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Switched by Cheshlin

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A pair of golden eyes stared out of a bush down by the lake. They were following a bushy haired girl with her two friends, one a red head and the other had black hair and wore glasses. The kids were just lounging by the lake watching the Giant Squid play in the water. Crookshanks often kept a close eye on his witch. He knew that she was clever and smart, but she didn’t have a good sense of who was good and evil. She actually tried to protect that Rat two years back, not that it was actually a rat, but a nasty person in disguise. She even tried to hurt the human that could turn into a big black dog. Crookshanks had been wary of him the first time he saw the black dog. Why would he be out by the Hitting Tree watching his Witch from a distance? Crookshanks had crawled closer to him and kept his eyes on him. He finally confronted him one night, and realized the dog was actually watching his Witch’s friend, Harry. He also knew that the Dog just wanted to protect all of them. That was why he helped get the broom for Harry. That was also why he helped Hermione and Harry follow the Dog when he pulled their friend Ron under the hitting tree. The Dog had shown him the knot in the tree that kept the branches from hitting. Crookshanks knew that they would learn about the nasty Rat and find they had a new friend. Crookshanks took some pride in knowing he had been partly responsible for Sirius being cleared in his Witch’s eyes. Sirius had too much good in him for Crookshanks to let them hurt him. Too bad he seemed to have disappeared. There was no sign of him being around the past two years. Crookshanks had felt the sorrow in Harry and his friends, and had a feeling Sirius wasn’t coming back. He had over heard them talking in soft sad tones about Sirius, and though he didn’t understand everything they said, he got the gist of it.

At the end of last year, things began to change also. The protections around Hogwarts seemed to get a little weaker the night all the strangers came and fought in the castle. Crookshanks had never thought something like that would happen. He had watched from a bush on the grounds as Dumbledore fell. He had also watched as Harry ran after the greasy teacher in a rage. Crookshanks had never found that teacher totally trust worthy either.

It was just two weeks into term, and his Hermione was studying as much as ever. She just wasn’t doing it for classes. She was helping Harry look for something. Crookshanks was not sure what it was. It was a Saturday, and that was why they were down by the lake enjoying some of the last nice weather they would have for the year. They had gone down to the giant’s hut by the forest before going to the lake. There had been some evil smells around lately though. The smells started at the beginning of this term. Crookshanks had seen some animals that shouldn’t have been near the school. That was why he was under the bush watching over his witch. He would do what he could to see that his witch stayed safe. Seeing Hermione heading back towards the school, he started heading that way too. It was almost dinner time, and he wanted to see if he could get some morsels of food from some of the first years. As he approached the school, he saw that nosey cat, Mrs. Norris, watching for people to come in with muddy shoes so she could go get her nasty master, Filch. Crookshanks knew that Filch wasn’t evil, he was just nasty. He had even kicked Crookshanks one time when he found him outside of Gryffindor tower.

Hermione and her friends stood talking in the courtyard by the front doors. Crookshanks headed in before them.

“Well if it isn’t Mr. High and Mighty,” sneered Mrs. Norris.

“I have every right to be here. I was just keeping an eye on my witch. You know there have been some weird creatures hanging around lately,” commented Crookshanks.

“I stay here, trying to help Master with his fight to keep these nasty children from ruining the castle. I don’t know anything about any mystery creatures,” replied Mrs. Norris.

“You’ll care if anything comes in here. You know no one will try to help you. You get too many of them into trouble. There are bad things going to happen sometime soon. That boy that hangs with my witch needs all the help he can get. I know he has a part in getting rid of the evil. I can feel it,” answered Crookshanks.

“You just feel the winter coming on. I don’t know what you are getting on about. Master says that boy is just a trouble maker and there is nothing special about him. He just gets his nose in where it doesn’t belong. You would be better off staying in your tower,” sneered Mrs. Norris.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand. There are evil things about and things will just get worse before they get better. That Evil Wizard no one will name is getting stronger. I don’t understand everything they say, but I listen all the same. You might be sorry one day if you don’t keep your eyes out to these changes,” Crookshanks angrily replied.

“Nothing will happen at this castle. Oh, that girl has muddy shoes, I might have to run and get Master,” Mrs. Norris distractedly replied.

Crookshanks just brushed past her into the castle. None of the cats totally understood what he felt in his bones. He just knew that he knew things. He also knew that he wasn’t a full blooded cat. There were lots of different cats in the castle. Some of the cats, especially the ones whose masters were in Slytherin House would not even talk to him because of not being full blood. They were just as prejudiced as their Masters. The worst cat was the one owned by Pansy Parkinson, though Crookshanks just knew her as the one that tried to bully Hermione. Her big black cat was the biggest bully there. Blackie was his name, but the gentle name was one of the biggest misnomers there were. The ones he knew the best were Mrs. Norris and the ten other cats in Gryffindor House. Most kids wanted Owls when they came to school.

“You are tracking mud on Master’s clean floor,” Mrs. Norris meowed behind him. She followed behind trying to stop him.

Crookshanks stopped to reply, and that is when he smelled him. It only took a moment to see him. The Rat was running across the entrance way, and Hermione and her friends were only a few steps away from him. The Rat carried something in its mouth that looked a lot like a pebble. Crookshanks dashed straight for him with Mrs. Norris following behind to stop him from tramping mud in the castle. Crookshanks knew that the Rat was up to no good. He should not have been at the castle. The Rat heard him coming, dropped what was in his mouth and ran as fast as he could way from the charging cats. Crookshanks’ foot hit the pebble, a bright light flashed, and darkness surrounded him.


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