"Percy," Ron began, "we need you."
- For what?
"Um..." Ron was confused at first, but soon found an answer: "Percy, please look at my broom! I think there's something wrong with it."
"Ron, I'm preparing for my final exams," Percy responded discontentedly.
"Well, Percy..." Ron pleaded. "You know how important Quidditch is to me. We have a game soon, and Wood's always racing around in practice. Please, help me. Who else can I turn to but my big brother?"
Percy sighed heavily. He inserted a bookmark between the pages of the book and set the tome aside. Rising to his feet, he said:
"Okay then, Ron. Let's go and look at your broom. I hope this isn't some trivial matter. You know, I want to pass all twelve NEWTs with flying colors and get a decent job at the Ministry of Magic."
The three boys left the bedroom, and the rat laid her head on the pillow and tried to sleep. But no such luck! Soon the door to the room swung open, and the red-haired twin brothers walked in.
Fred immediately noticed the rat. He said in an exaggeratedly surprised voice:
- Look, brother Forge, our brother Percy forgot his pet in the bedroom!
"Oh, that's too bad," George shook his head. "Our brother is completely irresponsible."
The rat tensed up, rose to its paws and glanced warily at the twins.
"That's right, Brother Forge," Fred said with a cheerful note in his voice. "What if Scabbers chews on our brother's precious textbooks? We must definitely take the pet to Percy and tell him how irresponsible he is."
"Agreed," George grinned, which only further irritated the rodent. "For once, it won't be him giving us lectures, but we'll be giving him lectures! It'll be a funny prank."
The rodent had every reason to expect trouble from the twins, but from their conversation he realized the boys weren't planning to bully him. So, calmly, with an air of indifference, he allowed Fred to place him in the cage.
While the group of young adventurers were busy fulfilling their roles in the plan to capture Pettigrew, Richard wasn't idle. He was actually doing exactly what he'd told Ron. Richie had taken up a strategically advantageous position at the beginning of the one-eyed witch's corridor, not far from the stairwell. A magiphone was kept in an ordinary, unenchanted pocket of his robes, so he could warn his accomplices in case of trouble.
And Richie was right to be worried. Students were constantly scurrying up and down the stairs. Some of them were taking shortcuts through the one-eyed witch's corridor. Suddenly, Richard tensed: greasy-haired, hook-nosed Severus Snape was climbing the stairs, wearing his favorite dark robes, the hem fluttering as he walked.
At the other end of the corridor, a procession of five students appeared: the Weasley twins with a cage containing a rat, and three older Hufflepuffs, but in reality two wizards and a Squib disguised as students. The rat in the cage looked agitated, looking around and casting suspicious glances at the fake Hufflepuffs. The rodent was clearly suspicious.
Richie reached into his pocket and fumbled to dial Detective Potter's number. He didn't take the phone out, lest he be caught by the Potions professor, who seemed to be heading purposefully toward the one-eyed witch's hallway.
Snape descended the stairs and quickly reached Richard. He loomed over the boy, his gaze heavy and stern.
"Mr. Rich, what are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.
Richard hoped Scott would hear the professor's voice on the radio and realize the secret passage was unusable. But the detective didn't immediately respond to the call.
Meanwhile, the five and the rat reached the statue. They saw Richard, but not Professor Snape. Scott's tape recorder was ringing in his pocket. The detective took it out to answer. Fred held his wand to the statue and gave the password. The cage containing the rat, which suddenly went berserk, squealing wildly and lashing out at the bars, was taken over by an older girl-namely, Nymphadora Tonks.
These sounds did not go unnoticed by Snape. Richard realized with horror that the Potions Master was about to peek around the corner. The boy tried to prevent it.
"Professor Snape!" he exclaimed loudly. "Why are you asking such a strange question?"
Several things happened at once. Scott Potter answered the phone, but it was too late. He had already heard Richard's cry and understood the situation. The man, who now looked like a slightly plump sixteen-year-old with wheat-colored hair, showed annoyance on his face. The other adventurers also realized that something was wrong. The secret passage was already open. Nymphadora, carrying the cage, ducked through the opening. Proudfoot followed.
Snape didn't fall for it; he had a gut feeling that something suspicious was happening in the corridor. Richie tried to block the professor's path, but the professor pushed the boy aside and resolutely rushed toward the one-eyed witch's corridor. He caught a glimpse of the gap where the statue should have been, and of an older student wearing a Hufflepuff insignia (Proudfoot under the influence of Polyjuice Potion) jumping in.
The Weasley twins tried to block the view of the secret passage with their bodies, but they were completely unsuccessful.
"STOP!" Snape's thunderous command echoed down the corridor.
The Weasley twins were taken aback by this scream and froze in place, as if glued to the spot.
The Potions Professor ran towards the doorway as fast as he could, the hems of his robes flapping like the wings of a black raven.
Richie ran after the professor. He didn't know what he could do to the teacher. Attacking him with magic was supposedly a recipe for expulsion, but in a pinch, the boy was even prepared to bite Snape just to protect his men. He figured the most he'd get for such a prank would be demerit points and detention for the rest of the year. It was unlikely Snape would like Rich any more after this, but that was no big deal.
Luckily for Richard and the twins, the passage closed before the enraged Snape reached the statue of the one-eyed witch...