For a young wizard, keeping up with a Wampus cat on foot was nearly impossible.
But, of course, Sean wasn't just a young wizard.
So, high above the forest canopy, a strange scene unfolded:
A black cat stood perched on the back of a silver owl, its sharp eyes scanning the distance.
Below them, a creature resembling a mountain lion was sprinting through the woods.
However, the forest was too dense. Within moments, even Whitey lost track of the Wampus cat, watching helplessly as it vanished into the thicket.
The black cat's whiskers twitched, and it tapped the silver owl's tail feathers with a paw.
Shortly after, from behind an ancient, gnarled tree that looked tough as iron, a young wizard stepped out. His robes were dusted with snow, and the owl was perched once again on his shoulder.
Whitey glared angrily at the dense forest, chattering away as if suggesting they just burn the whole place down.
"No," Sean said softly.
Whitey, for all her spiritual awareness as an owl, still lacked the wisdom of a wizard.
Sean always found that amusing.
They trudged through the snow, the only sounds being their soft footsteps, the rustle of fabric, and the occasional snap of a fallen branch or stone.
They were descending a steep, wooded slope, gradually nearing a narrow riverbank below, where glowing mushrooms grew.
Sean was deep in thought.
The good news was that Ilvermorny definitely had Wampus cats—quite a few of them, it seemed.
The bad news was that Wampus cats were incredibly fast. Even if Sean found one, getting close was another story. Not every Wampus cat was as friendly to wizards as the one in Mr. Scamander's suitcase.
However, Sean had even better news—the person teaching him spatial magic was a world-renowned master of magical creatures.
With questions in mind, he found Mr. Scamander standing by a frozen stream.
At his feet, three Kneazles were leaving little blossom-like paw prints in the snow.
This reminded Sean of how fond Mr. Scamander was of Kneazles. In his retirement in Dorset, he and his wife kept three as pets: Hoppy, Milly, and Mauler.
"Good morning, Mr. Scamander," Sean said, crossing the wooden bridge over the stream.
"Good morning," Newt replied, his tone as shy as ever. He was looking into the distance, and when Sean followed his gaze, his heart skipped a beat.
There, in the brush, a Wampus cat was watching them curiously.
"Wampus cats... they are proud and full of curiosity. That means a wizard needs to meet their hidden, magical gaze," Mr. Scamander said slowly, his voice taking on a storytelling cadence.
"They are very intelligent creatures and can read a lot from a wizard's eyes. Because of this, they rarely take a liking to anyone. Most of the time, they simply vanish."
"But for a rare few wizards, a Wampus cat will not refuse their approach. That is how the Cherokee warriors successfully obtained their hair for wand cores."
He turned his head slightly and saw the young wizard straining to widen his eyes, trying desperately to lock gazes with the Wampus cat.
Newt fought back a smile.
"Distance can also be an issue," he reminded him gently.
So, Sean quietly crept closer. The big cat tilted its head, its yellow eyes staring unblinkingly at him.
> [System: You have gained the affection of the magical creature Wampus Cat (Unnamed) at an expert level. Affinity +50]
The interface chimed at just the right moment. Sean's breathing was as light as the falling snow.
"Wampus cats possess the power of hypnosis and Legilimency. It is very difficult to lower your defenses against such a creature," Newt added softly. "It means a wizard must lay their inner world completely bare..."
Sean was now standing not far from the Wampus cat. The creature hesitated for a long time before finally turning and bolting away.
Sean felt a pang of loss.
"Once, while I was talking to some gnomes in the herb garden, I pushed aside some sage and found a giant ferret," Newt said, a shy smile on his face. "It didn't run or hide like a normal ferret. Instead, it lunged at me and knocked me flat on my back."
"Turns out, it was a Jarvey. A very stubborn Jarvey. It took me two months to convince it to stop trashing the garden."
Sean looked toward the snow-dusted treetops in the distance, understanding that earning a magical creature's trust was a long-term effort.
Over the next few days, the Wampus cat became a regular spectator during Sean's magic lessons.
When Sean practiced slicing a patch of land and shrinking it, the Wampus cat was in the nearby bushes, chasing crows.
When Sean shrunk and then enlarged a yew tree, the Wampus cat was testing the thickness of the ice on the frozen stream with its paw.
When Sean finally managed to fit a patch of grass into the Book of Wizards, the Wampus cat tried to catch Whitey. It was promptly scared off when Whitey transformed into a dragon, and it didn't come back to watch Sean for the rest of the afternoon.
The internal space of the Book of Wizards was growing larger, and Sean's technique was becoming more refined.
A few days later, Sean could practice alone without any mishaps.
His progress accelerated to a new level.
The warm sun rose and hid, the winter snow stopped and fell again, and Sean spent his days immersed in spatial and atmospheric charms.
On a day filled with sleet, the Magical Creatures class—originally scheduled for three days but extended to five—was coming to an end.
Mr. Scamander would soon be leaving Ilvermorny.
This made Sean's time even more precious.
Finally, at the tail end of the fifth day, Sean achieved a breakthrough:
> [System: You have practiced the Severing Charm at a skilled level. Proficiency +10]
> [Spatial Charms: Beginner (70/900) (Collapse)]
All spatial charms were now consolidated under one category, though Sean could expand it to view them individually.
> [Atmospheric Charms: Apprentice (20/300) (Collapse)]
Although his progress with atmospheric charms was still limited, Sean at least had the preliminary means to regulate the climate.
Mastering these two types of magic meant Sean now had the foundation to build the internal space of the Book of Wizards.
So, at dusk, Sean went to the small riverbank where he and Mr. Scamander often spent time.
After an evening of renovations, the interior of Sean's Book of Wizards was starting to take shape:
Upon entering, the first thing one would see was a meadow. The lush green grass was dotted with small yellow and pink flowers, and the air smelled of spring sunshine.
To the left of the meadow was a small stream, winding past a tiny wooden cottage. The cottage had bright windows and a chimney puffing out smoke, with a sign hanging on the door: The Wizard's Cottage.
Beyond the cottage lay a dense forest, where beech and yew trees were the most common species.
It looked like an oil painting come to life. Sean stood at the door of the cottage with satisfaction, thinking that this three-hundred-square-meter space should be more than enough to house a few magical creatures.