"My safety..." Kael paused, then understood what this meant.
Was Nicolas afraid he'd spy on him?
This really underestimated his character... besides, even if he had such an idea, it would be impossible to succeed in Nicolas Flamel's Alchemy Room.
Kael felt a bit helpless.
But since it was Nicolas's request, he decided not to insist further.
Honestly, he did have some things to do.
"I'll head back to Hogwarts first," Kael said, "Make sure to tell him to find me there... No, just write me a letter."
"Wait a moment, sir."
Tata called out to him, taking out another bottle which contained the same drink he had on the first day, looking like raspberry juice.
"This is from the master for you, sir. You must drink a bottle every morning and evening."
"I've been meaning to ask, what exactly is this?"
"Tata doesn't know." The house-elf shook his big ears, "But the master spent a long time to prepare this for you, saying it would greatly help you."
"Alright then." Kael accepted the bottle.
He didn't question why there was only one bottle; for Nicolas Flamel, creating a bottle with the Refilling Spell ability was too easy.
Kael put away the drink and left the manor with Tata.
"Well then, see you next time."
Kael said, "Fawkes, let's go back to Hogwarts..."
There was no response.
"Oh!" Kael slapped his forehead, he forgot Fawkes just underwent Nirvana and couldn't come and Apparate him back.
With no other option, Kael had to walk a bit further to a place beyond the protective magic and use Apparition himself.
Though he might be tracked by the Ministry of Magic, there was no other choice now; he couldn't walk all the way back.
Kael chose Hogsmeade, the second floor of the Hog's Head Pub, as his destination.
Wizards Apparate here daily, making it the safest place he could think of.
"Kid, this isn't a fireplace; even borrowing a room requires payment." A disdainful voice came from his side, "It's fifty Galleons, how are you going to pay?"
The speaker was Abeforth... or more precisely, a portrait of him on the second floor.
"Headmaster Dumbledore will pay when he returns." Kael blurted out.
Charging fifty Galleons to temporarily stay... that's faster than robbery, and he didn't want to pay it.
"No credit at this pub." Abeforth added grass to the goat in the portrait, "Hurry up, or I'll call someone."
"Come on, how about five times the price later?" Kael said.
Abeforth: "..."
"Ten times!"
"Get out of here, don't delay my business." Abeforth's expression changed, "By the way, a reminder, there've been more people downstairs than usual these days, lots turning into regulars."
"Got it, thank you." Kael said.
It's not a weekend, so it's not a Hogsmeade visit day; those coming to Hog's Head Pub definitely have another reason, and becoming a regular means they've been around for days.
Unless they liked the drinks here, they had ulterior motives.
Abeforth's warning was to keep his identity hidden.
The service was worth the money; ten times the price was justified.
But Kael didn't plan to leave via the front anyway.
He approached a window on the second floor, pointed his wand to his forehead, and softly recited a spell.
His body began to shrink and transform, his robes twisting as if neatly cut with scissors, turning into brown feathers.
Soon, Kael disappeared from sight, but a common owl appeared on the window ledge of the Hog's Head Pub second floor.
Human Transfiguration, the main content after fifth grade in the Hogwarts Transfiguration Class, lets one turn into an animal, a table, or even a rock.
Though it's not as perfect as the Animagus transformation and has time limits, it lacks the Animagus restrictions, allowing transformation into anything.
In the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum once turned himself into a shark for the Black Lake event.
He only managed half, with his upper body as a shark.
But Kael was fully transformed this time.
It was his first attempt, and the whole process was easier than he imagined.
Kael examined his new body, feeling incredibly marvelous, light as air, seemingly weightless. He tried flapping his wings, almost falling on the first attempt, hitting the upper window frame on the second, but finally managed to fly on the third try.
...