Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

As Cael reached the Gryffindor common room, he stopped in front of the Fat Lady's portrait and let out a soft meow.

The Fat Lady looked down, her eyes widening at the sight of the small black cat. "Oh, you poor little thing! Who's heartless enough to leave a kitten like you outside all alone?" She clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Go on in and give your owner a good smack for abandoning you," she said, swinging the portrait open.

Cael meowed again and padded inside.

The common room was lively. Ron and Harry sat near the fireplace, deep in conversation. Scabbers' tiny head poked out of Ron's pocket, his whiskers twitching as his eyes locked onto Cael.

In an instant, the rat began trembling violently, letting out terrified squeaks and scrambling to hide deeper in Ron's pocket.

Ron noticed immediately. His eyes widened in horror as he spotted the small black cat staring straight at Scabbers.

"Oi! Who let that monster loose in here?" Ron shouted, scrambling to shield his rat. "My Scabbers is terrified—someone do something!"

Cael hadn't planned to cause a scene. He only wanted to slip upstairs and change back. But Ron's whining irritated him. He padded closer, hissing low and sharp.

"Stay back!" Ron yelped, lifting Scabbers high above his head. But Cael leaped up, swiping at him with sharp claws.

"Merlin's beard, Harry, help! It's going to kill me—kick it! Do something, it hurts!" Ron shouted as Cael scratched at him, fur bristling with annoyance.

A crowd of students started gathering, laughing at the ridiculous scene. Seeing this, Cael calmly turned away and made his way toward the boys' dormitory.

In the lounge, several girls spotted him.

"Kyaa, it's so cute! I want to cuddle him!" one squealed.

"Look at those blue eyes—so beautiful," another added, reaching out.

"Whose cat is that? I've never seen him before… oh, he's going upstairs to the boys' dormitory," one observed with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Ron cradled Scabbers, scowling at the girls. "How can you call that monster cute? Scabbers is the cutest," he grumbled, kissing his trembling rat. The girls immediately gave him disgusted looks and backed away.

Upstairs, Cael was relieved to find the dorm empty. He shifted back into his human form, quickly changing his clothes and casting a cleaning charm to erase the scratches and signs of his scuffle.

Moments later, he heard voices outside in the lounge. He stepped out to see Professor McGonagall standing with Percy, questioning him.

"Go check that everyone's present in their dorms," she instructed.

Percy, always eager to obey, began moving through the common room, gathering the students.

"Dean, everyone's accounted for. No one's come in or out," Percy reported proudly.

McGonagall's sharp eyes scanned the room. Though she said nothing, her expression was tight with suspicion.

A student finally asked, "Professor, is something wrong? Did we do something?"

"Nothing at all," McGonagall replied, though her tone said otherwise. She turned to leave but instructed Percy firmly, "Don't let anyone go outside."

As soon as she left, the common room buzzed with whispers.

"There's definitely something going on," one student muttered.

Others chimed in, but Percy cut them off, puffing his chest. "What the Professors and Prefects do isn't your concern. Go back to what you were doing. I'll be keeping watch."

No one paid him much attention—they were used to his self-important speeches.

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan made their way to Cael, grinning.

"What's going on, mate?" Fred asked.

George nudged him playfully. "You've got that look. You know something."

Cael gave them a sly smile. "Let's go to the dorm. I'll explain everything there."

"Told you he knows something," Fred whispered as they followed him upstairs.

Once inside, Cael sat down and told them everything—how he'd fought the Frey brothers, how he broke their wands .

Lee's eyes widened. "You fought the Frey brothers? Alone?"

"Shh, keep your voice down!" George hissed. "You want Percy to hear?"

Fred slapped Cael on the back. "That's brilliant, mate. You fought them off. That's proper Gryffindor stuff."

But Cael shook his head, his expression dark. "I'm not satisfied. If I'd had a little more time… I would've made sure Frey regretted it."

Lee perked up. "We could prank them. Hit 'em where it hurts."

But Cael's eyes were cold. "I'm tired of harmless pranks. This time, I want to do something so serious, if I get caught… they'll send me straight to Azkaban."

The room went quiet. For once, even Fred and George looked serious. They'd pulled plenty of jokes—but this was different.

Lee leaned in, voice low. "So… what's the plan?"

Cael met their eyes, the hint of a grin forming.

"We're going back to the Slytherin common room."

The three boys grinned in return, their excitement matching his.