Come to think of it, Mrs. Figg really did keep a lot of cats—and Kneazles as well. She bred ordinary cats with Kneazles, then sold the kittens to wizards.
Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, had Kneazle blood too, which was why it was exceptionally intelligent.
Crookshanks had been particularly hostile toward Peter Pettigrew, who was disguised as the rat Scabbers. That was because Kneazles could sense a person's true character.
The Kneazle Sean was holding was about the size of an ordinary house cat. Mrs. Figg said it wasn't even a year old yet and had only recently been weaned.
"It doesn't have a name yet. Now that it belongs to you, you should give it one," Mrs. Figg said.
Sean thought for a moment. Naming something wasn't exactly difficult, but it wasn't simple either. Some people even studied things like fortune and symbolism when choosing names.
Suddenly, Sean had a flash of inspiration.
"I've got it. I'll call you Jerry."
Of course, the wizards had never seen Tom and Jerry, so none of them knew how ridiculous the name actually was.
"And this as well." Mrs. Figg took out a small booklet from her handbag, about the size of a palm.
"What's this?" Sean asked.
"A breeding license."
Sean was puzzled. Didn't every student have the right to bring a pet to Hogwarts? He had never heard of needing a license.
Seeing his confusion, Mrs. Figg explained, "Kneazles require a breeding license. They're not the same as ordinary cats. Don't underestimate their aggressiveness."
"Open it and press your handprint on it. Then Jerry's as well."
Sean took the booklet. It was smaller than his palm—how was he supposed to press a handprint on it?
But when he opened it, he realized it was another magical item.
The booklet expanded in his hands until it was the size of a textbook. Sean pressed his palm onto the first page under the owner section, then grabbed Jerry's little paw and pressed it onto the pet section on the second page.
The booklet shrank again. Mrs. Figg placed it back into her handbag, nodded at Sean, and said,
"Now you're officially Jerry's owner. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has your record as well."
Sean happily cradled Jerry in his arms. In his previous life, he had loved cats. Jerry wasn't technically a cat, but it certainly looked like one.
"So, Jerry, do you like your name?" Sean asked with a grin.
Jerry responded with a look of disdain—then promptly bit down on Sean's palm. The force was far beyond what a normal kitten could manage.
"Mrs. Figg, are you sure Jerry can be kept at Hogwarts?" Sean asked, his face turning red as he tried to endure the pain.
Mrs. Figg waved her hand and chuckled behind it. "Look how lively and adorable it is."
"But you just said not to underestimate its aggressiveness."
"That's when it grows up. It's still small now. If you get along with it well, it'll be very obedient," Mrs. Figg said smoothly.
Of course, she had already taken the money. There was no way she was letting him return it. Every word out of her mouth was praise for Jerry.
A moment ago, Jerry had been looking at Sean with utter disdain toward this new owner. Now it instantly changed expression, pretending to act cute with its round little head. Kneazles really were as clever and quick-witted as rumored.
In any case, Sean loved this birthday present. It was hundreds of times better than a Chocolate Frog.
"Peter Pettigrew, you'd better count yourself lucky I'm not in Gryffindor," Sean thought.
Jerry was a purebred Kneazle, far more formidable than Crookshanks. If Pettigrew—disguised as the rat Scabbers—ran into Jerry, it was doubtful he would survive even the first semester.
Time passed before Sean realized it was already the final week of August. During that period, he had a simple birthday celebration. That day, he tasted birthday cake for the first time in his life.
Unfortunately, the taste was nearly unbearable.
It was Hearns's first time baking a cake.
That afternoon, Snape appeared in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron with Theo beside him. It seemed they had come to bring Sean back to Hogwarts early.
"Grylls, pack your luggage and come with me immediately," Snape said.
"Yes, Professor. I'll just grab my suitcase upstairs."
Sean pulled his suitcase from beneath his bed, patted it lightly, and went back downstairs.
"First we'll go to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Remember—Three Broomsticks. Don't say it wrong," Snape reminded him.
Since they were returning early, they obviously couldn't take the train from King's Cross. The fireplaces at Hogwarts were normally not connected to the Floo Network. As for Apparition, only Dumbledore had the privilege of doing it within Hogwarts. Everyone else was forbidden.
Snape had two students with him, so the only option was to travel by Floo to Hogsmeade and walk back to the school.
The Three Broomsticks was far cleaner than the Leaky Cauldron, and its owner, Madam Rosmerta, was far more popular with customers than Old Tom.
Although she was already over forty, she still carried a mature charm. She was witty, well-connected, and very good with people—qualities Old Tom simply couldn't match.
"Severus, long time no see. Care for a drink?" Madam Rosmerta greeted warmly when she saw Snape emerge from the fireplace with two children.
"I'm only borrowing your fireplace," Snape replied flatly, declining her invitation.
Sean actually possessed the Marauder's Map and knew more than one secret passage leading to Hogsmeade. But he had been far too busy to sneak out and visit the village.
Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in Britain and was located very close to Hogwarts. Starting from third year, students could visit Hogsmeade every Saturday for shopping and leisure—provided they had a signed permission slip from their guardians.
"You must be returning early for training. The other professors went back to Hogwarts ahead of you," Rosmerta said.
Before Snape arrived, the professors from the other three houses had already escorted their student representatives back to school through the Three Broomsticks. Snape had needed to collect students from two different places, while the others only had to visit one, so they had arrived earlier.
Rosmerta walked closer to them and looked at Sean with a friendly smile.
"Sean Grylls? One of the Boys Who Lived."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm Sean Grylls," Sean replied.
Snape glanced at him from the side and said indifferently, "Good. Now that everyone knows you're famous, let's get back to the school."
Sean was speechless. Even that earned him a jab?
Being famous was exhausting.
About fifteen minutes later, the three of them returned to Hogwarts. Inside the Great Hall, the heads of the other three houses and their student representatives had already gathered. When Sean arrived, Percy and Charlie greeted him.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin by explaining the rules and format of the Four-School Friendship Tournament," Professor McGonagall said to the students.
Sean glanced at Percy. Percy had probably intended to show off his knowledge earlier, but now he no longer had the chance.
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