"Why didn't you have this before?" Dallas asked, now suspicious that Arthur was planning something. When a pygmy hopped into his cup of tea and started yelping in fear, Dallas dropped everything he was thinking and pulled the now soaking wet puff from the cup. The top half of it was violet, and the bottom half was a sad brown color. "Poor feller, here, let's dry you off." Dallas grabbed a napkin from a drawer and rubbed the ball of fluff dry. "We'll give you a little bath later." With that, Dal put them all into the bin again and placed it on the floor.

"I guess you've been procrastinating on this assignment." Dallas looked down at the paper. Even though some words were worn out, he could read it pretty well. "Uh, Arthur? This sheet says to pick a XXXX Ministry of Magic classified creature and write an eighteen inch paper on it's natural habitat. Puffskeins, Ashwinders, and Billywigs are XXX MoM classification and under."

Now Dallas really knew there was something fishy going on here. "You sure this assignment is the reason you want to see floating stingers and fire serpents?" Dallas pointed at the piece of paper, and Diego rolled around in Dal's neatly finger-combed hair, om-noming locks here and there.

"It's one of those things I usually forget about," he explained.  "I have no idea why I was even sorted into Ravenclaw sometimes," he lied, trying to make his case sound more realistic than it was.  "I usually cram the day before the assignment is due," he said.  This guy definitely thought Rohan was an idiot, but it wouldn't matter in the long run. 

There was no way that he wouldn't be in trouble if he simply shrugged in defeat.  "Well, my professor said that I could do a XXX creature if i really wanted to, and I wasn't sure which of the two you really had with you."  Garbage.  Absolute garbage on Graham's part. 

While Rohan perceived the fire to have gone out altogether, Dallas had re-lit the flames and Han was cooking quite nicely under the heat.  Sweat was literally forming on his collar, even though the house wasn't all that hot inside.     

"Well then, I don't think I can help you there, you can still take care of the puffskeins if you'd like, I can't let you see those kinds of critters without a signed document from an academics professor or the counselor, I bet she could help you." Dallas was trying not to come right out and accuse the kid of something that he may or may not be doing, but he made a mental note of the kid's house name, and gave the student a once-over.

"Well... Arthur, I have to get back to work, I'm sorry I can't help you, but it's for your own safety unless I can get a scrap of real evidence that you need to work on a project with creatures XXX and above classifications." Dallas grabbed his hat off his sitting chair. "C'mon Thor." The dog followed him around and bolted out the door as Dal opened it.

"It was nice meeting you, stop by another time, and don't forget to take care of those puffskeins, you can keep them if you'd like, but if you don't want 'em, I'll gladly take them off your hands for you." Dallas gestured to the open door, done being sociable.

Rohan had one final trick up his sleeve, that could've triggered even worse consequences than his previous plan, which were minor in comparison to what he expected would happen if Plan B didn't go over well.

"Okay," he responded quietly.  "I will take the puffskeins, but here's the thing," he began, trying to get the keeper's attention.  Lowering his voice for extra emphasis, he said, "I'm on a bet with one of my friends, and I bet 20 galleons that I could get a billywig, a puffskein, and an ashwinder from you.  I wasn't going to use them, just show them to him and prove I did it.  Can you please let me borrow them?" He pleaded, assuming that Dallas had them.  "I'm so sorry I lied to you.  I don't even have 20 galleons, so I'm done if I lose this bet."  He explained, worried that Locksley wouldn't take the bait.   

"I promise I'll leave and never bother you again," he added.  He stared at his shoes, and forced a tears from his eyes.  He began to shake to add more of a sympathy layer to his plan.

Dallas adjusted his hat so he could see the boy's face. "Twenty galleons[1] huh? That's quite a bit of money there son, why would you bet on something like that?" Dallas asked. If the kid was really telling the truth, he could lose a lot of money, and perhaps not be able to buy books and things like that. "They're real not safe for you t-" Dallas rolled his neck. He was really gonna do this.

"Fine, I'll give you one of each, and I want them returned by Monday, or I report you to the Head-Mistress, and you'll get in a heap-ton of trouble, you understand me? I'll also make you sign somethin' so we have an agreement." Dallas grabbed a quill and piece of parchment from his counter and scribbled a quick lease agreement paper.

I, (full name) hereby lease from Darrel Oliver Locksley: 1 female billywig, 1 ashwinder egg, 1 puffskein, and 1 pygmy puffskein. They will be in my possession from Sunday, January 10th, until the evening Monday, January 11th. If the billywig and ashwinder egg are not returned by 7:30 Monday night, I will be reported to a higher authority third person and punished for posession of XXX Mom classified beasts. 

Dal scrawled his signature onto the piece of parchment. "Sign here, print your full name here, then I can show you the ashwinder egg and billywig."

1.	$201.40, btw

Rohan almost looked up at the man when he agreed to give them to him, but his hope dropped when he discovered that the agreement was only a loan, so Locksley wouldn't lose his job.  He understood, and would most likely care if the keeper became unemployed because of him.  He silently cursed morals as he slowly face forward again, wiping crocodile tears from his face and sniffing to sound more believable. 

"Got it,"  he answered, letting the tiniest amount of disappointment to show on his face before correcting it with a smile.  "Thanks so much!"  He read over the document, and hardly after he started, his stomach shot into his throat.  He had to write his full name where Dallas indicated.  If he lied, another student who had done nothing would be punished or an imaginary person would have a nice talk with the headmistress. 

On the other hand, Rohan could lie and say he lost them, but, due to the contract, he would be punished regardless.  Setting it on the table, he leaned over the parchment and filled out his name in the neat, completely capital-lettered handwriting.  When he moved the quill to sign his name, he realized a way he could keep the creatures.  He paused, hand hovering over the line his name was to be signed on to name a final question  "And what if I'm to lose them, or they're stolen from me?"     

"Then you come straight to me, you tell me who they are, and I'll report them, so just sign the document and don't get any crazy thoughts in your noggin. But if you lose them, I'll still report you, they're a danger if let loose, so keep them in their cages and I want them back by tomorrow night"

Dallas was sick of talking, and he just wanted to go get the bucket of chicken blood and guts that awaited him in the castle kitchen.

"Thank you," Rohan said as he signed his name where it was indicated.  taking the ashwinder egg, puffskeins, and billywig in one arm so he could resort to Plan C, the plan he least wanted to go over opposite the way he intended.  "I just want to show this to my friend so he knows I have to return it,"  he explained as he picked up the small contract.  What Dallas replied wouldn't matter if everything went smoothly.

Before he closed the door in full, he retrieved his wand from his pocket and quickly cast "Obliviate"  so Dallas would have no memory of anything Rohan did at his shack.  He ran off at top speed, distributing the pets more evenly in his arms and being cautious not to harm any of them. 

That...  Is what we call "A close one."