Chapter 183

"Tom!"

Upon seeing Leo, Newt immediately patted the Kelpie's head. The Kelpie, usually wild, obediently brought him to the shore.

"Newt, it seems only you can make it so tame," Leo remarked with a smile as he stepped closer.

Newt possessed a unique aura—no matter how fierce a magical creature might be, they all became docile in his presence. It wasn't just because he understood magical creatures well; it was also because of his genuine care for them. 

Magical creatures, unlike ordinary animals, were possibly more sensitive due to their magical nature. Most of them were extremely cautious around Leo, no matter how friendly he acted. To him, magical creatures were no different from ordinary ones; if any creature posed a threat to his safety, he wouldn't hesitate to kill it, even if it were the last of its kind in the world.

Another reason might be that he had killed too many people. While humans couldn't sense this, sensitive magical creatures could, making them wary of him.

"You could do it too," Newt said as he dismounted the Kelpie, gently patting its head. He cast a spell to dry his soaked clothes instantly.

As Newt stepped onto the shore, the Kelpie bared its teeth and growled menacingly at Leo, clearly wary of him.

Leo didn't mind. With lightning speed, he stepped forward and grabbed the Kelpie's snout, preventing it from attacking. Smiling, he ruffled its mane with his free hand.

"Hey there, little one. Can't you be a bit friendlier to me? Out of all these little creatures, you're my favorite!"

The Kelpie struggled, trying to break free from Leo's grip, but no matter how hard it tried, his hand remained firm and unmoving. Eventually, it had no choice but to endure being petted by him.

"It's just a different method for everyone," Newt said, glancing at the subdued Kelpie in Leo's grip.

Many of Newt's magical creatures were dangerous and ill-tempered. Except for him, even Bunty, who frequently helped with care and feeding, would often get injured. 

But Leo was an exception. He enjoyed coming over to feed the magical creatures, though perhaps he had some other magical creature's blood in him. Newt guessed it was either giant or troll blood, given Leo's frightening strength.

Most magical creatures likely sensed a threat from him, causing them to be wary or even aggressive. Yet Leo could always calm them down quickly, albeit through different methods than Newt's.

"Why isn't Credence with you today?" Newt asked as they returned to the upstairs living room. He noticed that Credence, who usually followed Leo, was absent.

Pouring himself a cup of tea, Leo replied, "I've recently adopted a wizard orphan. He's helping out at home, so he didn't come along this time."

"You've adopted another child?" Newt was surprised. Leo was only in his twenties and hadn't even dated or married, yet he'd already adopted two children.

Leo chuckled. "Just as you bring home any poor magical creature you find, I sometimes do the same when I see unfortunate children. This child's mother was a witch who died giving birth to him. His father, a Muggle, left when he realized he had been bewitched by a love potion. I felt it was too cruel to leave him in a Muggle orphanage, so I adopted him. After all, there aren't many people left in my family."

"Tom, you truly have a kind heart," Newt said, unable to hide his admiration. 

Since meeting Leo, he had always seemed like a remarkably perfect person—even more so than his brother, a war hero.

"That's why, sometimes, I kind of agree with Grindelwald. The Statute of Secrecy isn't the best law; it leads to so many tragedies between Muggles and wizards. Of course, Grindelwald was too extreme. If only one day Muggles and wizards could live together openly and peacefully," Leo sighed.

He often brought up such ideas in front of Newt because he knew that both Newt and Dumbledore shared similar thoughts.

It was important to remember that Dumbledore, in his youth, had also dreamed of reforming the magical world alongside Grindelwald. However, this idealism faded after Grindelwald's extreme stance on Muggles and the tragic death of Dumbledore's sister.

Leo wanted Newt and Dumbledore to see him as one of them.

Newt nodded in agreement upon hearing Leo's sentiment.

He also disliked the restrictions imposed by the Statute of Secrecy, which was why he never wanted to join the Ministry of Magic. However, he bore no prejudice against Muggles; for instance, his good friend Jacob was a Muggle.

"Newt, I'd like to visit Professor Dumbledore. Do you have time to come with me today?"

"Absolutely!" Newt's eyes lit up. He had been pondering how to decline his brother's invitation to an awkward dinner with a woman he once liked, who was now his sister-in-law.

"Dumbledore has mentioned you in his letters three times. He's eager to meet you."

"Then let's head out now. It's been a while since I've visited Hogwarts," Leo suggested, getting up.

Newt happily agreed. He wrote a note for Bunty to send to his brother and then Apparated with Leo to the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.

Wizards typically had four ways to travel to Hogwarts. One was the Hogwarts Express, but this was usually limited to students and teachers on the route.

The second was by Thestral-drawn carriages, a method often used by wealthy wizards and Ministry officials.

The third was Apparition, but Hogwarts had the world's most powerful Anti-Apparition Jinx, so one could only Apparate to a point outside the grounds and walk in, and it couldn't be too far.

The fourth, and most commonly used method, was Floo Powder. Typically, Hogwarts' Floo Network was disconnected, so one had to first travel to Hogsmeade and then walk to Hogwarts.

These four methods were the most commonly used, although there were more unconventional ways, usually unique instances, like flying on broomsticks, enchanted cars, or magic motorcycles.

Leo and Newt chose the fourth method. They Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and then used the fireplace to travel to Hogsmeade via Floo Powder.

Newt's house didn't have a Floo-connected fireplace—most wizard homes didn't. If they did, anyone could enter their house simply by calling its name, which would be highly unsafe.

Unless the family was quite poor with nothing worth stealing, it was best to avoid it. 

Typically, wizarding gathering spots would have public fireplaces, like those in the Leaky Cauldron.