Magical Pets of the Nirvana Research Center (2)

"You should get one too," Fred said, walking over from the side and patting Ron on the shoulder. "As long as you pass the test, you won't have to pay."

"What test?" Ron asked.

"No idea." Fred shrugged. "But I heard it's nothing difficult. You just stand there, let the pet sniff you and circle around you a few times. If it licks your hand, you pass."

"What if it doesn't lick me?"

"Then you're out of luck."

Ron thought about it, looked at Scabbers, thought some more, then shook his head.

"Forget it." He tossed the flyer aside, leaned back on the sofa, and folded his arms across his chest. "Scabbers has been with me for years. I can't just throw away the old one because I've got a new one."

"Who said you had to throw him away?" George came over from the other side and sat down beside Fred. "You can keep both. One can protect you, and the other can sleep with you."

"Scabbers doesn't sleep with me," Ron said. "He just digs tunnels under my pillow. Last time, he dragged one of my socks into a tunnel. It took me three days of searching under my pillow to find it."

Fred and George burst out laughing at the same time, but the laughter did not last long.

Because they saw Harry emerge from the dormitory.

Harry wore a gray sweater with a slightly crooked collar. His hair was still a mess, and faint shadows lay beneath his eyes. He held a book, but it was not open, merely tucked beneath his arm like an unnecessary prop. He walked over to the fireplace and sat beside Ron. He glanced at the flyer on the coffee table, then at Scabbers in his cage, before looking away and