To my surprise, the topic of Fantastic Beasts and Hogwarts seemed to genuinely pique the Nundu's interest.
Especially when they talked about Fluffy guarding the Philosopher's Stone for Dumbledore, the Nundu even scoffed disdainfully.
Although it had no idea what the Philosopher's Stone was, nor what a Three-Headed Dog was, it didn't matter.
Isn't it just about preventing others from entering that room? It was confident it could do a better job than that stupid dog with three heads.
At most, it could just release more poison... As long as the poison filled the entire castle, no one would be able to enter.
See, it's that simple.
While the Nundu's attention was fixed on Kael, Newt came behind it and began to gently massage its belly.
After about ten minutes, the Nundu shivered and suddenly stood up.
Underneath it was a small Nundu wrapped in mucus.
As the little creature started moving, the mucus that enveloped it, like an eggshell, was quickly flung aside.
The Nundu lowered its head and affectionately licked it with its tongue.
But not sure if it was the first time doing this with little experience, it licked a bit too hard, and the little one's face got all misshapen from the licking.
"Phew... Finally done!" Kael sighed in relief.
He had been talking for so long that his throat was starting to feel dry.
Kael turned to look at Fawkes, searching for the pint of tears he had reserved for himself.
As expected, Fawkes slapped him away with its wing.
"So stingy..." Kael muttered, standing up.
"Don't worry, we're not finished yet."
Newt reminded, "There should be another one."
Only then did Kael notice that the Nundu's belly was still swollen.
After about an hour, the third little Nundu was also safely born, finally bringing the whole process to an end.
Newt wiped the sweat from his forehead and gestured towards a direction not far away.
A larger Nundu quickly ran over, holding a large Tebo leg in its mouth.
"They're all very healthy." Newt smiled as he placed the little ones he had been holding beside them, then quietly left with Kael.
Unlike when he arrived with reluctance, on the way back, Kael would turn to look every few steps, his eyes full of reluctance.
"No, Kael!"
"I know what you're thinking, absolutely not."
Newt said seriously, "I agreed to let you take Norbert to school because I believe you can keep it restrained and won't let it out of the suitcase.
But it's different with the little Nundus. They can't control their poison yet. It's too dangerous, not just for you, but for everyone in the castle."
Who wouldn't understand? He saw Kael's look earlier, just like how a Niffler looks at gold coins—its intention was clear as day.
He definitely wanted to smuggle one away!
"I, I know..." Kael scratched his head, "I was just thinking about it, I didn't really plan to do it."
Of course, he was clear on how dangerous the Nundus were, so he wouldn't think of bringing them to school.
Besides, with the two large ones next to them, he wouldn't be able to take them even if he wanted to.
Despite saying that, Newt still consciously quickened his pace, feeling as if he was carrying a ticking time bomb.
By the time the two of them emerged from the suitcase, the sky was already lightening.
They had been busy all night.
Kael was fine; he often stayed up late in the library, so he was used to it.
But it was different for ninety-five-year-old Newt. As soon as he stepped out of the suitcase, he showed obvious signs of fatigue.
Yet, his eyes remained bright.
"Indeed, calling you here was the right decision."
Newt closed the suitcase and poured Kael a cup of hot chocolate.
"Nundus usually give birth to only one or two cubs at a time, so having three in one litter is very rare."
"Moreover, this can be very taxing on them, and they could even be at risk of losing their lives."
"Fortunately, with you distracting it, the process went much smoother than I had imagined."
"No, no, I was just chatting, didn't help that much." Kael waved his hands repeatedly.
He's only thirteen and didn't want to undeservedly earn the title of "birthing assistant."
But Newt just smiled, giving him a meaningful look.
"It's very late, so go to sleep. Oh, you don't need to get up early for the station tomorrow; I'll take you back to Hogwarts. As for your luggage, let Chris send it over later."
"No need, I have all my luggage with me," Kael said.
Before coming here, to avoid arousing Fawkes' suspicion, he deliberately mixed the box containing the diary with his luggage and put it in the suitcase.
It turned out to save him quite a bit of trouble.
"That's convenient." Newt nodded and left.
But after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and picked up the suitcase from the floor and took it with him.
The smile on Kael's face disappeared immediately.
This is going too far... like he would sneak into the suitcase at night.
Really, where is the trust between people?
Kael pouted, placed the hot chocolate back on the table, and went back to his room to sleep.
He had his own separate room here, prepared meticulously by Newt and Tina.
...
Since he didn't have to catch the train, Kael woke up the next day at noon.
Tina had already prepared lunch, with the table piled high with caramelized potato cakes and steak.
"Is anyone else coming?" Kael asked, puzzled.
The portions were too much; even thirty people wouldn't be able to finish.
"No one is coming." Tina smiled, taking out a box, "You love potato cakes, so these are for you to take to school."
"The steak is for the Nundus," Newt added, "She needs a lot of food to regain her strength right now."
Kael understood and promptly sat down at the table.
Tina filled his plate with several stacks of steak, piled like a brick.
Kael didn't refuse; he had only eaten one potato cake since the previous night and was starving.
After eating, Newt took him to deliver food to the Nundu family.
The toxic fog on the savanna had thinned considerably but remained lethal.
Still on that rock... the three little ones seemed to remember them, not frightened at all, they scurried around Kael's feet, occasionally pawing at his pants.
The two large ones snuggled on the rock, lazily watching as Kael helped care for their kids, while munching on Newt's steak.
It wasn't until the afternoon, when Kael sensed the train should be nearing Hogwarts, that he reluctantly left.
Norbert and the Troll had already been secretly transferred to his suitcase without Fawkes knowing.
Dumbledore indeed was reliable. The space inside his suitcase seemed endless now, who knows how many times it's expanded.
Additionally, Dumbledore even helped complete some of the renovations. The area that once had only a few trees now became a lush forest, the lake expanded greatly, and two more hills appeared beside it.
He even adjusted the climate; the area north near the lake was covered in thick ice and snow.