"It's been a great haul!" Tom said, stroking his Niffler's chubby head. Without waiting for Tom to lift him onto his hind legs, the Niffler voluntarily pulled out three rings, a necklace, and two pairs of earrings from its belly pouch.
Tom collected the shiny jewels and realized that they only had a thin layer of gold foil on the surface. He lightly scratched them with his nails and discovered that the materials underneath were silver or copper, not particularly valuable metals. No wonder Newt buried them without counting.
Tom stroked his Niffler's chubby head, satisfied with its performance.
"Time's up, I'm going to see how everyone did. Let me count your treasures," Newt said, looking at the time and realizing that the class was almost over. He approached the students and began counting their findings.
"So far, Tom Yodel from Ravenclaw and Justin from Hufflepuff are tied for first place, each with six different jewels." Tom was the only one who encountered such a friendly Niffler that willingly surrendered its loot, while Justin Finch-Fletchley bribed his Niffler with a wristwatch and managed to exchange it for six jewels. After all, it was just an old non-functioning watch, and Justin didn't care much about it.
The chubby Niffler in front of Tom tilted its head, observing everything, and after a moment of thought, pulled out another small ring from its pocket.
"Seven! Mr. Yodel's Niffler sets a new record," Newt announced, updating the latest records for the young wizards. After confirming that no one had achieved more than seven, he declared Tom and his Niffler as the winners.
Although Tom didn't initially care much about winning or losing, winning was always a good thing. Tom affectionately stroked his Niffler's little head and then put the small jewels back into the Niffler's pouch.
Now both Tom and his Niffler were content, which made the nearby Nifflers envious.
But when he touched the last ring that Sniffy offered him, Tom realized that something was wrong: it was too heavy. He examined it closely and realized that this ring may not have been buried by Professor Scamander.
However, when Tom picked up the last ring that his Niffler handed him, he noticed something strange: this ring was too heavy. He examined it closely and realized that this ring was not the same as the one buried by Professor Scamander.
Such a small ring turned out to be two or three times heavier than the other rings, and combined with the signs of age on the surface, Tom deduced that this ring was the real treasure his Niffler had unearthed.
Tom tightly held the ring in his hand without attracting attention and pulled out a gold coin to give to his Niffler from his pocket. The Niffler was a bit confused, but with the gold Galleon in front of it, it quieted down and agreed.
Almost no one noticed this small detail.
"Ravenclaw scores ten points, Yodel, this is your prize," Newt said as he handed Tom a bag of "Animal Sound-Producing Chewing Gums" as a reward. These candies emit the sounds of various animals when eaten.
"Kids, return the Nifflers," Newt said as he opened the cage door, feeling a little nervous. He was worried that some Nifflers might have gotten lost along the way. Twenty-four Nifflers. That was the number of Nifflers he had lent out.
The young wizards quickly approached and handed their Nifflers, both their own and their friends', to Newt.
"Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four... twenty-five?" When the last wizard handed his Niffler to Newt, he was bewildered. He had loaned out twenty-four Nifflers, but he had received twenty-five. There was one extra!
There was one more!
A Niffler wasn't a loan that could accrue interest. Somehow, a wild Niffler had gotten mixed in.
But the scene was chaotic, with all the Nifflers covered in mud, and Newt couldn't distinguish which one was the extra Niffler at that moment. He could only enclose the Nifflers in the cage and examine them carefully later in his office.
"Alright, class dismissed!" Newt waved his hand and hurriedly walked away, carrying his suitcase.
Tom looked at the bag filled with colorful candies in his hand and felt a little perplexed. Giving out candies? That didn't align with Newt Scamander's identity as a magizoologist. Tom thought Newt might have offered something related to magical creatures as a reward, like a unicorn hair or a Thunderbird feather.
"Come on, have a candy." It's better to enjoy together. Tom opened the candy bag and offered each classmate one to try. Soon, animal sounds filled the air: ducks, puppies, elephants... all kinds of sounds were heard one after another.
Tom also ate a candy and instantly let out a tiger's roar that overshadowed Hermione's cat meow.
After distributing the candies, the young wizards began to disperse, leaving Hermione and Tom still together.
"We still have some time before the next class. Do you want to find a place to practice the Patronus Charm?" Hermione proposed, making an interesting suggestion.
"Chirp-chirp-"
"Hey, you..."
"Coo-coo-coo-"
"Hmph, hmph-"
Tom ate several candies at once, and different animal sounds continuously came out of his mouth.
Hermione now understood what it meant to "speak in different languages." Without options, she grabbed Tom and led him towards the greenhouses outside the castle. The next class was Herbology with Professor Sprout, and the greenhouses were always quiet, providing uninterrupted time to practice the Patronus Charm.
"I, Hermione Granger, solemnly swear that I will teach you the Patronus Charm." Something seemed to have stirred Hermione, and she made her vow suddenly as they walked.
Tom: ???
"The Patronus charm requires having happy memories as a basis for successfully casting it," Hermione looked at Tom seriously, "I don't understand... I recall our past and was able to conjure my Patronus immediately. But in your case... how is it possible?"
She didn't continue speaking.
But the meaning was clear: Is our shared experience not happy enough?
Tom: !!!
He wanted to explain something, but faced with the facts, his words were weak and pale.
Tom shivered, "I will definitely conjure my Patronus!" he promised, pounding his chest.
[Random task activated: Successfully summon a Patronus]
[Task reward: Unlocking Hermione's skin (cat)]
Another wave of unexpected joy! Tom's already strong determination became even more intense.
Outside the greenhouse, Tom took out his wand and earnestly recalled happy scenes in his mind.
"Expecto Patronum," he felt a warm surge spreading through his chest, a sweetness sweeter than honey.
At the moment the magic came out of his wand, Tom felt that this time the Patronus Charm was practically assured. But to his surprise, instead of a full Patronus, a silver mist dispersed from the tip of the wand.
Hermione: ...
Tom: ???
What's happening? He was completely sure...
Tom looked at the gradually dissipating silver mist, confused and perplexed.