Chapter 127. Professor, Azkaban Is Beckoning to You
They shut the cabinet doors tight, and Duncan and Professor Kettleburn stood pressed against the inside of the cabinet.
After a brief wait, the cabinet gave a faint shake, as though something were dragging it along.
After a dozen seconds or so, the cabinet stilled again.
Professor Kettleburn glanced at Duncan and asked, "Have we arrived?"
"We should have," Duncan replied, pushing at the door with his hand, but the cabinet door didn't budge.
"Professor, something seems to be blocking it from the outside," Duncan said as he pushed harder.
"Step aside—let me," Professor Kettleburn drew his wand, but paused midway.
Hesitating, he said to Duncan, "I've never used a Vanishing Cabinet before. Do you think casting magic while we're inside might cause an accident?"
"Er… I've never used one either," Duncan realised the problem too. "Why don't we just push it open by hand?"
"All right—one door each." Professor Kettleburn put his wand away, rolled up his sleeves, and braced a hand against the other door.
Counting down three-two-one, Professor Kettleburn and Duncan pushed at the same time.
To their surprise, it was absurdly easy; they had scarcely used any force when the doors opened of their own accord.
Unable to check their momentum, both of them pitched forward and smacked onto the floor with a pair of thuds.
A concerned voice sounded from the side at once. "Duncan, are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?"
Face screwed up in pain, Duncan followed the voice, but he could see nothing within his field of vision.
Frowning, he thought back to that rather familiar voice and ventured, "Is that you, Alec?"
"It's me. Newt told me to wait here for you," the gentle voice came again.
Out of the previously empty air, a Demiguise slowly revealed itself, its appearance rather like that of a graceful, ape-like being.
It had large, dark eyes half-hidden beneath long hair, and it always seemed to carry a quiet air of melancholy.
Its slightly sturdier frame was covered in long, silky, silvery fur, as if it were a fallen aristocrat among beasts.
"Were you the one blocking the door just now?" Duncan got up from the floor and asked, suspicious.
A flush of embarrassment crossed the Demiguise Alec's face as he admitted, "The cabinet suddenly moving gave me a fright, and I blocked it on reflex. Then I remembered it might be you arriving. Sorry, Duncan…"
"It's fine," Duncan said helplessly. Alec was mild-tempered, fond of peace and quiet, timid, and very forgetful.
Seeing that Duncan wasn't blaming him, Alec let out a long breath and looked relieved.
Duncan looked around and found they were in a storeroom next to the workshop.
He peered out through a narrow window caked with dust and cobwebs, but saw no sign of Newt or Tina.
"Where's my granddad?" Duncan asked Alec, who was half-crouched at his side.
"He's outside the case," Alec replied. "Lots of creatures have gone mad lately, and he's been out dealing with them. But he told me earlier that if you arrived, you could knock on the exit hatch to let him know, and he'd open it for you."
Duncan nodded. "He isn't hurt, is he? Has he run into anything nasty?"
"No, Newt's very safe," Alec shook his head. "With our help, they won't be catching Newt!"
"Good," Duncan breathed out a little. "Did you see those maddened creatures yourself?"
"I did," said Alec, a flicker of fear in his eyes. "There's even one inside the case—Newt brought it back the day before yesterday."
"Oh? Take me to see it in a bit," Duncan said after a moment's thought, then turned to Professor Kettleburn. "Professor, there's a maddened creature in the case. Would you like to come with me to have a look, or go find my granddad first?"
"I'll go with you," Professor Kettleburn said after a moment's consideration.
"All right," Duncan nodded, and had Alec lead the way as they left the workshop together.
Newt's case was laid out much like his own, divided into several zones, each habitat suited to the creature that lived there.
The only difference was that this case's internal space was far larger than his.
As they passed all sorts of magical beasts, many greeted Duncan cheerfully and asked after him.
Duncan answered them one by one, while his eyes searched for the Sphinx and the Occamy he was close with, but he didn't see them.
"Alec, where are Misk and Sessi?" Duncan asked.
Misk and Sessi were the names he'd given the Sphinx and the Occamy, respectively.
Alec thought for quite a while, then said unhurriedly, "Oh, last time Pickett opened the door for them and let them out. They haven't come back yet. They've been outside helping Newt this whole time."
Pickett was the inherited name given to the Scamander family's Bowtruckle; only the one Newt favoured most would be called Pickett.
Duncan dipped his head and continued after Alec.
They reached a region bathed in moonlight year-round, where several small creatures came tumbling out of their burrows in a rush.
Their bodies were pale grey and smooth, with two round, bulging eyes perched atop their heads—bewildered and adorable.
Catching sight of Duncan, a few Mooncalves scuttled over on their spindly legs and gently nuzzled his shins.
"Oh—what beautiful Mooncalves…" Professor Kettleburn stared at the darlings at Duncan's side, his tone softening at once.
"Have you missed me?" Duncan bent down and gently stroked the Mooncalves' rounded heads.
At his question, the Mooncalves jostled one another, vying for attention, desperate for more of Duncan's pats.
"All right, all right, I'll come play with you another day," Duncan said when he'd had a good long fuss of them.
He pulled out a handful of grubs, flung them into the air, and summoned a little breeze to waft the insects farther off.
The Mooncalves' round eyes went even wider, their heads tracking the grubs of their own accord, and they shot away from Duncan at astonishing speed in pursuit of the tasty morsels.
With each bite, they let out a cheerful "doo-doo-doo" sound—utterly charming.
Professor Kettleburn's voice was full of envy. "Sometimes I truly wish I could find a way to occupy your body and take your place, just to spend time with these beautiful, adorable magical creatures. Being around you drives a man mad with jealousy. I've no idea how Newt has endured it for so many years!"
"Professor, that's a dangerous thought," Duncan teased. "Careful—Azkaban is beckoning to you!"
"Shoo, shoo, I wouldn't set foot in that wretched place in my next life either," Professor Kettleburn said quickly, as if warding off bad luck. Then he added, "Hurry up and ask that Demiguise—where's the maddened creature? Are we nearly there? Otherwise I'm the one who'll go mad!"
Duncan nodded, got the answer from Alec, and pointed to the slope below the Mooncalves' hill. "Nearly—just over there."
They descended a narrow, steep path on the right. Tilting his head, Duncan could see a deep, yawning cave at the end of the trail, from which a constant rumbling of impacts echoed—like some great beast fighting for its life in the dark.
"Oh no!" Alec cocked an ear, and all his usual calm deserted him. He cried out in alarm, panic on his face.
"What is it?" Duncan asked, startled.
"I forgot to give the big fellow its medicine. What are we going to do…" Alec paced on the spot, flustered. "It goes mad the moment it wakes. Last time it took Newt and several other wizards to subdue it, and Newt hasn't the time to come now—let alone to fetch help…"
"Don't worry. I'm here. We'll sort it out easily," Duncan said with a smile to steady Alec.
So it was only a matter of calming a maddened creature—he'd thought it was something serious. When it came to this, he was an expert.
"You've mastered a new magical technique?" Alec looked pleasantly surprised; he'd never seen Duncan use the druidic whistle before.
"You'll see in a moment," Duncan said, steering Alec by the shoulder as he and Professor Kettleburn stepped into the cave together.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Paid member can read 150+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts