Arc 9The Badger and the Forest

Su Er treated Scabbers, explored the Forbidden Forest, and began Hermione’s Animagus preparations while investigating the Acromantulas and a set of matching badger figurines. The stretch ended after Hogsmeade and a cheerful Halloween Feast, with Su Er still searching for the third figurine.

  • Su Er removed a parasite from Scabbers and helped Ron care for the recovering rat, while Scabbers later escaped and behaved strangely.
  • Su Er encountered a Chimaera in the Forbidden Forest and was saved by a Bowtruckle, then followed its marker to the centaur camp and met Lisi.
  • Lisi showed Su Er a bronze badger figurine matching one he already owned and asked him to bring her the third of three matching objects.
  • Su Er and Hermione buried the ingredients for Hermione’s Animagus potion in the Forbidden Forest, then returned to Hogwarts in the rain.
  • Dumbledore told Su Er that the Ministry had summoned Hagrid over the Hippogriff incident and cautioned him to consider the consequences of changing fate.
  • Su Er learned from Lupin about his parents’ achievements and their time at Hogwarts, then found Amelia’s letter suggesting another badger ornament might be in the castle.
  • Su Er went to Hogsmeade with Hermione, where she discovered that his Remembrall held a recording of Percy and Penelope together.
  • Su Er cleaned Filch’s prank-stained Entrance Hall floor and joined his dormmates at the Halloween Feast, which ended with a ghost performance.
Chapters 201–225 Vol. 3 Read

Ch. 201Hagrid: You're right

Su Er offered Ron a way to help Scabbers and promised to treat him on Saturday. He then encouraged Hagrid to overcome his fear after Buckbeak’s accident and resume teaching interesting magical creatures, leaving Hagrid to admit Su Er was right.

  • At dinner, Ron asked Su Er if he could help Scabbers, whose health had worsened despite the Rat Tonic, and Su Er told him to bring the rat on Saturday.
  • Su Er found Hagrid watering pumpkins before Care of Magical Creatures and challenged him for teaching Flobberworms instead of introducing students to other creatures.
  • Su Er reminded Hagrid of his knowledge, his responsibility as a professor, and the possibility of saving Buckbeak with Dumbledore’s help.
  • Su Er offered to ask his aunt to help Buckbeak and left Hagrid to consider his words.
  • Hagrid watched Su Er go and murmured, “You’re right.”

Ch. 202A little badger only wanted a bite to eat-what bad intentions could he have?

Hagrid took his students to the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest for a Care of Magical Creatures lesson about Bowtruckles. Su Er tried to learn where the displaced Acromantulas had gone, but Hagrid kept their new home secret; the chapter ended as Bowtruckles emerged to meet the class.

  • Hagrid led the frightened students through the Forbidden Forest and refused to tell Su Er where the Acromantulas had moved after last year's fire.
  • Hagrid brought the class to a lawn and taught them that Wiggentrees could provide homes for Bowtruckles.
  • Su Er correctly identified Bowtruckles, and Hagrid awarded him five points for Hufflepuff.
  • Hagrid told the students to offer the Bowtruckles bugs and warned them to protect their hair and arms.
  • Hagrid tapped a Wiggentree, and several curious Bowtruckles appeared from its foliage.

Ch. 203Malfoy Was Stirring Up Trouble Again!

Su Er’s classmates attended Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures lesson and received Wiggentree branches, while Snape’s unusually mild Potions class ended with him punishing two Hufflepuffs for gossiping about him. The chapter ended with Su Er learning that Malfoy had angered the Bowtruckles and nearly become spider food, giving Su Er a lead to investigate over the weekend.

  • Hagrid’s lesson introduced the students to Bowtruckles, and Su Er gave the Wiggentree branches he had traded for to his roommates.
  • Snape let both houses finish brewing Shrinking Solution and awarded them a point each, but later overheard two Hufflepuffs speculating about his love life and took twenty points from their house.
  • Hermione, Ron, and Harry told Su Er that Malfoy had tried to take a Bowtruckle, provoking the creatures to attack him.
  • Hagrid rescued Malfoy after he nearly got lost while fleeing and risked becoming spider food.
  • Su Er realized the spiders were near Hagrid’s lesson site and planned to scout the area over the weekend.

Ch. 204Searching for Spiders in the Forbidden Forest

Su Er sneaked into the Forbidden Forest at night to search for Acromantulas, using his Animagus form and a marker to prepare for the exploration. He began tracking their scent but had not yet found them.

  • Su Er learned that Occlumency protected him from the Erkling's mental attack, and Professor Lupin assigned an essay while warning students not to copy homework.
  • Su Er waited until Professor Sinistra dozed off, then slipped through the oak doors and headed toward the Forbidden Forest.
  • Su Er raced past Fang and reached the woodland where the Bowtruckles had been, but their trees were gone.
  • Su Er buried a marker near the lesson site so he could find his way back, then transformed into a badger.
  • Su Er relied on his familiarity with Acromantula scent and his tracking ability to begin searching the forest.

Ch. 205Save Scabbers! Let Him Get Fat, Please

Su Er returned from the Forbidden Forest after spotting injured Centaurs searching for unwelcome visitors, then woke to treat Ron’s rat, Scabbers. He prepared to operate on the immobilized and sleeping rat, leaving Ron watching as the procedure was about to begin.

  • Su Er fled the Centaur camp after learning that unwelcome visitors had injured several patrol groups, while a hidden figure watched him leave.
  • Justin reminded Su Er that Ron had come looking for him to treat Scabbers, and Su Er hurried to meet Ron in the Great Hall.
  • Su Er persuaded Ron that Scabbers needed a treatment that would remove something unimportant to a rat, and they went to Hagrid’s Hut.
  • Su Er paralyzed Scabbers, blocked his senses, put him to sleep, and tied him down while Ron followed his instructions.
  • Su Er disinfected the blade and prepared to begin the operation as Ron entrusted Scabbers to him.

Ch. 206The second spider hunt-a night of terror

Su Er treated Scabbers by removing a parasite and told Ron how to care for him, then set out that night to hunt spiders in the Forbidden Forest. A Bowtruckle warned Su Er away from danger and helped him hide as a monstrous creature passed beneath their tree.

  • Su Er removed a small black parasite from Scabbers, gave Ron dittany extract, and explained how to care for the sleeping rat.
  • Ron thanked Su Er and agreed to keep his pet treatment secret, while Su Er asked him to bring back sweets from Honeydukes.
  • Su Er marked his map, worked in the Library with Hermione, and went into the Forbidden Forest that night to search for spiders.
  • A Bowtruckle recognized Su Er and warned him that danger lay ahead, then urged him to hide when heavy footsteps approached.
  • Su Er transformed into his Animagus form and climbed a Wiggentree as a huge lion-headed, goat-bodied creature with a dragon's tail prowled beneath it before leaving.

Ch. 207Back to the Castle Alive

After surviving the night in the Forbidden Forest, Su Er thanked the Bowtruckle that sheltered him and returned to Hogwarts exhausted. There, he learned that the students’ first Hogsmeade trip was scheduled for the end of October, then went to sleep.

  • Su Er woke in a tree surrounded by curious Bowtruckles and thanked the marked Bowtruckle for saving him.
  • Su Er gave the Bowtruckle a magical tracking object and promised to return, then left the Forbidden Forest.
  • Su Er reached Hogwarts and told Morn he had practiced magic by the Black Lake.
  • Morn told Su Er that the first Hogsmeade trip would take place at the end of October, on Halloween eve.
  • Su Er went to the dormitory to sleep while Morn and Justin discussed visiting Zonko's Joke Shop.

Ch. 208Everyday life in the Library (a little sweetness)

Su Er recovered from a night in the Forbidden Forest, visited Hermione in the Library, and researched the dangerous creature he had encountered. He identified it as a Chimaera and ended the chapter showing Hermione the book’s account of it.

  • Su Er went to the Kitchens for food, returned to the common room, and found Justin and Morn playing Wizard's Chess.
  • Su Er found Hermione doing homework in the Library and urged her to drop some courses and eat properly.
  • Su Er promised to take Hermione to the Kitchen for a feast on the next full moon, and she blushed at his teasing.
  • Su Er looked up the monster from the Forbidden Forest and learned it was a fire-breathing, XXXXX-rated Chimaera.
  • Su Er showed Hermione the book's description of the Chimaera.

Ch. 209Scabbers (crossed out) Peter discovers the truth

Su Er helped Ron care for Scabbers, while Harry hoped Dumbledore would let him visit Hogsmeade. Alone in Harry's dormitory, Scabbers discovered that he had lost a day of memory and a part of his body, and feared turning back into Peter Pettigrew.

  • Su Er learned from a book by Mr. Scamander that Bowtruckles liked Doxy eggs and planned to ask Hagrid for some.
  • Su Er and Hermione joined Ron and Harry for dinner, where Harry lamented that Professor McGonagall would not let him visit Hogsmeade.
  • Ron said Scabbers had woken up and eaten ravenously after Ron put him in Harry's birdcage.
  • Harry considered asking Dumbledore to sign his Hogsmeade permission form.
  • In Harry's dormitory, Scabbers noticed the calendar showed Sunday and realized he could not remember the previous day.
  • Scabbers discovered that a part of his body was missing, raged in his cage, and dared not turn back into Peter Pettigrew.

Ch. 210I was just kindly dealing with a health risk for a classmate's pet

During Herbology, Su Er helped Ron manage Scabbers’s agitation after secretly treating him, while Ron described the rat’s frantic behavior and scratches. Hermione suspected Su Er was up to something, and he insisted he was only helping with a health risk.

  • Harry and Ron rushed into Herbology just before class began, and Professor Sprout started a lesson on repotting puffapods.
  • Neville correctly identified the puffapod and described its magical beans, earning Gryffindor ten points.
  • Ron told Su Er that Scabbers had escaped, scratched him, and acted unusually agitated after his treatment.
  • Su Er advised Ron on caring for Scabbers and offered to teach him a spell to quiet the rat’s cage at night.
  • Hermione questioned Su Er’s motives, but he claimed he was kindly helping Ron’s pet.

Ch. 211He Simply Gave Them Too Much

As rain and cold kept the Quidditch teams training and the Castle damp, Hagrid taught a Care of Magical Creatures lesson on Salamanders, with Su Er helping him warm and dry off. The students learned how to handle the creatures and draw their healing blood, and left with vials they could sell for Knuts.

  • Su Er saw Harry exhausted from Gryffindor Quidditch training, while Hufflepuff captain Cedric tried to persuade his teammates to practice despite the bad weather.
  • Hagrid arrived at Care of Magical Creatures carrying a covered box, and Su Er used charms to dry and warm him.
  • Hagrid revealed a group of dormant white Salamanders and explained how they changed color in flames, fed on fire, and spat flames.
  • Hagrid taught the students to place Salamanders in fires and draw their blood, warning them not to drain the creatures completely.
  • The students took vials of Salamander blood to lunch and showed them off, while other students envied their chance to earn Knuts.

Ch. 212Cedric's Girlfriend

Su Er learned how Malfoy had been burned after trying to throw Neville’s toad into a fire, then met Cho Chang as Cedric’s girlfriend. Dumbledore summoned Su Er to deliver a Ministry notice to Hagrid and warned him to consider the consequences of interfering with fate.

  • Malfoy tried to throw Neville’s toad, Trevor, into a fire, but Neville’s rescue attempt led Malfoy to kill a Salamander and the enraged creatures burned his hair and eyebrows.
  • Ron mocked Malfoy in the Great Hall, and Malfoy hurried away with his lackeys.
  • Su Er found Cedric talking with Cho Chang, who introduced herself as Cedric’s girlfriend.
  • Fawkes transported Su Er to Dumbledore, who explained that the Ministry had summoned Hagrid to discuss the Hippogriff incident.
  • Dumbledore said the Remembralls could help clear Hagrid but were being held back until the right moment, then cautioned Su Er to consider the consequences of changing fate.

Ch. 213Why Use Avada Kedavra Against an Erkling?

Su Er reflected on why he would intervene in events he could change, then attended a joint Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson while preparing with Hermione to begin the Animagus process. The chapter ended as Lupin questioned why some students thought an Erkling required the Killing Curse.

  • Su Er decided he would not stand by when he could change a future outcome, including Hermione's path.
  • Su Er and Hermione prepared to begin the first step of becoming Animagi and find a place to bury the potion.
  • Su Er noticed Lupin looked unusually pale and weak on the night of the full moon, and remembered Snape had sent him with Wolfsbane Potion.
  • Lupin began discussing the students' Erkling homework and asked why dealing with one would require the Killing Curse.

Ch. 214[Two chapters combined] What is Dark Magic?

Professor Lupin taught the class that dark magic was defined largely by the user's intent, while warning students to treat it with reverence and focus on defence. He dismissed the class with a warning against seeking power through dark magic.

  • Professor Lupin asked the students to define dark magic, prompting Dean Thomas and Draco Malfoy to argue over whether it was inherently evil or depended on how it was used.
  • Professor Lupin explained that dark magic was a broad category associated with negative emotions and that even a Floating Charm could become dark magic when used with malice.
  • Professor Lupin said he could cast the Killing Curse but refused to teach it, warning that the students had no reason to pursue such a dangerous spell.
  • Professor Lupin described jinxes, hexes, curses, and pure-dark magic, then urged the class to study dark magic with reverence and learn how to defend against it.
  • Professor Lupin dismissed the students without homework but told them to consider how they should approach dark magic and warned that shortcuts to power could lead to ruin.

Ch. 215Parents

Su Er delivered Wolfsbane Potion to Professor Lupin, who invited him to talk about his parents. Lupin shared memories of their school days, leaving Su Er with stories about the parents he had never known.

  • Su Er remembered that he had forgotten to give Professor Lupin his Wolfsbane Potion and returned to the classroom to deliver it.
  • Lupin drank the potion and asked Su Er to stay and chat before dinner.
  • Lupin praised Su Er’s charms talent and said his father had excelled at potions while his mother had excelled at charms.
  • Lupin recalled meeting Su Er’s father at the station and described how his parents met and argued during Potions Class.
  • Lupin told Su Er that his parents had both become prefects and earned honors, and suggested he look for their plaques in the Trophy Room.

Ch. 216It Must Be Just as Cute as You

Su Er and Hermione entered the Forbidden Forest at night to complete the preparations for Hermione’s Animagus transformation. They buried the potion just as clouds covered the moon, then waited for a storm to finish the process.

  • Su Er and Hermione used Harry’s Invisibility Cloak to sneak out of Hogwarts with the ingredients for Hermione’s Animagus potion.
  • They passed Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang in a corridor, then crossed the grounds and entered the Forbidden Forest.
  • Su Er transformed into a badger and led Hermione to a clearing where they could prepare the potion.
  • Hermione added the mandrake leaf, dew, her hair, and a death’s-head hawkmoth pupa to the crystal vial, then buried it in the soil.
  • Dark clouds blocked the moonlight as rain began, and Su Er and Hermione waited for lightning to complete the potion.

Ch. 217Getting Hagrid to talk took no Veritaserum, just a bottle of booze

After returning from the Forbidden Forest, Su Er and Hermione were caught by Professor McGonagall, who let them back into the Castle after Su Er cleaned their muddy clothes with a nonverbal spell. Su Er arranged with Fred and George to get Hagrid talking about the Acromantulas, while Hermione learned they were planning to hunt a few isolated ones.

  • Su Er and Hermione came back from the Forbidden Forest in the rain, and Professor McGonagall questioned them about being outside after dark.
  • Su Er used a nonverbal Scourgify spell to clean himself and Hermione, impressing Professor McGonagall.
  • Oliver Wood and the Quidditch team returned soaked, and Wood cleaned the muddy trail they had left in the Entrance Hall.
  • Fred and George told Su Er they would get Hagrid to reveal where the spiders had moved by giving him Firewhisky.
  • Hermione objected when Su Er revealed their plan, and he explained they would target only one or two Acromantulas away from the nest.

Ch. 218Looking for the Bowtruckles

Su Er went to the Forbidden Forest to find Bowtruckles after collecting Doxy eggs from Harry, and discovered their signal led to an empty centaur camp. He reached the central hut, whose door opened just as he arrived.

  • Hermione joined Su Er and the Weasley brothers in a plan to visit the Forbidden Forest after the first Quidditch match.
  • Su Er met Harry near Hagrid’s hut and collected the Doxy eggs Hagrid had sent through him.
  • Harry told Su Er that Scabbers had attacked Crookshanks and nearly been eaten, then asked what Su Er had done to the rat.
  • Su Er transformed into a badger and followed the Bowtruckles’ location marker through the Forbidden Forest to the centaur camp.
  • Su Er cautiously crossed the empty camp and reached its central hut, where the door opened as he arrived.

Ch. 219B... B-b-big... F

Su Er hid from approaching centaurs inside a house in the Forbidden Forest, where a Bowtruckle he had met before led him to Lisi. Lisi knew his name and returned the marker he had given the Bowtruckle, leaving Su Er wary of what she knew about him and his family.

  • Su Er fled from the approaching centaurs and squeezed behind a bookcase to hide.
  • A voice addressed Su Er as an expected guest, and the bookcase began to move.
  • Su Er recognized the Bowtruckle that had saved him before, and it urged him out from behind the bookcase.
  • Su Er met Lisi, a female centaur who knew his name and explained that centaurs viewed their bodies differently from humans.
  • Lisi returned Su Er's marker and advised him not to give away objects bearing his magic.

Ch. 220Lisi the Centaur

Su Er met Lisi the centaur, who explained that her people had kept an ancient agreement to pass a mysterious item to a worthy wizard. Believing the stars had led Su Er to her, Lisi offered him a test and placed the item’s box before him.

  • Lisi assured Su Er that the centaurs were bound by an oath not to harm young wizards, and he cautiously drank her mind-clearing tea.
  • Lisi explained that the Bowtruckle lived nearby and watched over the centaurs in exchange for food and shelter.
  • Lisi told Su Er that a benevolent witch had given the centaurs an item to pass to a wizard when the time was right, and that many famous wizards had failed to receive it.
  • Lisi said the stars had chosen Su Er for a test, but Su Er initially refused, wary of what the item might contain.
  • After Lisi claimed Su Er had already obtained something similar, he asked to see the item, and she brought a wooden box from the bookshelf and pushed it toward him.

Ch. 221Shouldn't We Get Him?

Su Er received a bronze badger from Lisi and learned that a third identical one was waiting to be found. After leaving the Forbidden Forest, he accidentally nibbled Hermione’s hand and ended the day facing his roommates’ playful threat.

  • Su Er opened the box and recognized the bronze badger as identical to the one in his dormitory.
  • Lisi told Su Er that a wizard had prepared three matching objects and asked him to bring all three to her once he found the third.
  • The Bowtruckle tugged Su Er’s ear and led him through the Forbidden Forest as he visited the Bowtruckles with Doxy eggs.
  • Su Er sat down beside Hermione at dinner and absentmindedly kissed and nibbled her hand, making her blush and smack him.
  • Justin and Morn teased Su Er about Hermione’s hand, then agreed they should get him.

Ch. 222Hogsmeade Weekend

Su Er searched for clues to Helga Hufflepuff’s missing badger figurine and planned to ask Amelia and Dumbledore for help. On Hogsmeade Weekend, Harry stayed behind while Su Er and the others prepared to leave, and Filch arrived with a stack of lists.

  • Su Er suspected that the third badger figurine was hidden somewhere in Hogwarts and decided to write to Amelia and search the Library before asking Dumbledore.
  • After the Dementors left and the rain cleared, the third-year students gathered in the Entrance Hall for Hogsmeade Weekend.
  • Ron brought Scabbers along because he feared Crookshanks would attack him, while Harry accepted that he had to stay behind and asked his friends to bring him sweets.
  • Neville arrived wearing new clothes that smelled strongly of fragrant grass, and Su Er used spells to lessen the odor.
  • Filch came into the Entrance Hall carrying a stack of long lists.

Ch. 223Su Er: Let me show you how it's done, Neville

Su Er encouraged Neville to ask Hannah to tea, then demonstrated by inviting Hermione to spend Hogsmeade weekend with him. After shopping and sampling sweets together, Su Er and Hermione arrived at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.

  • Neville thanked Su Er for helping reduce the smell on him, and Su Er urged him to invite Hannah to tea before she went shopping.
  • Su Er recalled Amelia’s letter confirming that the badger ornament had come from a Diagon Alley shop, increasing his suspicion that another ornament was in Hogwarts Castle.
  • At Hogsmeade, Su Er invited Hermione to sample treats, and she accepted while Hannah and Susan teased them.
  • Su Er accompanied Hermione to Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop, Gladrags Wizardwear, and Honeydukes, where they bought items and tried novelty sweets.
  • Su Er and the tired Hermione entered Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop together.

Ch. 224Oh No, Busted

Su Er and Hermione visited Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, where they spotted Percy meeting Penelope Clearwater and Hermione discovered Su Er had secretly recorded something with a Remembrall. Hermione questioned him over the recording, and the chapter ended when Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott entered the shop.

  • Madam Puddifoot seated Su Er and Hermione in a quiet corner and recommended tea and chocolate cookies.
  • Su Er and Hermione saw Percy meet Penelope Clearwater, confirming George and Fred’s guess that they were dating.
  • Hermione stopped Su Er from recording Percy and Penelope, then examined the Remembrall and found its images.
  • Su Er insisted he had left the Remembrall in the Room of Requirement by accident, while Hermione pressed him about what it had recorded.
  • Hermione asked whether Su Er was the only person who had seen the recording, and his answer revealed that he had watched it.
  • Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott entered the tea shop as Hermione sat quietly with Su Er.

Ch. 225A peaceful Halloween Feast

Su Er and his friends returned from Hogsmeade and attended Hogwarts’ Halloween Feast. The feast ended cheerfully, with the Dementors’ gloom seeming to lift for the day.

  • Su Er teased Neville about inviting Hannah to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop while Ron told them about his day in Hogsmeade.
  • Ron revealed that Scabbers was still sleeping in his pocket and felt left out when he learned Su Er, Hermione, Neville, and Hannah had spent the afternoon at the tea shop.
  • Su Er used magic to clean the Entrance Hall floor after Filch struggled with prank stains left by the Weasley brothers.
  • Su Er joined his dormmates in the Great Hall, where floating pumpkins, blue flames, and conjured bats decorated the Halloween Feast.
  • The ghosts performed for the students, and Dumbledore and McGonagall chatted as the feast ended on a happy note.
Arc 9 of 27