"Wasn't today just amazing?" Ron lay comfortably on his bed, speaking loudly enough for Seamus and Dean to look his way.
Although Seamus had sworn not to talk to Ron after losing to him in the earlier selection battles, a Gryffindor's curiosity was hard to suppress.
"Trying to show off your Pokémon again? Just wait, Ron — if I get the chance, I'm definitely challenging you!" Seamus said irritably.
"That's only because you don't know how strong I am!" Ron replied smugly. Among the first and second years, his strength was nothing to scoff at — after all, having three Pokémon meant he could practically do whatever he wanted.
Harry thought Ron was being a bit too boastful. Worried he'd end up fighting with Seamus, he changed the subject. "Ron, your Inferno's at it again — he's tearing up the room. One of these days, he's going to chew your bed in half."
"What?!"
Ron jumped up in alarm. Sure enough, Houndour was gnawing furiously at the bedpost. Panicking, Ron rushed over to pull him away — though even then, he didn't show the slightest intention of returning the Pokémon to its Poké Ball.
"Wuu…" Houndour growled softly, looking up at Ron with an almost wounded expression.
"Alright, alright — tomorrow I'll find you something tougher to chew on," Ron sighed, giving in immediately to that pitiful look.
Hard to believe this was the same creature who, not long ago, had looked ready to eat them alive alongside its pack of Houndooms.
"So… you guys had a Pokémon battle today?" Neville asked, his voice full of envy.
From Monday to Friday, Neville trained swordsmanship under Professor Charles's protection program, but he still didn't have a Pokémon of his own. He'd lost badly during the last selection test — his reactions were too slow, and he couldn't keep up with an opponent's offense. He'd begun to doubt whether he was cut out to be a trainer at all.
"That's right! I gave Malfoy a proper beating. You know what? He's actually caught two Pokémon — but one of them completely refuses to listen to him." Harry's mood brightened just at the memory of pummeling Malfoy.
"Pika pi!"
Even Pikachu, who had been lounging on the bed, perked up and threw a few shadow punches, eager to show off his fighting spirit.
Harry loved sleeping with Pikachu curled up in his arms — it made him feel safe. As for Houndour or Elekid, that was out of the question; letting those two troublemakers roam free at night would guarantee no one got any sleep.
The five boys in the dormitory chattered noisily until, all of a sudden, Percy knocked on their door.
"Harry, Ron — Professor Gold is looking for us."
"Professor Gold?" Harry and Ron looked up blankly.
"I'm not sure what it's about," Percy said. "He originally wanted to see Harry, but when he saw me, he told me to bring Ron along too."
"Then it must be something important," Ron guessed. "He wouldn't call us this late otherwise."
"Good guess," Harry muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Next time, don't bother guessing."
The two quickly changed, recalled their Pokémon, and followed Percy out.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked from the common room. She was lounging in an armchair, absently petting Pichu while reading a book. She didn't have many friends in the girls' dormitory, so she tended to stay up late.
"No idea," Harry shook his head as he and Ron followed Percy through the portrait hole.
Just outside, a tall figure waited in the dim corridor.
"Professor Gold?"
Charles nodded. "Come with me. Actually, it isn't me who's looking for you — it's Professor Dumbledore."
"The Headmaster?" Percy exclaimed. "Did something happen? Or… did Ron get into trouble again?"
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Ron protested indignantly. That was exactly what annoyed him about Percy — the way he always assumed Ron was up to something.
Harry, meanwhile, was starting to worry.
"It's about your rat — Scabbers."
"Scabbers?" Percy immediately turned to Ron, alarmed. "What about Scabbers?"
Before becoming Ron's pet, the rat had actually belonged to Percy for years. Only after Percy became a Prefect — and their parents rewarded him with an owl — had he passed Scabbers down to Ron.
So in truth, Percy's attachment to the rat ran deeper than Ron's short few months of ownership.
"Scabbers…" Ron stammered. "I haven't seen him today — because Inferno doesn't like him, I thought he was just hiding somewhere."
"You lost Scabbers?!" Percy's voice rose sharply.
"I didn't! He hid himself! I can't just panic every time I don't see a rat for a few hours — it's not my fault!" Ron shot back hotly.
Harry quickly grabbed Ron's sleeve to stop the argument. Still, he couldn't understand why the professors — and the Headmaster, no less — would summon him over a missing rat.
"Calm down," said Charles firmly. "It's a bit complicated, and I expect your parents are already on their way here via Floo Powder."
"Dad and Mum?!" Ron and Percy's faces paled. Things were clearly serious. In the wizarding world, receiving a Howler was bad enough — but having your parents called in person? That was practically unheard of.
Professor Charles led them to the Headmaster's office. Sure enough, a balding man and a slightly plump, red-haired woman were already there.
"Mum—!"
Before Ron could say another word, Molly Weasley rushed forward, clutching him tightly in her arms and anxiously patting him all over.
"My little Ronnie!"
"Are you hurt? Did anything happen to you?"
"I'm fine, Mum — what's going on?" Ron managed to pull free, looking confused.
Neither Molly nor Arthur answered. Instead, they turned toward Harry, their expressions full of deep concern.
"Harry, dear — are you alright? You weren't hurt, were you?"
"N–no, ma'am," Harry said awkwardly, shaking his head. He had no idea what was going on, and Molly's sudden motherly fussing left him flustered.
Maybe… if his own mother were still alive, she'd be like this too.
His gaze drifted past Molly's warm face toward Dumbledore, who sat serenely in his chair, smiling as he winked at Harry — as if to say that whatever was about to happen tonight wasn't something to fear.
Then Harry noticed a short, scruffy man lying stiffly on the floor, bound with ropes.
The moment he saw him, a deep, instinctive disgust welled up inside.
"I still can't believe such a dangerous man didn't harm you!" Molly gasped. "Maybe he just didn't get the chance — thank heavens you're all safe!"
"You should be thanking Professor Gold," Arthur said, stepping forward to shake Charles's hand firmly. "If not for you, who knows what might have happened."
"Just doing my duty," Charles replied modestly, though he clearly wasn't comfortable with the Weasleys' overflowing gratitude.
"So… what did happen?" Ron demanded, sounding frustrated.
"Patience," said Charles. "Minister Fudge should be arriving any minute. We'll explain everything then."
In truth, the matter no longer directly concerned him — but since he also had a few things to discuss with the Minister, he decided to stay.
(End of Chapter)