Rolf held his wand like a musician, directing the vines to sway wildly.
As guardians of plants, Bowtruckles' racial talent is to consume magic to accelerate plant growth and control it.
Rolf had completely tamed a Bowtruckle, and could also use this magic called [Vine Growth].
The two chubby boys were tightly entangled by the vines, transforming into calabash dolls, swinging in mid-air like they were on a swing, shouting loudly and happily like eight-year-old children.
Excited, the two, under Rolf's profound and simple 'persuasion,' deeply repented, crying uncontrollably and heartbrokenly, finally apologizing repeatedly and begging for forgiveness.
Rolf nodded contentedly; it's good to correct one's mistakes.
He snapped his fingers, and the two fat boys were lifted into the air by the vines, then thrown out of the carriage.
Hermione was dumbfounded, and after a long while, she said speechlessly, "You call that convincing people with reason?"
"Yes," Rolf said, cradling the back of his head, a gentle breeze caressing his face. He smiled and added, "But there's a second half to that saying."
"What?"
"If they're not convinced, beat them to death."
"..."
The round-faced boy stood up from the ground, his legs feeling a bit weak. He swallowed hard and whispered,
"Goyle and Crabbe are just Malfoy's cronies. They'll definitely go find Malfoy... and come back for revenge..."
"Don't be afraid. These low-class thugs, the more you fear them, the more trouble they'll cause you. Besides, even if Malfoy really comes, won't I be here?" Rolf said nonchalantly, patting the other's shoulder.
"I'll reason with him... convince him with reason!"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
The round-faced boy, however, was deeply moved, wishing he could immediately acknowledge Rolf as his older brother!
"My name is Rolf Scamander. What's yours?"
The round-faced boy stammered, "Neville... Neville Longbottom."
Gryffindor Sword Saint?
Rolf raised his eyebrows, carefully examining Neville, but felt a little disappointed.
Clearly, Neville was not yet the Sword Saint who dared to face Lord Voldemort, but rather a somewhat timid, round-faced chubby boy.
Rolf then looked at the girl with the wine-red ponytail. She calmly held a baseball bat and said softly, "Sherry Swinton."
Seeing Rolf staring at the wooden bat, Sherry said flatly, "I like playing baseball, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to carry a baseball bat, isn't it?"
"..."
"Just carry it then, it'll be good for self-defense," Rolf said casually. "Hogwarts is very dangerous; people die every year."
Hermione gasped in fright, somewhat flustered, "D-dead people? Every year?!"
"Yes, last year a Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts fell off his Flying Broomstick." Rolf's lips curved slightly as he deliberately lowered his voice:
"His brains were like shattered jelly all over the floor, his eyeballs bounced around, and then Hagrid's dog ate them.
And the year before last, a Professor was fishing by the Black Lake and was dragged into the lake and drowned by a water monkey!"
Hermione stood still, mouth agape, eyes vacant.
Even the cool-tempered Sherry clutched the wooden bat in her hand. Although her expression didn't change much, her movements were slightly stiff.
Rolf suppressed his laughter, no longer wanting to scare the two blank-minded girls. He sat down in the chair and looked out the window.
The heavy rain gradually ceased. Platform 9 3/4 after the rain had soft contours and was misty with water vapor.
The thick smoke from the steam locomotive lingered above the bustling crowd, and the air was filled with the noisy dragging of luggage and the joyful laughter of Wizards.
The atmosphere inside the carriage, however, was somewhat heavy.
Neville was still trembling, worried that Malfoy would bring a group of people to cause trouble.
Hermione pulled out a copy of "fantastic beasts and where to find them," but her gaze wasn't on it. The girl's eyes drifted, her mind elsewhere, contemplating whether to just go home, at least it would be safer.
The ponytail-wearing Sherry clutched her wooden bat, staring blankly out the window.
Basking in the warm sunlight, Rolf was engrossed in a copy of "Post-Natal Care of the Tepo Warthog," enjoying the illustrations when a toad suddenly jumped onto his lap.
The toad stared wide-eyed at his black suitcase.
It turned out that a green Magical Creature, resembling both a stick insect and a plant, had emerged from the box. Its body was only a handspan long, and its tiny, rice-grain-sized brown eyes blinked incessantly.
After being stared at by the toad, the Bowtruckle, which had originally intended to climb upwards, immediately froze.
The toad quickly flicked out its tongue. Startled, the Bowtruckle no longer dared to play dead and immediately began to climb nimbly.
Its front claws hooked onto a button on Rolf's coat, and it scurried quickly to his waist, finally making a leap and hanging under his sleeve, swaying slightly.
Rolf hooked his right wrist, gripped the Bowtruckle with two fingers, and gently cupped it in his palm. The Bowtruckle affectionately rubbed against his fingers.
"Trevor!" Neville cried out in a panic, "What are you doing?!"
"It must be hungry," Rolf said, pulling a few freeze-dried treats from his pocket.
Sherry and Hermione were both equally shocked, staring at the Bowtruckle... This was a creature they had never seen before!
Hermione even jumped up excitedly, almost hitting the luggage rack.
"A Bowtruckle! I've read about it in books!!"
The girl gazed at the Bowtruckle bathed in sunlight. She held up "fantastic beasts and where to find them" in her hand and said excitedly,
"The book says Bowtruckles are gentle Magical Creatures. They become guardians of the trees they inhabit, and the wood from those trees is usually suitable for making wands..."
Hermione fully demonstrated her incredible memory. She could recite the content word-for-word without even opening the book.
Even though Care of Magical Creatures Class wouldn't be offered until third year!
"Rolf, what are you feeding Trevor?" Neville asked curiously. He had tried feeding Trevor mosquitoes before, but Trevor ignored them.
"Freeze-dried Hokeypokey," Rolf said, holding a piece of freeze-dried food. "Chicken flavored, crunchy... six times the nutrition of beef. Want to try some?"
Neville quickly shook his head.
Hermione finally found an opportunity to show off and wasn't about to miss it. She crossed her arms, raised her head high, and said,
"Hokeypokey, that's a pest that looks like a mushroom. The book says it can only be used as food..."
Rolf shook his head, correcting her, "Actually, the sap secreted by Hokeypokey can also be used to make healing Potions and weed killer."
"Impossible! Where did you read that? It's not in the book!" Hermione was a little unconvinced.
"Textbooks aren't always completely right. This part is wrong here, and it will be corrected in future revised editions of 'fantastic beasts and where to find them'." Rolf smiled, "Don't be so rigid when you read... it's not good."
Hermione, however, didn't believe him. She put down her book, looked at Rolf, and glared, "You know more than Mr. Newt Scamander?!"
"Newt Scamander is just a retired old man; he doesn't know a thing about 'fantastic beasts and where to find them'." Rolf's expression was strange, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Hermione's face was full of indignation, as if Rolf had insulted her idol. The girl squinted at the boy, her small face clearly saying, 'Who do you think you are?'
Rolf looked at the stubborn girl who was splitting hairs in front of him and grinned, saying,
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you... Newt Scamander is my grandfather. We discovered new uses for the sap secreted by Hokeypokey a few months ago."
"..."
Hermione then remembered that this person was also named Scamander... Ah, she had embarrassed herself again!
She immediately deflated, pulled out a pen from somewhere, bit off the cap, and fiercely scribbled it down in her book.
Sherry watched this scene, resting her chin on one hand, and smiled softly.
Rolf stroked Trevor, who was frantically eating on his leg, and suddenly, a "ding" sounded in his mind.
[Detected one ancestral toad, Trevor, triggering a side quest:
Cure Trevor's hyperactivity, reward magic:
[Giant Tongue Lash]
[Enhances control over the tongue, allowing it to freely extend and expand. Deals magic damage to creatures licked, and severe vibration has a certain probability of causing dizziness and disorientation
(Note: When used on female Magical Creatures, the probability increases by 20%)]
"..."
Rolf froze. This outrageous magic... He licked his lips and suddenly smiled at Neville, saying,
"Look at this toad, it seems to have heatstroke. How about we... hehehe!"