11. Boops

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Happy woke up feeling fresh that morning. Koko sat on his chest, also awake and looking at his face, asking for food with a silent, intense look.

"Don't stare daggers at me now, Koko. I'll get you your meal." Happy said and got off to take a can of fish. He heated it with magic first, using a little bit of fire, and then let the goose eat with delight.

He looked around and noticed it was just him in the room, with Harry and Happy's beds empty. Though the stark difference was Harry's bed looked clean, and Ron's was a mess with an unfolded blanket.

"Even with magic, we decide to be lazy. I like him."

He cleaned up, got dressed, and walked down to the common room to find the latest newspaper to see what was happening in the wizarding world.

At the same time, he grabbed some jam-filled bread and healthy orange juice that was always available in the common room. Sometimes, even he felt health conscious, as rare as it may be.

Happy saw the trio had gathered on the couch in front of the fireplace and joined them while munching on his bread. The three first-years were discussing about the latest article from the Daily Prophet.

"What's happening?" Happy asked.

"The investigation into the attempted bank robbery is still ongoing, and Gringotts is considering a reform." Hermione informed, "Listen to this; they are going as far as examining anti-muggle security magic."

"My father once said that muggles had the most peculiar but effective things..." Ron muttered.

'Right. Like ovens with timers, microwaves, machine mixers, even portable stoves ...' Happy's mind wandered, thinking of introducing such things to the elves.

"Stop obsessing over that and tell me some good news, if there is any, in the newspaper." Happy asked while eating his pre-breakfast before the main breakfast in the great hall.

Hermione hummed and turned a few pages in the paper. "Wizard caught peeping inside muggle women's bathroom...Muggle killed a clueless wizard with his car...Happy, I don't think there is anything positive in here."

Happy sighed and finished eating. "So it's not the Daily Prophet, but the Daily Dose of Depression? Now I know what never to touch."

"Ex... excuse me..." A sudden timid voice called out to Happy from behind.

Happy turned around and saw Neville Longbottom standing right behind him, looking as well-dressed as ever, but a walking mess of low self-esteem.

"Neville! How are you?"

"I'm... fine." Neville scratched his head, feeling a little awkward.

"So, what's up?"

"I wanted to thank you for saving me, and I'm... I'm sorry about before. I...I remembered the face of my mum when I heard your last name. They are...still in the hospital and..." Neville's eyes turned watery at that instant, and he looked down, unable to finish his words.

"I really didn't know how to cast that spell, and only knew its name...I didn't mean to kill you...I was..." He blurted nonstop while looking down, trying to avoid making eye contact.

Neville felt guilty, scared, and also a little relief that Happy didn't react with anger all this time. He knew that Happy Lestrange had every reason to lash out at him, or, even worse, gloat at how he saved him. But Happy didn't do any of that. Instead, he just smiled as if they were good friends.

Happy knew that Neville had personality issues, so him gathering enough courage to approach him was already commendable. He could feel that Neville was being genuinely sincere. The look on Neville's face told him everything.

"I wanted to apologize and thank you. Here..." Neville pulled out a box of chocolates from his robes and shoved it into Happy's hands. Then he turned around and quickly walked off with red ears.

"Chocolate?"

Happy opened the box and sat down, feeling relieved that one of his worries was settled. He opened the box and offered some to the others, "Oh, it's from Honeydukes! Want some?"

Harry and Ron took some, while Hermione shook her head.

"Why not?"

"It's too early in the morning, Happy. Besides, I don't really like candy; they're bad for my teeth."

"Come on now, Hermione. Your parents are dentists. You get free dental care!" Happy commented as he chewed on chocolate. "Oh, this is quite good. Neville knows his stuff."

"Still no thanks. They rot your teeth all the same. Do you know how many rotting teeth I've seen in my parent's clinic?"

Happy shrugged. "Well, I rarely see wizards with bad teeth. I guess we are immune to rotten teeth. Good for me~"

"But Filch has rotten teeth?" Ron interjected.

"But he's a squib." Happy argued. "Anyway, let's go to the Great Hall. I still have space for some breakfast."

"..."

...

As the school day ended, the four decided to visit Hagrid together since there was nothing else to do. However, Happy's luck didn't apply to all of them. So along the way, they saw Filch making rounds.

Argus Filch was the caretaker of Hogwarts. He was a cranky, loathsome, and persistent old man who was often seen patrolling the corridors searching for students breaking school rules. His cat, Mrs. Norris, often accompanied him and was used to help catch students who broke the rules.

Even if Filch faced the other way, Mrs. Norris was headed toward them. It was nighttime, and they were not supposed to go out, so they decided to hide until Filch and his cat left.

"This way..." Harry whispered.

They turned the corridor and made their way up the steps. The twisting, ever-changing staircases of Hogwarts were indeed a marvel to behold. They move and shift around the castle, leading to different parts of the castle. Thus, leading them to the third floor.

'This is the Forbidden Corridor!' Happy's face lit up as he knew what was behind the wooden door at the top of the staircase. He finally felt some semblance of the plot moving forward and looked forward to meeting the giant three-headed dog. Yet, somewhere in his heart, he felt relieved the butterfly had not swung its wings.

"Filch's cat. Still behind us." Ron whispered as he saw the cat's shadow.

All four ran through the dark corridor as the torches on the wall suddenly lit up on their own.

Reaching the other end, Harry quickly tried to pull open another wooden door. "It's locked!"

"That's it. We're done for!" Ron panicked.

"Oh, move over!" Hermione pulled Harry out of the way, "Alohamora!"

Clink!

"It was locked for a reason," Harry exclaimed as he entered first, followed by the rest.

Ron, who lit up his wand first to see where they were going, froze. "G-Guys..."

Behind them, Happy, with a small bag of popcorn that he pulled out of his robe, nodded, "Look at this big cute fluffy boy. I almost want to go and pet it."

"Cute?!" Ron was a bit stunned.

"Are you crazy?" Hermione exclaimed. "And where did you get popcorn?!"

"I always have snacks in my robe. Shhh… stay calm. He might get scared if you shout." Happy raised a finger, gesturing towards them, and walked closer to the dog while whispering something.

'My luck should be unmistakable with animals and simple-minded beings.'

"Hey there, Fluffy, you big boy. Do you want to be friends? Here, have some popcorn." Happy put the bag of popcorn on the ground and waited for the dog to open his eyes slowly.

"Grrr…" One of the heads growled, another one yawned, while the third one eyed Happy.

Happy raised his arms, "I'm a friend. Hagrid's friend."

The three-headed dog instantly perked up when Happy mentioned Hagrid's name. It was clear the giant pup recognized the name of its beloved caretaker, and even the combination of Hagrid and 'friend' seemed to be enough for the canine to understand the situation. Its heads tilted in unison, as if it was trying to express its joy. Its tail wagged so fast that it created a whooshing sound that echoed around the Forbidden Corridor.

Slurp!

One of the heads moved and licked Happy, drenching him in disgusting saliva, which he didn't mind.

"Haha, good boy. Come here. Let me boop you."

He slowly approached the animal, and each of the heads lowered itself in a friendly greeting. Happy couldn't help but giggle as he carefully petted each of the three noses. The bond between the two was instant, and Happy felt like he was talking with his own pet.

"Let's go now! Let's return to the dorms." Hermione and Ron insisted, while Happy was just happy with a happy dog.

"Alright, let's return. Fluffy, you be a good boy, and if anyone else but Hagrid enters, rip them to shreds!"

"Woof!"

He chuckled. "You're just like Koko. He'd have loved to meet you."

With that farewell, they exited the room, and soon, the four friends left the forbidden chamber. But outside, the trio grabbed Happy in awe.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked.

"That was dangerous...but interesting!" Hermione nagged.

Happy placed his arms behind his back, "Feed me, and I'll tell."

"..."

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