Crookshanks

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

Crookshanks was Hermione Granger's pet cat. He was half-Kneazle,^[2][3] as evidenced by his lion-like appearance, ability to solve problems on his own without aid or teaching, and clear dislike of and ability at recognising untrustworthy persons (even if they are transfigured).

In 1993, Crookshanks was purchased from Magical Menagerie by Hermione Granger. The saleswoman from whom she had purchased him stated that he had been in the shop for a long time as "nobody wanted him".

Crookshanks played an important role in the events that took place on 6 June 1994. During the height of the Second Wizarding War, Crookshanks stayed at The Burrow. It is unknown what happened to him after the war, but it can be assumed that he was returned to Hermione.

Biography[]

Purchase[]

On 31 August 1993,^[9] Hermione Granger, along with her friends Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, visited the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley as Hermione sought an owl. Upon entering the shop, Crookshanks leapt from his cage hanging from the ceiling and jumped onto Ron's head, startling him, before starting to chase Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, out of the shop.^[4]

The proprietor informed Hermione that Crookshanks had been there for quite some time and that "nobody wanted him". Knowing this, Hermione decided to purchase Crookshanks, much to Ron's displeasure.^[4]

Hermione Granger's ownership[]

Peter Pettigrew[]

Suspecting the rat[]

Before the start of the 1993–1994 school year, Crookshanks began targeting Scabbers, Ron's beloved rat, who was, in reality, Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form. This started when Ron brought Scabbers into the Magical Menagerie, as the rat appeared unwell after the Weasley family's trip to Egypt, which took place on the same day Crookshanks was purchased.^[4] Afterwards, Crookshanks actively sought out Scabbers, even attacking him in Ron’s presence, causing the rat to hide in various places.^[10] Hermione brought Crookshanks with her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was present on the train when Dementors boarded in search of Sirius Black, an Azkaban escapee. Perhaps due to his half-Kneazle lineage, the newly adopted cat displayed an ability to detect frauds masquerading as animals, most notably Animagi.

Crookshanks would even attempt to sneak into the Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory to seek out Scabbers.^[11] He got another opportunity during Christmas when Hermione brought him into the boys' dormitory.^[12] These constant attacks led to frequent arguments between Ron and Hermione. Early in the second term, when Ron discovered blood on his bed sheet and found Scabbers missing, he became convinced that Crookshanks had eaten him.^[13]

This led to a row with Hermione until Scabbers was eventually found at Hagrid's Hut. However, Crookshanks was not the only one pursuing Scabbers. That year, Sirius Black attempted to enter Hogwarts Castle after escaping from the wizarding prison Azkaban, intending to capture Pettigrew, who had framed Sirius for the betrayal of Harry's parents, James and Lily, to Lord Voldemort as well as for the murder of twelve Muggles on a crowded London street during the First Wizarding War.

Assisting Sirius Black[]

At some point during the year, Crookshanks encountered Sirius Black in his Animagus form, a stray black dog mistaken by Harry for the Grim. He immediately trusted Sirius and met with him several times on the Hogwarts grounds, even stealing the passwords to Gryffindor Tower from Neville Longbottom to help him gain entry into the castle.

Crookshanks assisted Sirius in luring Harry, Ron, and Hermione into the Shrieking Shack. During the scuffle between Harry and Sirius, Crookshanks attempted to steal Harry's wand and attack him. When both efforts failed, he positioned himself over Sirius's heart. This hesitation on Harry's part provided enough time for Professor Remus Lupin to arrive and reveal the truth about both Sirius and Scabbers.

Crookshanks led the way back through the tunnels. However, when Lupin transformed into a werewolf, Pettigrew stole Lupin's wand and stunned both Ron and Crookshanks before escaping. After these events, Ron accepted Crookshanks as a remarkable animal companion, seeking his "judgment" of the small owl, letter named Pigwidgeon, that Sirius had offered him as compensation for the loss of Scabbers to confirm that the owl wasn't another Animagus.^[14] Crookshanks showed no reaction to the tiny owl, leading them to decide that there was nothing wrong with it.

Eve of war[]

Crookshanks soon became more friendly towards others; for instance, he once curled up in Harry Potter's lap while Harry was waiting to hear from Sirius. However, he remained unusually perceptive and disapproving of bad behaviour, evident in the way he stared at Harry and Ron as they made up answers for their Divination homework.^[15]

Ginny Weasley, whom Ron claimed was a great lover of cats,^[16] seemed fond of Crookshanks. She enjoyed playing with him and was able to coax him out in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place during a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix by rolling Butterbeer corks for him to catch.^[17] Crookshanks had a fondness for chasing Wizard's Chess pieces, often needing to be restrained in their presence. He was wary of Fanged Frisbees and hissed whenever one came near. At a Gryffindor party, he followed Ginny around, his yellow eyes fixed on her new pet Pygmy Puff, Arnold.^[18]

Second Wizarding War[]

During the height of the Second Wizarding War, Hermione and Crookshanks came to stay at The Burrow. However, Hermione left with Harry and Ron after the wedding reception of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour was interrupted by Death Eaters.^[19]

It was unknown what became of Crookshanks after Hermione was forced to abandon him during the attack on The Burrow in 1997, as she did not bring him along on the Horcrux Hunt. Most likely, Crookshanks remained at The Burrow under the Weasleys' care until he could be reunited with Hermione after the war. Later on 2 May 1998, in the Battle of Hogwarts, they mentioned him while trying to get past the Whomping Willow.

Later life[]

Crookshanks lived to a very old age, until at some point between 1997 and 2021, he passed away.^[1]

Physical appearance[]

Crookshanks was described as very big, bandy-legged, ginger-coloured and with a "grumpy and oddly squashed" face. It was described by Harry Potter to look as if he had "run headlong into a brick wall."^[14] Crookshanks's other most recognisable physical traits were his "bottlebrush" tail and his yellow eyes.

Personality and traits[]

Crookshanks was highly intelligent and helped Sirius Black expose Peter Pettigrew, who was disguised as Scabbers. Ron Weasley initially thought that Crookshanks wanted to simply eat Scabbers and accused him of being mad.

Sirius Black, on the other hand, claimed that Crookshanks was the most intelligent cat he had ever met. Crookshanks was also very playful and enjoyed catching spiders,^[20] chasing gnomes,^[21] and attacking chess pieces.^[22]

He was affectionate with those he liked and acted as a shield to Sirius when Harry Potter was planning to kill him. He eventually came to like Harry and would sit on his lap occasionally, as he did in the summer of 1996. However, he could be moody towards those who threw him off their lap, no matter if it was accidental or deliberate.

Etymology[]

The name Crookshanks seems to refer to the cat's bandy legs, from crook, meaning "a bend", and shank, a term for the lower part of the legs. It is likely to be derived from the Scottish surname 'Cruikshanks', which is pronounced in exactly the same way. George Cruikshank was a well-known British illustrator in the 1800s and illustrated Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist, the first of the famous "orphan novels" that influenced J. K. Rowling as she came up with the character Harry Potter.

Behind the scenes[]

• Crookshanks may be named after Poderick Crookshank.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Crookshanks interfered with one of Fred and George Weasley's Extendable Ears, which the twins, Hermione, Harry Potter, and Ron and Ginny Weasley used to listen in on an Order of the Phoenix meeting in 12 Grimmauld Place.
• Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna Lovegood in the film series, named her cats after Harry Potter characters: she has a cat named Luna and another named Dumbledore. She also had a cat named Crookshanks, although it is now deceased.^[23]
• In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book, Crookshanks was bought by Hermione while Harry and Ron were looking for Scabbers. In the film, this scene was omitted and he was first seen chasing Scabbers when Harry left his room in The Leaky Cauldron. Ron later referred to him as a "bloody beast" and a "pig with hair".
• Crookshanks's role in the film version Prisoner of Azkaban is considerably diminished compared to his role in the book; he is never shown as friends with Sirius Black nor does he help Sirius in any way.
• Hermione's ownership of Crookshanks may be reminiscent of her transformation to a cat about one year prior to his purchase.
• In the films, Crookshanks is played by Crackerjack, as said on the second disc of the DVD of Prisoner of Azkaban. He is also played by Prince and Pumpkin. To make Crackerjack's hair look tatty like Crookshanks's, his trainer stuck bits of his already shed fur onto his body.
• A plush version of Crookshanks is available at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and at The Making of Harry Potter.
• Crookshanks's type of cat's face is known as a "pansy face". Based on these markings, Crookshanks would have the characteristics of a hansa Himalayan, or ginger Himalayan cat. He could also be a Persian, but due to his face shape the former is more probable. Many people get these breeds confused. The Persian has larger, buggier eyes and rounder upper lips than a Himalayan.
• Although not confirmed, it is a popular theory that Crookshanks had once belonged to Lily J. Potter, as Lily had owned a cat when Harry was a baby, which disappeared after the Potters were killed (and possibly ended up at the shop where Hermione later purchased him) and Crookshanks seemed to have a particular bond with Sirius Black, and a particular vendetta against Ron's rat Scabbers, who turned out to be Peter Pettigrew, implying he knew both of them for a long time.
• He is the third recurring character to be confirmed by J. K. Rowling to have died since the series ended after Petunia Dursley and Kreacher.

Author's comments[]

"When I was working in London in the late 1980s I used to eat my lunch in a nearby square on sunny days and a large, fluffy ginger cat that looked as though it had run face-first into a wall used to prowl around the sunbathers there; I assume it lived in a nearby house. I didn't ever get close enough to give myself an asthma attack, but I became distantly fond of this cat, which prowled among the humans around it looking disdainful and refusing to be stroked. When I decided to give Hermione an unusually intelligent cat I gave him the appearance of this haughty animal, with the slightly unfair addition of bandy legs."^[24]

Appearances[]

The Harry Potter Wiki has 54 images related to Crookshanks.

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned in History of Magic classes)
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

Notes and references[]