Coreal
patreon
[Hogwarts] Ch 127: The Unicorn Problem
🕑 Added 2025-08-06 19:20:27 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Newt never claimed to be some noble, upstanding wizard, but he was definitely confident in his Patronus. After all, he'd never harbored any ill intentions, and he was generally a happy person with strong, positive emotions.
But judging by the way the unicorns reacted... it was clear they didn't think much of his Patronus.
Seriously, what kind of luxury were these unicorns used to?
Now, Newt was more than just curious—he was very interested in Tom's Patronus. And, with that, his trust in Tom grew even more.
I mean, how could someone capable of summoning such a high-quality Patronus possibly be a bad person?
"Looks like the issue lies with your Patronus," Newt said, turning to Tom. "Yours is more pure than mine… and even more pure than the nature of these three unicorns. So it's likely purifying the energy in their bodies. That might explain why they're changing."
Tom nodded. "Yeah, that's my guess too. And if that's the case, maybe it applies to other magical creatures as well."
Newt's thoughts lined up with what Grindelwald and Andros had concluded—but in this area, he trusted Newt more.
"Oh?" Newt's eyes lit up. "Could you give me another example?"
"Take the Thunderbird, for instance." Tom paused to think, then continued, "They usually fly high into thunderstorms to bathe in lightning. That's how they strengthen themselves. So if I could provide them with lightning even stronger than what occurs in nature… wouldn't they be able to absorb that too?"
"And with Nundus —their venom's already pretty terrifying. But if we fed them a poison that's even more potent, maybe they'd evolve further."
(Nundu was a large East African magical beast that resembled a leopard, having Toxic breath. XXXXX Beast.)
"Hmm...."
"The conditions are definitely extreme, but not impossible. And since we're headed to the Thunderbird sanctuary anyway, I could give it a try."
Newt found the theory promising. The moment magical creatures were involved, he became visibly more animated—his enthusiasm was off the charts.
"Where would you even find lightning stronger than a Thunderbird's?" Tom asked curiously.
That one hit Newt hard. His excitement instantly deflated.
Right. What kind of lightning spell could a wizard cast that would rival the raw power of a natural storm?
Maybe Dumbledore could pull it off if he really went all out… but using a favor like that for an untested theory? Not exactly realistic.
Maybe focusing on the Nundu idea was more feasible.
Newt recalled a rumor: there was a Nundu in India that once drank water from the Ganges—and it died on the spot, foaming at the mouth.
Of course, it was just a rumor… but the water was really poisonous.
"…I might've just thought of something," Newt muttered.
"Rooooar!"
Just as he was about to tell Tom his brilliant idea of sneaking some Ganges water, a high-pitched dragon roar echoed through the space.
The three unicorns immediately bolted behind Tom, trembling.
A dark shadow streaked across the sky, flying toward them at breakneck speed.
Newt instinctively pulled out his wand—but Tom calmly pushed his hand down and stepped forward with open arms.
The shadow barreled into him, and Tom staggered back two steps from the impact.
"Whoa there. When did you get this heavy?"
Tom caught the creature snuggling up to his neck—it was Usaki, the Rayquaza Dragon-type Pokémon.
Compared to when they visited the Greengrass estate, Usaki had grown a lot. She used to be about half a meter long, but now she was practically as tall as Tom—and way bulkier.
He actually had to put some effort into holding her.
The meteorite from the Greengrass vault, plus all the recent exotic materials they'd collected, had all been devoured by her. Three days ago, before they left, she fell into a deep sleep to digest all that energy.
Who would've thought she'd wake up the moment they arrived in New York?
"Eeehhh!" Usaki let out a cute whine of protest—she was a girl, after all! How could he call her heavy?
Tom's face twisted with amusement.
I mean, come on—what kind of dragon makes whiny baby noises?
Seriously, who taught her that?
---
Far away in Britain, Daphne suddenly sneezed.
---
"Tom, is this your pet?" Newt walked over and began inspecting Usaki with fascination.
The more he looked, the more shocked he became.
Newt could swear he'd never seen anything like this creature before—not even anything remotely related.
"Is this an undiscovered magical beast…?" the old man asked, his voice actually trembling.
Tom gently quieted the little dragon. "Yeah, Usaki is from the... um.. the Rayquaza species—or that's what she told me, at least. She hasn't shared much else."
Newt stepped closer, but Usaki let out a low, warning growl.
That was when Newt realized he'd gotten too excited. His posture and gaze had made her wary.
He backed off sheepishly with an awkward smile.
Tom gave a little sigh. "Usaki doesn't like being studied, and I won't force her. If you want to learn more, you'll have to observe from a distance. That's the best I can offer."
Newt nodded quickly. "I understand. Plenty of magical creatures dislike humans. I could feel the draconic presence—but it's more refined, more regal than any fire dragon I've encountered. Dragons are among the proudest of creatures… You being accepted by one is truly remarkable."
Tom smiled but didn't respond.
While he played with Usaki, Newt returned to his notebook, sketching and jotting notes. The unicorns—who had been his biggest concern earlier—were now completely forgotten.
...
When ten o'clock rolled around and Tom said he was going to bed, Newt reluctantly packed up and left.
The first thing he did after returning?
Start remodeling the entrance to his portable world.
...
The next morning, Tom finally got what he'd been waiting for: entry into the case that so many had dreamed of stepping inside.
They lifted a trapdoor and stepped onto a freshly installed automatic lift, descending into a small, cramped wooden shed filled with tools.
When the old man pushed open the worn, cracked wooden door… an enormous, vibrant world exploded into view.
It felt like stepping out of a shack in the middle of the African savannah and suddenly being hit with an entirely new dimension of life.
Tom froze in place, taking several seconds just to absorb it all.
There were fields, mountains, lakes, canyons—every possible type of terrain and ecosystem laid out before him.
Compared to this, his own little magical card-sized pocket world was nothing more than a sad, cramped shoebox.
"How… how did you even do this?" Tom asked, unable to hold back his awe. "My magic isn't weak, but even if I used every ounce of it, I could never create something this vast."
Newt chuckled softly. "Actually, my Extension Charm isn't all that much stronger than yours, Tom. If anything, I was the one blown away yesterday. Honestly, to create a single, seamless block of space inside a card like you did… I can't believe a student managed something like that."
"…A single block?" Tom's eyes sharpened.
He'd just caught the most important detail.
Newt nodded. "Yes." He pointed toward the distant curtains, pausing his finger over several spots. "Haven't you noticed? My space here—it's all patched together."
Tom frowned. "That actually makes it more difficult. Keeping one stable space is easy enough, but mashing so many together? One wrong move and the whole thing could crash and—well, everything inside would be blasted to bits."
"Exactly. That's why you need to break it down first. Stop thinking of the suitcase as one big space and start thinking in pieces."
Newt shared his method without a trace of hesitation. "You use specific materials and enchantments to break the internal space into small, separate segments. Then, you cast the Extension Charm on each one individually. Piece by piece, until the whole thing comes together."
Tom looked around again. Sure enough, aside from the areas separated by curtains, he began to notice faint boundaries throughout the space. When magical creatures passed through these points, they briefly became distorted and blurry—then snapped back to normal.
"You can leave the unicorns and Usaki here for now," Newt said to the boy. "They'll need more space to roam. I'll also do a few checkups to make sure they're perfectly healthy."
Tom nodded and headed upstairs to grab his card holder.
Before entering, Newt had asked him to leave behind the card holder and a few large spatial storage bags—nesting magical spaces could be dangerous. Only small expansion pouches were safe inside the suitcase.
Once the three unicorns came in, they bolted off playfully into the distance. Usaki—the dragon-like creature—had already shot off into the sky, letting out booming roars that sent flocks of magical beasts scattering in every direction.
They left the chaos alone for now. Newt mounted his broomstick and gestured for Tom to hop on. The two flew toward one of the curtains, and as they passed through, the environment shifted—a warm, damp rainforest spread out around them.
This was part of Newt's daily routine: checking on each zone and observing the "residents." If he found a wounded or endangered creature, he didn't immediately intervene. First, he watched—to see whether it could handle the situation on its own.
For example, they soon spotted a kneazle limping slightly. Newt just hovered nearby for a while, then, seeing it could take care of itself, he moved on with Tom and explained:
"You have to let magical creatures retain a bit of their wild nature—their survival instincts. I can't protect them forever, and their offspring will need to inherit that instinct too. Long-term captivity dulls their senses. They lose what makes them them."
Tom asked, "But what if two species start fighting? Like, real fights. Fatal ones. Would you step in then?"
Newt was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "Normally? No. I wouldn't."
"That's just how nature works. I can't break the cycle of the food chain. Sometimes a well-meaning act can create even bigger problems."
He continued, "Take the Murtlap, for instance—they feed on imps. They're all magical creatures. How could I justify taking sides?"
Tom winced. "That must be tough…"
If it were him, he would pick a side. He'd save the one he liked. But Newt… Newt stood above all that. Like some kind of god watching from above—preserving balance without letting emotion interfere.
Newt just smiled in response and said nothing more.
As they continued patrolling, Newt kept explaining how to construct a magical world of your own. The theories were mind-blowing. Tom felt like he was learning more in a day with Newt than in a whole year at school.
Newt was humble, but truthfully, his Extension Charms were far more advanced than Tom's current level.
But what really blew Tom away was Newt's mastery of space patching—it was practically unprecedented.
That might sound like an exaggeration, but even among the greatest legends—Andros the Invincible, Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort—none of them could match what Newt had done here.
After some time, the day's patrol was officially done.
They returned to the unicorn section to begin the health checks.
As expected, the unicorns still refused to let any man approach—except Tom. Newt wasn't surprised. He didn't insist on a physical examination. Instead, his idea of a "check-up" involved letting the unicorns complete some specific tasks he'd designed.
Two tests for the adult unicorns, Blaze and Storm. One for the younger one, Nova.
Tom flew overhead, controlling various floating tools to help them complete the tests. It didn't take long at all.
Newt even gave a demonstration first. The obstacle course he'd set up looked a lot like a boot camp for magical beasts—intense and precise. Watching a man in his nineties run the course like a seasoned Auror left Tom wide-eyed and speechless.
Once Newt finished, it was the unicorns' turn.
They had to leap over obstacles, sprint at full speed, channel their magic to destroy designated targets, and use their horns to pierce holes in wooden barrels.
All three completed their trial runs.
But as the tests went on, Newt's face grew more serious—and Tom started to worry.
"Mr. Newt… are they okay?"
"No major problems," Newt said, shaking his head slightly. Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
"…But there are a few minor issues," he added. "In short—they're lazy."
Tom blinked.
Newt continued, "Physically, they're in fantastic shape. Far better than the average for their species. But they don't move around enough. They're not using even a fraction of their potential. If this keeps up, they could start developing issues like… I don't know… obesity, for example."
Tom: "..."
.
.
.
