Tom sat alone in his chair, staring at the socks Hermione had left behind. They still carried Hermione's scent, as if the charming girl was still there with him.
This is...
His heart skipped a beat. Tom picked up the socks from the armrest, carefully folded them, and stored them away. He wouldn't do anything weird with the socks, after all, the whole girl belonged to him! But the socks had to be kept, how could he leave Hermione's clothes out?
Tom returned to the dormitory with a cheerful step.
Hermione had already returned before him, but instead of going to the dormitory, she went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. She felt the warm water running through her hair and cascading down her smooth back, then following the curves of her hips and legs to the floor.
As she heard the sound of water, Hermione gradually calmed down. And a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
Hermione: o(////▽////)q
"Are those socks too conservative...?" Hermione recalled the phrase Tom had said. "Well... when he can conjure a fully-formed Patronus, I'll give him a little reward..."
Hermione thought.
...
The location of Newt's Care of Magical Creatures class was uncertain. Sometimes indoors, sometimes outdoors, depending on whether the magical creatures he would use that day were afraid of strangers or unfamiliar environments.
As one of the world's leading Magizoologists, Newt felt a bit overwhelmed by this course. He wasn't sure which animal to give to the young wizards for their lesson.
If he chose the creatures poorly, it could get him and the animals into trouble, just like his predecessor, Hagrid. Newt sympathized with Hagrid's situation: having a student like Malfoy was bad luck, and taking the students to see a Hippogriff in the first class was too challenging. It wasn't beneficial for the students, himself, or that Hippogriff named Buckbeak.
Newt knew Hagrid was searching for information to defend Buckbeak in court these days, but he didn't have a very good opinion of Hagrid. Newt knew that with the power of Lucius Malfoy, Hagrid wouldn't stand much chance, even if Newt supported him.
Having learned from the past, Newt was much more careful, and the high-risk magical creatures from his suitcase, like the Nundu and Erumpent, wouldn't be used as teaching material—they were too dangerous. Each choice of creature and teaching content required a lot of effort on his part. For today, he had chosen the Nifflers.
These little creatures were energetic and mischievous, but they weren't aggressive. At most, they nibbled people's fingers. Most importantly, they were adorable and perfectly suited for teaching purposes. So, Newt brought out a group of Nifflers from his suitcase, of course, this time he kept them in a large iron cage. It's not that Newt had forgotten, but rather, he didn't have the heart to limit the Nifflers' freedom before.
Enclosing the Nifflers in a cage would prevent them from escaping, but Newt couldn't bring himself to do that. Today was an exception, allowing the Nifflers to be slightly uncomfortable in the cage.
So when Tom and the others arrived at a clearing near the Forbidden Forest, they saw this group of adorable furry creatures.
These small, furry creatures looked like black teddy bears, with noses resembling those of a platypus and front claws resembling shovels. They had a very peculiar appearance. When the young wizards arrived, they all raised their heads in unison, blinked their bright eyes, and then became excited.
These Nifflers that Newt bred were smarter than ordinary Nifflers, perhaps due to their ancestors' experiences in important situations. So they knew they could enjoy some freedom for a while, which was wonderful!
The Care of Magical Creatures class was now a joint class with two houses, and Hufflepuff was taking the class together with Ravenclaw. Tom was enjoying a pleasant conversation with Justin from Hufflepuff.
"Oh," exclaimed Justin, pulling his hand back. It turned out he was standing too close to the cage, and a Niffler extended its paw to grab the ring on his finger. If it weren't for his quick reaction, the heirloom ring from his family would have been "confiscated" by the Niffler.
"Be careful, they're very greedy," Newt warned Justin with a smile. "Those who wear shiny things should be cautious."
Once all the young wizards from both houses were present, Newt began introducing these little creatures. "These little creatures are called Nifflers, they usually live twenty feet underground, often in mines. However, these Nifflers I have are domesticated, they're descendants of the same Niffler."
"These little ones are very fertile, giving birth to six to eight offspring in each litter. As for their hobbies, Mr. Fletchley must have learned them quite well: they love shiny things."
"This trait makes them very useful treasure seekers, although sometimes their energy can also be problematic..." Newt recalled the troubles caused by the Niffler he was raising, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Well, without further ado, today we'll allow you to play freely with them." Newt quickly erased his uncomfortable feeling and seemed enthusiastic. "Each of you, choose a Niffler to start with."
The young wizards did as instructed and approached the cage alongside Newt to choose a Niffler that caught their attention.
The cage was filled with nearly thirty Nifflers, enough for each young wizard to have one. Considering that these Nifflers almost all had the same ancestor, they may have also been involved in some "asset seizures" as the saying goes, like father, like son.
Tom approached the cage and stared at the Nifflers. One of them, chubby, seemed especially familiar to him. He then compared its size with hand gestures, and Tom's expression became strange, as if he recognized the Niffler.
Tom grabbed the plump Niffler that was closest, holding one of its hind legs to feel its texture. Although all these creatures looked alike, he was sure that this Niffler was the mischievous little king who had burst into the Divination class and caused havoc.
"I've seen this Niffler before," Tom said with a smile.
Newt squinted his eyes, took a good look, and burst into laughter. "You've got the naughtiest one of the litter!"
Once each person had a Niffler in their hands, Newt asked them to establish an emotional connection with their Nifflers and get acquainted with each other before moving on to the next activity.