Wampus Cats, as the official mascots of Ilvermorny, were creatures of high intelligence. Their eyes could pierce through lies, and they possessed the ability to hypnotize intruders without making a sound.
Consequently, generations of Ilvermorny students had looked upon the sleek predators and dread of taking one ho. There were historical precedents for successful "adoptions," which only served to fuel the students' enthusiasm. Furthermore, the creatures of the Ilvermorny forest were free; their choice to stay or leave rested entirely with themselves.
In this regard, the school's culture was quite different from Hogwarts. Even the Pukwudgies were strictly contract employees, a far cry from the indentured servitude of the British house-elves. Pukwudgies were a North Arican species—short, grey-skinned, and long-eared—vaguely related to European goblins. They featured heavily in indigenous folklore, particularly among the Wampanoag people.
Standing two to three feet tall, they possessed human-like features with exaggerated noses and fingers. Their magic allowed them to vanish and reappear at will, partially transfigure into porcupines or cougars, and manifest fire. Because of the presence of a legendary Pukwudgie nad "William," who was quite famous among his kind, Ilvermorny was able to employ a small army of them for security and maintenance. The fact that Sean and Newt were receiving food deliveries from them was a mark of extre respect.
Under the shadow of a massive beech tree, Master Newt leaned forward slightly. He realized he had still underestimated the boy's popularity among the Wampus population. It had taken Newt over a month of daily grooming and shared als before Delilah had accepted him as part of her "pride." Yet with Sean, Newt had the surreal feeling that the boy was simply recognized as one of their own.
"A second one spirited away..." Headmistress Herrera noted with a weary sigh. "Tell , Newt, do Hogwarts students have so sort of secret charm bonus with Wampus Cats? Or is it just the Scottish air?"
Newt chuckled. Among the three of them, Eugenia Herrera was always the most spirited; it had been she who played matchmaker between Newt and his wife, Tina Goldstein, all those years ago.
"Mr. Green is an excellent choice for a partner," Newt said softly, reassuring her.
"A Wampus's eyes are far brighter than mine," Herrera added with a smile. "At least mine don't glow in the dark."
"Eugenia... Tina has been missing you," Newt noted after a short pause.
"Then tell her she must visit," Herrera replied, spreading her hands. "Though you know how the paperwork piles up these days."
Inside the Wizarding Cottage, the hearth fire bathed the log walls in a warm, honey-colored glow.
Iffa, the Wampus Cat, lay stretched out across the floor, her golden eyes fixed on the window where a few winter birds occasionally flitted through the trees of the pocket forest. Sean flicked his wand, transfiguring a large, comfortable bed for her and lining it with thick wool blankets near the fire.
Iffa accepted the na Sean had given her and hopped into the new bed with curious delight.
Inside the Wizard's To, ti flowed identically to the outside world. As the stars began to twinkle in the artificial sky, Sean sat by the window, carefully reviewing the section on Wampus Cats in The Monster Book of Monsters.
With Iffa settled in the cottage, his primary objective for the trip was complete. Now, he only needed to study her closely to finalize the Wampus Biscuit ritual. However, a more technical problem was weighing on his mind: the perfection of the To itself.
Currently, the book contained only one habitable zone, which Sean had nad The Genesis Plains—the area consisting of the adow, the cottage, and the stream. But he knew he couldn't simply "add" another environnt. Shoving two distinct bios together without a barrier would lead to spatial conflict and magical instability. To solve this, he needed the Separation Charm—a high-level spell designed to isolate different spatial dinsions.
Newt had planned to teach him this next, but the old master was due to depart tomorrow.
Watching Iffa drift off to sleep, Sean felt a sense of camaraderie. She showed no guard toward him; she seed mostly curious as to why Sean lacked her golden eyes and thick fur. She clearly viewed him as a slightly odd-looking mber of her own species.
Sean flicked his wand to lower the hearth fire and closed the portal, stepping back out into the cold Ilvermorny forest. The woods were silent, save for the occasional snap of a frozen twig.
As the wind whipped his scarf, Sean decided he needed to confess his "abduction" to Professor Terra and Headmistress Herrera as soon as possible. Iffa was a mascot of the school, after all.
On his way back to the Stone Cottage, Sean spotted William the Pukwudgie curled up at the feet of Isolt Sayre's statue. The creature's mouth was open in a wide snore, and its skin pulsed with a faint, bioluminescent light. The fire in front of him had nearly died out. Sean summoned a small fire salamander to rekindle the embers before continuing his walk.
anwhile, Master Newt had bid goodnight to Headmistress Herrera.
A small smile played on his lips. While he never doubted Dumbledore's judgnt, he had been intensely curious about how a twelve-year-old would manage to build a stable extension and win over a Wampus Cat in a single week.
As it turned out, a week was far more ti than the boy actually needed.
When Newt arrived at his quarters, his shadow was long under the moonlight. His three pet Kneazles were waiting for him on the bed, their eyes sleepy and blinking. The mont he sat down, Hoppy let out a purr and curled into his lap. Newt shed his worn brown overcoat and quickly drifted into sleep.
The only strange thing was that, at this hour, a thick mist was beginning to roll across the Ilvermorny grounds.
After an indeterminate amount of ti, Newt opened his eyes. He found himself standing in a vast, clean, and brilliantly lit void. As he turned, the surroundings began to materialize out of the white vapor.
He was standing before a dilapidated Victorian house. A wooden sign hung over the gate: THE OAK TREE CHILDREN'S HO.
Perched on top of the sign was a black cat—or rather, a Kneazle. It watched him with vivid green eyes.
"Mr. Scamander," the cat said.
Newt's instincts as a wizard warned him that this place was dangerous and that he should be on his guard. However, his instincts as a Magizoologist were far stronger. His attention was imdiately, and hopelessly, locked onto the talking Kneazle.
"How... fascinating," Newt whispered, his cheeks flushing with a genuine, delighted smile.
[End of Chapter 363]
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