Ashley showed them how to cast the spell, how to say the incantation, and swing the wand. She made sure they pronounced the words perfectly.

"The first syllable is where the emphasis lies. LOcomotor MORtis!"

Nathan listened to every word with maximum effort, staring at her, muttering quietly, repeating her major points.

Afterwards, he volunteered his jacket as a test dummy and tried to lock the arms together. While that didn't work well, they at least made sure not to disintegrate anything with a misbehaving spell. Next, they turned to use the spell on each other. Nathan got the hang of it the quickest, managing to lock Ashley's legs together lightly after three attempts.

He jumped around the compartment in jubilation, elated at his success. Disproportionately to his triumph though, Tem's mood fell into a deep pit. So far, not a sliver of magical ability came forth from his wand. He was sure that he did everything correctly, exactly as Ashley instructed. At this point, he was waiting for the first of them to speak up and ask him if he could in fact do magic.

"Give it time, Tem. It's not a simple spell," said Ashley.

"We don't have time," said Tem with gritted teeth, and immediately tried again. While he'd heard from multiple relatives, emotions were a helpful catalyst to jumpstart a magical response, anger at himself seemed not to do the trick.

Stuart appeared clumsy with the spell and locked his own feet together after a while of trying. Yet, he still had succeeded to cast it, which didn't help with Tem's attempts. Frustrated, he slumped down on the seat.

"Are you giving up?" asked Ashley, concern in her voice.

"No, well, yes. I figured I could be of more help thinking through the details of our plan and make sure I think of everything. Even if the investigation today might hardly support that claim," replied Tem, frustration and anger at himself seeping through every word.

Ashley looked at her watch and didn’t press him on the matter.

"I think this has to be enough for now, anyway. We should start with our plan, don't you think, Detective?" She made sure not to allow any ambiguity in the way she said it. But as Tem remained frowning, she added, "I mean it. I think you did the best job anyone could've."

"Thanks, Ashley. I'm glad you're on our team," said Tem and with a sigh, got up from his seat. To Stuart, he added, "Do you have any idea where your Niffler most likely might hide?"

"He'll probably get back to his nest at some point. Maybe the wagon next to the storage room," said Stuart.

"Alright, then let's set it up there," said Tem.

They checked the bathrooms close to the storage wagon, which were empty, as well as the storage doors for any sounds coming from the inside. As it was quiet, they prepared their elaborate trap, hanging Nathan's jacket from the ceiling, once again useful for additional tasks besides wearing it. Underneath it sparkled the self-made necklace with its green candy wrapper gemstone pendant. On the floor they had placed an open bag which they hoped the Niffler would drop into.

Nathan had the idea to provide some shining wrapper bread crumbs for the Niffler to follow and increase the chances for him to spot his price. The occasional student that passed by on the way to the bathroom looked at them in confusion and most of them decided on their own to find a different bathroom instead. The others were kindly shushed away, usually by Ashley, who remained to have the most convincing presence out of the four.

"Alright, that looks good, I think. Get into your positions, wands at the ready. I'll check out the rest of the train, just in case the Niffler is occupied otherwise, and spook it towards our trap," said Tem.

"What if he appears and you're not here?" asked Nathan.

"I'm sure you guys are more than capable of catching him without me. If my first attempt is any sign, I'm rather useless. With the support of our mechanically sound trap I'm more useful in ferreting him here."

They nodded and Tem went down the corridor, back through the wagons. Most of the students sat in their compartments. Gone were the clusters of people having a good time, spending their energy on moving about, showing off fun new spells. The train had an air of anticipation to arrive at their destination for a new year at Hogwarts.

The first years had many thoughts of how it would be like. Tem forgot to think about all that, because of the case they had to solve. Now that he did, some of the more pressing questions came rolling back. The main one: If he'd ever be able to cast a spell? Would they send him back if it turned out to be impossible? How much time did he have? He doubted they'd let him stay at Hogwarts for the entire year, with no spell forthcoming after a couple of weeks. Maybe months.

He imagined it would be of no surprise to his family if he came back home, but that didn't make it easier. Questions like what house he would be sorted in and what lessons suited him the most seemed irrelevant. The thoughts came up regardless. Sadly, there were no classes in investigation. Perhaps he'd be decent at potions and history of magic, at least. He'd make sure to show the teachers he wasn't dumb, even if he had no magic in him.

Some students saw him move past their compartments. He saw bored expressions, some smiled at him, while others began chatting excitedly. He doubted any of the thoughts and comments were positive. At this point, his investigational failure had surely gone around all of the train. He felt glad, when he could discern a grin for what it was.

They had to catch the Niffler. Then, he would have his success and they could laugh about him all they wanted. He wouldn't care. The single thing that mattered was solving a case. The right step towards him becoming an Auror, or at the very least a detective. While Esmae Webster would still find a way to annoy him, she couldn't argue with results. He made sure not to stumble over her, though. He didn't have the time to tangle with her. At least that was what he told himself.

It appeared some more students had been robbed of their valuables, as some were searching through their bags or had them emptied over the seats. A few students were in heated discussions with their fellows, but none had spoken up earlier or tried to find him for help. It didn't occur to them to ask for his assistance. He couldn't blame them, but it stung, nonetheless. He held onto the fact he could aid them, bringing back their stolen items, as soon as they caught Norbs.

How one small magical creature could wreak this amount of havoc was beyond him. That was part of their world, the magical world they lived in. He felt a little comfort knowing he'd still be a part of it, albeit without magic of his own. Tem was sure he could provide valuable services as a detective, with the knowledge he possessed and would gather in the future.

He had arrived at the front of the train and turned around. No sign of the Niffler. Enough with being distracted by his own thoughts. He had to focus on the goal. Finding and catching it. Everything else was not important for now. With a deep breath he started his return towards the storage wagon, focused on any potential detail that might inform him about the whereabouts of their target.

He had discerned nothing at first until arriving at the second to last wagon. Something felt off in there. He had a tingling sensation on the back of his neck, as he tuned into a different mindset. He figured out some time ago that a broad awareness for his surroundings enabled him to pull in more details subconsciously than any focused observation could. It required a bit of time to be processed by his brain and provide him with what he needed the most.

He stopped, waiting for the realisation to come forth.