Badgersoul

Chapter 16: Crouching Lion

Chapter 16: Crouching Lion

They finally did it. James is a stag and Siri is a black dog - none of us could stop laughing when we saw his Animagus form. We ran around the Forbidden Forest a bit and Sirius showed us a spot he often went to when he needed to think. It was an inlet and, after seeing the way the stars reflected in the water's surface, I could see why he came there so often. There's definitely something peaceful - something magical - about that place.

**

Leo, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the Owlery after breakfast on Sunday to send a letter to Percy, asking, as Sirius had suggested, whether he had seen Crouch lately. They used Hedwig because it had been so long since she'd had a job. Afterward, Leo's three friends went down to the kitchens to visit Dobby – and perhaps get more information out of Winky as well. That left Leo to his own devices.

He went up to his dorm room, jumped on his bed, and drew his hangings around him before he opened the Map and stared at Crouch's dot, still in Moody's office. Leo stayed there most of the day, only leaving to eat lunch with Draco and dinner with Luna before going right back to staring at it, waiting for Crouch to move. Much to his growing irritation, Crouch stayed in the office throughout Sunday.

By breakfast the next day, Leo was in a rather foul mood, which all of his friends noticed and wisely decided not to comment on. Approaching Leo while he was in this state was just asking to get punched or set on fire. When the post owls arrived, Hermione looked up eagerly; she seemed to be expecting something.

"Percy won't've had time to answer yet," said Ron. "We only sent Hedwig yesterday."

Draco sent a confused look at Leo, who moodily stabbed at his eggs.

"No, it's not that," said Hermione. "I've taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. I'm getting sick of finding everything out from the Slytherins."

"Good thinking!" said Harry, also looking up at the owls. "Hey, Hermione, I think you're in luck -"

A grey owl was soaring down toward Hermione.

"It hasn't got a newspaper, though," she said, looking disappointed. "It's -"

But to her bewilderment, the gray owl landed in front of her plate, closely followed by four barn owls, a brown owl, and a tawny. By that point, not even Leo could help but be curious at the number of owls she was getting.

"How many subscriptions did you take out?" said Harry, seizing Hermione's goblet before it was knocked over by the cluster of owls, all of whom were jostling close to her, trying to deliver their own letter first.

"Enough," Leo barked at the flock of owls, who all straightened at his word. "First come, first serve. Line up."

There were several indignant hoots before they all did as he requested, lining up behind the grey owl who puffed out his chest and stuck his leg out to Hermione.

"What on earth - ?" Hermione said, taking the letter from the grey owl, opening it, and starting to read. "Oh really!" she sputtered, going rather red.

"What's up?" said Ron.

"It's - oh how ridiculous -"

She thrust the letter at Harry and Leo prepared himself to read over his shoulder when a few owls landed in front of him as well. He raised an eyebrow before grabbing the closest one and ripping it open somewhat forcefully before reading its contents and rolling his eyes as it said: