Ah, he'd been right! That pleased Tapio--all those riddle games with his sons when they were younger had paid off. It also meant they weren't in danger from the Sphinx--for now. Tapio watched with interest as the creature stretched and sauntered off and back again with the book, which actually did exist, apparently. But--did she say 'I am a cat'? She couldn't have meant it, could she? Perhaps it was just a joke. Or maybe--the thought just occurred to him--it sounded like the kind of thing Peeves would say. How unpleasant a creature he was--they were lucky the Sphinx wasn't in a bad mood with them. Just to be on the safe side, Tapio bowed again and said, "Thank you very much." Not just for the book, but for giving them such an easy riddle, for he was quite sure the Sphinx could do a lot harder ones than that if she had wished to.
And then it all proceeded quite quickly--the book was returned, they all banished it, hopefully to the potions lab, and now it was up to the others to finish. All they had left was to make their way back through the dangerous Forbidden Forest back to the castle without losing any students along the way--no pressure or anything. Then again, perhaps he could pick up a rare plant or two along the way, if one happened to be handy. "Everyone keep aware on the way back to the castle," he reminded the students. "Just because we completed our quest doesn't mean we can relax too much in the Forbidden Forest. And no wandering off, or staying behind." He glanced over at Milo as he said this last, for the boy had seemed just a little too interested in the Sphinx and her riddles.
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