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Chapter 86: The Culprit is a Niffler
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"Ahem..."
William coughed with all his might.
After all, sneaking out of the castle for a date wasn't in the same league as skipping class to go to a pub. If he caught them, what was he supposed to lecture them about? Telling them not to date?
Nearly every wizarding family was desperate for the next generation to be born. The wizarding birth rate had always been low, and there was no custom of cracking down on young love here.
As for sneaking out of the castle, that wasn't a big deal either. William decided not to be the villain and prepared to turn a blind eye.
However, to his surprise, after he finished coughing, the two youths glanced at each other and then looked in the direction of the sound. *What are these two dolts doing?*
When they both turned their heads toward William, their faces simultaneously showed expressions of fear.
Surely they'll run now, right?
But William had overestimated them. The two looked at each other again, their faces deathly pale, then stood up and slowly began walking toward him. From their posture, they looked like prisoners being forced to the execution ground.
"Hmph, ahem!"
William coughed again. The girl next to Percy suddenly seemed to realize something. She tugged on Percy's hand, and after a moment's pause, their expressions turned to ones of pleasant surprise. They exchanged another look and, turning their backs to William, fled as if on wings.
Watching the bright red hair glinting under the starlight, William couldn't help but cover his face. *How can these two kids be so dense? Especially you, Percy. Could you at least make your act a bit more convincing? Your hair is a dead giveaway; who wouldn't recognize you looking like that?*
But regardless, the grass was finally clear of bystanders. This gave William the time to properly enjoy the stars.
---
The next time William saw the Weasley boy, Percy, was on Monday of the following week.
As he collected the essays and used magic to stick a pile of pictures onto the blackboard, the students let out a collective sigh of obvious disappointment.
"Professor, is it just pictures this class?"
Clearly, the last lesson had spoiled them, and now they were hoping William would conjure up some other rare artifact.
"If not pictures, what would you prefer, Miss Charlotte?"
William pointed to the images, adopting an exaggerated expression. "Catch a Thunderbird? Or maybe a dragon? Are you sure I would be catching them and not the other way around?"
The students below erupted in laughter. The magical creatures William pointed out were the rarest among the pictures, and also the most powerful. Any wizard with a bit of common sense about magical creatures knew they weren't something a single wizard could handle.
"Last class, we learned how to prevent your wallets from suffering losses while out and about, and in the process, most of you got to review how to properly store your wands—" William's gaze swept across all the students, finally settling on the stack of essays he had collected.
"It seems you've all completed your homework diligently, which is very good. Last time, we discussed the four most important things for a wizard: preventing sneak attacks from other wizards, avoiding harm from magical creatures or plants, protecting yourself during sudden incidents, and preventing the loss of your property."
"I assume you've begun to accept these points. So today, we'll use these pictures to introduce this lesson's content."
"Let's see, how many of you plan to choose an ordinary job close to your family after graduation?"
As William expected, only four people raised their hands. Most of those who had taken this class to an advanced level, especially in a challenging environment like Hogwarts, possessed a strong spirit of adventure.
After all, for those who worked desk jobs at places like the Ministry of Magic, aside from a few whose jobs often took them out of the office, the rest didn't even need to learn basic protective charms.
"Very good. Staying close to your family is not a bad thing. You four won't need to hand in this lesson's homework—but only for this lesson," William stressed the last part.
"As for the rest of you, take notes carefully. Next class, you'll write a short assignment with your thoughts on today's lesson. There's no word count; even a single sentence is fine, but it must have substance."
As he spoke, William tapped the nearest picture with his wand, and the image on it immediately floated into mid-air—a new spell he had learned on Sunday.
"Although graduation is still some time away for you, there's no harm in learning a bit about this now. These are some of the dangerous magical creatures you might encounter in the wild. And this... this is the most terrifying of them all: the Niffler."
This statement was met with the students' predictable, unimpressed laughter, which clearly meant, "That's it?"
"I'm not here to teach you Care of Magical Creatures. I'm sure you've already learned about the habits and preferences of these little demons. But you must remember, this creature will madly plunder any shiny object it sees—including, but not limited to, all kinds of currency, buttons, metal buckles for securing a tent, iron rings on boots, and so on."
"You, in the front, what's your name?"
William fixed his gaze on the most energetic-looking boy.
"Jack Cook, Professor. I'm a Hufflepuff."
"Excellent, Mr. Cook. Could you please remove all the metal buttons from your clothes and then take a few steps?"
"Buttons?"
"Yes, buttons. You can use magic to secure your clothes, in any way you can think of."
He complied, removing his buttons. Then, with his wand, he conjured long straps, threaded them through the buttonholes, and tied his clothes and boots securely. He looked at William with a cooperative yet defiant expression.
"Miss Charlotte, Mr. Cook owes you fifty Galleons and is trying to renege on the debt. You've found him. A Stunning Spell would be a good choice—so, go ahead!"
William rattled off the words at top speed. The witch named Charlotte gleefully drew her wand and carried out the professor's command.
But Cook heard it too. He instinctively drew his wand and tried to fight back while dodging—but the hastily conjured straps were clearly not very cooperative, especially the ones on his boots.
Just as his trousers were about to slip down, William intervened, re-securing the straps and dissipating Charlotte's spell.
"Alright, the game is over. The Galleon debt is canceled. Two points each to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."
"That's how it is. A small thing like a Niffler might only steal metal objects, but the consequences can be enormous. When someone's down on their luck, they tend to be *exceptionally* unlucky. Encountering a Niffler is often followed by encountering a creditor. I once heard an interesting story about a few wizards who had all their buttons stolen by a Niffler while they slept. But when they woke up in the morning, a magical creature—yes, the versions of the story vary, so I can only tell you it was a magical creature—chased them for miles."
"The straps they'd used as a temporary fix naturally came loose, and one of the wizards had to bear the moniker 'the Bare-Bottomed One'—because his buttonless trousers were too much of a hindrance to escape. The unlucky fellow had no choice but to use a Splitting Charm on his own trousers."
The students roared with laughter.
The truth of the matter was a story William had heard about a smuggling team that had been cornered by Hit-Wizards. Because his trousers were getting in the way, the person in question had to flee on a broomstick for half an hour in a... unique state. He suffered severe frostbite and had to give up on finding his trousers to receive treatment.
Of course, there was no mistake: the culprit was a Niffler.
PS: As expected, I didn't manage to write it during the day… There probably won't be another chapter later, we'll see about tomorrow during the day… I don't even dare to make promises anymore, lest I eat my own words.
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"Ahem..."
William coughed with all his might.
After all, sneaking out of the castle for a date wasn't in the same league as skipping class to go to a pub. If he caught them, what was he supposed to lecture them about? Telling them not to date?
Nearly every wizarding family was desperate for the next generation to be born. The wizarding birth rate had always been low, and there was no custom of cracking down on young love here.
As for sneaking out of the castle, that wasn't a big deal either. William decided not to be the villain and prepared to turn a blind eye.
However, to his surprise, after he finished coughing, the two youths glanced at each other and then looked in the direction of the sound. *What are these two dolts doing?*
When they both turned their heads toward William, their faces simultaneously showed expressions of fear.
Surely they'll run now, right?
But William had overestimated them. The two looked at each other again, their faces deathly pale, then stood up and slowly began walking toward him. From their posture, they looked like prisoners being forced to the execution ground.
"Hmph, ahem!"
William coughed again. The girl next to Percy suddenly seemed to realize something. She tugged on Percy's hand, and after a moment's pause, their expressions turned to ones of pleasant surprise. They exchanged another look and, turning their backs to William, fled as if on wings.
Watching the bright red hair glinting under the starlight, William couldn't help but cover his face. *How can these two kids be so dense? Especially you, Percy. Could you at least make your act a bit more convincing? Your hair is a dead giveaway; who wouldn't recognize you looking like that?*
But regardless, the grass was finally clear of bystanders. This gave William the time to properly enjoy the stars.
---
The next time William saw the Weasley boy, Percy, was on Monday of the following week.
As he collected the essays and used magic to stick a pile of pictures onto the blackboard, the students let out a collective sigh of obvious disappointment.
"Professor, is it just pictures this class?"
Clearly, the last lesson had spoiled them, and now they were hoping William would conjure up some other rare artifact.
"If not pictures, what would you prefer, Miss Charlotte?"
William pointed to the images, adopting an exaggerated expression. "Catch a Thunderbird? Or maybe a dragon? Are you sure I would be catching them and not the other way around?"
The students below erupted in laughter. The magical creatures William pointed out were the rarest among the pictures, and also the most powerful. Any wizard with a bit of common sense about magical creatures knew they weren't something a single wizard could handle.
"Last class, we learned how to prevent your wallets from suffering losses while out and about, and in the process, most of you got to review how to properly store your wands—" William's gaze swept across all the students, finally settling on the stack of essays he had collected.
"It seems you've all completed your homework diligently, which is very good. Last time, we discussed the four most important things for a wizard: preventing sneak attacks from other wizards, avoiding harm from magical creatures or plants, protecting yourself during sudden incidents, and preventing the loss of your property."
"I assume you've begun to accept these points. So today, we'll use these pictures to introduce this lesson's content."
"Let's see, how many of you plan to choose an ordinary job close to your family after graduation?"
As William expected, only four people raised their hands. Most of those who had taken this class to an advanced level, especially in a challenging environment like Hogwarts, possessed a strong spirit of adventure.
After all, for those who worked desk jobs at places like the Ministry of Magic, aside from a few whose jobs often took them out of the office, the rest didn't even need to learn basic protective charms.
"Very good. Staying close to your family is not a bad thing. You four won't need to hand in this lesson's homework—but only for this lesson," William stressed the last part.
"As for the rest of you, take notes carefully. Next class, you'll write a short assignment with your thoughts on today's lesson. There's no word count; even a single sentence is fine, but it must have substance."
As he spoke, William tapped the nearest picture with his wand, and the image on it immediately floated into mid-air—a new spell he had learned on Sunday.
"Although graduation is still some time away for you, there's no harm in learning a bit about this now. These are some of the dangerous magical creatures you might encounter in the wild. And this... this is the most terrifying of them all: the Niffler."
This statement was met with the students' predictable, unimpressed laughter, which clearly meant, "That's it?"
"I'm not here to teach you Care of Magical Creatures. I'm sure you've already learned about the habits and preferences of these little demons. But you must remember, this creature will madly plunder any shiny object it sees—including, but not limited to, all kinds of currency, buttons, metal buckles for securing a tent, iron rings on boots, and so on."
"You, in the front, what's your name?"
William fixed his gaze on the most energetic-looking boy.
"Jack Cook, Professor. I'm a Hufflepuff."
"Excellent, Mr. Cook. Could you please remove all the metal buttons from your clothes and then take a few steps?"
"Buttons?"
"Yes, buttons. You can use magic to secure your clothes, in any way you can think of."
He complied, removing his buttons. Then, with his wand, he conjured long straps, threaded them through the buttonholes, and tied his clothes and boots securely. He looked at William with a cooperative yet defiant expression.
"Miss Charlotte, Mr. Cook owes you fifty Galleons and is trying to renege on the debt. You've found him. A Stunning Spell would be a good choice—so, go ahead!"
William rattled off the words at top speed. The witch named Charlotte gleefully drew her wand and carried out the professor's command.
But Cook heard it too. He instinctively drew his wand and tried to fight back while dodging—but the hastily conjured straps were clearly not very cooperative, especially the ones on his boots.
Just as his trousers were about to slip down, William intervened, re-securing the straps and dissipating Charlotte's spell.
"Alright, the game is over. The Galleon debt is canceled. Two points each to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."
"That's how it is. A small thing like a Niffler might only steal metal objects, but the consequences can be enormous. When someone's down on their luck, they tend to be *exceptionally* unlucky. Encountering a Niffler is often followed by encountering a creditor. I once heard an interesting story about a few wizards who had all their buttons stolen by a Niffler while they slept. But when they woke up in the morning, a magical creature—yes, the versions of the story vary, so I can only tell you it was a magical creature—chased them for miles."
"The straps they'd used as a temporary fix naturally came loose, and one of the wizards had to bear the moniker 'the Bare-Bottomed One'—because his buttonless trousers were too much of a hindrance to escape. The unlucky fellow had no choice but to use a Splitting Charm on his own trousers."
The students roared with laughter.
The truth of the matter was a story William had heard about a smuggling team that had been cornered by Hit-Wizards. Because his trousers were getting in the way, the person in question had to flee on a broomstick for half an hour in a... unique state. He suffered severe frostbite and had to give up on finding his trousers to receive treatment.
Of course, there was no mistake: the culprit was a Niffler.
PS: As expected, I didn't manage to write it during the day… There probably won't be another chapter later, we'll see about tomorrow during the day… I don't even dare to make promises anymore, lest I eat my own words.
(end of chapter)
