No one noticed that, after reading the article, Frank seemed to be in a very good mood at the High Table.
As the students filed out for class, Tom waited by the doors and stopped Ginny and Luna, pulling them into an alcove.
"Don't drag this out," he reminded. "You don't want your brother sharing a bed with a man every night, do you?"
"I am trying," Ginny grumbled, cheeks puffed. "Ron keeps Scabbers in the dorm. I can't just barge into the boys' room and grab him, can I? That would set off a-"
"Be alert."
"In the afternoon, the gift Daphne's sending you will arrive. There's a packet of specialty mouse feed inside. Use that as the excuse to lure him out," Tom suggested.
"Luna, what do you think?" Ginny turned to her friend.
Luna looked hazy and far away, as if she hadn't heard a word. Ginny knew that look, though. The girl was thinking.
After a moment, that airy voice floated out.
"To catch a rat, you bait a rat. Dose the bait first. Safer that way."
Tom: "...??"
Please return the elf-like Luna. Whoever this is has fallen gloriously to the dark side, coming up with a plan even he hadn't considered.
Ginny, meanwhile, lit up and even shot Tom a faintly disdainful look. "Luna's reliable. This is safer than your method."
"But…" She pivoted smoothly, "drugging just the rat isn't foolproof. Better to put Harry and Ron to sleep too, so they can't interfere."
Tom fell completely silent.
The future of the wizarding world did look promising.
In the end, under Ginny's prodding, Tom agreed to hand over the necessary potions before afternoon lessons, strong enough to knock out a rat, a wizard, even an elephant.
…
Evening, in the Gryffindor common room.
The vampire attacks hadn't dampened the students' appetite for play. After dinner most of them drifted back to enjoy the easiest hour of the day.
Harry and Ron were there too, idly playing a tabletop Quidditch game. On the miniature pitch, Harry was no match for Ron, already trailing by two hundred points.
A soft hoot broke Ron's triumphant streak. He turned and saw Ginny cradling a stunning white owl.
"Ginny, whose owl is that? I've never seen it before," Ron asked, puzzled.
"Mine," Ginny said, smiling as she rubbed the owl's big round face. She lifted it up so they could see better. "This is Freyja, a purebred snowy owl."
Ron gaped. "Where'd you get the money for a bird that expensive?"
Owls were the most popular wizarding pets, easy to keep and great for post. Ron dreamed of having one of his own, and this one looked pricey at a glance.
"I didn't buy her," Ginny shook her head. "It's a gift from Daphne."
Daphne Greengrass did have a generous streak. Ginny had helped Tom challenge Cassandra and cut her down to size, which, in Daphne's eyes, made her one of their own. She'd been treating Ginny to good food all week, and even slipped her the "cult variant" slimming potion. At this point, if Tom and Daphne quarreled, the little maid would defect to Team Daphne without hesitation.
"So you got bought off with sugared hexes?" Ron's tone turned sour.
"I even brought some sugared hexes for you two," Ginny said, setting two beautifully wrapped boxes on the table and lifting the lids. One held a cake, the other was crammed with sweets.
"Newest treats from the Diagon Alley pâtisserie. Don't want any, don't eat."
"I want!" Ron's eyes shone. "You're my favorite sister."
He reached for a handful of Fizzing Whizbees and was blocked by Ginny's wand.
"Wait. The pet shop sent a sample of new rat chow along with the owl feed. Bring Scabbers out, let him have a proper meal too."
"You wait, don't start without me," Ron said. He didn't sense anything amiss, cast a longing look at the sweets, and sprinted upstairs. He was back quickly, Scabbers in his hands.
Ginny couldn't suppress a shiver.
In her mind, Ron was carrying a man in his thirties. The image was… a bit much.
"Eat up, Scabbers. The more you eat, the more of my pocket money you save," Ron said, plopping the rat on the table, then promptly ignoring him to start gobbling. Harry cut a slice of cake and began to eat as well.
Seeing two boys and one rat all tucking in, Ginny's smile widened.
"Aren't you eating?" Ron asked, suspicious.
"I already did. These are for you." She shook her head.
"Oh."
Thud.
Harry toppled to the floor, a limp heaviness flooding his limbs. He couldn't even open his mouth, only strain his eyes, trying to look at Ginny.
"Harry… Har, "
Ron followed suit. Ginny, kinder to her own brother, had planned ahead; a flick of her wand and Ron fell backward into the sofa rather than the floor.
"You-"
They understood now. Ginny had dosed the cake and sweets.
On the table, Scabbers had melted into a boneless heap. Ginny pinched his tail, slid him into a large glass jar, and corked it.
Meeting Ron's incredulous stare, she said softly, "You'll thank me when you know the truth."
Then she left, jar in hand.
Harry's fall drew a few curious glances. But people only looked, then looked away.
No one imagined Ginny Weasley would drug her own brother.
Their eyelids grew heavier, and a few seconds later both of them slept peacefully.
Elsewhere, slipping out through the Fat Lady's portrait, Ginny thrust the glass jar at Tom like it was contagious.
"Easy as pie!"
"Nicely done." Tom ruffled her hair. "Leave the rest to me."
"Can I come?" She found Pettigrew revolting, but she wanted to know what had happened that let him fake his death and hide as a rat in the Weasley household for more than ten years.
Tom shook his head with a smile. "My interrogations get a bit bloody. Not for you."
"All right." Disappointed, she still nodded and watched him leave Gryffindor Tower.