This is Seth, the Horned Serpent. I rescued it after it was injured, and then it stayed here."
Seth affectionately rubbed its head against Nina's hand, then nodded at Karl, and disappeared back into the water.
So it was a Horned Serpent. I couldn't see if it had claws, so I thought it was a Jiao-Dragon in evolution.
Karl watched the ripples gradually fade away, "It feels like all your companions are quite introverted."
"Not really, it's just that Seth was harmed by a Wizardbefore, so it's a bit wary of strangers."
After hearing Nina's explanation, Karl decided to visit more often and get on good terms with this big fellow.
If he could touch it, and ride it, wouldn't that be incredibly exhilarating?
"Look! Lucy is here too!"
Nina suddenly pointed to the sky, and Karl quickly looked up.
He saw a large tawny bird flying from the thundercloud-filled horizon.
"My goodness! Is this... a Thunderbird?"
Karl noticed something unique about this creature; behind its massive wings, it also had two pairs of smaller wings.
"Whoosh!"
The airflow created by the Thunderbird's landing was like a strong wind, making Karl's robes flap loudly.
It shielded Nina with one wing, while simultaneously pushing Karl aside with the other.
Then it happily squinted its eyes and continuously rubbed its head against Nina.
"Lucy, that's very impolite."
"It's fine, it's fine. As long as it's happy."
Karl instantly pushed the Horned Serpent to the back of his mind, deciding to first get on good terms with Lucy.
If he could ride a Thunderbird through the sky... wouldn't that be a million times cooler than riding a flying broomstick?
Hehe!
After Nina's comforting persuasion, Lucy finally agreed to let Karl approach.
Karl, who had been longing for this for a long time, carefully stepped forward and stroked its head.
Ah~ so satisfying~
The feel was absolutely wonderful!
After interacting with the Thunderbird Lucy for a while, Karl reluctantly bid it farewell, watching it fly into the sky.
Nina waved her hand in front of him, "Snap out of it! I'll bring you to see Lucy again next time."
Karl nodded frantically, "That would naturally be excellent! What does Lucy like to eat? My friend is not short on money!"
"Uh... no need, I have quite a lot of food stored here."
"That's yours. When I visit, I should always bring a gift!"
Otherwise, how could he get on good terms with Lucy? As long as the hoe digs well, there's no wall that can't be dug down.
Nina smiled, pointing behind Karl, "Then what gift are you preparing for Milo?"
"Huh?"
Karl turned around and saw a large cat, which had appeared at some point, staring at him with a pair of dark golden eyes.
It looked very much like a puma, but it had six legs and stood on its hind legs like a human.
This creature... must be a Cat-Panther!
Because Karl's wand core was made from Cat-Panther hair, he was quite familiar with this magical animal.
"Horned Serpent, Thunderbird, Cat-Panther, Pukwudgie, Nina, aren't you being a bit outrageous?"
"If Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry found out, they'd surely tie you up and drag you back to school, wouldn't they?"
Good heavens, you've collected the representative animals of all four houses. Do you have some kind of collecting habit?
The Cat-Panther Milo, seeing Nina wave at it, quickly came to her side and demurely allowed Nina to rub its ears.
"Who knows? But if the news leaks, it'll definitely be your fault."
Nina showed Karl a fierce little expression, which didn't threaten Karl, but he found it adorable.
"Don't worry! You know me, I'm solitary and reserved, clumsy with words, and never talk much with others."
Milo, who was being scratched under the chin by Nina, heard this and disdainfully glanced at Karl.
You? Although Legilimency doesn't work, I can tell you're a smooth talker even if I just use my butt to think.
Karl: (•̀ω•́)✧
Hmm? Are you winking at me?
"Hehe~ Little kitty~ Here I come~"
Milo: Owoo! Get away from me!
...Time passed with the constant rising and setting of the sun, and it was now December, not far from Christmas.
For first-year students at Hogwarts, this meant the first semester of the academic year was about to end.
Of course, most Little wizards wouldn't consider this; for them, there were only two pieces of good news:
One, the Christmas holiday was coming; two, there would be no exams before the holiday.
This was definitely the most anticipated thing!
The school would register the names of students not going home for Christmas in the second week and start the holiday in the third week.
At that time, most students and teachers would leave on the Hogwarts Express, returning to their respective homes and families.
Recently, Karl had been thriving in Nina's magic trunk, and with his food offensive, he felt that the joyful days of petting Cat-Panthers, riding Horned Serpents, and flying on Thunderbirds were not far off.
It wasn't until Prefect Judy asked him if he needed to register for staying at school that he remembered about Christmas.
"Register! I'm staying at school for the holiday!"
"Alright, don't just focus on playing while at school. Remember to write your story and try to publish it before Easter next year."
Karl: ... Faced with Prefect Judy's offline Renewal , he could only agree wholeheartedly and promise not to procrastinate.
Stebbins leaned over, "Karl, your family actually allows you to spend Christmas at school?"
Darn it! He wanted to stay too!
Going home for the holiday was great for the first two days, but after that, it became tedious.
"My family... my mom and dad are no longer in this world, so I'm homeless."
"I'm sorry, Karl, I didn't know..."
Stebbins wanted to slap himself. I'm such an idiot!
"It's fine, I've long come to terms with it."
Karl stated that his emotions were stable, and any sadness had gradually dissipated over ten years.
After all, he couldn't do anything else but live well and send blessings from another world on his parents' birthdays.
Shabi patted his shoulder, "Karl, do you want to come back with me for Christmas? My house is quite big."
Karl: (´ﾟдﾟ`)
Although... it felt a bit strange. It was definitely his own mind that was too dirty.
"Thank you, Shabi, maybe next time."
Just then, Cedric walked into the common room somewhat dejectedly and sat down next to them.
"Registering?"
Judy nodded, "What about you?"
"I need to stay at school for training!"
In the recent Quidditch match, the Hufflepuff team was defeated by the Gryffindor team.
This had left Cedric despondent ever since, as his performance as a new player was somewhat subpar.
Although Judy admired Cedric's effort, spending the Christmas holiday practicing at school was a bit too diligent. Was this child under too much pressure?
She scanned the group, eliminated Stebbins and Shabi, and chose Karl, who spoke so smoothly.
You go and try to comfort him.
Karl nodded in acknowledgment, then put his arm around Cedric's shoulder.
"Brother, I commend your spirit in pursuing victory, but there's no need to put too much pressure on yourself."
"You know, failure, failure, failure, failure is common in war. A true man can bend and bend, and life's great ups and downs, downs, downs, downs are just like that."
Cedric: (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Judy, Stebbins, Shabi: ...Dude, are you trying to kill him with words?
Are you comforting him? You're just making his mental breakdown even more thorough!
Faced with everyone's condemning gazes, Karl decisively slipped away.
No more messing around, he needed to conserve his energy and prepare for tonight's stealth operation.