- Hermione, have you had time to read about animagi?
"Yes," Hermione said, shaking her chestnut curls. "It's a very interesting and complex branch of magic. There are several paths to becoming an Animagus. The first is a lengthy and rather complex ritual, which requires wearing a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month. There are many other nuances involved. The second path involves becoming an Animagus through Transfiguration and potions. The wizard must transfigure themselves into an animal, but to do this, they must master this particular branch of magic, otherwise they can become a mutant, like a half-beast.
"I see..." Rich drawled. "Hermione, are there any ways to identify an Animagus in animal form and return them to human form?"
Granger furrowed her brow.
"I think so," she replied. "At least I've read something about returning to human form. But I can't say anything about identifying animagi."
Richard was glad he'd given Granger the task of finding information about Animagi in time. He was surprised by how much the girl had learned. Richie asked,
- Hermione, what if, say, you put a wizard-Animagus in a cage in the form of a small animal... will he be able to turn back into a human and free himself?
"No," Granger said, shaking her head. "I read that Animagi are vulnerable during their transformation. They need a lot of space, otherwise there's a very high risk of sustaining life-threatening injuries."
"Thank you, Hermione," Richard smiled at the girl. "I admire your talents in the field of information research. Care for a cake?"
"No, thank you," Granger replied. "Sweets make you fat and ruin your teeth."
***
On Sunday after breakfast, Richie, Ron, Harry, Fred and George gathered in the twins' laboratory.
Fred asked:
"Richie, why did you call us? If it's for a new project, then we're still working on it."
"No, guys," Richard shook his head. "Harry, tell me the same thing you told me."
Potter began retelling everything about Black and Pettigrew, and his suspicions about Percy's rat. As he spoke, the mood of all three Weasleys plummeted. Richie added everything he'd learned about Animagi from Hermione. By the end, Fred, George, and Ron looked very gloomy and serious.
George tried to lighten the mood. He asked in a cheerful tone:
- So, does this mean Percy slept with a grown man for twelve years?!
"Guys, it's not a given that it's Pettigrew," Richard replied. "But we have to check it out."
"What are we going to do?" Fred asked.
"What's there to think about?" Ron exclaimed. "We need to catch the rat and hand it over to the Aurors."
To this, George responded ironically to his younger brother:
"Ron, I see you're all about brains! Use your brain, sometimes it can be useful."
"Yeah," Fred agreed with his twin. "Ronnie, do you even realize our parents could end up in Azkaban? We need to be more subtle here."
"Guys, I have a plan," Richard said, drawing everyone's attention.
"It will be interesting to hear," Fred expressed the general point of view.
"Gentlemen," Rich began, "I have summoned my bodyguards and Detective Potter to the castle.
"Who?!" Fred glanced at Harry in bewilderment.
"Potter?" George stared at Harry with equal astonishment.
"My uncle," Harry replied. "Scott. I was just telling you about the investigation we did together over the summer."
"Harry, you didn't say his last name," Fred said slowly.
"Exactly," George agreed.
"Shut up already!" Ron shouted loudly at the twins. "Let's hear Richie's plan."
"Thank you, Ron," Richard nodded gratefully at the younger Weasley, then continued, "So, gentlemen, the plan is simple. Fred and George will sneak into Hogsmeade and bring Scott, Tonks, and Proudfoot back into the school grounds through the secret passage. I'll provide them with hair from Hogwarts students, they'll change into school uniforms, and take Polyjuice Potion. Harry and Ron will distract Percy, while Fred and George will steal the rat and deliver it to the secret passage. You'll hand the rat over to the adults and help them escape back into Hogsmeade through the secret passage. Detective Potter will then proceed according to the situation. If the rat is real, we'll return it to Percy. If it really is Pettigrew, then it'll depend on the situation. Either way, it won't be your problem anymore..."
Richie looked at the three Weasleys, making it clear that he meant the entire red-headed family.