Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 14

"Wh-what?" Remus muttered with widened eyes, his face draining of all color.

"Oh, relax. I didn't say I wanted you to join me," Jenna joked, laughing.

       But it was as if her humor had gone past Remus and he went paler, if that was even possible.

      "I'm kidding!" Jenna said.

      "No, it's not that." Remus shook a hand at her. "I'm just still not over the fact that I thought you were dead for twelve years, and then when I finally see you, the first thing that you say to me is if you can use my shower."

      "Well, technically, the first thing I told you was that you look old," she answered with a cheeky grin.

       Remus sighed. "Jenna, what are you doing here?"

      "I told you," she shrugged, "I wanted to take a quick shower. Look, I haven't been able to clean myself properly for weeks. I feel disgusting."

      "No, I don't mean here here." Remus shoo his head. "I mean... what are you doing at Hogwarts? Why like this, so secretive? And where the hell have you been all this time!?"

       "Look..." Jenna sighed. "Can I come in and explain everything later? I can't stay in human form for too long out here. It's risky. Someone might see me, and then I would have to go through the trouble to Obiliviate them."

"Er — yeah, sure. Come in," he said awkwardly, moving aside so she could get inside.

"It's a nice place you've got here," said Jenna, looking around the room as Remus closed the door behind them.

"Thanks," said Remus hesitantly. "The bathroom's there." He pointed.

"Right..." Jenna nodded, walking toward it without another word.

As she closed the bathroom door behind her, she took off her clothes and waved her wand at them, causing her clothes to wash themselves magically in the sink before getting into the shower.

After spending a long while under the hot water as it washed her tiredness away, Jenna got out and dried herself and her clothes with a swish of her wand, wearing them and getting out of the bathroom. Remus was sitting at the edge of his bed, staring down at a spot on the ground, still looking dazed and puzzled.

"Thanks for letting me in," said Jenna with a grin, walking toward him and sitting next to him on the bed.

"Would you care to explain now?" said Remus, turning to face her sternly. "Where have you been all these years?"

Jenna sighed and then started telling him all about Dumbledore's mission for her and how he had told her that Harry was dead, and explained how she took a Portkey to run away that same night.

"Does Dumbledore know?" asked Remus. "That you're back, I mean."

"No." She shook her head simply. "If he knew, I'm scared that he would try to send me back again, saying that it's not safe for me to stay here."

"But why are you here, Jenna?" Remus asked breathlessly. "After all these years... why did you come back now?"

"Because of Sirius," she answered in a small voice. "I heard that —"

"Jenna, please don't do anything stupid," he said suddenly.

She stared at him blankly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I know what you must think of Sirius — but he has changed — don't go looking for him."

"But Sirius is innocent, Remus," she said with a smile. "He didn't —"

"You don't know what you're talking about," he cut her off. "You didn't even know Harry was alive until quite recently, and it's just the same with Sirius. You've been gone for too long to know what's going on."

"I thought you would have more faith in him!" Jenna started angrily, getting off the bed. "I thought you were his friend!"

"I thought he was my friend too! But he thought I was the traitor, in case you have forgotten! But then he goes on and betray them himself!"

"It wasn't him, Remus! It was P —"

"—You're blinded by love!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!" Remus yelled, standing up as well. "And you know what else!? It was selfish of you to leave like that, twelve years ago!"

"What did you expect me to do, Remus!? Both the Death Eaters and the Ministry were after me! Besides, I had nothing left! I had lost my mum, dad, Marlene, James, Lily — and I thought I had even lost Harry — then Sirius was sent away to Azkaban — I was all alone — I had no one else to stay behind for!"

"YOU HAD ME!"

Jenna's face fell at that and her gaze fell onto the floor, her eyes filling up with tears once again. Remus breathed a few times, trying to calm himself down.

"You think you're the only one who was left into shatters after the war?" he said slowly. "I lost three of my best friends too in the same day, and Lily. And I thought you were gone too — and then my mum passed away... it was all too much. But I could've come with you! Neither of us had to be left alone like that, if you had just trusted me enough to tell me!"

"It wasn't that simple," said Jenna feebly, her knees weakening and so she sat back down on the bed. "I was devastated — I couldn't even think — all I knew was that I wanted the pain to end — I just wanted to forget everything — even myself, for that matter."

Remus sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck as he took his seat next to Jenna. "I'm sorry — that I yelled... I don't know what got into me."

"It's all right," Jenna smiled at him weakly, before moving forward and brining him into a hug. "I'm sorry too. For leaving like that without an explanation."

With that, Remus wrapped his arms around her body, bringing her closer to him as they both closed their eyes, staying like that for long seconds in each other's embrace.

He then cleared his throat, pulling away at last. "So... you didn't tell me how come you were undercover here as Crookshanks."

"Oh, yeah..." said Jenna, although she changed her mind and decided not to tell Remus anything about meeting Sirius, or Pettigrew, knowing that he wouldn't believe her. So she just said, "I wanted to be with Harry. I recently found out that he was alive, so I wanted to look after him."

Remus smiled, looking down. "He looks so much like James."

"Yeah... he really is." Jenna nodded, her vision going blurry with tears once more, even though she was smiling too. "But he has L—"

"Lily's eyes," Remus completed her. "Yeah, I noticed."

"Alice's son is here too, you know," said Jenna all of a sudden. "Neville. He was on the train."

"Yeah, I saw him too."

"I really miss her," Jenna smiled. "Alice, I mean. I wonder what she's up to these days."

      "You — you don't know?" Remus said in a hollow voice.

      At those words, Jenna's face went pale and her heart sank anxiously. "Know what?"

Remus looked away as those words, his mouth immediately going dry. "Jenna I — I think there's something you should know."