Specifically, Harry's Vulpix was the Kantonian variant, that much he was certain... I mean, the hatchling's eyes were quite tiny, but he could still see those orange pupils that were now staring at him as he scrutinized it.
That, coupled with the red-brown fur and those large ears, sealed his guess.
Magnus envied him.
This Vulpix was a Fire-type, and he could almost picture the fox-like Pokémon unleashing some of those tricky fire-based moves.
It's not that Dark-type moves weren't powerful, but he could only recall quite a few from memory.
His hand dropped toward the hatchling's tail.
"What are you looking for?" Harry asked, raising the Vulpix to observe what Magnus was doing.
"Can you feel something?" Magnus asked. He could feel it himself, but it was so mild that he couldn't be sure.
"No... just some warmth, but I suppose that's normal."
Magnus shook his head. "Yeah, it's normal, but only for a Vulpix. Its tails will get even hotter as it grows..."
"Hot?... You mean like... wait, did you say tails?" Ron had apparently gotten his hint.
"Yeah... a Vulpix hatches with one tail, but it splits up into six more."
The two were looking at him very doubtfully, and Magnus had to stop what he had been about to say next.
I mean, if six tails were making them look at him like he had lost his mind, what about when he told them that it could also get nine tails if it hit its mythical levels...
He could see that it was only politeness that was stopping them from bursting out in laughter.
At that moment, Magnus felt like he had become Luna Lovegood with his tales.
He turned away from them. It didn't matter if they believed him or not; the bubble spell would confirm his story soon enough.
His eyes immediately landed on Hermione as soon as they left Harry's Pokémon.
He felt a strong guilt when he saw her state. She stood a good distance from the rest, and her eyes were fixated on the ongoing indexing. The fear in her had clearly intensified, and Magnus felt bad for letting himself get carried away and forgetting about her Pichu problem.
Even worse, she was swaying from side to side in an attempt to disguise her trembling hands. The problem was that the swaying was making the Pichu restless, and a restless Pichu while this close to her name being called was nothing good.
He quickly dropped his sneak peek plans and headed toward her.
"You're scaring it," he said, bending down and pretending to observe the Pichu.
She had automatically turned as if ready to send him off but stopped when she saw him.
Even without looking, he was aware some Gryffindor girls were glaring at him, probably surprised why he wasn't being sent away.
Hermione must have been chasing away the other students who were showing interest in the Pichu.
"You should take it out of the basket."
"No," she said while giving him a dreadful look, like he was handing her live wires.
Magnus stood up, keeping his look casual and his voice low.
"You know she can't cast that spell with the hatchling inside a basket," he explained to a clearly terrified Hermione.
They had already seen the procedure for the indexing process, and Magnus was sure that if she presented the Pichu to the lady under such kind of tension, the hatchling would discharge electricity in front of a Ministry official.
"Listen, how about I hold it for a while?" Magnus suggested, sounding crazy even in his own ears.
A stranger would make the Pichu even more tense and increase the likelihood of being shocked.
Hermione was looking at him like she thought it was some kind of trick he was playing on her.
"That will make it relax around strangers before you are called."
'Or shock the stranger into another coma,' a voice said in his head. Magnus ignored it.
"But it..." she began but then looked around at the glaring students.
She gave him an 'I-hope-you-know-what-you're-doing' look before lifting the basket lid.
There wasn't time to reconsider, as that would give the Pichu a chance to jump away to avoid him.
His naked hands closed around the hatchling and lifted it toward his chest.
It came faster than he could have anticipated—a shock cut across his entire body so fast that, for a second, Magnus felt as if his lungs had been shut down.
He wanted to throw the Pichu away just to take a quick breath.
But he didn't.
He forced his hands to stay around the wriggling Pichu until the hatchling had calmed down.
He took a quick, long breath in preparation for another wave, but the Pichu just threw him those large, adoring eyes like it was equally surprised by his nerves.
Magnus carefully held it with his left hand and began to slowly but tenderly pat its smooth yellow fur.
"Wow... that was literally quite a shocker," he said to Hermione, who was now looking at him admiringly.
"How did you do that? ... I mean, did you feel it?... Did it?..."
"Hermione Granger!" Mrs. Winston's voice ended her train of questions.
Magnus was caught unaware but did his best not to act so suddenly. He had thought they had a bit of time, but the indexing must have gone quite fast.
"Here," he said, carefully handing the hatchling to its owner.
Hermione was hesitant for a second, but when McGonagall's voice repeated her name, she quickly grabbed the Pichu and then froze for a second, as if awaiting the shock.
When it did not come, she hurried toward the awaiting official.
Magnus picked up her basket, and with his curious Zorua, he pushed his way to the front, just behind Hermione.
He watched as the lady bent and gave the hatchling a thorough look.
After almost an entire minute, she stood up with a frown on her face.
"Strange... never seen one like this before," she said curiously. "Have you, Professor?"
McGonagall squinted for almost a minute as well before looking at the lady and shaking her head. "Can't say I have."
'Cast the damn spell already,' Magnus was almost yelling at them.
All these unnerving words weren't making Hermione any calmer.
The lady did.
"Geneo Revelio."
Magnus's eyes weren't even blinking as he watched the transparent bubble encircle the Pichu. They all waited with bated breath for the scenes to start playing inside the bubble, but nothing happened.
The lady exchanged curious looks with McGonagall before she broke the spell and cast it again.
Still, nothing happened.
The bubble remained transparent, and all they saw was the calm Pichu inside.
Magnus felt some relief knowing that the Pichu couldn't see the stares that were being directed toward it.
When almost another minute had passed without anything happening, Mrs. Winston broke the spell before turning to McGonagall.
"Minerva, can I speak to you privately, please?"
'Fuck,' Magnus cursed inwardly. Nothing good would come out of "speaking privately."
He could already tell why the spell wasn't working. I mean, the lady had said it only showed what was already in record, so the lack of any similar occurrence of such a Pokémon meant...
It meant a new entry.
Hermione's Pichu was likely the first of its kind in this world!
The consultations lasted only for a while before McGonagall turned and left the hall.
A few minutes later, the Great Hall doors opened, and Dumbledore walked in with McGonagall behind him.