No, no, no! "That stupid dog!" Toshiko exclaimed.
"He was just here a minute ago," Luna reassured her. "He's not far."
"Does anyone know a locating spell?" Toshiko asked urgently.
The twins both raised their hands. "Don't worry, snakelet, we'll have this fixed for you in no time."
"Just give us something that belonged to him!"
Toshiko quickly procured the leash. The leash that Tousan had bought for him. The leash that she should have been using in the first place! "I'm such an idiot," she muttered under her breath, handing it over.
"Hey now," George said. "Don't get worked up."
"Like we told you" Fred guaranteed. "We can take care of it."
In union, they waved their wands. "Aveneseguin!"
Magic crackled around the leash, but nothing else happened. Her panic grew.
"Huh," Fred said. "It worked in the journals."
"I have to find him," Toshiko said, grabbing the leash from their hands.
"Toshiko, wait!" Ginny said, catching her arm before she could run off. "You have no idea where he's gone! How do you even know where to look?"
She stubbornly shook off Ginny's hand and palmed her wand. "Sensibus augeo!" She was instantly struck but the vibrant colors and noises of Diagon Alley. She could still taste the memory of strawberry and peanut butter on her tongue and her fingers were acutely aware of every grove in the wood of her wand. The sense that she honed in on, however, was smell. The leash she held emitted a smell of nylon combined with the distinct scent that could only be categorized as Kuro. Toshiko turned her head this way and that and instantly latched on to Kuro's scent in the air. They had been all over Diagon Alley that day, but the most recent trail led in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Your dumplings," Luna said her words carrying a faint scent of dairy and lavender. She handed Toshiko her packages, which smelled of parchment and varnish.
"Thanks, Luna," Toshiko said, trying to smile. "See you guys tomorrow."
She quickly set out across the street, following the scent trail. Around the Leaky, it became muddled and a little harder to distinguish. Toshiko poked her head inside. "Excuse me," she said politely, making her way over to the counter. The barman looked up. "Have you seen a large black dog around these parts?"
"No Miss," Tom said apologetically. "Your pet run off on ya, eh?"
"Yes," Toshiko sighed, turning away. "Thanks anyways."
"Try the Snappers if you haven't any luck," he suggested. "They go around collecting the strays."
She nodded and went back outside, straining to recognize any trace of Kuro. There! She caught sight of a tail disappearing around a corner. "Kuro!" She shouted, chasing after it.
She found herself in a gloomier area of the alley, with the dog still weaving between the shadows. The cobblestones were damp and a scent of mildew hung in the air. "Kuro!" She called again, frustrated. "Stop!"
A weathered hand latched onto her wrist and Toshiko looked down to see a warty old woman who didn't have many teeth. "Looking for something deary?" The woman asked, the odor of rot on her breath.
"Yes," Toshiko said, "Sorry, but I can't stop to talk." She pried herself out of the woman's grip and ran on.
The dog still showed no sign of slowing down. Toshiko had to jump over suspicious smelling puddles and duck to avoid alley-goers and peddlers toting their curiously scented wares. A man smelling pervasively of alcohol stopped her forcibly. "Pretty bird," he sneered. "What's someone like you doing in an area like this?"
"Looking for my dog," Toshiko said shortly, trying to ignore the cold feeling creeping up her chest. "Let me go, please."
"I know some dogs," the man slurred, his sticky hands smelling of sweat. "Come with me, chicky."
Toshiko tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. Panicked, she repeated, "Let me go, please."
The man didn't answer, leering at her unpleasantly. She needed to get away, she needed to get away, she needed to get away!
Magic, raw and unformed, flashed through her. Within second she was out of the man's grip and he was face down on the street. She scrambled backward, her breath coming short and erratic. Where was that stupid dog? A spell shoot through the air and the man writhed in pain. Something-somebody-someone was behind her!
"Miss Kuroki," said a slow, familiar voice. A wizard in long dark robes with cold black eyes stood in front of a dingy apothecary, the strong smell of potion ingredients hanging around him. The man who had been harassing her got shakily to his feet and ran off, whimpering.
"Professor Snape," she said, relieved. "What are you doing here?"
Her head of house sniffed. "I think the better question is, what are you doing here? I doubt that you make a habit of running through the alleys and attacking drunken men."
"He attacked me first," Toshiko said defensively, although her heart was still beating quickly in her chest. She tried to filter all of the senses through her mind again and then winced. Oh no. The odor of dog that lingered faintly in the air was definitely not Kuro. It must have been some other black dog that she saw headed toward the alley. She would have to start all over again at the Leaky.
The professor's was stern-faced. "Young girls usually don't traverse the streets of Knockturn Alley without a guardian of sorts. Do I need to apparate you home before you cause any more trouble?" Before you run into any more trouble.
"Knockturn Alley?" Toshiko asked, eyes wide. An anxious bark sounded behind her and Toshiko turned to see Kuro, his scent true. "Kuro!" She exclaimed in relief, hurrying to clip the leash on him before he could run off again. "You are in so much trouble."
"A... pet?" Professor Snape asked. He and the dog eyed each other suspiciously, Kuro's lips curling to reveal his sharp canines.
"Yes," Toshiko said, exasperated. "He ran off, and I was looking for him." She pulled out her wand and cancelled her enhancement charm. In addition to the adrenaline from her panic, the sensory overdrive was beginning to give her a headache.
"This wouldn't happen to be the dog that the faculty is allowing you to take to Hogwarts this year, would it?"
Toshiko winced as Kuro growled. "It, ah-It would."
"I see." Professor Snape's mouth turned down and he began to usher her back in the direction of the main branch of Diagon Alley. "Make sure that this dog of yours does not cause any such trouble at school, or I will be forced to rescind my approbation with the Headmaster."
"Yes, Sir," she said, careful to keep her face blank. She hadn't known that he had vouched for her with Dumbledore.
The old woman from before cackled at her as she passed. "Find your lost pup, love?"
"Yes, and without your help," Professor Snape said darkly, before she could answer. Both he and Kuro had moved to shield her from view. "Leave her be, hag. She doesn't owe you anything." Disgruntled, the woman spat on the ground and walked off.
"That was a hag?" Toshiko asked breathlessly once they were out of earshot.
"Honestly," the potions master muttered. "What do they teach you in Defense these days?"
"We had Professor Lockhart last year, Sir," Toshiko reminded him.
"That is so," Professor Snape said dryly. "And it looks like his replacement for this year is not much better. I will be giving all of my Slytherins a syllabus for self-study."
"And pop quizzes too, Sir?" She asked sarcastically. He gave her a look and she schooled her features into a more respectful expression.
"Defense is a serious subject," he said sharply. "I would that the Ministry could assign a competent curse breaker to break the jinx on the position."
They emerged from the dark alley and made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. "I must be off now," her Head of House said. "I trust that you can find your way back home without any other little adventures?"
"Yes, Sir," Toshiko said, glancing down at Kuro. He had positioned himself between her and the professor as if to protect her, his body tense. She appreciated it; even if agression against the professor himself was unwarrented, she could do with the extra sense of security. Passing through the Leaky's secret exit, Toshiko grimly reflected on her experience in Knockturn Alley.
She kept a tight grip on Kuro's leash all the way home.