It had been a month since Barnaby had finally begun building the house with the help of Sanshi, while Newt and his wife occasionally stopped by to lend a hand.
"You know, when you said you found someone to help you build your house, I didn't expect… this," Newt said, bewildered.
"His name is 'Thing,' and I admit he's a bit peculiar," Barnaby said, gesturing with open arms. "But he had a falling out with his family and decided to 'run away from home' for a few days. He heard I was building the house and thought he'd come help to kill some time."
"His family is…?"
"The Addams."
"Never heard of them."
Barnaby shrugged. He didn't know them either, but any help was welcome at this point. If it weren't for wanting to surprise him, he would have asked his father to come and help with the construction.
The Patil family did an excellent job with the materials needed for Calcifer's fireplace; the specifications were exactly as requested.
"And your other friend is…?" Newt stopped staring at what appeared to be a hand reanimated with dark magic and focused on the other creature carrying beams back and forth as if they were made of paper.
"Oh, he's Kimahri, a Ronso," Barnaby introduced, turning his head. "He's not very talkative, but he's strong and completely reliable."
"Yes, I noticed his strength," Newt said, at some point pulling out his notebook and starting to sketch Kimahri, his restless eyes betraying that he was already thinking of what questions to ask him later.
"Newt," Barnaby leaned in and whispered, "I understand your curiosity, but let me warn you not to ask him about his broken horn. It's… a sensitive topic, and if you want him to answer any of your questions, it's best not to bring it up."
"Hmm? Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Newt noted this down seriously in his journal.
Barnaby nodded and returned to work. The job so far had been the most tedious because he had to ensure that the foundations were solid enough, and the house's enchantments had to connect very specifically with the defenses left by Frieren.
Once this part was done, the rest would be as simple to place and assemble as if they were Muggle Lego pieces. He was confident that by the end of the summer, the house would be completely finished, and the enchantments would integrate seamlessly when he transferred Calcifer to his new fireplace inside.
There were a few minor setbacks with the bathroom he had planned, but he resolved them within a few days.
He also had a scare when one of Scamander's (large) creatures escaped and ran toward his house under construction, but Kimahri was able to knock it out with ease; it almost seemed like he was used to situations like that…
"Got it!" Barnaby was dirty, with sawdust in his hair, mineral dust and dirt on his hands, and his jacket soaked with sweat, but his mood was euphoric.
He had ended up building a three-story house, which, from an aerial view, was shaped like an L, with a small pagoda with many windows rising at the inner corner, its base containing a covered lookout.
The exterior of the house was painted a soft, natural green that blended beautifully with the surrounding grass, with red flowers decorating the windows on each floor and a small side ramp leading into the house, whose basement was connected to the cellar.
The interior was still completely bare, without furniture except for the built-in facilities like the bathroom and kitchen. After some thought, Barnaby decided to plant some bushes along the path leading to the small wooden bridge and used magic to make blue, purple, and yellow flowers bloom.
Sanshi's eyes sparkled as he happily ran back and forth, his joyful laughter echoing as the flowers swayed while the sun shone warmly in the sky.
Looking around and thinking about how this was going to be his future home, the smile on his dirty face shone brightly, not fading anytime soon.
Newt and his wife stood in awe, feeling as though, instead of seeing their neighbors, they were gazing at a beautiful painting.
"Maybe we should do some remodeling at home," Mina whispered, unable to help but feel a little envious of how well everything was planned, harmoniously placed.
Newt nodded unconsciously. This place transmitted a feeling difficult to describe, one that made him feel at peace, as if any problems in the world were a distant memory that would never reach this land.
Later, when Barnaby returned with Calcifer and placed him in the fireplace, everyone could feel the magic pulsing, rooting itself in the place, spreading carefully throughout the house and its surroundings, assuming control of the protections, providing nourishment, and amplifying effects.
"I don't think even the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic is this well defended…" Mina thought unconsciously as she watched in speechless awe at the number of runes that illuminated around them, densely packed, the size of a grain of rice, before fading and becoming invisible again.
"Not bad!" Calcifer carefully sensed his new location, feeling very satisfied with what he observed and the feedback he received from the magic. "This place is much better!"
The cabin he was in before was nothing compared to this; here, he felt much less restricted and had more control over things. It only took a thought to heat the bathwater, open the windows…
Moreover, here the magic wasn't altered by the proximity of an ancient castle; it felt much better. It was like someone who had been forced to live in the city with its dirty air suddenly moved to the countryside where everything is fresh and clean.
The difference was more than noticeable!
"Did you find any problems?" Barnaby asked, wanting to ensure everything was alright.
"Hmm," Calcifer took a moment to check carefully. "No, everything's fine, I just need to get used to it, nothing more."
Barnaby sighed in relief. If Calcifer had said there was a problem, he would have had to dismantle a lot of things to find it, and that would have been a complete hassle.
"Well, I think it's time to write to the Weasleys about that promised meal. I just have to think about what to bring. Maybe some rock cakes?"
"I think something lighter would be better, since there will be a lot of people," Sanshi commented as he approached Barnaby. "By the way, the ramp is the perfect size."
"I suppose you're right," Barnaby reflected, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "I can't bring Lembas bread, or no one would eat anything else; it has to be something different."
"Why not bring some bacon leaves?" Sanshi suggested as he sat on the ground next to him. "The ones you got last time won't last much longer, and they can be paired with some grilled vegetables."
Yes, that sounded pretty appetizing...
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