Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard

Chapter 421: Chapter 419: Fluffy and the Manticore

Although Kael said earlier that he knew where Fluffy was, in fact, he had only been there once, and it was Hagrid who had taken him there along a different path.

Now, in a completely unfamiliar place, he really didn’t know the exact location.

However, it’s not like there are no other ways.

Kael opened the suitcase, first persuading the reluctant Norbert back inside, then he stuck his head in and shouted loudly.

Soon, a Billywig wobbled and flew out.

The Billywig’s sense of smell is very keen, able to detect the scent of herbs from dozens of miles away, and it had spent a long time with Fluffy before, so it was quite familiar with his scent.

It can come in handy now.

This is also why Kael refused Aragog’s offer to guide him... those giant spiders are not trustworthy; who knows what tricks they might play on the way.

As soon as it came out, the little guy began to frolic, even flying next to Newt, looking at him curiously with its shiny black eyes.

Newt gave it a comfortable feeling, like a gentle sunflower, a feeling it really liked, so much so that even when Newt raised his hand towards it, it wasn’t afraid at all, and instead naturally landed on his outstretched palm.

”What a well-behaved little one...”

Newt rubbed its belly with his fingers and said with a smile, ”I once met a Billywig too, but it was so mischievous, always trying to run outside, never coming back when called...”

As he spoke, Newt showed a slight smile.

He remembered that back then, Jacob’s favorite fantastic beast was that Billywig.

Because after being stung by a Billywig, a person would uncontrollably float in the air, something Jacob really loved as it made him feel like a wizard.

Unfortunately, he was just a Muggle... well, the most fierce Muggle, certified by the American Ministry of Magic.

Thinking of this, Newt chuckled again.

Seeing Newt immersed in his memories, Kael didn’t disturb him, just silently extended his hand.

The Billywig flew back immediately.

”We’re heading to the Three-Headed Dog.” Kael whispered, ”Can you lead the way for us?”

The little guy nodded, buzzing around the vicinity before flying down a small path to the left.

Kael and Newt hurriedly followed.

The location where Fluffy was wasn’t far from the Eight-eyed Giant Spider’s hollow.

After walking for about ten minutes or so, Kael suddenly heard an excited howling sound.

Soon after, the ground began to shake, and Fluffy ran over from not far away, breaking countless branches along the way.

Fluffy finally stopped in front of Kael, excitedly lowering his head, and three tongues simultaneously lashed out towards Kael.

Kael quickly jumped back, dodging it.

Fluffy’s tongue hit the nearby tree, scraping off a layer of bark.

Seeing Kael’s action, Fluffy’s three heads tilted at the same time, seemingly unable to understand why he dodged.

After all, Hagrid liked this kind of thing.

Maybe, do it one more time?

Seeing the Three-Headed Dog extending its tongues again, Kael quickly gestured, stopping this enthusiastic form of greeting.

Fluffy was even bigger than before, looking like a small mountain, and didn’t know his own strength.

Kael wasn’t as resilient as Hagrid; one swing of that tongue could definitely knock him out.

He extended his hand, and Fluffy immediately lay down, its three heads rushing forward to enjoy Kael’s skilled dog-petting technique.

Until it noticed Newt behind him.

In an instant, Fluffy’s expression turned fierce again, but under Kael’s calming influence, it didn’t move.

”No need to be nervous, little guy, we’ve met before, remember?”

Newt slowly walked forward, standing with his hands out towards it.

In second year, Newt did meet Fluffy once, but with the Three-Headed Dog’s mind, it clearly couldn’t remember something so long ago.

But that was no problem for Newt.

He gently placed his hand on Fluffy’s nose, scratching its three chins in succession.

After this series of actions, Fluffy soon closed his eyes comfortably, making a humming noise.

Just then, rustling sounds emerged from the trees to the right.

Kael initially thought the Eight-eyed Giant Spider had followed them, but when he turned around, he realized it wasn’t the case.

In the bushes, a pair of ghostly blue eyes cautiously watched them, outlines of a lion-like body and a long, stinger-tipped tail faintly visible in the moonlight.

It was the Manticore.

Noticing the commotion here, it had come over.

When Kael looked over, the Manticore instantly made a deep sound, ”Humans, leave this place!”

But before Kael could speak, Fluffy wasn’t having it, standing up vigorously, all three heads roaring at the Manticore.

Not to be outdone, it roared back in a voice identical to Fluffy’s.

”Manticores are most famous for their exceptional linguistic talents,” explained Newt on the side. ”When this creature was first discovered, because of its human-like head and ability to speak human language, it was categorized along with centaurs, banshees, and vampires as ’people.’

But later, people found that Manticores were too violent and difficult to communicate with, so in 1269, they were removed from the ’people’ list.”

As Newt spoke, the Manticore and Fluffy’s argument grew more intense, clearly failing to reach a consensus.

So, the two hot-headed creatures started to fight.

The nearby trees suffered greatly, falling down in large patches with a crash, covering up the sound of their roars momentarily.

Originally, the Manticore, with its speed advantage and venomous tail, wasn’t afraid of the Three-Headed Dog.

But due to injuries on its hind legs, it couldn’t run fast, and within minutes Fluffy had knocked it over and pinned it to the ground, its tail firmly stepped on.

”Humans, I admit defeat!”

It looked towards Kael and Newt, ”I promise not to harm you, just make this fool let go of me.”

Kael raised an eyebrow, ”This is... hard to communicate with?”

”There are always exceptions.” Newt smiled, ”Not everyone has a Three-Headed Dog with them.”

”That’s true.”

Kael walked over, patting Fluffy’s tail, and it reluctantly released its grip.

The Manticore quickly turned, scrambling to its feet while quickly stepping back several paces, keeping its eyes on Fluffy, maintaining a relatively safe distance.

”Fool...” it cursed first, then looked at Kael, ”Human, you shouldn’t be here.”

”We mean no offense.” Newt stepped forward, lifting his arms high and low, raising one leg slightly, leaning his body forward in a peculiar, amusing stance for a while.

”Relax, we mean no harm, we just want to help you...”

Following Newt’s signals, Kael awkwardly imitated him.

Though somewhat embarrassing, it was quite effective. Strangely, the wariness in the Manticore’s eyes diminished significantly, and it didn’t hinder their slow approach.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time Kael had done something like this, yet it still felt incredible.

He could not fathom how Newt came up with these gestures.

...