ghost stories - h. potter

Thirty

"Don't get me wrong, the dung part was disgusting, but he taught me so much. He would come with me through every habitat, stick with me when I fed and cleaned them and told me what I was doing right and wrong when it came to handling me. I spent so much time with him that month, we were hardly ever seperate and it just made me realise how much he really does love those creatures. Seeing that, seeing how passionate he was to creature who people believe are just cruel, or nasty or ugly, and seeing them love him back... that's what made me want to pursue a career in magical creatures." Pansy noticed the dreamy expression on her face and the tell-tale look in her eyes that gave away the fact that she was daydreaming, reminiscing of a time when she was much younger.

"Well, for creatures who aren't supposed to be domesticated, you've sure done a good job at getting those two to act like kneazles," Pansy said, gesturing down at the Nifflers in her lap and she grinned.

"Not every creature is the same," Belle said. She tried to pull away from the two creatures gently, but they both rolled over onto her hand to stop her from doing so.

"Perhaps these two are different."

As classes went on, Belle found herself missing her large family at home and had sent her mother an owl the night before, asking how they were. It had been a rather long one, seeing as she had to include each of the names of the creatures they owned and there had to be over fifty of them in total. The next morning at breakfast, Belle eagerly awaited the reply from her mother.

"What's got you so antsy?" Ron asked, shovelling sausage in his mouth. Hermione frowned, but turned to Belle, just as curious as Ron. She had been tapping her fingers on the table and shifting in her seat all morning. Her eyes were focused on the owls that had entered the room, though she tore them away for just a moment, to look over at her three friends.

"I wrote to Mum last night to ask about the rest of the family and how they were. She usually replies fairly quickly, so I'm hoping- ah, there she is!" Belle cut herself off as her mother's tawny owl, Monopoly, flew down onto the table in front of her.

"Hi, Monop- yes, yes you can have some cereal. No - please don't drink the pumpkin jui - or you can drink the pumpkin juice. You know, whatever you feel like. Can I have my letter, please?" Belle asked. Harry smiled gently as he watched Belle interact with the owl. Ron and Hermione both had looks of extreme amusement on their faces as she tried to pull the owl away from her goblet of pumpkin juice. Irritated, the owl knocked over Belle's pumpkin juice, causing the brunette to sigh as the juice dripped down onto the leg of her trousers.

"This is why you have always been my least favourite," she sighed as Monopoly finally held out the letter, waiting indignantly for her to take it.

"Thank you-" Belle started, but was cut off as Monopoly spread her wings and took off from the table, clipping Belle around the head with them just before she left. She stared back at Harry, Hermione and Ron with a displeased look on her face, the three of them snickering back at her.

"Bloody owl," Belle muttered as she tore open the letter. She thanked Hermione absentmindedly as the girl waved her wand, cleaning up the spilt pumpkin juice and returning her trousers to their previously dry state.

Harry watched, a frown on his face as the smile slipped from Belle's. The twinkle of excitement that had donned her eyes when Monopoly arrived, disappeared in an instant and was replaced with sparkling tears

"Oh no," Belle whispered as she glanced up, her watery eyes catching in the morning light of the Great Hall.

"Belle?" Harry said quietly.

"Is everything alright?"

It seemed almost ironic to Belle. She had only been talking to Pansy days earlier about how she was going to miss her nifflers when they passed, yet there she sat with a letter in her hands that brought her the exact news she had been dreading.