"With Foxes we must play the fox." - Thomas Fuller.

Authors Note: No Nifflers were harmed in the making of this chapter.

"Wampus Cat." Ethan muttered. "Why does it have to be a Wampus Cat?" He asked Ryder as they made their way back to Amos Diggory.

"I'm more concerned about the fact that a Wampus Cat was in the middle of Great Britain when it's supposed to be indigenous to America." Ryder replied. "I got a bad feeling of how it got here."

"It was smuggled." Ethan theorized. "The sooner Amos knows about this, the better." Ethan thought.

"That's right, Ethan. That means Trotsky is in America." Ryder agreed.

"What if it's not Trotsky?" Ethan asked. "What if it's someone else?"

"Not likely." Ryder answered. "It's too much of a big coincidence to ignore. And I'm not taking chances. Trotsky didn't do this alone. He must've had help."  

Ethan couldn't argue that one. But what the biggest concern was, was the Wampus Cat. And he could see Amos back at the Ministry department of Magical Creatures talking with Barnaby and Charlie. "Great job with that Niffler, boys." Amos said to Charlie and Barnaby. "Although, I'm pretty sure that we might have to talk about filing their claws and covering yourself in gold glitter." He commented.

"Sorry, Barnaby." Charlie awkwardly apologized to Barnaby who had scratching on his face and some golden glitter.

"Nothing like a child's love." Barnaby replied.

"Mr. Diggory, I'm here to report on the Hogsmeade creature sightings." Ethan announced as he saw Barnaby. "What happened to Barnaby?" He asked.

"Scratching... Nifflers. Don't ask for details." Charlie answered. 

Amos turned the conversation back to Ethan's mission. "Excellent! Charlie's just finished his Niffler-related tasks, so he'll be joining your investigation." He announced.

"Hello, Ethan!" Charlie greeted.

"So what have you learned so far?" Amos asked.

"Liz and I interviewed the victim, Madam Umbridge, at Hogsmeade Station. Though, victim is a word I would not use." Ethan began. "Then, we found out that a Hogwarts student suffered a similar attack."

"A Hogwarts student?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "Anyone we know? Please say it wasn't Percy, Fred, or George!" He really did care about his brothers. Now he knew how Bill felt.

"No, it wasn't any of your brothers, Charlie." Liz quickly answered. "It was Ismelda Murk."

Charlie breathed out a sigh of relief. But then caught himself. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..."

"Hmm... this case may be more serious than I thought..." Amos thought out loud.

"There's more, Mr. Diggory." Ryder interrupted. It's a Wampus Cat." 

Amos felt like he had fallen over. "A Wampus Cat?" He asked.

"The creature left large cat-like claw marks on the victims. Both were also disoriented after the attack. They couldn't recall most of the attack, though Ismelda did remember seeing big, yellow eyes. It's pretty clear to say that it is a Wampus Cat." Ryder answered.

"How odd. Wampus Cats aren't indigenous to the British Isles at all!" Amos thought out loud.

"I believe the creature may have been imported. Ryder said it was possible. Then again, importing a creature isn't out of the question..." Ethan replied.

"If I remember correctly, Wampus Cats are known for their powers of hypnosis and Leglimency, right?" Amos asked.

"You figured right." Ryder answered.

"We think that may be why Madam Umbridge and Ismelda were disoriented after the attack." Ethan added. "Even though, clearly... Umbridge is already disoriented. No she's just evil." Ethan added. 

"Perhaps this deserves a closer look..." Charlie asked.

"Why don't you two look through the Ministry accident reports? See if there's mention of a Wampus Cat." Ryder suggested. "And see if there's any more reports on this."

"I need to speak to the Head of the Beast Division about this." Amos went off to talk about that.

"He seemed worried." Charlie commented.

"If a Wampus Cat is running loose in Hogsmeade, which it is, then tons of people are in danger. So yeah, of course he's worried." Ethan replied.

"So what do we do?" Charlie asked.

"Let's start with what Mr. Diggory suggested... going through Ministry accident reports!" Ethan declared.

They then proceeded to go through many accident reports. See how much damage that the Wampus Cat had caused so far. And there was no dice. Ethan thought as much. It would be like finding a needle in haystack, or in Ethan's case... a Hay in a Needlestack.

"Hey Charlie, check it out." Ethan pointed out. "There's nothing about Wampus Cats in these reports, but they do mention a Silvanus Kettleburn quite a bit."

"As in our Hogwarts Professor Kettleburn?" Charlie asked.

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, he does like large and dangerous beasts." Ethan answered. He would know. Charlie loved Dragons, himself. "The only way we'll know for certain if it's him is if we ask him." He said.

"So..." Charlie looked like they had a mission.

"Come on, Charlie! Let's go talk to Professor Kettleburn." Ethan declared. "There's a dangerous Wampus Cat on the loose and we've got no time to spare!"

"I'll stay here, and talk to Mad Eye." Ryder informed.

It was time to head back to Hogwarts. If there was anyone who could handle a Wampus Cat, it was Kettleburn. At least that was Ethan's reasoning. 

And Kettleburn was where he usually was: Outside where he held Care of Magical Creatures Cat. And who was more than happy to see two of his students. "Mr. Bauer and Mr. Weasley! Good to see you." He greeted.

"Hello, Professor Kettleburn!" Ethan greeted. "Charlie and I were wondering if we could talk to you about Wampus Cats?" He asked.

Kettleburn looked flabbergasted at the thought of a Wampus Cat. "Oh, the mighty Wampus Cat of America! What a fantastic beast! And, unfortunately, one decidedly not native to the British Isles." He added.

"Ryder thought the same thing." Ethan replied.

"Indeed! Though, it makes me wonder why you're researching the Wampus Cat..." Kettleburn was cut off by Charlie.

"It's part of our off school grounds assignment with the Ministry of Magic." Charlie answered. "We need to stop that large and dangerous creature before it causes more harm."

"We saw your name come up in quite a few reports of large and dangerous creatures." Ethan added.

Kettleburn had to think about it for a second. "Ah, yes! I often consult with the Beast Division of the Magical Creatures Department." He explained.

"Gee, I wonder why." Charlie thought sarcastically. He didn't forget about that time in their fourth year when Kettleburn and Hagrid let some magical creatures loose all over the school. "Ethan and I have been assigned to the Department of Magical Creature Regulation with Mr. Diggory." Charlie started.

"How wonderful!" Kettleburn commented not knowing the threat. "Amos must have you doing a spot of research on Wampus Cats!"

"Actually, professor, a Wampus Cat is terrorizing Hogsmeade. That's why we've got to stop it." Charlie continued.

"And we want to know how to capture it." Ethan added.

"I see, that is quite serious." Kettleburn's attitude changed to serious. He may have been a fanatic, but he was also concerned for his students. "Fortunately, I have a lot of experience with capturing dangerous beasts." 

"You'll teach us how to catch a Wampus Cat, then?" Ethan asked.

"If only to make sure that you two are careful with this beast and understand the risks." Kettleburn answered. And the best way to learn something is to do it! We'll practise by catching Kneazles." He declared showing a herd of Kneazles.

Ethan took one look and rolled his eyes. "This sounds like we're just helping you tidy up after your lesson on Kneazles." He complained. 

"There are worse things we could be tidying up in this classroom!" Kettleburn replied. "I'll answer any questions you have about capturing dangerous beasts while we catch these Kneazles. That way you can learn and practice at the same time! Come along, these Kneazles won't catch themselves."

It seemed like a deal to Ethan. He started by going after the Kneazles. While they were  little hard to catch, Ethan started to get the hang of it. He remembered back when he was 6 and he and Jacob saw a whole herd of Bowtruckles in a nearby tree. Jacob wanted to teach Ethan about getting faster reflexes. So Ethan tried to catch a bowtruckle which was harder than he thought. It took 4 hours to catch one bowtruckle alone. At lease Kneazles were easier.

Once all was done, Kettleburn looked at Ethan and Charlie. "I can't emphasize enough that you'll need to keep your distance, but..." He warned.

"So, how do we catch one?" Ethan asked.

Kettleburn had to think about it for a second. "Typically you can lure any magical creature out with a scrummy snack!"

"So are we supposed to give it Chocolate or something?" Ethan asked. Like he was ever going to give up his chocolate.

"No." Kettleburn answered. "I'm sure any large creature like a Wampus Cat would love nothing more than to snack on a Niffler."

Charlie looked at Kettleburn like he had just said Lord Voldemort's name. And Ethan was thinking the same thing. "A Niffler?" He asked in disbelief. "Professor Kettleburn that's..."

"That's barbaric, professor!" Ethan snapped. "We can't let a defenseless Niffler get eaten!"

"Thank you." Charlie agreed.

"Relax, boys. As long as you're careful, no Nifflers should be harmed while capturing any beast." Kettleburn assured.

"Oh, we'll be extra careful alright, Professor Kettleburn. Neither of us want any Nifflers to be harmed." Ethan swore.

"Of course, I'm sure they wouldn't mind snacking on a witch or wizard!" Kettleburn added.

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm pretty sure the Wampus Cat is on a very strict diet." Charlie replied.

"Aye, you'd have to be very careful around Wampus Cats. They're exceedingly dangerous creatures." Kettleburn warned.

"Thank you for the information, Professor Kettleburn." Ethan thanked.

"It was very helpful!" Charlie thanked as well. "If not also a bit morbid..." He muttered as they started to leave. Until Ethan told them to stop.

"Before we go, Charlie..." Ethan started.

"Is something wrong, Ethan?" Charlie asked.

"I'm wondering if there's anything we can do to ensure no one gets hurt trying to capture the Wampus Cat." Ethan answered. "We have a vague plan, but..."

"You're worried it's not enough." Charlie could see where this was going.

"I just don't want anyone else to get hurt." Ethan admitted. "Especially not any of my friends."

"We all know the risks, Ethan." Charlie reassured. "If Trotsky is behind this... than the fate of the world is at stake. Not just our futures with the Ministry."

"So, you're with me?" Ethan asked.

"Yep. It's decided!" Charlie declared.

"Hogsmeade, The Whole World is counting on us to capture that Wampus Cat and we can't let anyone else get hurt!" Ethan announced.

"The whole world minus R, that is." Charlie corrected.

Ethan shrugged his shoulders. Let's get back to the Department of Magical Creature Regulation and meet with Liz to form a plan!" He suggested.

Meanwhile. Ryder was meeting with Mad Eye.

"Damn it all!" Mad Eye was thinking when he heard about the Wampus Cat, most likely being smuggled to America. "Now the war has descended on the United States." 

"America's not going to take it well." Ryder cautioned. "I have a hunch they're going to take even more action."

"Well I doubt they can do a worse job than Umbridge." Mad Eye said that like it may be a silver lining to the misery he was suffering as Umbridge was pushing the Aurors to the breaking point.

"Anyone can do a better job than Umbitch." Ryder replied like there wasn't a high bar to set. Which it wasn't.

"So how is America going to respond?" Mad Eye asked.

"By... President Sanders coming to speak with Minister Fudge directly." Ryder answered.

"Wait, what?" Mad Eye asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he's on his way here." Ryder replied. He got the report as he was walking to Mad Eye.

That was when the door opened and Mad Eye got a good look at President Sanders.

"Agent Ryder." Sanders greeted.

"Mr. President." Ryder greeted back shaking his hand. "I got word you were sending an envoy but..." 

"Couldn't take the risk." Sanders explained.

"Oh, I have no doubt." Ryder quickly assured. 

"Mad Eye. This is President Robert Sanders of MACUSA." He introduced. "Mr. President, this is Alistair Moody. He's one of our best Aurors. We all call him, Mad Eye."

 Mad Eye nodded in politeness.

"For pretty clear reasons." Sanders thought looking at Mad Eye's well... Mad Eye. "Anyway. We need to speak with Minister Fudge, immediately. Something has happened in America." He announced.

"Let's go, then. I've got to talk to him as well." Ryder declared. Especially about Umbitch. 

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sanders asked. "Let's go." And they all walked to the Minister's Office. 

In the meantime. Ethan went to go talk to Liz. He couldn't see Ryder. But he figured that he was busy talking to Mad Eye. The thought of using a little Niffler and potentially getting it killed, seemed barbaric to Ethan as he walked.  But he could see that Liz was there. It was worth it to talk to her.

"Good. You're here, Liz." Ethan greeted.

Liz smiled. "Yeah, of course. Did you find out how to catch the Wampus?" She asked.

Ethan swallowed hard. "Yeah... you're not going to like this part." He answered.

"Why not?" Liz's smile faded.

"Professor Kettleburn said that a Niffler would make a good snack for a Wampus Cat." Charlie admitted like ripping off a band aid. 

"Now we just need to actually find one..." Ethan added.

"A Niffler as bait?!" Liz yelled in disbelief like Lizzie would to Jacob. "You can't be serious, Ethan!"

"I know... I told Kettleburn using a Niffler was barbaric, but he said if we were careful the Niffler wouldn't be harmed." Ethan replied.

"How else would we lure out the Wampus Cat, Liz?" Charlie asked.

Liz still wasn't convinced. "I don't know! Maybe not with an innocent creature?"

"Liz..." Ethan started.

But Liz held her hand up to interrupt Ethan. "If you're going to be using a Niffler as bait, then I won't be helping you." She declared angrily.

"Hogsmeade is in danger, Liz. We can't let the Wampus Cat just roam free. A lot of lives are at stake..." Ethan justified.

Liz still stared coldly.

"I promise the Niffler won't be harmed! We'll cast the Stunning Charm before the Wampus Cat gets too close." Ethan vowed.

"I... all right. I understand." Liz reluctantly replied. "If we put together a solid plan, then we can make sure no Nifflers get harmed or, worse, eaten."

"You're right, Liz. We only have a vague idea right now of what we'll do to catch the Wampus Cat." Charlie said.

"Okay, we need a plan for capturing the Wampus Cat that's safe and efficient." Ethan started. That's when he noticed that both Charlie and Liz were looking at him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked.

"Normally, you're the one who comes up with the plans." Charlie answered.

"Oh, no pressure there." Ethan thought, sarcastically. 

A few minutes and Ethan had a plan. "Charlie and I will go find a Niffler to use as bait. Nifflers can't resist anything shiny, so we'll use a Golden Snitch to catch one. Then we'll lure the Wampus Cat out with the Niffler, hit it with the Stunning Charm, and capture it!"

"And the Niffler doesn't get hurt?" Liz asked.

"No harm, no foul." Ethan answered. 

"Should we catch the Wampus Cat at Hogsmeade Station?" Liz asked.

"That's a brilliant idea, Liz." Ethan answered. Hogsmeade Station is close to where Madam Umbridge and Ismelda were attacked. And we'll choose a time of day that's typically empty so no one will be in harm's way."

"One question?" Charlie asked.

"Go ahead." Ethan motioned.

"Can we use Umbridge as bait?" Charlie asked.

"Tempting. But... no." Ethan answered.

"Alright, we have a plan. The Ministry and Hogsmeade are counting on us. We have to make sure no one else gets hurt." Charlie said. "To the Charlie Mobile!" He pointed to some random place.

"Charlie. We don't have a Charlie Mobile." Ethan pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." Charlie remembered now. "But I have my parents enchanted car."

"That's not what I meant." Ethan replied. Okay, we have a plan. All we just need to do now is go catch a Niffler!" And Ethan knew just who to turn to.

Cornelius Fudge was having a headache of a day. He tended to have those a lot. Bringing down Trotsky was becoming far more troubling, than what he previously thought. He thought that by hiring Umbridge to head the Marshal Law, order would come through. But instead, the problem seemed to be made worse. He was at a loss for what to do. And he couldn't go to Dumbledore, not without looking like a weak fool in front of the Government.

"Ugh. I'm in a sticky mess if ever there was one." He admitted.

That was when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it this time?" Fudge asked. He looked like he hadn't slept in nights. Which he hadn't.

"Hello, Cornelius." Sanders greeted like an old friend.

Fudge had not been prepared for this. He half expected a Niffler to run in and look for loose change. "Robert Sanders... It's an honor to welcome you to the Ministry of Magic. I didn't realize you were coming." He greeted.

"Really? I sent you a notice." Sanders noted.

Fudge looked at his table of notices. "Oh, right. Sorry. I must've overlooked it. This job is killing me. Given what has happened."

"You've been having some trouble too. Who isn't?" Sanders replied sarcastically.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure?" Fudge asked.

Sanders sat down. "Fudge. I'm not going to lie here. The reason I'm here is to speak to you, directly. Iosef Trotsky has stepped foot in America." He reported.

"What?" Fudge asked in disbelief. "No... It can't be. He's only contained to Europe."

"Until now, you mean." Ryder corrected.

"A few days ago. There was a domestic attack on the United States. Raiding parties of Mobsters attacked several of our cities. We contained the threat before it got out of hand. The raids were organized. Normal mobster attacks are not this coordinated. It must've been Trotsky." Sanders informed.

"How do you know?" Fudge asked.

"We do." Ryder answered.

Fudge had no choice but to take that word. "Oh, we're in trouble." He grumbled. 

"That isn't the half of it." Sanders slammed down a paper of the Daily Prophet. "You must really be in trouble if you're trying to put pressure on a kid."

Fudge looked at the paper. "Oh, that." He was a bit ashamed that happened. 

 "You're head of the Marshal Law is a bitch who's trying to put pressure on a kid." Ryder added. "And... she's pushing us all to the breaking point. Not to mention all the people she's been falsely accusing." 

"We need order." Fudge tried to justify.

"We've got Panic and Fear now." Sanders corrected. "The point is Fudge, this whole incident is getting out of control. We need to work on stopping Trotsky."

"We?" Fudge asked.

"Trotsky's declared war on the United States when he stepped on our soil. We've got to stop him at all costs." Ryder explained.

"Fudge. This is now an international incident. And like it or not. We have to work together." Sanders informed.

Fudge had wanted to stand on his own. But so far, all his plans were doing was not working. Pretty soon he wouldn't have an Auror force left. "Damn it!" He yelled out loud as he looked back at Sanders and Ryder. "So what do we do?" He asked.

Ryder smiled. "MACUSA and the Ministry of Magic are working together. So that means we'll have to make some changes." He answered.

"Okay." Fudge decided.

"First, we're going to need Dumbledore. He's the greatest sorcerer in the world. Write to him, ask for help." Ryder started.

"Yeah... I can't do that." Fudge admitted.

"Why not?" Sanders asked.

"I stopped asking Dumbledore for advice. For all I know, he probably doesn't want anything to do with me." Fudge answered.

"Don't be so sure about that." A voice replied.

Sanders and Ryder turned around to see Dumbledore standing in the hallway. "Ryder, Mr. President." Dumbledore greeted.

"Dumbledore?" Fudge asked with his mouth hung open. "When... when did you?"

"Arrive at the Ministry?" Dumbledore finished the sentence. "Oh, it was about 5 minutes ago, actually." He answered. "I must say, there were no Aurors to check on the Metamorphmagus that's been running around. No doubt the work of Umbridge, I imagine." 

Fudge sighed. "Dumbledore. I messed up." He admitted. "I don't know how to deal with this problem. Not alone at any rate. And now, America is involved. I need your help, now more than ever."

Dumbledore nodded politely to Fudge. "I am a Professor of Hogwarts. Help will always be given there, to those who ask for it." He assured. "The first thing we will need, is a plan. A plan to deal with Trotsky and the R."

"One with a Joint operation." Sanders put in.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Oh, and Umbridge... she's got to go." Ryder added. "You see what she's doing to all of us?" He asked.

"We're all aware. I've heard rumors coming from Hogsmeade, myself." Dumbledore replied.

Fudge sighed. "Very well... I will make an announcement, later." He said.

"And one more thing. We can't put any more pressure on Ethan than we already have." Ryder added.

"That boy might be our only hope of stopping Trotsky." Fudge replied.

"He wouldn't have to be if you'd done your job better." Ryder shot back.

"The kid is 17 years old. He's a teenager. And he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and all because we put him in this place." Sanders shouted while still trying to be subtle about it.

"So, how do we help him?" Fudge asked.

"First. We do our jobs." Dumbledore answered. "And we do it the right way. We should also take this time to speak to Ethan, about helping him." 

Ryder agreed with that. "Well, after he gets back from stopping a Wampus Cat from destroying Hogsmeade." 

"He's doing what?" Fudge asked.

"Yeah... That's another part Umbitch probably never told you about, either." Ryder answered. He then proceeded to tell them about the Wampus Cat.

Barnaby was by Hagrid's Garden. Hagrid wasn't there at the moment, but Barnaby had agreed to meet both Ethan and Charlie, while Liz went over to Hogsmeade Station.

"Thanks for meeting me Barnaby. I was hoping you could help Charlie and me with catching a Niffler." Ethan started.

Barnaby smiled. "How could I possibly turn down the opportunity to hold a Niffler?" He asked.

"Well... the fact that you got scratched by a bunch of Nifflers, while covered in shiny glitter." Ethan answered.

"Yeah... not my best idea. I openly admit that." Barnaby admitted.

Well at least Barnaby would be in. And that was good enough for Ethan.

"Uh, Ethan... The Niffler won't be harmed, though right?" Barnaby asked. "I would hate for it to get hurt."

"The Niffler won't be hurt." Ethan vowed. "We're going to catch the Wampus Cat before it can get close enough."

"Why can't we use Umbridge as bait?" Barnaby asked.

"Okay... Let's just ask Umbitch is she'll just be bait for an angry Wampus Cat." Ethan replied sarcastically.

"Then let's find a Niffler." Barnaby said.

"Uh, Shouldn't we look in the Forbidden Forest, though?" Ethan asked. "This doesn't seem like the place to find Nifflers..."

But Barnaby shook his head. "This is the perfect place to find Nifflers." He answered. "It's near the Red Cap's Hole and the Nifflers sometimes venture out to eat Hagrid's pumpkins."

"It eats Pumpkins?" Ethan asked. He just assumed it was because they had a golden glow around them. Especially Hagrid's Pumpkins.

"Yep." Barnaby answered.

"Okay. All we just need to do is get something Shiny to lure a Niffler." Ethan decided.

"I still have some of my glitter." Barnaby held out his pack of glitter.

"Why do you have Glitter?" Ethan asked.

"Why don't you have glitter?" Barnaby shot back.

"I've got a Golden Snitch." Charlie held out a Snitch.

"That'll work." Ethan replied.

Charlie placed it on the grounds while the boys hid behind a rock. And a Niffler rolled up. It was eating something from the Pumpkin, when it stopped and looked at the Golden Snitch like it was crack to a crack addict.

"Get ready." Ethan took out his wand. But the Niffler seemed to have intensive hearing, because it noticed Ethan. Ethan didn't have much time to hesitate. He had to take down the Niffler. "I'm really sorry about this. Stupefy."

But the Niffler jumped out of the way. Quickly too. It then started to move away.

"Come back here!" Ethan yelled at the Niffler but Barnaby and Charlie were also there to try and corner it.

Barnaby took out some left over golden glitter. That he for some reason had over. "I've got some lovely. Achoo!" He sneezed the glitter all over Charlie's face.

"Oh, no." Charlie knew what this meant. The Niffler ran all over Charlie's face faster than a person could say Quidditch. Charlie of course yelled out in pain as Barnaby rushed to get the Niffler off of Charlie. 

 "Get it off!" Charlie yelled in pain.

"Stupefy!" Ethan shot the charm on the Niffler and the Niffler went down.

"Well, at least we got the Niffler." Barnaby commented.

"We must never speak of this again." Charlie spitting out glitter from his mouth. 

"Agreed." Ethan and Barnaby replied. But they looked at the stunned Niffler.

"You know, I just want to go on record saying that I'm not comfortable with this." Ethan declared as he grabbed the Niffler. "I just hope this is worth it." 

"Let's move quickly and make sure it is. We've got a Wampus Cat that needs to get to its Litterbox." Charlie declared.

"Well good luck with that." Barnaby wished.

"You're not coming?" Ethan asked.

"No thanks. As much as I love magical creatures, I'd be terrified to be that close to a Wampus Cat." Barnaby answered.

"Alright then." Ethan replied. "Guess Charlie, Liz and I are going solo on this one."

"Okay, um just wondering. What are you going to do if things don't go according to plan, Ethan?" Barnaby asked.

"Things will go to plan." Ethan answered. "I'm confident that it will. Our plan is solid and is sure to work. And if it doesn't. Well, we'll improvise."

"A strong and confident approach! I'm sure you'll do fantastic, Ethan." Barnaby commented.

"Tell me something I don't know." Ethan replied. "Come on Charlie. We haven't got a second to lose! We should hurry and meet Liz." He motioned.

The Hogsmeade Station was completely empty. Which was good news for Ethan and the others. Liz was already there.

"Do you have the Niffler?" Liz asked.

"It's... right here." Ethan answered as he showed the stunned Niffler. "Don't worry, it's stunned. It'll be perfectly safe."

"It's a Wampus Cat. There's no such thing as safe." A voice interrupted. That was when Ethan saw the voice as Ryder.

"Ryder?" Ethan asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to speak with you. Something has happened in the Ministry and we need you to come." Ryder answered.

"Yeah, I'm kind of in the middle of something, Ryder." Ethan replied. "The Wampus Cat."

Ryder understood. "Alright. Let's get this Wampus Cat off the streets then." He declared.

"You boys need an extra hand?" That was when Ethan saw Lizzie Maxson walk over along with Jacob. "Seems you could use it-" That was when she saw the stunned Niffler. "Okay, why is there a Niffler stunned on the ground?" She asked.

Liz pointed at Charlie and Ethan.

"Well... We're using a Niffler as bait to lure the Wampus Cat." Ethan answered. "Which I was strongly against by the way."

"Who told you to do something like that?" Jacob asked. And then it clicked for both Lizzie and Jacob. "Kettleburn." They both said.

"Jinx." Jacob quickly said. Which earned him a slap on the face from Lizzie. 

"I'm still mad at you." Lizzie said.

"I know." Jacob replied.

"How did you know there was a Wampus Cat on the loose?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing stays secret in Hogsmeade." Lizzie answered. "That and Ryder told me."

"Well, that checks out." Ethan thought.

"Okay caution. Wampus Cats are no joke." Ryder warned.

"So how do we stop it?" Jacob asked.

"We lure the Wampus Cat in with the Niffler, and when it's distracted we pull the Niffler back and hit it with the Stunning Charm." Ethan answered.

"Then Hogsmeade will be saved and Mr. Diggory will be proud of us." Charlie added.

"Will it work, Ryder?" Lizzie asked.

"It can work. But we'll have to move fast." Ryder answered.

"This will work." Ethan assured talking like a true Gryffindor. 

"Well, I trust my brother to get this right. And we're all Gryffindors minus Liz. Let's catch a Cat." Jacob declared.

"Just remember that most magical creatures are more afraid of you than you are of them!" Liz reminded.

"I'm not sure that applies to the Wampus Cat, Liz, but I'll keep it in mind." Ethan replied.

"Everyone behind the conveniently laid luggage. It'll provide extra cover in the event the creature attacks us!" Ryder commanded. 

"I really hope this works..." Ethan noted.

"And I hope that the Niffler doesn't get hurt." Liz added.

"We're all wishing that." Charlie replied..

Suddenly there was a strange sound. "Shh! I think I saw something..." Jacob whispered to everyone.

The strange sound sounded like a heavy breathing. From an animal. Something large and what looked like a Mountain Lion with extra limbs jumped from one of the stone walls and on to the ground.

"There's our Kitty." Jacob said.

"It's huge." Lizzie commented.

But another look and Ryder knew something was wrong with it. "It's eyes." He pointed to the eyes.

"What?" Ethan asked. He took another look and realized that the eyes looked blood red. It's breathing also looked out of control.

"Is that normal, Mr. Ryder?" Charlie asked.

Ryder shook its head. "Drugged." He whispered.

"Drugged?" Liz asked. "Who would-?"

The Wampus Cat yelled out a fierce roar. Like a Lion. And it was going after the Niffler.

"Crap!" Ethan jumped out to block the way. He cast his wand and tried to shoot Stupefy at the Cat, but the Wampus jumped out of the way and started to pounce on Ethan.

"Ethan! Look out!" Charlie yelled.

The Wampus Cat slashed at Ethan knocking him into the train station building and into a wall, knocking his wand out in the process.

Ethan tried looking for his wand but he saw the Wampus Cat on him. He also saw Jacob running up to assist. But it didn't seem like he would get there in time. There was only one solution. Wandless Magic.

Ethan held out his hands. "Stupefy!" He yelled out, and the Wampus Cat was knocked back and over the railroad tracks. But it was getting back up.

"No way, that thing is still not down." Lizzie commented.

That was when Ryder went up and in an expert maneuver jumped over the rails and shot the Petrifying Charm at the Cat. And the Cat was knocked out cold. But still whimpering as if it was in pain. And everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"That... was close." Jacob breathed heavily.

He saw Ethan get up and was wobbling when walking. "See, Jacob. That wasn't so hard." He then fell down.

And Lizzie helped him off. "Are you okay, Ethan? How man fingers am I holding up?" She asked as she held up two fingers.

"6?" Ethan asked.

"Close enough." Jacob said. "We got you."

"Did we win?" Ethan asked.

"Yep. You and Ryder knocked the Wampus Cat unconscious!" Liz answered.

"And the Niffler isn't hurt!" Charlie added. "Looks like he's getting back up." He commented as the Niffler darted away.

"No hard feelings?" Ethan asked. It didn't answer. "Yeah, thought so." They didn't have time to chase the Niffler. They were more concerned with the Cat.

"Aww, he's kind of cute up close! I think I'll call him Tim." Liz commented.

"Hold up there." Ryder interrupted. "I got to do one thing with "Tim" here." He then took out his wand and it was as if he was making some enchanting.

And then a red stream of dust came out of the Wampus. "What is that?" Ethan asked.

"Red Dust." Ryder answered gritting his teeth. 

"But that's illegal." Lizzie said.

"Doesn't stop people from using it." Ryder growled. 

"Uh, Red Dust?" Ethan asked.

Ryder sighed. "Red Dust is a drug. Makes you go insane, barbaric. You have no control over any of your actions. It makes you act like a wild animal." He answered.

"But why would anyone want to drug a innocent creature?" Liz asked.

"For sport." Ryder answered. "And there's only one man that has access to a surplus of Red Dust. Derek Slayton."

"Who's that?" Charlie asked. 

"He runs the Mid Atlantic Cartel of American Mobsters." Ryder answered. "He's been on multiple hit lists for some time. He's responsible for Drugging, Smuggling, Murderer, Drugging Animals. To name a few." 

"He drugs magical creatures?" Liz asked horrified.

Ryder nodded. "Not just Wampus, but others. Nifflers, Porlock, Thestrals, Unicorns. You name it. They give Red Dust to the creatures. And the creatures all fight each other, and cause some chaos. Then Dark Wizards make bets for entertainment." He explained.

"That is messed up." Ethan replied.

And Liz felt her hands make fists. "I swear if I find this Slayton, I'm going to destroy him anew!" She shouted.

"But wait, why would Slayton send a Wampus to Great Britain? Isn't the U.S. his turf?" Lizzie asked.

"Until now." Ryder answered. "Slayton got help. Must've been from Trotsky." 

"Trotsky?" Ethan asked. "He's in the U.S. now?"

Ryder nodded. "That's what I need to talk to you about. And what we need to discuss with someone." 

Deep down Ethan had a bad feeling about this. But first thing first. "All right, Liz, why don't you take the back legs? Charlie can--" That was when he noticed a sock on the Wampus. "Is that a sock?" He asked.

"That's strange... why is there a sock on the Wampus Cat?" Jacob asked.

"The Portkey Office. Something was stolen from the Portkey Office. That sock was a Portkey." Ethan realized.

"Well that's not good." Lizzie commented.

"No it's not." Ryder replied.

"We need to get this Wampus Cat to the Ministry." Ethan declared.

"And then what?" Jacob asked.

"Then I go speak to whoever Ryder wants me to speak to." Ethan answered.

"So, I take it we're going to handle the Wampus first?" Charlie asked.

Ethan nodded. "This isn't just a European affair now. No one is safe." He realized. And there was another thought of what would happen. And it was Trotsky. Ethan just won another victory. And he knew what that meant.

Trotsky had just gotten the results of the Wampus Cat encounter. It was time to call a meeting. 

"Very impressive, Ethan. Even with that Cat drugged and turned aggressive, he still found a way to win. What say you, Slayton?" He asked around the table. There was Lucius Malfoy, Vercingetorix, Talos, Fenrir Greyback, Sigurd, Slayton, and Diablo also in attendance.

 Slayton rolled his eyes. "Yeah, isn't that grand?" He sarcastically asked.  "Stupid Red dust. You get that Wampus all drugged up and stuff, and it doesn't do squat." 

 "Although..." He then walked over and grabbed Slayton by the throat. 

 "Gen-Gentle, Boss." Slayton chocked.  

 "Your mess with the cage nearly got Merula and her friend killed." Trotsky pointed out.

 "They jumped out of the way, Boss." Slayton tried to justify. "I don't see why they couldn't be smarter than that. 

Wrong answer there.  "Are you suggesting Merula is dumb?" Trotsky asked feeling one of his wand grow stronger.

 All the other eyes widened. 

 "No... sir." Slayton answered.

 Trotsky put his wand down. "And you'll do well to remember it." He warned. "Now then." He got back to his business. "One question I ask everyone is this now. How does a boy, who's mind was pushed to his limit manage to rise back up and take down this Wampus Cat?" 

Everyone looked around awkwardly. "Don't be shy." Trotsky said.

 "Determination?" Talos asked.

 "Luck?" Vercingetorix asked.

"Ale?" Sigurd asked.  

"Nobody asked you, Sigurd." Trotsky grumbled. "And that would be true with your statements, but no. Delores Umbridge puts Ethan on the spotlight. He has a bit of a mental breakdown; he gets back up." 

"Sir?" Malfoy asked not knowing where this was going.   

"Not many men can rise from the ashes of despair. I included. No. Who has the capability to give a man hope in his darkest of times? It's a girl." Trotsky explained as all the others around the room looked in confusion. But they soon realized what Trotsky was talking about. 

 "So... does Ethan have anybody he's infatuated with, Uncle Iosef?" Talos asked.  

"Of course he does, Talos." Trotsky answered. "A 7th Year Hufflepuff. Her name: Penny Haywood if I recall from Merula." He then proceeded to show an image of Penny Haywood. Her long blonde braided hair, her blue eyes and perfect smile. Sitting on the front courtyard fountain with Ethan and them holding hands. It was an image of their first date. 

"Half Blood." Malfoy grunted.

 Slayton on the other hand laughed. "Oh, dude. That is not happening. There is no way, that Dumbo is dating that woof woof." He made a dog bark with that woof woof sound.  

Diablo the other Mobster made a whistling sound. 

 "She is a beautiful girl. Only a fool would question it." Trotsky continued. "And it appears Ethan has not stopped his present course from getting more victories. And what's more is that he has my Runestone." 

 "What are you suggesting, My Lord?" Vercingetorix asked. 

Trotsky laughed. "Ethan is going to give me back my Runestone. Willingly." He answered.   

"And, why would he do that?" Slayton asked. "I seriously doubt the kid is a dealer type." 

 Trotsky didn't seem fazed. "Everyone can be bargained with. That is... if you have the right chips to bargain with." He looked at the image of Penny closely. And everyone could see where this was going. 

 It then hit for Fenrir Greyback. "I remember that girl now. She ran away from me and my boys on Halloween a few years back. Almost a shame to have to scratch that pretty face when next we meet." 

Slayton smiled evilly. "There is no way Bauer is going to deny a girl that pretty. Oh, this is going to be too fun." He noted. 

Trotsky pointed at Slayton. "You messed up with the Cat, Slayton. So here is your chance to make amends. You will go to Hogwarts, take the girl, and bring her to me. ...Alive. Greyback will assist you." He ordered.

 Slayton shrugged his shoulders. "Not a problem Boss. So, the girl..." 

 "No harm comes to the girl..." Trotsky looked at Fenrir Greyback. "...Not yet at least." It was something that Greyback reluctantly agreed to.

"Not only will Miss Haywood be useful in getting the Runestone back, but she'll serve another purpose as well. In Mexico." Trotsky added.

 "Ha!" Slayton turned to Greyback. "Come on, fur ears. We've got a date with a little blondie." Greyback laughed. And they both started to walk out. 

Trotsky continued to look at the image of Ethan's girlfriend. "You should be more careful with your relationships, Ethan. Umbridge may not be able to break you. But this will."