Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 266: The Birthing of the Nundu

For someone who can casually pick up a Diricawl on a walk, Newt’s defining trait is that he’s almost never fazed by surprises. Since tomorrow was the start of the school year, Kyle had planned to head back home right after dinner here. But just as he took a bite of the freshly baked caramelized potato cake, Newt dashed over, grabbed Kyle by the collar, and practically dragged him into the suitcase.

“What’s going on?” Kyle asked, bewildered, hurriedly cramming the remaining half of the potato cake into his mouth.

“The Nundu is giving birth—tonight,” Newt replied without looking back, tightening his grip on Kyle’s arm. “We need to hurry.”

“What?” Kyle’s mouth dropped.

The Nundu, a magical creature resembling a large black cougar, carries a massive poison sac at the base of its neck, making even its breath lethally toxic.

While a Nundu can control its toxin release, Kyle doubted it would be in any position to worry about sparing bystanders during labor. In fact, a birthing Nundu was arguably at its most dangerous. The exhaustion of childbirth prompts it to release vast amounts of toxic gas instinctively, creating a lethal perimeter to ward off other creatures during its vulnerable state. Helping one give birth was nearly suicidal.

“Can I… not go?” Kyle ventured, attempting to back out. “It’s not that I’m scared—it’s just that, well… the caramelized potato cakes won’t taste as good cold…”

“It’s fine, Tina can make more,” Newt replied without slowing.

“But… that’s a lot of trouble—”

“Tina loves baking them. She makes so many every day we sometimes end up sharing them with the Nifflers just to finish them off.”

“But…” Kyle tried again, only for Newt to cut him off, tapping his head lightly and producing a small, glimmering object about the size of a Golden Snitch.

“Dumbledore helped craft this. It’s wrapped around a stone that formed in the stomach of a Re’em. Keep it on you, and the Nundu’s poison fog won’t affect you.”

Kyle stared blankly for a second. If you had something like this, why didn’t you bring it up sooner? Without hesitation, he accepted the item.

It was a small silver-threaded orb with an intricate mesh encasing a golden “stone” in the center. Bringing it closer, he caught a faint, earthy fragrance. He nodded, recognizing it—it was a bezoar, known for its potent detoxifying properties, though this one, taken from a Re’em, was golden, whereas standard bezoars tended to be more brown.

He plucked a leaf from a nearby tree, twisted it into a makeshift rope, and hung the orb around his neck, ensuring the leaf-rope was short enough to keep the orb securely in place.

Once he’d finished, Newt gave a quick nod.

“Ready? Let’s move, Kyle. We need to get there quickly.”

...

Newt grabbed Kyle’s arm and Apparated them to a grassland on the eastern side of the suitcase. The moment Kyle arrived, he sensed something was off. A pale green mist hung over the grassland, eerily reminiscent of London’s morning fog. But unlike fog, this mist was dangerous—poisonous, in fact. Thankfully, an invisible barrier surrounded the grassland’s edges, keeping the toxic haze contained. Clearly, Newt had set this up.

“Just carrying it on me… will that really work?” Kyle asked, eyeing the poisonous mist warily.

“Yes, just carry it with you,” Newt nodded reassuringly. “Re’em cattle are naturally resistant to toxins, and their bezoars can suppress the Nundu’s poison… Oh, and here.”

Newt pulled out his wand, waving it gently to conjure a transparent bubble around Kyle’s head. He did the same for himself. “Alright, let’s go in.”

With that, Newt led the way into the mist. Kyle hesitated briefly, then glanced at Fawkes, who was trailing them. “Fawkes,” he whispered, “think of something sad so you can squeeze out some tears. I might need them later. Not much, just a pint.”

Fawkes gave an indignant flap of his wings at the suggestion. A pint? Really? He was a Phoenix, not a tap! Begrudgingly, he grabbed hold of Kyle’s shirt and pulled him forward, guiding him into the poisonous mist.

The Bubble-Head Charm and the bezoar worked perfectly together, dispersing the poison around them as they walked. Soon, they spotted the Nundu resting on a large rock. She lay on her side, belly swollen, groaning softly in discomfort. Newt approached her gently, placing his hand on her chin and rubbing it rhythmically.

“This helps her relax,” he explained.

Kyle watched, curious. “But if you’re that close, won’t the bezoar’s scent bother her?”

“It’ll have a mild effect,” Newt replied with a shrug. “It’s probably like when someone who hates vegetables smells a carrot.”

Kyle nodded, understanding the analogy. Annoying, but tolerable.

He settled down beside Newt, observing as the Nundu’s breathing gradually calmed under Newt’s touch. Her groans softened, and she seemed more at ease. But, as Newt had said, it would be a long process.

At first, Kyle thought Newt had brought him along simply to witness a rare occasion. But two hours in, when even Newt’s expert calming techniques started losing effect, Kyle realized the true purpose: he’d been brought along to serve as “company”—literally, to keep the Nundu distracted by talking to her.

Unfortunately, the Nundu didn’t seem particularly interested in conversation. She even tried snapping at Kyle at one point, irritated by his efforts. Thankfully, Newt was able to soothe her back into calmness.

“Keep talking!” Newt urged him.

Kyle sighed, resigning himself to the task. But he quickly ran out of things to say. He’d repeated every comforting phrase he could think of multiple times, and any more would probably provoke the Nundu into another attempt at biting him.

Running out of options, he began recounting stories about the Magical Creatures he’d encountered: from the Three-Headed Dog, Fluffy, to the Norwegian Ridgeback, Norbert. Adding tales from Hogwarts to his narrative, he spun the stories together, turning them into a sort of improvised storytelling session.