Chapter 7- An Unknown Competition And A History Lesson

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters, God help us if I did...

A/N: THANK YOU!!!!! *Wipes tears from her eyes* Your all so wonderful!! Thank you for the wonderful reviews, they always brighten my day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had only been two days since Harry had been returned from Crookshanks body and back into his. Since then, Hermione has been starting to get really scared at Harry's behavior towards the cat. He is always petting Crookshanks when the cat wants attention, he offers to feed Crookshanks and even suggested that he should start taking Crookshanks out for a walk once everyday.

"Er...Sure, I guess there's no harm in that." Hermione said in a slow voice, she watched Harry grin and run off to get Crookshanks. Hermione shook her head in confusion and continued with her Arithmancy homework.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry hurridly grabbed the sleeping cat off of Hermione's bed, that cat was so startled that he started hissing wildly and began clawing at the air. When Crookshanks saw that it was Harry he stopped and just looked up at Harry with that squashed face.

"Were going for a little walk, so don't expect me to carry you." Harry said as he set Crookshanks down. The cat grumpily followed him out of the room.

Once Harry and Crookshanks were out of the Gryffindor Tower, Harry spun around and kneeled down on his knees. He looked Crookshanks right in the eye and Crookshanks just stared back with a bored expression on his face.

After about five minutes of silence, a voice cut through the air...

'Well, are you going to say something or just continue staring at me all day?'

Harry's green eyes widened, he paled and blinked. Only one being could of said that...

"Y-you can......TALK?!" Harry asked, more like yelled at Crookshanks.

'Well not really, I'm talking in your mind, you can talk to me through your mind too. That is if you don't want people to stare at you like a lunatic because your talking to a cat.' Crookshanks said, Harry noticed that Crookshanks spoke with a strong British accent.

'A cat talking British? Now there's something you don't see everyday.' Harry thought...he then thought Crookshanks could hear him, as if reading his mind Crookshanks answered his question in that thick British accent.

'No I can't hear what you're thinking, I can only hear your thoughts when YOU want me to The same with me. You can only hear my thoughts if I want you to.' He said, then he added, 'And if you thought something really mean about me, I'll bloody scratch your eyes out.'

Harry blinked...then he burst out laughing.

'What's so funny?' Crookshanks asked in an uptight tone, how rude of this boy to just start laughing at him.

"I-It's just that you said-" Harry then stopped, he didn't want anyone to walk by and see him talking to a cat, so he continued the conversation in his mind.

'I said what?' Crookshanks asked.

'You said 'bloody' ' After Harry said that he started to laugh even more. Crookshanks stared at him oddly. Was this boy on crack or something?

After regaining his composure, Harry stopped laughing but couldn't help but snicker every now and then.

'So then.' Harry started, 'How did you become Merlin's cat of all people?' Harry asked with curiousity, this question had been pondering in his mind for a while and he wanted an answer.

'I expected you would ask that.' Crookshanks started, 'Well, as you know, it was a VERY long time ago, I was just a wee kitten when Merly found-' He was cut off by Harry cracking up again.

'What in the world is so damn FUNNY?' Crookshanks growled. Harry was clutching his stomach and bending forwards laughing.

'M-Merly? Was that your nickname for Merlin?' Harry howled through laughter, Crookshanks was turning a bright red, though you couldn't really tell.

'So what if we had nicknames for each other...'

'Wait, he had a nickname for you to? What was it? Crooky?' Harry doubled over with more laughter. His ribs were becoming very sore.

Crookshanks turned even more red.

'As a matter of fact it was.' This did not cease Harry's laughter.

After another wasted five minutes, Harry composed himself and listened to Crookshanks story.

'Now, before I was so RUDELY interrupted, I was just a kitten when Merlin found me. I had been abandoned by my previous owners and they just dumped me on the street. After a day of being on my own, I was already starving to death and was close to death. But, right when I had collapsed in a ditch, ready to just close my eyes and die, a man saw me and picked me up. He told me I was going to be alright. I woke up a day later on a very large bed in a huge castle. That was when Merlin introduced himself and I was quite surprised when he could understand me. He became my owner and he had told me very often that I was no ordinary cat. For I had magical powers that even the greatest of Witches of Wizards could get a hold of. I often passed the time by switching bodies with people, and I always did it for a very good purpose.' Crookshanks said. Harry looked at Crookshanks in shock, what kind of cat could have magic powers that some Wizards don't even have.

'After Merlin passed on, I went throught various other owners, I even belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw at some point, but she no longer liked me after I attemped to eat her black Raven who's name I recall being Geryt.' Harry opened his mouth in shock, Crookshanks belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw at some point?

'Did you know the other House Founders?' Harry asked. Crookshanks nodded.

'Yes, but do you know that only five people have been able to understand me?' Crookshanks asked.

'No," Harry answered, 'Who are those five people?'

'Well, there's you, Dumbledore, Merlin, a man by the name Sirius Black and your father James Potter.'

'WHAT?!' Harry asked in shock. Sirius and his father could speak with this cat? Well, it made sense with Sirius, because of the incident in third year when Crookshanks became close to Sirius, but James Potter.

'H-how did you know my father?' Harry asked in a meek voice.

'I met him in his fifth year, at that time he was very close friends with your mother Lily. Your father let me stay with him for a couple years, but the last time I ever saw him was just shortly after you were born. I had began to think I was a jinx because I never stayed with my owners for long. The longest I've ever been with an owner was with Merlin and I stayed with him for over a hundred years. Rowena was the shortest though, she threw me out only after a short six months. Then just a couple years ago I was rescued by a bushy-haired girl, who has become one of my favorite owners, right after Merlin she is.' He said.

Harry smiled.

'You like Hermione?'

'Yes, she lets me eat all I want and has never doubted my deeds I had done, remember third year when you and that Ron kid thought I was trying to eat that traitor Peter?' Harry nodded his head slowly.

'Well, Hermione always defended me. That made me respect her greatly, and I always will respect her.' Crooskshanks continued.

Harry and Crookshanks were talking for over three hours, learning things about each other, and each time Crookshanks told him things that he seen the Mauradars ( A/N: i'm to lazy to see if i spelled that correctly) do, Harry would crack up.

When Harry realized how late it was, he looked at Crookshanks with a disappointed look on his face.

'I better get going.' Harry told Crookshanks as he stood up, 'But I would like to know more about your past, if that's alright with you.' Harry said.

Crookshanks nodded his head.

'Anytime Harry, anytime...' He said as he scurried off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day at breakfast, Harry was very sleepy because he had only gotten four hours of sleep, but something at the Gryffindor table made him wide awake.

It happened when the mail was arriving, Harry had read his letter from Sirius and was looking at his two friends. Ron looked over who at Hermione and saw that she was reading something, he quietly leaned over her shoulder to see what it said.

Hermione seemed not to notice because she was just reading and would not, for some reason take her eyes off the letter. Harry watched as Ron skimmed his eyes through the letter, then his eyes widened.

"HERMIONE'S GOT A LOVE LETTER!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yea, it is a pretty stupid cliffhanger, aren't you just dying from the suspense?????? *snickers* REVIEW!!!