A young Niffler, ever infatuated with anything that glimmers, is rarely still, always on the hunt for treasure or on its way to find it.
The little Niffler before him was barely a month old, just a tad larger than a Galleon, having likely snuck away when Newt wasn't looking.
This wasn't the first time such incidents had occurred. In Dorset, on a daily basis, Kael observed Newt spending over three hours searching for his runaway Nifflers.
For anyone else, they might have lost it by now; Kael felt he certainly would have.
Yet, if it's just one, it shouldn't be a problem.
To avoid worrying Newt, Kael quickly penned a letter after leaving the suitcase, entrusting it to Ladon for delivery.
Ladon clasped the envelope and soared out the open window.
"This is so inconvenient," Kael mused, stroking his chin as he watched Ladon's departing silhouette.
The Magic Realm had its perks, but communication was unbearably primitive. An owl exchange took at least half a day, incomparable to the swift convenience of a phone.
Unfortunately, even though Newt wasn't opposed to using such Muggle devices, their remote location made it impossible—being deep in the woods with a Muggle Repelling Spell cast nearby meant installing a phone was out of the question.
After sending Ladon on his way, Kael returned the Niffler to its suitcase, took a shower, and changed into clean clothes.
Notably, the clothes Chris sent to Dorset were all from last year, making them quite uncomfortable for Kael as he had grown taller this year.
Tina had to alter them, allowing Kael to wear them with some reluctance.
Soon after, the Weasley Brothers arrived, bursting in the moment Kael opened the door like a pair of bandits.
"We saw your owl, so we knew you were back," Fred stated, crossing his arms and blocking Kael with a serious expression.
"I can't believe you disappeared for half a month without a word!" George added, blocking Kael from the other side.
"Moreover, we didn't receive a single letter from you during this time... Do you know how worried we were?"
Unfazed by Fred and George's accusations, Kael's expression remained unchanged.
Worried about him? That might fool Ron.
"If I recall correctly, you didn't send any letters to me either," Kael raised an eyebrow. "Is this what you call worrying?"
"Uh..."
Fred and George's previously stern expressions quickly collapsed, and they exchanged glances, communicating wordlessly in an instant.
"Didn't you write to Kael?"
"No, I thought you did."
"What a coincidence, I thought the same."
...
In fact, they knew from Chris the day Kael left for Dorset, so they weren't worried at all.
Their confrontation was premeditated simply to prank Kael.
Their meticulously planned scheme was derailed before it even started.
They were too engrossed in developing the Skiving Snackbox series and hadn't considered writing to Kael.
"Ahem... of course, we were worried," Fred said awkwardly. "But you know Errol is quite old, and we couldn't bear to make him fly such a distance."
"Fly that far?" Kael squinted. "From the sound of it, you seem to know where I went."
The twins looked more uncomfortable.
"...just a guess, yes, a guess." Fred grinned sheepishly. "Now that we see you're safe, we're relieved."
"Is that so..." Kael dragged out his words. "You guys are pretty spot on. I suggest you take Divination Class this term; you'd shine bright there."
With a sly grin, Kael looked one oil-slicked hair away from a certain Professor of Potions.
"Uh... we'll consider it," George replied, trying to change the subject abruptly. "Oh, by the way, here's some good news—besides completing the Fat Tongue Toffee, we've developed a second Skiving Snackbox product over these two weeks."
He pulled out a piece of jelly candy from his pocket.
The orange candy, translucent like a pea, glinted in the light.
Seemingly forgetting their earlier pursuit, Fred blinked and asked, "Wanna guess what it does?"
Kael took the candy.
With the Fat Tongue Toffee experience, Fred and George handled it well this time, leaving no trace of a magic potion scent, making it impossible to deduce from that angle.
After a moment of thought, Kael guessed casually.
"Makes you have a nosebleed?"
Fred and George's eyes lit up simultaneously at Kael's words.
"A nosebleed?!" Fred exclaimed excitedly. "Kael, that's a brilliant idea!"
"How did we not think of that," George said, fervently smacking his forehead as if trying to extract his brains.
"Nothing suits skipping class more than a gushing nosebleed. Kael, you're a genius!"
Kael smiled. "Thanks, I have to say your perception is spot on."
Although a nosebleed had been their initial concept, Kael gladly accepted the seemingly sincere compliment.
"Pity it's almost the start of term," Fred sighed. "Otherwise, we could start some research now."
"We'll have to wait until next year." George seemed a bit regretful. "Or perhaps during the Christmas holiday."
Watching them act as though they'd lost a hundred Galleons, Kael amusingly lifted the jelly candy in his hand. "So, what exactly does this do?"
"It's Puking Pastille," George spread his hands. "Eating it causes relentless vomiting."
"However, it's currently just a prototype," Fred continued. "Perpetual vomiting isn't ideal, so we're working on an antidote."
"Need help?" Kael offered.
"Not this time,"
Fred shook his head. "Puking Pastille mainly consists of diluted Sneezewort juice, which can be perfectly countered with Ruta Graveolens and daisy root, and we're almost done."
Kael understood immediately.
Sneezewort and Ruta Graveolens were indeed a fitting match for this use.