The boys heard other students yelling down the corridor.

"What is going on?" Nathan asked.

"It appears an argument broke out. But I cannot comprehend the meaning yet. Let's check it out," Tem replied.

They jumped up in unison and dashed towards the compartment doors, yanking them open. Instantly, they understood the yells. Words like "Thief!" and "Liar!" carried most prominently over the corridor.

"Over there, four compartments down. That sounds very promising," Tem said.

"Why promising?" Nathan looked quizzically at Tem. "That's a bad thing! Thieves on the train!"

"Well, yes. But it could mean a case! Let's investigate, my assistant applicant!" Tem didn't wait for Nathan's reaction and hurried down the corridor.

Other students had opened their compartments and poked their heads out. Many students came closer to spectate, except for the silhouette of one boy moving around the corner in the back. Pupils asked what happened and made the wildest assumptions, while two boys yelled at each other.

"I’m going to report you to a teacher! Unless you give it back right away, you filthy, thieving Slytherin!"

A young boy, probably fourth year, wearing a maroon shirt, stood in the corridor and pointed inside a compartment. His round face had turned a deep crimson hue of anger, which almost matched his red-brown, short-cropped hair.

As Tem came closer, he heard another voice coming from inside the compartment. With a derisive sneer, another boy answered, "Go ahead. Embarrass yourself further, Caervey. What would I want to steal from someone like you?" The voice sounded oily and full of contempt, but familiar to Tem's ears.

"Your family had to gather their riches somehow. Certainly not by being smart and hard-working!" Caervey shouted.

"Keep telling yourself that!"

The other boy got up and now stood between the compartment doors. Probably a fourth year and already wearing his Slytherin house robes. His dark, shoulder-length hair lined a pudgy face and a knobbly nose. His gloomy eyes were contorted in anger.

"Give it back! It's nothing to you!" Caervey shouted.

"Are you as dumb as you're poor? I don't have your stupid whatever it is!"

"May I inquire what happened here?" Tem asked, with as much presence and dignity as he could muster, like he imagined his detective idols would approach a scene such as this one.

"Go away, you little twat!" the Slytherin boy shouted.

"It's none of your business!" said Caervey. Both boys briefly focused on Tem but quickly resumed their argument. Caervey drew his wand.

"Gentleman, please. Mr Caervey, Mr Rowle. I want to help. Mr Rowle, please remember your mother's missing diadem," Tem said, with an increasingly steady voice. Better to appear decisive and fearless. He had to play the part, even if he didn't feel like it. Yet, for that matter.

The Slytherin student perked up upon hearing his name and looked at Tem, this time acknowledging more than just his apparent youth.

"I’ve seen you before," Rowle said, comprehension dawning on his face. "Last summer, at a party my parents held. You were there with your parents... ah, yes, Greengrass. You actually found my mother's diadem. And, unexpectedly, made it to Hogwarts as well."

"So what, you're a tiny detective now or what?" Caervey asked, unconvinced, before turning back. "Rowle, stop the distraction and come clean already!"

"Again, I have stolen nothing. What would anybody steal from you, anyway?" Rowle asked.

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"I warn you! You had the opportunity when we were distracted! Nobody else could have done it!" Caervey's face turned an even darker hue of crimson. "Accio bag!" Must be a fifth year, Tem thought.

The Gryffindor boy pointed his wand at a handbag on the seat where the two Slytherins had been sitting. A Slytherin girl standing next to Rowle, shrieked in surprise as the bag flew by, hitting her on the shoulder. As Caervey caught the bag, Rowle took a step forward, and tried to pull it back. Both boys were shoving the unfortunate bag back and forth, growling at each other like dogs fighting for a single large bone.

As the altercation drew ever nearer to an actual fistfight, Nathan stepped past Tem. The young detective had been trying to gain some measure of attention and was surprised by Nathan. The smaller boy raised his wand in between the boys and shouted, "Lumos!" Supported by the overall agitation of the scene, the intensity of illumination was considerably stronger than a few minutes ago in their compartment. Tem, and more importantly, the two arguing boys, were dazzled by the unexpected flash of light. They groaned, as did the surrounding audience. The silence that followed accentuated the rattling of the train.

"Thank you, Nathan," Tem said, first to regain his composure and seize the opportunity. "Based on what I can gather, Mr Caervey is missing his watch, as the tan line suggests. You were about to change into your robes, which are lying on your seat. Your watch tends to pull on your clothes—an imperfection which cannot be fixed because of its sentimental value—so you took it off and put it in your open bag. Your shirt and hand show marks. The supposed opportunity you mentioned arose while the eagle was flying next to the train, but just now you realised the watch was gone. Am I somewhat close?"

"Uhm, yes, actually," Caervey said, his anger deflated and exchanged for a curious glance.

"Splendid. I could ease the situation if you were to cooperate with my ongoing investigation. I'm sure the watch will turn up in no time. It's probably just a misunderstanding," Tem added, smiling.

Still perplexed, the boys merely nodded.

"Fine, then please let go of the bag and let it’s owner regain control of it. I'm reasonably sure it won't be necessary to involve Mr Rowle's possessions in this at all."

"Aha, and what makes you so sure?" asked Caervey, unconvinced.

"For whatever reason, Mr Rowle is interested in making sure this bag is difficult to open. The small padlock is still closed and was not at all affected by the forces directed at it by you two. As for the timeframe of the distraction, I doubt he would've been able to hide your watch in time before you could notice anything," said Tem.

Caervey snorted. "Well, okay then. What about his robes?"

"Would you be willing, Mr Rowle, to present the contents of your pockets?" Tem asked. "While I doubt we will find the watch there, it would go a long way to offer cooperation and alleviate some tension between you two."

"Geez, fine, whatever," said Rowle, pulling out the insides of his pockets. They contained some sweets from the trolley, a parchment, and some knuts, but no watch.

"See? Told you I don't have your stupid watch. If the other compartments hadn’t been full, I would not have shared this one with you, anyway," Rowle said.

"Same here!" Caervey glared at the Slytherin.

The tensions were still high, supported by the unpleasant history these two must have established throughout the previous years. Tem cleared his throat.

"May I investigate your compartment? Maybe it fell between the seats," Tem said.

"Go ahead. I checked our seats earlier. It's not there. Even used the summoning charm, but it didn't turn up," said Caervey.

A spindly girl with dark blond hair, wearing glasses on a small nose, stepped next to him. "I looked as well. Damian's watch is not on our side. They must have it. It could not have left the compartment," she said, shooting daggers at the Slytherins with her look.

"It's fine, Carla. Don't stress yourself out because of them. The little detective’s on it." Damian Caervey looked at Tem with a frown, his lips pressed together.

Tem hesitated for a second, decided to ignore his remark, and turned expectantly to the Slytherins.

"Go ahead. Make it quick. So these two can finally leave our compartment," Rowle said, his voice strained.

"Oh, now it's yours, isn't it? The train belongs to you as well, Your Highness?" Caervey shouted and came closer, his fists clenched once again.

Temsivar stepped between the two boys and stood there for a while, looking into the compartment. This surprising move flustered Caervey and he ceased further hostilities. Tem entered the compartment and looked around, taking his time, touching none of the student's possessions. Occasionally, the spectators heard a soft "Hmm" sound coming from the concentrating investigator.

Nathan squeezed between the older students. "Excuse me, I'm his assistant," he whispered. He remained in between the sliding doors, a parchment and pencil in his hand. A few quiet sniggers came from the other students, but they continued to watch. "Tem, if you have any remarks, I can jot them down," Nathan said, as unobtrusive as he could.

"Thank you, Nathan. A moment, please," Tem said slowly. He opened the window, shut it, and opened it again. Turning back to the assembled spectators, he reminded himself to remain calm and project confidence. This was the only way they would take him seriously. He had to win this uphill battle if he wanted to solve this case, which turned out to be more interesting than he initially suspected.

With as steady a voice as he could muster, he said, "Before I can summarise my findings, I need to ask a couple of simple questions to the occupants of this compartment."