"Shut up! You filthy clown!"
Filch lashed out with his whip again, cutting off Peeves's nonsense.
Then Filch turned around and saw Douglas, and his contorted face immediately broke into a smile.
"Oh, Professor Holmes! You're here!"
Douglas nodded with a smile and took a paper packet from his pocket.
"This is for you."
It was a packet of delicate soft cakes, giving off a faint medicinal fragrance.
"I see you've been getting quite a lot of exercise lately. These are good for your knees and lower back. Moderate activity is good for older people, and Peeves makes a very good... piece of exercise equipment."
Then he took out an attractively packaged bag of freeze-dried chicken breast, crouched down, and offered it to Mrs. Norris, who was at his feet baring her teeth at Peeves.
"A reward for the lady. Not only delicious, but good for a glossy coat, too."
Mrs. Norris meowed, immediately abandoned her feline aloofness, rubbed against Douglas's trouser leg, and carried the freeze-dried chicken off to enjoy it to one side.
"You're too kind... far too kind..."
Filch was so touched that he could barely speak coherently.
"Carry on. Don't let him get away. But remember, don't whip him to pieces. Putting him back together is quite a nuisance."
Douglas patted Filch on the shoulder in encouragement, then ignored Peeves's miserable wails and turned toward the main entrance.
He glanced at the Demon-Suppression Tower in the courtyard.
Then he looked at the sky.
He continued out of the Castle.
The afternoon sun was fierce, warming the lawn until it gave off the pleasant scent of fresh grass.
Douglas took a deep breath and headed straight for Hagrid's Hut.
Before he even drew close, a particularly overpowering yet enticing aroma drifted toward him on the breeze.
It