BROTHERHOOD ⟶ Harry Potter

Chapter Fifteen

Milo continued to stand in front of the three-headed dog, his feet firmly planted in place when he knew damn well that he should have run like the others did. He couldn't help it though, he just found himself in a happy state of shock to learn why the students had been forbidden to come down the specific corridor. In most scenarios, people would have condemned the school for having such a dangerous beast on the grounds, let alone in the actual castle, but  Milo knew there had to be a reason. Surely, his mother and the rest of the staff were aware, so what were they doing hiding a giant three-headed dog in a room for?

He was surprised that Hagrid wasn't there at that exact moment, giving the dog a belly rub, the man often expressed his love for the big beasties. But that shouldn't have been what went through the boy's mind initially, his fight or flight survival instincts should have kicked it right away as he was faced with danger. But as the dog beast continued to near him, Milo didn't feel the need to run. No matter how much they snarled or growled at him, he remained perfectly still. He suddenly heard the sounds of Harry and the others attempting to get back into the room, but the dog had that taken care of as one of the massive paws was suddenly pressed against the door, keeping it closed. 

The head in the middle lowered down first, nearing Milo with all of its teeth exposed. Finally, Milo seemed to snap back into reality as a small gasp escaped from him and he took a step back. 

"Sorry to interrupt your nap, Mr. Beastie," Milo said quietly, making sure not to make direct eye contact as he focused on the wooden floor. "But I can offer an explanation."

The dogs barked simultaneously, drowning out Milo's words and causing his hair to flutter about. 

"Or not," he muttered. "I perfectly understand, I don't like when people disrupt my sleep either. In fact, I would probably react the same way as you, but perhaps with less drool and barking. My mother would never allow that sort of behavior."

Suddenly, the dog on the right began to sniff the air as its head grew closer and closer to Milo, sniffing the boy's robes. He stood perfectly still in place when all three heads started to sniff at him. He began to shiver out of fear even though he was fully aware that animals could sense fear, but he really didn't care at that point. He could hear Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville, pounding on the door and calling him to come out. 

But before he could respond and tell them that he was okay for the time being, he was suddenly nudged by one of the heads, nearly knocking him back in the wall. The three heads were no longer growling or barking, they were just staring at him expectantly. Perhaps they were having a mental debate about who would get the first bite out of him. But they made no attempt to attack him, they would simply sniff at his robes and nudge him. 

"I'm afraid I don't...."

Milo shoved his hands into the pocket of his robes to figure out what they were sniffing at when he suddenly felt a small wrapped parcel in his pocket. He quickly took it out, to see that Bitsy had actually still packed him a midnight treat even though he had declined earlier. It was a small parcel but full of biscuits and small pastries that she was fully aware that the boy enjoyed. As soon as he held the treats in hand, the room suddenly became quiet and he saw the three dogs just staring directly at the food. 

"Oh," Milo said with a small grin. He glanced up at the three heads, their eyes alert and begging. "You three are begging!"

He let out a laugh, some of it to release the nerves, the rest in total disbelief. He quickly threw one of the biscuits into the air where the one of the left snatched it up. The other two appeared angered that he was fed first. Quickly, Milo saw how he was going to get out of the room as he launched all the goodies into the air and allowed them to scramble about. With the massive paw off the door, Milo was able to yank it open and run out, only to crash into the four younger students.