"Can we go to the pet store first?" Ron asked, looking at his pet, Scabbers, while holding its tail. "Scabbers has been looking a bit down lately, and I want to buy some medicine for him at the pet store."

"Sure, the pet store is right over there," Harry replied without hesitation, pointing to a location ahead.

Lin Yue and Hermione also agreed, and the three of them headed to the pet store together.

As they walked, Lin Yue's gaze instinctively fell on Scabbers, who looked quite "lost" and was being carried by Ron without any reaction.

Mechanically blinking, Lin Yue began to analyze the possible ailments that Scabbers, being a mouse, might have. She went through a list of symptoms in her mind, but none of them matched. It could be that since Scabbers was a magical creature, his illnesses were different from those of the mice she was familiar with in the Muggle world.

Lin Yue summarized the most likely explanation in her mind.

Walking into the pet store behind Harry and Ron with Hermione, Lin Yue felt a flash of ginger color ahead.

Immediately following was Ron's scream, "Ow!"

She saw him clutching his head, as the rat Scabbers had fallen to the ground and was frantically escaping, while a large ginger cat was chasing after it.

"Merlin beard... is that a little tiger?"

Ron rubbed his scalp, stepped forward to chase the big cat away, and picked up Scabbers again.

The store clerk hurried over, repeatedly apologizing to Ron, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Crookshanks has been a bit too mischievous."

"It's okay." Ron pressed his lips together, finally rubbed his forehead a couple of times, and handed the rat Scabbers to the clerk.

"I'd like to trouble you to take a look at him. He's been listless lately; is there any medicine he can take?"

The clerk carefully examined Scabbers after putting Crookshanks back in his enclosure.

Standing aside, Lin Yue listened to the conversation between the clerk and Ron, but her eyes were on Hermione.

She saw that Hermione was looking at Crookshanks in the cage, her gaze filled with a hint of eagerness.

Hermione wants this cat.

Based on Hermione's expression, Lin Yue easily came to this conclusion.

Shifting her gaze back to the store clerk, Lin Yue was ready to listen to the voice deep within her mind and buy the cat as a gift for Hermione.

However, before she could do that, she first overheard the conversation between the clerk and Ron.

Ron mentioned that Scabbers had been alive for at least ten years and was previously his brother Percy’s pet.

The clerk was quite surprised and suggested that the rat might be too old, recommending that Ron consider adopting a black mouse from their store instead.

Ron waved his hand in refusal, and the clerk then recommended that he buy a bottle of pet tonic.

Lin Yue watched as Ron put the rat, Scabbers, back into his pocket, and her brain quickly recalled relevant information.

The lifespan of a mouse is generally two to three years, with the longest known living mouse having lived for nine years and one hundred eight days. However, Scabbers had lived much longer than that, which seriously contradicts biological definitions.

Moreover, based on Ron and the Weasley family's financial situation, and considering that he had needed Harry to guide him to the pet store when he bought the medicine earlier, it can be inferred that Scabbers had not consumed any potions or substances that could affect his body prior to this.

Therefore, there are only two possibilities for Scabbers' obviously abnormal longevity.

Lin Yue quickly summarized two conclusions. First, just as she had thought before coming to the pet store, since Scabbers is a magical creature, it is inherently different from a Muggle mouse; its illness, behavior, and lifespan are all different. However, this situation can easily be ruled out by the store clerk's reaction, as he, being a professional, was also surprised by Scabbers's long lifespan.

It can be concluded that magical pets should also exhibit normal aging and other physiological responses. Their lifespan may be longer compared to similar creatures in the Muggle world, but it wouldn't be excessively long. The first possibility has been eliminated, and Lin Yue deleted it from her mind.

That leaves only the second possibility, which perfectly explains why Scabbers has such a long lifespan. Animagus—this was the second time Lin Yue thought of this term today. If a wizard transformed into a mouse, then he could indeed live for over a decade, as the human lifespan itself is nearly a hundred years. Wizards tend to live even longer, so a decade is just a small part of their lives.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Thus, Lin Yue's gaze locked onto the slightly bulging pocket on Ron's chest.

There is an eighty percent chance that Scabbers is an Animagus. However, considering that this Animagus has been around Ron and his brother for many years without doing anything, it is very likely... that he is a failed Animagus who has completely turned into an animal. It is also possible that he simply has some unavoidable reason for not being able to transform back.

After deducing all the conclusions, Lin Yue shifted her gaze to the shop assistant. Regardless of the situation, Scabbers did not pose a threat to Ron's safety, so Lin Yue independently determined that the situation was not urgent, and she did not feel the need to explain.

What her brain was most anxious about now was still helping Hermione buy that cat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hermione already starting to reach into her pocket for her wallet, so Lin Yue took the initiative to step forward to the shop assistant.

"Hello, how much is that cat?" Lin Yue asked, pointing to Crookshanks, who was licking his fur in the cage, her voice indifferent.

"Crookshanks?" The shop assistant was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting anyone to want to buy Crookshanks. Immediately, his attitude became more enthusiastic. "Crookshanks has been with us for a long time, but trust me, he will make a great pet."

"If you want him, young lady, how about I sell him to you for five Galleons? No, I'll sell him to you for three Galleons!" Considering that Crookshanks had indeed been in the shop for a long time without being sold, the shop assistant readily offered Lin Yue a discount.

"Okay."

Lin Yue nodded without hesitation, pulled out the money pouch given to her by the world consciousness from her wizard robe, and reached in to grab five gold galleons. She took out three and handed them to the shop assistant, then put the remaining two along with the money pouch back into her wizard robe.

The transaction between Lin Yue and the shop assistant was incredibly quick, until Lin Yue turned to pick up the cage for Crookshanks. Hermione and the others finally came to their senses, and Hermione's face clearly showed a look of relief as she watched Lin Yue.

Although she couldn't buy Crookshanks as a pet, she was indeed more pleased that Lin Yue was actually going to raise a pet! This was her actively doing something unrelated to studying. If they weren't in a pet shop, Hermione would have wanted to rush over and hug her, giving her a good nuzzle on the cheek.

Harry and Ron were also somewhat dumbfounded by this scene. Lin Yue was actively raising a pet?! Merlin, is this really happening? Last year, they had a hard time getting Lin Yue to come out for a snowball fight, and now she was starting to take the initiative to raise a pet?

While feeling happy for their friend, Ron looked at Crookshanks in the cage and still felt a bit apprehensive. "Oh... why do I keep thinking it looks like a little tiger?"

"Don't be silly, Ron," Hermione glanced at him, "Crookshanks is obviously a cat, and it might... have a bit of a cat-raccoon hybrid in it?"

"That is indeed possible," the shop assistant nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Ron shrugged, "as long as Lin Yue likes it, that's all that matters."

Lin Yue glanced at Hermione with a deadpan expression upon hearing this, and then, under the gaze of the four people present, she reached out and handed the cage containing Crookshanks to Hermione.

"Hermione wanted it, so I bought it for her."

Her tone was as unchanging as eternal ice, yet it made Hermione and the others gasp in surprise.

Hermione swallowed hard, suppressing her excitement as she reached out to take the cage.

"Thank you, Lin Yue..."

She heard herself say this in a somewhat hoarse and low voice.

Harry and Ron also held their breath, watching the scene; the two even "understood" and took two steps back, completely leaving the space to Lin Yue and Hermione. The shop assistant seemed to sense something as well, quietly lowering their head and pretending to be busy.

"You... you are starting to respond to the outside world actively!"

Hermione held Crookshanks' cage and hugged Lin Yue tightly, rubbing her face against Lin Yue's neck. She then kissed Lin Yue's cheek with enthusiasm, saying, "That's great, really great."

On a day that wasn't a special holiday, Lin Yue had taken the initiative to give herself a gift. This was proof that Lin Yue was starting to actively socialize. The excitement Hermione felt from this was far greater than simply getting a pet.

"Meow..." A soft meow sounded as Crookshanks poked his head out of the cage and licked Lin Yue's hand that was hanging over the edge.

"Crookshanks is happy for you too," Hermione said with a smile as she looked down at him. Lin Yue also lowered her head, and Crookshanks meowed gently at the two of them again.

The interaction between the two girls lasted for quite a while before it ended. Once they stepped out of the pet store, Ron hesitantly looked at Hermione.

"Uh, Hermione... Crookshanks won't eat Scabbers, will he?" Ron glanced at the pocket on his chest, where Scabbers was sleeping soundly.

"Of course not, Ron," Hermione said with a laugh, shaking her head. She lifted the cage and poked Crookshanks inside. "Crookshanks usually stays with me in the girls' dormitory, while Scabbers is with you in the boys' dormitory. That kind of thing won't happen."

"That's good."

Ron let out a sigh of relief as the four of them continued to stroll through Diagon Alley. When it was time to gather, Lin Yue followed Hermione and the others back to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasley family was planning to stay at the Leaky Cauldron with Harry for a few days, so they could take him to King's Cross Station when it was time to return to school. Lin Yue and Hermione then said their goodbyes, as school was starting soon, and Hermione wanted to spend some quality time with her parents.

When Mr. and Mrs. Granger returned home from work that evening, they saw Hermione sitting on the sofa, with Crookshanks in her left arm and Lin Yue in her right. The couple's mouths twitched in perfect synchronization. Their daughter looked so… so, they couldn't quite put it into words, but it felt a bit strange.

"Good evening, Mom and Dad," Hermione turned her head, a bright smile on her face.

"Good evening," Mr. and Mrs. Granger nodded in response. "Good evening, Lin Yue."

Lin Yue was originally focused on reviewing this year's spellbook when she heard her full name and immediately put the book down. She stood up from Hermione's lap and politely nodded to greet Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

“Auntie, Uncle, good evening.”

“This cute little cat is?” Mrs. Granger asked, rubbing Lin Yue's head and pulling her to sit on the sofa, looking at Crookshanks in Hermione's arms.

“This is a gift from Lin Yue,” Hermione said, her face unable to hide a proud smile.

“Oh…” Mrs. Granger nodded in understanding, while gently pinching her daughter's cheek to remind her not to get too carried away.

Hermione stuck out her tongue and obediently hid her little pride, lifting Crookshanks to rub its little belly.

“Meow.”

Crookshanks let out a long meow, and Mr. Granger stepped forward, looking at it somewhat uncertainly.

“Do cats bought from the magical world need vaccinations? What about neutering? Is that necessary?”

Hermione, holding Crookshanks, froze in her movements, and Crookshanks, being held by Hermione, also stiffened in response.

Hermione hesitated and shook her head, "Well, I don't really know much about that either."

Crookshanks glanced at Mr. Granger at the mention of the word "neutering."

"Alright, it seems you’re not willing to do the latter."

Mr. Granger nodded at Crookshanks, considering for a moment, "Then Hermione can ask the professors when she gets to school. If necessary, it won't be too late to take it for vaccinations when you come back for the holidays."

"Okay."

Hermione nodded in agreement; after all, Crookshanks was quite well-behaved in her hands, so she wasn't worried about it scratching or biting anyone.

Lin Yue sat next to Mrs. Granger, watching Hermione hold up Crookshanks. Ever since analyzing Scabbers in Diagon Alley, she had been searching for information about magical pets.

However, until now, she had found nothing. The books she had read did not contain any descriptions on this topic.

It seemed she just hadn't come across it yet; her reading speed was still too slow.

Lin Yue silently confirmed in her mind that otherwise, she wouldn't find herself in a situation where she lacked relevant knowledge when it was needed.

She needed to read more and faster and remember those books.

Thinking this, she lowered her head again, her brain working rapidly as she memorized the spell book in her hands.

Even the speed at which she flipped through the pages increased a bit.

Seeing that Lin Yue was once again engrossed in her studies, Mrs. Granger quietly stood up and went to the kitchen with her husband to prepare dinner.

Hermione set down Crookshanks and moved closer to Lin Yue, wrapping her arms around her waist as they both began to look at the spellbook together. Of course, she needed to review it properly as well.

Lin Yue, expressionless, turned her eyes to Hermione and only flipped to the next page after confirming that Hermione had finished reading the current one. As for the arms wrapped around her waist, she acted as if she hadn’t noticed, giving no reaction at all.

In the comfortably warm room, Lin Yue was tightly embraced by Hermione, and the two of them were rapidly studying the content of the spell book.

Outside the marvelous and magnificent castle, figures dressed in long robes and hoods, all looking decayed, were gradually arriving at their posts.