Chapter 33: The Toad's Secret
Early the next morning, Solim walked into the Great Hall, dark circles under his eyes as he stifled a yawn. He had managed only three hours of sleep. While he could have used a Pepper-Up Potion, he knew relying on such stimulants was unwise. He had spent the hours since returning from Dumbledore's office hunched over the Marauder's Map, scrutinizing every name. He had found nothing out of the ordinary. His focus had been the Gryffindor common room, and he had even spotted Peter Pettigrew, of all people, in Harry and Ron's dormitory. But around Neville, there were only his three roommates.
However, for a skilled wizard, Disillusionment Charms and Anti-Tracking Jinxes were standard procedure. Just because a name wasn't on the map didn't mean it wasn't there. The most direct approach was to find the toad itself and see what it truly was.
As students filed in for breakfast, Solim spotted Neville and his friends at the Gryffindor table. He walked over without hesitation.
"Goodness, Solim, did you get any sleep last night?" Hermione asked, noticing his haggard appearance.
"Never mind that," Solim brushed her concern aside. "Neville, a word." He drew the round-faced boy away from the table, not wanting an audience for this conversation.
He led Neville to a deserted corridor outside the Great Hall.
"Neville, I need to ask you something," Solim began, getting straight to the point. "That toad of yours, the one your uncle gave you—Levy. Where is it now?"
Neville blinked, surprised by the question. Still, he answered truthfully. The toad's behavior was, in fact, peculiar. It had a habit of disappearing. Neville would often search for it fruitlessly, only for it to reappear in his line of sight some time later. According to Neville, the toad was consistently absent when he woke up and only seemed to materialize in the evenings when he returned to the common room.
After listening to the account, Solim was silent for a moment. "Alright," he said finally. "Don't mention this to anyone else. Just keep a mental note of the toad's pattern. See if its appearances are always tied to you settling down for the night." He then added, "Don't change how you treat it. Act normally. I need to figure something out first. Alright, let's go back."
Throughout breakfast, Solim's mind churned. The toad vanished and reappeared on a schedule—absent during the day, present at night when Neville was in the common room. Where did it go when it disappeared?
He began to sift through everything he knew about the creature. The toad, named Levi, was a gift from Neville's Uncle Algie. What did Algie Longbottom do? Solim knew a few members of the Longbottom family held positions in various subordinate bodies of the Council of Elders, but the specifics of Algie's role were unclear. He would need to ask Elrond.
If his suspicion was correct—that the toad was an unregistered Animagus—then confronting it directly would be disastrous. Any wizard who had mastered the Animagus transformation was, by definition, a Transfiguration expert. Such a wizard could, with a single malicious flick of their wand, turn Solim into a teacup before he could even draw his own. The outcome would be swift and final.
Of course, it was equally possible the toad was simply a magical creature with an unusual bloodline. To be sure, he needed to consult an expert. Fortunately, Professor Kettleburn was still at Hogwarts. Though he was set to retire the following year, Silvanus Kettleburn remained the absolute authority on magical creatures. His knowledge was as vast as Newt Scamander's, and Solim trusted his judgment far more than he would ever trust Hagrid's. A visit to Kettleburn should provide a definitive answer.
If the toad was merely a creature of special lineage, that was one thing. But if it was indeed an Animagus who had infiltrated Hogwarts, Solim needed to think very carefully. This was an unknown variable, a character and a plotline he did not recognize from any familiar narrative. He had to be cautious.
His anxiety was justified. While Hogwarts was safe under Dumbledore's watchful eye, it was not impregnable. It was still just a school. Any wizard skilled and audacious enough to breach its defenses—and confident enough to evade Dumbledore—would be extraordinarily dangerous. There were very few in Britain who met that description.
If the toad was a wizard connected to the Council, what was his purpose? To spy on Dumbledore? To ensure the Philosopher's Stone wasn't stolen? Or was there another, more sinister operation underway at Hogwarts? If this wizard was an Elder, which family did he belong to? Was he connected to the Ritches? Would he seize an opportunity to strike at Solim?
Solim felt a chill. He knew he might be frightening himself with shadows, but he dared not dismiss the possibility. With such things, it was better to be proven wrong than to be proven right by catastrophe. If that toad was a wizard, how could he be exposed? The spell to force an Animagus back to human form, the Homorphus Charm, was highly obscure and difficult. Solim had little confidence he could master it in a short time.
His only recourse, then, was to seek help. The first person who came to mind was Snape. The Potions Master still needed a favor from him, and Solim was certain he would be deeply interested in the possibility of an intruder within the castle walls.
The immediate problem was how to catch the toad. If it was a wizard, it would not be easily captured. Perhaps its feeding habits could provide an opportunity. Even a wizard in animal form had to eat.
After attending Professor Flitwick's Charms and Professor Sprout's Herbology classes that morning, Solim made a deliberate decision to skip Professor Binns's History of Magic in the afternoon. Spending an hour in Binns's drone-filled classroom was a waste of time when he could be consulting Kettleburn. The ghostly professor was a prime example of reading directly from the textbook, and the number of students who could stay awake through his entire lecture, let alone learn anything, was vanishingly small. As far as Solim knew, only Hermione possessed that particular talent.
There were only two classes Solim regularly skipped: Flying Lessons, which were not examined and which he disliked, and History of Magic. He treated the latter like he had treated his politics exams in his previous life—something to be crammed right before the tests.
And so, after lunch, Solim made his way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to find Professor Kettleburn. He had learned the Care of Magical Creatures professor was giving a lesson to the fifth years that afternoon. He intended to catch him before the class began.