Chapter 159: Bone and Blood Baptism, Dancing with Thunderbirds?
Inside the Flask's inner space.
Leonardo stood off to the side, watching the massive figure pacing the clearing: Norbert.
In just two or three months, Norbert's body length had reached nearly four metres. From the head to the thick, powerful tail, every line was smooth and full of strength.
Every so often, Norbert spread his wings. With a wingspan of six or seven metres, he could already cast half the space into shadow. He was more than capable of taking to the skies.
This pocket‑space was no longer big enough. The Norwegian Ridgeback was growing too fast. It would have to be expanded again.
Leonardo rubbed at his brow. At his current level with the Extension Charm, the space was close to its limit.
He would have to ask Newt about it in Arizona.
If it involved a Scamander family secret, he would drop it. Otherwise, perhaps Newt could help extend the space himself. The only question was what to offer in return.
A low, rumbling growl rolled over his head, carrying a hint of pressure.
Leonardo realised he was standing squarely in Norbert's shadow.
He looked up and met a pair of molten orange‑red eyes, and could not help smiling.
Under the unicorn's blessing, Norbert's "threatening" posture was easy enough to read. For all that it looked like a display of dominance, it was really just clumsy begging.
As for why the sound was so deep and intimidating…
The baby simply could not help it.
However gentle a dragon seemed, it was still one of the most dangerous magical creatures in existence, a predator perched at the top of the food chain.
Leonardo could feel exactly what Norbert was trying to say.
"Mum, I am hungry."
"How many times has this been?" Leonardo sighed. "You are supposed to call me Dad."
He shook his head and pulled out a small mountain of beef and mutton, along with plenty of fish.
Norwegian Ridgebacks were one of the few dragons known to hunt in the sea. There were records of a Ridgeback making off with a whale calf.
As he tossed the meat up, Norbert snapped it down, and Leonardo observed him carefully.
The main colour of the scales was a deep, abyssal black. Running over the surface of each plate were fine lines of dark gold, threading and crossing like veins of metal.
Those lines were not static. They shifted faintly with Norbert's breathing and the flex of his muscles, flowing along his spine, the sides of his neck, and the edges of his wing membranes.
According to both the books and Newt himself, Norwegian Ridgebacks were not supposed to have these markings.
They were almost certainly the result of Aurelius' cleansing fire when the egg had hatched. So far, no obvious special ability had shown itself. Perhaps it would only emerge when Norbert was older.
It was a pity the system's pet‑growth loans did not work on him. Those seemed to be restricted to creatures the system had provided.
Maybe a specially brewed potion could do something similar—push the dragon's growth along or strengthen his body.
After all, to pay off the Magical Pathway Weavecraft loan, Norbert had to be raised into the dragon king of the Norwegian Ridgeback colony. The stronger he became, the better.
Leonardo opened the system interface and scrolled through the loan options to see what had changed since last time.
His mind skimmed down line after glowing line.
"There."
His eyes lit, and he opened one entry.
[Loan: Bone and Blood Baptism Draught (monthly)]
[Repayment term: 30 days]
[Content: A potion. Soaking in it will strengthen bones and muscles.]
[PS: This potion is suitable only for magical creatures. Human wizards are too fragile to withstand it.]
"Perfect," Leonardo said.
Whether people could use it or not didn't matter. This was for Norbert. A dragon's frame could take it.
He was in a rapid growth phase. Now was the ideal time. Once his body fully matured, the effects would be far less obvious.
And once Norbert was sturdier, Leonardo could finally think about applying Magical Pathway Weavecraft to him—carefully adjusting the Ridgeback's magical circuitry.
He had considered this before. Used properly, tweaks to a creature's magical pathways could absolutely make it stronger.
The system had confirmed as much.
[That idea is sound. It counts as part of the dragon's training and development,] it had said. [As long as you do not alter the dragon's essence.]
After a round of questions, Leonardo understood. He could refine the details of the pathways, but not tear them apart and rebuild them into something unrecognisable.
That was enough. Details decided outcomes. Small edges, compounded, became victory.
There was another reason he had picked this loan.
[Loan task: Without relying on external objects, dance with a Thunderbird for 100 kilometres (a wand is permitted).]
For an ordinary wizard, that would be nearly impossible.
First, without a broom or similar aid, most witches and wizards could not fly at all.
Second, Thunderbirds were dangerous in their own right.
They were classified as XXXX, a rare magical creature that could stir up storms and call lightning as it flew. Their destructive power was tremendous.
They were also extremely wary and sensitive, slow to trust anything that came near.
Neither problem worried Leonardo overly much.
As Master of the Qilin, with the unicorn's blessing layered over it, his affinity with magical creatures was unique. Talking to them was easier for him than for anyone alive.
He only needed to fly with a Thunderbird for a while. It was not as though he meant to pluck its feathers.
As for flight without aids, there were really only two routes: Voldemort's bizarre free‑flight magic, or becoming an Animagus and hoping the animal form had wings.
Leonardo was already an Animagus, and an unrestricted one at that.
He could choose any flying creature he liked.
"The real issue is speed," he muttered. "Thunderbirds are fast…"
Even the swiftest mundane bird would struggle to keep pace with something that could weave through its own storm fronts.
Keeping up for an entire hundred kilometres at that speed was another matter altogether.
His eyes narrowed in thought. He had gained some new insights into Transfiguration lately. If his Animagus form had no fixed limit, did it really have to remain an ordinary animal?
Directly turning himself into a magical creature would be reckless. Rebuilding magical pathways was not something to take lightly.
But what about changing only flesh and bone?
Perhaps something like the Chimera Transfiguration he had managed before…
"Thunderbirds, then," he decided. "We are going to Arizona anyway."
"Two birds with one stone."
—
Dorset.
Aurelius' Apparition deposited Leonardo on a low hill. He stepped up to a wooden cottage and rapped on the door.
Knock, knock.
A moment later, a voice answered from within. "Just a moment."
When the door creaked open, he found an elderly woman on the threshold.
Her eyes were very bright. Though her hair was white and her face lined, they shone like jewels. Like a fire‑salamander's eyes.
She took in the unfamiliar boy, then Aurelius at his side, and her expression softened into a smile.
"You must be Leonardo Grafton," she said. "Newt has told me all about you."
"Come in, come in. He said you would be visiting. I did not think you would come this early. Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, thank you, Mrs Scamander," Leonardo replied politely.
Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein‑Scamander. Once an Auror of the Magical Congress of the United States of America.
Most famous for being one of the witches who brought down Gellert Grindelwald.
Leonardo followed her inside. From the outside, the cottage looked tiny. The interior, however, was spacious.
Newt had applied the Extension Charm to every corner of his life.
"Thank you for keeping up that correspondence with Newt," Tina said as she led him through. "He spends far too much time with his little darlings and not nearly enough time talking to people."
"I am the one who should be grateful," Leonardo said at once. "I have learned so much from Mr Scamander. His knowledge of magical creatures is astonishing. We have talked about…"
As he launched into an enthusiastic recounting, Tina's smile only deepened.
Newt rarely spoke to people face-to-face. He rarely wrote letters either, save the occasional exchange with that old fox Dumbledore.
And Tina was always half‑afraid Dumbledore was going to drag her husband off into something Grindelwald‑shaped again.
Leonardo was different. She was surprised to learn he had only finished his first year at Hogwarts, but that only made her more comfortable. A boy that age was hardly going to talk Newt into hunting down Dark wizards.
She was genuinely glad Newt had found such a young friend.
"With how much you love magical creatures, I am amazed you were not Sorted into Hufflepuff," she chuckled. "Newt has said the same more than once."
"You and he have your trip to Arizona now," she went on. "A nice little holiday. Just remember to be careful. Even if Newt has his own private army of bodyguards…"
Clunk.
A trapdoor in the floor swung up. Newt's curly head emerged, then the rest of him climbed into the room.
He gave Leonardo a brief wave and the faintest of smiles.
Leonardo suspected that was about as effusive a greeting as Newt Scamander gave anyone.
The last time they had met, in the Forbidden Forest, they had been too busy saving a unicorn for Newt's shyness to fully manifest.
"Mr Scamander. Good to see you again," Leonardo said.
"Mm," Newt answered, dipping his head as he took a seat at the edge of the sofa.
The reply was cool to the point of vanishing, but Leonardo took no offence. Introverts were introverts.
There was not much small talk. Newt only made a few preparations before he was ready to leave.
He and Leonardo stepped up to the fireplace. Tina pressed a box of Floo Powder into Leonardo's hand.
The Floo Network was the standard way for wizards to travel long distances. As long as you pronounced the destination clearly, it would whisk you to the right grate in an instant.
A Portkey would have been even more convenient.
Newt, however, was no longer allowed to use Portkeys.
For a very simple reason.
Most people who abused Portkeys smuggled one or two extra passengers through.
Newt brought whole crates of magical creatures.
The wizarding authorities of the world were profoundly grateful for everything he had done to protect their native species.
They were also terrified of what would happen if any of those "little darlings" got loose.
Now, whenever Newt travelled, his destinations had to be cleared with the local Ministry or equivalent in advance, complete with paperwork and official stamps.
As for using Aurelius' Apparition to cross borders… that still counted as smuggling. This trip to Arizona had already been filed with MACUSA. They had to go through the proper channels.
Getting into a magical nature reserve, especially one that housed something as rare and precious as Thunderbirds, was a bureaucratic nightmare by design.
Poachers were a constant threat. Thunderbird feathers and eggs fetched staggering prices.
It was the height of summer now, the breeding and nesting season. Poaching would be at its worst. The regulations were at their strictest.
But Newt was Newt Scamander, the world's foremost expert on magical creatures. Of all the wizards alive, he was the last one anyone suspected of hunting anything.
"Leonardo, repeat the destination after me," he said. "Exactly, and clearly. If you get it wrong, you will end up in the wrong place."
He stepped into the grate, threw down the powder, and vanished in a burst of green flame.
The Floo Network really was convenient. A pity an underage wizard could not have it installed at home.
If Leonardo wanted to go somewhere like Diagon Alley, he still had to rely on Aurelius' Apparition and be very careful to arrive where no one would see.
Daphne's family, he recalled, had relatives in the Department of Magical Transportation, which oversaw the Floo Network. If a favour could be called in, perhaps…
He took a pinch of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace.
"See you later, Grandma Tina," he said.
"Have fun, Leo," she replied.
He enunciated their destination under his breath.
A whirl of spinning fire, a lurch—
His vision cleared. Newt stood before him.
After several such hops, they emerged in a small, sun‑baked town of packed yellow earth.
"This is Stormtown," Newt said. "Closest settlement to the Thunderbird Sanctuary."
Leonardo looked around. The town was small, and every face he saw belonged to a witch or wizard. Not a single Muggle in sight.
The reserve lay nearby, home to the Thunderbirds and a scattering of other magical species. It produced feathers, eggs, and all manner of other materials that needed to be harvested—legally.
Over time, witches and wizards had settled into handling the collection, processing, and sale of those goods. As more came, the outpost had grown into a proper town.
It was rather like Hogsmeade near Hogwarts—a purely magical village.
He wondered if they had any special local products. It might be worth bringing some back.
First, though, they needed somewhere to sleep.
Newt led him to a modest house at the edge of town—one of his many properties, this one a gift from MACUSA.
Newt, Leonardo knew, had houses like this all over the world. Some he had bought himself. Others were free offerings from grateful governments. All of them stood near magical habitats.
The official gifts spoke for themselves.
The ones he bought, he could more than afford. Like Hagrid with the Forbidden Forest, only on a global scale, Newt could practically trip over valuable materials any time he went for a walk.
Leonardo stepped to the window and looked out.
Far in the distance, storm clouds were beginning to gather.