Everything went according to Sirius’ plan. Harry got inside and changed clothes and then ran to tell Professor McGonagall that he had seen someone moving on the grounds from his window. She hadn’t looked like she believed him, so he’d added on some details about hearing wolves barking and seeing eyes glow in the dark. He hoped he wouldn’t have to repeat this one.
It worked though. McGonagall sent Filch out with a lantern and he came hurrying back after a few minutes in a cold sweat, saying there was a dead man in the grass. She alerted everyone one else and they went out to find Tanner still alive in the snow. From another window, Harry watched him being levitated inside and after a short while, Hagrid came jogging up to the castle.
They must’ve either realized Tanner was a werewolf or wanted to ask Hagrid what sort of animal had attacked him, Harry decided. McGonagall came hurrying back, pale and breathless. She shooed him back to bed and would only tell him that it looked as if some poor soul had gotten lost in the Forest.
Back in the room, Ron was awake and waiting for him. He had expected Ron to be peeved at being left behind while being content not to go Forest-jaunting, but he wasn’t prepared for the grin on his friend’s face. As soon as the lights were out again, he crept to Ron’s bed to see what was going on.
“You can’t tell Hermione..” Ron whispered and when Harry nodded, explained. “Mrs. Norris has moved the kittens three times today and now I know why. Fred and George have finished their voice-throwing things and they keep fastening one of them to the kittens. I guess Mrs. Norris doesn’t like it, because she moves them every time. The thing is that they stash the OTHER voice throwers all over the place so Filch keeps following the kitten noises. He’s torn through three classrooms, the library until he was thrown out, the lower level bathrooms, every closet on the third floor, and the kitchen trying to find them.
“My brothers are trying to keep him busy, I know that much...They only told me this because I caught them in the middle of planning. They were up in the corridor past Filch’s office. I think they’re trying to lure him away long enough to get into the Confiscation Closet...”
“What’s that?” asked Harry.
“It’s where Filch keeps all the stuff he takes from the students when they are caught with it,” Ron shook his head as if that was obvious. “No one knows where it is but Filch, and it supposed to have three different kinds of magical locks on it, but maybe Fred and George have found it. I don’t know what they want out of there, but it should be good. I have never seen those two so focused.”
“Why can’t I tell Hermione?”
“If she knew, she’d be on their backs about how they were interfering with the kittens’ natural development or something. George would only tell me that much if I promised not to tell anybody.”
“You told me.”
“They knew I’d tell you. How was the Forest?” Ron actually seemed to turn a little greener in the dark. Harry tried not to chuckle.
“About like always,” he said. “Only this time, wolves instead of spiders.”
“I think I’d prefer the wolves...” Ron mumbled. Harry told him the rest and how they had found Tanner so badly hurt. Ron sat bug-eyed at the story and even Harry felt a chill remembering it.
“It was really weird,” he admitted. “They were so big and fast and quiet...And Rosie was honestly scary...You wouldn’t think someone as small and pretty as her human self is could be so huge and snarly and crazy...”
“And black,” squeaked Ron, his eyes getting even wider.
“Well, yeah,” said Harry, not expecting Ron to be that shaken. “What’s wrong?” Then, a hot breath of air hit the back of his neck and he spun to see a mouthful of fangs lunge at him. The fangs clicked together in a snap an inch from his nose. Harry had clambered backwards all the way into Ron’s bed when he realized it was his godfather grinning at him. In the darkness of the room, Padfoot was almost invisible except for his eyes and his teeth.
“Don’t DO that!” gasped Ron. Padfoot had an ‘I couldn’t resist’ smirk on his canine face.
“Will you two go to sleep already?” came Neville’s sleepy voice.
“Sorry,” Harry called back. His heart was still hammering from the scare. “That was uncalled for,” he added to Padfoot, who just hopped to the foot of his bed and curled up. Harry nodded a goodnight to Ron and climbed into bed too, being sure to kick his godfather in the ribs in the process.