Once again, Eda tasted the feeling of betrayal—and this time it came from her pet dog and cat. If this got out, people would laugh their heads off.
But that was the truth. From the indifference of the cat and dog, and from Crookshanks "stopping" her from searching the room, Eda could tell that both Garlon and Crookshanks probably knew the identity of this uninvited guest.
Moreover, it was very likely that the two of them had even brought this intruder into the Shrieking Shack—and had let it take a hot shower here!
Eda couldn't communicate with Garlon and Crookshanks in words. And even if she could, trying to get the information she wanted from these two "traitors" would be nearly impossible.
Recently, Fred and George had been busy with Quidditch training. If they dared to skip it, Wood would definitely kill them.
When they weren't training, the twins stayed in the castle studying and revising. If they didn't do well on their O.W.L.s, Mrs. Weasley would definitely kill them too.
For Fred and George, this year was a matter of life and death. They had even put aside their beloved experiments for the time being, so there was no way they would know about a canine breaking into the Shrieking Shack.
Aside from Eda and the twins, the only one who frequently went in and out of the shack was the house-elf Winnie, who often came to clean. Could she have noticed anything?
Thinking of this, Eda immediately abandoned the two "traitors," left the shack, and hurried back to the castle without stopping.
In the Hogwarts kitchens, Eda found the busy house-elf Winnie. Unfortunately, Winnie hadn't discovered anything unusual, nor had she seen any additional animal fur.
The fact that there was dirt on the shack's carpet made Winnie feel extremely guilty. She believed she hadn't fulfilled her duties properly and hadn't cleaned the shack well enough. In the end, Eda had no choice but to stop questioning her and instead comfort the deeply self-blaming house-elf.
Although Eda didn't get the information she wanted, she did obtain another clue that supported her deductions.
On several occasions when Winnie went to clean the Shrieking Shack, she had seen Crookshanks there—and sometimes Garlon as well. They didn't seem to be playing in the room; instead, it looked more like they were waiting for Winnie to arrive.
Now the title of "traitor" was basically confirmed. Garlon and Crookshanks must know something. They were afraid Winnie would discover the truth, so the cat and dog had tried to interfere with her—just like what they did to Eda today.
After reaching this conclusion, Eda didn't take any immediate action, nor did she inform Dumbledore right away. There were still gaps in her reasoning and other unresolved doubts, which made the whole "illegal intrusion into the Shrieking Shack" incident seem somewhat absurd.
The biggest issue still lay with this canine. Whether it was truly just an animal or actually a wizard in Animagus form was the core of everything.
If it really was just an animal, then it would only mean that Garlon and Crookshanks had gained a furry stray friend. But if it was an Animagus, then why was it hiding and sneaking around? Was it really Sirius Black?
Eda suddenly felt that her actions today might have alerted the enemy. This canine probably wouldn't return to the Shrieking Shack anytime soon.
Animagi retain their human consciousness and thinking ability after transforming, and they can even communicate with certain animals.
Everything Eda had done in the shack today had been seen by the "traitor" cat and dog. Would they betray her again and tell everything to that canine?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became—so much so that she even felt like stewing Garlon into soup!
Back at the pet shop, Garlon had already seemed quite unusual. It didn't try to show itself off, nor did it lick customers' fingers to please them. It simply lay quietly in its cage, giving people the impression that it might not live much longer.
Garlon was truly very intelligent. After being brought back from the pet shop, no matter what Eda taught it, it learned quickly, basically mastering all the "eighteen skills" of a pet dog.
Garlon's sense of danger even far surpassed that of other breeds. Last year, it had distanced itself from Ginny—thinking about it now, it was probably because it had sensed the dangerous aura around her.
This cream-colored Labrador was good in every way, but it had one flaw—it wasn't affectionate enough toward its owner. It was indifferent and aloof, giving Eda not the slightest sense of joy from raising a dog.
For a pet dog, that alone was enough to outweigh all its advantages.
The pet Eda raised seemed as if it belonged to someone else. Now, Garlon had even "brought the wolf into the house" behind its owner's back. This kind of behavior was simply too infuriating, just like those ungrateful creatures that can never be won over.
How could Eda, as its owner, not be angry? The fact that she hadn't smashed Garlon's head in was already proof of her kindness and mercy.
Perhaps it had been wrong from the very beginning. Garlon didn't want to be with Eda, and Eda shouldn't have forced it to come back with her. After all, something forced is never truly sweet.
That evening, the Gryffindor common room was as lively as ever. But when Harry appeared with the Firebolt in his hands, the noise suddenly reached a peak.
Everyone turned their heads toward Harry, and then those who were shouting excitedly about the Firebolt surrounded him and his broom.
People passed the Firebolt around, admiring it from every angle.
Fred and George also wanted to join in the excitement, but seeing the stormy expression on Eda's face, the two brothers gave up on the idea and instead decided to try and comfort her.
Although no one yet knew who had sent the Firebolt this time, it was clearly not Professor McGonagall's doing—otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to take it apart for a careful inspection and only return it to Harry today.
Since the broom wasn't from Professor McGonagall, why was Eda unhappy? Fred and George found it hard to understand her train of thought.
In fact, Eda wasn't angry, nor would she be upset over Harry's Firebolt. She was simply concentrating on a plan—thinking about how to use Garlon and Crookshanks to lure out that illegally intruding canine.
It was just that she was thinking too intently, and combined with her dissatisfaction toward Garlon, her expression looked very serious, as if she were angry about something.
Two heads are better than one. Under the twins' questioning, Eda told them about the intruder.
She hadn't wanted to tell them at first, not wanting them to be distracted by this matter. For Fred and George, the most important things right now were the Quidditch matches and preparing for their O.W.L.s.
After hearing Eda's analysis, Fred and George frowned as well. They, too, sensed that something about this situation was unusual. Their two pets had somehow gained a "friend" out of nowhere—and had even betrayed their owner because of it. It was hard to explain.
This was something that could be either big or small—the seriousness of it depended on the true identity of this unknown "friend."
The three of them had only just begun discussing how to catch the intruder when a choked scream suddenly came from the boys' dormitory stairs.
The entire common room fell silent at once, everyone staring blankly at the staircase. Hurried footsteps rang out, growing louder—and then Ron burst out, dragging a bedsheet in his hands.
"Look!" Ron roared loudly as he strode toward Hermione's table. "Look!" he shouted again, shaking the sheet in front of her.
"Scabbers! Look! Scabbers!" Ron's voice trembled—whether from anger or grief, it was hard to tell.
Hermione shrank back from Ron, her face full of confusion. Eda and the other two looked at the bedsheet in Ron's hands—there was a red stain on it that looked very much like blood.
"Blood!" Ron shouted amid the stunned silence of the room. "Scabbers is dead! Are you satisfied now?!"
Hermione's body trembled slightly. "Ron, I didn't… I never meant that…"
"Do you know what was on the floor?" Ron demanded loudly. His anger had driven him nearly mad. The twins stepped forward to stop him, but he shoved them aside.
"I—I don't know," Hermione said in a trembling voice.
Ron threw something onto Hermione's Ancient Runes homework—it was several long ginger cat hairs.
"That damned cat is the one you picked—you didn't forget its color, did you?!" Ron shouted at the top of his lungs.
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