As dawn broke over Hogwarts, a cat with beautiful fur stretched lazily in the early morning light.
As a Sequence 7 Psychologist and also a transformed magical creature, Lada could indeed be considered the most formidable pet at Hogwarts.
Running briskly out of the castle tower, Lada's day was about to begin. First, she would patrol the castle, inspecting her territory. Although Lada was quite petty-minded—
"Lada: Tch!"
—she still magnanimously tolerated many creatures living within her domain.
Recently, Lada's little sisterhood had gained another member: Crookshanks, the pet of her litter box attendant's good friend. Lada took care of Crookshanks at Hogwarts, often taking her out for their daily territorial disputes.
Outside Gryffindor Tower, Lada came as usual to collect her little sister for their morning activities.
But soon, the protective mother cat discovered something alarming—a large, black, furry thing near her precious ward.
Crookshanks was actually playing with a big black dog?
Lada's heart completely rejected this development, so she ran forward to drive away the intruder.
But what Lada least expected was that Crookshanks actually stepped protectively in front of the black dog.
Lada looked at Crookshanks with deep disappointment, activating feline encrypted communication.
"Oh my, Crookshanks, you're a lady—you need to be more reserved! And no matter what, you can't choose a big black dog. You're not even the same species!" Lada earnestly advised.
"You've misunderstood, big sister. It's not like that. Black is a good person. My bloodline tells me he can be trusted," Crookshanks replied confidently.
"No, you can't... wait, what did you say his name was?" Lada suddenly froze.
As a cat who enjoyed reading books and newspapers, Lada naturally knew about the famous fugitive currently plastered across every front page.
"He's a wanted criminal! I need to inform the litter box attendant immediately!" This thought flashed through Lada's mind.
Lada immediately prepared to bolt, but Crookshanks blocked her path.
"Wait, big sister, I'm serious. You have to trust me," Crookshanks said anxiously.
Lada paused, considering. After all, Crookshanks was a wizard's pet, and their loyalty to their masters was guaranteed by magical contract. So Lada decided to agree to Crookshanks' request. After all, she was a dignified Sequence 7—she shouldn't fail at something this simple.
The two cats and one dog took advantage of young wizards coming and going to sneak into the Gryffindor common room.
Once inside, the black dog immediately ran toward the dormitories above. Lada could read anxious and angry emotions radiating from the creature.
She shot Crookshanks a look: "I'll settle accounts with you later."
The black dog ran to Harry's dormitory, searched frantically around the room, but didn't find whatever he was looking for. He sat down dejectedly.
Lada approached leisurely, with many pets greeting her along the way. It turned out that Lada, as the undisputed boss of the school's pets, not only engaged in daily territorial battles but also mediated disputes between various animals. When necessary, she provided psychological counseling to complete her potion acting requirements.
"Alright, now can you tell me what's going on?" Lada spoke directly.
The big black dog's eyes widened in shock when he realized Lada could talk.
"Still hiding your identity, Sirius Black?" Lada called out his true name.
The black dog slowly stood up and transformed back into human form—a gaunt, wild-haired man with haunted eyes.
"Who are you? How do you know it's me?" Sirius spoke somewhat incoherently. It seemed life in Azkaban had caused him tremendous psychological damage.
Lada used her soothing ability on him, and Sirius gradually calmed down.
Over the next period, Sirius explained to Lada the complex past grievances of the four Marauders—James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
Mind reading combined with suggestion allowed Lada to confirm that everything Sirius said was true.
This revelation sparked new questions in the little cat's mind. Since Scabbers was actually Peter Pettigrew in Animagus form, there was no reason her litter box attendant wouldn't already know this.
Just then, Lada had a flash of insight and understood the key point.
"Anyway, I'm just a little cat. The litter box attendant will definitely handle this troublesome matter."
Yes, the key realization Lada reached was: I don't care anymore—strategic surrender.
"Well, okay, since I've confirmed you're a good person, I won't stop my little sister from being with you," Lada said, using her abilities to appear perfectly calm, though internally her feline curiosity was clawing at her heart.
"Thank you," Sirius said gratefully, then transformed back into his dog form.
Just like that, Sirius was led away from the Gryffindor dormitory by Lada.
"You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" Lada asked.
Sirius nodded to indicate yes.
"Then I have a suggestion."
As she turned around, Lada's pupils shifted to become heterochromatic—one amber, one sapphire, both gleaming with otherworldly intelligence.
"You can disguise yourself as a pet and temporarily live with me. Then I'll have the litter box attendant bring you food," the possessed Lada suggested.
Sirius showed her a grateful smile, completely failing to notice the supernatural change in 'Lada' before him.
And so, this harbinger of Harry's supposed doom was cleverly lured by the cat to Ravenclaw Tower.
Inside Ravenclaw Tower, Aiden was casually reading in bed, wearing comfortable pajamas.
Hearing movement outside, he looked up to see Lada entering with a large black dog in tow.
"Litter box attendant, look! Prisoner, alive!" Lada announced proudly using their private communication pathway.
Aiden, who already knew everything that had transpired, pretended to praise her while using his abilities to make his tone incredibly sincere.
"Oh, poor big black dog. I don't know who was so cruel as to make you so thin and bedraggled."
Aiden petted Sirius's head—the fur was surprisingly soft despite his ordeal.
"Come on, big guy. Let me give you a proper bath first, then we'll get some food in you."
Aiden gently grasped Sirius by the scruff and headed toward the washroom, humming cheerfully as he walked.
"And you alright, can you hear me..."
Clear singing echoed through Ravenclaw's washroom, occasionally punctuated by the black dog's confused whimpers.
After considerable splashing and scrubbing, a clean and remarkably handsome black dog emerged before the dormitory residents.
"Oh, Aiden, are you getting another new pet? If you don't want Lada anymore, you can give her to me," Edmund said, having coveted the remarkable cat for ages.
"Not a chance," Aiden and Lada replied in perfect synchronization, rolling their eyes in identical fashion. This display made Edmund's eyes practically burn with envy.
"Then what's the story with this dog?" Ethan asked curiously.
"Lada found him wandering around. Probably someone's lost pet in the castle. I saw he was filthy, so I grabbed him for a proper wash," Aiden replied with a mischievous smile, his cleanliness-loving dragon nature showing through.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you," Edmund said admiringly.
Without further conversation with his roommates, Aiden took Sirius down to the kitchens for a hearty meal.
What? You say Aiden had already eaten dinner? As a growing mind dragon, he needed proper nutrition!
After they had both eaten and drunk their fill, Aiden brought Sirius to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor.
He deliberately demonstrated the method of entering the magical room in front of Sirius, then settled the escaped prisoner comfortably inside, knowing full well that this was exactly where Sirius needed to be.