The Trouble with Scabbers

Introduction

Hello everyone, welcome to our Walkthrough for The Trouble with Scabbers Side Quest for Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery. This side quest is available for students of Year 5 and above. It should unlock upon reaching Chapter 21 of Year 5.

Also, in order to complete it, you will need to acquire a pet rat. When you unlock the quest, Charlie will ask you to meet with him in the Great Hall, so proceed there once you’re ready.

Summary

Walkthrough

[Disclaimer: This walkthrough will feature the gameplay from the perspective of a Year 7 student. Since this side quest is available for students of Year 5 and above, the requirements for certain tasks might be different for you, depending on the year you’re in or the level of your attributes.]

Upon arriving, you will be able to interact with some of the characters and see what they have to say.

Charlie will thank you for agreeing to meet with him. You will immediately notice the worried look on both him and Percy, so you’ll ask if anything is wrong.

They will explain that Scabbers has been acting extremely odd lately.

Charlie will point out that you’ve spent time with Scabbers, so you might be able to figure out what’s wrong.

He will ask if you’d be willing to help. There are two options to reply with. If you like Charlie, it is recommended to pick the first option. Otherwise, feel free to go with either option since they’ll both end up with a similar outcome.

You will ask them if Scabbers is around. Moments later, you will notice him sitting comfortably on Percy’s lap.

Upon taking a look at him, you won’t be able to notice anything out of the ordinary. Percy will place him on the table and say that something is definitely off about him. Scabbers will cower in fear and let out a squeak.

Percy will say that he’s afraid of something. You’ll decide to take a look try to figure out what’s wrong with Scabbers.

Examining Scabbers requires earning five stars within an hour. Only one star is needed to pass.

If you are looking to save as much energy as possible, it is recommended to earn a single star and wait for the timer to run out. It is also worth noting there are two bonus progress actions linked to Charlie.

You will admit that something is definitely off about Percy’s rat. Scabbers is afraid of something.

Moments later, Professor Snape will approach you. Needless to say, he won’t be happy to see a rat on the table.

Charlie will say that you are trying to figure out what’s wrong with Scabbers while Percy will explain that his rat usually doesn’t behave like that.

You’ll also say a few words. The following lines will differ, based on whether you have a pet rat or not.

Poor Scabbers will just cower and look away.

Professor Snape will make it perfectly clear that rats don’t belong in the Great Hall, especially not on top of the dining table.

Percy will apologize to him. As soon as Snape leaves, he will be quick to blame you.

Charlie will ask his brother not to be rude to you. After all, you agreed to help him with Scabbers.

Percy will simply stand up and leave the Great Hall without saying anything. Charlie will try to think of a way to calm Scabbers down.

You will suggest bringing a rat for him to play with. Charlie will decide to borrow Scabbers from Percy, and he’ll ask you to meet him in the Library.

The following task requires you to obtain a pet rat. You will need 160 gems to do so.

Proceed to the Library once you’re ready to meet with Charlie. He will ask if you brought your rat along. You will nod and introduce your rat to him.

Charlie will be happy to hear that. You’ll then introduce your rat to Scabbers.

They will immediately connect, and you will notice that they like each other. You will be curious to know how Charlie persuaded his brother to let him borrow Scabbers. He’ll say he simply explained that playing with another rat would be good for Scabbers.

Charlie will ask if you understand why Percy cares so much about his rat. There are two options to reply with. This choice won’t have any big impact on the story, so feel free to take your pick.

You will then get to play with the rats for a while. This requires earning five stars within an hour. One star is needed to pass.

Like before, if you are looking to save some energy, you should earn a single star and wait for the timer to run out. Also, there are bonus progress actions linked to Charlie and Scabbers.

Madam Pince will notice the rats playing on the table, and she’ll demand an explanation.

You’ll try to explain that the rats are just playing. Unfortunately, she will find their squeaking unbearably loud. Charlie will apologize and he’ll promise to keep them quiet.

You will notice an interesting thing. For some reason, Scabbers wasn’t too bothered by Madam Pince. Charlie will say that Percy’s rat usually isn’t bothered by most things.

You will wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the Library is very quiet. Charlie will suggest testing that theory. However, the two of you will first need to persuade Percy.

Proceed to the Great Hall when you are ready. Upon arriving, you will notice the speech bubbles above some of the characters. Tap on those if you are interested to see what they have to say.

Percy will be surprised that Scabbers caused a fuss in the Library. He will blame it entirely on your rat.

You will say that isn’t the case since the two of them were playing together happily. Charlie will wonder why his brother wanted to bring Scabbers to the Great Hall, especially after what happened earlier.

Percy will explain that he thought Scabbers might be peckish after a nice, quiet time in the library. Charlie will mention that he might be afraid of loud noises. Percy will reply that Scabbers has never been bothered by loud noises before.

Sadly, that’s the only theory you have, so Charlie will ask his brother to let him bring Scabbers to a place with a lot of loud noises.

You will suggest taking him to Zonko’s Joke Shop. Unfortunately, Percy won’t like the idea at all. He will even question your ability to help Scabbers.

There are two options to reply with. This choice will be referenced several times later on. If you like Percy and Charlie, it is recommended to pick the first option.

In the end, you will have to convince Percy you’ll take good care of Scabbers. The task window will display the recommended attribute levels as well as the cost of each attempt. Hit Start once you’re ready to begin.

This task is fairly similar to Meal With a Friend activity. Its difficulty is highly dependent on your attribute levels. For most of the Year 6 and 7 students, these attribute requirements will be fairly low. However, if you are still in Year 5 and you rushed through the story, you might have a harder time completing this task.

Thankfully, this side quest is not time-limited, so you can always try again later, once you increase your attributes. In any case, you should pick the options that will convince Percy everything will be fine. The images below contain questions and answers.

• Why should I trust you to help? – I have experience with rats. (Empathy)
• Why would he fear loud noises? – A bad experience (Empathy)
• Why take him to Zonko’s? – It’s the noisiest place I know. (Knowledge)
• What will you do at Zonko’s? – Watch Scabbers closely (Knowledge)
• What if Scabbers gets scared? – I’ll bring him back to Hogwarts. (Courage)
• What if he runs away? – I’ll search everywhere for him. (Empathy)

In the end, Percy will allow you to take Scabbers to Zonko’s, as long as you also bring your rat to keep him company.

You’ll find his proposition very acceptable. Shortly after, Percy will leave the Great Hall.

Charlie will apologize for his brother’s behavior. Your previous choice will take effect here.

In any case, he will suggest getting out of the Great Hall as soon as possible, before Snape catches you. He’ll tell you to meet him at Zonko’s.

Proceed to Zonko’s Joke Shop when you are ready. Once you arrive, you will be able to interact with some of the characters and see what they have to say.

You will tell Charlie you completely understand why Percy didn’t want to let you bring his rat to Zonko’s.

However, it is the easiest way to test if Scabbers is afraid of loud noises. Charlie will turn to him and ask if he agrees. The rat will simply squeak at your friend.

You’ll notice that he doesn’t look bothered by the noise much. On the other hand, your rat will look very tense.

As for Scabbers, he won’t seem to care at all. Charlie will point out that he’s never seen Percy’s rat so calm.

Since Scabbers is most likely not afraid of loud noises, you will ask Charlie if he wants to head back to the castle.

Before he gets to answer your question, Bilton will approach, surprised to see you leaving so soon.

You’ll try to explain that you wanted to see how Scabbers would react to a lot of noise. Bilton will look completely shocked once he realizes there are rats inside the shop.

You’ll assume he wants you to leave as soon as possible. Surprisingly enough, Bilton will be more than happy to let the rats browse some of the items.

Charlie will suggest staying for a while longer. He will also say that it might help your rat relax. Browsing Zonko’s requires earning five stars within three hours. Three stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions linked to Charlie and your rat. Prioritize those if you want to save some energy.

After browsing Zonko’s for a while, your rat will squeak at you. You’ll figure out it’s time to head back to the castle.

Still, you’ll need to figure out what’s frightening Scabbers, since loud noises don’t bother him. Charlie will admit he is kinda sad that you went to Zonko’s for nothing.

You’ll point out that you did manage to prove that Scabbers is not afraid of loud noises. Still, you will somehow have to figure out what’s bothering him.

Charlie will suggest asking Percy about the other times Scabbers was behaving out of the ordinary.

Proceed to the Great Hall when you are ready. Upon arriving, you will notice the speech bubbles above some of the characters. Tap on those if you are interested to see what they have to say.

Percy will be very happy to see his pet rat again. He’ll ask if you managed to find out what’s wrong with Scabbers.

Unfortunately, you weren’t able to figure out what’s ailing his rat. You’ll also tell him that Scabbers didn’t mind the noise at all.

In other words, loud noises are not something he’s afraid of. Percy won’t be too happy to hear that you brought him to Zonko’s Joke Shop.

He’ll even point out that Scabbers looks even worse than before. Charlie will snap at his brother and tell him to behave himself.

This will draw the attention of Professor Snape, who will want to know what’s going on. Charlie will quickly say it’s nothing.

The Professor will ‘kindly’ ask all of you to stop disturbing everyone else. He’ll then smell the air and ask if there are any rats around.

After a moment of awkward silence, you will tell him there are no rats in the Great Hall.

As soon as Snape leaves, you will realize that both of the rats are gone. Percy will quickly blame his brother. Charlie will tell him that he should’ve kept a better eye on his rat.

You’ll tell them to calm down and suggest looking for Scabbers. Searching for Scabbers requires earning five stars within eight hours. All five stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions tied to your character and Charlie. Focus on those if you are looking to save some energy.

Thankfully, both rats will return after a while. Percy will be immensely happy to see Scabbers again.

The following lines of dialogue will differ, based on whether or not you snapped at Percy earlier.

In the end, you will be able to convince Charlie to stop being mad at his brother. He will apologize to Percy for yelling at him.

Percy will accept his apology and say that he has a Potions class to attend. As for Charlie, he will decide to go and finish his Care of Magical Creatures homework.

This will give you an interesting idea. You will suggest asking Professor Kettleburn for help.

Percy will actually like your idea. Proceed to Care of Magical Creatures when you are ready.

Upon greeting Professor Kettleburn, you will tell him you have a creature-related problem. He’ll be interested to hear all about it.

Charlie will tell him there is a problem with Percy’s rat, Scabbers. The Professor will say that he doesn’t usually work with non-magical creatures.

You will tell him that Scabbers is afraid of something. Sadly, you couldn’t figure out what he is afraid of. The Professor will admit that he doesn’t know much about rats.

Charlie will say that you also brought your rat. Professor Kettleburn will be happy to hear that because your rat can be a baseline example for studying rat behavior.

Professor Kettleburn will ask you to tell him everything you learned so far. You will quickly fill him in.

Unfortunately, the Professor will need to gather some food for the Fire Crabs, and there might not be enough time for him to help you before his next class begins.

You will quickly offer to help him. Needless to say, Professor Kettleburn will gladly accept your help.

Looking for creature food requires earning five stars within three hours. Three stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions linked to you and your rat. Prioritize those if you want to save as much energy as possible.

The Professor will thank you for helping him collect food for the Fire Crabs. He will then say that Scabbers is showing signs of acute stress.

You’ll ask if there’s anything you can do to help. He will suggest using some rat tonic to treat Percy’s rat.

You’ll ask if he knows where to get some rat tonic. Professor Kettleburn will say that Professor Snape could probably help you with it.

Charlie will ask if you have any plan to convince Snape to help you. There are three options to choose from. This choice will have an impact during some of the dialogue later on, but it won’t affect the outcome of the quest, so feel free to pick the option you prefer.

Head to the Potions Classroom when you are ready. Professor Snape will be surprised to see you in his classroom.

Charlie will quickly say that you need some rat tonic. Snape will ask if you need it for your rat.

You’ll explain that your rat is perfectly healthy. Your previous choice will take effect here. Thankfully, each option will be good enough to convince Snape to help you.

Professor Snape will say that brewing rat tonic is relatively simple. He will provide you with necessary ingredients and instructions.

Moments later, you will start brewing rat tonic. This requires earning five stars within eight hours. All five stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions tied to your character and some ingredients. Focus on those if you want to save some energy.

Once you’re done brewing, Charlie will ask Snape if the potion looks all right. The Professor will take a look at it and say that it appears passable. Still, you will need a test subject to confirm it.

Suddenly, Percy will enter the classroom saying that he’s been looking for you everywhere. Scabbers will let out a loud squeak upon seeing everyone.

Snape will ask him to control his rat. You will suddenly realize something. You’ll ask Percy to bring his rat closer. As soon as he does, Scabbers will start cowering.

This is when you’ll figure out that he’s afraid of Professor Snape. Percy will be surprised to hear that. Charlie will recall all the times Scabbers panicked.

He will point out that Scabbers behaved normally any time Professor Snape wasn’t around. Percy will turn to his rat and ask if it’s true. Scabbers will just squeak at him.

Charlie will suggest taking him out of the classroom. Still, his brother will not understand why Scabbers is afraid of Professor Snape. The Professor will tell all of you to discuss that matter far away from his classroom.

Charlie will tell you not to worry about the rat tonic. Shortly after, all of you will leave the place.

Proceed to the Library when you are ready to meet with Percy. You will ask Charlie if Scabbers is all right after taking the rat tonic.

Thankfully, the tonic turned out fine and it helped Percy’s rat with his stress.

Charlie will say that his brother wanted to ask you a favor.

Percy will tell you he has to speak to Professor Snape about his homework, so he will ask you to keep an eye on his rat in the meantime.

You will gladly agree to his proposition. After all, it will give your rat an opportunity to play with Scabbers for a while.

Percy will thank you for everything you’ve done to help. Needless to say, you will be surprised to hear him say those words.

You’ll ask Charlie if he had anything to do with it.

Apparently, your friend didn’t do anything. Percy was genuinely grateful for your help.

Charlie will also point out that you went out of your way to convince Snape to help. These lines will differ slightly, based on the choice you made previously.

In any case, he will be sure that Percy appreciates your help. Your rat will look at Scabbers and squeak.

You will happily allow them to play. You’ll then get to watch the rats play with each other.

This requires earning five stars within three hours. All five stars are needed to pass, so avoid starting this task if you are out of energy.

There are bonus progress actions linked to Charlie and Scabbers. Focus on their actions if you want to save as much energy as possible.

After a while, Percy will return to the Library. Charlie will ask him if everything went well. He’ll be quite confident he aced his assignment.

He will ask if Scabbers was behaving well during his absence. You will smile and say that his rat was very quiet. Percy will be glad to hear that Scabbers is back to normal.

You will notice that Madam Pince is looking your way, so you’ll suggest leaving the Library.

Before leaving, Charlie will thank you for helping Percy and his rat. You’ll humbly say it wasn’t a big deal. After all, your rat enjoyed spending time with Scabbers.

The following lines will differ, based on whether or not you snapped at Percy earlier.

In any case, Charlie will say he is happy to have you as a friend.

You will tell him that he is a great brother to Percy.

Shortly after, The Trouble with Scabbers Side Quest will conclude. Hit the Collect button to claim your rewards. You will receive 400 Experience Points.

That was quite an exciting quest. You got to spend some fun time with your pet rat. More importantly, you strengthened your friendship with Charlie, and you helped Percy and Scabbers.

Thank you for reading and see you soon with more amazing quests and adventures!