The Cat Trap

From a metaphysical standpoint, having a nightmare at night usually gave you a bit of extra luck the next day.

But the mysterious power of the East had inexplicably failed at Hogwarts.

Early that morning, William got lost.

Hogwarts had a total of 142 staircases. Some were broad and sweeping; others were narrow, rickety affairs.

At certain times, some staircases led to different places. They were even more punctual than a period!

Halfway up some staircases, a step would suddenly vanish. If you failed to react, you would step into thin air and fall straight through.

Special magic ensured that the young wizards landed safely, but that meant they had to climb all the way back up from the first floor!

If it happened when you had class, you might as well get injured and go to the Hospital Wing. At least then you would have an excuse for being late and avoid losing House Points.

Of course, clever young wizards also sought out these staircases to get back to the first floor quickly for meals.

That way, they would not get stuck at a junction, waiting endlessly for a Prefect up ahead to clear away one of Peeves's pranks.

They had even given these staircases a catchy, thrilling name-the drop tower!

Hogwarts also had plenty of doors that would not open unless you asked them politely or poked them in precisely the right place.

Some doors were not doors at all, but solid walls made to look like them.

Remembering where everything was proved difficult, because everything seemed to keep moving. The people in the portraits were constantly visiting one another, and even the suits of armor walked around.

It was said that Ravenclaw herself had come up with this design, intending to discourage students who were not particularly clever from enrolling.

As a first-year newbie who had only spent one night at Hogwarts, William knew nothing about its staircases. Although he had read Hogwarts, A History thoroughly, it was not much help.

Bobocha followed William, yawning as he waited for him to find the way to the dining hall.

If William still could not find it, he had decided to retrace their steps to the dormitory and eat honey instead.

It was food presented to him by his newly recruited underling, the miniature bear.

Just then, his ears folded back to the sides, forming airplane ears.

"What's wrong?" William asked. "Have you found the way?"

Bobocha gave a wary meow. William followed his gaze and spotted a cat crouching beneath a suit of armor.

It was a painfully skinny cat, with a moderately broad head, a square muzzle, and a pointed chin that lined up with its upper lip and nose.

It had large, furry ears, big eyes, a long tail, and dark gray long hair.

A Maine coon.

William recognized the breed.

But the cat was so thin that it looked extremely gloomy overall. It watched William with bulging eyes.

Or rather, Bobocha.

Its gaze was cold.

It was Mrs. Norris, the caretaker Filch's pet.

According to the twin brothers, Filch was practically one of the three great scourges of Hogwarts!

Wherever Mrs. Norris was, Filch was sure to be found, and Mrs. Norris was usually his accomplice.

William prepared to take Bobocha away quickly. He did not want Filch to hold him up and make him miss Potions Class that morning.

That was right: the first class on Monday morning was Snape's Potions Class!

William had been stunned when he saw the timetable on the common room wall.

His luck today was absolutely terrible!

But Bobocha slowly walked over and crouched down not far from Mrs. Norris.

The two cats

stared each other down!

After who knew how long, Mrs. Norris got to her feet and walked silently down a corridor.

Bobocha looked back and meowed, then jumped into William's arms, blinking his blue eyes to signal him to hurry and follow.

Was this really all right?

Wasn't she deliberately leading him to a restricted area, where Filch would be waiting nearby to catch him in a sting?

William could not shake the feeling that Mrs. Norris was setting a "cat trap"!

The adult world was full of schemes. Surely the world of adult cats couldn't be much more sincere?

Fortunately, the journey passed without incident. William followed Mrs. Norris through several out-of-the-way corridors and made it safely to the dining hall on the first floor.

William pulled a dried fish from his pocket as a thank-you gift, but Mrs. Norris ignored him outright. She glanced at Bobocha, then turned and left.

It was as though William were nothing more than a piece of trash casually left in the wrong place.

Merlin's claws!

Whatever else anyone might say, William was Ravenclaw House's newly crowned heartthrob, yet he had been ignored by a cat.

Sure enough, this was an age when species mattered!

William silently resolved to go back and feed his own flerken until he was as fat as a ginger pig, as revenge on Mrs. Norris.

Come on, let's hurt each other!

There were not many people in the dining hall. Everyone was still recovering from summer vacation syndrome.

The first class did not start until nine, and it was only eight.

William had only just sat down at the Ravenclaw table when Cedric came over from the Hufflepuff table with two bread rolls.

He sat down beside William, took a bite of bread, and asked indistinctly, "How come you're alone?"

William picked up a Pumpkin Pasty. A whiff of matcha hit him, and Hogwarts Castle was engraved on its side.

He ate one in a single go and replied, "Marcus and the others are still sleeping in."

Last night, Prefect Robert had dished out plenty of motivational talk, and the first-year wizards had whooped and hollered, swearing to use their wisdom to change the Wizarding World.

But that did not stop them from sleeping in this morning.

Cedric took a sip of milk, leaving a white ring around his mouth. "Who asked about your roommates?" he said, at a loss for words.

"Oh, you're asking about Cho," William said irritably. "I don't live in the girls' dormitory, so how would I know?

Hey, Cedric, since you're so curious, why don't you ask Professor Flitwick if you can join us in Ravenclaw?"

Cedric chuckled and shared some life experience as an upperclassman. "William, you don't get it. Have you ever seen a student date a girl from his own House?

They all look in other Houses. That's what you call complementary personalities!"

William had to admit that Cedric had a point.

As the saying went, a rabbit did not eat the grass near its burrow!

But then again, another old saying went, the pavilion nearest the water was the first to catch the moonlight!

Wasn't Cedric asking William about Cho every day?

Language really was broad and profound!

William needed to ponder it carefully.