Next day:

I couldn't stop thinking about the mouse delivery I was supposed to be doing sometime today. I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. I really needed to know what the next tasks would be. I was sure they'd be more difficult than the first one.

Unfortunately I was thinking about it far too much, and it got me into trouble in Potions.

Professor Park was asking us from which animal we needed to obtain a very important potion ingredient, and he'd come over and asked me, when he noticed I hadn't been paying attention.

He asked me again, and all I heard was,"which animal?"

"Mouse,"I said.

Professor Park stared at me for a moment in utter horror. I noticed everyone's heads turning in class to look at me, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. There were some stifled giggles.

"A MOUSE!?"Professor Park went on.

My classmates couldn't hide their laughter now.

"Does the cry of a mouse, when heard for long enough, cause the listener to become mad?"Professor Park demanded.

"Well, I don't know, maybe if they keep you up all night, scuffling around and squeaking - that's happened to me before,"I said, and I don't know why I said that.

"Miss Carrow, does a mouse have FEATHERS!?"Professor Park continued.

This was followed by uproarious laughter. I heard someone mutter,"she was driven mad by the mice."

"I ASKED you, Carrow, a FEATHER from which animal is often the most important ingredient in many advanced potions?"Professor Park went on.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear that part,"I said,"a fwooper."

"Correct,"Professor Park answered,"at last! I was beginning to think I had finally discovered a creature from which to obtain the main ingredient necessary to create a potion which deprives a person of their brain!"

Next class was Transfiguration. At the end of it, I asked the teacher, Professor Holmes, something that I had thought about during the lesson.

"So - you know about the Gamp's Law thing, the food thing?"I began.

"Yes,"he said.

"Well, what if you were to transfigure an object into an animal and then cook that animal?"I suggested,"would you be able to eat it? And would it count as food?"

"You know,"answered Professor Holmes,"in all my days of teaching, I've never been asked such a question!"

"Do you think it would work, though?"I persisted.

"I'm pretty sure many a witch or wizard in the days of famine would have saved themselves from starvation by transfiguring stones into chickens and logs into cows, if that were the case,"Professor Holmes replied,"and I believe it would be documented, if that were the case. It is not documented, therefore the only thing I can suggest is personal experimentation - and for the love of everything good in this world, please don't go transfiguring anything poisonous! My suspicion is, if you cook or consume a transfigured object, you'll just end up eating the properties of the object, not actual food!"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Right,"I answered,"better not try that one then."

"Yes, exactly,"Professor Holmes advised me.

Later:

For some reason, Antonius sat next to me in DADA Class instead of Dominic. I found it a bit odd, seeing as it's currently the only class we have with the Gryffindors.

After classes:

Finally! I had time to go and fetch the mice from the kitchen and bring them to the King Serpent's Oak. The house-elves had kept their word, perhaps a little bit too well. the mouse cage was stuffed with all kinds of food. So much so, that the poor mice were buried in it. Though, on closer inspection, they didn't seem to be very unhappy about it.

I felt sorry for them when I took them to the oak.

"I have the mice for you, King Serpent,"I announced, opening the cage and tipping the mice down the hole.

"Thankssss,"the King Serpent replied,"well done."

I waited a few moments, wondering if it was gobbling up the mice right now.

"What task would you have me do next?"I asked.

"Bring to me five frogssss,"the King Serpent responded,"bring them to me here tomorrow."

Five frogs? That seemed simple enough.

I went down to the Black Lake and used the Revealing Spell to find frogs. I found plenty of them. I was satisfied they should be enough to catch fresh tomorrow.

I was suddenly startled by a voice behind me.

"Catherine? What are you doing?"it was Antonius.

I turned around,"I was just looking for frogs,"I said.

"Looking for frogs?"Antonius asked, looking slightly confused.

"Yes, they're needed for some potions..."I said.

"What is it with you and potions of late?"Antonius asked,"especially after that display in Potions Class earlier - whatever were you thinking?"

"I was distracted, I didn't properly hear what Professor Park said,"I explained.

"Distracted by what?"Antonius asked.

"Why are you so nosey?"I objected,"I was thinking about mice, actually."

"Why on earth why you thinking about mice?"Antonius asked.

"Well, it's the truth,"I said.

There was a pause.

"It wasn't a wise move, what you did yesterday in the Great Hall,"Antonius suddenly said.

"What do you mean?"I asked.

"Arguing with those Gryffindors,"he said,"you have to be careful. They could twist your words and use it as an excuse to put you on trial, or they could provoke you into saying something that would give them an excuse."

"I wish you would stop watching everything I do!"I protested.

"I couldn't help but see it right in front of me,"Antonius said,"it was in the Great Hall in front of everyone, remember?"

"Well, I can't help it, I get angry with them sometimes,"I said.

"You have to learn to control your temper,"Antonius said,"if something makes you angry, just breathe and calm down."

"It's not as easy as that!"I said.

"It gets easier with practise,"Antonius said.

"You know, Antonius, I think you contain your emotions too much,"I said.

"Do you?"Antonius responded,"I don't think so."

"Yes, I do think so,"I said,"when you bottle up emotions, they stay with you, seep into your soul, grind you down."

"Well, maybe that's how it is for you,"Antonius said,"that's not how it is for me. It still wouldn't do you any harm to..."

"Look! What's done is done!"I said, getting annoyed.

"And now you're getting angry again,"Antonius said, in a rebuking tone.

For a moment, I felt like I wanted to push him into the lake, but I didn't.

"See, I am good at controlling my temper,"I said.

"No you're not,"Antonius went on.

"Well, I just managed to stop myself from pushing you into the lake,"I said.

Antonius laughed.

"Maybe I could turn you into a frog,"I suggested,"I wouldn't have to look for them then!"

"But you might accidentally turn me into a mouse,"Antonius warned,"a mouse with feathers."

I started to feel less annoyed. I wondered if Antonius had seen me talking to Max recently. Maybe he saw me hug Max outside the DADA Classroom? Maybe he was jealous? I reached out to him and took his hand.

I took him to a much nicer part of the Black Lake and we sat down in the long grass.

"Why don't we stay here until the sunset?"I suggested.

We did end up staying there, and returned to the castle together.

------------------

Night 6, OM Day 5

Next day:

I delivered five frogs to the King Serpent. Again, he thanked me, and I asked him for the next task - the final task.

"Bring me a newt,"the King Serpent requested.

"Just one?"I asked.

"Yessss,"the King Serpent responded,"a nice big one. Bring it to me here tomorrow."