Getting up close and personal with a Fire Dragon for the first time was a novel experience for Conna.
But Norbert clearly had other thoughts. As soon as the two got off, it immediately stood up and flew away without a backward glance. Perhaps deliberately, as it left, it whipped its tail forcefully towards the ground, trying to fling dirt onto Kael.
However, it clearly lacked the skills of a Chaser; the big clump of dirt drew a graceful arc through the air, landing right on the head of a Niffler that had just crawled out of the bushes.
The poor Niffler had barely emerged before being hit back into the bushes again, leaving behind a series of enraged squeaks.
"Oh... such a big clump of dirt, it won't hurt it, will it?" Conna asked worriedly.
"Don't worry," Kael listened to the hearty sounds of the Niffler, "not only is it fine, but it can also curse up a storm."
Ignoring the Niffler, he led Conna onwards.
In any case, although the space inside his box was large, it was primarily to allow Norbert to move around more comfortably without feeling cramped.
As for other aspects, like the number of Fantastic Beasts... it was a bit meager indeed.
Although he'd gradually found more Bowtruckles, Moonstruck Beasts, and Fwoopers in the Forbidden Forest over the years, dispersing them across half the forest still made it feel somewhat empty.
Especially in the snow-covered area, there wasn't even a single inhabitant.
But Conna didn't feel that way; everything here excited her.
She also found a large clearing in front of the woods, planted with rows of round cabbages.
"Is this food for the Moonstruck Beasts?" she asked curiously. "It must be quite a hassle to grow these."
"It is a hassle, but these aren't for the Moonstruck Beasts," Kael said. "And you need to be careful; don't venture in there. In some ways, this is much more dangerous than the Fire Dragon."
As he spoke, he picked up a stick from the ground and casually tossed it, hitting one of the cabbages.
The next moment, the cabbage suddenly split open down the middle.
Conna's eyes widened as she discovered it was a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
The stick was quickly bitten into fragments, and Conna could even clearly hear the crunching sounds of teeth chomping.
"Is that a Chomping Cabbage?" she asked incredulously.
"Exactly." Kael nodded. "So, be very careful when passing through here. And you see the vine behind the Chomping Cabbage, hidden behind the rock? That's Poisonous Tentacles... and those flowerpots beside it, they contain Mandrakes.
Oh, and Devil's Snare—you must know about that. Those yellow flowers on its left are Belladonna. Don't touch them; if the pollen gets on you, you'll feel awful for a long time."
Conna listened quietly, her expression growing more strange with each name Kael mentioned.
To her, none of these plants seemed normal—they were either poisonous or extremely dangerous. In this context, the patches of Dittany and Ruta Graveolens nearby seemed almost unnecessary.
It's as if they were deliberately planted here to lower the overall danger levels.
Oh, and the Fire Dragon earlier...
Conna blinked and couldn't help asking, "You're not preparing for the Triwizard Tournament, are you?"
Thinking about it, if all of these were unleashed, unless the competition involved dueling with Professor Dumbledore, no obstacle would be a challenge.
Just one Fire Dragon could sweep through everything.
"Triwizard Tournament? Of course not; I just like planting flowers, purely personal preference."
Kael shook his head and said, "I don't even know if I can become a Champion. Plus, some of these can't see daylight. For instance, the Fire Dragon and Poisonous Tentacles—if others knew I had these, the Aurors might invite me to visit the Ministry of Magic."
"You know..." Conna muttered softly.
But Kael was unperturbed; after all, no outsiders were ever going to come to this place—it was perfectly safe.
Even if someone found out, it didn't matter; Newt had quite a bit of experience in this area. He could just copy the solutions provided, convenient indeed.
Conna stayed in the box until noon before leaving, during which she drew a sketch on parchment.
Worried that she might lose the parchment, she didn't write very detailed notes, only marking each area's danger levels with different colors.
Safe zones like the bushes before the entrance and the Dittany and Ruta Graveolens patches were marked in lighter yellow and pinkish-white, representing the Niffler and flowers.
The sky was circled in red... Kael guessed that represented Norbert.
As for the clearing with the Chomping Cabbage and Poisonous Tentacles, it was painted entirely black.
The parchment was splattered with colors—much more abstract than the illustrations in The Dream Oracle.
Kael was sure that if it was seen by someone else, they wouldn't be able to decipher it, maintaining maximum secrecy.
The pair returned to the small room near the entrance, where Conna carefully stored the parchment before leaving the box with Kael to head towards the auditorium for lunch.
Conna hadn't eaten much in the morning and had been wandering back and forth in the box all morning; she was starving. If not for that, she might have stayed in the box all day.
The two walked from the eighth floor to the entrance.
However, just as they reached the auditorium door, Fred and George jumped out from left and right, standing like a wall.
"You must have been looking at the box!" George said confidently before Kael could speak.
"How do you know?" Kael asked.
"Because we were looking for you!" Fred said.
"But you weren't in the common room..."
"Nor in the library or Hagrid's Hut..."
"The Room of Requirement's door wouldn't open..."
George gave a knowing smile, "No doubt, you were inside, ensuring that nobody would find you and Conna while you were looking at the box!"
"Alright, I admit," Kael shrugged, "you guessed right. It's the weekend, after all—there's time."
"Kael, you've forgotten what you promised us..." Fred said with a menacing look. "George, I think we need to do something to remind this forgetful fellow of what he once said."
"I completely agree, Fred." George said with a sinister grin.
The two clenched their fists and then... pulled out a handful of Dungbombs from their pockets.
There were over a dozen, and they were all the latest upgraded version from Zonko this year, with a much richer aroma than before. If they all exploded, the entire auditorium might not escape.
"Let's talk..." Kael immediately surrendered, "Isn't it just taking you to visit the box's space? Of course, I remember, but you weren't in the auditorium this morning, which couldn't be helped."
"But the Room of Requirement is right next to our common room." Fred squinted and said, "Why didn't you come and call us..."
Kael chuckled awkwardly, "Um... if I said I forgot, would you believe me?"
"Hehe..." Fred gave a cold laugh, "You tell me."
"Alright, how about this afternoon?" Kael offered, "I'll take you there after lunch."
Fred and George exchanged a glance, finally setting down their deadly 'weapons.'
"Okay, you said it."
...