novelnext Chapter 495 496: The Secret of Scabbers
Chapter 495 496: The Secret of Scabbers
After Ron bolted out of the shop, Harry scrambled to follow him. Neville, who
had been standing nearest the door, was the first to be shoved aside as the two
boys vanished into the teeming crowds of Diagon Alley.
"Oh, I am so sorry..." the witch behind the counter said, her thick spectacles
sliding down her nose as she hurriedly bowed. She reached down and scooped up
the massive ginger cat. "It's the strangest thing. He's been here a long time—no
one seems to want to adopt him—but he's never been quite this... aggressive."
The witch muttered to herself as she watched the three boys disappear. She
seemed to be mulling something over, whispering quietly under her breath.
Sean, Hermione, and Justin could just barely make out the words "...that rat..."
and "...lived far too long."
"This cat—does he have a name?" Hermione asked suddenly, her eyes fixed on the
ginger beast.
"Oh, no, dear. A name is something a master gives. This poor lad has never had a
home to call his own," the witch sighed.
"Can I buy him?" Hermione asked, her face lighting up.
"That would be wonderful! Truly wonderful, dear!" The witch's face glowed with
relief and joy.
"Cats are good companions," Justin said with a grin, stealing a quick glance at
Sean.
"They certainly are," Hermione said, reaching into her purse and paying the
witch without a second thought.
By the time Harry, Ron, and Neville returned, Hermione was standing on the
sidewalk, clutching the enormous ginger cat tightly in her arms.
"You bought that monster?" Ron asked, his jaw dropping to his chest.
"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" Hermione countered, nuzzling the cat's fur.
Harry privately thought that "gorgeous" was a matter of perspective. The cat's
ginger fur was thick and soft, but his legs were distinctly bow-legged, and he
wore a permanent, grumpy expression on a face that looked as though it had been
flattened against a brick wall.
With Scabbers nowhere in sight, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's
arms.
"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" Ron cried.
"He didn't mean it, did you, Crookshanks?" Hermione cooed.
"You've named it? Merlin's beard, already? But... what about Scabbers?" Ron
pointed to the small, vibrating lump in his chest pocket. "He needs peace and
quiet! He's supposed to be resting! How is he going to relax with that thing
around?"
"That reminds me—you forgot your Rat Tonic," Hermione said, pressing the small
red bottle into Ron's hand. "Don't worry. Crookshanks will sleep in my
dormitory, and Scabbers will be in yours. What's the problem? Poor
Crookshanks... the witch said he'd been in that shop for ages. No one wanted
him."
"I wonder why," Ron muttered sarcastically to Harry.
With the new pet secured, the group made their way back toward the Leaky
Cauldron. It was nearing lunchtime, and they decided a hearty meal was in order
before tackling the rest of their school list.
Harry, Ron, and Neville walked ahead, chatting animatedly, while Sean, Hermione,
and Justin trailed slightly behind.
"Ron mentioned that rat belonged to his brother?" Justin asked casually, though
his eyes were sharp.
"Mmm," Hermione nodded.
"That's... a bit odd, isn't it?" Justin looked thoughtful. "I remember Ron
saying Percy had that rat since he was quite small. Sean, do you know the
typical lifespan of a common garden rat?"
Sean paused in his tracks, his gaze shifting toward Hermione and Justin. Before
he could speak, Hermione beat him to it.
"The shopkeeper said it, didn't she? A garden rat lives three years at most,"
Hermione said, tilting her head. She tried to grab Crookshanks's paw, but the
cat was too busy trying to climb onto Sean. Finding a foothold, the ginger beast
leaped onto Sean's shoulder and draped himself there like a heavy, fur scarf.
"You're right," Justin agreed. But as he looked at Sean, his expression shifted
into something more subtle.
Sean's vision was partially obscured by Crookshanks's upright tail. He realized
that Hermione and Justin were inches away from stumbling onto Peter Pettigrew's
secret.
It was truly remarkable. The Weasleys had shared a home—and even a bed—with
Pettigrew for twelve long years, yet not once had they questioned why "Scabbers"
refused to age.
Twelve years of brotherhood, Sean thought, and not a soul suspected the rat was
a man.
The Leaky Cauldron.
As they entered, Sean immediately spotted Mr. Weasley sitting at the bar,
engrossed in a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Mr. Green!" Arthur Weasley looked up and smiled warmly. "How are you? And you,
Harry? Good to see the rest of you as well!"
"Very well, Mr. Weasley," Sean replied.
After exchanging greetings, the group piled their shopping bags onto a nearby
table and sat down beside him. Mr. Weasley folded his paper, and Sean saw the
gaunt face of Sirius Black glaring out from the front page.
"Haven't they caught him yet?" Harry asked nervously.
"No," Mr. Weasley said, his face clouding over. "The Ministry has pulled
everyone off their regular shifts. We're all working around the clock to track
him down, but so far... nothing."
"Is there a reward if we catch him?" Ron asked. "Could do with a few extra
Galleons—"
"Don't talk nonsense, Ron," Mr. Weasley snapped. Up close, he looked incredibly
tense. "Black isn't the sort of man a thirteen-year-old wizard can catch. Mark
my words: it'll be the Azkaban guards who drag him back in the end."
At that moment, Mrs. Weasley bustled into the pub, laden with shopping bags.
Behind her came the twins, Fred and George—who were about to start their fifth
year—followed by Percy, looking pompous with his new Head Boy badge, and the
youngest, Ginny.
Percy stepped forward and extended his hand formally, as if he had never met any
of them before.
"Harry, a pleasure to see you again. And you, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, Miss
Granger... I trust you are all well?" Percy spoke with such exaggerated gravity
that it felt like they were being introduced to the Lord Mayor.
"Ah! Mr. Green—"
When Percy reached Sean, his demeanor shifted instantly. Percy was observant; he
knew the rumors, and he knew enough to realize that Sean Green was a name that
carried weight in the higher circles of the wizarding world.
"Doing well, I hope?" Percy asked, his voice losing some of its artificial
stiffness.
"Quite well, Mr. Weasley," Sean replied.
"Good, good..." Percy started to say more, but he was suddenly elbowed aside.
"The Great Green!" Fred cried out, using his elbow to shove Percy out of the
way. He swept into a deep, theatrical bow. "What a magnificent honor to behold
you—"
"Utterly splendid," George added, shoving Fred aside in turn to snatch Sean's
hand in a gentle, reverent shake. "Simply marvelous to see you, oh Great One."
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