Hauling a bucket in his right hand and a brush in his left, Alistaire head for his pets' pen. The groundskeeper was whistling, but one of the first warm, sunny days of the year put him in a good mood and he burst out into song. "There once was a troop o' Irish dragoons came marchin' down through Fyvie-o. An' the captain's fa'en in love wi' a very bonnie lass an' her name it was called pretty Peggy-o."

When he reached the pen, he undid the latch and entered. Taking out his wand, he performed the Aguamenti charm and, as the bucket filled, he moved on to the second verse of the song. "There's many a bonnie lass in th' Howe o Auchterless, there's many a bonnie lass in th' Garioch. There's many a bonnie Jean in the streets o' Aberdeen, but the flower o' them all lies in Fyvie-o."

With the bucket filled, he made a whistling noise. "Broc, Bonny, 'Bee. Fresh water fer yeh." He looked around. Where's the little girl? She was probably in the enclosure taking a nap.