Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 117

The night of Harry's detention with Umbridge, Crookshanks stayed up late in the common room along with Ron and Hermione, who were both waiting for Harry anxiously. The ginger cat was laying on the carpet in front of the blazing fire, lost in her thoughts.

     "She's horrible," said Hermione, shaking her head as they were sitting on the couch before the fireplace. "We have to do something about Umbridge."

     "We could poison her," Ron suggested grimly, and Jenna felt proud of him for what felt like the first time.

    Hermione opened her mouth to respond with a frown, but she was cut short when the portrait swung open and Harry walked into the common room, looking distressed.

     "Harry!" Hermione suddenly jumped to her feet and gasped.

     It took Jenna a few moments to see him fully and realize that the back of his hand was bleeding. She felt her stomach clutch at the sight, and it took her everything to prevent her fur from changing color.

    "Here," Hermione said anxiously, pushing a small bowl of yellow liquid toward him after conjuring it into a bowl, "soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained and pickled murtlap tentacles, it should help."

     Harry placed his bleeding, aching hand into the bowl and experienced a wonderful feeling of relief. Crookshanks curled around his legs, purring loudly, and then leapt beside him on the couch and settled down.

     "Thanks," Harry said gratefully, scratching behind Crookshanks's ears with his left hand.

     "I still reckon you should complain about this," said Ron in a low voice.

     "No," said Harry flatly.

     "McGonagall would go nuts if she knew —"

     "Yeah, she probably would," said Harry. "And how long d'you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another Decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"

     Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out, and after a moment he closed it again in a defeated sort of way.

     "She's an awful woman," said Hermione in a small voice. "Awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in... we've got to do something about her."

     "I suggested poison," said Ron grimly.

     "No... I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any defense from her at all," said Hermione.

     "Well, what can we do about that?" said Ron, yawning. " 'S too late, isn't it? She got the job, she's here to stay, Fudge'll make sure of that."

    "Well," said Hermione tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today..." She shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, "I was thinking that — maybe the time's come when we should just — just do it ourselves."

     "Do what ourselves?" said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of murtlap tentacles.

     "Well — learn Defense Against the Dark Arts ourselves," said Hermione.

     "Come off it! Harry and I are already falling behind our lessons and homework enough as it is! Besides, we can't do much by ourselves," said Ron defensively. "I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practice them, I suppose —"

     "No, I agree, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books," said Hermione. "We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."

     Jenna finally took her yellow eyes away from Harry's hand and looked up at Hermione curiously, wondering where she was going with this.

     "If you're talking about Lupin..." Harry began.

     "No, no, I'm not talking about Lupin," said Hermione. "He's too busy with the Order and anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that's not nearly often enough."

     "Who, then?" said Harry, frowning at her.

     Hermione heaved a very deep sigh. "Isn't it obvious?" she said. "I'm talking about you, Harry."

***

Jenna had promised Dumbledore to talk to him if Harry and the others were either in trouble or were up to something that could've caused them trouble. Both the fact that Umbridge had literally tortured Harry for detention and that the kids were planning to form a secret society under her nose were necessary to be reported.

     So after Harry had finally agreed with Hermione's idea and decided to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts secretly, Crookshanks left the common room and made her way over to Dumbledore's office.

    "I have news," said Jenna the moment she knocked at his door and was permitted to go inside.

     "Please, take a seat," Dumbledore offered kindly, gesturing at a chair before his desk, but Jenna refused with a light shake of his head.

     "It's about Umbridge," Jenna went on furiously. "Harry's been to her office earlier this week for detention."

     "Yes, Minerva let me know about Harry's outburst in her first lesson," Dumbledore spoke in a quiet tone.

     "She's torturing the students, Dumbledore! She's using dark magic for their detention that cuts words through their hands!" Jenna almost shouted all these without even realizing that she had raised her voice.

    She watched as the color in Dumbledore's face was drained. He suddenly looked pale, though he proceeded to keep on a calm expression.

     "I shall speak with her strictly," he said firmly, the anger raising from within him. "She has no rights... but defying her may come to more sever consequences."

     "Well, that's not all!" Jenna continued, breathing heavily. "She's not allowing magic in her class, and Harry and the others are planning on learning it themselves. They've arranged a meeting in the upcoming Hogsmeade visit, at Hog's Head."

     Dumbledore nodded his head. "Aberforth will be there to report what's going on. But I'll send Mundugus as well to keep an eye on them."

     "So you're not going to stop them?" Jenna questioned after a long pause which was filled with silence. She felt confused, because she had expected that Dumbledore would be against this idea.

    "Not for the time being," he said. "This can be a good thing for Harry. It can help him gain the confidence he needs."

     "But — but what if Umbridge finds out about it!?" Jenna retorted, staring at him as if he had gone mad.

     "In that case... I shall take all the blame," Dumbledore answered earnestly.