Pets on the Table

Sitting on the table might not be the best thing, but if one was a rat one was excused. Even if one was an over 50 cm long rat… So Smurf could stay right where he was, happily stealing pieces of his owner’s breakfast (and some other’s of he could get away with it), only making the Gryffindor-girl smile.
Looking around Freya hoped people wouldn’t mind this; she really didn’t need more trouble with the teachers…

Professor Lionheart approached the Gryffindor table, humming a merry tune as he/she looked at the giant rat, "Well well well, what do we have here Ms Williams~?" He/She bent down a bit to observe the rodent a bit more carefully. "You should know that pets are to be kept in your dorms~"

Smurf simply waved his whiskers at the stranger, then stole the remains of Freya's toast when she wasn't looking

The young Gryffindor looked up at the professor, blinking "But Sir, isn't that animal-abuse? Can't he at least be allowed to go out outside?"
She could just imagen what the dorm would look like after that big rat had been left alone and bored in there a few days in a row...

"Hm...~ I suppose you're right to some extent, but most rats don't tend to venture out of their safety nests (in my limited knowledge of them)." Lionheart sighed a bit, "I suggest you take him to Professor Wong, the Care of Magical Creatures professor and see what she says about this little fellow~"

"You say I should bother a professor in the middle of his breakfast, Sir?"
She had to ask, even if there was little doubt she wouldn't to it; it was an order from a professor...

"Hm...~ Not quite, Professor Wong eats her breakfast with the sunrise along with most of her magical creatures, didn't you know~? She should be taking care of a few Grindylows near the Black Lake right now in fact~"

"Well, put like that..."
Without another word she grabbed another sandwitch, got Smurf up on her shoulder, gave the professor a nod and hurried out of the Great Hall

Professor Jasmine Wong was wrestling (gently) with a grindylow, trying to convince him that it was better to be in a nice, isolated cage where it was warmer than in the Black Lake. So far, her efforts were useless.

running down to the lake, wasting no time, Freya then stopped when she was close enough; she didn't want to disturbe the professor when she was working, so she'd wait here for her turn...

Finally getting the Grindylow in it's designated tank, she was surprised to see a Gryffindor waiting for her, "Hello there Ms Williams, what's up?"

"Well, the other professor just told me that I shouldn't let my pet out outside the dorm, but I disagreed with him so he sent me out here to ge tthe rules confirmed, Sir!"
she pushed Smurf back up on her shoulder; he was getting quite curious at that grindylogg...

"Oh? Which other professor?" She frowned a bit at the 'sir', "And calling me prof is just fine, you know."

"The one who always hang in the libaray nowdays."
She was horrible at remembering names....

"Ah Sir Lionheart." She waved the thought off, "He's out to make trouble. As long as that rat of yours doesn't gnaw on something it isn't supposed to, it's alright for him to be out and about under your care."

"So... if he much on stuff like my breakfast, and I'm okay with it... it's all right?"
she didn't have to mention that some people who weren't that good with rats usually frowned upon him...

"Of course. It's not like he's hurting anyone, right?"

"Okay, thank you Sir!"
With a big grin she then hurried back to school; if she was lucky she could steal some leftovers from the breakfast and see if Smurf could remember any of the tricks her grandfather taught him

By now, most of the students had left the Great Hall and gone off to their own devices. Among the few inside the Great Hall were two Wongs: Artemis and Ares. The Ravenclaw seemed to be in quiet conversation with her cousin in Slytherin when Freya re-entered the Great Hall. Whatever they were talking about, it didn't seem to hold much importance considering how she seemed to be half-awake while they spoke in low tones.

As the Gryffindor was no one to snoop around and get her nose into other's buisness she only nodded at the two in a greeting, and then didn't even bother to check if they had seen it before grabbing some bread and fruit, then set off again, this time going towards the stairs...