Trevor the toad sat motionless on the roof of the Gryffindor Tower and stared out at the Forbidden Forest. Laughter and loud music drifted up from downstairs. They’ve won another match of that flying game, Trevor thought, Quidditch or something like that …

As he was sitting there, tears welling up in his bulging eyes, he didn’t notice a white, feathered shape drop onto the roof next to him. The owl, Hedwig, screeched and brought Trevor out of his train of thought. “You alright, Trev? You look upset.�

“Yes, of course I am,� Trevor replied, in a croaky voice, “it’s that boy of mine, Neville. He’s ignoring me. Back in the good old days, it was lots of hugs and kisses for me, but no, now he just plays with that plant of his all the time, the Mimble-thingy … �

“Mimbulus Mimbletonia,� Hedwig interrupted. “It comes from Assyria, and has an amazing defensive mechanism,� she continued, her eyes shining.

“How in the Half-Blood Prince’s name did you know that?� the toad asked, staring at Hedwig.

Hedwig grinned as well as a creature with a beak can grin. “I had nothing to do the other day, so I went down to the library and read a rather interesting book called The Lord of the Rings, and then another book about Assyrian plants. Anyway, where were we? Is there any way I can cheer you up?�

“No, I don’t think so. You know, you’re really lucky. If you get fed up with that boy of yours, Harry … �

“He’s alright. I can’t complain really.�

“Can you let me continue? As I was saying, if you get fed up with Harry, you can just fly off to Hogsmeade, or Barbados, or somewhere else nice and warm. But all I can do is sit in the dormitory and glare at the Mimble-thingy all day. Occasionally I wander off and get lost. I remember one time last year I found myself in the Chamber of Secrets and I couldn’t find my way out for a month.�

“You never did find your way out, Trev. I had to fly down there and rescue you. Neville was quite upset, you know.�

“But that was last year, Hedwig. This year he’s been treating me like a worthless piece of … cabbage. I bet that next year he won’t even bring me. Instead, he’ll bring the Mimbloo … Mimbully … plant and leave me with Uncle Algie,� Trevor shuddered.

Hedwig put a wing 'round her friend’s warty shoulders. You know what, Trev? What you need is a quick trip around Hogwarts.� The owl flapped her wings and gripped Trevor’s back.

Trevor put his webbed foot down. “Actually, we toads have an irrational fear of flying. I didn’t tell you about it before because … erm … �

“Have you ever been flying before, Trev?�

“No.�

“Exactly. Geronimo!�

Hedwig leapt off the tower and plummeted toward the ground, screeching with joy.


---------


Crookshanks was a large ginger cat who looked like he had performed in the Feline Olympics. If running face-first into walls were an Olympic sport, that is. And that at the same time that Hedwig and Trev were having that enlightening conversation that I just told you about, he was right below them.

Well, maybe not exactly below them, but he was in a room below them, curled up on Hermione Granger’s lap in the Gryffindor Common Room. While a party went on around them, Hermione was asleep, an empty bottle of Butterbeer in her hand. Crookshanks peered at her with a yellow eye and sighed.

Humans. Who’d have them?

Crookshanks got up and stretched, wiggling his bottlebrush tail in Hermione’s face. He’d decided that it was time for a stroll around the castle, and anyway, he’d just seen a toad fly past the window.


---------


Now you’re probably thinking, Goodness, that’s an awful lot of characters already. Will there be any more in this wonderful story?

Well, there is one more. So let us concentrate on the office of a certain Professor Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

There are lots of things in his office, but unfortunately, not the Pillar of Storgé. However, we don’t want to talk about that yet. Sitting on a perch next to the desk of Dumbledore is Fawkes, a phoenix. If you don’t know what a phoenix is, it’s time to go to the library and read up on them.

Fawkes was bored. You would probably get bored if you were immortal and every so often burst into flame and were born again. He yawned and looked around. Dumbledore, his human, still wasn’t back, and he’d been gone for a few days. His disappearance last year had been understandable, because most of the office had been destroyed.

Some snoring brought Fawkes out of this train of thought. He looked around, startled, and then realized that it was one of the paintings. Fawkes had tried talking to them earlier, but his singsong voice had sent most of the older ones to sleep. Every now and then, one of the people in the pictures would snort in their sleep, or fall over. It was quite irritating, really.

The door to the office opened, and Fawkes’ eyes opened wide. Had Dumbledore come back? Alas, this wasn’t to be so. Instead, a cloaked figure crept up the stairs and looked slowly around the room. The phoenix gulped; the figure in front of him gave off an aura of menace.

When the figure had got near enough, Fawkes took off, scratching the figure’s face with his claws. As the person fell to the floor, holding their head in their hands, Fawkes flew towards a closed window. He looked behind him and saw the person getting up, a wand held in front of them.

Fawkes braced himself and smashed through the window, into the cool night air. A ball of bright light flew out behind him, just missing Fawkes’ tail feathers.

Right then, he thought. I think it’s time for a little holiday …

A few minutes later, Fawkes bumped into Hedwig. To be precise, he crashed into her, almost knocking Trevor out of her claws and sending him tumbling to the ground.

“Do you mind?� Hedwig asked shrilly.

“I’ve just been attacked!� cried Fawkes, not bothering to answer her question. “He tried to kill me!�

“Really?� she asked sarcastically. “Well, thank you for sharing that with us. But we’ve got to go now. Bye then!� And she flew off, leaving Fawkes flapping around with a puzzled look on his face.

“Hey! I order you to not leave me!�

But Hedwig ignored him. “Sorry!� Trevor shouted as Hedwig flew away. “I’d try to reason with her, but she doesn’t seem to be listening to me!�

Fawkes frowned, and then flew as fast as he could to catch up with Hedwig. “Stop and talk to me! I want sympathy!�

“You’re not getting any unless you use the magic word.�

“Erm … Alohomora?

“No, but you’re close.� Hedwig sighed. “Look, let’s just go inside and have a little talk. You seem quite upset … what is your name by the way?�

“I’m Fawkes, the phoenix.�

“Splendid. Come on in then.�

The two birds flew through an open window. Trevor, who had remained silent for the whole conversation, burped.


Crookshanks was asleep. He’d enjoyed a fine meal of spiders and scraps of food left on the floor of the Great Hall, and then explored the castle, searching for a comfortable-looking place where he could have another nap. Eventually, he’d decided on a pile of cushions in a Charms classroom.

However, he was rudely awoken by a pair of rowdy birds and a burping toad flying in. He opened one yellow eye and watched them, listening with one ragged ear.

“Where shall I begin?� asked one of the birds, shaking their head. That one had red and gold feathers, and was the larger of the two.

“The start would be good. I always find that the best place to start when I’m telling stories,� answered the other bird. Crookshanks recognised her as Earwig (or something like that), Harry Potter’s owl.

Oh good, Crookshanks thought, sitting up, a story!

“Alright then. If you didn’t know, Dumbledore’s my human, and last week, he disappeared.�

“That’s not that unusual, Fawkes,� said the toad. Crookshanks knew him too -- Trevor was his name.

“I know that, but he didn’t really disappear as such, he just walked out one morning and he hasn’t come back yet. I think something’s happened to him … �

“Are you finished yet?� Trevor asked.

“Wait for me to say I’m finished! Anyway, to cut a short story shorter, an evil-looking man broke into Dumbledore’s office just before, and seemed to be looking for something. When he saw me, he tried to kill me! I’m finished,� he added.

“That isn’t the best story I’ve ever heard,� Crookshanks said, walking silently out of the shadows, startling everyone.

Trevor fainted.

Fawkes shrugged. “I admit that it lacked certain qualities, but at least it’s all true.�

“Wait a minute … how do you know that the person who broke into Dumbledore’s office was a man?� Crookshanks enquired.

“I don’t. So before you say anything else, a person broke into Dumbledore’s office. Are you happy? And who exactly are you?�

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Crookshanks.� He extended his paw for Fawkes to shake, but the phoenix ignored it.

“I’m Fawkes. Pleased to meet you, by the way.� Fawkes turned to Hedwig. “What do you think I should do?� he asked.

Hedwig smirked. “Hold the phone. I think I have an idea … �

“Electrical items don’t work in Hogwarts,� pointed out Trevor, who was waking up, rubbing his head. “I thought you of all people would know that, Miss ‘Read-everything-in-the-library.’�

“I didn’t actually mean hold a phone. It was a figure of speech, you see. A metaphorical phone, as it were. I have some friends who could help Fawkes, so we’d best be going. Follow me, Fawkes!�

The two birds took off, but Crookshanks grabbed Hedwig’s leg. “I think that I’d like to go with you, actually. It’s just getting interesting

Trevor hopped over. “I’ll come too … �

Everyone knows what happened to Harry Potter in his second year at Hogwarts. If you don’t know, then go read the book. Or watch the film. I don’t really care. Anyway, what with the basilisk being dead, and there being nothing much to fear in the secretive Chamber, the owls took control of the Chamber. And all the other birds, of course. But the owls were in charge, because everyone knew they were the wisest.

So when Fawkes and Hedwig flew in, dangling Trevor and Crookshanks upside down, the sight that greeted them was a vast chamber, full of owls and various other animals. The four of them headed toward the centre of the chamber, after Crookshanks and Trevor had been out down on the floor, complaining of headaches, where an even more unusual sight awaited them.

The basilisk’s skeleton was lying spread-eagled in the middle of the feathered, furry and scaly crowd, and an enormously fat owl was perched on the basilisk’s skull. She was missing an eye, and most of her feathers, and a leg. To be frank, she looked like she’d been in the wars. Actually, The Great Owl Wars of 1980, but that’s a different story. She was Kess, the leader of the owls in charge of the Chamber, and she knew everything that went on in Hogwarts. Which was why Hedwig had come to her. Flitting around the fat owl’s head was Pigwidgeon, a tiny owl who looked more like a feathered mouse.

Hedwig flew up to them, followed by Fawkes. “Kess! It’s me, Hedwig!� she cried, patting the fat owl on the back with a wing.

Kess peered at Hedwig with her one good eye. “Hedwig? I haven’t seen you in a long time. How are you? Who’s your good-looking friend?�

“I’m fine, thank you. And this is Fawkes, the phoenix. He’s got something important to tell you … �

***

“I think they’ve abandoned us,� said Trevor, looking up at the basilisk skull.

“Me too,� agreed Crookshanks, sitting next to his companion. “Shall we have a look around here? It looks quite interesting.�

Trevor snorted. “It’s not interesting if you get lost and can’t find your way out for a month, believe me. But if you let me sit on your back, I’ll give you a guided tour.�

Crookshanks raised a furry eyebrow. “A month? Good lord.� He climbed to his paws. “Hop on then.�

Trevor smiled, and hopped onto the cat’s back. “Right then. No flash photography please, and try to keep your paws with you at all times. Forward, Crookshanks!�

***

“And on your left is the diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle, who isn’t the Half-Blood Prince, as some creatures think,� said Trevor, pointing to an ink-splattered book with a hole in the middle. A fence had been erected around it, and some creatures had formed a queue so they could have a closer look at it. The Chamber of Secrets had become a popular tourist destination after the basilisk was killed.

“Amazing,� replied Crookshanks. “What’s next?�

Trevor thought for a moment. "Well, I was thinking that we could go and have a look at the basilisk’s cast off skin. That’s always good.�

“No, I’d rather not, if it’s alright with you. Dead skin doesn’t really interest me. Anything else?�

“What about the Parseltongue Door?� Trevor suggested. “You might have heard of that before. You have to speak Parseltongue to open it.

“That’s an original name, isn’t it?� Trevor nodded. “Let’s go then. Direct me to it, my warty friend.�

***

Kess, the fat owl, rubbed her head. “Goodness, that is an interesting story. It reminds me of something that Pig was telling me the other day, something about Mrs. Norris, the caretaker’s cat.�

Pigwidgeon stopped his orbit of Kess’ head. “She disappeared a week ago. No one knows where she went.� And then he started flying around and around again.

Kess turned to Fawkes. “Something tells me that these two incidents are connected. The disappearance of Mrs. Norris, and the break-in in Dumbledore’s office.�

“Are you saying it was Mrs. Norris broke into Dumbledore’s office?� Hedwig asked, puzzled.

“That is a possibility, Hedwig, but I was thinking more along the lines of, ‘Maybe the person who broke into Dumbledore’s office has already kidnapped Mrs. Norris.’�

“That’s clever. It’s obvious why you’re in charge of all the owls,� said Fawkes.

“Thank you,� Kess replied, looking a little embarrassed.

Hedwig flew between them. “Well, all this is confusing, isn’t it? I suppose our job now is to find Mrs. Norris.�

***

Trevor and Crookshanks were lost. At least, they thought they were lost. They couldn’t be too sure, because it was pitch black and (obviously) they couldn’t see where they were.

“I’m damp,� Crookshanks whined.

“Be quiet,� Trevor replied. “I’m trying to figure out where we are.�

“The Chamber of Secrets. Have you already forgotten?�

“Of course not. But don’t worry, we’re not lost.�

“We aren’t? Phew, I was worried for a moment.

“We’re not lost. I just don’t know where we are.�

There was a moment’s silence, interrupted occasionally by water dripping from the roof of the tunnel they were in.

“But isn’t that the same as being lost?� Crookshanks asked.

“Not necessarily. Just carry on walking forward.�

“Are you sure?�

“Definitely. Don’t worry, you’re in safe webbed hands.�

Crookshanks slowly waded through the dark, murky water, with Trevor now balanced on the top of his head. Soon he walked out of the tunnel, and fell down a ten-metre drop into a deep, cold lake.

At that exact moment in time, Mrs. Norris was having a bit of trouble as well. Normally, she would scream and cry for help in circumstances like these, but she was a little bit tied up. Literally. She’d gone for a stroll around the lake in Hogwarts’ grounds, and it had been quite a surprise when a clumsy human had jumped onto her, tied her up, and shoved her in a sack.

Eventually, someone had let the cat out of the bag, but when Mrs. Norris saw what was outside the bag, she immediately wished that she could go back in. Three faces leered at her -- one scaly, one furry, and the other just plain terrifying. In other words, a snake, a rat, and a human with deathly pale skin and red, snake-like eyes.

The human leaned forward and stroked Mrs. Norris’s head. “Wormtail, talk to our little friend here. I think she’d much rather talk to dinner than me.�

The rat gave a little whimper, and scurried forward towards Mrs. Norris. She looked at it and showed her sharp teeth, and the rat gulped.

“H-hello?� it asked.

“Hello,� Mrs. Norris purred. “Who are you?�

The rat held its tail in his front paws. “I’m Wormtail. See? My tail looks like a worm … �

“I get it,� Mrs. Norris replied in a menacing tone. “Let mebe blunt. Why am I here, and who’s the ugly-looking person over there?� she asked, gesturing to the terrifying human.

Wormtail shook his head. “You don’t want Lord Voldemort hear you call him ugly … oh wait, I forgot. He doesn’t understand us. Anyway,� he began, sitting up on his hind legs, “Lord Voldemort has decided that you’re going to be part of his evil plans for world domination, and if he wants you to be part of his plans, you can’t refuse. Actually, come to think of it, you can. But he’ll kill you if you do.�

“How?�

“Pardon?�

“I said, how am I part of these plans?�

Wormtail thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Wait, I’ll just ask him … �

He turned round, and turned into a human. A head shot up from the ground; limbs sprouted, and next moment, a man was standing where Wormtail had just been. Mrs. Norris watched with amazement.

“Master,� she heard Wormtail say, “how exactly does a cat come into your evil plans for world domination?�

Lord Voldemort frowned and cocked his head. “What do you mean by that, Wormtail?�

“What I mean is, this plan seems unusual, sir. I don’t normally go around kidnapping people’s pet cats in the dead of night … �

“Here’s where my plan gets interesting, Wormtail. Whose pet cat is it?�

“I have absolutely no idea, sir. Is this some kind of riddle?�

“No, don’t be stupid. This cat belongs to Argus Filch, the caretaker. You might remember him from your days at Hogwarts.�

“I remember him!� Wormtail cried. “I hated him. A horrible person, you know. Always trying to get the headmaster to let him torture students. I’m glad he didn’t. A horrible person,� he repeated.

Mrs. Norris snarled at Wormtail.

Lord Voldemort reached out and stroked Mrs. Norris again. She purred and smiled. This Voldemort person’s quite nice, she thought. At least he likes cats …

“It’s alright, my dear,� cooed Lord Voldemort, “Voldy’s here! I’ll look after you, not like that horrid Wormtail.� He turned to Wormtail and glared at him. “Talk to her again! Ask her if she wants to be my spy in Hogwarts.�

He tried to hit Wormtail across the head, but Wormtail turned into a rat before his master’s hand struck him. So Voldemort kicked him instead.

Wormtail scurried over to Mrs. Norris and smiled nervously. “You understood everything that he said, didn’t you?�

Mrs. Norris didn’t answer. Instead, she stared wide-eyed at Wormtail. “You’re an Animagus!� she exclaimed. “An animal that can turn into a human!�

“Actually, it’s the other way round. I’m a human who can turn into an animal,� he corrected.

“Whatever. It’s still the same thing,� Mrs. Norris responded, shrugging her furry shoulders.

“So? Can you answer my questions now, erm … what did you say your name was?�

“I didn’t.� Mrs. Norris replied simply. “The name’s Norris, Mrs. Norris.�

“Alright then, Mrs. Norris. Let’s just get back on topic, shall we? Did you understand what You-Know-Who was saying before?�

“You-Know-Who? Oh, you mean Voldy. Yes, I understood him. He wants me to go and spy on everyone in Hogwarts for him. I might, but you haven’t told me what I’ll get out of this bargain.�

“The chance to stay alive, I guess,� Wormtail answered. “But don’t worry. I’ll put in some good words for you with the Dark Lord. You might get a treat!�

“You know, something makes me think that he won’t listen to you, Wormtail. I don’t know why you work for him if he seems to hate you too much.�

Wormtail smiled and looked wistful for a moment. “I helped make Lord Voldemort as you see him now. I was one of his creators.�

Mrs. Norris stared at him again. “I’m not going to ask, but you are one strange little rat.�

“Just say you’ll help him!� he pleaded. “I’m begging you, Mrs. Norris. I don’t want him to punish me.�

The cat sighed. “Alright. Tell him that I give in. I’ll be his eyes and ears in Hogwarts. Anything to get away from you, Wormtail.�

As I said earlier, Crookshanks looked like he would have appeared in the Feline Olympics, if running into walls was an Olympic sport. However, he wouldn’t do so well in the 25m backstroke. Or any other water related sport, for that matter. Crookshanks hated water, although he didn’t know why. He just hated it. He didn’t even like puddles very much, and he used to think that he might melt if he went out in the rain.

So you can imagine what he felt like when he and Trevor plummeted down towards the water. If you can’t imagine, let me just tell you that the poor thing was terrified, and as he fell, his whole life flashed before his eyes, although it wasn’t very exciting. It was mostly just: living in the Magical Menagerie at Diagon Alley, going off with Hermione, eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping, wandering around, sleeping, meeting Sirius Black, sleeping, trying to capture Scabbers (or Wormtail, as he preferred to be called) and take him to Sirius, sleeping, eating, sleeping, etc.

He hit the water with a splash, went underwater, and managed to find his way back to the surface again, his lungs bursting and his fur soaking wet. The current was pulling him along to…Crookshanks gulped, another waterfall. A few feet in front of him, the water just stopped and plummeted down to…well, he didn’t know. But presumably, it was somewhere wet.

Crookshanks tried to moggy-paddle back the way he’d just come, but the current was too strong. He was swept off over the edge and down the waterfall. “Tre!� he had time to scream before he hit the water again and his mouth filled with water.

Where was that stupid toad?

******

Trevor, meanwhile, was sitting on a small ledge above the water. As soon as he’d the water and got separated from his companion, he’d hopped out onto the ledge, to look for Crookshanks. By that time, however, the cat was just about to fall off the waterfall, and Trevor couldn’t see him.

Trevor was just about to leap into the water and make sure that Crookshanks wasn’t playing about underwater, hiding from him, when he heard someone shout, “Tre!� and then a loud splash. Trevor looked in the direction it had come from and then dived in, performing a small somersault because he felt like it. He hadn’t been in water like this for quite a while – Neville normally just left Trevor in a small bucket, or a sink.

Trevor was the complete opposite to Crookshanks. He wasn’t the best walker, but he was the best swimmer in Hogwarts, apart from the Squid. Opening his eyes underwater, he could see nothing remotely cat-like. All he could see was rocks and water. Further on, there was a waterfall, he noted, swimming against the current.

Wait a minute. A waterfall?

He immediately turned round and swam as fast as he could towards the waterfall, which was fast, because he was helped a little by the strong current. He shot out into open air, did some more somersaults, and dived into the water at the foot of the waterfall.

Underwater again, he looked round, fearing the worst already. Everyone knew that cats hated water. It was one of those well-known facts in the animal kingdom, like ‘owls are the wisest animals’, and ‘toads have an irrational fear of flying’.

Ahead of him was a dark shape, and Trevor grinned, his warty face looking even more ugly. There was his good friend, the Squid. He should have known that he was in the lake.

****

When Crookshanks woke, he found that he was on an island, in the middle of a lake, surrounded by water. It was still night, and the moonlight glinted off the surface of the lake. He shivered involuntarily and made his way to the very centre of the unusual island, as far away as possible from all the water.

The island was very peculiar. The ground was soft and rubbery, and shaped like an oval. It took Crookshanks a while to notice that it was moving ever so slightly. Up and down, it was moving, as if the island was breathing.

At that moment, Trevor burst out of the water and landed spread-eagled next to Crookshanks, interrupting that train of thought.

“I found you!� Trevor breathed. “I’ve been looking all over for you!�

“Lovely,� Crookshanks replied, moving back slightly. Trevor was too wet. “I have been so terribly worried about you, my dear friend,� he continued in a monotone voice.

Trevor smirked. “You do know where you are, don’t you?�

Crookshanks sniffed. “Indeed I do. I’m on a small island in the middle of the lake.�

“No you’re not. You’re actually lying on the back of the Giant Squid that lives in this lake.�

Crookshank’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?�

“Of course I am. Do you think I’d lie to you? I was just talking to her a moment ago. She and I are good friends, you know.�

“Alright. Take us to the shore, Mrs. Squid!� Crookshanks yelled at the top of his voice.

Trevor hopped to the edge of the Squid’s back. “She won’t understand you. You have to be underwater to talk to her, and I don’t really think that you’d be brave enough to stick your head underwater and talk to her yourself.� Crookshanks snarled at him, and he dived into the water.

A few moments later, Trevor poked his head out of the
water. Crookshanks had to crawl closer to the edge to hear what Trevor had to say, but was careful to not get too close. “She says that she’ll gladly take us back, because you keep scratching her with your claws, and your fur tickles her. She’ll be glad to get rid of you.�

Crookshanks scowled. “Well, you can tell her that she’s too wet.�

“If you say so. But that’s not much of an insult, seeing as she does live in the water. It’s like me telling you that you’re too furry, and hoping you’ll be insulted. By the way, I’m going to be swimming underwater, while she takes you back, and keep her company.� He grinned, and then dived back underwater.

Crookshanks sighed and lay back, staring at the stars.

*****

The Squid stopped a short distance from the shore, because, according to Trevor, if she went too close she might get stuck and drown in the air.

But Crookshanks thought that it was all just a clever plan of hers to get him wet again. He slid slowly off the Squid and then paddled to the shore, keeping his head high above the water.

Trevor thanked the Squid, and then made his way over to Crookshanks, who was standing on the shore, soaking wet and shivering.

“Do you know where to go now?� Trevor asked, hopping onto Crookshanks’ back.

The cat was about to come back with a witty remark he’d just come up with, but he was stopped by a loud voice booming out, “Who goes there?�

Meanwhile, a fully-fledged search was going on in the Chamber of Secrets. Crookshanks and Trevor had gone missing, and none of the birds in the chamber had seen them for at least an hour. During that hour, Hedwig and Fawkes had been talking with Kess and Pig, but when they’d decided that it was time to go, they were shocked to learn that the other two members of the group were nowhere to be found. Kess had immediately organised everyone into search parties and sent them off to find the troublemakers.

Unfortunately, none of the sparrows, finches, pigeons, doves, eagles, hawks, buzzards, ducks, swans, geese, thrushes, or owls could find them.

“Do you think they’ve been taken by the same people who’ve taken Mrs. Norris?� Hedwig asked Kess, as they searched the cast-off basilisk skin.

“No, I don’t. They’ve probably just got lost. Don’t worry about them. They’ll turn up somewhere sooner or later.�

When they weren’t found, Kess gathered all the birds together, and off they went to search all of Hogwarts and its grounds, a great flock of birds all searching for a cat and a toad.

*****

Mrs. Norris winced as she walked back towards Hogwarts, and hissed as she thought of Lord Voldemort.

Once she’d agreed to help him, he’d lifted her up and stroked her head, luring her into a false sense of security before stuffing her into the sack again, along with Wormtail (in his rat form), and tying the end of the sack tightly, so the two prisoners couldn’t escape. He completely ignored Wormtail’s screeches, and even though the human couldn’t understand what Wormtail was actually screeching, he must have had some idea that it was along the lines of: “Let me out, master!�

And now, here she was. Another human – a Death Eater, according to Wormtail - had carried the sack to somewhere near Hogwarts, dropped it and then opened the bag. However, when Mrs. Norris came out, Wormtail following, the Death Eater had disappeared, so Mrs. Norris couldn’t sink her claws into the human.

In the distance, she could see one of Hogwarts’ many towers peeking over the top of a hill, so that was where she was heading. She winced again and meowed forlornly. What she needed right now was her human, Argus. He’d know how to make her better.

But no, here she was, at least a mile from Hogwarts, and an injured leg, from when the Death Eater had dropped the sack onto the ground.

“You do know where you’re going, don’t you?� Wormtail asked in a whining voice.

“I don’t often go for midnight strolls this far from the castle,� Mrs. Norris replied scathingly, “but surely you, with your little rodent brain, can see the castle over there,� she pointed with one of her good paws.

“Yes,� Wormtail answered quietly. She’s almost as bad as the Dark Lord, he thought.

The pair of them reached the top of the hill, and looked down at the lake, the Forbidden Forest, and Hogwarts. Unfortunately, the castle was on the opposite side of the lake to them.

“Oh great,� Mrs. Norris muttered to herself. “I hadn’t thought it was that far away.�

“Erm…what’s that?� Wormtail asked.

The Animagus was staring wide-eyed at Hogwarts. Something had just shot out of the middle of the castle, like a black fountain, disintegrating and spreading out all over the place. Wormtail had heard bad things about the Forbidden Forest: giant spiders, for example. Was this another of those things?

“I have absolutely no idea,� Mrs. Norris said, and that could have answered both of Wormtail’s questions, both spoken and unspoken.

“Well, I have the feeling that we should get away from whatever it is. It looks as if it’s looking for something.�

The cat and the rat looked at each other, terrified, and then jumped into a hollow tree trunk that was lying nearby, waiting for whatever it was to go away.

There was silence for a few minutes, as if the whole world was watching, wondering like you what was going on.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a flock of birds landing nearby, and a high voice at the end of the hollow log saying, “Hello? Anyone in…mmmph!� Mrs. Norris had pounced out of the darkness onto the creature with the squeaky voice, a small fluffy owl.

The three of them lay in silence until they heard a loud fluttering of wings again, and finally Mrs. Norris released the small bird, sure that the other birds outside had gone.

Stopping to take a deep breath, the bird started speaking in its annoying voice. “Hey, aren’t you Mrs. Norris? The others will be interested to see you, because Kess knew that you’d been kidnapped, and thought that your kidnapping had something to do with the fact that someone had broken into Professor Dumbledore’s office. We were talking to Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, and he was in the office when someone broke into it, and then he joined up with Hedwig and Crookshanks and Trevor, but now Trevor and Crookshanks have gone, and I thought they were kidnapped by the same person who kidnapped you and broke into Dumbledore’s office, and do you know who I think it is?� The bird didn’t stop for anyone to answer; it just carried on. “That’s right, I think it’s Voldemort. He’s a terrible man…�

“Will you just shut up?� interrupted Wormtail.

“Who are you?� the bird asked, seeing Wormtail for the first time

“I think you should introduce yourself first,� said Mrs. Norris. “After all, we’re the ones who kidnapped you.�

“Alright. I’m Pigwidgeon, but my friends call me Pig. I’d like to say that you can’t call me Pig because you’re not my friends, but it gets tiring when creatures keep calling me Pigwidgeon. I’m afraid that you’ll just have to call me Pig.� Pig finished his introduction and smiled proudly at his kidnappers.

“I’m Mrs. Norris, and this is Wormtail, my…associate,� replied Mrs. Norris.

Pig turned to stare incredulously at Wormtail again. “Wormtail? Wormtail? I’ve heard of you! My human, Ron Weasley…�

“Your human? No, Ron’s my human!� Wormtail cried indignantly.

“So you are Scabbers. I thought you were as soon as I saw you.�

“Actually, I prefer the name Wormtail now.�

“I’d guessed that already. You know, Ron’s always talking about how much he hates you, Scabbers.�

“You’re lying. We’ve spent many happy years together, and I’m sure that he’d prefer me to you.�

“Be quiet!� Mrs. Norris screamed. “Honestly, you two are giving me a headache. Now, as I’m the leader of this little group, I’ve decided that you’re coming with us, Pigwidgeon.�

“What if I decide I don’t want to?� Pig asked. “I could just fly away, and neither of you could stop me.�

Mrs. Norris smirked. “Actually, we can stop you. Wormtail, can you turn into a human for a moment and then tie this little bird up?�

“Yes, I can,� answered Wormtail, grinning at Pig.

There were a few moments of silence when nobody did anything.

“Oh,� said Wormtail, realisation dawning on him at last. “You want me to do it now?�

“Yes,� said Mrs. Norris in a bored tone of voice.

“Alright. Could you just look away for a moment?� he asked shyly. “I find this a bit embarrassing.�

“Sure. Anything for you, Wormtail dear. Look away, Pig, and let him do his business.�

Mrs. Norris and Pig both turned away. There was a rustling sound, and then a human voice told them they could turn round again. They did so willingly, and saw a man standing there. “Right then…� He bent down and picked up a piece of vine, then took Pig out of Mrs. Norris. Struggling a little, he managed to tie Pig’s wings to his body, and he set the owl down on the ground before asking his two companions to turn round again.

A few seconds later, Wormtail was back in his rat-shape again.

“You’re an Animagus!� Pig breathed, hopping up and down.

“Yes, I am. But I don’t like to boast about it.

“Just as well – it’s probably why Ron doesn’t like you,� said Pig.

“Would you mind telling us who you are first, and what you’re doing sneaking around scaring terrifying innocent cats?� Crookshanks asked. He was cold, hungry, some creature had just scared the life out of him, and (worst of all) he was wet. This was definitely not a good day.

“I’m Fang, and it’s my job. To patrol the grounds, that is. Terrifying cats is just an added bonus,� the voice replied, although he was lying. He normally just slept all day, but these creatures had woken him up from his nap.

“I’m Trevor,� Trevor replied, “and this is Crookshanks.�

“Yes. Now can you at least come where we can see you?� Crookshanks asked.

“Fine,� came Fang’s voice. And out of the shadows came Fang, revealing himself to be an enormous black boarhound, who towered over both Crookshanks and Trevor. Crookshanks gulped and shrank back in fear.

“You look cold,� stated Fang. “Come to my house, it’s a lot warmer there, and I’d much prefer to be there than out here, chatting to you two.�

*****

Now Pig’s disappeared. It’s as if all the animals in Hogwarts are disappearing one by one! Kess thought. First Mrs. Norris, then Crookshanks and Trevor, and now Pig!

Kess had grown quite attached to the tiny owl, even though he had an annoying voice, and he was quite hyperactive. She was now questioning the birds that had been in the same search party as Pig, but they had no idea when Pig had disappeared. Absolutely no idea. He was easy to overlook, being so small, Kess thought, but not so small that you could forget about him, because he did have a very annoying voice that you couldn’t ignore.

And they’d only realised that they didn’t have Pig with them when they got back to the Chamber of Secrets, so there was no way of knowing when Pig had gone off.

“What can we do?� Kess asked herself.

******

Fang led his two new friends to a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so small that there was only one room inside. There was a massive bed inside, which Trevor didn’t think belonged to Fang, and a roaring fire in the fireplace on the other side of the room. Lying on the floor, pointing to the fire, was a battered pink umbrella.

“How did you get this fire going, Fang me old mate?� asked Crookshanks, who had walked straight towards the fireplace, and was already lying by the fire warming himself.

“Easy,� was Fang’s reply. “I just used that umbrella. It’s actually my human’s wand – well, bits of it, anyway – and you can still use it to light fires.� Fang shut the door, then climbed onto the bed and lay down and looked at the other two.

“So where is your human?� enquired Trevor, who was sitting on the table near the fireplace. “He can’t be far away, if his wand is still here.�

“Well, that’s the strange thing, Trevor. You see, Hagrid – that’s my human’s name – just disappeared a few days ago. He was in such a hurry that he even forgot his wand.� When he’d finished, Fang closed his eyes and rolled over

Trevor was staring at Fang. “Dumbledore disappeared a few days ago too! Maybe they went somewhere together.�

Fang opened one eye so he could see who he was talking to. “Yes, I heard about that. Pretty strange, if you ask me. It makes me want to find out what’s going on, but then I decide not to and then go to sleep. And if you don’t mind, I’m going to go to sleep now. Wake me up when it’s morning. I’ll break my fast, and then have another sleep. Good night!�

Trevor shook his head and turned to Crookshanks to tell him that they should leave, but realised that Crookshanks was asleep, too.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, that’s what Trevor’s mother used to say, so Trevor went to sleep as well.

*****

Kess had finally decided what to do. She would go and visit Fang, along with Hedwig and Fawkes. After all, Fang was the only animal who knew his way around Hogwarts’ grounds like the back of his paw, and he might have seen Pig, or even Crookshanks or Trevor, unless he was sleeping. Which he probably was. Still, Kess couldn’t think of anything else to do.

She flapped her wings, and flew off into the night sky, towards Hagrid’s Hut, Fawkes and Hedwig close behind her.

*******

The fire in Hagrid’s Hut could be seen from far away, and it was from far away that Mrs. Norris saw it. As soon as she saw it, she changed direction and headed towards the firelight instead of Hogwarts. Lord Voldemort had given her a job, and that was to be his eyes and ears in Hogwarts. So she might as well, go and see what that light near the Forbidden Forest was.

“Where are we going now?� Wormtail and Pig asked at the same time.

“Can you see that light straight ahead?� Mrs. Norris asked in reply.

“Yes.�

“We’re going there.�

As they got nearer, Mrs. Norris saw what the light was coming from. It was coming through the windows of a small wooden hut, and looked like it was firelight, which was what Mrs. Norris had guessed it was at first.

She suddenly stopped, and Pig hopped right into her and fell backwards onto the ground.

“What did you stop for?� Pig screeched.

Mrs. Norris whirled round and glared at him. “Be quiet! Listen (you too, Wormtail, come back here); there are some creatures in there already. I can hear them. Now, if any of them ask what our names are, Wormtail isn’t Wormtail. He’s Nancy, alright?�

“What’s my name?� Pig asked.

“It’s Pigwidgeon. Have you forgotten your own name? We can’t let them know Wormtail’s name, because…well, because. I’m going to cut these things off you, because we don’t want them to think we’ve kidnapped you, do we Pig?�

Pig shook his head so hard that Wormtail thought it might fall off. “Oh no, of course not. We definitely wouldn’t want that.�

“Good.� With one swipe of her claws, Mrs. Norris cut the vines off Pig. “Let’s go in now. Come on, Nancy!�

******

Mrs. Norris knocked loudly on the door, waking Trevor up, and as the toad opened the door for Mrs. Norris and her two followers, Kess swooped down towards the hut.

It was dark. This was mainly because it was night time, but also because there were no windows in the room. There was no furniture in the room, either. The room was almost empty. There was only one thing in the room. And this thing was a snake. A particularly large snake, actually. Her name was Nagini, the serpent servant of the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, who would be known as Voldy to his friends, if he had any (and he didn’t, but he didn’t really care; he was more interested in global domination, like all other evil masterminds). Nagini was on her own, although you’d probably already guessed that, because I just told you that she was the only thing in the room. She didn’t know where her master had gone – he never told where he went, anyway, but Nagini guessed that he’d gone to do something quite evil, which was what he always did when he was bored.

Anyway, Nagini was thinking. She tended to do this a lot nowadays, as she was on her own a lot. If she were a normal snake, most of her thoughts would have been like this: when’s my next meal coming? Or, mmmm.... that was tasty.

Nagini, however, no longer thought like that (although she was getting hungry). No, she thought about much better things than that. At the moment, she was wondering how she could escape from this pitch-black room. She was rather fond of her master, but she was getting a little bored of him. To tell the truth, the most fun she’d had in her life was during the time when Master had just disappeared. Then, he suddenly came back, and she was drawn to him like a moth is drawn to a flame, or an iron filing is drawn to a magnet, or a fish is drawn to that bait dangling underwater on a bit of string...sorry. I got a little carried away there.

But she had had a lot of fun, hanging out with the adders and the grass snakes, and eating poor, unsuspecting toads. So – how could she escape?

The door to the room was locked, of course. If it hadn’t been, she would have slithered off ages ago. Her master had taken to locking the door whenever he went out nowadays, instead of letting her slither around the house, and sometimes the surrounding countryside. She hadn’t told him that she wanted to leave (he wouldn’t have let her leave, even if she had asked), but he must have guessed what she was thinking, and locked her in the dark, empty room with nothing to do except slither round or meditate.

With a long, drawn-out creak, a door opened, bringing Nagini out of her reverie. Master must be back. Finally. She uncoiled herself and slithered over to the locked door, waiting patiently for it to open again.

Eventually, after what seemed like days, although it was actually only two minutes, Nagini heard the sound of the key turning in the lock. She grinned her fanged grin when the door slowly opened, to reveal master, complete with his pale face and snake-like eyes, and...Nagini sighed. She’d hoped that master wouldn’t bring back some of his friends. It wasn’t as though she was scared of them. Oh, no. None of them could compare to the evil that was Lord Voldemort. It was just that master seemed to prefer his human servants to her, his loyal Nagini. And there they were, Bellatrix, Lucius, and co., looking down at her and sneering.

She wondered where they’d all been. She couldn’t guess – she had no idea where they ever went. No one ever told Nagini anything. This was because they couldn’t speak parseltongue, but even if they could, they still wouldn’t have told her anything. It was prejudice. Snakism, even.

Oh well. Nagini just lay there on the floor and listened to the humans talking to each other. She knew they couldn’t talk to her, and had no idea what she said when she was talking (it just seemed like hissing to them), but she could understand them, and knew what they were saying.

“Where is Pettigrew, sir?� asked Lucius, the one with the girly hair. “I’d expected him to be here.�

Lord Voldemort grinned his evil grin. He rarely grinned, because he sometimes scared himself when he did it. “Ah. Wormtail. I was going to tell you about him – that’s why I summoned you all here tonight.�

There was a long period of silence. If Voldemort hadn’t been one of the most evil wizards to have ever lived, someone would have said, “Are you going to tell us then?� But no one did. They were too scared. So they just waited patiently instead.

“This is another of my marvellous plans,� Voldemort continued at last. “Personally, I think it’s one of my best plans yet. Of course, this is another plan to get Harry Potter and kill him, but that goes without saying.� The Death Eaters all nodded obediently. “I kidnapped Mrs. Norris, the feline companion of Argus Filch, the squib caretaker of Hogwarts, and brought her here, to this house. That was the first part of my plan. I won’t go into details, but I managed to...persuade her to help me. She does belong to the caretaker, as I said, so she knows her way round the school better than anyone else. Which is why I recruited her. I sent her with Pettigrew to the school, and between them, they shall be able to kidnap Harry Potter, and I shall finally be able to kill him!� And with that, he started laughing.

He stopped suddenly, and looked down at Nagini, who was still lying on the floor, looking up at the humans in front of her. “Oh, hello there, my darling Nagini,� he said, in parseltongue. “Sorry about that. I’d completely forgotten you were here. Come, my dear. Join us outside.�

Outside? Master was letting her outside? It had been days, week, months even since she had lain eyes on the outside world. And now he was inviting her outside. Something smelt fishy. And it definitely wasn’t Nagini, because she was allergic to fish.

Still, she might as well go outside. Just to see what it was like, to check if it had changed since she’d last been Out There. She didn’t think it had, but she should just check. And if it was as good as she remembered, then she’d be off, faster than well-greased lightning.

Master was already walking off, followed closely by his Death Eaters. Nagini slithered after them, and followed them along the corridor, down the stairs, and into the hall. Master, at the other end of the room, had opened the door, and was beckoning to Nagini. She slithered closer to him and stopped at his feet.

“Go on,� he said, in parseltongue again. “Go outside, Nagini.�

She looked at him questioningly, then did a snake shrug (which looks more like a wriggle, to tell you the truth), and went outside, into a small garden. Nagini looked back to see why master wasn’t coming out as well, and saw that he was still standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and smiling his terrifying smile.

“Farewell,� he said to Nagini, once again in parseltongue. “I don’t need you any more…�

He slammed the door in Nagini’s scaly face. Silence reigned in the garden for a few moments, and then Nagini heard the key turning in the lock. She was locked out. Nagini was suddenly very angry. She had been locked out! By her master, of all people! Well, if he thought he could get rid of her so easily, he was wrong. Very wrong indeed. She coiled up on the doorstep, waiting for someone to open the door. The Death Eaters would have to leave eventually, after all.

And so, they were all together in Hagrid’s hut. Well, not all of them if you included Nagini, of course, but there were enough of them to make a large crowd. If you’ve forgotten all of the characters so far (after all, the last time I mentioned them all was the chapter before the last one, so I’ll forgive you if you’ve forgotten…) I’ll tell you…

Fang the dog, who was the keeper of the keys at Hogwarts whilst Hagrid was gone, was lying down on his bed, on the floor. Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Kess the owl were all perching on the rafters, along with Fawkes the phoenix. Crookshanks and Mrs. Norris were sitting on opposite sides of the table, trying to stay away from each other and Fang, below them. And, last but not least, Trevor and Wormtail (who was going by the name of Nancy) were both sitting on one of the chairs.

“So,� Trevor said at last, “this is nice, isn’t it?�

Everyone turned to stare at him.

“All of us in here together,� the toad continued, “chatting away like were all the best of friends. Which were not. Well, we’re not yet. We don’t know each other’s names yet.�

“Most of us know each other,� Hedwig answered. “But I don’t know who that is,� she said, pointing at Wormtail with one of her talons.

“M-my name’s N-Nancy,� Wormtail stuttered.

“Well, N-Nancy, my name’s Hedwig. I’d shake feet with you, but I don’t want to come down. I’m quite comfortable up here. And these,� she continued, “are Fawkes, Kess, Crookshanks, Trevor, Fang, and…� She almost fell off the rafter. “Pig? When did you get here?�

“I got here before you,� Pig answered, reproachfully.

“Oh. Sorry. I just didn’t notice you there.� Hedwig turned back to ‘Nancy’. “And that’s everyone. I expect you already know Mrs. Norris, because I saw you come in with her.�

“Why didn’t you see me come in, then?� Pig cried.

Hedwig ignored him. “So now you know everyone in here, N-Nancy.�

“It’s just Nancy,� Wormtail corrected.

“Oh.�

There was silence, only interrupted by Fang’s loud, long snores as everyone tried to think of something to say. Fawkes was the first creature to say something.

“While we’re all here together, does anyone know what happened to Professors Dumbledore and Hagrid? Only I’ve been wondering for a while, and…erm…I thought that one of you might know…�

“Why do you want to know? What happened to them?� Wormtail asked.

Fawkes tried to look mysterious, but it didn’t work – he just looked like he was in a lot of pain. “They disappeared. No one knows where they went.� He paused. “Well, I’m guessing that Dumbledore and Hagrid know where Dumbledore and Hagrid are, and I’m guessing that at least one other person has an idea where they both are, which is why I’m asking you all. What about you, Fang? Hagrid’s your human, after all. Do you know where he is?�

“He’s asleep,� Trevor replied, as Fang snorted in his sleep.

“Ah.� Fawkes looked a little upset. “Could you wake him up?�

Trevor looked nervously at the huge, black, furry, drooling mass that was Fang and gulped. “I don’t think I can,� he replied.

“Let me do it!� said Hedwig. “I think I can wake him up…�

She screeched loudly, and Fang woke up with a start, leaping to his feet and barking, “What is it? Who’s there?� He stared at all the creatures in his hut. “Oh, I think I remember you. What do you want?�

“I was wondering,� Fawkes said, “if you had any idea where Hagrid is. Any idea at all?�

“Now you mention it,� Fang said slowly, “I don’t. Can I go back to sleep?� He didn’t wait for an answer – he just lay down and started snoring as soon as his furry head hit the floor.

“This is a boring story,� said Kess, perched up in the rafters. “Nothing’s happening.� Everyone turned to stare at her.

“What do you mean, ‘story?’� Trevor asked suspiciously.

“I was just thinking of what I’d tell all of the other owls about this. They won’t like it, though. As I just said, it’s boring. Nothing’s happening,� Kess repeated.

“That’s right,� replied Mrs. Norris, getting to her paws and stretching her legs. “I should probably leave now. I know when I’m not wanted…� she said, looking pointedly at Crookshanks, who was still curled up at the other end of the table, trying to get as far away from Mrs. Norris as possible.

Crookshanks looked shocked, and gasped. “It’s not that you’re not wanted! I just don’t like you.�

“It’s the same thing. Still, I’d better go. Me and W - I mean, Nancy have got to go. You know, things to do, places to go, creatures to see… Come on, Nancy!�

Wormtail got to his feet. “Yes, we’d better go. Good luck finding out what happened to Dumbledore and Hagrid!�

The pair of them walked over to the door, which was still ajar, and crept out into the living darkness outside.

“You know,� said Hedwig, once she was sure that Mrs. Norris and Nancy had gone, “I’m sure I recognise that rat from somewhere, but I can’t remember where…�

Mrs. Norris and Wormtail walked away from the hut in silence. “Why did we have to leave?� Wormtail asked suddenly. “I was enjoying it there...�

“You haven’t been away from your beloved master for that long, ‘Nancy’. Have you already forgotten why you left? I actually would have preferred to stay back there, you know. I don’t often get to mix with any of the other creatures round here.� She stopped, and turned to look at Wormtail. “But now, us two have got a job to do. So shouldn’t we do it?�

“Yes, we probably should. Master wouldn’t like it if we don’t do what he wants,� Wormtail said, and shuddered, thinking of what his master might do to him if he failed to do what was expected of him.

“Indeed.� Mrs. Norris carried on walking towards Hogwarts, which was getting nearer with each small step she took. “Spying on everyone at Hogwarts, eh? Who shall we spy on first?� she asked, almost to herself.

“Well, I was thinking that we should spy on Dumbledore first. But, of course, we can’t. He’s gone somewhere...�

“Yes, I’d already realised that. What about Professor McGonagall? After all, she is the Deputy Headmistress. If Dumbledore leaves, then she’s in charge. What do you think?�

“Good idea. Lead on, my dear friend!�

“I’m not your friend,� Mrs. Norris replied, sounding very annoyed, “so don’t call me that.�

“Of course. Sorry. I apologise profusely.�

The two of them carried on in silence again. They climbed the steps to the front doors in single file, Mrs. Norris in the lead. Mrs. Norris stopped in front of the closed door and looked pointedly at Wormtail. He looked from her to the door, then back to Mrs. Norris again. He looked puzzled.

“What is it? What do you want me to do?� he asked, confused.

Mrs. Norris sighed. “You’re an Animagus, aren’t you? Well, I don’t have hands...�

Realisation dawned slowly on Wormtail, and he grinned. “I know what you want me to do...�

“Well done,� Mrs. Norris said, as Wormtail turned back into a human. He looked around cautiously, opened the door, and slipped into the castle. Mrs. Norris followed him, and then Wormtail closed the door, the sound echoing around the dark, empty Entrance Hall like a sound that echoes. Wormtail quickly changed into a rat once more and scurried off after Mrs. Norris, who had already set off towards the staircase.

“Hey! Wait!� Wormtail shouted.

Mrs. Norris turned to Wormtail with a furious look on her whiskered face. “Be quiet!� she hissed. “Do you think this is a game? What’s the point of sneaking in here and then trying to wake everyone up?�

Wormtail looked down at the stone floor, ashamed. “Sorry,� he apologised again.

“Good.� Mrs. Norris shook her head slowly. “Come on then. Let’s get to McGonagall’s office before everyone in the castle wakes up...�

She carried on up the stairs, with Wormtail followed a short distance behind her. They walked up to the seventh floor and set off along the corridor towards McGonagall’s office. As they walked along, Wormtail saw something coming along the corridor, heading towards them. It was a small glowing orb floating in mid-air coming from the opposite direction.

“Wh-what’s that?� Wormtail squeaked.

“Be quiet,� Mrs. Norris hissed, not taking her eyes off the orb, “and go over and hide by that suit of armour. Now.� Wormtail scurried over, not questioning her. He climbed onto the foot and watched Mrs. Norris as the orb came closer and closer...

...until it turned out that the orb wasn’t really an orb. It was really just a candle in a lantern, and Argus Filch, the one and only caretaker of Hogwarts, held the lantern while he prowled the corridors. He jumped when he saw Mrs. Norris in front of him, sitting calmly on the floor.

“Oh, it’s just you, my dear,� he said. Mrs. Norris purred in reply. Filch grinned and stroked Mrs. Norris’ head. “Where were you?� Filch asked. “I was worried.�

“I was just wandering around. I had a nice chat with Lord Voldemort as well,� Mrs. Norris replied, knowing that her human couldn’t hear her; he just heard something like this – “Miaow, miaow, purr purr purr. Miaow purr.� Or something like that.

Filch smiled. “You know, sometimes it’s almost as though you understand me,� he said. “Anyway, I’ve got to carry on patrolling these corridors. You can stay here...� And with that, he was off again down the corridor.

Mrs. Norris waited until he was out of sight before setting off towards McGonagall’s office again. Wormtail scurried after her. “Who was he?� he asked, taking care to whisper, so Mrs. Norris wouldn’t get angry with him again.

“Well done! You’re being quiet!� Mrs. Norris said, and Wormtail smiled to himself. “And if you hadn’t already guessed, that was my human, Argus. He’s quite nice once you get to know him.�

“I suspect he is,� Wormtail replied.

They walked along in silence again. “Are we nearly there yet?� Wormtail asked after a while.

“No,� Mrs. Norris replied.

They walked along in silence again. “What about now?� Wormtail asked, once they’d walked one metre.

“No,� Mrs. Norris replied. “So shut up.�

This time when they walked along in silence, there was no interruption. They walked past suits of armour that creaked occasionally, paintings of elderly wizards that snorted in their sleep, tapestries, and a number of locked doors, until Mrs. Norris finally came to a halt in front of a rather plain-looking door.

“Here we go!� Mrs. Norris said. “This is the door to McGonagall’s office! It’s locked, of course.�

“So what am I going to do? How can I get in?�

“There’s only one thing you can do, my dear worm-tailed rat. You’ll have to wait here outside the office until McGonagall comes down, and then you’ll be able to go inside, won’t you? Obviously, you’ll have to sneak in without her noticing. I hope you’ll be able to do that. Goodbye!� She turned round and padded off back down the corridor, leaving Wormtail staring after her with a shocked expression on his face.

“Where are you going? Are you going to leave me here?�

Mrs. Norris turned round and smiled. “Yes, I am. Have fun without me!�

Kess had left shortly after Mrs. Norris and Wormtail, and flown off back to the Chamber of Secrets, to check on her subjects, and make sure there hadn’t been a revolt in her absence (if you really want to know, there hadn’t). Pig had wanted to go with her, but Kess had ordered him to stay with the others. Fang, not surprisingly, was still asleep on the floor. Crookshanks was still sitting on the table, but Trevor had joined him. The three birds had come down from the rafters, and were now perched on the backs of the chairs.

The five of them just sat there, talking about things that animals talk about when they feel like talking about things, while outside, it grew lighter and lighter. At dawn, Fang finally woke up, stretched his legs and yawned. He looked around at the others and frowned.

“Who are you lot?� he asked.

“Very good friends of yours,� Hedwig asked, without looking at him.

“Well, that’s a relief. I was worried for a moment there. So, is there anything I can do for you, friends?� he asked, walking over to the table.

Fawkes the phoenix turned to Fang and nodded slowly. “Actually there is. I wanted to ask you something, Fang.�

“Really? Fire away then...erm...Thingy.� Fang said, sitting down and staring at the strange-looking bird perched on his chair.

“The name’s Fawkes,� said Fawkes. “And I was wondering, did you see your human when he left?�

“As a matter of fact I did. He said to me, he said, ‘Bye, Fang!’ while I watched him walk off towards the Forbidden Forest.� The others stared at him, with shocked expressions on their faces. “What?� Fang asked. “What’s so bad about going in there? I’ve been into that forest hundreds of times.�

Crookshanks answered. “When you were fast asleep, we were talking, and we decided that, since we don’t have anything else to do, we should try to find out where Hagrid and Dumbledore went.� He looked over at Fawkes, and then continued, “Fawkes thought that we should try and find out which direction Hagrid went when he left, and then try to follow him, but...well, we’d hoped that he hadn’t gone in there. It’s supposed to be terrifying in there.�

Fang grinned. “And I expect that you want me to go with you all, eh?�

Crookshanks looked a little nervous. “We haven’t totally decided that we’re going...in there yet.�

“I’m going,� Pig squeaked.

“Me too,� Trevor croaked.

Fang looked back at Crookshanks, and his grin got bigger. “What about you, cat? Are you coming? There’s no need to be scared – it’s daytime now. It’ll be lighter.�

“Yeah, go on, Crookshanks!� Hedwig said.

“Are you two going?� Crookshanks asked Fawkes and Hedwig, who were both perched on the backs of their chairs and looking smug.

“Of course we are. There’s no need for us to be scared like you are, though. If we sense danger, then us birds can fly away!� cried Hedwig. “But we’re not cowards, so don’t you dare say we are,� she added, pointing a warning talon at Crookshanks.

Fang got up and walked over to the door, which was still ajar. Trevor and Pig followed him. “This is your last chance. If you three don’t come with us, it’ll just be us three wandering off into the forest.�

Crookshanks sighed, and padded after Fang. “Fine. But could you carry me?�

Fang stared at him with a bemused expression. “No. Why would I do that? You’ve got legs – use them,� he said, before heading off towards the forest again, followed by Trevor, who was hopping along, and the three birds, who were flapping after him.

The group made their way towards the forest, and stopped just at the edge, with the trees towering above them like towering trees. “Are you ready?� Fang asked, grinning and showing the fangs for which he had been named.

“No,� Crookshanks replied, “but let’s go in quickly, before I change my mind and run off back towards the castle.�

And they set off again. As soon as they went into the forest, it went dark, and the wind howled between the branches high above them. Far away, a wolf howled, a lion roared, and a duck quacked. “See?� Crookshanks cried when he heard the duck’s quack. “I told you this place was scary!�

Fang ignored him, and put his nose to the ground before he carried on walking into the depths of the forest. Crookshanks sighed, looked around him. In the shadows surrounding him, he thought he saw glowing eyes, and glistening fangs. He gulped, and moved closer to Fang, so close that he was almost underneath the dog’s legs.

“Do you mind?� Fang asked, after he almost tripped over Crookshanks.

“No, not really. But thank you for asking,� Crookshanks replied.

They continued in silence once more. Pig, who was uncomfortable with long silences, suddenly spoke. “What are we actually looking for?� he asked.

“Either Hagrid or Dumbledore,� Fawkes answered. “But it would be nice to find both of them together. Alive,� he added.

“Do we know if they went this way?� Pig asked.

“Well, I know for sure that Hagrid went this way,� Fang replied smugly. “I have a superb sense of smell. Did you think we were wandering round this forest, hoping to bump into them?�

Pig had actually thought that, but decided not to tell Fang that. “No,� he said. “Of course not!�

“Good,� Fang said, and put his nose back to the ground.

“Do you get giant cobwebs all over the forest?� Trevor asked suddenly.

“Why do you ask?� Fang said; his furry face creased into a puzzled frown.

“Because they’re all around us,� said Trevor. “Although I haven’t seen any giant spiders to go with…Ah. There’s one over there, watching us.�

Fang lifted his head up from the ground once more, and gulped. “It’s at times like these when you wish you had a Hagrid with you,� he said.

“Why?� Hedwig asked.

“All these spiders are Hagrid’s friends. If we had him with us, they wouldn’t eat us. As you all know, we don’t have him with us, so…�

“They’re going to eat us?� Crookshanks cried. Before he had been scared. Now, however, he was absolutely terrified.

“Spot on,� Fang replied.

“You know what?� Fawkes said. “I think we should split up, so we have a chance of living longer. And I propose that me, Hedwig, and Pig should fly off.�

“Hedwig, Pig, and me,� said Trevor.

“Pardon?�

“I was correcting you. But there’s no need to worry. It’s quite a common grammatical error,� Trevor replied, smiling.

“Erm…okay…� Fawkes said, a little confused. “Anyway, goodbye!� he said, flying up into the sky, high above the spiders.

Pig winked at Trevor, and flew after the phoenix. Hedwig seemed as if she was going to follow them, but stopped. “Try and live,� she said. “If you get eaten, I’ll never talk to you again.� And with that, she flew off.

“Cowards,� Crookshanks said, scowling after them.

“I know,� Trevor replied. “They could have at least carried me.�

“Oh well,� Fang said, sighing. “You know what they say.�

“What?� Trevor and Crookshanks both asked.

“That’s life. We’re all going to die anyway, aren’t we?� he sat down and calmly waited to be eaten.

“Coward,� Crookshanks said, scowling at him.

“I know,� Trevor replied. “They could have at least carried me.�

“What’s that supposed to mean?� Crookshanks asked, taking a break from his scowling and staring at Trevor instead.

“I don’t know. But I just had an awful feeling of déja vu.�

“Yes, well, we’ve got to get out of here,� said Crookshanks. “Any ideas?�

“What about going back the way we came?� Trevor suggested.

Crookshank spun round, to find several spiders leering menacingly at him, and waving several of their legs. He spun back round. “No,� he said to Trevor. “They’re behind us as well.�

Trevor sat down next to Fang, and smiled grimly.“I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be in a cliff-hanger,� he said.

“Well, I’m not enjoying this,� Fang said. “These cliff-hangers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.�

Crookshanks ignored this comment, and gulped as the giant spiders advanced, leering menacingly with their numerous glittering eyes. The spiders were all around them now, a wall of arachnids that was closing in in all directions.

“Do you reckon we’ll die?� he asked, looking at the spiders nervously, because there wasn’t much else he could be looking at.

“I hope not,� Trevor replied. “I always hoped that when I die, I’d drown in a giant vat of melted chocolate.�

“That’d be a bit messy,� Fang said.

“Yes, but it would taste nice.�

“Good point.�

They fell silent again. Well, almost. If it hadn’t been for the sounds that the horde of spiders was making as they scuttled closer, it would have been deathly quiet. The creatures in the centre huddled together closer, waiting for the deaths that they knew would come soon.

A thought occurred to Trevor, and hope bloomed in his breast like a blooming flower. “Wait a minute,� Trevor said, prising himself free from Crookshanks, who was hugging him. “Shouldn’t we ask them if they actually are going to eat us? I mean, we don’t really know for sure what they’re planning to do...�

“Good idea,� Crookshanks replied quickly. “Ask them,� he said, and pushed Trevor closer to the spiders.

Trevor gulped. “Erm...hello, spiders!� There was no reply. They just continued making their way toward the creatures in the centre of the circle. “Okay then. Erm...are you going to eat us?�

“Yes!� a spider called out from somewhere in the crowd.

“Why?�

“Because we’re hungry.�

“Oh, right. Well, thanks for telling us,� Trevor replied, heading back to his two companions.

“It’s a pleasure. Any time,� the spider replied.

“They said ‘yes’,� Trevor told his friends.

“I know, we heard.�

“Me too,� Trevor said, as he turned back to the spiders. “So what do we do now?�

“I admit that it’s not the thing I’d most like to be doing,� Fang replied, “but I guess all we can do is wait until we’re eaten.�

“Fun fun fun,� Crookshanks said, and then broke into tears. “I don’t want to die! I’m too young. Don’t....� he stopped, and frowned. “Did anyone else hear that?�

“Hear what?� asked Fang, looking around wildly.

“That,� Crookshanks replied, frowning even more.

“I’d guessed, but what is that?�

“Well, it sounded like a roar, followed by a car horn.�

Trevor gasped, and hid underneath Fang. “It’s a lion!�

“It could be a car,� Crookshanks suggested.

Trevor gave the cat a withering glance. “A car? Come on. It’s hardly likely that there’s someone driving round the Forbidden Forest. Don’t be stupid, Crookshanks.�

Fang shook his head. “He’s not being stupid, Trevor. I’ve heard strange stories about a wild car that roams this forest. A blue Ford Anglia. And it can fly,� he added. “Maybe it’s coming to rescue us!�

“Or maybe it’s come to drive over us, make us roadkill.� Trevor sighed. “First spiders, then a Ford Anglia. My day can’t get much worse.�

Suddenly, there was a loud roaring, and this time, Fang and Trevor both heard it. “I heard that,� they both said at the same time. In front of them, there were loud screams, and spiders were flung up into the air and sent flying into trees. The remaining spiders scattered, running away from the clearing and into each other. Within seconds, the clearing was empty, with just Crookshanks, Fang and Trevor huddled together in the middle. And all the time this was going on, the roaring was getting louder and louder, until...

A light blue Ford Anglia burst into the clearing. It was battered, covered with branches, twigs, leaves, vines, and dents. One of the back doors was gone, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the car, all of the windows were smashed, and only one of the headlights worked.

“So is that the car?� Crookshanks whispered to Fang, as it skidded to a halt in front of them.

“It could be. I’ve never seen it before,� Fang explained. I’ve just heard rumours.�

“Oh.�

The three of them stood there, staring at the car in amazement, until the three remaining doors swung open, revealing the torn and muddied seats inside. “I think it wants us to go in,� Crookshanks said to the others, still whispering. The car bounced up and down, as if nodding.

“Should we?� Trevor asked. “It doesn’t look safe... And anyway, where will it take us?�

“Presumably away from here,� said Fang. “Away from the spiders.�

The three of them looked around the clearing, and sure enough, the spiders were returning, although slower this time. Their eyes were on their prey, but they kept glancing warily at the Ford Anglia that stood there, its engine purring.

“Hmm....Giant spiders or a car?� Trevor asked. “Which do you prefer?�

“The car,� Fang replied, hopping onto the driver’s seat.

“What about you?� Trevor asked, turning to Crookshanks, but the cat had already jumped into the seat next to Fang.

“Come on, Trevor!� Crookshanks called, waving to the toad. “Before the spiders eat you!�

Trevor glanced behind him, saw the horde of spiders making their way through the trees, and then leaped into the Ford Anglia, landing next to Crookshanks on his seat. The doors slammed behind him, the steering wheel spun to the right, and the car took off again, speeding through the trees and over spiders, heading towards some unknown destination that only the car knew of (well, not just the car – other various forest-dwelling creatures knew where the place was, of course, but I’m just trying to make it seem more mysterious).

If you were to be standing in Professor Minerva McGonagall’s office, you might have thought it was completely empty. Well, apart from the desk, chairs, and other various things a professor would have in their office. What I meant to say is that you might have thought that there was no other living creature in that room with you. However, if you were to walk over to the desk and look underneath it, you’d see a rat lying there, with its namesake, a worm-like tail, coiled beneath it. Wormtail. He had many other names, but it was this one he went by the most, partly because he spent most of his time as a rat with a worm-like tail, but mainly because ‘Rat Man’ was a stupid name.

Wormtail was asleep, so he wouldn’t have noticed if you were peering under the desk, staring at him. However, you’re not in Minerva McGonagall’s office (and I doubt you ever will be), and neither is anyone else, for that matter. Apart from Wormtail, of course.

Voices woke Wormtail from his deep sleep, and he opened his drowsily to look around him. When he’d first entered the office, leaving Mrs. Norris behind, it had been late at night, so he hadn’t been able to see anything. He’d spent his first few minutes in the office walking into things and banging his head. Now, though, day had dawned and thanks to the shafts of sunlight streaming in through the windows, he could see what was in the office with him. The wooden desk, towering high above him, was studded with ancient balls of chewed chewing gum, possibly chewed by McGonagall herself, or perhaps one of her predecessors. That didn’t really matter, though. Wormtail poked his head out and looked around the rest of the room. It was rather plain, apart from a tartan rug in the middle of the stone floor, and a tartan rug on the tall chair. A bookcase crouched in the far corner of the room, laden with spell books and dictionaries. There was a fireplace on the other side of the room, filled with logs, ash, and a few scraps of burnt paper. The rest of the room was empty. Wormtail sighed and tried to focus on the voices that had rudely awoken him from his sleep. They seemed to be coming from the corridor, on the other side of the door.

“So you have no idea where Albus has gone?� asked a man’s voice. Wormtail recognised it – Severus Snape.

“No, Severus. I’ve told you about ten times already. Just go away and leave me alone,� a woman’s voice replied, with a Scottish accent.

There was the sound of someone putting a key in the lock and turning it, but before they managed to open the door, there was another question. “Did you know Rubeus has disappeared?�

“Pardon?�

“I said, ‘did you know Rubeus has disappeared?’ I went round to his hut yesterday evening, and there was nobody there, apart from his dog.�

“Why on earth did you go to visit Rubeus, Severus? You’ve never been particularly friendly to him before.�

There was silence for a short while, as Severus tried to think up a suitable answer. “That’s exactly why I went,� he replied at last. “To make friends with him.�

“Really. I think you just wanted to question him, see if he knows where Dumbledore went. Are you upset that Albus never told you where he was going?�

A gasp. “So you know where he is?�

“No, he didn’t tell me. And I’m not that bothered really. He can cope by himself. Or with Hagrid, if that’s where Hagrid went. They’ll come back Severus, don’t worry your pretty little head about it.�

Finally, the door creaked open. Wormtail shrank back underneath the desk as it did so, and someone swept into the office. From his hiding place, Wormtail could only see their feet, and the bottom of a long tartan cloak. McGonagall, Wormtail guessed. Snape never wore tartan – it didn’t go with his eyes.

“Now go away, Severus. I’m sure you have much more important things to do than interrogate me. Like drinking blood, for example.�

Snape growled and stomped off, shouting back to McGonagall, “I’m not a vampire!�

“Sure,� McGonagall muttered to herself. “We all believe you.�

The Transfiguration Professor made her way over to her desk and stopped in front of it in silence. After a few moments, Wormtail heard her pick up something, shortly followed by the sounds of eating. Puzzled, Wormtail poked his head out and looked up at McGonagall. In her hands was a tartan biscuit tin. McGonagall was taking shortbread biscuits out of it and stuffing them into her mouth. Eventually, she stopped gorging herself and put the lid back on the tin. She leaned back against the desk and stared at the fireplace for a few minutes with the tin still in her hands, lost in thought. Wormtail crept out more now, staring up at McGonagall. Suddenly, she turned round. Wormtail froze, hoping she wouldn’t glance down and see him.

Unfortunately for Wormtail, she did.

McGonagall screamed, and dropped the tin. Wormtail sprang away moments before the tin hit the ground and burst open, sending shortbread biscuits flying all over the room. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall had jumped onto her desk and was staring at Wormtail, trembling.

She obviously didn’t like the look of him. Wormtail looked up at her one more time and winked before scurrying over to the bookcase in the corner of the room, and hiding under it.

***************************************************

Two hours later, Wormtail was still hiding underneath the bookcase. As soon as he’d gone under there, McGonagall had climbed off her desk, straightened her cloak, and walked out of the room, locking the door behind her. While he waited for her to come back, Wormtail had found an old, dust-covered biscuit and a piece of shortbread, and had eaten them while he sat there. McGonagall arrived just after he’d licked the last crumb off the floor, with a basket full of some strange devices made out of wood and metal. It was only after she’d put them all on the floor, in a big semi-circle around the bookcase, that Wormtail realised what they were.

Mousetraps.

Wormtail smirked. She obviously hadn’t realised that he was a rat, not a mouse. The smirk faded, though, when he realised that they could still kill him, even if he wasn’t a mouse. And he couldn’t just crawl out into the open, turn back into a human, and walk out without blowing his cover. He was supposed to spy, not die. He had to get out of there, without McGonagall seeing him, and preferably without dying.

He poked his head out from under the bookcase. McGonagall was perched on the edge of her desk, her legs folded beneath her, and a tennis racquet clutched in her hands. Wormtail gulped and quickly withdrew his head. He knew that the racquet would be for him if he managed to get past the row of mouse traps.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Wormtail, and he turned round. Everyone knew that there were holes in skirting boards. There had to be, for any rats or mice that needed them, to escape. And lo and behold, there was one, a dark opening in the skirting board, like a wooden cavern. He glanced back over his furry shoulder at the mouse traps, and crept into the hole.

There was a faint light on the other side of the skirting board, although Wormtail couldn’t see where it was coming from. It was completely silent, apart from the occasional sound of water dripping. Wormtail looked left and right, but there didn’t seem to be any way of getting out of the narrow space. The only way out was straight up, he realised, looking up. He couldn’t see the roof, although he supposed that he’d be able to escape once he got up there, make his way through the rafters to some other room where he could climb down safely.

Wormtail climbed up onto a nearby water pipe, and then jumped up onto another, higher one. Soon, he was near the ceiling, and on one side of him, there was another hole in the wall. He had no idea where it led, but he had to try it, to see where he ended up. Wormtail took a deep breath, and crawled through the hole. When he saw where he was, he groaned.

He was back in McGonagall’s office, up by the ceiling. McGonagall herself was below him, still sitting on her desk and staring at the foot of the bookcase. Wormtail curled up on the narrow ledge he was on. She’d get bored soon, and leave. Besides, she was a teacher. She must have more important things to do than sit on her desk all day, like teach.

***************************************************

Far away, in another part of Hogwarts, the Transfiguration classroom was full of children, waiting to learn something. They were all sitting at their desks, their parchment and books in front of them, staring quietly at the front of the classroom.

“I wonder where McGonagall is,� Harry muttered.

“Search me,� Ron replied, his head on the desk. “Wake me up when she comes.�