Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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What happens when a wizard faces an adult leopard cat without using a wand or any magic… No one knows better than Kyle what to say about this.
He's been in Dorset for a week now, and aside from eating and sleeping, he's been getting beaten up almost all the time.
The Wampus cat's blue eyes can see right through Kyle's every thought.
So no matter how he tries to dodge, those pink-padded paws always appear precisely in front of Kyle, then slap him lightly or heavily.
The force depends mainly on Kyle's use of Occlumency.
The method of judgment is simple.
If the Wampus cat's vision is blurry, it will only slap him lightly, a perfunctory gesture; otherwise, it will mercilessly kick Kyle into the lake.
For the past two days, Kyle has been performing long-distance dives almost every few minutes, his clothes constantly soaked.
However, as the days passed, Kyle jumped into the water less and less.
After a week, the Wampus cat's paws landed much lighter, and Kyle only stumbled slightly before straightening up as if nothing had happened.
"Good, Kyle. Remember, clear your mind of all those chaotic thoughts and emotions,"
Tina, who was providing support from the sidelines, said loudly while holding a small Niffler. "Don't worry about what you'll encounter next. Stay calm and focus on the present!"
Unlike Chris and Newt, who never came, Tina came to check on Kyle every day. When she noticed Kyle getting anxious or overly agitated, she would offer a few words of advice.
Hearing her words, Kyle quickly turned around and gave a thumbs-up.
The Wampus cat opposite him tilted its head, a hint of surprise on its face.
Clearly, it hadn't "seen" Kyle's action; otherwise, it would have slapped him already.
Tina raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly noticing something.
After leaving the box, she returned to the room and found Newt fiddling with a cauldron.
"I think you can write to Chris now."
"So soon?"
Newt looked up in surprise, asking, "It's only been a week, and he's already able to withstand Nadalie's Legilimency?"
"Almost." Tina put the Niffler aside and said with a smile, "Nadalie isn't as relaxed as she was at the beginning, and her movements are much faster.
I can see that she's attacking purely on instinct now, not Legilimency.
It's just that neither Kyle nor she has realized this."
The Wampus cat is, after all, a magical creature; even its instinctive reaction will subconsciously lead it to believe it "saw" something, albeit vaguely.
"Looks like Dumbledore was right, Kyle is indeed a very talented kid. I thought he'd need to stay here for half a month."
Newt stood up, brushed the herb fragments off his clothes, and said with a smile, "Then I'll write to Chris now and ask him to come and take Kyle back."
"Hmm… wait a minute." Tina suddenly asked, "Did they say they had anything to do recently?"
"Probably not." Newt thought for a moment and said, "I remember when Chris left, he said he would come to pick up Kyle before school starts to go shopping in Diagon Alley."
Tina pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, there's no need to rush. Let Kyle stay here for a few more days. I haven't seen him in a long time anyway."
"Uh… didn't you just tell me to write the letter?" Newt scratched his head.
Tina didn't say anything, but just glared at him with a stern face.
"Okay, whatever you say." Newt squatted back down in front of the cauldron and added some white powder to it.
The liquid in the cauldron quickly turned into a beautiful light yellow color, and a wisp of pink smoke rose from it.
Beside it, the little sniffler, who was stuffing a spoon into its inner bag, suddenly stopped what it was holding. It sniffed, stared intently at the crucible, and drool dripped from the corner of its mouth.
The contents of the cauldron seemed to hold a strong attraction for it.
The Niffler's black eyes darted around, and it huffed and puffed its way up to a nearby shelf. Finding its best angle, it pushed off with its short legs, ready to jump into the cauldron.
But before it could even get into the air, a large hand caught it.
"No, not now. Be patient,"
Newt shook his head at it. "And don't hide the spoon! Take it out now!"
The Niffler slapped its pocket shut and tried to run off on its remaining three short legs.
"That won't do,"
Newt said, pinching the Niffler's hind leg and gently scratching its belly with his fingers.
Amidst a clattering sound, several small items fell out of the Niffler's pocket.
There was not only the spoon from before, but also three Knuts, a button, and a whistle that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Even Newt hadn't noticed when it had put these things in there.
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At dinner time, Kyle emerged wearily from the chest.
Tina handed him a towel and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Not so good," Kyle wiped his face. "I don't feel any progress compared to yesterday."
"That's normal," Tina said with a smile. "Besides, you can't rush learning Occlumency. You've been practicing non-stop for a week; taking a break is a good idea."
"That's true," Kyle nodded.
After being beaten up for so long, he felt he really needed to do something else to distract himself.
"How about you bake cookies with me tomorrow?" Tina said with a smile. "We can practice in the afternoon."
"Okay," Kyle agreed without hesitation.
Although he'd rather see the other magical creatures in the box, baking cookies was fine, as long as he didn't have to face that Wampus cat named Nadalie.
Just then, Newt suddenly walked over and said, "Can the cookies be grapefruit flavored?"
"Of course," Tina said with a smile.
She was a little surprised; she had made grapefruit-flavored cookies the day they settled in Dorset, and she hadn't expected Newt to remember.
"Thank you." Newt washed his hands and sat down at the table, picking up a piece of bread. "I remember Ana loves grapefruit."
"…"
Tina's smile vanished instantly.
"Sorry…" she said expressionlessly, "I suddenly remembered we don't have any grapefruits at home, so I've decided to make butter cookies tomorrow."
"Huh?" Newt scratched his head. "But you just said…"
"Crunch!"
Tina bent her spoon, her face darkening. "I'll say it again, we don't have any grapefruits!"
[End of the chapter]