Chapter 61: Evil Hawklap
Under the bright sunlight, Alexander Smith glanced at Kate, who was still sulking, with a helpless expression.
"Does this mean girls shouldn't play games?" Alexander yawned, clearly bored. "There's still almost an entire afternoon left. If this keeps up, it'll be no fun at all."
"Exactly!" he exclaimed dramatically, pretending to be surprised. Kate gave him a sideways glance but quickly turned back, pretending not to hear.
"Dang-dang-dang!"
"What do you think this is?" Alexander suddenly pulled a strange creature out of the air to his right, as if performing a prank. It was dark brown, roughly the size of a hand, about seven inches tall, resembling an elf without wings.
The tiny creature struggled wildly in Alexander's grasp, but it seemed to be gently bound by invisible spiderwebs. It let out a series of strange chirps.
Intrigued, Kate edged closer, clearly captivated by the odd-looking thing.
"This must be a Little Devil. They usually live in damp, soft areas—like riverbanks," she guessed tentatively.
"But... magical creatures like this are only found in the UK and Ireland. I've seen one at a relative's place before. But that one was pitch black in color."
As she spoke, Kate drew her wand and directed a flying insect towards the small creature.
"Yep, it's a Little Devil," she confirmed as she watched it devour the insect with delight. "It must've been brought to India during the British colonization."
"Right. Their primary food source is insects," Alexander said, smiling faintly. Ravenclaws are so easy to distract. Just steer the conversation into academic territory and their tempers melt away, he thought.
He gently flicked his finger and sent the creature over to the riverbank before continuing his quiz.
"So... what's the Little Devil's favorite food?"
"Hint one: it's classified as an X-level dangerous creature."
"Hint two—" Alexander was cut off as Kate suddenly burst out:
"You need hints for that? The most common one is..."
"Flobberworms! Flobberworms are their favorite!" she said confidently, completely forgetting her earlier frustration.
"And what are the characteristics of the Hawklap? What creature considers it a delicacy? And what's its most famous magical allusion?" Alexander shot out a rapid series of questions, smirking. Let's see you keep up now.
"It has strong, muscular tentacles that spread underground like rhizomes, seeking earthworms. It reproduces rapidly, capable of covering a garden in just a few days," Kate recited smoothly.
"It's the favorite food of goblins."
"As for a famous allusion... oh! Newt Scamander once misjudged this creature!"
"Typical Hufflepuff!" she added proudly. "In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt wrote that the Hawklap had no purpose except to be goblin fodder. But actually, Hawklap juice can be used in healing potions, herbicides, and more. We even covered it in Potions class!" Kate wagged her finger as she explained.
"Kate, you're not wrong about the allusion," Alexander said, grinning. "But it's not the most famous one in British wizarding lore." He ruffled her hair with a teasing chuckle.
"What?! That can't be right!" Kate's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It has to do with your idol... Dumbledore."
"Kate, do you know what a Hawklap looks like?" Alexander asked, an evil glint in his eye.
"Pink and fleshy, like a mushroom with black bristles... Why? Is that weird?" she asked, puzzled.
"You're still too young…" Alexander sighed dramatically. "Dumbledore's aunt, Honoria, famously broke off her engagement after finding her fiancé playing with a few Hawklaps."
"Dumbledore even spoke about it in an interview. His exact words were, 'Hawklaps are pink, spiky, mushroom-like creatures. I simply can't understand why anyone would want to fiddle with them.'"
Alexander paused, then added mischievously, "Strange words from someone who was so close with Grindelwald, don't you think?"
"Alexander! You scoundrel!" Kate's face turned bright red. Understanding dawned on her, and she bolted toward the cabin.
"I win again!" Alexander declared triumphantly.
"But... wasn't I just trying to cheer her up?"
"Damn it, I messed up again," he muttered, smacking his own leg in frustration.
I was too straightforward, again. No wonder I stayed single in my past life. If I hadn't been reborn into this world and gained all this knowledge and charm, I'd probably still be alone forever.
He didn't chase after her this time. He figured she needed space. Plus, there was another problem now—Gong Huo might be in danger.
Lounging in a chair, Alexander watched a phoenix soar through the sky. Moments later, a beautiful figure appeared in Smith Castle.
"Master, what are your orders?" a cold mechanical voice, belonging to the Lord God, echoed around him.
"Master Alexander, do you have any commands for Jack?" Pop! Jack the house-elf appeared.
"Just say the word, sir! That weird machine can't match Jack!" Jack huffed, clearly unhappy with the Lord God's presence.
Alexander chuckled to himself. Jack's getting old, but he's still got that pride.
"Relax, Jack. I know you mean well."
"By the way, has the letter arrived?" he asked.
He had removed the tracking coordinates from Kate—after all, she was now traveling across India. If Penelope sent her an owl, the poor thing would likely collapse from exhaustion.
"Master Alexander, the letter," Jack said, handing it over respectfully.
It was sealed with red maple leaves. The envelope opened automatically at Alexander's touch, revealing a handwritten letter and a photograph.
Penelope wrote briefly about how popular alchemy was becoming in France. She mentioned a new friend named Fleur who knew a lot about the subject and asked about Alexander's holiday plans.
The attached photo was taken beneath the Eiffel Tower. Behind Penelope stood a bald man and a dignified-looking blonde woman—likely her parents.
"Fleur? Could that be Fleur Delacour?"
"But... wasn't Penelope a Muggle-born?"
"Maybe that's why Fleur sat with Ravenclaw during the Triwizard Tournament, even though Penelope had already graduated?"
"Wait—there's another photo of them together. I should take a closer look at Penelope…"
After examining the picture for a while, Alexander pushed aside his suspicions and wrote back.
He said he was spending the holidays at home and hadn't traveled. He also pointedly noted that without Nicolas Flamel, French alchemy would never have become so popular. The French Ministry of Magic heavily favored it, allocating disproportionate funding.
Otherwise, Beauxbatons wouldn't have so much support for magical education. Flamel, the master of the Philosopher's Stone, had long been financially backing his alma mater.
Meanwhile, Hogwarts—although spared salary cuts for professors—suffered frequent budget restrictions in other areas, like flying lessons.
That's why expensive subjects like alchemy were only offered as optional sixth-year electives and didn't even count toward the O.W.L. exams.
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