Side Effects of the Time-Turner

The grand search for Scabbers had been going on for nearly half a month.

There were two pieces of good news:

First, the Little Badgers collected all kinds of droppings in the Forbidden Forest every day, and had yet to find any rodent digestion remains.

Second, the owlery had completely banned the consumption of mice.

There was only one piece of bad news.

Hogwarts's most esteemed School Board Member was close to forgetting what field mice tasted like.

Would Lord Gu Gu give up?

Impossible!

Early in the morning, it flew toward the Great Hall with a banner covered in crooked words clamped in its beak.

With a smack, the banner swept across Crookshanks, who was lazily sprawled atop the long table.

"Meow!"

Gu Gu flapped its wings furiously and secured the protest banner in just a few strokes.

Its movements were standard and practiced, so familiar it was almost heartbreaking.

After waiting for a while, the students began entering the Great Hall for breakfast.

They glanced at the banner hanging from the ceiling, then calmly took their seats as though they were used to it.

The protest slogan had changed again.

Yesterday it had been, "Down with extremist mouse lovers!" Today, it had become, "Owls need warmth too."

Another smack rang out as Vincent heavily covered his little face.

Other than the lack of field mice, the owlery had lately felt like it was hosting a party every day.

There was no shortage of food, drink, or entertainment, and even working hours had been cut by more than half.

Gu Gu, perched on the staff table, proudly raised its round little head.

It had secured all these benefits through a complete package of leading strikes, protests, and negotiations. Judging by today's turnout, it should make quite a haul.

Vincent