Here's a bonus chapter for you all! Thank you so much for waiting. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and I hope you have a wonderful time reading!
October arrived quickly, bringing with it a damp chill that seeped into every corner of the castle.
Many students came down with colds, keeping Madam Pomfrey busier than ever. Snape had to supply her with more Invigoration Draughts, which in turn kept Orli occupied as well. Snape now trusted her to brew a few simple potions on her own and would even occasionally let her watch over his cauldrons. After all, many advanced potions required long brewing times, some stretching over several months. To Orli, this was a great honor, though Ron and the others thought she was out of her mind.
Bullet-sized raindrops pelted the castle windows for days on end. The lake swelled, the flowerbeds turned to mud, and Hagrid's pumpkins grew to the size of garden sheds. Hermione whispered once that he must have secretly used an Engorgement Charm on them.
But no amount of rain could dampen Wood's enthusiasm for Quidditch practice. Every weekend, Harry and the twins returned soaked to the skin and covered in mud. Fred and George, who had been keeping an eye on the Slytherin team, reported that the Nimbus 2001s made their players zoom through the air like jets.
Amid these busy and mundane days, Orli occasionally checked in on Ginny. Thankfully, Ginny seemed perfectly fine—healthy, happy, and even making friends with her fellow first-years. Orli felt a wave of relief; at least Ginny was safe, and she hoped Dumbledore had already dealt with the diary.
Believing everything was going smoothly, Orli even started pondering the plot of the third book. Recently, her attention had turned to Ron's rat, and after much thought, she had come up with a decent plan.
One evening, while they were huddled in the Potions nook, Orli brought up the topic of the rat as casually as she could.
## Orli
"Ron, could I borrow your rat for a bit?"
# Ron
"Scabbers? What do you need him for?"
Ron pulled the plump, patchy-furred rat from his pocket. It was fast asleep.
## Orli
"I want to experiment with some potions, but I've been struggling to find a test subject…"
Orli said.
# Ron
"You want to use Scabbers for potion experiments?! No way! You'll kill him!"
Ron exclaimed, visibly upset.
## Orli
"No, Ron, I promise it's just mild potions, like Fever-Reducing Draughts, Swelling Solutions, or Shrinking Solutions. I've made slight modifications based on the textbook, and I'm not sure if they'll affect the efficacy. But I swear, there won't be any severe side effects."
Orli explained.
# Ron
"But Scabbers is old; he can't handle much stress. Maybe we could find another animal…"
Ron still seemed reluctant.
## Orli
"I'll pay Scabbers a salary—one Sickle per session. How about that? I promise he'll come back to you unharmed every day."
Orli added.
Ron hesitated, looking at Orli and then down at Scabbers, who twitched slightly in his sleep.
# Ron
"There really won't be any severe side effects? Scabbers has been with me for over a year…"
## Orli
"Three Sickles per session, and I guarantee he won't feel too uncomfortable."
Orli raised her offer.
# Ron
"Deal!"
This time, Ron agreed readily.
# Ron
"When do we start?"
## Orli
"I'll let you know in advance when I need him. I'll need to prepare a bit first."
Orli replied.
Her plan was to start with a few very mild potions, pretending to test them to lower Peter Pettigrew's guard. Then, she would have him drink a Mandrake Restorative Draught to reverse his transformation. Of course, she would need a reliable wizard present before revealing his true form—she had no intention of facing that cunning, repulsive man alone.