All so quiet. The Sphinx looked between each of those faces, until one of the adults spoke up.

"Yes, he left it with me for safe-keeping," she said, flexing her paws and digging her claws into the dirt below. "But when he came to retrieve it, he could not answer my riddle. Then he tried to take it by force, but flew away before I could maim him." Though the Sphinx wasn't sure if she could maim him at all, whether he was more ghost than mortal or vice versa, it was still a disappointing performance. Made worse still by the fact that the poltergeist was a rather unpleasant little man. "I would be happy to return it, so long as you answer my riddle. Or you may walk away without answering, if you choose."

She sat back at her haunches, and recited the riddle - a different one to that which she had given to Peeves (and perhaps a much easier one too) - without further ado:


"My first is at the head of a crowd
When I'm happy I rumble, when I'm angry I growl
My second is in the belly of the beast
On birds, mice, and fish, I'm likely to feast
My third and last is the tail of a rat
With all this in mind, I must be..."

The Sphinx stopped speaking, and waited.