Teasing Cats and Dogs

On the morning of Halloween, almost all the students in the third grade and above arrived at the grounds outside the gates, ready to head to Hogsmeade.

Harry stood alone in the Entrance Hall, watched by Filch as if he were a thief.

Of all the third-grade students, he was the only one who hadn't submitted an application form, naturally making him Filch's primary focus.

Soon, Professor McGonagall arrived, and the group set off.

Harry tried to appear as usual, saying goodbye to Ron and Hermione in a nonchalant tone.

"Don't worry about me, see you at the banquet later, have fun."

"Stayed here, Harry Potter?"

Malfoy deliberately turned a corner, ran up to him, and shouted, "Afraid to pass by those Dementor?"

Harry ignored him and turned to walk towards the Marble Staircase.

"He can't go to Hogsmeade, he'll miss out on so many good things..."

Fred, walking at the back of the group, turned back to look at his retreating figure and muttered, "He can't stay in the castle all these years; it's too boring."

"That's right." George nodded in strong agreement. "We have to help him..."

"How can we help him...?" Kyle asked from the side. "Give him the Marauder's Map?"

"That's a good idea," Fred said. "We've already memorized the locations of all the secret passages, so giving it to Harry wouldn't hurt."

"But this makes nighttime explorations less convenient..." George thought for a moment, "Actually, the map we made last year was pretty good; we just need to add the location of the secret passage."

"But we need to be discreet, so that Filch or the professor don't find out."

"Like Marauder's Map... you need a password to reveal the location."

That's exactly what I meant...

The group discussed their plans along the way and soon arrived at Hogsmeade Village.

Upon seeing those pointed roofs, Fred and George immediately forgot about Harry and headed straight for the Zonko's Joke Shop.

In the face of rotten eggs, Hiccup Powder, and buzzing bugs... Harry? Not really.

Cedric was going to Davy -Bans to buy broom trimming tools, and Kyle decided to go with him.

The shop owners there are a pair of brothers with a lot of connections; they can always get their hands on some novel little gadgets.

As for Kanna and Qiu, they were more interested in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

The group agreed to meet again an hour later with the Three Broomsticks, and then they went their separate ways.

Davy -Bans is located at the very back of Hogsmeade, right next to the Hog's Head Inn, and it looks much smaller compared to the other shops.

Kyle and Cedric pushed open the door and went inside.

Inside the shop, various magical items were stacked high, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Kyle had only ever seen this design in the Room of Requirement, in the room where things were hidden.

"Welcome..."

A blond wizard peeked out from behind the counter. "Want to buy something...?"

"Do you have tools for trimming broom branches?" Cedric asked.

"Of course." The shopkeeper leaned out and pulled out a square box from among the pile of magical items.

Because of his movement, the entire wall suddenly shook, startling Cedric, who quickly took two steps back.

But the shop owner seemed unfazed, casually placing the box on the counter and opening it.

"Nine Sickle for trimming."

"A complete set of Broomstick care tools for two Galleon, plus a bottle of wood wax oil and a portable carrying case as a bonus."

Which one do you want?

"The full set of tools would be more cost-effective..." Cedric counted out two Galleon and placed them on the counter.

"Thank you for your patronage." The shopkeeper then looked at Kyle. "So, what do you need?"

"Before that, I'd like to ask something," Kyle said, pointing towards the shop door, "Do you own that dog outside?"

"What?"

The shop owner looked up and saw that there was indeed a large black dog lying outside, right by the door, which could be seen through the glass.

"Of course not. To be honest, very few wizards would choose a large, pure black dog as a pet."

The shop owner shook his head and said, "I think it probably escaped from the Hog's Head Inn next door. The customers there are always all sorts of weirdos, I wouldn't be surprised by anything they bring."

At this point, the shop owner suddenly chuckled.

"I remember the last time Runespoor came out, I could hear Madam Rosmerta's screams clearly from here."

"Is that so... It seems Madam Rosmerta doesn't like snakes with three heads."

Kyle withdrew his gaze and asked calmly, "Do you have any interesting gadgets here?"

"You've come at just the right time."

The shopkeeper took out a gray bead. "A good find from yesterday, Mist Gemstone... When crushed, it will form a dense fog that cannot be dispersed and will last for about two hours."

"Even the Whirlwind Charm can't dispel it?" Kyle asked.

"Unless it's Mr. Dumbledore himself casting the Whirlwind Charm," the shopkeeper said half-jokingly, "You'll find that the fog just swirls around in one specific area instead of being blown elsewhere."

Kyle's eyes lit up. "How much?"

"Twenty Galleon," the shopkeeper said. "It might be a bit expensive, but this is something only available in Uagadou. We only managed to get three with great difficulty."

After some haggling, Kyle bought all the Mist Gemstone for fifty-five Galleon.

The shop owner only agreed to a discount of five Galleon, but gave him a pair of Spectrespecs and several irregularly shaped opals as a gift.

Although Kyle suspected he was just trying to clear out unsold inventory, he figured he might as well take advantage of a free offer.

Half an hour later, the two left the Dervish and Banges with a full load of purchases.

The black dog I saw earlier was still lying by the door, its gray eyes constantly scanning the young wizards coming and going on the main road, as if searching for something.

As Kyle walked past it, he suddenly stopped and then pressed his tongue against his upper teeth...

"Suck suck suck!"

Without almost any hesitation, the black dog instinctively turned its head.

Sure enough, this trick works for all dogs.

Kyle crouched down, raised a finger, and said, "Sit!"

The black dog gave a mocking, almost human-like look, ignored him, flicked its tail, and continued lying there.

"Pfft..." Cedric covered his mouth with his hand.

He had been quite averse to the dog, after all, in the Wizarding World, the ominous figure that all wizards avoided was a large black dog.

But seeing Kyle being mocked by a dog, he couldn't help but laugh... Well, it's a good dog.

Kyle didn't seem to mind. He took out a packet of jerky, waved it in his hand, and said again, "Sit down!"

This time, the black dog immediately straightened up, put its two front paws on the ground, stuck out its tongue, and stared intently at Kyle's hand.

"Rolling around..."

The black dog hesitated for a moment... until Kyle opened the bag.

Upon smelling the rich aroma of meat, it rolled on the ground without hesitation.

Kyle then tried several other passwords.

Run... Spin in place... Stand and jump... Jump through a hoop of fire... Thomas Flair...

The black dog completed them all.

"Not bad, not bad, this is a reward." Kyle placed the jerky in front of it. "Eat up."

"It's so smart," Cedric said, squatting down beside him. "It's like it understands you perfectly."

The black dog paused for a moment, but then, as if nothing had happened, it began to devour the jerky.