Minerva McGonagall hugged her visctepidus and whispered gently to it, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I can't lose you."

Raising her wand she quickly cast a transfiguration spell. The visctepidus was now a large brown rat. She reached out to stroke it. It was warm, but not abnormally so. Only as warm as a rat. She sighed and gave a slight shiver before picking it up and heading down from her dormitory to the Gryffindor common room.

There her fellow students were all assembled, all holding a variety of cats, toads, owls and rats. Dumbledore stood in the middle of the room smiling kindly, Dippet alongside him.

"I'm very sorry about this everyone," Dumbledore said. He waved his wand over one side of the common room which was currently empty, and a few spiders and moths flew towards him. He carefully gathered them up in a bag.

"Now," he said. "Does everyone have their pets?"

The assembled students nodded.

"Good," he smiled. "If everyone could stand in the area there that I've just cleared."

They all moved over.

"Excellent." He smiled encouragingly at them and then waved his wand over the rest of the common room, taking in the staircases to the various dormitories. More creatures flew towards him. Quite a lot of spiders, a couple of mice and even a small doxy. He gathered them all into the bag.

"Excellent." He said again. Closing the bag with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Now, one last thing." He tapped four tables in the room, calling out a different animal with each tap, "Toads – Owls – Cats – Rats. Please put your pet on the corresponding table."

The students all did so. Minerva place her 'rat' with the others and stood anxiously beside it.

Dumbledore moved from table to table, waving his wand over the assembled creatures and muttering under his breath.

Minerva felt sick with nerves.

He approached the rat table, raised his wand and cast the spell. Minerva's rat immediately returned to its original shape.

"This isn't a rat, Miss McGonagall." Dumbledore said gently.

"Only cats, rats, toads and owls are allowed," Professor Dippet added, "You know that."

"It-it's a visctepidus," she whispered. "Please, sir, it doesn't hurt anyone."

Dippet frowned. "I'm afraid the rules are the rules, Miss McGonagall."

She looked desperately to Dumbledore, whose expression was very grave.

"I'm sure it hasn't caused any harm, Minerva," he said gently, "But you can't be allowed to keep it."

She felt desperation rising inside her, "Please…"

"You will be able to have it at home in the holidays, Minerva," Dippet told her.

"I don't have a home," she protested desperately.

"I'm sorry, Minerva," Dumbledore's voice was filled with sympathy as he reached out to take the creature from her hands. She clung on to it tighter.

"Minerva, I'm sorry," he told her, "You need to let it go."

She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes and clutching the visctepidus ever tighter.

"You don't understand. I need it. I need it!"

"Minerva."

"No, NO!"

Everyone was staring now as she grasped the animal to her tighter and tighter and Dippet and Dumbledore moved closer and closer.

"Minerva, stop!" Dumbledore shouted suddenly.

The sudden change in his tone startled her and she noticed the sound of gasping. She looked down and her face filled with horror. The little visctepidus was taking its last gasping breaths. She had crushed it. Killed it.

"No," she moaned, the tears beginning to fall, "No, please, no."

Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder and guided her to a chair. She barely noticed. She barely heard the horrified whispers of the students around her or Dippet firmly banishing them all to their dormitories. Her eyes were fixed on the poor creature in her arms.

Dumbledore and Dippet stood silently, giving her a moment.

Finally, Dumbledore bent down till he was at her eyeline and said gently, "It's time to let him go now, Minerva."

She shook her head desperately.

They heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Go back to your dormitory, Hagrid," Dippet said firmly.

Hagrid hesitated and shook his head.

"Please, Professor?" he said, looking towards Minerva.

Dippet paused, and then nodded.

"Dumbledore," he said.

Dumbledore glanced up at Dippet and then quickly returned his attention to Minerva.

"Dumbledore," said Dippet again, his voice a little firmer. When Dumbledore looked at him he gestured for the man to step away. Reluctantly Dumbledore did so and his place was taken by Hagrid.

"Minerva," Hagrid said timidly.

She didn't answer.

Hagrid reached out a hand and stroked the dead visctepidus in her arms.

She looked up at him then, her eyes filled with guilt and sadness.

"I'm so sorry, Hagrid," she said.

"It's okay," he answered gently, "It's only cos you loved him too much."

Minerva began to sob and Hagrid gently, if a bit clumsily, hugged her. When her sobbing finally stopped he gently took the visctepidus from her arms and they all watched her stumble to her feet and up the staircase to the girl's dormitory. Once she had gone Hagrid held the creature's body out to Dumbledore who took it gently.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I gave it to her see. So it's my fault. But it was only cos of all that with the dementors and her feeling so cold and empty all the time… but I'm not s'posed to tell you that. Forget it," he shook his large head energetically, "Forget I said anything."

Hagrid backed away and headed for his staircase again.

Dippet found his voice.

"Hagrid," he called.

The boy turned.

"Thank you," Dippet said awkwardly. "Um – 10 points to Gryffindor."

Hagrid nodded, "Thank you, Sir."