Harry soared along the edge of the Forbidden Forest on his Nimbus 2001, then landed smoothly in the clearing in front of Hagrid's hut.
The wooden door was closed. Peeking through the window, Harry noticed the big barrel in the corner was gone—apparently, Hagrid had taken his drink to visit Norberta again.
Stowing his broomstick back into his trunk, Harry decided to find Humphrey on his own and clear his head a bit.
---
Inside the Forbidden Forest.
When Harry figured he'd reached the area where Humphrey usually appeared, he hissed softly in Parseltongue.
Something rustled sharply in the bushes. A black shadow shot past.
That didn't sound like a snake.
Harry quickly drew his wand, pointing it toward the waist-high magical plants—and froze.
"Crookshanks?" Harry lowered his wand and bent down to scoop up the plump ginger cat. "What are you doing here? Does Hermione know you're out?"
Crookshanks purred lazily, rubbing against Harry's wrist.
Harry sighed. "You little troublemaker. You can't just wander into the Forbidden Forest alone… Where's Humphrey? Didn't you see him?"
The cat meowed unclearly.
Normally, Crookshanks could express himself almost humanly through his meows, but now he sounded like an ordinary cat, leaving Harry completely puzzled.
Patting the cat's head, Harry kept walking.
---
Suddenly, the bushes ahead began to shake violently. A snake's head—thick as a bucket—emerged, followed by a second and a third.
Humphrey's massive body rose from the undergrowth, his scales glinting with a dull golden sheen.
The runespoor had grown a lot since last term—each of his three heads nearly level with Harry's shoulders. Though his growth had slowed, he was still far larger than any runespoor Professor Kettleburn had ever seen.
> "The biggest runespoor I ever encountered had a head the size of a horse!" Kettleburn had marveled the last time he saw Humphrey.
> "Yours might not grow quite that big, but Merlin's beard—it's enormous! Maybe because it was raised by hand? Still, I've never seen one this impressive."
Holding Crookshanks, Harry watched as Humphrey's three heads argued over who should greet him first. He suddenly thought the answer might be simple.
Neither he nor Newt were dark wizards. They never tried to dominate the runespoor with violence—instead, they mediated patiently whenever the heads quarreled. Maybe it was that peace that allowed Humphrey to grow so freely.
"Master, why are you here?" hissed the left head, flicking its tongue.
"Came to take you back to the castle," Harry said, patting its cool scales.
All three heads drooped, clearly reluctant, and Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "All right, I'll let you play for a bit longer."
---
For the next half hour, the Forbidden Forest hosted quite the scene.
Harry had to keep the middle head from asking whether it could eat "that big purple rat," while also stopping the left head from bothering the bristling Crookshanks.
Finally, when Humphrey was tired out and all three heads agreed to return to the trunk, Harry let out a long breath of relief.
As he shut the trunk's lid, wiping sweat from his forehead, Crookshanks suddenly leapt from his arms and dashed behind a tree like he'd spotted a mouse.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Harry muttered, hurrying after him. There were Acromantulas around here—he couldn't let the cat become spider food.
But as he rounded the tree, he froze.
Hermione stood there, holding Crookshanks, looking more than a little embarrassed. Her robes were speckled with dried leaves.
When she saw Harry, she gave a stiff smile. "Hi, Harry. What a… coincidence, huh?"
---
Hermione's ears were pink. Even Crookshanks seemed to know his owner was lying; he curled quietly into a ball in her arms.
Harry looked at her, remembering the teasing in the common room earlier that day. A helpless but amused smile tugged at his lips.
Hermione, still awkward, stroked Crookshanks over and over without meeting his eyes.
Harry folded his arms, pretending not to notice. "What are you doing out here? The Forbidden Forest's dangerous—you shouldn't be here alone—"
"I came to find Crookshanks!" she interrupted quickly, lifting the cat as proof. Her voice was firm, but it faltered slightly under Harry's knowing gaze.
Then she paused—something clicked in her mind.
Wait a second! He was the one who lied first. Why did it suddenly sound like she was the one in the wrong?
Straightening up, Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You've got some nerve asking me that! You told me in the common room that you'd already brought Humphrey back, and then I saw you flying off again! Why did you lie to me?"
Harry opened his mouth, searching for an explanation—but before he could speak, heavy footsteps and an excited bark echoed from behind.
"Well, what're you two doin' here?"
Hagrid's booming voice carried through the trees as he emerged, empty barrel slung over his shoulder, Fang wagging his tail beside him.
"What brings yeh to the Forest this time o' day?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance—an unspoken agreement flashing between them.
"We came to get Humphrey," Harry said smoothly, as if nothing awkward had just happened. "Professor Dumbledore just gave me my trunk back, so I thought I'd bring him home."
"Yeah," Hermione added quickly, stroking Crookshanks' fur. "And I had to find this runaway cat—he disappeared and nearly scared me to death."
Hagrid chuckled warmly. "Humphrey's been behave'n fine! Helped me chase some gnomes out o' the pumpkin patch the other day. Don't you worry, I'm keepin' an eye on him."
Harry nodded. "Thanks, Hagrid. Say, have you had dinner yet?"
"Not yet! If yeh two aren't busy, fancy stayin' fer a bite? I've improved me rock cakes—swear they're almost edible this time—"
Harry was about to agree when Hermione discreetly pinched his arm.
He turned to meet her look, which clearly said, Remember last time.
The memory of nearly losing a tooth to one of Hagrid's "improved" rock cakes made Harry change course fast. "Actually, we'd better head back—got Astronomy homework due tonight."
"Yes," Hermione jumped in, glancing at the sky. "Professor Sinistra said the stars are especially important tonight—we really can't miss it."
Hagrid looked a little disappointed but waved them off cheerfully. "All right, then. Get goin'. Come by another time—I'll make me butter-mushroom stew with rat!"
"Uh… great, thanks, Hagrid!" Harry said quickly, forcing a grin as he and Hermione hurried away.
---
Once they were a safe distance from the hut, Hermione exhaled in relief. "Thank goodness you didn't say yes. I don't think my teeth could survive another one of those rock cakes."
Harry laughed, remembering the near-brick-like pastries. "They weren't that bad—"
"Harry Potter!" Hermione glared at him. "If you ever get the urge to eat something that dangerous again, you can have my share too!"
Harry raised his hands in surrender.
They bickered lightly as they left the forest, then fell into a comfortable silence.
Harry knew Hermione must have figured something out—otherwise, she wouldn't have followed him. Hermione knew Harry knew she knew. But neither said a word.
"Come on," Harry said finally, nodding toward the castle.
Hermione adjusted Crookshanks in her arms and walked beside him. As she passed, she muttered just loud enough for him to hear, "Don't think you're off the hook for today."
Harry's lips curved into a small smile. He didn't reply—just slowed his pace a little, so she could walk easily beside him.