Crookshanks reprised: Observations and Etymology

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 16648

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Haggridd" <jkusalavagemd at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Indigo" <indigo at i...> wrote:
> > You can tell I just spent an hour reading the penultimate few 
> chapters 
> > of PoA.  *chuckle*
> > 
> > I've got more thoughts about Crookshanks.
> > 
> > I'm not sure if Ron's phobia of Spiders came up in PoA. I can't 
> > remember. I do, however, know that Crookshanks leapt into 
Hermione's 
> > lap with a large spider in his mouth and watched Ron the whole 
time 
> he 
> > ate it, even after Ron made it clear he was disturbed: "Does he 
have 
> > to eat that here?"  
> > 
> > To me, anyway, that implies it did come up at some point, and 
> > Crookshanks knew enough to use it against Ron.
> > 
> > Also, Sirius says that Crookshanks stole Neville's list from 
> Neville's 
> > bedside table at his behest.  This tells me that Crookshanks is 
very 
> > much unlike a normal cat.  Normal cats don't follow orders, 
although 
> > they can be trained. I sincerely doubt that Sirius could train a 
cat 
> > to get into a place he himself couldn't get into and steal 
something 
> > for him to facilitate his *getting* in.
> > 
> > Sirius also says he is able to communicate with Crookshanks, and 
> earn 
> > his trust.  Also not something doable with a normal cat.  You can 
> earn 
> > a normal cat's trust, but the communication is more questionable. 
> > Again, you can train a cat, but I again doubt Sirius had the 
means 
> to 
> > feed Crookshanks tasty tidbits as a reward.  Sirius himself 
looked 
> all 
> > wan and starved.
> > 
> > Crookshanks also is capable of retaining information for a good 
> while 
> > since he can remember how to turn off the Whomping Willow (which 
> > apparently resets itself after a period of time). He turned it 
off 
> so 
> > Harry and Hermione could follow after Ron, and he turned it off 
> again 
> > so they could emerge from the passage with the chained Pettigrew.
> > 
> > One more observation that puts me firmly in the Crookshanks is at 
> > least part Kneazle (or, I'm beginning to think more likely a 
Kneazle 
> > who is part normal cat):  his name.
> > 
> > A shank is a straight and narrow nail. [Merriam-Webster]
> > 
> > Crook - Shanks = Nail the crooks!
> > 
> > Indigo
> > [a good hot bath and a good book do wonders for the mind!]
> 
> Wonderful textual investigation, thank you!  Wouldn't your citations 
> equally support the possibility that Crookshanks is an unregisterd 
> Animagus, though?
> 
> Haggridd

This too is possible, but it strikes me as less likely because 
Crookshanks was in the pet store for a long time, and the owner of the 
store had a hard time selling him until Hermione came along.

Pettigrew's motive to run around as a rat was driven by fear of 
getting busted for the rat-fink he really is.

What motive would yet another unregistered animagus have for hanging 
out for an extremely long time in a pet shop?  Perhaps he knew 
Pettigrew was Scabbers the whole time and had been only waiting for an 
opportunity to be brought to Hogwarts?

We know Ron fed Scabbers from his plate. Nobody thinks twice of a rat 
with human food tastes until you look back and discover he was a human 
in rat shape.

But Crookshanks ate a spider. Can anyone think of other occasions 
where we see Crookshanks' diet, or eating people food as opposed to 
cat food?  (To me this is important. I don't see Pettigrew sticking so 
close to his role as Scabbers that he'd eat rat pellets or whatever).

It's definitely not Mrs. Figg, unless animagi can change gender.

Once Sirius has been proven innocent in Harry and Dumbledore's eyes, 
what reason would Crookshanks have, if an animagi, for remaining in 
the form of a cat constantly? [Other than "not breaking Hermione's 
heart because Crookshanks would mysteriously disappear if the animagi 
became human again"]


Questions, questions, questions.

Indigo