A Memorable Tale

24 | Page 394

The next morning, I had an idiotic idea. But, it was my idea, so it couldn't be that idiotic.

This is crazy, this is crazy, I repeated in my head as I approached the Whomping Willow.

Without Crookshanks with me to press on the knot at the bottom of the tree, I had to use a long stick. The branches froze in place and I crouched to enter into the opening, finding that I could stand up straight inside.

Signs of animals remained along the underground path, fur and paw prints scattered along the ground. I found the entrance to the Shrieking Shack and held out my wand.

If Sirius Black was, indeed, hiding in here, Professor Lupin would eventually find out.

I walked up the rickety stairs and opened two doors that led to what seemed to be a bedroom.

When I entered, I heard something move behind me and I turned to see a dog with black, shaggy fur seated beside the door. My head tilted. "It was just a dog...?"

I placed my wand into my robes and knelt down, holding out my hand. The dog slowly stepped towards me and rested his chin in my palm without sniffing it. "Quite trusting, you are," I whispered. "Were you the one howling here yesterday?"

Despite a shared love for animals, neither me nor my father had ever thought about keeping a pet that would be considered normal.

I scratched the back of the dog's ears and he pushed his head into my hand.

"Are you friends with Crookshanks?" I asked as if he were going to answer. He let out a quiet bark. "Odd... I was sure that cats and dogs weren't supposed to like each other. Eh, I guess there's always the ones that are a bit different."

I sat down and placed my bag beside me, pulling out Hogwarts: 1971-1972 without looking around for the first time. The dog plopped next to me.

I opened the page to Sirius Black's photo, continuing to admire his collar-length hair and kind-looking features despite his notorious bloodline. The dog buried his face in the page and I scratched his head. "Find someone pretty on here?"

However, his nose began trying to turn the page and I, who believed that animals definitely knew things that humans didn't, obliged. I turned the pages as the dog seemed to instruct until I reached those whose last names began with P.

He suddenly began barking at the page, trying to bite the page out of the book.

"Hey!" I snapped, making the dog recoil. I raised the book above my head and pointed at him. "We do not destroy books, no matter how much we like or dislike it! Understand?"

The dog looked down and, unlike what most do, he didn't make a sound.

I placed the book on the window sill and placed my hands on either side of the dog's face. "No destroying books. Books are sacred." I grinned. "Aw, who could stay mad at that face?"

I opened the book again, going to the page with Professor Lupin. The dog seemed very fond of this page, his eyes seeming to glisten at the sight of it.

"D'you like someone on this page?" My finger began dragging across the parchment and once my fingertips touched Professor Lupin's photo, making the dog press his nose against my arm. "You like Professor Lupin?"

Maybe he's met Professor Lupin during his frequent visits.

My hand went to scratch the dog's ears again. It seemed like the scratching wasn't quite what brought him joy but the simple touch, as he kept nuzzling up to my hand but not seeming to try and get my nails to intertwine with his fur.