Niffler raced ahead, its little legs moving at a furious pace.
Charlie trailed behind at his leisure, completely invisible under the Disillusionment Charm.
This little thing can really run, Charlie thought.
But no matter how fast it runs, it can't escape me.
Niffler plunged through a dense thicket, squeezed past several fallen logs, and finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous little mound.
Charlie hid behind a large tree, watching carefully.
The mound looked ordinary enough, its surface covered in moss and wild grass.
But soon, two Nifflers emerged from a hole in the side.
"Chitter, chitter!" The one that had returned immediately started calling, gesturing with its little paws.
The other two Nifflers crowded around, their black-bean eyes full of confusion.
"Chitter, chitter, chitter!" The returning Niffler continued explaining, even drawing something on the ground with its paws.
Although Charlie couldn't understand Niffler language, he could more or less guess what it was saying.
The little fellow was telling them the gold was gone—all of it had vanished.
Sure enough, the other two Nifflers' eyes instantly turned stern.
He'd found their nest. He lifted the Disillusionment Charm and stepped out from behind the tree.
The three Nifflers froze, then all turned to look at Charlie.
The two Nifflers that had stayed behind looked even more bewildered. They glared at the one that had returned:
You brought a Wizard here? I told you, if you have a tail behind you, don't come home!
The returning Niffler looked ready to cry. It waved its little paws frantically, insisting that it really hadn't noticed.
"Stop arguing." Charlie raised his Wand, a cold smile on his lips.
"None of you are getting away."
The three Nifflers saw that things were going badly and immediately scattered.
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
All three spells hit. Charlie