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Crookshanks is, above all else, her guardian.
When Hermione first saw him dozing off in a quiet corner of the old Magical Menagerie, she was instantly taken by his comforting, yet cocky appearance – despite the fact that no one seemed to be interested in taking him home.
The store owner even admitted that he had been living there for quite some time, and not even the proprietor was sure how old that grumpy-looking half-kneazle was. All he knew was that he was already a senior cat and that he might not have been as friendly as the cute kittens that her parents had tried to make her buy back in that same shop.
But for Hermione, she didn’t care about that cat’s old age – nor did she care much about the kittens staring at her – as she was too enthralled by his imposing presence to ignore the urge of taking him back with her to take care of him as a pet. As a friend.
And for some reason, Ron and Harry would often make fun of Crookshanks.
Both because of his supposedly ‘horrendous’ appearance (which Hermione knew was a lie, he was a very handsome cat and these comments probably stemmed from jealousy, anyway) and his ‘aggressive’ disposition (which was just another misunderstanding – as he just had a protective personality that soon proved itself useful when he showed how much of a brilliant judge of character he was – something that even the pair had admitted to be a good thing about him, afterwards).
But Crookshanks was a good cat and a great friend.
He had been by her side when she spun around her dorm room with a triumphant smile on her face when she had received top marks on her school essays, and he had purred and soothed her soul when she cried herself to sleep when she had to suffer through insults hurled towards her.
And though her friends kept teasing her about her cat, she didn’t much care about what they (or anyone else, for that matter) thought of him.
After all, Hermione would always love Crookshanks and it was clear that Crookshanks would always love Hermione.
That fact remained true all throughout her school days – when he protected, comforted and even helped her all throughout the adventures and messes she tangled herself with as she ran around with Harry and Ron in tow.
And when the war loomed in and Hermione had to keep him with the Weasleys in the Burrow (as her own parents were unable to care for him, given how they lacked their memories and were then living in another country entirely), Molly had confessed that the animal had cried and looked as if he was grieving all day for months on end until they were finally reunited at last.
She could still vividly remember the day she saw him again, not even a full day after the Final Battle – how soft his fur felt when she got to hug him once again while he yowled and mewled as if saying: ‘I’m glad you’re alive, my witch’.
And Gods, how she was glad to see him too!
— — —
When Hermione returned to Hogwarts to complete her education – after the war was truly over and the light had prevailed once and for all – it wasn’t surprising that Crookshanks had returned as well to be there with her.
And she supposed that it wasn’t surprising that he seemed to double his efforts to protect his charge, either.
With the new school year, the cat could always be seen following his witch wherever she went – scouring the hallways, classrooms, alcoves and pretty much every nook and cranny of the castle – looking for any possible threats that could bother or even harm her.
And anyone that dared to approach Hermione needed to pay heed to the surly familiar that watched over her and they had to do their best to captivate the beast before even thinking of getting too close to Hermione – or else, they’d be promptly attacked with a well-delivered pounce, followed by sharp claws and loud hissing coming from the animal.
The few friends that had managed to gain the trust of the fierce miniature lion, would often joke that the animal had become the most fierce guard dog in existence. And the cat would puff up his chest in pride at their comments, showing that he was very aware of his status as her guardian.
Hermione would often laugh at these remarks. Crookshanks was as loyal as a dog, that much was for certain. But he wasn’t the overprotective terror everyone made him out to be!
He was just a good cat, enjoying the company of his witch and making sure that she was alright after a difficult and stressful year apart. And well, if half-kneazles were good judges of characters (as Crooks had already proved himself to be), then there was nothing wrong with having him as a little sentry by her side to make sure that she was surrounded by only the best and kindest people in school.
As a creature of habit, Hermione would often spend hours in the library, catching up with her studies (or sometimes just doing a bit of light reading in her favourite place in the whole castle), and her faithful cat would be right beside her – feigning sleep, but clearly alert and ready to come up for protection and comfort, should she need it.
Hermione couldn’t be more grateful for how protective he’d become, really – especially considering that her friends hadn’t returned to Hogwarts with her, deciding to just start their lives as aurors, instead.
Merlin knew how she appreciated being cared for!
— — —
Draco stood on the edge of the library, hiding behind one of the tall desks and watching the girl sitting on her favourite desk with a scowl in his face.
She was reading a thick textbook and writing down several notes on her parchment with an adorable smile playing on her lips as she nibbled on a sugar quill. And the sight of her looking so at ease only strengthened the desire of just walking up to her and finally talking to her like he had been planning to do for so long.
But of course, the blasted ginger cat was there right by her side (as he always bloody was) – standing on top of a pile of books and observing the surroundings like a furry and angry-looking gargoyle. This was their ritual, just like it was now part of his own routine to watch Granger studying from a distance whilst trying to come up with a plan to talk to her.
He’d been trying to approach her for weeks now. Pretty much since the first day of term he had tried to get a hold of Granger, with no success.
He just wanted to talk to her, for Gods’ sake!
He just wanted to ask for forgiveness and to make amends… Maybe to try to forge a friendship, too – if he was lucky. After all, only a fool could deny how intelligent and powerful Granger was! She was the most incredible witch he’d ever met, really. And building a sense of friendship with her would certainly lead to a lot of good things in his life, he was sure.
And well… Maybe he also wanted to be able to at least sit close enough to her just so that he could appreciate just how incredibly beautiful she had grown to be over the years, to be honest. (Especially now that the war was over and she now could thrive with the peace that reigned in the Wizarding World).
But then – as he tried to do so the first time… He was bloody attacked and nearly mauled to death by that gnarly cat of hers before he could’ve even made his presence known to the witch!
The blasted thing very nearly gouged his eye out – with him screaming out in fear while the cat hissed like a monster – and yet Granger didn’t even dignify herself to look up at the comotion, as she was either too enthralled by her book.
Maybe she was just too used to the way that cat kept trying to kill everyone on sight to actually be started enough to try and stop his violent tendencies. Either way, Draco needed to get rid of that beast before he was murdered in the most undignified manner.
After that initial disaster, he decided that there should be a more elaborate plan set in place to get rid of that feral guard dog disguised as a feline before he could truly convey his feelings towards Granger.
So – using the best clever wits and tricks the Slytherin House was known for – he tried to distract it by releasing the juiciest rats and pigeons out in the library, hoping to awaken the bloody hunter inside the cat (something that shouldn’t be hard to do, seeing as there was a clear killer instinct inside him anyway). However, although Draco could see his slit pupils dilating into circles, his tail switch and his hindquarters trembling in anticipation, the cat never budged from his tower of books – always coming with the final decision of standing by his charge.
Then, when the prey items failed, he tried to offer him more modern treats, catnip, and gifts (all bought from the best pet shops Wizarding Britain had to offer). But unfortunately, they were all promptly ignored by him in favour of staying by his owner’s side – having made even less of an impression than the live bait.
As he his options for a peaceful diversion diminished, Draco then tried to be more forceful with his plans as he tried to scare the beast away by throwing cold water (which was easily dodged by him), loud noises (that he merely hissed back at) and hexes that produced bright startling lights (that did very little to startle him). And not only was this approach absolutely uneffective, it also only served to make the beast even more on edge and elicited an even deeper feeling of protectiveness over his charge.
As he got desperate, he even tried to send out a cute female half-kneazle in heat, hoping to see if the old Tom would be interested in getting some action on the romantic department of his life… But as was expected, all his infatuation and attention was solely directed to his pretty witch.
A pretty witch that somehow was still completely unaware of Draco’s multiple attempts at talking to her, by the way.
Sweet Circe! This was a completely new form of torture in of itself!
It didn’t help that everytime he visited the library (and stood there in his usual hiding spot, just around the corner), he got to admire Granger from afar – like the most perfect painting that belonged at a museum. With her pretty plump lips always nibbling on a sugar quill, and brilliant amber eyes always trained on the essay or text she was working on.
With each visit, he only got to grow more and more fond of her presence there – enthralled by the way she worked so gracefully through a difficult assignment and how sweet her laughter sounded whenever that beastly cat (that she adore for some bleeding reason) jumped on her lap and demanded snuggles from her.
(Okay, maybe he could admit that the last part really was kind of cute – But that was because of Granger alone! Not the cat!)
— — —
One day – in yet another incessant attempt of getting rid of the watchful cat – Draco walked to Hermione’s usual spot in the library with a sigh on his lips and his shoulders slumping in defeat.
He was out of ideas already. He had tried pretty much everything that he could have and yet absolutely nothing had worked.
So, instead of doing anything foolish, he decided to just trust and test out what the several books say about the intelligence of half-kneazles and see if maybe (just maybe) he could actually convince the beast that he had only good intentions towards his owner.
Draco only hoped he wouldn’t look like a complete fool by trying to talk to an animal. But then again… He supposed that he was already a fool anyway, so it didn’t really matter.
With a deep breath, he approached her usual desk – watching Crookshanks (as he later discovered the name of the beast that haunted him) happily dozing off in his tall tower of books, as he usually did.
But to his surprise, Granger was nowhere in sight – perhaps having left her spot (and her cat) temporarily alone to fetch some more books for her to read.
As luck would have it, this was the perfect opportunity to talk to the stupid cat. Maybe the Universe was finally smiling in his favour.
To make his presence known as quickly as possible, he stomped his feet at the floor, letting the sounds wake up the cat with a jump – though that also meant that he’d end up even angrier than usual as his dreams of chasing mice and entitled blond brats were so rudely interrupted.
Their eyes met for a second – cold silver clashing with fiery yellow – and he was startled when he heard the loud yowlings coming from him… In a way that almost made him fear that the cat would once again try to slash away his unblemished pale skin with his sharp claws.
“Look,” Draco started with his empty hands held up high to show that he was unarmed. And somehow, that seemed to be enough to convince the cat not to immediately pounce at him. “I just want to talk to Granger! I just… I want to tell her that I’m sorry, okay?”
In response, Crookshanks – like he had done so many times before – bristled his fur and stood on the tips of his toes to make himself bigger and more menacing, at first. But after a minute of nothing (with no underhanded tactics of bribery nor any threats or other sort of evil plan to get him away from his witch), the cat relaxed back, allowing the wizard to approach his tower.
It was almost as if the cat was giving him the permission to explain himself. And somehow, he followed his cues – which was ridiculous enough for him to mentally scoff at himself even as he started to talk in an apologetic tone.
“Look – I know you want to protect her. I don’t blame you for doing so, even… Merlin knows how much she deserves to be cared for, and… I know that I also haven’t really done anything to deserve your trust. Hell! I haven’t done anything to deserve her trust either!” Crookshanks nodded in agreement, as if he understood every word he just said. And with this reaction, he continued.
“But – This is why I’m here! I want to talk to Granger and tell her that I… That I was wrong,” he almost choked on his own throat as the words spilled from his mouth. “Gods – I was wrong about so many things! And I’m an idiot for not realising it sooner.”
“She’s a brilliant witch, you know? And she’s just so brave… But also very kind, too. She’s the most powerful witch I know and I used to straight up deny that fact just because I was envious of her – I was angry at her for being better than me despite the fact that she didn’t even know magic existed prior to coming to Hogwarts!” He laughed mirthlessly to himself, but Crookshanks remained calmly looking at him, as if inviting him to continue on with his ramblings. “Which is completely ridiculous now that I’ve said this out loud.”
“I… I tormented her when we were younger and she suffered through unimaginable pain because of my family. And I know that not even a thousand apologies will be enough to undo the damage,” his voice struggled to pronounce the words as he muttered them to the cat. And as he suddenly felt the strength of his legs faltering, he sank down to the seat, with his hands covering his face while his mind taunted him with all the memories he so desperately wanted to forget.
He just wanted to fix things. Even if he knew he didn’t really have the power to do so.
“I just… I want to change. I want to do better. And I need to tell Granger how sorry I am for the things I’ve done. And how much I actually admire her. I wish I could talk to her – just to show her that I’m no longer the boy that she had the displeasure to meet! Please – Crookshanks – this is important to me. Hermione is important to me!”
The cat himself stood on his spot, looking down on him while he spilled his heart out – with his hair getting dishevelled with the way his fingers dug around his scalp and his shirt getting more and more rumpled as he cried in his seat.
If Draco had the ability to read the mind of an animal, he was sure that he’d be able to see Crookshanks picturing himself as an old, wise God and standing over a penitent blond man begging for forgiveness for all his sins.
Not that it was too far off from the actual situation, he supposed – as Draco truly was still a man trying to repent and cats were once venerated as gods in ancient times – but it was still a very odd picture for his mind to conjure up.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Crookshanks – looking like a pompous judge, with his tail held up high and puffed up chest – got down from his perch at the tower of books just so that he could invade the spot Draco was hunched over, nudging his chest with his head and plopping down on the desk with his eyes closed right in front of him.
“That means he trusts you,” Draco heard the familiar soft voice coming from behind him.
In a flash, he snapped his head back like a deer caught in headlights. And as if taking advantage of the fact that his lap was now free, the cat settled himself in Draco’s arms purring as he did so while Granger stared back at them.
“How much of that did you hear?”
Gods! Let the floor open itself and eat him alive! He never expected anyone to hear him acting so vulnerable in front of a bloody cat! Let alone Granger herself watching him doing so!
“Pretty much all of it,” she shrugged, but had a brilliant, kind smile on her face. “Draco – I’ve forgiven you a long time ago. I’m tired of living in the past, and the war was rough on all of us.”
“But I still need to apologise – I need to make something good, for once in my life.”
“Hey, now – You gained Crooks’ trust,” Hermione laughed even as the cat bellowed in protest, though he remained snuggled on his lap. “Not many people can do that, you know? It means you’re a good person. And I forgive you – It was a beautiful apology, Draco.”
Draco didn’t argue with her, though he doubted the cat’s judge of character could be as infallible as she claimed. But well… Who was he to question a good thing anyway?
He was just too relieved by her words and her forgiveness to actually think of anything else to say. To further his surprise, Hermione sat by his side – taking the now dozing Crookshanks in her own arms and casually asking him if he had worked on the Transfigurations assignment that they had received a week before.
The gesture was clear.
It was the proverbial olive branch.
An offer of friendship that Draco would have to be an idiot to pass up.
With a sincere smile tugging at his lips, he nodded and started to talk about the assignment, offering some insights and promising her that they could work it out together, just like they could work with many other things.
Crookshanks, for his part, was just happy to know that he now had two charges to protect.
— — —
Ten years later.
Scorpius cried loudly in his crib, fussing and kicking his legs over and over until he claimed the attention of his parents in the middle of the night for what felt like the twentieth time already.
In seconds, Draco stirred awake in his spot, and with a warm hand, he stopped his wife from getting up as well – assuring her that he was perfectly capable of taking care of his own (admittedly demanding) son. He placed two kisses on her curls and on the freckles of her nose, just before coaxing her to go back to sleep while he checked on their son and he couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard a sleepy sigh as she sank back to the covers.
And when he finally entered the nursery, an adoring smile formed on his face as he took in the sight of his perfect little baby – the cutest, most adorable boy in the whole world – that had been born a little less than six months ago.
“Hey, sprog,” he cooed softly to his child, approaching the crib and taking Scorpius in his arms – kissing the fine pale hair in his head (that was already curling up in itself just like his mother’s) and rocking him slowly until the baby stopped wailing.
Soon enough, he got to hear the small, gratifying giggles of his son – though, he also heard something more unexpected as well.
It was a familiar disgruntled yowling coming somewhere in the corner of the room. And when he turned to look, he saw that same old, imposing figure of Crookshanks standing there, watching over Scorpius’ crib, perched on a bookshelf nearby – loyally guarding his newest charge..
His fur was still bristling and he still had that perpetual ugly scowl in his face, as he always did.
“Oh, Crooks,” Draco laughed and in an instant, the cat relaxed to the sound of his voice. “It’s just me, you old fool.”
And though his vision had grown poorer over the years, his claws had grown duller and his fur had faded into a silvery-grey due to his old age, the brave half-kneazle was still as protective as ever, never straying from his mission of protecting his family and loved ones.
He reached over to pet the cat behind his ear, hearing soft purrs emanating for him as he appreciated the reassurance. Scorpius was safe, and so was the rest of his family – And that’s all that mattered.
After all, Crookshanks is, above all else, their guardian.