In the days since school started, Harry's campus life had been relatively peaceful, except for the unbearable Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Everything else had settled into routine.
Saturday morning, 7 AM.
After getting dressed and feeling around his pillow to find a certain invisible cat still fast asleep, Harry shook his head somewhat speechlessly.
The little black cat had been mysterious these past few days, jumping off his head after classes to go who knows where, returning late every night, and always seeming tired.
Carrying the little black cat out of the dormitory to the common room, Harry immediately spotted the Weasley twins sharing a cloak and yawning at a table, Hermione holding a Niffler nearby, Wood teasing a Puffskein, and Ron being tormented by an iron-grey pixie pulling his hair.
"Ow! You said you'd be gentle! You're going to make me bald!"
Ron reached up angrily to stop the pixie's mischief, but as soon as his hand moved, the pixie nimbly dodged and bit down on Ron's earlobe, hanging there like an earring.
Harry winced, watching the determined little creature swing from Ron's ear.
"Why did Professor Kahn want us there so early?" Fred yawned, his voice heavy with sleepiness.
Last night Professor Kahn had actually allowed them to bring Little Cloak back to the dorm overnight. How could they pass up such an opportunity? But when it came time to wake up early, they regretted it a little.
Both brothers sighed and slumped back onto the table, still sharing their cloak like a blanket.
Ah, last night was wonderful. Who knew when they'd get to enjoy such bliss again?
On a nearby chair, Hermione held Nana, remembering what Professor Kahn had said when she went to find a partner last night.
She'd originally planned to ask Alice to be her partner today, but Professor Kahn had mysteriously told her that Nana might play an unexpectedly important role in today's assessment.
Looking at the soundly sleeping Niffler in her arms, Hermione seriously doubted that statement.
But Professor Kahn never lied to her about such things, and even if Nana did nothing, she was confident she could pass his test.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Percy entered the common room carrying a Murtlap.
"?"
"Percy?"
"Where'd you get that Murtlap?"
The Weasley twins instantly perked up, sitting up from the table and bombarding Percy with questions.
"Someone special give it to you?" Wood teased mischievously.
Blushing, Percy quickly explained: "No! I met it during my O.W.L. exam. I asked if it would help me with Professor Kahn's assessment, and it agreed."
"Tch!"
"Boring!"
The twins made dismissive sounds and slumped back onto the table, looking half-dead.
Glancing at the nearby clock, Wood picked up his Grindylow: "Let's go. It's almost time. We need to gather at Professor Kahn's hut."
The group collected their things and left Gryffindor Tower.
Walking down the stairs toward the castle entrance, as they passed the hospital wing, they suddenly heard Filch's raspy voice from inside.
"Madam, am I really not sick? During my rounds last night, I felt like I suddenly went blind!"
"No, Argus. I can guarantee on my reputation that aside from rheumatism and a hunched back, there's nothing wrong with you." Madam Pomfrey sounded exasperated, as if she'd explained this many times already.
"But those spots on my body..."
"Those were painted on. Didn't I already help you scrub them off?"
Hearing the voices from the hospital wing, the other Gryffindor students all looked at the Weasley twins in their group.
Seeing their fatigue instantly vanish and wicked grins appear, everyone nodded knowingly.
Leaving the castle for the magical creatures hut, they found the morning grass around the small building covered in dew. Over a dozen young wizards stood before the hut with various magical creature partners, each face showing some confusion.
Most of these students were from Hufflepuff. After all, Professor Kahn's requirement was having a magical creature partner you could trust mutually, which wasn't exactly simple.
Most young wizards didn't keep magical creatures as pets. They were much harder to care for than ordinary animals. Plus, only the Hufflepuff common room had rooms specifically designed for pets; other houses lacked such facilities.
Besides familiar faces, what surprised Harry most was a short figure following a gentle-looking girl.
It was entirely green, wearing simple clothes made of leaves, its eyes surveying the surrounding young wizards with an expression similar to Fred and George's earlier mischievous looks.
A gnome? No, gnomes didn't have that skin colour.
It seemed to be a Bowtruckle?
Harry stepped forward, curious about the magical creature he'd never seen before, but Percy suddenly left their group and made his way toward the Ravenclaw contingent.
"Sigh, looks like someone's planning to switch houses," Wood shook his head, his eyes full of the pain of betrayal.
But Percy obviously couldn't hear the comments behind him. Walking to the Ravenclaw group, he had a sickeningly sweet reunion, then asked softly:
"Where's Professor Kahn?"
"Don't know." Penelope, holding a Puffskein, shook her head. "We've been knocking since we got here, but the professor hasn't responded."
"Maybe the professor overslept too?"
"Could be!"
Two heads suddenly popped up beside Percy, one on each side.
"When did you two get here?!"
Percy jumped, then blushed slightly.
"Never mind that!" Fred, wearing Little Cloak, crept up to the magical creatures hut's door.
The hut's door was tightly shut with no sound from inside. But if the professor was sleeping, after all this knocking, shouldn't there be some response?
Plus, he remembered that sometimes the professor had Alice answer the door. Why was Alice silent today too?
"It's almost time, isn't it? Where's the professor?"
Gemma Farley, wearing Slytherin robes with a prefect badge and accompanied by a Runespoor, glanced at the time and frowned slightly.
If the professor was still sleeping in, she'd have to lower her opinion of Professor Kahn.
But just then, the sound of flapping wings came from overhead. Everyone looked up to see countless owls emerging from nowhere, flying over their heads and dropping letter after letter.
One landed squarely on Harry's head.