No one knows better than Kyle what happens when a wizard faces an adult Wampus cat without using a wand or magic.
He had been in Dorset for a week now, and aside from eating and sleeping, he'd spent most of his time getting thrashed.
Natalie's blue eyes could pierce through every one of Kyle's thoughts. No matter how he tried to dodge, her paw with its pink pads would materialize precisely in front of him, striking either gently or forcefully.
The force depended entirely on Kyle's use of Occlumency.
The rules were simple: if the Wampus cat's vision was clouded, she'd give a light tap and move on. If not, she'd mercilessly kick him into the lake.
During the first two days, Kyle found himself taking long-distance dives every few minutes, his clothes perpetually soaked.
But as time went on, these unwanted swims became less frequent.
After a week, Natalie's strikes had grown gentle — Kyle would merely stumble slightly before regaining his stance as if nothing had happened.
"Well done, Kyle, remember, you must clear your mind of scattered thoughts and emotions." Tina called out, who stood nearby holding a tiny Niffler, "Don't worry about what's coming next — maintain emotional stability and focus on the present!"
Unlike Chris and Newt who hadn't visited once, she would come to watch for a while every day, offering reminders whenever she noticed Kyle becoming anxious or overly excited.
Hearing her words, Kyle quickly turned his head and gave a thumbs up. The Wampus cat across from him tilted its head, showing a hint of bewilderment.
Clearly, it hadn't "seen" his gesture, or it would have struck him immediately.
Tina raised an eyebrow slightly, seeming to notice something.
After leaving the case, she returned to the room and found Newt tinkering with a cauldron.
"I think you can write to Chris now."
"So soon?" Newt looked up in surprise, "It's only been a week — can he already block Natalie's Legilimency?"
"Pretty much." Tina said with a smile, setting the Niffler aside, "Natalie's movements are quicker now, less deliberate. I can tell she's attacking purely on instinct rather than using Legilimency, though neither Kyle nor she has realized this yet."
Natalie was still a magical creature, after all — even when acting on physical instinct, she would subconsciously believe she had "seen" something, just less clearly.
"Looks like Dumbledore was right — Kyle is indeed exceptional. I thought he'd need to stay here for half a month." Newt stood up, brushing herb fragments off himself, "I'll write to Chris now, asking him to come pick Kyle up."
"Hmm... wait a moment." Tina said, "Did they mention having any plans recently?"
"I don't think so." Newt replied after a moment's thought, "I remember Chris saying he'd come pick Kyle up before school starts to buy things in Diagon Alley."
Tina pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, there's no rush. Let's have Kyle stay here a few more days — I haven't seen him in a long time anyway."
"Uh... weren't you just telling me to write?" Newt scratched his head.
Tina didn't speak, just glared at him sternly.
"Alright, whatever you say." Newt crouched back down by the cauldron and added some white powder.
The liquid in the cauldron quickly turned a beautiful light yellow color and emitted pink smoke.
Nearby, the little Niffler, which had been stuffing a spoon into its pouch, suddenly froze. It twitched its nose, staring unblinkingly at the cauldron as drool trickled from the corner of its mouth.
The contents of the cauldron seemed irresistible to it.
The Niffler's black eyes rolled once before it huffed and puffed its way up onto a nearby shelf. Finding the right angle, it pushed off hard with its little legs, aiming to leap into the cauldron.
But while still in mid-air, a large hand caught it.
"No, it's not time yet, be patient." Newt said, shaking his head, "Also, no hiding spoons — take it out now."
The little Niffler clapped its pouch shut and tried to scamper away on its remaining three legs.
"That won't do." Newt grabbed its back leg and gently tickled its belly.
With a series of tinkling sounds, several small items fell from the Niffler's pouch: not just the spoon from earlier, but also three Knuts, a button, and a mysteriously acquired whistle.
Even Newt hadn't noticed when it had managed to collect all these treasures.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
At dinner time, Kyle walked out of the case exhausted.
Tina handed him a towel and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Not good." Kyle said, wiping his face, "Compared to yesterday, I don't feel any progress."
"That's normal." Tina said with a smile, "Learning Occlumency isn't something to rush. You've been practicing non-stop for a week — taking a little break would be good for you."
"You're right." Kyle nodded.
After being beaten up for so long, he felt he really needed to do something else to take his mind off it.
"How about helping me bake cookies tomorrow?" Tina suggested with a smile, "We can practice again in the afternoon."
"Sure." Kyle agreed without hesitation.
Though he would have preferred to see the other magical creatures in the case, baking cookies wasn't bad either — anything was better than facing Natalie.
Just then, Newt walked over and asked, "Can we make them grapefruit flavored?"
"Of course." Tina said with a smile.
She was a bit surprised — she had made grapefruit cookies the day they settled in Dorset, and hadn't expected Newt to remember.
"Thanks." Newt said, washing his hands before sitting at the table and picking up a piece of bread, "I remember Anny loved grapefruit."
"..."
The smile instantly vanished from Tina's face.
"Sorry..." She said expressionlessly, "I just remembered we're out of grapefruit, so I've decided to make cream cookies tomorrow."
"Huh?" Newt scratched his head, "But you just said..."
Crunch~
Tina bent the spoon in her hand, her expression unfriendly, "I'll say it again, we're out of grapefruit!"
✭✭✭
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