Your Cat Will Never Let You Down.

Disclaimer: see first chapter

Reread by Somigliana. I must commend her for her patience.

No basking in post-coital afterglow for Hermione and Severus. As it was, Ron and Harry cast her suspicious looks when she came back hours later, Crookshanks in her arms, exuding a deep-rooted elation.

“He was taken by an old lady who believed him to be a stray cat. I had to sit and listen to her for hours before she let me take him without calling the World Society for the Protection of Animals,” she explained to them.

It was so like Mrs Figg’s attitude toward her cats that the boys didn’t imagine their friend could be lying to them.

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Two months later, Severus told Hermione during one of their stolen rendezvous that the Dark Lord would leave Nagini, his pet serpent, alone in his house the next Monday night, while he would be going after Arthur Weasley himself. Ron’s father had escaped within a hair’s breadth of death once more—being forewarned helped a lot with that. Harry was able to douse Voldemort’s snake with a lethal potion—brewed by Severus for the occasion. Crookshanks had been waiting with anxiety for his mistress’ return that day. Who in their right mind would go and face an enormous snake willingly?

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The Dark Wizard understood then that he always had under-estimated his Nemesis and put all his intelligence into building a mortal trap for the young man.

Just as predicted, Ginny Weasley didn’t board the Hogwarts Express when the Christmas holidays came. “Too risky,” the Order thought. Two Orders members were waiting for her at the school gates to accompany her on the Knight Bus. They literally pushed her in the bus before they checked if a foe wasn’t lurking in the environs of the place, when the conductor, who was under the Imperius Curse, grabbed Ginny and Disapparated with her.

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“Mister Potter, your dear friend will wait for you at Godric’s Hollow on Christmas Eve. This will be the time to settle our disagreement.

Lord Voldemort.”

Harry, with the missive clutched in his hand, was seething. “I will go and make him pay for his crimes!”

The adults were trying to make him see reason, to no avail, contrary to Ron and Hermione, who understood that refusing to meet the tyrant was just postponing the inevitable. In the end, everyone was making plans for the battle—including Crookshanks, who was not going to sit and watch his masters be killed.

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Hermione snuck out of the Burrow that night with Crookshanks in tow. She needed to talk to Severus.

“Severus, have you heard—“

“The Dark Lord has just told me about Miss Weasley’s abduction. Don’t worry; it isn’t in his plans to have her abused.”

“Harry has decided to meet him.”

“I’m not surprised. I suppose the Order is preparing something?”

She nodded and told him what those plans were. They made plans of their own about what they would do after the war, whoever would win it. Crookshanks listened to them closely, and purred his approval when they kissed.

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The battle had been fierce, but Harry had managed to throw the same potion that had killed his familiar at Voldemort. After the Dark Wizard’s death, the remaining Death Eaters were easily rounded up. Even Severus was caught. “Traitor!” The insult was thrown to his face by the Order members still standing, but when, in spite of Severus’ defenceless state, Remus tried to hex him, he found himself with a very irate ginger cat clawing at his face. Crookshanks had invited himself to the battlefield and was defending his master.

“What’s happening?” asked Hermione, who had just left Harry’s side.

-----

The argument that took place at that moment was as epic in proportion as the battle itself had been. Hermione was arguing Severus’ case with the ferocity of a barrister in court under her friends’ incredulous eyes while Crookshanks was doing his best to prevent any attempt of a hostile approach to his master.

“He’s helped us. He told me where to find Hufflepuff’s cup, when Nagini would be alone, he made the potion that has killed the snake and Voldemort …”

“He was only saving his skin!” Harry yelled.

“He told me about the attack planned against Mr Weasley!”

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“But not about Ginny’s kidnapping!”

“I was not informed beforehand of Miss Weasley’s abduction!” Severus hissed from behind Hermione.

An Auror stepped between the angry young people. “Severus Snape is to be put in jail and tried. Only the Wizengamot will decide of his fate.” He seized Severus’ arm and frog-marched him where a cluster of Death Eaters bound by an Anti-Dispparation Jinx were waiting to be taken to Azkaban. They were soon carted off to the wizarding prison by Portkey.

The Aurors were too late to prevent a cat from jumping into Severus Snape’s arms and going with him.