The Quidditch match would kick off on the weekend of the third week of term.
But the night before the match, something happened that was neither big nor small.
"Scabbers is dead?"
Kate had run the weekly Patronus Charm session as usual, but Ron hadn't shown up. After she'd asked around a few times, Harry finally let slip what was going on.
Hermione was clearly still angry. She puffed out her cheeks and practiced the Patronus Charm off to one side, though it was obvious her little whale wasn't going to appear in this state.
"Here's what happened. When we went back to the dormitory at noon, we found a smear of blood on Ron's sheets and a few cat hairs on the floor, so..."
Before Harry could finish, Kate already understood.
Crookshanks was a spirited Kneazle who understood people and could tell the bad ones from the good. That was why he was so fierce toward Scabbers, who was really Peter Pettigrew in disguise.
Lately Sirius had been roaming the school as he pleased, and he'd long since become friendly with Crookshanks.
Sirius was a bit arrogant and full of himself, but at heart he was a good man, so Crookshanks didn't shun him.
And so, with Crookshanks's help, he'd slipped into Gryffindor's boys' dormitory without any trouble and tried to catch Peter, who was disguised as Scabbers.
But he'd clearly failed again.
Peter had run off to who knew where, and he probably wouldn't show his face for a good while.
"Because of it, Ron and Hermione had a huge fight, which is why he didn't come tonight," Harry said apologetically. "He asked me to tell you he's sorry."
What a headache.
Kate glanced over at Hermione, who was still practicing with all her might and getting nowhere. She walked over and patted her on the back. "If you're not in the right frame of mind, you don't have to practice."
"I'm in a perfectly good frame of mind!" Hermione snapped.
Dragged into it, Kate turned and exchanged a look with Harry, shooting him a helpless signal.
Harry got it at once. He nodded, tucked away his wand, and slipped out, closing the door behind him.
The abandoned classroom fell quiet, with only the sound of Hermione chanting the spell over and over and her wand whipping through the air.
Kate sat on a desk and waited patiently.
At last Hermione began to feel something was off herself. She turned around and only then realized the situation.
She hesitated, put away her wand, and walked up to Kate. "Do you think it's Crookshanks's fault too?"
"He's a very perceptive Kneazle," Kate answered honestly. "Think about the past half year. What has Crookshanks ever actually done to Scabbers?"
"Exactly!" Seeing Kate on her side, Hermione's face finally brightened, and she hopped up to sit beside her. "Maybe somebody else took Scabbers and pinned it on Crookshanks!"
Ahem... It was a little off, but she'd guessed remarkably close to the truth.
Who said Hermione had no talent for Divination?
At least when it came to guessing, she was dead accurate.
Kate cleared her throat guiltily. "That rat's lived quite a few years, so he must be very clever too. He wouldn't die that easily.
"Ron's worry isn't unfounded either. Right now you can't prove Scabbers isn't dead, so of course he's fighting with you. Tell you what, tomorrow's my day off. I'll go look for him for you."
"But tomorrow's the Quidditch match..." Hermione studied her profile hesitantly. "Aren't you going to cheer on Senior Cho Chang?"
Kate raised an eyebrow. "I've already watched Ravenclaw practice. She's in great shape. Even if I'm not there, I'm sure she'll play her best.
"And it's precisely because it's a Quidditch match that everyone will be at the pitch and the castle will be emptier. That makes it easier to find a small pet like Scabbers."
Hermione blinked thoughtfully, decided that made sense, and nodded. "Then I'll help you!"
"No!" Kate shot her down at once.
The moment the word left her mouth, she realized it had come out a bit sharp, and she hurried to smooth it over. "You're Crookshanks's owner, so you carry his scent. Scabbers would probably be very sensitive to that.
"But you know me. Animals are naturally drawn to me. If I go alone, I should find him quickly."
Sound reasoning, impossible to argue with.
But for some reason, Hermione looked at her and felt a faint, odd sense that something didn't add up.
"Oh, right," Kate added quickly, "I'll ask David to help me look. With him there, you can relax, can't you?"
Hermione burst out laughing. "He's a Professor! You want to have him help look for..."
"That's how we'll find Scabbers faster and better," Kate said, her eyes curving. "You don't want to keep fighting with Ron either, do you?"
At the mention of him, the smile Hermione had barely managed collapsed again. "Don't talk about him. He won't even listen to my side."
"Worry makes people frantic. It's only human."
Kate offered the remark lightly, then nimbly hopped off the desk, took Hermione by the arms, and lifted her down too.
"Enough of that. Since we're not practicing today, let's get out of here."
Swept up so suddenly by Kate, Hermione forgot her grudge entirely. By the time her toes touched the floor, flustered, she couldn't help landing a few good punches on her.
"Wh-why did you pick me up! It's not like I can't jump down myself!"
"Ow..." Kate, baffled at being hit, protested, "I was afraid you'd twist your ankle coming down, all wrapped up in being angry!"
She raised her hands to block a few blows, then spotted an opening and caught both slender wrists in one go.
Their eyes met without warning, and both of them froze.
Kate recovered first. She hurriedly let go, awkwardly looked away from Hermione, and coughed at the dark floor.
Hermione had lowered her head too, and under cover of the dim light, she secretly reached up to touch her own face.
It felt a little hot.
She lifted her head and sneaked a look at Kate's back in front of her. She blinked. If she hadn't misread things just now, Kate seemed to be avoiding her too?
Was it because... she was shy?
A great rush of joy welled up inside her. She opened her mouth, and the words "Do you like me too?" were almost out.
But Kate suddenly turned and led her toward the classroom door. "Let's get out of here first. It's too dark in here."
Hermione pressed her lips together and stared for a good while at her hand clasped tightly in Kate's.
Not until they'd both walked out of the classroom and into the bustling corridor did she hear Kate say, "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first."
She froze and instinctively wanted to call out, but watching that retreating back under the glaring light, she couldn't make a sound.
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