At the end, the meeting between Barnaby and Tonks was unexpected but brief, as they could only talk for a few minutes until they reached the boundary between the two alleys. Tonks had to reluctantly say goodbye with a hug and return to the investigation.
Barnaby watched her disappear around a corner in silence.
"I would have liked to introduce you at least," he said, addressing Sanshi, hidden in his chest pocket. "I wrote to her that I finally managed to get my familiar, but I preferred you to meet in person."
"I like her, she seems very cheerful," commented Sanshi, poking her head out and blinking cutely. "Although I don't know how she would react if she knew it was you who sold the Acromantula venom and gave her so much extra work…"
Barnaby's forehead broke out in a sweat at the situation, but he soon caught on.
"Are you hungry? I'm hungry, let's go get something to eat!" He turned and went to find the ice cream stand he had promised earlier.
"Yes!" Sanshi clapped excitedly at the mention of food.
How could Barnaby not see Sanshi's true objective?
After all, familiars also end up adopting some traits from their companion, and it seemed Sanshi had inherited his enthusiasm for food.
He bought two large waffle cones filled with dark chocolate ice cream with caramelized macadamia nuts and looked for a quiet place nearby so Sanshi could enjoy hers peacefully.
(Tell me your favorite ice cream flavor and what flavor you'd like to try at a magical ice cream parlor! My favorite is vanilla with cheesecake and a crunchy topping like cookie crumbs. For magical ice cream… I want to try hummingbird feather and dragon fruit ice cream!)
"Brain freeze!" It was Sanshi's first time eating ice cream, and she went through the ice baptism, rubbing her temple while sticking out her tongue.
Barnaby didn't cure his familiar's cold sting—these kinds of things add fun to life!
He licked his own ice cream, and his expression changed as he also rubbed his temple.
The ice cream tasted good, but it seemed that magic didn't prevent these problems for anyone!
It was a fun experience for both, but after a while, they finished their ice creams and had to leave. As they were heading back, Sanshi seemed to remember something and turned her head to ask.
"Did you tell Tonks you bought the land next to Scamander's in any letter?"
Barnaby paused momentarily, shook his head, and kept walking.
"The truth is, no," admitted the red-haired teenager. "I have a feeling she might misunderstand the news, it's better to surprise her later…"
"Oh," Sanshi nodded, somewhat understanding what he meant.
"Besides, I was thinking that now the castle will be much quieter and my father won't need so much help, maybe I could go check the place out," he shared his immediate plans with his familiar.
"Although you told your father it would be like having a summer house, you really want to make a real house there, don't you?" Sanshi pointed out astutely.
"Well… yes," Barnaby admitted openly. "I mean, my room in the already small cabin is an undetectable extension space which, technically, is illegal. While that shouldn't be a concern since Hogwarts rarely has visits from the Ministry of Magic, if they find out, something tells me the headmaster won't cover for my father."
"I guess, I don't like Dumbledore," commented Sanshi, wrinkling her nose. "He has a subtle but very evident dark smell. Like a rotting corpse surrounded by flowers."
"I could start becoming a bit more independent," Barnaby reflected aloud. "Although Dorset is a bit far from school, I can come and go as I did in the alley easily after a few trips. I'll have some more privacy, and I'm sure Mr. Scamander will be happy to help me take care of some friends. I also want to see how the fire rats I gave him are doing."
"Is it a nice place?"
"It has a beautiful green landscape, the air is pure, and there are many open fields. A few kilometers away there's a secluded but well-kept village," Barnaby explained. "Not only that, there's also a path nearby that goes down to a small hidden beach. With a few enchantments here and there, I could make it private. The sea breeze there must feel good."
After all, he needed to take measures against Muggles so they wouldn't accidentally enter his property. Maybe he didn't agree with the discrimination of wizards against Muggles, but he liked the idea of not constantly dealing with uninvited guests like people too curious for their own good or lost tourists.
Hmm, should I perhaps put up some protections for the creatures?
After all, Scamander occasionally had some escapes, and he didn't want to go through the same thing, even though it was unlikely.
"I don't know how that man will react when he sees me…" Sanshi knew about Scamander's personality from Barnaby and trusted she could get along with him, but she was still a bit uneasy about interacting with the magizoologist who was often too enthusiastic about his passion.
"Don't worry, Tina will keep him in check," Barnaby reassured before realizing a bigger problem. "In fact, maybe we should be more worried about Tina's reaction?"
"Why?" Sanshi didn't understand.
Barnaby could already imagine Mrs. Scamander trying to convince Sanshi to wear a shirt on every visit…
"Maybe we should bring Calcifer with us?" Sanshi suggested, remembering the fire demon in the fireplace.
"Later, no rush," Barnaby dismissed with a gesture. "First, let's greet Mr. Scamander, check out the place, see if there's anything to fix, and we have to think about the house's size, its location, and how to build it."
"As long as it's not like the house you told me about, the Weasleys' or their neighbor Lovegood's, I'm in favor," Sanshi agreed without being too demanding.
Barnaby grimaced at that, feeling it was as biting as it was honest.
"It will definitely be better," he assured her.
This was going to be the home for a lifetime; naturally, he would do his best to make it suitable.
"Can I have my own room next to yours?" Sanshi suddenly asked.
Although living together now wouldn't be a problem, she supposed that Tonks would feel uncomfortable in the future if she was there watching when they tried to make babies. But if she had her own room, she would be more comfortable.
Besides, she could help take care of the baby while they made more!
"Of course!" Barnaby nodded, agreeing to the request without being fully aware of his familiar's true thoughts.
Sanshi was family, and if she wanted a room, she would have one.