When at last I thought I had him forever, he slipped through my fingers again.
When at last I thought I could find that ray of sunshine in the sudden storm, it disappeared behind even darker storm clouds.
There was no way I could continue chasing th...
I should have known Sickleworth would have gone straight back to Rakepick the minute Ben left him to his own devices. How could I have thought that he'd simply roam free like most wild Nifflers would?
He was handed to Rakepick during her days at Gringotts. Of course he'd want to stay by her and await her instructions like any puppy bound to its owner would. But how could he have tracked her? Last year, Ben and I thought she abandoned him, but it turned out that Sickleworth was still resourceful in a sneaky way we never considered. So maybe she didn't abandon him after all, the same way she abandoned Jacob in the Vault. Maybe, after all this time, he was working for 'R' too.
Honestly, I couldn't believe a devious little Niffler could leave us looking like fools.
"Revelio," I murmured, waving my wand over the dry dirt path. With a small sigh like the gentle whisper of a breeze, the dust parted to reveal the hardly discernible, yet present, tracks I so desperately needed...and they seemed to lead right toward the Care of Magical Creatures paddock.
Without even bothering to look behind me to check on Diego and Em, I ran ahead in a full sprint, keeping the tracks on my right side and my wand tight in my grip. Upon arriving at the paddock, my feet screeched to a halt at the sight of Beatrice and Ismelda throwing Puffskeins through pet-sized Quidditch hoops, a heap of the fluffy little creatures by their feet.
Even if throwing the Puffskeins didn't actually hurt them, I still felt very aggravated. My fists clenched against my will, and I let a loud whoosh exit my mouth--a bit too loud, unfortunately. Instantly, Beatrice and Ismelda froze mid-throw and glanced up at me, the Puffskein landing with a dull thump on the ground in front of the hoops.
"Really? First that dumb Niffler, and now you?" Ismelda shot at me. "And here I thought you learned your lesson the first time."
"I'm not here to talk to Beatrice about Penny," I told them, holding my hands up in surrender. "But what are you two doing, anyway?"
"Throwing Puffskeins, obviously. Ismelda said the Puffskeins like it," Beatrice responded. "Plus it passes the time as we wait for Hogwarts' inevitable doom."
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Hogwarts' inevitable...oh.
"How cheery," Diego's voice scoffed from behind, and I glanced behind, slightly guilty at the fact that I had indeed left Diego and Em far behind, the latter having to cradle her broken arm close to her to prevent any further injury to it. Leave it to Eunice to further initiate the war zone that Hogwarts wasn't meant to be. I just didn't understand why so many people wanted to target her.
"Oh, you again," Beatrice suddenly said to little Em, her eyes narrowing. "You're not here to spy on me for Penny, are you?"
"Clara just said it. We're not here to talk to you about Penny, and we're certainly not here to spy on you for her," little Em shot back. "If you really must know, we're here looking for a Niffler."
