It started as soon as they moved in to Grimauld Place. He was distant and grumpy whenever she tried to hold him. At first she took aback, shocked after the many years they had shared together, but then she realized what was going on: he was jealous. Not only did he have to share her with the redhaired guy she had been in love with for years but also with a new human being: a baby. And that... that was unacceptable for him. She had left him with the Weasleys for an entire year and now she dared to bring not one but two people into their lives. He tried everything to get Hermione's attention again, from sitting on her lap and rolling over so she would scratch his tummy to destroying some of her books and even Belle's new blanket. Hermione didn't understand at first why he was in such a foul behaviour, but after thinking a lot about it, she finally arrived to a logical conclusion. There was no doubt about it: Crookshanks was jealous, not just of Ron but of baby Belle, mostly because Hermione spent almost her entire time with that tiny human. Since day one, he did nothing but hiss at her, trying to scare the little girl away, but all he got was a shove off from Ron and a very severe reprimand from Hermione.
As years went by, Hermione thought that he was going to get over it and was going to grow accustomed to the toddler. But that wasn't the case. As soon as Belle started to crawl and tried to play with him, he didn't hesitate in hissing her and even trying to scratch her. After that, Belle never tried to play with him again. Instead, she tried to be as far away from him as possible. Hermione, on the other hand, tried everything she could to bring her beloved pet closer to her daughter.
Belle was only 2 when Hermione finally decided that she had had enough of Crookshanks attitude. It was a rainy afternoon and Hermione was sat in front of the desk in the library with the door open. She had taken the day off work because Belle was under the weather and she had the impression that it had to do with the fact that Ron was coming back from a long mission later that night. Little Belle was sat on the floor in her room playing with her toys. Hermione was revising some files and writing a report when she heard a hiss and a zap followed by Belle's screeching cry. Hermione got up immediately and ran to her daughter's room, worried. When she walked in, she found the stuffed toy dragon that Charlie had gotten Belle for her last birthday all destroyed, and the little girl crying without console. Crookshanks was mere meters from the toy, looking at his owner with a pretend innocent look on his face. Hermione took the little girl in her arms and held her, trying to calm her down. Belle wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and laid her head on her shoulder, sniffing and hiccuping. Hermione was about to kiss the little girl's hand when she noticed the scratch in it. She looked at it, horrified, and then looked at Belle. The toddler turned her head to her mother and looked at her in the eye.
"Did Crookshanks do this to you, baby?" Hermione asked her showing Belle her scratched hand. Belle just nodded. "Did he do that too?" Hermione asked pointing at the destroyed dragon. Again, Belle nodded.
"Cwooks mean, mommy. Me no love him." She said, sniffing. Hermione kissed her daughter's head and took her to the bathroom. She took a little bottle from the cabinet, opened it and poured two drops in the scratch. Belle winced but didn't cry. The scratch stopped bleeding, but it was still visible. Hermione put the little bottle back in the cabinet and kissed her daughter's hand.
"You're a very brave girl!" She said, smiling reassuringly at the toddler. Belle smiled a bit. "How about you help mommy make a cake for when daddy gets home?" She asked. Belle nodded and they both went to the kitchen.
When Ron got home later that night, he went straight to his and Hermione's bedroom. He was expecting to find her still up, maybe reading one of her books or even dressed up in something sexy to welcome him back (although he thought she looked sexy even if she was only wearing a Cannons' baggy shirt and a pajama bottom), but that wasn't the case. Hermione was sound asleep curled in a ball, her back at him. He noticed that she wasn't alone. Next to her, also curled up in a ball, was their 2-year-old daughter, her thumb in her mouth and her other arm around her mother's one. Ron noticed something unusual in Belle's hand, so he got closer, trying not to wake either of them up. There it was: a scratch. He was wondering how she got it when he noticed Hermione rolling over and slowly opening her eyes as if she already knew he was home. She smiled a little and he smiled back. God! He so missed that smile!
"Hey." She said nearly in a whisper.
"That's it? I'm off for a month and you just say hey?" He asked jokingly. She giggled.
"It was a long day and you're too far from me to kiss you." She said. He kneeled down in front of her and kissed her. She continued with the kiss until she noticed someone moving next to her and she broke it off. They looked at the little girl stirring in her sleep and holding on to what seemed to be a very hairy bear.
"What happened to the dragon?" Ron asked. Last thing he remembered, Belle wouldn't go to sleep unless she had her dragon with him.
"She decided Beastie was braver to keep her safe at night." She said.
"Beastie, huh?" He said. She nodded.
"Plus... Crookshanks destroyed the dragon this afternoon." She added, then looked down. He looked at her, shocked.
"Bloo-" he started before she glared at him. "Why? I mean..." He asked. She shrugged her shoulders. He looked at Belle's scratched hand. "That too?" He asked, pointing at their daughter's hand. She looked at it, then nodded and he could notice tears running through her cheeks. "Hermione..." He started before she interrupted him.
"He can't stay here anymore." She sniffed. He went and slowly picked her up from the bed and went to a corner of the room. He sat on the floor, sitting her on his lap and holding her waist. "I thought... I thought it was a phase... That he didn't like all the changes... I... I tried. I tried so hard to make him bond with Belle, but..." She cried as he stroke her hair.
"I know. I know you did all you could. But it's enough, Hermione. He's been like this since we arrived home with her two years ago and he hasn't changed. I'm not going to risk our daughter's safety because the bloody cat is jealous of her." He said. She nodded.
"I never thought he would do something like this." She sniffed as Ron rolled his eyes. "I love him. I really do. But... He crossed the line, Ron." She cried. He held her tight as she cried. He knew it was hard on her to be separated from her pet. He knew she loved him dearly but he also knew that she loved her daughter more and that she would do anything to protect her. It was one of the hardest decisions that she had to make, but he was sure that she was going to be OK.
"We'll take him to a loving family and he'll be alright, OK?" He said kissing her head. She just held onto him tighter. She loved her cat. She didn't want to give it away just because she had a baby now, but she had no other choice. She had to let him go.