Chris Horton's body rested against the tree trunk, his head tilted to one side.
At some point, the Niffler named Pearl had crawled out of the inner pocket of his cloak. Its shiny black eyes regarded its master in confusion, then it gently nudged Horton's fingers with its flat snout.
But those fingers would never move again.
"Professor, let's bury him," Gerald said.
Lupin nodded. He took a gray blanket out of his backpack, which had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, and gently wrapped Horton's body in it.
As he turned Horton's body over, the little gray-furred creature crawled all the way out of the cloak. Standing on Horton's chest, it stared straight at Gerald with its shiny black eyes, then lowered its head to look at its master again.
"Little fellow, you can stay with me from now on." Gerald reached out and gently stroked the Niffler's furry head.
Pearl did not shy away. It simply crouched there quietly, its ears drooping.
Only after a long while did it climb up Gerald's arm and curl into a tiny ball of fur on his shoulder. Its flat snout rested against his collar, and it went still.
Beneath a tall fir tree, Lupin blasted a neat rectangular pit in the earth with his wand.
He jumped into the pit and patted the uneven patches at the bottom flat with his hands. Then he gathered some broad fern leaves nearby and lined the bottom with layer upon layer of vivid green leaves.
Then, using a Levitation Charm, he lowered Horton's body steadily into the grave.
Handful after handful of earth fell into it. The green fern leaves gradually disappeared beneath the dark brown soil, until a small mound rose above the ground.
In front of the mound, he stacked several