"…Here they come."
William moved his gaze from the Marauder's Map and stared at the doorway. A moment later, a sneaky shadow emerged from outside.
"That's Ginny…"
"Shh, be quiet—"
William clamped Harry's mouth with his hand. Luckily, the boy's voice wasn't loud enough to alert the witch… no, the two girls entering through the door.
"Mmm."
"Tsk, finally caught you—"
William's voice was low—ever since he followed Kabuda a few times recently, it had learned to counter-track. Each time it went out, it would circle around various places. As soon as it caught William's scent, it would choose to spend the night playing with Mrs. Loris—
Even the Disillusionment Charm couldn't get close.
Too cunning.
But unfortunately, it didn't know William had the Marauder's Map. Ever since he discovered that little Niffler was keeping something from him, William never used the map in front of it.
Recently, he noticed the Niffler always running around the castle at night with two sleepless little girls, and he sensed something was up. But when he questioned the Niffler, it just stared back with those innocent, pitch-black beady eyes…
Tonight, he had to catch it in the act!
Originally, his plan was to get an Invisibility Cloak, something even better than the Disillusionment Charm, but with Harry waking up today, he decided not to waste the money—
Back then, to reward Harry for successfully "eating" Voldemort Jr.'s soul, he extended Harry's Dream Magic for a few more days, allowing him to spend some quality time with his dream parents. Although he would gradually forget the memories in a few days after waking up, it was an experience nonetheless.
They didn't have to wait long before Luna sneaked into the Great Hall, treading quietly over a floor covered with feathers.
"You're so quick—"
The girl was panting heavily as she leaned against the Slytherin table, fanning herself continuously with her hand while complaining to Ginny beside her, "Just now, Filch… Filch almost saw me on the fourth floor—luckily I ran fast."
She then turned to the Niffler standing by the table, "So, are we all set?"
While saying this, her eyes were sparkling, looking very excited.
"Chirp chirp—"
Kabuda extended its pink paw and made an OK gesture, though it seemed concerned about something, its nose constantly sniffing the air. Noticing this, William waved his magic wand, and Harry suddenly felt enveloped in a water bubble.
"Whimper whimper."
A moment later, Kabuda nodded at the two girls in front of it.
"Alright, shall we begin?"
Ginny's expression showed some excitement, although not as exaggerated as Luna's.
Kabuda nodded again, then wiggled its way to the wall and started climbing. Its sharp forelimbs effortlessly allowed it to reach the top, where a dark hole was hidden beneath the clouds of the Great Hall's ceiling. It was only visible on a clear day.
Watching Kabuda disappear into the hole, the two girls below didn't remain idle. Luna ran to the door, checked the surroundings, then signaled to Ginny, who nodded back and started… catching chickens.
"...What is she doing?"
Harry looked bewildered at the girl chasing a chicken around the Great Hall, hesitated for a moment, then whispered to William beside him.
"…How am I supposed to know?"
William was puzzled too, staring at the hole Kabuda disappeared into with a strange tone—he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off…
Did he forget something important?
…
"…She got away again."
In the castle's hallway, a man stomped his foot in frustration.
"Meow."
Sitting by the man's feet, Mrs. Loris licked her paw and responded softly—it couldn't talk, but even if it could, it wouldn't tell Filch that it had intentionally let the girl go this time. Those two girls always following Kabuda would always get "some leeway."
"Alright, I'll take you back for some dinner first…"
Looking down at this well-fed, plump gray cat, which was so different from how he remembered, Filch sighed—if not for the cat's affection and the old wound on its tail, he would find it hard to believe this was his Mrs. Loris.
He pulled out the "recipe" William had given him, had also introduced him to two Hogwarts House-Elves—"These two, I've asked them to prepare meals for Mrs. Loris daily. From now on, they'll coordinate with you."
Recalling the scene of the boy introducing him to the House-Elves, the man still felt incredulous.
He had always thought he couldn't order around these quirky House-Elves, but William told him that being a staff member, even though he couldn't use magic, he was still considered one of their "masters." Of course, their true master was the castle itself.
Though being reminded of not being able to use magic left Filch annoyed, he was still grateful to William for taking care of Mrs. Loris during his Petrification.
After all, Filch was quite self-aware. He knew very well that if he didn't have someone to "rely on," when he recovered from Petrification, Mrs. Loris's survival would be in question. Although the young wizards in the castle appeared harmless, he couldn't even begin to imagine…
With Mrs. Loris yawning on his back, Filch had been a castle caretaker for so many years that he could find his way with his eyes closed. He followed the rotating stairs all the way down to the first floor, intending to take the Hufflepuff Common Room passage to the kitchen, but the group of roosters loitering by the Great Hall entrance caught his attention—
Were there always this many chickens around?
The man frowned at the sight, noticing the large cat tugging at his trouser leg, eager to head to the kitchen. He paused, "Wait a moment, dear, I need to check here—"
"Meow!"
Seeing the man seemed resolute, Mrs. Loris could only let out a sharp cry, startling the roosters, causing them to flap their wings instinctively, but it didn't stop Filch from proceeding. In a swift motion, he brushed aside the flying chickens aiming at his face and placed his hands on the wooden door in front of him—
"Creak—"
With the man's effort, the door slowly opened a crack.
"All of you, out—"
"Confringo!"
"?"
"Boom—"
The violent explosion left Filch bewildered, but before he could react, a massive force suddenly erupted from the door. In the next moment, the man was sent flying back, and along with him, two small figures were blasted out from inside the door.