chap16pg1

Thursday afternoon was busy for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. After finishing a grueling double Potions, they went back to the Common Room for a break before dinner. Plopped on the couch, they wiped sweat off of their foreheads. They had been scrupulously toiling over a boiling cauldron, which made them very worn out. Harry lay back on the soft, maroon couch and took deep breaths of the clean air. Hermione plunked down next to him, and Ron sat in the armchair facing the couch. Hermione�s cat, Crookshanks, hopped up onto her lap. Purring, he settled himself down as she stroked him.
Harry looked at the cat. His fur was a rich orange with barely noticeable spots. His tail had a small tuft of hair at the end, and his ears were larger than normal cats. He also walked extremely bow-legged. Harry thought he looked familiar, he was sure he had seen a breed of cat that Crookshanks resembled. But, knowing next to nothing about cat breeds, he decided to think about more important things.
�So Hermione,� he began. �Did you find a girl to go to the dance with Ron?� She nodded and sat up.
�Well, Ron, you have a choice of two girls. Would you rather go with Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil?� she asked him. He furrowed his brow, thinking hard about who to choose. Harry laughed at this.
�It�s not a hard decision, Ron. I�d go with Lavender,� he said. �Last year, Parvati was a pain in the��
�Harry!� Hermione exclaimed. �She only acted like that because you were so interested in Cho that you hardly paid any attention to her. I felt bad for her.� Harry felt a little guilty about this. He had treated Parvati pretty rottenly.
�Alright then,� Ron said. �I�ll go with Lavender then.� Harry nodded his head in agreement, and then looked over at Crookshanks. Where have I seen that type of cat before, he asked himself.
�What classes do we have tomorrow?� Ron asked.
�Well,� Hermione said, checking her schedule. �In the morning we have Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration. But in the afternoon they�re letting us prepare for the ball.� Ron made a face at this.
�Why do we need two hours to get ready for the ball?� he asked. Hermione blushed slightly.
�I think I need that much time,� she said quietly. �When you have as much hair as I do, it�s hard to get it to look nice.�
�I think it looks fine the way it is,� Ron said, as Harry stared at Crookshanks.
�Either way, I still want a lot of time before the Ball,� Hermione said. �I have some ideas on what I want to do with my hair that might look good. It�s going to��
�Of course!� Harry yelled. Ron and Hermione gave him two very startled looks.
�What?� Ron asked franticly.
�Crookshanks is half-Kneazle!� Harry said, pointing at the cat. Hermione looked at her cat doubtingly. Suddenly, her eyes widened in excitement.
�Oh, Harry!� she said. �I think you�re right!�
�Kneazle?� Ron said bewilderedly.
�Oh honestly, Ron, don�t you read anything?� Hermione said impatiently. She pulled her book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, out of her rucksack. She quickly flipped through the pages, and then stopped at one, thrusting the book into Ron�s hand. �Here,� she said, �Read this.� She turned back to the cat and began examining it.
�It all makes sense,� said Harry. �No wonder Crookshanks kept attacking Scab- I mean Wormtail. He knew that Wormtail was evil and he was trying to protect! Also, look at his markings! See those faint spots? And his tail is all fluffy at the end!� Harry spoke quickly. He couldn�t believe that he didn�t notice this before.
�Wow, Harry,� Ron said. �You have a good eye.� Harry was glad that Crookshanks was with them. Now, he felt safer knowing that a magical creature designed to work as a �watch cat� was protecting them.
�Harry, I can�t believe you caught that!� Hermione said excitedly. �I would have never noticed something that inconspicuous!� She smiled warmly at him, which made the butterflies in his stomach go berserk again. Maybe going to the Ball with Hermione wasn�t such a bad idea after all. He wouldn�t feel so insecure around her because she was just a good friend, so he could relax and have fun at the event. At least this time, I wont end up like I did last year, he thought to himself.