Peter Pettigrew hid beneath the wardrobe in the Gryffindor dormitory, munching away at the food scraps he had stashed there earlier. Planning ahead had always been his style.
Though now, that preparation seemed a little unnecessary. Every time he returned to this secret base of his, he had to wage a prolonged battle with the cockroaches, but thankfully, he always emerged victorious.
Just today, when he was about to sneak out from beneath the wardrobe and have a nice lie-down on Ron's bed, his strange rat sense of taste caught a familiar and terrifying scent.
Peter Pettigrew hurriedly jumped off the bed and nearly instantly burrowed back beneath the wardrobe.
The moment Sirius entered the dormitory, he sniffed around with his pitch-black dog nose. Of course, he knew where Peter Pettigrew was hiding right now, and of course, he also knew Peter Pettigrew would never crawl out of that dark, damp little nest of his.
But what if? What if he let his guard down, or fell asleep somewhere? Sirius could just grab him in his jaws and run. At most, Harry's friend Ron would hold a grudge against him for a few days.
At worst, he could turn back into a human, spend a few gold Galleons, and buy Ron a new pet.
No third-year kid would like a filthy gray rat. They generally liked pets that looked bright and beautiful... though some did enjoy being different.
In short, he knew Peter Pettigrew would not appear before him, but he still instinctively gave it a try. What if, right?
"Huh? Where's Scabbers? Where did he run off to this time? Crookshanks isn't even here." Ron once again knelt on the floor, searching beneath the bed and desk for Scabbers.
Ever since the beginning of this term, Scabbers had loved