Mugging: (n) an assault or threat of violence upon a person, especially with intent to rob.
Niffler squeezes out of her Netw's case with practised ease and nearly squoks in outrage at the unpleasantly cold snow beneath her webbing. Newt has clearly been crying (niffler could hear him from inside the trunk for days). The old humans at the big building full of shinies (and humans) were allowing him to take the train (horrible noisy not at all shiny metal beast) home during a "Hog's Mead" trip which is apparently supposed to keep their kicking him out quiet. Because apparently the two-leg humans hate the horsey-humans so much that they expell students for trying to be nice to them.
It was stupid, niffler knew, because it had been the loud, red-furred human males seeking to display for their potential mates who had put everyone in danger. Pot-ter and his friends had deliberately instigated the mess because what they viewed as "their" females were more interested in mating with niffler's human. The females, though, had not been impressed - especially not her fleecy den-protecting human. Niffler had almost wanted to stay behind with her when her Newt made them return the content of the den full of shinies they had been collecting every since Niffler - as a baby - had tried to take the splashy-human's "towel". Eventually she'd even let Niffler keep the towel and gotten a not-shiny one. Probably because of all the chewed on bits.
But it was that which had led to Newt's current predicament. He was waiting at the train station, out of sight from most because of the bad weather, when the angry males had confronted him. Cracking knuckles was never a good sign. But the well shined sticks that all the humans carried were not in their hands, Niffler noticed.
The angry males were demanding something. Probably whatever percentage of Niffler and Leta's loot which had not been returned. Which meant half of Leta's loot, because Newt had returned all of Niffler's.
Niffler scurried away. Slowly she circled around to get behind the males, hoping above all hope that they would not feel it as she carefully climbed up the dumbest-looking one's leg and pulled his shiny-glow-stick out of his bottom-pouch. The stick didn't want to go all the way into her pouch, but it was far enough.
Her Newt made a gasping noise. It wasn't because the ring-leader had his lapels (too much time with Leta of the shiny fleece had guarented Niffler knew all about what was fashion forward to steal. Niffler had liked Leta, they were both takers). Her Newt was looking at her. Obviously, he didn't want her going to the rescue, because she could be hurt.
Niffler reached one webbed paw out, stretching with all her might to grab the second available stick (wand, they were called, but humans had stupid words for lots of things). Her paw brushed across the fabric.
Angry Male #3 screeched as he felt her paw ghost across his arse. "SOMETHING TOUCHED ME!"
All three whriled around, convinced the smaller male that was Niffler's human was no true threat, to see what was behind them. Niffler felt slightly dizzy as she clung to the leg of Angry Male #1.
Newt opened his arms to catch her, seeing that she was ready to jump, but she leapt to the ground instead and scurried over to the train tracks. By the time the angry males had turned back to threaten her human, she was holding two of their shiny sticks above the tracks of the noisy beast - which was chugging toward them from the distance.
Oh so carefully, Niffler stood up on her hind limbs and - with sticks still dangling in threat - waved the angry males away. Once the awful metal beast was close enough and the human males far enough, she threw their sticks as far away (away from both them and the tracks) as she could.
Newt scooped her up with an incredulous laugh and carried her - with his trunk - onto the train. "You're a clever little thief aren't you?" he said. "All grown up and terribly clever."
Once they're seated on the comfy chairs inside the beast, her human - still teary-eyed but now finally smiling again - digs a book out of his trunk. The same book - with shiny golden-edged pages - which Niffler had taken from a "mud-blood" a few weeks before. Newt had read it to her as a bedtime story. Her human stares at the words on the page for a moment and then says, "Raffles, huh. What strange names Muggles have. Raffles it is then."
Niffler, now Raffles, allows herself to be put back in her den in his trunk and tucked into her nice silver-and-green fleecy blankie. Which she totally doesn't need because she is an adult niffler now.
Fill: The Purloined Pouch (2/6)
Niffler squeezes out of her Netw's case with practised ease and nearly squoks in outrage at the unpleasantly cold snow beneath her webbing. Newt has clearly been crying (niffler could hear him from inside the trunk for days). The old humans at the big building full of shinies (and humans) were allowing him to take the train (horrible noisy not at all shiny metal beast) home during a "Hog's Mead" trip which is apparently supposed to keep their kicking him out quiet. Because apparently the two-leg humans hate the horsey-humans so much that they expell students for trying to be nice to them.
It was stupid, niffler knew, because it had been the loud, red-furred human males seeking to display for their potential mates who had put everyone in danger. Pot-ter and his friends had deliberately instigated the mess because what they viewed as "their" females were more interested in mating with niffler's human. The females, though, had not been impressed - especially not her fleecy den-protecting human. Niffler had almost wanted to stay behind with her when her Newt made them return the content of the den full of shinies they had been collecting every since Niffler - as a baby - had tried to take the splashy-human's "towel". Eventually she'd even let Niffler keep the towel and gotten a not-shiny one. Probably because of all the chewed on bits.
But it was that which had led to Newt's current predicament. He was waiting at the train station, out of sight from most because of the bad weather, when the angry males had confronted him. Cracking knuckles was never a good sign. But the well shined sticks that all the humans carried were not in their hands, Niffler noticed.
The angry males were demanding something. Probably whatever percentage of Niffler and Leta's loot which had not been returned. Which meant half of Leta's loot, because Newt had returned all of Niffler's.
Niffler scurried away. Slowly she circled around to get behind the males, hoping above all hope that they would not feel it as she carefully climbed up the dumbest-looking one's leg and pulled his shiny-glow-stick out of his bottom-pouch. The stick didn't want to go all the way into her pouch, but it was far enough.
Her Newt made a gasping noise. It wasn't because the ring-leader had his lapels (too much time with Leta of the shiny fleece had guarented Niffler knew all about what was fashion forward to steal. Niffler had liked Leta, they were both takers). Her Newt was looking at her. Obviously, he didn't want her going to the rescue, because she could be hurt.
Niffler reached one webbed paw out, stretching with all her might to grab the second available stick (wand, they were called, but humans had stupid words for lots of things). Her paw brushed across the fabric.
Angry Male #3 screeched as he felt her paw ghost across his arse. "SOMETHING TOUCHED ME!"
All three whriled around, convinced the smaller male that was Niffler's human was no true threat, to see what was behind them. Niffler felt slightly dizzy as she clung to the leg of Angry Male #1.
Newt opened his arms to catch her, seeing that she was ready to jump, but she leapt to the ground instead and scurried over to the train tracks. By the time the angry males had turned back to threaten her human, she was holding two of their shiny sticks above the tracks of the noisy beast - which was chugging toward them from the distance.
Oh so carefully, Niffler stood up on her hind limbs and - with sticks still dangling in threat - waved the angry males away. Once the awful metal beast was close enough and the human males far enough, she threw their sticks as far away (away from both them and the tracks) as she could.
Newt scooped her up with an incredulous laugh and carried her - with his trunk - onto the train. "You're a clever little thief aren't you?" he said. "All grown up and terribly clever."
Once they're seated on the comfy chairs inside the beast, her human - still teary-eyed but now finally smiling again - digs a book out of his trunk. The same book - with shiny golden-edged pages - which Niffler had taken from a "mud-blood" a few weeks before. Newt had read it to her as a bedtime story. Her human stares at the words on the page for a moment and then says, "Raffles, huh. What strange names Muggles have. Raffles it is then."
Niffler, now Raffles, allows herself to be put back in her den in his trunk and tucked into her nice silver-and-green fleecy blankie. Which she totally doesn't need because she is an adult niffler now.
Newt just ruffles her fur and smiles sadly.