The two children bid farewell to Howl and returned to the Great Hall. Harry asked curiously, "Hermione, do you have any plans for Christmas?"
"My dad said we're going to Austria for a trip." Hermione smiled, "He said he'd take us to see a musical. My dad has always loved music, you know."
"Austria..." Harry murmured, his mind circling. The only thing he could think of when that place name was mentioned was the infamous Dark Wizard, Grindelwald.
"Hey, Potter." Fred and George walked over, a bit puzzled, "Aren't you two going home for Christmas?"
"That's what we should be asking." Harry chuckled, "Aren't you going home?"
"Mum and Dad are going to Egypt to visit Charlie. We're too lazy to travel, so basically none of our family went back," Fred explained.
George laughed, "Percy very seriously said that in this time of crisis, he must stand on the same front as the Professors."
"The Professors don't necessarily all stay at school either." Harry smiled. He knew a little about Percy, not just from Fred and George, but from the constant criticisms echoing through the corridors.
He could only say that Percy was indeed diligently performing his Prefect duties, and that at least deserved respect... "Fred! George!" A voice suddenly rang out behind them. The group turned to look and saw a boy running over, panting.
It was Ron.
"Are you... are you going... going to Hogsmeade?" Ron asked.
"That's right." Fred nodded.
Ron's face lit up with joy, "Does Hogsmeade have a pet shop?"
The two exchanged glances, then shook their heads, "Sorry, by the way, have you finally decided to abandon Scabbers?"
"How pitiful! You once shared thick and thin, slept in the same bed, and now you're already thinking about other treasures!" George said, feigning sorrow.
"Oh, stop it." Ron, looking very worried, took a plump but listless old rat from his pocket, "It's the Potion — Scabbers seems to be sick."
George looked it over twice, then reassuringly patted Ron's shoulder, "Don't overthink it, he might not be sick."
"Indeed, he might just be simply dying."
Upon hearing this, the rat on Ron's hand twitched twice.
The two brothers glanced at the time, nodding reluctantly. It wasn't easy for them to save money, but... "We'll take a look, but I'll warn you first, Hogsmeade doesn't have a pet shop."
"However, there are often vendors selling pet supplies. If we don't run into any, there's nothing we can do!"
After speaking, the two bid farewell to the others and turned to leave.
Hermione looked at the rat curiously, "Is he sick?"
Ron nodded, placing him on the table. He first greeted Harry, his tone a bit nervous. He had heard some things about Harry, beyond the Chamber of Secrets rumors, and he seemed quite formidable... "Hello." Harry smiled and nodded, "It seems I always have a connection with the Weasley family. So far, I've met four of them."
"Percy?" Ron found Harry's words inexplicable. There were five of them still at school.
"No, it's Charlie. He went to the dragon reserve in Romania, didn't he? I met him during his holiday internship. I mean, the ones I've met and talked to!" Harry explained.
"Oh, then you'd really want to meet my sister. She really looks up to you.
The other day, she was in the common room defending you just like Hermione, though she didn't teach those guys a lesson like Hermione did... What's wrong with you two?"
Harry looked at Hermione, his eyes wide, "Huh? Hermione... you beat someone up?"
"No, I didn't." Hermione waved her hand, her face stiff and flushed, "Uh... I was practicing a spell, and then I accidentally misaimed a little. It was an accident!"
She had lectured Harry about such things last year, and now this year... Uh... anyway, I'm not admitting it! It's just a rumor!
Harry smiled, "Oh... alright, thank you for your 'accident.'"
Hermione's face turned even redder.
"It's nothing. Let's talk about the rat... I remember there's a Potion called 'Vitality Tonic' that we learn in fifth year. If Fred and George don't find the Potion, you can ask Percy." Hermione changed the subject.
"Oh, thanks." Ron nodded. As he spoke, he didn't look at Scabbers, but instead turned to Harry, curiously asking about some of the previous rumors.
This was an opportunity not to be missed... Severus and Howl slowly ascended the stairs. The two decided to first check the Owlery, and then investigate the Little Wizards' pets.
Legilimency couldn't probe animals, but if it wasn't an animal at all, then it could be an effective screening method.
Although this method was like looking for a needle in a haystack, they were tired of playing cat and mouse with the fellow hiding in the dark corner.
Even Snape was no exception. He wasn't exactly responsible for the children, but the turmoil at Hogwarts was something he didn't want. It was too much trouble, especially with the Duelling Club being so popular now.
The two walked up the stairs and reached the Great Hall. Snape heard two voices and instinctively turned his head to look.
Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.
And another one... Ron Weasley... Snape's face twitched continuously, and his body froze in place. Howl looked back, a little strange.
"What are you standing there for?"
"No!" His tone was extremely cold, "I know who to check first."
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