Avalon waited near the end of the course for Shadow to return. The cat usually gave up on his hunting pursuits after he realized that it was relatively impossible to catch a bird that high up in the sky. As soon as she spotted him slinking back across the grass, Avalon jogged over to him. She scooped the feline up and trudged back across the grounds. No use in finishing the course now. At least Professor Williamson didn't expect them to make every single obstacle.

"Well, Shadow didn't have much internal motivation to complete the course, but at least he was pretty cooperative when I offered him some treats," she said, contemplating what went well and what was difficult. "I've seen some Muggles run their dogs through courses like these, and the dogs don't even need any treats or toys to get them through. They just run it on their own!" Maybe that was just a cat versus dog thing. But it would be cool if Shadow could do that. "And the distractions were a struggle. Shadow bolted as soon as he saw that bird!"