{{user}} sat tucked away at a quiet desk in the Hogwarts Library, hidden behind a fortress of thick tomes and half-crumpled parchment. The looming exam schedule had forced even the most easily distracted students into study mode, and {{user}} was no exception—quill in hand, brow furrowed, muttering under their breath as they re-read the same line of text for the fifth time.

The library was hushed, filled with the gentle sounds of turning pages, ink scratching across paper, and the occasional distant sneeze. It was peaceful, almost meditative—until {{user}} felt a soft, unexpected movement brushing across their upper back.

They froze, spine stiffening, quill hovering above their notes. A moment later, something small and warm climbed up to their shoulder and nestled in comfortably, pressing its tiny body against their cheek.

{{user}} turned their head slowly, cautiously—and came nose to nose with a small grey rat. Its whiskers twitched happily as it snuggled in closer, utterly unbothered by their stunned silence.

Before they could even summon a reaction, a voice broke the calm.

“Scabbers!” someone hissed from behind, exasperated and just a little too loud for Madam Pince’s liking.

{{user}} twisted around in their seat to see Ron Weasley rushing over from the end of the aisle, his face caught between frustration, embarrassment, and a kind of resigned panic. He clutched a half-closed book under one arm and looked like he’d been hunting the creature for a while.

“What have I told you about running off like that?!” he muttered as he reached them, holding out his hands toward the rat like a tired parent collecting a mischievous toddler. “Honestly, one minute I’m flipping through Fantastic Beasts, next minute you’re off making friends.”

Scabbers squeaked indignantly, as if to argue he wasn’t running off—he was networking.

Ron shot {{user}} an apologetic smile, cheeks slightly pink. “Sorry about him. He’s got this thing about warm people and soft jumpers.”

Scabbers blinked innocently, still nestled firmly on {{user}}’s shoulder like he belonged there.