Hermione's research did not prove as useful as she'd hoped. The only magical canine she could find that in any way resembled Felpato was the Grim, and Nico was convinced that Felpato was not a Grim. "If he were a death omen, I'd be dead by now," Nico insisted.

"You're sure you're not just…special?" Hermione asked warily.

"Positive. Children of the Underworld can have their deaths foretold, just like any other mortal." Nico grimaced. "Happened for both Bianca and Hazel."

"Okay." Hermione heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, I was getting a bit worried for my own health."

Monday morning, Will sent his reply to Nico's letter. Nico translated it for Hermione—the parts about Scabbers, anyway. "He says it was like he was examining both a human and a rat at the same time. For a few moments, he honestly couldn't tell which. He thought he might have touched Ron by accident, but then he looked closer and noticed that the missing 'finger' was from Scabbers, not Ron."

"A human," Hermione repeated thoughtfully. "That sounds like Scabbers could be an Animagus in animal form…but that's impossible. There haven't been any rat Animagi in centuries. I looked it up after McGonagall taught us about them in class."

"Unless he's not a wizard," Nico suggested thoughtfully. "Hazel's boyfriend can turn into animals. I know he has shapeshifting relatives in Greece, it's possible that he could have relatives in Britain too."

"I guess we'll have to ask him next," Hermione concluded.

"Yeah." Nico frowned at his toast. "Why the Styx would anyone spend years pretending to be a pet, though? Not even the pet of somebody important like Dumbledore, just the pet of a random wizard kid."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Weren't you the one who was saying you'd given up questioning strange stuff the other day?"

"Only when it's not dangerous, and given that last dream, I'm starting to think Scabbers may be a threat," Nico retorted.

"Let's hope not," Hermione said, grimacing.

Questioning Frank turned out to be a dead end. So far as Frank knew, he only had relatives in Greece, China and Canada, though he admitted he wasn't sure if that was all of them. Nico decided that unless they found evidence to the contrary, their working theory would be that Scabbers was a previously unknown relative of Frank's. Unfortunately, this theory did absolutely nothing to help them locate Scabbers or prove that Crookshanks hadn't eaten him.

That weekend, there was to be another Hogsmeade visit. "Oh good, I can finally go see it properly," Nico said, almost happily.

Hermione gave him a wary look. "You're sure you're safe near dementors now?"

"No, but I found another way to Hogsmeade," Nico said vaguely.

"…Do I want to know?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Nico shrugged. "You could come with me, but it'd probably be easier for you to go with everyone else."

Remembering her experience with shadow travel, Hermione decided to let Nico handle his own mysterious transportation.

On Saturday morning, Nico went straight from breakfast to the statue of the one-eyed witch. However, it appeared that he wasn't the only one with this idea; Harry rounded the corner before Nico could open the statue.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked warily.

"None of your business," Nico retorted automatically. Then he frowned. "Actually, I think we're probably here for the same reason."

"And what reason would that be?" Harry said stiffly, clearly determined not to give anything away.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't like you and you don't like me, but have I ever turned you in for rule-breaking?"

"Well…" Harry broke off and frowned, looking behind Nico. Nico turned around and saw Professor Snape approaching.

"And what are you two doing here?" Snape asked suspiciously. "An odd place to meet." His gaze flicked over the statue and the surrounding doorways.

Harry glared at Nico. "We're not meeting here. We just…met here."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "Indeed? You have a habit of turning up in unexpected places, Potter, and you are very rarely there for a good reason. I suggest you return to Gryffindor Tower, where you belong."

Harry glowered for a moment longer before stalking away.

Snape turned to Nico. "As for you, Mr. di Angelo, I believe Hogsmeade is that-a-way." He gestured in the direction of the marble staircase.

Nico hesitated for a moment, then decided he didn't particularly care to tell Snape about the secret passage. He walked away, rounded a corner and ducked behind a tapestry. A few minutes later, footsteps walked past. Nico cautiously looked out and saw Snape heading toward the dungeons. Nico returned to the statue, opened it and entered the passage.

Hermione had no idea where exactly Nico would end up meeting her, so she ambled along Main Street for a bit. Then she decided to go into Honeydukes—both she and her parents really liked those Toothflossing Stringmints.

Unfortunately, Ron was in the shop too. The moment he caught sight of Hermione, he grabbed the nearest pack of candy, barely glancing at it. "You know, it's too bad Scabbers isn't here," he said loudly. "He used to love…" Ron glanced at the candy, "…Cockroach…Cluster."

"Try setting some around the Tower, then," Hermione suggested waspishly. "Maybe he'll come back, seeing as he wasn't eaten."

"What would be the point of that when your bloody beast is roaming the place?" Ron retorted. "Even if Scabbers was just hiding, he'd get himself eaten for real!"

"I feed my cat; he doesn't need to eat your pet!" Hermione folded her arms. "And I feed him proper cat food, not candy! It's a wonder you haven't killed Scabbers yourself, giving him so many sweets!"

"Never seemed to do him any harm, unlike the stress from being around your mangy furball," Ron argued.

"That's if he really is an ordinary rat," Hermione muttered.

"What was that?" Ron said, looking at her oddly.

"Oh, you're impossible," Hermione snapped. She turned on her heel and marched out of the candy store again. The Stringmints weren't that amazing.

Hermione had only gone a few meters down Main Street when she heard an unpleasant voice behind her. "Well, well, look who it is. Your boyfriend finally find someone purer to hang out with?"

Hermione turned around to face Malfoy, who was accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle. "I'm quite proud to be pure Muggle-born," she snapped, hoping that the numerous potential witnesses would keep the Slytherins in check. "It's certainly far better than being a pure-bred git."

Malfoy's face contorted. "Why, you filthy little Mudblood—"

"What did you just call her?" Nico said dangerously, emerging from Honeydukes. The air seemed to chill.

"I…just…called her what she is…" Malfoy stammered, some color draining from his face.

"I've met creatures that were made of mud," Nico said flatly. "They reminded me more of you than her. Either apologize to the lady or walk away. Or shall I give you another demonstration of how well I can handle multiple opponents without even using a wand?"

Malfoy quavered slightly, but managed to sniff disdainfully. "I have no interest in seeing a demonstration of Muggle fighting."

"Really?" Nico nodded at Crabbe and Goyle. "Then what do you keep those two around for? Certainly not for their skill at defending you with a wand."

Crabbe and Goyle shared a look and frowned, seeming to realize they'd been insulted but not quite sure how. Malfoy scowled and turned to them. "Come on. There are worthier people we can talk to." He marched away, goons in tow.

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, some days I want to have my own go at breaking his nose…"

"Go ahead," Nico said casually. "It could do with more breaking."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Not that I advocate violence, but I'm a little surprised you didn't pull a repeat performance just now."

"Crabbe and Goyle did a better job flanking him this time," Nico explained, shrugging. "I'd have either had to go completely around them and give up the element of surprise, or risk knocking Malfoy into you. I didn't think that would be a very effective way to defend your honor."

Hermione snorted. "'Defend my honor'…I thought you were from the 20th century, not the 12th."

Nico frowned. "Do people in this century not defend their friends?"

"No, we do, we just…don't normally phrase it that way."

"Oh." Nico shrugged again. "So, what's there to do around here?"

Neville wandered the school grounds. It was a beautiful day, so he wanted to get some fresh air, but he didn't particularly feel like going to Hogsmeade. Not when all his friends had decided to stop accepting his neutral stance in their rivalry. He considered paying Hagrid a visit, but then he remembered that Hagrid was in London trying to convince the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that Buckbeak wasn't dangerous.

"Wrackspurt in your ear?" asked an airy voice.

Neville turned around and looked at Luna. "No, I just…" He sighed. "How can people value their pets over their friends? I love my toad, but not enough to turn my back on a friend if we were to have a disagreement over him!"

"Hmm," Luna said thoughtfully. "I don't have a pet, so I wouldn't know. I was just going to feed some thestrals, though, would you like to join me?"

"Thestrals?" Neville said blankly.

"The creatures that pull the carriages."

"Oh, right." Neville hesitated, then decided he had nothing better to do. "Sure."

"Wonderful!" Luna handed him some raw meat.

Together, they walked up to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Luna made a strange trilling noise; Neville wasn't quite sure if it was actually a thestral call or just another of Luna's eccentricities. Whatever it was, it seemed to work, because a thestral emerged from the forest a few minutes later. Luna held out a hand to feed it. Another thestral joined them soon afterwards, and Neville held out his hand too.

As the thestral gently took the meat from his palm, Neville eyed its skeletal appearance. A thought suddenly struck him. "Luna, have you ever noticed anything…unusual about Nico?"

"Well, apparently he doesn't drain life forces, so I'm not quite sure if I'm allowed to tell you or not."

"Is…that…a yes?" Neville asked hesitantly.

"I suppose so," Luna agreed.

Neville paused, trying to think of what to ask next. "So, is it just me, or do things always get colder when he's upset or angry?"

Luna looked thoughtful. "I've noticed that he always seems very cold to the touch when he's unconscious. I…uh…I'm not quite sure if he's as cold when he's awake." She blushed slightly.

"He never seems bothered by the winter chill," Neville mused. "And he says his family has 'old magic' involving ghosts. And then there's the fact that he's—" Neville abruptly cut himself off, remembering that he had promised not to reveal Nico's true age.

"He's what?" Luna asked curiously.

"I'm definitely not allowed to tell you that. But anyway, he doesn't seem to be a normal wizard…"

"No, I really don't think he is," Luna agreed. She patted the nose of her thestral, and the thestral affectionately nuzzled her. Neville hesitantly copied her with his own thestral, and was pleasantly surprised to get the same result.

Nico and Hermione took a brief look around the shops, none of which (apart from Honeydukes) particularly interested Nico. Then they headed up to the one place in Hogsmeade that Nico had really wanted to see: the Shrieking Shack. Unfortunately, it proved to be a bit of a letdown.

"This place isn't haunted at all," Nico said, frowning.

"It isn't?" Hermione said, surprised.

"No spirits or aura of death whatsoever. Are you sure this is the right house?"

"Very sure, I asked directions the last time I was here."

"Huh." Nico critically eyed the Shack for a few moments longer, then hopped the fence. "Well, let's see what's really inside."

"Nico!" Hermione hissed nervously.

"What? I don't see any 'Keep Out' signs." Nico kept walking. Hermione sighed and followed him.

Up at the Shack, Nico walked a circle around the entire house, looking for a way in. Everything was boarded up. "See?" Hermione said anxiously. "There's no way in. Can we go now?"

"You can go if you like," Nico said absentmindedly, feeling the boards on the front door. "Diffindo." Nothing happened.

"People have probably tried that before," Hermione commented, hanging a little ways back.

"Well, I bet they haven't tried this before." Nico looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, then summoned his sword and easily cut through the boards. He opened the door…and stopped short. "I've been here before."

"What?"

"That night I got locked out of the castle, this is where I went." Nico took a few steps inside so that Hermione could look around.

Hermione cautiously entered the Shack. "How did you get in here, if the whole place is sealed?"

Nico jerked his head toward the opening of the tunnel. "That. The other end comes out at Hogwarts. With a very angry tree at the top. Both Felpato and Crookshanks apparently know a way to freeze the tree and come down here."

"My…cat has been here?" Hermione repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah." Nico took another look around, once again taking in the sight of the chewed-up furniture. "Maybe the 'shrieks' come from animals fighting in here…seems to be some sort of animal hideout. Though why there'd be human furniture…"

Curiosity finally overcoming her nerves at being out-of-bounds, Hermione poked around the room. "Nothing in here seems magical."

"Except the boards. They went to a lot of trouble to keep people out," Nico said thoughtfully.

"These bite marks look like they come from something bigger than Crookshanks or Felpato," Hermione mused. "Maybe…" She trailed off. Human furniture, evidence of a vicious animal, and extreme measures to keep out people who didn't belong. Perhaps Professor Lupin wasn't the first werewolf ever to teach at Hogwarts. "You know what, there's nothing here. Let's go."

"Okay," Nico said, shrugging. He followed Hermione back to the front door, muttering under his breath. "Haunted…honestly…"

Outside, Hermione tried to replace the boards. Unfortunately, Reparo seemed insufficient. The boards would knit together, but fell apart again at the slightest touch. "Now what?"

"Just repair it and leave it," Nico suggested. "If other people find this place as creepy as you do, they won't test it."

"All right," Hermione said reluctantly. She turned back toward the village…and stared at the sight of Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle covered in gunk and running around like chickens with their heads cut off, all while Ron laughed at them.

Nico frowned and took a few cautious steps toward the scene. "What the Styx…"

Malfoy paled slightly at the sight of him. "All right, we're covered in mud, you've made your point! Would it kill you to fight properly with spells?"

Nico gave Malfoy a rather accurate imitation of the latter's haughty stare. "You're not worth the energy it would take to fight you with magic." He took another step forward…and then tripped and face-planted in the mud. Harry's head suddenly appeared next to him in mid-air, looking as surprised as Nico and the Slytherins.

Malfoy was the first to react. He pointed at Harry's head and yelled in fright. Then he hightailed it to the village, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Harry's head vanished again, but the damage had been done. "Harry!" Ron said frantically. "You'd better run for it! If Malfoy tells anyone—you'd better get back to the castle—quick—"

"See you later," replied Harry's disembodied voice, followed by the sound of fading footsteps.

"And you!" Ron added, whirling around to face Nico and Hermione. "If you tell anyone about this, I swear to Merlin…"

"First you accuse Nico of lying about what happened to your rat, then you want us to lie for you?" Hermione retorted angrily.

"Well, Harry did pay Malfoy back for what he said to you earlier, even if he didn't mean to," Nico pointed out.

"When did you and Harry become the ones who get along?" Hermione grumbled.

"Wait, did you two just come from the Shack?" Ron realized.

"You don't tell anyone about that, we won't tell anyone about Harry," Nico offered.

"Deal," Ron acquiesced with a grimace. "I'd better try to give Harry a cover story." He also ran back to the village.

Nico and Hermione shared a look. "I think I've had enough of Hogsmeade for the day," Hermione decided.

"Me too," Nico agreed. They, too, returned to the village and headed back to school.

At the bottom of the Hogwarts end of the secret passage, Nico found the Cloak lying abandoned on the ground. Annoyed, he picked it up and stuffed it into his bag. Honestly, did Harry even realize what a powerful artifact his family had been gifted with? Nico was highly tempted to keep the Cloak to ensure that Harry didn't irresponsibly leave it lying around again…but he wasn't sure Thanatos would take kindly to that. Thanatos had made it clear that he considered the Potters to be the rightful owners of the Cloak now.

Reluctantly, Nico took the Cloak back to Gryffindor Tower and hid it under Harry's pillow. It seemed that he was repeatedly doing favors for Harry today. He hoped Harry wouldn't think this made them friends.