Capítulo 29: Surprise visit
It had been a productive day for everyone. Scamander spent his time observing Sanshi's behavior and asking more questions, Sanshi herself was able to run around without worrying about being seen by others, and Barnaby made some rough sketches with magic of his land to facilitate planning later on, deciding what to build, where, and its dimensions.
Oh, it was also revealed that Sanshi wasn't too enthusiastic about the beach. In her own words, she preferred the small river where she could also try to catch some fish.
Although she had no trouble swimming and found sunbathing pleasant, the salt in the ocean water combined with the beach sand left her fur uncomfortable enough that she didn't want to repeat the experience anytime soon.
Barnaby spent an hour helping her groom her fur with clean water, some lilac-scented shampoo, a hairbrush, and a towel to help dry her. It turns out that with the shape of her body, Sanshi found it difficult to turn her human part to dry her own hind half.
Needless to say, Newt volunteered to help, being very accustomed to this kind of task at home, but ended up feeling sad because Sanshi wasn't receptive to the idea, although he was understanding.
"Thanks for going through the trouble, Newt," Barnaby thanked, knowing how busy he usually was.
"Come on, we're going to be neighbors, there's no need for such formality," Scamander dismissed, letting his gaze wander again, showing a small smile of satisfaction.
Today had been like Christmas for him; he hadn't had a similar experience since the first time he interacted with the centaurs at Hogwarts.
"Then I'll leave the matter of Tina to you," Barnaby said as he quickly bid farewell, wrapping himself in brambles that emerged from the shadows and disappearing.
"W-What?" Newt suddenly realized he would have to talk to his wife about Sanshi and convince her not to mention the issue of clothing.
Suddenly, he didn't feel as happy and even felt a slight headache.
Shaking his head, he entered the house and saw the rock cake package resting quietly on the dining table.
"I think the Graphorns could use it to polish their horns…" he concluded, doubting for a long time without taking his eyes off the gift. "I remember the Nundu ignored me for two weeks after it broke two teeth last time."
He couldn't reject the goodwill, only use it as best as possible within his capabilities.
Suddenly, a fleeting idea crossed his mind.
If Barnaby used the rock cake as a brick to make his house and the fence, wouldn't it be a physically impregnable fortress?
…
Another week passed as Barnaby spent most of his time in front of a realistic miniature model he made of the land with some magic and help from Uncle Flitwick, adding and removing details to resolve ideas on how to make everything the best it could be.
He even asked for advice from some professors, like Uncle Snape and Aunt Pomona, for the botanical area, whether for potion ingredients, a garden, a vineyard, or an orchard.
The guidance he received gave him a lot of inspiration, but also gave him many more options and made it difficult to choose some or discard others.
Though if anyone was particularly talkative, it was Calcifer.
Limiting his interest more towards the house than the entire land, the fire demon explained some things Barnaby needed to consider if he expected him to move into that house. He also made it clear he expected a large chimney to his size, even using charcoal lines to show him some ideas and designs, leaving Barnaby speechless but diligently taking notes.
High-quality millenary magical wood was easy for the redhead to obtain, he only had to go to the centaur tribe to show him some fallen, unclaimed millenary trees they knew of. There were plenty of them in the Forbidden Forest, more than enough for his use without anyone at the castle noticing their absence.
He doubted Dumbledore would notice as long as his father didn't say anything, and even if he asked for explanations, he could say he was helping clean the forest and recycle.
He thought of making the bridge along with the tables and chairs in the barbecue area with the Japanese technique of "Sashimono," that is, perfectly fitting the wood without using nails or screws that could rust over time.
Very zen, though for that, he would need to find a really skilled carpenter…
Sure, he had some hand with wood, but here a carpenter with the precision of a surgeon was needed.
Maybe he should visit Japan sometime?
As for the wood scraps, he could turn them into logs for Calcifer to occasionally eat as a special treat.
After much effort, he managed to make a preliminary idea of where everything would go, its size, and general cost. While the house hadn't been thought of yet, at least he knew where to place it so it would align with the bridge path.
He was getting ready to help his father with the garden when he stopped him before leaving the cabin.
"You've got a visitor."
Hagrid stepped aside and a comet rushed straight at Barnaby, hitting his chest with an audible impact, yet not making him step back even a bit.
"Nym-...!" feeling a cold shiver running up his spine, he quickly changed the word he was going to say, following his survival instinct. "Tonks!" he dropped the hoe in his hand and hugged the metamorphmagus with surprise and joy.
"Ah~, this is what I was missing," Tonks sighed, feeling great with the hug that almost completely enveloped her. "Surprised?" she asked, pulling back with her own smile.
"What gave me away?" Barnaby responded happily.
He was very surprised by the sudden visit from his girlfriend, after all, Moody was… very Moody, and he wasn't sure Tonks had managed to convince him to get permission for a small absence from her training.
She hadn't.
But Moody wanted to get his magical eye back and… here she was!
Another foolproof plan from Tonks!
"Oh, it's so sweet," said Hagrid, appreciating the reunion as a spectator, regretting not having a camera with him. Or having one at all.
"Ehem, dad, I…"
"It's all right, son, I'll take care of the garden," Hagrid patted his chest. "It's not as much work as you think. Just don't be too late, okay?"
"Thanks," Barnaby thanked his father as he left the cabin, and hand in hand with Tonks, they approached the shores of the Black Lake, a quite pleasant and, more importantly, discreet spot.
"You're not going to tell me you want us to swim in the lake just to see me in a swimsuit, are you?" Tonks asked with a mischievous smile.
"How would I ever think of that?" Barnaby shook his head quickly; he really hadn't thought of that.
Though he secretly noted the idea for another day.
"Before we go, I want you to meet Sanshi, my familiar."
With her name mentioned, the nyokai emerged to appear before a wide-eyed Tonks and waved hello.
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