Elektra Black III

Chapter 4 | Elektra Meets Newt

Elektra stirred from her slumber without the help of another nightmare. Instead, something other, something fairly peculiar, occurred. She thought that perhaps it was the wind or someone was out of bed early in the morning. Yet everyone was sound asleep when El placed her feet into the shoes that lay by her bed for emergencies. There was a rustling sound of metal coming from Hermione's bag near her side of the bed.

A confused El looked around, still half asleep and landed on Harry's untroubled face that cuddled into her pillow, or now his, considering he had seized it through the night. He looked far too adorable when he slept, his hair as messy as ever and a little bit of drool proceeding down his chin. He may not have been the most handsome sleeper, but El didn't care.

Rustle...

Rustle...

Clang!

With El more conscious and on high alert, she drove out of bed, grabbing her coat to put over her sweatshirt and sweatpants she was wearing if she had to make a mad dash for the outside. Something she was getting used to doing every night. The calm of the camping trip had to end soon, right?

Turning the corner of the bed, trying not to stub her toe in the dusk light, she followed the rustling, which was now exceeding borderline chaotic and reached for her wand, which was sitting in her coat pocket. What could it be? She thought to herself. A mouse? A squirrel? They were both feasible ideas for a Muggle forest, though as she shifted closer, the contents of the bag emptied like spilt milk. Then, as quick as a firebolt in the air, a short, brown-furred Niffler popped out and ran for the tent's entrance with a collection of coins, Hermione's rings and some potion bottles in its belly and hands!

With widened eyes, since only learning about Niffler's in her second year during Hogwarts, she moved on her feet, swiftly fleeing the tent and followed the mischievous Niffler through the forest. She leapt over branches, puddles, and more, seeking to look out for any rapid movement as the autumn leaves had fallen, masking its brown fur. She was confident that she had left Hermione's protection spell, which meant anyone could now find her, but El's driven mind took control, and the idea of someone seeing her wasn't her primary concern.

She had read in her Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them book that Niffler's were sneaky little thiefs and couldn't help but be attracted to gold, shiny objects- so the whole ordeal made sense. "Come back here, you little-" El hissed as she flung a non-harmful spell at the creature, yet its agile scuttling made sure that it missed her magic by a mile! She wondered where its burrow was, trying to figure out how she could dig through it to get Hermione's belongings back. Then her mind wandered to what she ought to say to Hermione. How do you apologise on behalf of a Niffler?

Groaning, she raced faster to keep up, observing the ground more so than the sky and hoped that Hermione wouldn't be too mad if the Niffler got away. She realised there and then why Niffler's were considered the most bothersome creatures, even though they appeared all too friendly, and that to keep one as a pet was not such a great idea. Yet what was a Niffler doing in this particular forest? She hadn't seen any Magical Creatures ever since she arrived!

They both hurried towards the edge of a grey lake, deep within the forest, surrounded by large oak trees and small cliff sides. It was a different lake to the one Harry nearly drowned in; it was wider and what seemed more mysterious, too.

El could have sworn she had it cornered now (unless it could swim) when it came to a sudden stop, but the Niffler went flying into the air instead, and its contents came tumbling out of its little pouch as a greyed hand shook it like the animal was a bag with spare loose change stuck inside. El gasped, out of breath than ever before, when she recognised she was in the company of another person for the first time in weeks, or perhaps not quite a living person.