Barnaby was making a quick visit to Newt to ask about considerations for his upcoming trip to Japan while waiting for Tonks to send him the necessary documentation.
Since Tonks mentioned in her response letter that she needed a few days to review everything, he planned to start several small projects on the ground. It's just that things weren't working out as expected...
"Like this? Chu~
"No, you have to move your hand like this, this way. Chu~
"So, like this? Chu~
"Almost, look at how I move my hip, it's a subtle movement but very important. Chu~
"Chu~
"Chu~
...
Newt and his wife Tina were perplexed and silent as the young girl who claimed to be an elf was teaching Barnaby's familiar her "forbidden seduction technique" in their backyard for some strange reason, not knowing how the conversation had reached this point when they started talking about the dietary habits of Nifflers.
"So... Is this normal? "asked Tina, not taking her eyes off the scene, whispering to her husband, who also wasn't sure of the situation and looked at Barnaby.
The redhead felt he had a tic in his eye but was even more speechless about Sanshi's amusing behavior.
Why exactly did she want this forbidden technique?
So Barnaby chose the smartest option, he ignored everything and refocused on the matter at hand, quite satisfied that Tina hadn't mentioned anything about clothing.
"So, do you know anyone who could help me in Japan?
"Yes, a friend of mine, Mr. Tanaka Hoshiro, has been practicing that kind of carpentry for decades and could teach you a few things to help with building the house and the furniture. But are you sure you don't just want to hire him? I assure you, his work is excellent, you won't be disappointed.
"I like the idea of building my house with my own hands "Barnaby responded, shaking his head" In fact, how did you come to know a master carpenter? "he asked curiously.
That, and he still didn't have the complete house plan. He hoped that under Mr. Tanaka's guidance, he could learn some key skills and use them later to correct or complete the design of the parts that would use wood.
"His business discreetly takes care of most of the damage caused by magical beasts in Japan, so he was of great help for my research "Newt explained.
"Oh, I see "Barnaby nodded.
In fact, it was a smart approach to follow. Not only could he investigate scenarios that had witnessed fights between magical beasts for territory or poaching, but it also helped him locate and map where some herds were distributed and the routes they took.
"Well, we should be going "Barnaby stood up, getting ready to get to work.
"Oh, all for our future neighbor "Newt approached to accompany him to the door— I'm sure Tina will be able to... Tina?
Newt realized his wife wasn't by his side and looked around, spotting her in the yard with the other two.
"Am I doing it right? Chu~
...
"Please, take the elf away before Tina learns anything "said Newt, trembling slightly in his shoes" I can't be a father again, I'm too old!
And babies take so much time away from research!
Tina had already been quite insistent with the leather whip and candles years ago, he didn't want to go through that again...
Barnaby apologized as he took Frieren by the back of her tunic like a kitten, blinking as she puffed out her cheeks, not understanding what she had done wrong.
Maybe her forbidden technique wasn't meant to fall into the hands of mere mortals...
But everything changed when they arrived at the place that would be Barnaby's future home.
"This place is so peaceful "commented Frieren, looking around.
Barnaby nodded as he took out the plan he had and handed it to Sanshi, so she could unfold it and hold it while he gave instructions to Frieren.
"It's not a bad idea "Frieren's eyes scanned the lines as she understood the general idea" But, your protections have flaws here, here, and this one here is interfering with the opposite, creating a barely noticeable breach "she pointed out while taking a pen and using it to correct the points" We need to change this to this and...
Barnaby listened carefully and realized Frieren was right.
"By the way, will your house have a library?
"I was thinking of adding one, but I don't have too many books, and I haven't decided how big to make it yet "Barnaby admitted to Frieren's question.
He could probably make a small multi-purpose library, nothing too extravagant, but useful enough for consultation in case of doubt, entertainment, or desire for knowledge.
"Would you be interested in a copy of all the Hogwarts books? "Frieren asked casually as she finished making the new lines.
"...Say that again? "Barnaby wasn't sure he had heard correctly, for a moment he thought he heard Frieren offer him a copy of all the castle's books.
"Well, they're not exactly all the books "Frieren clarified, realizing she hadn't expressed herself correctly" Do you remember the talk we had about summarizing and compiling those books?
"Yes, I also remember that it was a monumental task that you shouldn't have been able to do in the year you've been at the castle "Barnaby pointed out objectively.
In fact, it had even taken him a few years to read the entire library properly.
"Oh, from others' perspective, I was only there for a year, but actually, I've been there much longer "Frieren reached into the neck of her tunic and pulled out a shiny necklace" I was rummaging through the seventh-floor room during one of my days off and found this little thing, it's been very useful.
Barnaby looked at the necklace, and his expression changed as his eyes widened.
"Is that a Time-Turner?! "he inquired, raising his voice more than he intended.
What kind of lunatic throws a Time-Turner in that place?
"Yes, it is "Frieren nodded with a smug expression" I just had to combine its use with the MANY unused rooms in the castle, and it really was an entertaining period.
Frieren was still impressed with the amount of wasted space in that castle, wondering why they didn't hire more teachers and take on more students, but it played to her advantage in the end.
"In that case, I will gladly accept any book you've compiled "Barnaby agreed immediately.
He didn't ask how long she had been or how many times she had used the artifact. If there was one thing the elf had in abundance, it was time to use it as she wished.
But he knew how valuable those tomes were and was very interested in adding them to his personal collection.
"Mmm! "Frieren nodded, satisfied that her hard work had been useful. She had only started doing it because she wanted to use the process to understand the content better, and before she knew it, she had accumulated many, not knowing what to do with them.
She didn't want to have to carry all those books with her.
So she used her cunning and completely tricked Barnaby into taking them off her hands. He's so young and innocent, hehe...
Though it's a shame that the Time-Turner ran out of sand from use, making it impossible to activate this curious artifact again. But it was also good, casually playing with time usually ended very badly for short-lived races.
Now the temporal artifact had become a memento of her time as a librarian in that place, its highlight being that it was made of very durable and beautiful material.
"Can I stop holding this? —Sanshi asked, snapping them out of the conversation" My arms are falling asleep!