Percy ultimately refused to lend his pet Scabbers to Albert, even when Fred offered to pay a few Sickles as a rental fee. This was well within Albert's expectations; though the Weasleys were a bit strapped for cash, they treated their family members and pets quite well, so he hadn't really expected it to succeed.
"What kind of experiment do you want to do with a rat?"
On the way to Herbology class, Lee Jordan curiously brought up what had just happened. Why did Albert need a live rat? And the experiment he mentioned sounded intriguing.
Chapter 139