TRUST ME, harry potter

FORTY-SEVEN, A HIGH-FIVE FOR CROOKSHANKS!

THE OTHERS ALL TURNED AROUND, looking at the scene down by Hagrid's. "Hagrid," Harry muttered. He made to run back, but Cassie grabbed his hand, holding it tightly to stop him from moving.

"He will be in bad trouble if they find out we went to see him, Harry," Cassie said, her eyes scanning over all of his facial features. She could see the worry and the determination behind his eyes.

Harry gulped, squeezing Cassie's hand before they all turned back around. She pulled him into a tight hug, he looked like he needed one in that moment. "Come on," said Ron after a moment, his teeth seemed to be chattering as Callie had an arm over Hermione's shoulder while the girl was crying.

They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"

"I'll grab h—"

"Guys, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute —"

"He won't — stay — put —"

"I'll make sure he stays put —"

"What the fuck is your obsession with Scabbers?" Callie asked Cassie, "You're literally petrified of rats..."

Scabbers was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip. "What's the matter with him?"

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

But the cat was getting nearer .

"Scabbers — NO!"

The rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before anyone could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.

"Ron!" Hermione moaned.

They all broke off into a sprint; They pulled the cloak off and it streamed behind them like a banner as they ran after Ron. They could hear his faint shouts at Crookshanks. "Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here —"

There was a loud thud.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat —"

They skidded to a stop right in front of Ron. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump.

"Ron — come on back under the cloak —" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore — the Minister — they'll be coming back out in a minute —"

But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws...

A giant black dog. Cassie grinned upon seeing him, Sirius Black. The dog sent her a small nod, and she stood out of its way.

Before Sirius could pounce onto Harry, pushing him out of the way, Cassie pulled him into her, nearly taking them both to the floor. "Sorry," she apologised with a whisper. Her hair was tinted pink due to the closeness between them. Harry's eyes were wide, and he tried to hide the blush on his cheeks.

The dog's jaws fastened around Ron's outstretched arm. Callie lunged forward, she grabbed a handful of the dog's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll.

"Callie, move," Cassie said.

Callie didn't move quick enough. The branch hit her right across the face, and she had blood dripping down her face.

"Lumos!" Harry whispered, holding out his wand.

They had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow. Cassie saw Sirius at the base of the trunk, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots. Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight —

"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward.

All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground — a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

Cassie winced, Gross.

"Guys — we've got to go for help —" Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.

"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time —"

"Harry — we're never going to get through without help —"

Cassie and Callie exchanged a glance. It was true, though, they needed help to get through. They were not just going to transform into their animagus form — Harry and Hermione didn't know about their form. Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles.

"If that dog can get in, then so can we," Harry panted, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's blows.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "Please..."

Cassie gestured for the cat to go press the knot on the trunk, so Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk.

The tree stopped moving. Not a single leaf moved.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. She now grasped Harry's arm painfully hard. "How did he know —?"

"That cat's a genius," Callie muttered.

"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wand out —"

They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail.

Cassie went next, she slid down the earthy slope and down to the bottom of the tunnel. She grabbed Crookshanks, lifting up his paw so she could give him a high five.

Callie was right behind her, and she blinked at what she just saw. "Did you — Did you just give Crookshanks a high five?"

"Uh, nope?" Cassie said.

"Bullshit," Callie muttered, "You know something about what's happening, don't you?"

"Uh —"

"Where's Ron?" Hermione whispered in a terrified voice as she and Harry appeared.

"Up there," Cassie said, placing Crookshanks onto the floor as she lead the way.

"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know... It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it... It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade..."

They moved as fast as they could. Harry, Hermione and Callie struggled to keep up with Cassie, and then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and both Crookshanks and Cassie had gone.

Callie, Hermione and Harry raised their wands to give them light.

"Guys," Hermione whispered, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

A/N: Cassie and her obsession with grabbing Scabbers >>>. I am supposed to be getting ready for school.
QOTD: what is one thing you like about yourself?
AOTD: my eyes!