Chapter 52: Crookshanks Vs. Scabbers

In no time at all, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favorite class. Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin.

"Look at the state of his robes," Malfoy would say in a loud whisper as Professor Lupin passed. "He dresses like our old house elf."

But the rest of us didn't care that Professor Lupin's robes were patched and frayed. His next few lessons were just as interesting as the first. After Boggarts, we studied Red Caps, these nasty little goblin-like buggers that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved on to Kappas, creepy, water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle waders in their ponds.

While DADA had gotten wonderful, Potions had gotten worse for UA Gryffs, especially Neville. The story of the Boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had traveled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn't seem to find it very funny. He had started bullying Neville worse than ever.

Divination had gotten even more barmy, especially for Harry, who was hating to go, what with Trelawney always bringing up her death omen. Parvati and Lavender had taken to hanging out in Professor Trelawney's tower room at lunch times, and always returned with annoyingly superior looks on their faces, as though they knew things the others didn't. They had also started using hushed voices whenever they spoke to Harry, as though he were on his deathbed.

Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatures anymore, which, after the wicked first class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence. We were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms, which had to be some of the most boring creatures in existence.

"Why would anyone bother looking after them?" I said, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' throats.

At the start of October, however, Quidditch season was vastly approaching, keeping Harry more occupied, and Hermione and I by ourselves.

On their first meeting, Hermione and I stayed back in the common room, trying to complete our star chart.

"Your constellations are all mixed up, Ron." said Hermione, looking over my chart.

"Really? Oh man, thought I put Taurus in the right spot." I said, turning my chart this way and that.

"It's here." she said, leaning under me to point out where I should make my moves. I caught a whiff of her hair as it bombarded my face, which I didn't mind. It smelled like sugar and honey. Made me think of cookies that Mum would make.

I stopped myself from inhaling. I didn't even realized I had done it at first.

She smelled really good.

"Thanks." I said as she helped me with my correction.

Hermione smiled and went back to her work.

"Question."

"What is it?"

"What would have been your boggart?" I asked.

Hermione seemed to freeze up a bit. As if she was scared to tell me.

"I can't tell you that." she said.

"Awh come on, Mione. I won't tease."

"Yes you will."

"I won't. I promise." I said, truthfully.

"I...I'll tell you some other time." said Hermione, her face twisting like it did when she would blush.

I could tell she didn't want to be nudge further. "Promise?"

"I promise." she breathed.

Just then, Dean and Seamus came by, chattering up a storm, a piece of paper in Dean's hand.

'What you got there, Dean?" I asked.

"McGonagall just gave me this notice to post about the first Hogsmeade visit on Halloween." said Dean, passing me the flyer.

Hermione and I looked over it. It was telling about how only third year and up with permission could go, and how 5th year and down had to be in by dinner. It also had a list of shops and events.

"Look at all the places we can visit, Ron!" exclaimed Hermione. "I can't wait to see the post office and their bookstore."

I groaned. "Really, Hermione?" I said, as I passed the notice back to Dean. "This is supposed to be fun. What about Zonko's Joke Shop? Three Broomsticks? Honeydukes?"

"But Ron-"

"No. This is supposed to be fun and we are going to have it."

Before she spoke, Harry came in, looking pleasant, but stiff. As if Wood had worn him out.

"What's happened?"he asked me as he looked around and seen how everyone was excites.

"First Hogsmeade weekend." I said, pointing at the notice that Dean had posted on the bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."

"Excellent." said Fred, who had followed Harry through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."

Harry threw himself into a chair beside me, suddenly looking down. It hit Hermione and I at the same time. Harry couldn't go.

"Harry, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time," she said, trying their best to reassure him. "They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already."

"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade." I said, trying to help. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages!"

"Ron!" said Hermione. "Harry's supposed to stay in school -"

"He can't be the only third year left behind." I noted. "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry!"

"Yeah, I think I will," said Harry, making up his mind.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment Crookshanks leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.

"What the fuck, Hermione! Does he have to eat that in front of us?" I said, drawing up.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione, ignoring me.

Crookshanks slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed intently on me.

"Just keep him over there, that's all." I said, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

Harry yawned as he pulled his bag toward him, took out parchment, ink, and quill, and started work.

"You can copy mine, if you like." I said as I labeled my last star and shoved the chart toward Harry.

Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Crookshanks was still staring at me, flicking the end of his bushy tail. Right when I was about to move, he pounced.

"HEY!" I yelled, seizing my bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID FUCKER!"

I tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but the demonic ass clung on, spitting and slashing.

"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione as the whole common room watched. I whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top.

"CATCH THAT CAT!" I yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from what was left of my bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers.

George made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed. Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw.

Hermione and I hurried over, Hermione grabbed Crookshanks, and I threw myself onto my stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail.

"Look at him!" I growled to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"

"Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"

"There's something funny about that animal! It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!" I said, stuffing Scabbers in my pocket, the poor mate trembling for his life.

"Oh, what rubbish!" said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could smell him, Ron, how else d'you think -"

"That cat's got it in for Scabbers, and he was here first, and he's ill! Why can't you teach your cat some bloody manners!

I marched through the common room and to my room. I had enough of her not taking anything seriously. Stupid cat!

I was still in a bad mood with Hermione next day. I barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though me, Harry, and Hermione were working together on the same Puffapod.

She just didn't seem to get it. That, or she didn't really care.

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as we stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail.

I was actually shocked to hear her concern, the way she went on about that cat as if it were a bloody angel.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking." I said angrily, and I missed the pail and scattered beans over the greenhouse floor.

"Careful, Weasley, careful!" cried Professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before our very eyes.

Next was Transfiguration, where we joined the line outside the class. Lavender seemed to be crying under Parvati's arm while explaining something to Seamus and Dean, who were looking very serious.

"What's the matter, Lavender?" said Hermione anxiously as she, Harry and I went joined the group.

"She got a letter from home this morning." Parvati whispered. "It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox."

"Oh," said Hermione, "I'm sorry, Lavender."

"I should have known!" said Lavender tragically. "You know what day it is?"

"Ummm..."

"The sixteenth of October! 'That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!' Remember? She was right, she was right!" sobbed Lavender into Parvati's cloak.

The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated; then she said, "You - you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?"

"Well, not necessarily by a fox," said Lavender, looking up at Hermione, eyes reddened by her tears. "but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn't I?"

"Oh," said Hermione. "Was Binky an old rabbit?"

"N - no!" sobbed Lavender. "H - he was only a baby!"

Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders.

"But then, why would you dread him dying?" said Hermione.

I rolled my eyes. Hermione didn't have an ounce of tact. Parvati glared at her.

"Well, look at it logically." said Hermione. "I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today, and she can't have been dreading it, because it's come as a real shock."

"Don't mind Hermione, Lavender." I said loudly, having heard enough of Hermione's carelessness. "She doesn't think other people's pets matter very much."

Hermione looked hurt for a split second, then she stared daggers at me, and I returned them right back.

Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door. We walked in and seated ourselves on either side of Harry, and we didn't talk to each other for the whole class.

Throughout the lesson, Harry looked as if he were deep in thought. Probably about how to approach McGonagall about asking to go to Hogsmeade.

"One moment, please!" she called as we were about to leave. "As you're all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!"

Neville put up his hand.

"Please, Professor, I - I think I've lost -"

"Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom." said Professor McGonagall. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave."

"Ask her now." I hissed at Harry.

"Oh. but -" Hermione began.

"Go for it, Harry." I said, cutting her off.

We went out the classroom and waited by the door.

Hermione stood on one side of the door, and I stood on the other, our eyes still sending invisible hexes to one another.

"Why did you encourage him, Ronald?" she finally asked.

"Because I want him to come along too, Hermione." I said, shortly. " if anyone deserves to have a bit of fun, it's him!"

Hermione crossed her arms and stared at the wall across from us. A few seconds later, Harry came out.

"Well? I asked.

"She sends her regards, but she said no." sighed Harry, slinging his bag on his shoulder as we walked away from the classroom.

"Maybe that's for the best." said Hermione, in a low voice.

"That's mental!" I exclaimed. "She should know very well that your ruddy relatives wouldn't show you any kindness at all, even if it is signing a bloody form. Stuffy old buzzard."

Hermione looked as if she wanted to get into me, but thought better of it.

"There's always the feast." I said, in an effort to cheer Harry up. "You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening."

"Yeah," said Harry gloomily, "Great."

"I'm alright with a quill Harry." said Dean, as he had overheard. "I could make it looked like your uncle signed it."

"Damn." said Harry, snapping his fingers. "I should have came to you first, mate. It wouldn't work now, what with McGonagall already knowing he didn't sign it"

"What about the Invisibility Cloak?" I whispered after Dean walked off.

Hermione stamped on that idea when she reminded me what Dumbledore had told us about the Dementors being able to see through them. It was no use. It wasn't gonna happen.