Hermione's cat

A new week was beginning, and the new timetable was posted on the noticeboard on Sunday afternoon.

Most of Hufflepuff's classes were shared with Gryffindor, apart from potions class and dark magic defence against the arts.

The girl really was angry. No, embarrassment outweighed her anger. She still couldn't get over making such a mortifying spectacle of herself in front of Professor McGonagall.

So much so that whenever Su Er came over to her, she would get up in a huff and go sit with Susan and the others.

"What did you do to upset that little girlfriend of yours?" Rebuffed by Hermione yet again, Su Er could only sit beside his roommates. Justin had witnessed the whole thing and looked positively delighted at his misfortune.

"None of your business, you hopeless bachelor." Su Er glared at him. "Besides, strictly speaking, Hermione isn't my girlfriend yet."

Justin looked a little bewildered. He hadn't understood the bachelor insult, but that didn't stop him from continuing to laugh at Su Er.

"Keep that up, and next time you play chess with Morn, I won't help you." Su Er delivered the killing blow.

"Oh, you can't do that!" Justin wailed.

"Ahem." Professor Flitwick shot a sharp glance at them from the front of the classroom, and Justin immediately shrank into himself like an ostrich.

At lunch, Su Er's owl brought him a note.

"The things you asked me to buy have arrived. If you've got time this afternoon, come over and pick them up.-Rubeus Hagrid."

That meant all the Christmas presents were ready.

"Hmm... wizard's chess. This is for Ron." If Su Er remembered correctly, the story had mentioned that Ron's chess set had been passed down from his grandfather.

"A Honeydukes candy hamper. I'll take this home for Angel. A Golden Snitch statue, for Harry. The latest prank items from the wizarding joke shop, for George and Fred. The Complete Guide to Herbs-Neville should like this book."

Under Hagrid's watchful gaze, Su Er sorted the gifts one by one.

"And most importantly-" Su Er turned his gaze to a square box wrapped in silk.

"I don't really understand why you insisted on having me buy this cat for you. You wouldn't believe how enthusiastic the shop assistant was when I said I wanted to take this cat. They gave me loads of cat food and a brand-new cage," Hagrid said.

"It's already fully grown. If you want a cat, I know someone who'd be happy to give you a young Kneazle kitten."

"Oh, that's all right, Hagrid." Su Er began unwrapping the package. "This cat is a present for someone."

"Meow..." The Ginger Cat lying in the cage lazily raised its head to glance at what, to it, was a very large face.

"Hello, kitty." Su Er opened the cage and picked it up. "Remember me?"

The cat fixed its blue eyes on Su Er, then gave a soft meow and settled docilely in his arms, enjoying his strokes.

"Prrrr..."

"It understands what you're saying?" Hagrid looked at the cat in Su Er's arms in surprise. "But none of the Kneazles I've seen look anything like it."

"Maybe." Su Er stroked the cat in his arms again and again.

Now only the scarves remained unfinished.

"Oh, right." Hagrid slapped his forehead, got up, and walked over to the moleskin overcoat hanging on the wall, rummaging through its pockets.

"Here's what you wanted-" He handed Su Er a little cloth bag. "I searched for ages before I found it in a shop."

"How much was it?" Su Er took the little cloth bag. He had asked Hagrid to find him a bag for carrying things. Small as it looked, there was enough room inside to hold plenty.

"Don't worry about it. Consider it my Christmas present to you." Hagrid laughed heartily. "It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, I'd never have imagined the things I pick up in the Forbidden Forest every day could earn me so much money."

"It's been ages since I last bought new clothes."

"But I'm curious. How did you know about the Undetectable Extension Charm?"

"It's mentioned in the Library." Su Er began putting the things he planned to take home into the cloth bag, one by one. "If I could've found the incantation for the Undetectable Extension Charm, I'd have made one myself."

"The Hogwarts Library certainly has something on everything." Hagrid nodded, then said seriously, "The Undetectable Extension Charm is an advanced spell. It isn't something first-year wizards should be dabbling in."

"Besides, casting the Undetectable Extension Charm without authorization is against Ministry of Magic law. Unless you fancy spending a few days in Azkaban, you'd best not do it."

Su Er nodded in agreement with a show of earnestness. In his opinion, though, Ministry of Magic laws were much the same as Hogwarts school rules.

As long as nobody detected it, it didn't count as breaking them.

To Hagrid, Su Er was a good lad, and he was pleased that Su Er had taken his advice to heart.

After politely declining Hagrid's invitation to dinner, Su Er left the hut carrying the cloth bag full of gifts. Hagrid would look after the cat for a few days, and Su Er would return to collect it before leaving Hogwarts.

Inside the Room of Requirement on the Castle's Seventh Floor...

"Looks like it's time to find a way to make some more money." Su Er took the money Hagrid had returned out of his pocket and counted it. Only a few Galleons and some Silver Sickles remained.

He didn't know how much the cloth bag enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm cost, but a few Galleons certainly wouldn't have been enough to buy it.

I owe Hagrid one.

"Dad's got so much good wine in his cellar. Taking a couple of bottles for Hagrid should be fine, right?" Having made up his mind, Su Er walked toward the drying rack beside the fireplace.

The unicorn hair, which had been somewhat stiff before, had become wonderfully soft after soaking and washing. In the firelight, an enchanting sheen rippled across it.

Night deepened outside the Castle, but the Room of Requirement remained brightly lit.

Su Er collapsed wearily onto the sofa, his wand rolling limply to one side. After casting several spells in succession, he gazed with satisfaction at the scarves lying quietly on the coffee table.

The interwoven yellow and silver shimmered with a mysterious glow. When he had finished knitting the first one, he had already tried it against his skin. It was wonderfully fluffy and soft.

If the perfect score was a hundred, this magically made scarf definitely deserved ninety-nine.

One point off, lest he get too full of himself.

"Grrr..." His stomach growled.

But Su Er no longer even had the strength to pick up a fork. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

As Su Er slept, the sofa quietly transformed, stretching and rapidly expanding into a large, soft bed.

"Mmm..." Su Er rolled over unconsciously and slept even more soundly.

In the Headmaster's Office on the other side of the Seventh Floor corridor, Dumbledore, wearing a star-speckled dressing gown, took a sweet from a small drawer and popped it into his mouth.

"Dumbledore."

"A portrait just sent word. Professor Quirrell was seen in the right-hand corridor on the third floor."

An aged voice came from the portrait.

"Hmm..." Dumbledore nodded and narrowed his eyes. "I see. Thank you, Phyllida."

"So, what are you planning to do, Tom...?"