Communication between cats is primarily through scent and body language.
Even when they use vocalizations, it is all "awu-awu" calls; that kind of high-pitched "meow" is specifically for humans to hear.
Sensing that Karl, this fellow cat, was suspicious, Madam Norris immediately prepared to bolt.
Seeing the cat looking so frightened, Karl didn't dare to take out his wand to subdue her.
Although Mr. Ollivander had mentioned the magical properties of Qilin hair, he feared that Madam Norris would start screeching the moment he began his Transfiguration.
So, he decided to leave it to Fire Treasure!
"Chi~"
The cute and adorable Fire Treasure appeared on top of Karl's head, instantly catching Madam Norris's attention.
Feeling the natural aura and the warm, friendly emotions emanating from this soft ball of fire, her fur, which had been standing on end, settled back down.
Little thing! This should win you over!
Karl gave a gentle shake of his head, and Fire Treasure dropped to the ground, hopping around.
Madam Norris finally couldn't resist the temptation; she walked over step by step, lay down, and rubbed her head against Fire Treasure, purring softly.
She even rolled over, exposing her belly, looking as if she had just had some catnip.
Seeing how much the little creature adored Fire Treasure, Karl felt that in the future, he could use the cat to control Filch.
Just then, Fire Treasure, who was comforting the cat, suddenly waved toward the stairs, and Madam Norris jumped three feet into the air on the spot, looking as if she had seen a ghost.
Karl turned his head and saw another cat.
Moreover, this cat's size and fur color were very similar to Madam Norris.
Karl: (ﾟдﾟ≡ﾟдﾟ)
What is going on? Did I stumble into a cat's nest?
There was already one Madam Norris; who was this newcomer?
After a closer look, he quickly noticed the differences between the two cats.
Unlike Madam Norris, who was scrawny with dull grey fur and bulging, lightbulb-like eyes.
This cat was well-proportioned with sleek, soft fur, and a pair of large eyes with naturally refined eyeliner—it was cute and beautiful.
Fire Treasure raised its hand to report, "Chi~"
Karl: Huh? What? You're saying this cat is Nina?
That's not a joke... Well, it's normal for a Druid to be able to turn into a cat.
He raised his paw to greet Nina, and then saw her trot over with small, quick steps.
She circled him twice, her body shifting like flowing water, silently turning into a Jungle Cat.
Karl: (⊙o⊙)
As expected of the "do-whatever-I-want" Druid.
Nina raised a front paw and pointed outside the Castle, signaling him to go out first.
Karl recalled Fire Treasure, and the two Jungle Cats ran side by side, quickly leaving the area.
Madam Norris: (•́_•̀)?
As a cat, she was already quite smart, but she still couldn't understand what had just happened.
Not only were there two more of her kind in the Castle, but one of them could even shapeshift; what was going on?
...
Under the cover of night, the two Jungle Cats ran faster and faster.
Before long, they crossed the vegetable patch and arrived at the Forbidden Forest, where they returned to human form after giving each other a playful swipe.
Uh... Instinct guided their actions; this was just how cats greeted each other.
"Karl, you are actually an Animagus; it's truly incredible."
Nina looked at Karl curiously, secretly wishing he would turn back into a cat so she could pet him.
"You're the one who surprised me, alright! If it weren't for Fire Treasure, I wouldn't have recognized you!"
"Chi~"
Fire Treasure hopped happily above their heads, feeling like it had accomplished a great feat.
"I already told you I'm a Druid."
"Then doesn't that mean you can turn into any animal? Is that right?"
A wicked thought crossed Karl's mind; as a former Hunter player, he knew the best pets were Druids.
Ahem! Just kidding!
Nina looked at Karl warily and couldn't help but take a step back, "Are you thinking about something bad?"
"No... nothing at all! I was just expressing envy for Wizards who practice being an Animagus."
How difficult is it to become an Animagus? Holding a Mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month, brewing a Potion, waiting for a thunderstorm, reciting incantations at sunrise and sunset...
This set of tedious and error-prone steps is actually just the simplest part of learning the Animagus Transfiguration.
After all, before that, one must first learn a massive amount of Transfiguration knowledge and possess a deep foundation to avoid failure during the Transfiguration process, which could lead to irreversible tragedies.
"If you want to learn to transform into an animal without being a Druid, you have to pay a higher price."
"Compared to the predetermined paths of a Druid, infinite possibilities are more attractive, especially when the Druid heritage is almost extinct."
The two chatted as they walked, following a pre-scouted route and heading deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
"Karl, I had a fun hypothesis while I was reading recently."
"Let's hear it."
"I suspect that the four founders of Hogwarts were all Animagi."
"Huh?"
"Do you think the lion, eagle, badger, and snake that represent the four houses could be their animal forms after Transfiguration?"
"Eh? That's a very interesting idea!"
Karl thought about it and found this premise quite compelling; no wonder Nina called it a fun hypothesis.
"Do you know about Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? It's on Mount Greylock in Massachusetts."
"I've seen it in books, and I'm quite curious why you didn't go to that school."
After spending time together, Karl knew that Nina's home was in North America, but she had relatives in Europe.
"I was going to go, but since Druids originated from the Celts, I came over to take a look."
"Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry also has four houses, represented by the Thunderbird, Pukwudgie, Horned Serpent, and Pukwudgie—they are all magical creatures."
"So, when I didn't know much about Hogwarts, I thought it was the same here."
Hearing Nina's words, Karl realized that if one were to replace the representative animals of the four Hogwarts houses with magical creatures, it would be quite difficult to choose.
During their conversation, the two had already arrived at the location of the Mooncalf burrow.
Today is November 1st; according to the ancient Eastern Chinese calendar, it is currently the early morning of the fifteenth day of the ninth month.
Although the bright moon in the sky was not as round as it would be on the fifteenth or sixteenth night, it was close to a full moon.
Therefore, the Mooncalves inhabiting this place had all come out of their burrows.
This very shy magical creature, in Karl's view, looked a lot like an alpaca with shorter limbs and a longer, thicker neck.
They had smooth, pale grey skin and a pair of large, bulging eyes, looking extremely adorable and silly.
Under their four slender legs were flat, large feet, and their entire bodies shimmered slightly blue in the moonlight.
At this moment, bathed in the moonlight, the Mooncalves stood on their two hind legs and performed a complex dance that was slightly comical yet possessed a strange, beautiful aesthetic.
With light and shadow interlacing, and brightness and darkness alternating, there was, for a moment, a dreamlike and illusory feeling.
"Karl, is it beautiful?"
"Yes, it was worth the trip."
Nina and Karl leaned against a tree, quietly admiring the beautiful scenery brought about by the Mooncalves.
A memory that would not fade even many years later.