Just as Wentworth departed, voices rang out from the previously silent foot of the mountain.
"Why did you stop me from confronting him just now? He's clearly headed straight for the school. He's no Muggle who happened to wander here by chance, we should have questioned him!"
"Don't forget, it may be the start of a new term, but I didn't sense the aura of a Dream Messenger on him."
If someone had followed the voices to their source at that moment, they would've been stunned to discover that they were coming from a pair of parrots.
The second parrot now spoke, its tone measured.
"Calm down. Did you see what that boy was wearing? A black wizard's robe with yellow trim, and the emblem of a badger stitched on it. No doubt about it, that's a Hogwarts student, from Hufflepuff House."
Upon hearing this, the first parrot tilted its head in curiosity.
"Hogwarts? That ancient wizarding school in London, as old as our own Uagadou? What's one of their students doing here?"
While preening the feathers on its chest with a wing, the second parrot replied:
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts is Albus Dumbledore, also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. I heard he's due to arrive soon, investigating the recent accusations made against Uagadou during the International Animagus Symposium."
"And he'll be bringing students along. Once the investigation is complete, he and Nala will travel to Japan for the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship being held there this year."
At this, the first parrot finally understood and declared with confidence:
"Who would've thought Hogwarts would send such a young student to compete? Looks like Nala just lost a rival!"
"Don't be so sure. For someone that young to represent Hogwarts, it only proves that this young wizard must be exceptionally gifted, skilled enough to overcome the gap in age and experience and still make the team."
Unaware of the parrots' conversation, Wentworth was, at that moment, thoroughly immersed in the exotic landscape of Africa, feeling the scorching sun and the warm breeze wash over him.
Casting a Cooling Charm on himself, he muttered with a wry smile:
"Of all things, I never imagined the first spell I'd use after leaving Nurmengard would be to cool myself down. I should've just toughed it out and traveled with Professor Dumbledore using the Portkey."
As he spoke, Wentworth glanced up at the looming silhouette of Uagadou not far ahead and resumed his climb.
But after walking for quite a while, he was startled to find that although the cluster of buildings on the mountainside remained clearly visible, the distance between them and himself hadn't decreased at all. It was as if he'd been walking in circles.
At first, Wentworth thought it was his imagination. But after another ten minutes or so, the truth became undeniable. He came to a halt.
"A spell…?" he muttered, frowning.
Just as he drew his wand to attempt a counter-spell, a large leopard suddenly emerged from nearby foliage.
It gave Wentworth a thorough once-over before its gaze locked on the wand in his hand. Then, in the blink of an eye, it charged.
As the leopard reached him within seconds, Wentworth muttered coolly:
"Maybe Nibelungen could use a playmate. Poor thing's been awfully lonely for a dragon."
And with that, he raised his wand and cast:
"Levicorpus!"
The next instant, the charging leopard was yanked into the air and left dangling upside-down from a tree.
Wentworth regarded the suspended beast with a tinge of regret.
"Pity you're not a magical creature. Otherwise, I could've sent you to Mr. Scamander, he would've loved you..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the leopard began swearing furiously.
"You bloody lunatic! Put me down right now! Using magic outside school grounds, what were you thinking? I'm reporting you!"
"Three, no, five Galleons! At least five Galleons, and I might keep quiet about this!"
Wentworth stared, dumbfounded, as the leopard cursed at him in perfect human speech.
"Mr. Newt Scamander, would you, by any chance, be interested in a perfectly ordinary leopard that speaks fluent English?" he said drily.
"Levicorpus Finite!"
In a heartbeat, he released the spell, and the leopard dropped to the ground.
Of course, Wentworth had already figured it out, it was a wizard in Animagus form.
"Ow—blimey!" groaned the leopard, now transformed into a young Black wizard about Wentworth's age. Rubbing his head where he'd hit the ground, the boy staggered over and stuck out a hand.
"That'll be six Galleons now."
Wentworth slapped the hand away with an annoyed huff.
"Sorry, I had no idea you were an Animagus. I thought you were just a wild leopard. You should be glad I didn't hit you with Avada Kedavra."
The other wizard paled for a second, then scoffed.
"Oh, come on. At our level, who even knows how to cast the Killing Curse?"
Wentworth merely smiled and said nothing.
But the young wizard kept jabbering.
"I'm telling you, casting magic outside of school is a serious offense here at Uagadou. If I report this, you'll be expelled for sure!"
"But hey, since we're fellow students, I'm willing to keep this between us. For your peace of mind, hand over five—no, six Galleons. If I snitch, you can report me for extortion. Fair's fair, right?"
Wentworth gawked at the self-satisfied expression on the boy's face and finally exclaimed, half-admiringly:
"You've got some nerve. That's a hell of a pitch."
"Honestly... impressive!"
Far from being ashamed, the young wizard puffed out his chest and replied with pride:
"Of course! Everyone at Uagadou knows the name Jabari Nwadike. My word is solid as steel. I say I'll keep a secret, I'll take it to my grave!"
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]