Cadogan was ready to go home. As much as he loved Hogwarts and his friends, nothing compared to being at home with his family; oftentimes he felt like he missed out on so much, being so far for so many months of the year. All that stood between him and the train was breakfast. Cad let his attention linger on the wicker cage near his feet, the Porlock inside curled up against the side of it, its fur puffed up. Well, he couldn’t blame the creature. Cad was nervous around people, too.

Its sharp eyes met his own through the wicker, and it let out a huff. Cadogan offered it a small smile. “You’ll be back here before you know it,” he murmured, although he knew that he was going to do his best to care for it so it would be released onto a farm. Heck, he lived on a farm, kind of, (it lacked animals, but it still counted), so maybe Professor Brierley would let him just keep his. He’d try his best not to get attached to the Porlock in the meantime.

When Cadogan glanced back up, he let out a startled noise to find a Porlock – not his though, although he did glance down at the cage by his feet to ensure it was still locked – happily nibbling on pastry a few seats down from at his table. His eyebrows knitted together. Well, he clearly belonged to someone, and it would be a shame for them to fail the assignment before break even began. Cadogan glanced around to see if someone had realized their Porlock was missing.

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Greta Gillenwater for this assignment

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