"So, you were right, Nathan," said Tem as they went down the corridor towards the storage wagon.

"What? I wasn't... what do you mean? I don't know who did it. I still don't," said Nathan meekly.

"You weren't so stupid to lose your head and haste into a false conclusion like I was." Tem's jaw tightened and he barely contained his embarrassment, trying not to tense up. The young detective shook out his arms, unclasping his fists, and took a deep breath.

"Uhm. I guess it was a risk, but not completely unfounded. If you were right with our deduction, Jim might've confessed. Everything pointed towards him. It wasn't your fault," said Nathan softly.

"Yes, it was. No matter. I have to be more on point. Look at each detail and think it through thoroughly. That is, what I shall do!" proclaimed Tem, more to himself than anybody else.

Nathan peered at the struggling detective. He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but decided against it. A few moments of silence passed by as they moved side by side down the corridor.

"What are we going to do now? Do you have a plan?" asked Nathan.

"First, we'll get Ashley. We can't let her stand there. Then, I need to think," said Tem, already deep in thought.

"Shouldn't we first try and look for any connection to the first two, or maybe three thefts?" asked Nathan.

"Yes, yes. Sure. I'll do that. Don't worry," replied Tem, barely reacting towards Nathan. Part of his mind, while still able to hear what was being said to him, contemplated everything he could've missed before.

Was it possible the thief was only out to grab stuff to make money? That wouldn't make sense with what was stolen.

Personal revenge? Partly viable but debunked by the last theft. Or was that a ruse to lead him away from Jim Krane? For that, there were a lot easier targets than a trophy and twelve medals.

Multiple thieves? Not working together? What were the odds of that happening with the history this train had, especially considering its destination. Older students were highly unlikely. And several first years? He couldn't imagine 11-year-old boys or girls, normally immensely excited to go to a school and learn how to do magic, to steal completely random items. Notwithstanding that it seemed impossible to have stolen any of the things without the use of magic.

However improbable, somebody else must've been stealing on the Hogwarts Express. The question might be what, and not who.

Deep in his reverie, Tem nearly missed coming up on Ashley, who looked in mild confusion at the oncoming boys.

"What is it? Why did you leave your post, Tem?" asked Ashley.

Tem looked up, realising where he was, and replied, "It's a bust. Jim’s not the thief. There was another theft and he couldn't have done it. You can stop standing here."

At that, Tem examined the door to the storage compartment once again, a massive slab of a door that nearly encompassed the entire wall of the hold. There was no handle or gap anywhere, except on the floor. A light outline separated the door from the surrounding wall. Tem was sure the insides of the wagon were magically enlarged to provide more space for the student’s trunks.

There were no new broken-off parts from the other stolen items lying around, but he was wondering if he could find any marks on the door itself. Possibly recognise any attempt at getting access to the hold, either successfully or not.

The investigator squatted down near the connection between both doors and let out a soft "Hmmm" sound.

"What is it, Tem? Did you find anything?" asked Ashley. Nathan remained quiet, as usual with Ashley in the vicinity.

"I'm not sure. There are slight scuff marks on the floor and doors. Perhaps they were there before and I didn't see them when I found the silver chains here. Yet, nobody can enter, except for an emergency."

"What if we are not dealing with a person? I bet a ghost can fly right through the door. Some dead relative in our house tends to move through the walls. Can get a bit annoying at times.”

"Why should a ghost steal stuff? They can't do anything with it, can they?" asked Tem.

"M-m... maybe...," stammered Nathan. Tem and Ashley stared at Nathan in astonishment, not expecting to hear anything from him. Nathan squirmed a little, but apparently took heart and continued, "M-maybe a poltergeist. I read about them and there is one at Hogwarts, too. Supposedly, they can be a real menace, always trying their best at mischief." Nathan paused, red hot embarrassment shooting up into his face. "Er, just a thought, sorry."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Don't be sorry. That's a brilliant idea, Nathan. Don't you think, Tem?" Ashley beamed at both investigators.

"Hmm. I'm not sure, I guess it could be viable, but they normally don't have a physical form and are bound to one location. The train could qualify," said Tem.

"Uhm, yeah, just an idea, sorry," mumbled Nathan.

"There is nothing to be sorry about," said Ashley. "You, Tem, need to look over your preconceptions. What if it's a new ghost, a unique one, who is attempting to tell us something because it needs our help? Don't you know the stories of spirits trying to communicate with the living to tell them who killed them?"

"Those are only Muggle tales they tell each other. They get so much wrong all the time," said Tem, unconvinced.

"You have to keep an open mind. My Mum always told me, to survive against evil you need to expect everything, always. And always be vigilant. I think she got it from some instructor in her days," said Ashley, grabbing Tem's shoulder and shaking it lightly.

He tore free from her. "What am I supposed to do if it were a ghost, huh? I can't catch it without magic. I'm useless then." Tem turned away from them.

"Others could if we figure it out and tell them. That would help, right?" Ashley looked back and forth between Tem and Nathan, who could only shrug in reply. The girl sighed, visibly losing some of her usual vigour.

The rhythmic rumble of the train continued through the silence between the three students standing in an otherwise vacant corridor.

"I suppose," whispered Tem. "I'm trying to see a way for a ghost to do all that, while nobody saw any indication of one. This is out of my league. It just is."

"We could ask the prefects if they knew anything of the sort. I bet they had lessons on ghosts before," said Ashley.

Tem flinched a little, thinking of the need to tell the prefects about being wrong to imply Jim Krane as the thief. He was not at all looking forward to that conversation. But Ashley was right. He might still count on some help from the prefects. Likely more so, than from any other older student.

"Wait! Do you hear that?" Tem swerved around and pressed his ear to the storage room door. "I heard a clunk coming from in there. Did you hear it, too?"

In response, the others squeezed their ears to the doors as well. They listened closely, holding their breath in fear of missing anything.

Another thump from inside the storage room. "Yes, there was something. Someone is in there, don't you think?" asked Tem excitedly.

"I heard it, too," said Nathan, his eyes wide.

"Not sure, could've been vibrations from the train, but it's possible," said Ashley, frowning.

"We need to get in there. The thief might be in there," said Tem. Ashley stared at him. "Or the ghost. I'm not saying it couldn't be? Notably, considering nobody should be able to enter." Tem pointed at the door. "Let's move. Quickly. We need to convince the prefects to find a way in there."

The three investigators ran down the corridor. Tem saw no point to push away the encounter with the prefects with these new revelations.

The corridors were eerily empty by now. Where previously students kept moving between compartments, most of them chose to stay behind closed doors. Whenever they passed compartments, they saw heads turning towards them. Their reactions showed that the news of further thefts travelled fast and nobody wanted to be the next victim.

Tem stopped suddenly and Nathan nearly ran into him.

"What is it, Tem?" asked Ashley.

"There, look. A wallet on the floor." Tem picked it up and peered inside. It was empty except for some member cards and a Muggle school card. The picture showed another first year, whom Tem recognised. "Marc Ander. It's his wallet. I think we passed his compartment."

They backtracked a few steps and saw Marc searching his jacket and bag for his purse. Other students kept chatting. Tem opened the doors without knocking and said, "Hey, Marc. Are you looking for this?" He held up the wallet.

"I was! Where did you find it? Did you catch the thief? You are that detective guy looking around, aren't you?" asked Marc, beaming at Tem.

"We found it on the floor, just outside your compartment. But it's empty. Did you have money in it?" asked Tem.

"What? Empty? Oh no. Uhm, it wasn't much," said Marc, looking sad. "I wanted to get me some more food."

"Do you know how much was in there?"

"I had 2 galleons, but paid with one of them. I'm still a bit fuzzy on the rates. I think I got 14 sickles and 9 knuts back. And I had some pounds left. Two fivers and 4 pounds in coins. Some pence, but I don't know how many."

"Did you see somebody suspicious that stole your wallet? Have you been outside?" asked Tem.

"Yeah, a few minutes ago I went to the loo. I saw nobody in the corridor. I could've dropped it. Who'd think another student would take out the money, though? Well, thanks anyway for bringing it back. I guess with everything going on the teachers will search everybody thoroughly. Maybe I get my money back then. Would be cool," said Marc, rather unperturbed, and turned to another boy, "Can you lend me some sickles for food?" The other boy nodded.

Tem just stood there, dumbfounded at that reaction. He'd expected some plea for help, some kind of question if he could find the money and bring it back. Apparently, nobody believed he could do that anymore. If they ever considered it as a possibility in the first place.

He felt his mouth dry up, a numb feeling throughout his chest. He wanted to give up, just then. Go back to his own compartment, eat some sweets, and accept his route towards being the worst detective and student at Hogwarts.

His mouth opened on its own accord, "Alright then, have a nice trip." He turned and left the compartment, between Nathan and Ashley, who looked quizzically at him. They waited until they were back in the corridor, before Ashley asked, "That's all? Aren't you questioning him for more information?"

"Yeah? What about looking for clues and signs around it?" added Nathan.

"What's the point? Even if there was anything more, I doubt it will help," said Tem, resignation in his voice.

"Why? Did I miss something? Some hints you'd seen earlier?" asked Nathan, confused.

"No, not really. It's just plain weird. It doesn't add up at all." Tem sighed.

"You aren't giving up, are you?" asked Ashley.

Tem looked at the floor, no answer forthcoming.

"Now, come on. We just had a plan, a goal. Don't give up now," she said encouragingly. "Maybe it's a fluke, and it has nothing to do with the other thefts. I can't see how a ghost would steal Muggle money out of a wallet."

Tem frowned, said nothing, and after a few more seconds, nodded. "Yeah, fine. I guess you're right. No use pouting. Let's go." He continued down the corridor, but considerably slower.