The Grants Artefacts

19 Nifflers and Bowtruckles

Nifflers and bowtruckles.

Griffin and Jacob sat together in Creature Club, playing with a Bowtruckle and discussing their holidays. Arun sat at the front of the class reading up on the next week's lessons and deciding how she wanted to teach them. She had deliberately placed Griffin and Jacob near her desk so she could listen in to what they were saying and she was glad of it too, because it didn't take long for them to forget who might be listening.

"My mother said that Hogwarts will be attacked. She said that the Centaurs fought off a number of werewolves a few days ago but Dumbledore's been ordered to keep quiet about it. The Daily Prophet isn't printing either."

Arun looked up at the redhead and wondered who her mother was. There were a number of Griffins who worked at the ministry that she knew about, but none of them were in positions where they would know something like that.

"Do you think they are after it too?"

"I think they are after us, but if we are going to be attacked that would be the perfect time for Snape to steal it. I bet he invited them here to cause a distraction."

Jacob leaned in, "But what can we do?" he pressed. "We've already landed Rab in . I won't put anybody else at risk."

"We're all at risk," Griffin growled. "I think we should speak to the Centaurs. I've been reading up on them. I think they will speak to me."

"There's more in that forest than horsemen; I think the entrance is there too."

"To the hidden vault network?"

"Quieter," Jacob hissed.

Griffin leaned in closer, "You managed to research?"

"I got my mum to take me to the Balthasmory Historical Library in Edinburgh where the records are kept for Hogwarts construction. There's a whole network of vaults and....I mean...it's changed a lot but...It mentioned curses...it mentioned...I don't know if they are the same ones but..." he shrugged.

With a flick of her finger, Arundel caused the bowtruckle to stumble and fall into the candle, which tipped over and caught the corner of their parchment on fire. Griffin put it out and Arundel made a display of looking up at them. "Honestly, you come here to look after these creatures, not put them at risk of harm. I'm giving you both detentions. See me tonight after dinner and bring your cloaks."

"Professor..." Jacob started to complain, but Griffin kicked him under the table and gave a quick shake of her head. She was studying Arundel in a way that unnerved her and when she read her mind she found some resistance, Griffin had started to teach herself oculomancy which meant that she had worked out Arundel had the ability to do it, and perhaps suspected both Snape and Dumbledore too. Arundel responded with a smile.

"You want to say something Freya?"

"Are we going outside?"

"I haven't decided yet."

The evening lessons went smoothly, one lesson was purely studying and essay writing in preparation for working with a new creature. One was writing up care notes after a practical, she hosted a potions revision group before tea time, where the focus was on the difference between cutting, crushing, smashing and ripping ingredients, then she got herself tea in the great hall, spoke to the herbology professor about the resin Amber and it's properties and then made her way back to her rooms where she found Griffin and Jacob waiting for her in the hall.

"Give me a moment to change and we'll go down," she told them as she disappeared into her study.

Griffin looked past her, "Is this where you live professor?" She asked. "It's very nice. What's that on your mantelpiece?"