In the following days, Kael no longer spent entire days searching for the Wampus Cat. Instead, at Tina's request, he freed up his mornings to bake cookies or small loaves of bread with her.
However, sometimes he would also help Newt take care of other Fantastic Beasts inside the suitcase.
Then, in the afternoons, he would go to the Wampus Cat to learn.
But the progress was still slow, with no significant improvement for a long time, as if there was always something slightly missing.
Another week passed like this.
A week later, when Kael came to the lakeside clearing again, he unexpectedly found that the Wampus Cat, Natalie, was not waiting for him like before.
"Am I early?" Kael murmured.
"No, your training is over."
At this moment, Tina and Newt approached together, with the Wampus Cat beside them.
"In fact, Natalie hasn't been able to read your thoughts for a few days now," Newt explained. "Her later attacks on you were entirely instinctual."
Kael frowned and said, "Instinctual?"
"Yes," Newt replied. "If you don't believe it, let's do a small test."
He took a large and a small apple from a bucket he was carrying and said to Kael and Natalie the Wampus Cat, "Choose together."
The Wampus Cat glanced at Kael, and they both pointed to the larger apple.
Kael turned his head in puzzlement.
Newt's face suddenly turned red.
"Ahem, this is just a coincidence." With that, he poured the entire bucket of apples onto the ground. "Let's choose again."
The Wampus Cat glanced at Kael again, but this time, they each pointed to different apples.
When they tried again, the result was the same.
Newt visibly sighed with relief, took out his wand, and put the apples back into the bucket, preparing to take them to the Invisible Beast.
"Now do you believe it?"
"Yes, I believe it," Kael nodded.
If the Wampus Cat could still read his thoughts, such a situation wouldn't have happened.
Kael followed them back to the room and asked curiously, "Did you know for a while now?"
"About a week ago," Tina said. "Are you wondering why we didn't tell you earlier?"
Kael nodded.
"We wanted to confirm it first. Now it seems you have grasped it well. Besides..."
Tina couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You've always performed so well. Watching you stumble once in a while is quite amusing."
"Uh..."
Kael's mouth twitched, somewhat helplessly, at the ninety-year-old Tina.
What a peculiar sense of humor.
But in any case, learning Occlumency was ultimately a good thing.
Afterward, Kael stayed there for another three days, leaving only a week before the start of school.
Newt did not write to Chris but personally took Kael home. Before leaving, he gave Kael a suitcase.
"Your birthday present."
Newt said, "I had it ready some time ago, but since you were busy learning Occlumency, I could only give it to you now. I hope it's not too late."
Kael accepted it with some excitement.
The suitcase looked a size smaller than Newt's, but it was brand new, styled in a currently popular manner, and clearly recently made.
"The space inside isn't large, but it should be enough for you," Newt said with a smile. "Use it well... And don't put all the Fantastic Beasts in there; I don't want to hear someday that you've been expelled from Hogwarts."
Everyone knew Newt was Hogwarts' notorious drop-out... although he took the blame for someone else and got expelled.
After Newt left, Kael immediately turned around and went home.
Chris and Diana were not around, and the living room seemed empty.
Kael didn't linger and went straight upstairs to his room, eagerly placing the suitcase on the floor, opening it, and jumping inside.
Below the suitcase was a small room, with nothing inside except a simple rack.
Outside the room was a vast meadow, roughly the size of two Quidditch Pitches, with a small lake in the middle.
Compared to Newt's, this place was indeed much smaller, but for Kael, it was enough.
After all, he was only twelve and still studying at Hogwarts, so even if there was a larger space, he wouldn't have any use for it.
Kael walked around the meadow, planning carefully in his mind every time he reached a spot.
"This place is good... Once I learn the Atmospheric Charm, a few stones can be set up as a nest for the Moonstruck Beast, and the Devil's Snare can be raised next to it."
"Here looks nice too, close to a water source. The Chomping Cabbage can be moved over then."
"As for the Dittany and other ordinary plants, there's no need to think too much. Just find a place near the Moonstruck Beast."
"And those trees not far away, the Bowtruckle will love them."
Walking along, Kael soon reached the lake in the middle of the meadow. As he saw the sparkling water surface in front of him, he instinctively took a small step back.
But the next second, Kael realized... What was he afraid of? There was no Wampus Cat here.
The lake was crystal clear, allowing a view to the bottom, with some Lionfish swimming leisurely inside.
Just as Kael was about to explore elsewhere, he suddenly felt something tugging at his pocket.
Kael looked down to find a small creature as big as his palm appear before his eyes.
It had slightly black fur and a small flat beak like a duck's, though it overall resembled a mole.
"Niffler...?" Kael exclaimed in surprise.
He didn't expect a bonus inside the suitcase.
This Niffler seemed to have just been born, not even bigger than Kael's hand.
It was clinging to the robe, struggling to hold a Galleon with its short little hands, trying to stuff it into its pocket.
Kael didn't stop it, watching quietly until just before the Niffler managed to tuck the Galleon fully into its pocket, he casually reached out and took back the Galleon.
In the process, he also picked up the Niffler.
The little creature clung tightly to the Galleon, and even after a few shakes, Kael couldn't get it to let go.
"How did you get here?" Kael curiously asked.
If Newt intended to give the Niffler to him, he would have done so in person, not hide it in the suitcase. So, this little creature must have sneaked in.
Perhaps because it was still too young, the Niffler tilted its head, seemingly not understanding a word Kael said. It continued clinging to the Galleon, performing a difficult chin-up-like action to tuck it into its pocket.