𝙮𝙤𝙪 || 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲: 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞

You ran until you were out of breath, eyes looking around the corridor in a frenzied panic. You watch the students' feet for any sign of unnatural movement, but once you couldn't find what you were looking for, you proceed to the courtyard to meet up with your friends.

The afternoon sun casted an orange haze over the area, and you can see a few students sitting on the benches and standing around.

"Any luck?" You ask quickly when you spot Fiona and Delilah.

"Sorry, no," said Delilah sympathetically. "We spent almost half of our afternoon break but we still couldn't find her. She wasn't anywhere on the grounds either."

"Susan is still checking the hospital wing," added Fiona, "but the castle is huge. We need more help if we want to find Nifty."

You sigh. "The Gryffindors have classes at this hour. I can't possibly ask for any of my other friends' help."

Guilt was jabbing at your conscience again. If only you weren't so trusting of the twins in the first place. Fred and George were good people, really, and they had their moments but sometimes their pranks can get overboard. There's a time when it stopped being funny and started getting cruel, and it passed that point when they let Nifty out of their sights ever since this morning.

You shouldn't have given in. When they found out you were taking care of a Niffler at Hagrid's cabin, they immediately tried to convince you that letting them borrow Nifty for their Care of Magical Creatures homework (which you found out later was a lie) would do them good. When George started monologuing about his supposedly deep admiration for these misunderstood creatures, you were easily taken with his words and lended Nifty without a second thought.

And now they can't even help with the search.

You pull at your hair in frustration. "Hagrid's going to be so disappointed that I let Nifty get away!" You sniffled, managing not to cry somehow. "Those idiots! They even pinky-promised with me!"

So many scenarios flooded your mind until you combusted with anxiety. Nifflers weren't exactly welcomed anywhere. They were considered as troublesome creatures and wasn't an ideal pet for any witch or wizard.

What if Nifty was found by the teachers and gets thrown out? What if they find out Hagrid let you take care of her? Would he get into trouble too?

You were panicking even more just asking those questions yourself.

"We have Transfiguration in thirty minutes," Delilah informs you as she looked at her wristwatch.

You bit the inside of your cheek, considering the pros and cons of skipping Transfiguration for the day. It was evident the cons outweigh the pros, so you just sighed and nodded in surrender.

Fiona rubs your back comfortingly. "We'll find her after class. I'm sure she'll turn up eventually."

Her hand stayed on your shoulder as the three of you walked back into the castle in silence. They sensed your sullen mood and decided not to bother you in the mean time to let you sort out your feelings.

You were disappointed at yourself. And at the twins. You thought you could trust them and that they were being serious for once. As much as they prided themselves in being jokesters, they don't even notice how much damage they can cause for the sake of their pranks.