What happens when a wizard faces an adult Wampus Cat without a wand or any magic... No one knows better than Kael.
He had been in Dorset for a week, during which time, aside from eating and sleeping, he was practically getting pounded.
The Wampus Cat's blue eyes could see through every thought Kael had.
So no matter how he tried to dodge, those paws with pink pads would always appear right in front of him, then smack him lightly or heavily.
The force mainly depended on Kael's use of Occlumency.
The method of judgment was quite simple.
If the Wampus Cat saw something blurry, it would just give a light tap, as a formality. Otherwise, it would mercilessly kick Kael into the lake.
A couple of days ago, Kael had to perform a long-distance dive almost every few minutes, and his clothes were always soaking wet.
But as the days went by, the frequency of Kael's dives decreased.
After a week, when the Wampus Cat's paw fell, it was already very light, and Kael just staggered slightly, standing upright as if nothing had happened.
"Very good, Kael, remember, you must clear your mind of chaotic thoughts and emotions."
Beside him, Tina, serving as outside support, was holding a small Niffler and said loudly, "Don't worry about what you'll encounter next, keep your emotions stable, and focus on the present!"
Unlike Chris and Newt, who had never visited, Tina came here every day to observe for a while. When she noticed Kael getting anxious or overly excited, she would offer some reminders.
Hearing her words, Kael quickly turned his head and gave a thumbs up.
The Wampus Cat across him tilted its head, showing a hint of confusion on its face.
Apparently, it hadn't "seen" Kael's gesture, or it would have smacked him already.
Tina gently raised an eyebrow, seeming to have noticed something.
After leaving the box, she returned to the room and found Newt fiddling with the cauldron.
"I think you can write to Chris now."
"So soon?"
Newt looked up in surprise and asked, "It's only been a week, and he can already withstand Natalie's Legilimency?"
"Almost." Tina placed the Niffler beside her and said with a smile, "Natalie is no longer as relaxed as she was at first; her actions have become much faster.
I can see that she is now attacking entirely based on instinct rather than using Legilimency.
It's just that neither Kael nor she has realized this yet."
Wampus Cats are, after all, fantastic beasts, and even if it's a physical instinct, it subconsciously thinks it "sees" something, albeit blurrily.
"It seems Dumbledore was right; Kael is indeed very talented. I thought he would need to stay here for half a month."
Newt stood up, brushed off the herb fragments on his clothes, and said with a smile, "I'll write to Chris now, asking him to come and take Kael back."
"Hmm... wait a moment." Tina suddenly asked, "Did they mention anything they had to do recently?"
"Probably not." Newt thought for a moment and said, "I remember Chris mentioning when he left that he would come pick up Kael to go shopping in Diagon Alley before the school term starts."
Tina thought for a moment and said, "In that case, there's no need to hurry. Let Kael stay a few more days, besides, it's been a while since I last saw him."
"Uh... wasn't it you who just told me to write the letter?" Newt scratched his head and said.
Tina didn't speak, just glared at him with a stern face.
"Alright, listening to you." Newt crouched back before the cauldron and added some white powder into it.
The liquid in the cauldron quickly turned a beautiful pale yellow and emitted a pink smoke.
Beside him, the little Niffler, which had been holding a spoon and stuffing it into its inner pocket, suddenly stopped what it was doing, sniffed, and stared at the cauldron unblinkingly, drooling uncontrollably.
It seemed the contents of the cauldron were highly attractive to it.
The Niffler's black eyes rolled, and then it crawled onto a nearby shelf, adjusted its angle, and leaped forcefully with its short legs, aiming for the cauldron.
But mid-air, a large hand caught it.
"No, it's not time yet, be patient."
Newt shook his head at it and said, "And no hiding spoons, take it out now."
The little Niffler slapped its pocket shut and started to run with its remaining three stubby legs.
"Oh, no, you don't."
Newt pinched the Niffler's hind leg and gently tickled its belly with his fingers.
Amidst a jingling sound, several trinkets fell from the Niffler's pocket.
Not only was there the spoon from earlier, but also three Knuts, a button, and a whistle that seemed to have been scavenged from somewhere.
Even Newt hadn't noticed when it had snuck these things in.
…
At dinner, Kael wearily emerged from the box.
Tina handed him a towel and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Not so great." Kael wiped his face, "Compared to yesterday, I don't feel any progress."
"That's normal." Tina said with a smile, "And learning Occlumency can't be rushed. You've been practicing constantly for a week; taking a little break wouldn't be a bad idea."
"True enough." Kael nodded.
After getting pummeled for so long, he felt he indeed needed to do something else to shift his focus.
"How about baking cookies with me tomorrow?" Tina said with a smile, "You can practice in the afternoon."
"Sure." Kael agreed without thinking.
Although he was more eager to see the other fantastic beasts in the box, baking cookies wasn't a bad option, as long as he didn't have to face Natalie, the Wampus Cat.
At this moment, Newt suddenly walked over and asked, "Can we make the cookies grapefruit-flavored?"
"Of course." Tina replied with a smile.
She was a little surprised; on the day they settled in Dorset, she had made grapefruit-flavored cookies, and she didn't expect Newt to remember.
"Thanks." Newt washed his hands, sat by the dining table, and picked up a piece of bread, "I remember Anar really likes grapefruit."
"..."
The smile vanished from Tina's face.
"Sorry..." she said expressionlessly, "I just remembered we're out of grapefruit, so I've decided to make cream cookies tomorrow."
"Huh?" Newt scratched his head, "But you just said..."
"Creak~"
Tina bent the spoon in her hand, her expression unfriendly as she said, "I'll say it again, we're out of grapefruit!"
…
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