Orli slumped into a chair next to Hermione, her earlier excitement gradually fading. Hermione, perceiving her thoughts, suggested, "Harry, Orli, why don't you ask Professor McGonagall? I'm sure she might have a solution. Surely not all students with special circumstances are forever banned from visiting Hogsmeade?"
"Oh, Merlin, if you go to McGonagall, she'll just keep a closer watch on you two that day. You're better off sneaking through the secret passage with George and me; we've done it countless times," Fred proposed another idea.
Hermione was about to say something when Crookshanks gracefully jumped onto her lap, clutching a large dead spider in its mouth. Ron recoiled in disgust in his seat. "Does it have to eat right in front of us?" Ron looked both horrified and disgusted.
"Smart Crookshanks, did you catch it yourself?" Hermione praised. Crookshanks chewed the spider slowly, its yellow eyes fixed on Ron.
"Just let it stay there, please," Ron grumbled, turning his attention to his star chart. "Scabbers is sleeping in my bag."
Orli yawned, her gaze drifting to Ron's bag. Perhaps it was time to execute her plan—getting Sirius out before Christmas would be a wonderful gift for Harry.
Crookshanks continued to stare unblinkingly at Ron, its fluffy tail tip twitching slightly. Then, without warning, it launched a sudden assault.
"Ah!" Ron shouted, snatching his bag away as Crookshanks' paws clung tightly to it, starting to tear at it viciously.
"Let go, you stupid creature!" Ron struggled to pull the bag from Crookshanks' claws, but it held on tight, hissing threateningly at Ron.
"Ron, don't hurt it!" Hermione screamed.
The entire common room was watching the spectacle. Ron spun around quickly with the bag in his hand, Crookshanks still clinging on, and Scabbers leapt out from the top of the bag—
"Catch that cat!" Ron shouted. At this point, Crookshanks released the bag, jumped onto the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers.
George and Fred lunged to grab Crookshanks but missed. Scabbers darted between twenty pairs of legs and shot under a dresser. Crookshanks stopped abruptly, crouching low, and began furiously reaching under the dresser with its front paws.
Ron and Hermione rushed over: Hermione grabbed Crookshanks by the waist, struggling to lift it and place it elsewhere; Ron lay on the floor, struggling to grab Scabbers' tail and pull it out.
"Look at it!" he raged at Hermione, shaking Scabbers in front of her. "It's already old! You can't let that cat near it!"
"Crookshanks doesn't know it's doing anything wrong!" Hermione said, her voice trembling. "All cats chase mice, Ron!"
"That's why you shouldn't have bought a cat in the first place!" Ron stormed across the common room and went upstairs to the boys' dormitory.
The next day, Ron was still angry with Hermione. During the entire Herbology class, he barely spoke to her, even though the four of them were conducting the experiment at the same table.
"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked awkwardly as they peeled pods and placed the shiny beans into a wooden barrel.
"It's hiding under my bed, trembling," Ron said angrily, his hand shaking as he missed the barrel, scattering the beans across the greenhouse floor, where they burst into small flowers.
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