When Hagrid and Talieson returned to the common room the pandemonium had resolved but the room was in severe disarray. An argument continued in the corner about the snakes. Micheal held the larger one and William the smaller one. Some of the other students felt snakes should either be in Slytherin or a cage they had constructed out of several beat-up common room chairs and a sticking charm. The students who had taken refuge on the chandelier had managed to get down. Rose continued to sit peacefully in the middle of the common room with her sleeping goat. When the moon dog followed Talieson in through the portrait hole, however, everyone stopped talking and stared at them.

"I 'spect these feller's 'ould be more at home down at my cabin," said Hagrid swiftly walking over to Micheal and William and plucking the snakes from their arms. They wound around the giant's large neck and shoulders and seemed pleased to hide their heads in his beard. Hagrid gave a curt snort and exited the Griffyndor common room, leaving Talieson to field questions about the moon dog. Rose stood up and gently placed the sleeping goat in Micheal's arms.

"His name is Jeff," she said. Micheal nodded. Rose walked over to the moon dog and sat before him. She wrapped her arms around the moon dog and gave him a big hug. Others started moving over towards them.

"What do you got there Talieson?" asked another first-year student.

"This is Hle," replied Talieson. "He is a moon dog we rescued from the Redwood Forest last night."

"He's cute," said a third-year girl, "can I pet him?"

"Sure," said Talieson. The moon dog seemed excited by the attention and rolled over on his back when the girl began to stroke his soft fur causing giggles to rise up from the crowd.  

"Are you going to try to keep him here?" asked another boy.

"Oh, you should. None of us will tell," said another girl. There were nods of agreement all around.

"We could bring him food from the Great Hall and walk him early in the morning and late at night," suggested the girl still rubbing the moon dog's belly.

"He can be our new mascot," said someone in the crowd.

"Talieson?" asked William coming through the throng of students. "Where are the others?"

"There were some other animals we accidentally brought back from the Redwood Forest," said Talieson answering the inquisitive looks around the room. "Hagrid and I brought them down to the Forbidden Forest for the time being. You guys won't say anything will you?"

"No."

"Of course not."

"The secret is safe with us."

"Oh Moony," sighed Rose looking sad.

"Don't call him that," said Talieson. It was too pampered-sounding for a nickname.

She gave him a dirty look and sat down next to the girl petting the moon dog. The moon dog flipped over onto his feet and peered into Rose's eyes.

"We lost your friend," she sniffled, starting to cry. "Your orange dragon friend. The witch got him." She started to cry in earnest and buried her face in the moon dog's fur. The moon dog looked sad too. Micheal sat down and gave them both a hug.

The students gave them some space and began exiting the common room to go get breakfast. Talieson, Micheal, William, and Rose sat quietly with the moon dog and the sleeping goat for quite some time before anyone spoke.

"Do you think the witch is still alive?" asked William breaking the silence.

"I don't care," said Talieson with a shiver of disgust, "but either way I'm glad she is halfway around the world." They sat thinking for a few moments longer all petting the moon dog who now appeared to be falling asleep like his white hoofed friend.

"Talieson?" asked Rose breaking the silence. "Who did you see right before we took the Portkey home?" Talieson thought for a moment. He had forgotten about the large male figure he had glimpsed retreating through the dark forest.

"I don't know," he replied. "There was a big man in the trees."

"Did he seem, you know, from our time?" asked Rose.

"What do you mean?" asked Micheal shifting the goat from one arm to the other.

"Do you think he was released from the trees and lived in the past, or do you think it was someone from the present who happened to be there..." She trailed off and all three boys looked at her. "Or who followed us?" she finished in low voice. Everyone sat uncomfortably contemplating this idea.

"I don't see how anyone could have followed us," stated William.

"It's a magical place, lots of wizards might be out doing magical things during a full moon," said Micheal.

"True," said Rose. "And it was a wizard because he had a concealment charm that only Talieson could see through." Talieson had not been listening to the others after Rose's question.

"He was from the present, not the past," said Talieson looking at the others. "I'm sure."

"What did he look like?" asked Rose.

"He was big, that's all I could tell in the dark," said Talieson scooping up the now sleeping moon dog and placing him on the sofa. "I can't tell you anything else about him." He looked at his friends' concerned faces. "I'm starving. Let's go get breakfast." The other's nodded and Micheal placed the goat next to the moon dog. The goat stretched his legs in his sleep and settled into a patch of sun. They headed out through the portrait hole and on through the corridors to the Great Hall. After being up all night they were famished and piled their plates high with eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage. They ate in silence all reviewing the events of the night again in their heads. Talieson still felt an uncomfortable nagging feeling when he thought about the figure of the large man. There was something about him that reminded him of someone, but he could not remember who.

__________________________________________________

When they returned from breakfast there were only a few students milling around the common room, but the moon dog and the goat were not on the sofa, nor anywhere in sight.

"Oh no," moaned Rose dashing around and looking under the chairs and coffee table. "I didn't think they could escape."

"Um Rose," said Micheal pointing up. There on top of the chandelier was a frightened looking goat and a smug looking moon dog.

"Hle," said Talieson sternly, "come down at once."

"I don't think they can," said Micheal.

"Lignardium levioso," said Rose. With a swish and a flick of her wand, the animals rose briefly higher into the air before she guided them gently back to the floor of the common room. "Don't do naughty things again," she chided the moon dog as she crouched down and looked him in the eye. The moon dog went up to her an licked her hand which she accepted as an apology.

But it turned out not to be a promise. The moon dog enjoyed practical jokes. Every day students would find shoes placed under pillows, chocolate frogs eaten, or pet toads and cats stuffed into unlikely hiding spots. Subjects of such pranks initially got mad at the moon dog. Their anger didn't last, however, because the moon dog made everyone laugh when he pranced around the common room in the evenings. He was so genuinely loveable students quickly forgot about his latest shenanigans. Petting the moon dog seemed to calm even the angriest student after a rough day of classes or exams and the moon dog seemed to never tire of the attention. The Griffyndors uniformly kept their promise to keep the moon dog a secret. Even the Fat Lady held her tongue. They worked out a schedule early in the morning and late in the evening to take the moon dog and goat out to be walked. On the weekend students took the animals on long walks around the grounds and even partway into the forbidden forest to see the bear and the alligator. After a few weeks, Hagrid agreed to keep the moon dog and the goat during the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays for extra fresh air and exercise. This seemed to decrease the number of missing quills and other minor pranks against the students of Griffyndor tower, though Hagrid seemed to increasingly misplace sundry items and Fang had to watch his bone like a hawk.

The question of the strange figure in the forest continued to nag at Rose, Talieson, Micheal, and William. They elected to seek counsel from Rose's cousin Albus Potter and his friend Scorpius Malfoy, fellow 5th years. Albus and Scorpius had nearly caused the past to be rewritten during their fourth year at Hogwarts trying to use a time turner to save a Hogwart's student who had been killed over twenty years ago. Scorpius had visited an alternative universe where Voldemort ruled. Rose had secretly envied the adventures of her cousin and his friend. Her life was always so boring and predictable. Although her encounter with the witch in the Redwood Forest had given her a new appreciation of her bookish life, Rose happily relayed the story of freeing of the moon dog, not just for advice but perhaps also to have the opportunity to boast a little to Albus and Scorpius. 

"Damn Rosie," said Albus. "I didn't think you had the guts to stray so far from the rules at Hogwarts and to apparate before you are seventeen!" 

Grinning, Scorpius counted on his fingers. "You broke no less than ten school rules and three laws. Way to go!" Scorpius was kind, despite the legacy of his grandfather and father as Death Eaters. "I'm glad you guys freed this little fellow and his friends," he said smiling and tussling the fur on the moon dog's head. "I can't believe no one has leaked the secret of the Griffyndor pets."

Talieson looked at them earnestly. "You won't tell anyone will you?" he asked.

"No," smiled Albus. "Our families," he nodded at Scorpius and Rose, "have maintained a long tradition of dangerous adventures and, believe me, we understand the importance of discretion."

"Your secret is safe with us," assured Scorpius. He leaned forward and his light-hearted smile turned serious. "But Talieson, if Albus and I have learned anything here at Hogwarts, it is that messing with time and other people's fate is really dangerous." Albus nodded in agreement. "This may not be over yet."

Scorpius and Albus felt, perhaps due to their own experiences, that Rose and the boys should assume the worst and take appropriate precautions. The witch could certainly still be alive. Whoever was in the forest could follow them back to Hogwarts. They should keep their guard up for evil lurking at all times. Someone else may very well have learned their secret but for whatever reason not used the information yet. The pessimism of Rose's cousin and his friend made the four a bit on edge, but for weeks nothing happened except for more moon dog escapades.

Shortly after revealing their secret to Scorpius and Albus, the moon dog and the goat disappeared. After searching the dormitories and common room thoroughly, it was deduced that they must have left Griffyndor tower.  Before dinner that night, all of the Griffyndor students participated in a search. They spread out all over Hogwarts but the goat and the moon dog were nowhere to be found. Then, halfway through dinner, came a squeal from the Ravenclaw table. Talieson and William caught a glimpse of a white tail following a darker creature under the table. They ran to try to capture them, but the creatures were too quick, exiting out of the Great Hall and quickly disappearing down one of the many staircases in the main entrance. Later that night, Rose heard a disturbance in the restricted section of the library. She ran in and found a group of Slytherins who refused to say what was going on. One left with a rather large backpack she could have sworn made a bleating noise. She found Albus and asked him to investigate. At midnight, there was a knock on the other side of the portrait hole and Albus and Scorpius delivered an unharmed but guilty appearing moon dog and goat to the relieved Griffyndors. Despite the two Slytherins being on board with Gryffindor's secret, half the school had seen them. They were going to have to step up security and goat and the moon dog certainly couldn't be left alone.

Soon the end of term was approaching. Talieson, William, and Micheal studied feverishly for exams. They were very nervous since they were new to such big end-of-year exams. Rose studied even harder for her approaching OWL exams. Albus and Scorpius were less concerned with studying at first and helped take care of the moon dog and the goat. Finally, even the two Slytherin boys buckled down to study and the moon dog and the goat spent more and more time with Hagrid, much to Fang's dismay.

Late one night Rose sat with the three first-year boys in the library studying. Curfew was allowed to be broken if students were at the library studying for exams.

Rose put down her quill, "I need to see Jeff. I can't concentrate anymore." Talieson was blowing bubbles with muggle gum his mother had sent him. Micheal was doodling on a piece of parchment, and William had dozed off and abruptly woke up when Rose spoke. All three boys nodded in agreement and they slipped silently out of the library and through the corridors to the front door of the castle. They walked quietly through the dark school grounds illuminated by a full moon hanging low in the horizon. A light was on in the giant's hut and Hagrid seemed unsurprised by the late night rap on his door.

"Done with yer studyin' then?" asked Hagrid smiling. "Come fer a cuppa tea?" They nodded and entered the gamekeeper's small home. The moon dog and the goat were inside. Fang sat sulking in the corner. Hagrid made tea and the students sat around the table. The goat immediately climbed onto Rose's lap and fell asleep. The moon dog sat in his own chair, tongue hanging out. It was nice to take a break from books and studying. After laughing and joking with Hagrid over a cup of tea, he shooed them back to the castle. The moon dog and the goat came with them. As they walked back up to the hill in the moonlight, the moon dog seemed bigger than he normally did. Instead of frolicking and prancing like usual, he sniffed the air and pricked up his ears at the slightest noise.

"The moon dog is really affected by the full moon," said Micheal.

"Oh he'll protect us if we run into any witches or gold miners tonight," joked Rose.

But nobody laughed.