Chapter 130: Newt's Reaction, A Look at the Acromantulas
In the Headmaster's office.
Leonardo sat with the two old wizards, chatting over tea.
When it came to Aurelius, Leonardo no longer felt the need to hide him the way he had at the start of the term. He was not about to parade the little Qilin through the Great Hall, but he was not especially worried about being found out either.
Aurelius's raw speed and range with Apparition had always been extraordinary, and Hogwarts wards did not restrict him. On top of that, according to Aurelius, he had awakened a new power in the fight with the hooded man at the most critical moment.
He could freeze the surrounding space, preventing others from using Apparition or any other space-based magic.
In other words, the Qilin could still run, but enemies would not be able to chase. Or flee.
Leonardo knew that Aurelius's chances of survival had just gone up severalfold.
The young Qilin was still growing. His body and strength were shooting up, changing month by month. At first, his true size had been no more than a fine horse. Now he was already as big as a camel. The scales across his body were hardening, and his magic resistance was rising. The maximum heat of his cleansing flames continued to climb.
The clash with "Quirrell" had pushed those flames to a new threshold.
By Leonardo's estimate, if Aurelius cut loose now, he could definitely take down an elite Auror. The only question was how many at once.
And Aurors were already the cream of the wizarding crop.
It was like dragons. Everyone knew a dragon's body was made of treasure, but how many wizards dared hunt one?
And that was when dragons could not Apparate at all, let alone turn up at your front door in the middle of the night and torch the place on their own initiative.
"Leonardo, your work on the foal, on Aurora, was ingenious," Newt said. "Repairing magical pathways… that is something I have never even heard of."
He gave a wry little laugh and, looking at the handsome yet still slightly boyish face, sighed. "But what truly startles me is your age.
"A first‑year…"
Learning that Leonardo was a new student only half a term into his Hogwarts education, a Muggle‑born who had never touched magic before coming here, had shaken him deeply.
It had taken Dumbledore's quiet reassurance to ease him at all. "In the magical world, nothing is too strange to happen. Each generation outstripping the last is only natural."
What Dumbledore had not told Newt was that this particular boy was already an Animagus, and that his gift for Transfiguration had long since left the believable behind.
On the matter of the repair itself, Dumbledore saw farther than Newt. In the crucial step, Leonardo had used Transfiguration.
A wizard, using his own magic to alter a magical creature's pathways.
Most magical beasts' resistance to wizard magic, and the reason Transfiguration could not simply conjure such creatures, came down to the differences and mutual rejection in their circuits.
Leonardo's work that night had, to a degree, broken that rule.
Dumbledore could only put it down to the peculiarities of magic and the boy's talent. Wizardry was not like Muggle science. A wizard studying and researching magic did not always need a neat theory. With enough accumulated experience and a strong enough will and feeling, it was not strange at all for a wizard to forge something new.
As for how Leonardo had repaired the unicorn's pathways in detail, both Dumbledore and Newt chose not to ask.
Neither of them would pry into a child's secrets.
They talked a while longer before Leonardo and Newt finally took their leave.
…
Once they stepped out into the corridor, Newt turned to him. "Could you help me with one more thing? Ask Aurelius to take us to the Forest. I would like to have a look around.
"Yes, we could walk from the castle," he added, tilting his head, "but there are quite a few students and teachers about, and if they recognised me…"
He trailed off. In the end, talking to strangers was still not his strength.
Leonardo understood.
Classic old social anxiety.
Newt might be retired and reclusive these days, rarely seen in public, but there was always a chance. If one of his more enthusiastic admirers spotted him at Hogwarts and could not help shouting, half the school would be there in minutes to mob him.
Among the children, his popularity was on a completely different level.
Leonardo still remembered how, once he had offered Newt's signed books as exam prizes, Ron and Malfoy's enthusiasm for studying had skyrocketed. The more wizarding blood a child had, the better they understood Newt's weight.
"Of course. It is no trouble at all."
At Leonardo's summons, the little Qilin appeared and whisked them out of the stairwell at once.
They reappeared in the Forbidden Forest.
"So quick," Newt said, amazed. "And no discomfort in transit either."
He had been too rushed the previous night to pay attention.
"Leonardo, the automatic feeder you sent me at Christmas is very interesting and very useful. Thank you."
"I am glad you like it. It is just a little tool I put together. I find it handy."
Newt nodded, smiling softly. "Yes, things do get rather busy at times.
"By the way, would you mind if I had a look at your Untraceable Extension containers? You mentioned in your letters that you keep some magical creatures."
Leonardo had no objection. He took out a white enchanted flask, asked Aurelius to stand guard outside, and stepped in with Newt.
After a round of inspection, Newt offered a few small suggestions to improve the extended space. Once he had checked that the Puffskeins, Mooncalves, and other creatures were all healthy, he was quietly pleased.
The boy had a unicorn's blessing now. Life among the beasts would only get easier.
And Newt had seen the entire process of saving the unicorn foal. He had felt Leonardo's sincerity and kindness in his bones.
He truly did think Leonardo was well-suited to a life protecting magical creatures.
Perhaps a proper case would serve him better in the future…
As they were about to leave the flask's inner space, Newt added, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, yes. One more thing. I came to the Forest partly because I wanted to see the Acromantula nest. I have heard there is quite a sizeable colony here?"