The leisurely hours passed quickly. Once the candy and Butterbeer were gone, the feast came to an end, and everyone returned to their dormitories to enjoy a warm, full-bellied night.
At dawn the next day, Leonard left Hogwarts with the sweets he'd set aside specifically and headed for the botanical garden.
He was going to see Claudia and Midgard.
The night before, Leonard had written to Midgard, instructing her to bring Claudia into the Forbidden Forest during the daytime and leave again at night.
Since Quirrell never had the time to leave Hogwarts during the day anyway, it made more sense for Claudia to stay in the forest where Leonard could visit her whenever he wanted.
When he arrived at the botanical garden, he saw Midgard and Claudia already waiting.
"Leonard!" After days apart, Claudia showed no trace of distance. She immediately leapt into Leonard's arms, rubbing her face affectionately against his.
Midgard followed behind, laughing. "You haven't been around for a few days. She's been crying and shouting to see you."
"Isn't that normal? I'm so good to Claudia—of course she misses me." Leonard answered with utter confidence.
"Hey, hey, that answer is way too smug."
"Why not? I'm the first wizard little Claudia ever met. And after feeding her for so long, it's perfectly normal that she likes me," Leonard said, ruffling Claudia's soft hair.
"Well, that's… not wrong, but that attitude really ticks me off. I'm the one who's taken care of her the longest—every meal, every nap, always right there with her." Midgard muttered, clearly irritated as she watched the affectionate scene.
Leonard gave Midgard a baffled look, thought for a moment, then motioned her to crouch down.
"What are you—" Midgard crouched beside him, only to freeze the moment Leonard placed a hand on her head.
"Well, then I'll pat your head too. How can someone your age be jealous of little Claudia?" Leonard sighed.
Midgard: ???
"I was talking about Claudia's attitude, not mine." She slapped his hand away impatiently. "How many times have I told you? Don't touch my head."
"Worried you won't grow taller? You're already plenty tall," Leonard teased. "And this is only the second time I've done it. Besides, feels pretty nice."
A fleeting, complicated emotion crossed Midgard's eyes, though she hid it well.
"Anyway, why did you ask me to bring Claudia back today? Did you settle your problem?" she asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Not yet. The guy's being cautious."
Leonard carried Claudia—almost like she were a life-sized figurine—toward the usual grazing spot of the unicorns. He raised his hand and used Transfiguration to produce two soft sofas.
"That's Transfiguration? Your magic improves every single day," Midgard said in amazement, eyeing the couches that looked as though they had grown naturally from the earth.
"People should always improve. I'm no exception," Leonard said, settling onto a sofa with Claudia curled in his lap.
"Even so, no one progresses like you do." Midgard sprawled across her seat lazily. "So what's going on? This dangerous guy just gave up? He's not going after the unicorns anymore?"
"No. He's just afraid of dying in the Forbidden Forest. I picked a location far from Hogwarts. Even if he uses some forbidden method to temporarily recover, he still couldn't reach this spot quickly enough to kill a unicorn."
"Kill unicorns?" Claudia lifted her head, eyes wide with alarm. "Why kill unicorns?"
"Because the other person is bad." Leonard stroked her head, then gave her a piece of candy from his pocket to distract her.
Claudia unwrapped the package. The moment she saw the beautifully wrapped sweets, she let out a delighted little sound and began tasting them happily.
"She's learned quite a lot recently. She even understands what 'kill' means now," Leonard noted.
"She's picked up most basic common sense. Little Claudia's really smart and learns fast. But there's still a lot ahead of her. By the way—are you planning to teach her magic?" Midgard asked.
"Teach her? Why wouldn't I?" Leonard replied.
"And the wand?"
"Her wand should be easy. Use her own hair for the core. For the wood… applewood or acacia should work well," Leonard said.
After all, he'd served as Mr. Ollivander's assistant. He understood wand compatibility better than most.
"That's not what I meant. Claudia isn't a wizard. Wizards have always been wary of non-humans using wands. If you give her one and people find out what she is, it'll become a problem," Midgard explained, suddenly letting out a large yawn.
"What a stupid rule. They prevent goblins from carrying wands, but goblins will rebel anyway, won't they?" Leonard grumbled, remembering all the history he'd reviewed the day before. But seeing the tiredness in Midgard's eyes after that yawn, he grew suspicious.
"Did you not sleep well? Or was Claudia being naughty last night?" Leonard asked.
Hearing her name, Claudia lifted her head again, her bright face puzzled.
"Claudia was very good," she said seriously. "But big sister wasn't. She told Claudia to sleep early, but she went to bed very late."
Very late?
Leonard looked toward Midgard. "Did something happen in Knockturn Alley?"
"Eh… same old nonsense." Midgard flopped over on the sofa with a sigh. "That rumor from before—it's been floating around for months, but now it's suddenly getting aggressive. Something about the Dark Lord gathering his followers for something big. Some of the young wolves in the pack are getting restless."
"Restless? Sounds like they're just not taking you seriously." Leonard snorted. "Fenrir's old pack?"
"Mm…" Midgard answered halfheartedly, clearly reluctant. "But I can't really blame them. Life's gotten better, everyone has some money, and some young wolves want to live in Diagon Alley but still get treated differently. It's upsetting them… but it's just a minor problem. I can handle it."
...
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