Hermione's father had insisted on putting the lights on the tree before allowing his wife and daughter to place a single ornament in the boughs, even after Hermione had assured him that she could position the bulbs perfectly with a single wave of her wand. She was just about to tell Ron and Harry not to worry when Starless gave the tree a good sniff, danced in place, and angled himself to give the tree a proper watering.
Harry shouted, Leila pointed and laughed with delight, and Starless jumped. And before he could resume his business, Crookshanks dashed out of Hermione's office with a yowl and lunged for his nose.
Starless yipped and fled for what he probably thought was the safety of the kitchen. Hermione closed her eyes, counted to ten, and aimed a shield spell at the kitchen doorway to keep the dog there, at least for a while.