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!
Scabbers' career as a "working rat" began on a weekend afternoon in mid-October. When Orli pulled Scabbers out in Snape's office, the rat immediately became wary. However, Snape had no objections to Orli using a live animal for potion experiments.
Sometimes, Orli felt that Snape seemed to enjoy seeing her engage in behavior that wasn't so Gryffindor-like.
Before having Scabbers drink anything for the first time, Orli made a show of being a naïve and generous person—she paid Ron three Sickles right in front of Scabbers and even bought the rat a licorice stick to chew on.
So, despite Scabbers looking a bit nervous, under Snape's subtle gaze and Orli's soothing words, the rat sniffed the potion hesitantly, circled it a few times, and finally resigned itself to drinking the sweet-smelling concoction Orli had prepared.
In truth, it wasn't a potion at all. It was just pumpkin juice that Orli had bottled earlier, with a bit of peppermint added to make it less obvious.
As expected, after drinking it, Scabbers showed no signs of discomfort. In fact, it smacked its lips as if savoring the taste. Other than looking more alert and moving a bit more energetically, the rat didn't change at all.
On the way back to the dormitory, Orli held Scabbers in her hand, suppressing her disgust while smiling and praising it:
## Orli
"Well done today, my dear little Scabbers. How are you feeling? Not uncomfortable, I hope? I really like you."
Scabbers lay happily in her palm, but Orli felt like she was about to throw up. Still, she had no choice—if she wanted to get rid of this disgusting creature sooner, she had to play along for now.
However, her plans for the second experiment didn't go as scheduled. When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, Harry brought some less-than-cheerful news. Earlier that day, Nearly Headless Nick had helped him escape from Filch, so Harry had promised to attend the ghost's five-hundredth Deathday Party at the end of the month. Naturally, in the spirit of shared joys and sorrows, Hermione, Ron, and Orli would have to go with him.
# Hermione
"A Deathday Party?"
Hermione said with great interest.
# Hermione
"I bet not many living people get to attend such an event. It must be fascinating."
# Ron
"Why would anyone celebrate the day they died?"
Ron, after confirming that Scabbers was unharmed, stuffed the rat back into his pocket.
# Ron
"Sounds a bit morbid to me…"
Outside, the rain was still pouring, and the sky was as black as ink. Fred and George were experimenting with feeding Filibuster's Fireworks to a fire salamander. The creature, which had been smoldering sullenly on a table, suddenly shot into the air with a whoosh, spewing a cascade of orange-red sparks from its mouth.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly, almost peaceful. But Orli stared at her blank History of Magic essay, unable to write a single word. The Deathday Party would happen as planned, which meant they would have to stay away from the Great Hall that night and attend the ghostly feast. Would Mrs. Norris still be petrified? Would Harry still be suspected?
Late at night, when no one else was around, Orli summoned Dobby again. The house-elf solemnly assured her that the diary had been discreetly placed on Dumbledore's desk. Yet Orli couldn't shake her unease.
---
On the eve of Halloween, the Great Hall was transformed. Hagrid's massive pumpkins had been carved into lanterns of all shapes and sizes, some large enough to fit three people inside. Rumor had it that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of skeleton dancers to entertain everyone.
Harry was already regretting his hasty agreement to attend the Deathday Party, but Hermione firmly reminded him that "a promise is a promise." So, at seven o'clock, the four of them reluctantly left the brightly decorated Great Hall and headed towards the dungeons.