sound like a backfired spell, and then a crashing, smashing clatter as if one of the cistern's had been shattered. There was another sound; pouring water, and then some began to leak through the door. I decided to take action, and fled into the bathroom with my wand raised. Draco rolled to the side, ducking a hex from Harry, who was peeking from a corner of a cubicle. They were dueling!

Draco ran out into the sink clearing, "Jenny, get out of-..!" He spun at the sound of Harry's movement and began to cast a spell, "CRUCI-"

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Harry bellowed.

"Draco, no!" I screamed, and shoved him harshly into a sink, the spell hitting me in the centre of my chest. I was affected by a feeling like a sword of glass shards slashing my body; I staggered back, and then collapsed on the waterlogged floor, scrabbling at my chest with bloodied hands.

"No-" Harry gasped from somewhere about the bathroom. "No, I didn't-" His voice blurred, and my vision swerved for a moment. I shuddered and quaked, writhing and contorting on the grates with a moan of agony. Draco dropped to my side, blubbering for me to stay awake.

Moaning Myrtle elicited a deafening screech. "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"

The door slammed open, and in came Snape, his face pinched - he was livid. He pushed Harry aside roughly and knelt over me, drawing his wand over my body with a song-like incantation. Pain seared through me and I screamed, my first sound since defeat. The flow of blood eased up, and Snape wiped the residue from my sweating face, repeating the spell. My wounds knitted together uncomfortably, and my back arched in discomfort. Snape half-lifted me into a standing position, but I was uncontrollably shaking. Draco forced himself to compose, and helped me up too.

Harry was horrified, watching with misty eyes as Myrtle sobbed and wailed with increasingly evident enjoyment.

"You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that... Draco take her... go..." Draco escorted me to the Hospital Wing, and from there, I saw Shadow enter the bathroom with an expression the definition of fury.

Shadow's POV

I circled Harry, my paws sending shock waves of water lapping at Harry's shoes. "You better hope and pray you don't fall asleep." I hissed at him, conscious that Snape was watching me with his dark, obsidian, beady eyes.

Harry gulped, "Why?" His voice cracks out, vulnerable like a newborn kitten.

I let him stare in silence for a short moment, before I answered. "Because you're my prey now."

My tail lashed through the water as I prowled out of the bathroom, clicking and hissing in Claw. I left Harry in the hands of Snape.

My eyes shadowed in grief briefly, but I carried on my journey towards the Hospital Wing. This argument with Jenny had gone on long enough - she had got hurt, and I hadn't been there for her.

How could I forgive myself?