Crookshanks

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 140979

Hickengruendler wrote:
> 
> Crookshanks is part cat and part kneazle. That was confirmed by JKR,
when she was asked this in an interview. A kneazle is a cat-like 
creature. According to Fantastic Beasts, it has the ability to detect
people, that aren't like they seem to be.

Carol adds:
The exact wording is, "The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect
unsavoury or suspicious characters" (FBWTFT 24). Interesting that in
PoA Crookshanks is initially suspicious of Sirius (presumably because
he's an Animagus) but later befriends him, is suspicious of and
hostile to Scabbers throughout the whole book (because he's an
Animagus *and* "unsavoury"?), but doesn't react at all to Snape (who 
of course is not an Animagus, but is evidently neither "suspicious"
nor "unsavoury" from Crookshanks's perspective). Unfortunately, we
never see Snape in the same scene as a Sneakoscope, which would
confirm Crookshanks's judgment (though the Foe Glass definitely shows
him as Crouch!Moody's enemy and an ally of Dumbledore and McGonagall).

As for Crookshanks being an Animagus, in addition to the interview
already cited, Ron has Crookshanks smell Pigwidgeon to prove that he's
just an owl. Doesn't make much sense to have an Animagus sniff out
another Animagus, but it makes perfect sense to have a half-Kneazle
cat do so. (An ordinary cat would eat poor Pig!) And in OoP we see
Crookshanks in the same scene as Mundungus, the character who most
resembles him. Hmm. Mundungus is a pretty shady character but
Crookshanks doesn't react to him. Maybe that's an indication of where
his loyalties lie, meaning that DD was right to trust both him and Snape?

As an aside, we're told on JKR's website that Mrs. Figg's cats are
also part Kneazle, which explains how she could use Mr. Tibbles to
keep an eye on Harry. Apparently Squibs have an affinity with both
cats and Kneazles. (I'm guessing that Filch's cat Mrs. Norris is also
part Kneazle since she helps him find students who are breaking the
rules.)

Carol, noting with appreciation Alina's delicious typo, "Giant Squib,"
which is even better than "Snipper's End" (which I still like, too)