In fact, Kai Adler had noticed something following them as early as the day before. The reason? A fleeting ripple of powerful Black Magic detected while they were eating hotpot that night.
At first, he didn't know it was such a massive octopus. He simply sensed a faint, but immensely heavy fluctuation of Black Magic offshore. So that night, instead of recalling his Patronus, he set up their tent directly on its broad back. While Hermione slept peacefully, Kai stayed outside, quietly keeping watch.
Morning came, and the presence was still there—always lingering at a distance, never approaching, as if secretly observing them.
But when they started cooking hotpot again at noon, the creature approached.
At that moment, Kai Adler had a wild, yet highly probable guess: Could it be drawn by the smell of the hotpot?
And judging by how it kept its distance before, perhaps the size of the Patronus made it hesitant to come closer. That suggested either fear of the Patronus… or that the creature was naturally curious, even docile, rather than aggressive.
Either way, he had a clear idea.
So, he dismissed the Patronus.
Sure enough, the giant octopus appeared.
Kai looked into its eyes—black and polished like gemstones—watching as they fixated not on him, but on the steaming copper pot still carrying the rich aroma of broth and spices.
He asked tentatively, "Do you want this?"
The octopus's gaze shifted back to him, slowly circling, then back to the hotpot.
It really was the hotpot…
A playful grin crossed Kai's face. He twirled his finger, and the hotpot glided from right to left across the kayak. The octopus's eyes tracked it intently, its movements hypnotically following the pot like a curious cat with a dangling toy.
Hermione relaxed visibly, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. Such a beautiful, massive creature… and so far, no signs of aggression.
The octopus, swayed back and forth by Kai's teasing, seemed to realize it was being toyed with. Its gemstone-like eyes narrowed, tentacles twitching on the water's surface in visible protest—but still, it didn't attack.
Its nature was clearly docile.
Hermione frowned at Kai's antics. "Stop teasing her. Just give it to her already."
Kai Adler shrugged, and the hotpot floated gently in front of the octopus.
The creature glanced at him, tentacles reaching out slowly toward the pot. When it saw the hotpot stay in place, the octopus let out a stream of delighted bubbles, expertly coiling its tentacle around the pot.
However, for its colossal body—over ten meters—the hotpot was like a candy drop.
Realizing this, the octopus paused, its obsidian eyes flicking toward Kai as though contemplating something.
And then, it seemed to recall… it wasn't exactly weak.
With a sudden splash, the octopus began shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
High above, Luna, now circling in her eagle form, shrank rapidly as well, swooping down to perch atop Kai's head, her feathers puffed and head tilted in curiosity.
The octopus didn't stop shrinking until it reached roughly the size of a human, its elegant, streamlined form compact and adorable—its translucent body glimmering like carved crystal.
Gracefully, it settled onto the kayak, impatiently wrapping its tentacles around the hotpot and maneuvering it toward the hidden mouth beneath its body, clearly unable to resist the tempting aroma.
"Another little glutton," Kai remarked with a smirk.
Hermione nodded seriously—until she realized the implication, at which point her eyes widened, and she smacked his arm with the book in her hand.
"Who are you calling 'another'?!" she huffed indignantly.
"I'm talking about her, obviously."
"Hmph!"
Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically, crossing her arms over her book. "Don't think I didn't catch that 'another' in there."
"I meant Luna!"
Luna: ???
Hearing her name, Luna stretched her bird head down in front of Kai, glaring, eyes full of grievance.
When have I ever been greedy?
Hermione snorted, clearly unconvinced. "Hah, who's the one carrying sweets and black tea everywhere like an emergency supply?"
Kai opened his mouth, then sighed in defeat.
Squeak!!!
A small, high-pitched squeak suddenly stole all their attention. Both humans and bird turned, eyes widening at what they saw.
The octopus, once entirely translucent, had turned bright red, its tentacles curled tightly beneath its body. It looked visibly uncomfortable, eyes wide with disbelief.
Its trembling tentacle pointed accusingly at Kai, as if to say: You… poisoned me!
With a splash, it jumped into the water, letting out a string of distressed, wronged bubbles as it submerged.
Kai casually raised a hand to shield himself from the water droplets, watching the bubbles with faint regret.
"What a waste of my broth."
Pfft! Hermione burst out laughing, wiping a tear from her eye. "She's burning her tongue, and you're worried about the broth?"
She patted her flushed face, still chuckling. "But honestly… it's a magical creature, right? So cute!"
Kai gave her a look. "Cute? I'd say terrifying."
Hermione frowned. "She seemed harmless enough. Even when she burned her tongue, she just hopped off. A dangerous beast would've attacked by now."
"I'm not talking about her behavior. I'm talking about her strength."
Hermione tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I didn't put any protection spells back up just now."
Her eyes widened as realization set in.
For safety during their sea voyage, Kai had layered their kayak with complex defensive enchantments—strong enough to repel most magical creatures, and even himself if he hadn't keyed them to his presence.
Yet the octopus… touched the kayak, and those protections vanished like soap bubbles.
If he hadn't sensed the creature's docile nature afterward, he would've activated a Portkey immediately to get Hermione back to Berlin or even Britain.
They exchanged a look, the vast unknown of the ocean suddenly far more mysterious.
"Phew, that was exciting," Hermione finally blurted, breaking the silence.
Kai Adler looked at her, amused, finding her face glowing with excitement and wonder, utterly devoid of fear.
A true Gryffindor through and through.
"This makes me even more eager for the journey ahead."
Kai smiled faintly. "Me too."