"...Hedwig has disappeared."
By the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry put down his Nimbus 2000. Fresh from training, he was still chilled by the wind. He sat on the sofa, hung up his training gear, and looked seriously at the other two people busy with their own things.
"She hasn't come back today either?"
Ron, who was playing Wizard Chess with Seamus, looked up and asked curiously.
He remembered that Hedwig seemed to have been missing for at least a week. Although Harry didn't have anyone he needed to send letters to, he would still check on his owl every few days. After all, it was his pet, and what if it got taken by someone else from the owlery?
Although it was unlikely to happen, it wasn't entirely impossible either.
"No, I've searched several times."
Harry shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "What's going on this year—first Trevor disappeared, then Scabbers, and now Hedwig..." As he spoke, he glanced subconsciously at Hermione beside him. The girl was sitting alone at the table closest to the fireplace, her quill almost sparking against the parchment.
If things really go in order, is Crookshanks next?
But Hermione seemed oblivious to the stares and continued to write furiously at her desk, while Crookshanks, upon meeting Harry's gaze, gently swayed its tail.
"But that's different because Trevor disappears every year, like last night, for example."
Neville said gloomily, his voice betraying his ownerly helplessness. He was crouched by the fireplace, poking at the roaring flames with tongs. Today's fire looked especially strong, and Harry squinted to take a closer look, only to find several bright red shadows dancing in the flames.
"...New pets?"
Harry leaned closer out of curiosity, staring at the little creatures dancing in the fire, and asked.
"No, it's because I'm not very good at the Incendio spell."
Neville shook his head, knowing these Fire Salamanders weren't suitable as pets. After all, creatures that need to survive in fire couldn't bond closely with their owners, not even hold them—much less so than Crookshanks, which, although ugly, at least felt warm to the touch.
But as Combat Pokémon—yes, although he didn't know what that meant, William led everyone in calling them that. With three years left until Nintendo released "Pokémon," suffice it to say, as a fire-type Pokémon, a Fire Salamander only needed to be fed chilies after leaving the fire, and it could survive for about six hours.
Additionally, a small magical flame would burn on them, not strong enough to sustain them, but still useful.
Compared to Fire Crabs that liked to shoot flames from their rears and were exceptionally bad-tempered, Fire Salamanders were meek. If you didn't fear getting burned, you might even manage to touch one, although you'd end up with a roasted pork knuckle.
Neville didn't start keeping Fire Salamanders for combat; the combination of Chomping Cabbages, Devil's Snares, and Poisonous Tentacles was sufficient for most scenarios, and in dire situations, he could resort to William imparting his trump card—Mandrakes, though plugging your ears was required, given the long cast time.
For that purpose, Neville had spent a period rigorously practicing "Muffliato," and the results were quite good.
Thus far, he hadn't needed the Fire Salamanders to fight. He just needed ignition methods, plus he genuinely enjoyed tending to these odd creatures. Where once he only cared for herbs, he had developed a strong interest in magical creatures.
However, Professor Hagrid's classes truly weren't suitable for him… and the other little wizards.
It's said that Hagrid had a big surprise lined up for their next class...
Upon hearing this news—maybe it was better to feign illness and skip, the little wizards, who were often frightened by Hagrid's adorable little ones, thought simultaneously.
Thinking this, Neville grabbed the small pouch hanging from his waist, and from it retrieved two lanterns, steering the small salamanders into them with the poker before placing them into the pouch.
The pouch was a reward from William for his commendable performance, though it must be said that when Neville fought, he was typically stuffed to the brim with items. So, William hesitated but eventually gifted him a small pouch engraved from Magic Pattern Stones, similar to a standard Storage Bag but far more convenient as you could quickly find what you needed within it.
The Traceless Extension Spell was different; it was simply an expansion of space.
William was recently researching the binding spells of such pouches, as unlike the rings in fantasy novels, they lacked restrictions, and Neville was quite forgetful—however, this time Neville managed to keep the pouch safe for two whole weeks without losing it once.
But Harry and the others knew that Neville had tied the pouch to his underwear.
After all, it contained most of his belongings, and if lost, the monetary loss would be minor, but having it found by a lower-year student would cause plenty of trouble.
Not every young wizard in their first year would be like Hermione, already familiar with Devil's Snares, a herb typically encountered in the third or fourth year.