"Roar—"
The roar of the fire dragon was deafening.
Several Wizards in black robes, riding broomsticks, flew back and forth on the stage. They dodged the fiery breath from the fire dragon's mouth, occasionally waving their magic wands. Various colors of Charm lights struck the hard scales of the dragon, bursting into dazzling sparks.
The Norwegian Ridgeback, chained tightly, could only move within a limited range. It roared, trying to burn the few flies fluttering before it, but its bonds rendered its attempts fruitless.
"...Oh!"
Compared to the previous merpeople performance, it was apparent that everyone was more interested in the fire dragon. This kind of perilous show most captivated the audience. Outside the stage, covered by Defense Magic, the audience was cheering loudly as someone narrowly escaped the closing jaws of the fire dragon.
"Oh no, just a little more!" Watching the fire dragon dodge its head just before being hit in the eye by a Charm, Daphne Greengrass slapped her thigh in frustration. She shook her dazed sister vigorously, urgently saying, "Just a little more, just a tiny bit more—"
"...I'm going to throw up on you."
Astoria stated expressionlessly, her already pale face turning slightly red.
Though the girl spoke quietly, Daphne clearly heard this "final warning," weighed the pros and cons for two and a half seconds, and then decisively released her grip—she was wearing her favorite dress tonight.
Finally gaining some peace, Astoria rubbed her brow—she wasn't very interested in this type of show... Of course, nor was she interested in those earlier merpeople, which were frankly too ugly.
She preferred those that were good-looking, or a bit cuter—like unicorns.
She stood up and, under her sister's inquiring gaze, shook her head, then turned and walked toward the stairs, passing through the crowd gathered around the aisle, leaving the dragon's roar behind, and began to explore the cages located on the outer ring of the walkway—
These were set up by the circus for tourists to enjoy individually.
After all, the seating in the performance hall was limited, and some people couldn't get in, so they waited outside for the next show—the stage performances were happening almost 24 hours a day while the circus was in town.
"Porlock..."
Reading the introduction beside the railing, the girl stared at the small, upright Porlocks, slightly dazed—wait, something felt... wrong?
She looked down at her trembling small shoulder bag.
She was certain she hadn't put anything odd inside before leaving home... let alone anything that could move on its own.
The girl narrowed her eyes, subtly retreating two steps to the wall, crouching down. She watched as her bag stopped trembling without just ignoring it—
She pressed the bag to the ground and took out its contents one by one—hair clips bought along the way, a small mirror inlaid with bright silver gems, a large black "rat" trying to stuff the mirror into its belly, candy from the strange man at the entrance, a red Christmas hat, a pair of red bow ties...
Everything seemed fine... wait, no.
Astoria stepped back and met a pair of beady black eyes.
"Eep?"
The "black rat" blinked.
"You are..."
The girl tilted her head, somewhat intrigued...
"Squeak!!"
But clearly, this "rat" didn't plan on exchanging pleasantries. Caught red-handed stealing, it strained to shove the mirror further into its belly, then bolted, its short legs whisking it away into the crowd almost instantly.
"...Eh?"
Almost instinctively, the girl reached out to grab it back but only brushed its springy tail.
"Wait, don't run—"
She stood up, hurriedly stuffing the bag's contents back inside, and swiftly chased after it. She weaved through the corridor's crowd, eyes locked on the Niffler's rear—
Yes, she recognized what kind of creature the "rat" was.
Probably escaped from the circus? she thought instinctively since there were more Magical Creatures here than she'd ever seen—though she had just turned ten six months ago.
But even if it's a Niffler, it can't just steal her mirror!
She picked up her pace, her shouts attracting attention along the way. The Niffler, noticing this, began to speed up, squeezing into all sorts of nooks and crannies, its "loot" starting to fall out along the way.
Golden Galleons, necklaces, pearl earrings... needless to say, it had amassed quite a haul.
Until it slipped past a decorative flowerbed, the fences on both sides blocked Astoria's path, but she, without second thought, followed it, holding onto the dropped goods from the Niffler's escape—
Once she caught the Niffler, she'd surely have it find its handler, and then...
"Accio Niffler—"
At the corridor's end, a magic wand appeared—next moment, the Niffler, originally scurrying on its legs, turned into a "ground-skimming" creature, flying quickly into a boy's grasp. He expertly lifted it by its legs—
With a clatter, she saw her mirror fall to the ground, making a heartbreaking sound.
"..."
"...Uh, is this yours?" The boy picked up the mirror, now in three pieces, and handed it to the girl before him.
"...Are you its handler?" Astoria didn't reach out to take it. She eyed the boy, towering two or three heads above her, with a harsh tone.
"Sort of, but don't worry, the mirror..." He pressed his magic wand on the mirror, "Reparo. (Repair as before)"
In the next moment, the intricate cracks vanished from the mirror's surface. Seeing this, the girl's expression improved slightly. She nodded, then shoved the heap of "loot" in her hand to the boy, sniffling due to her exertion during the chase, "These all fell out of it, you'd better find the rightful owners—"
She pointed to the Niffler lying on the boy's shoulder, her gaze unfriendly.
"I will," the boy nodded with a smile, then turned his head, "Apologize." He spoke to the Niffler.
"Eep..." The Niffler weakly lifted its paw.
"That's more like it... I'm leaving, be sure to take it to find its owners, or losing so much stuff..." Astoria nodded satisfactorily, then turned to leave the corridor, "Those people might very well give your circus an unpleasant time."
She recognized quite a few necklace and earring owners back in the mix; suffice it to say, this Niffler had an eye for stealing from the wealthy.
Watching the girl's silhouette disappear down the hallway, the boy also turned around, pushing open the door at the corridor's end.