Chapter 361: Wizard

At a young wizard’s speed, Wizard Sean couldn’t keep up with the cat leopard.

But clearly, he wasn’t always just a young wizard.

Thus, high above the forest, a strange sight appeared.

A black cat stood atop an owl’s back, gazing sharply into the distance.

Beneath them, an animal resembling a mountain lion sprinted swiftly.

Yet the forest was too dense; after a few breaths, even Bai Yi lost the cat leopard’s trail and could only watch it vanish into the thick woods.

The black cat’s whiskers trembled as it tapped its paw against the silver owl’s tail feathers.

Soon, behind an ancient, gnarled, and remarkably sturdy tree, a wizard in a snow-dusted robe emerged, his shoulder still bearing the owl.

Bai Yi glared angrily at the dense forest, chirping frantically as if trying to burn it down.

“No.”

Wizard Sean said calmly.

As an owl, Bai Yi was highly intelligent, but ultimately lacked a wizard’s wisdom.

This always amused Wizard Sean.

They walked through the snow, hearing soft footsteps and rustling, the clatter of stones and falling branches.

At this moment, he and Bai Yi were descending a steep, tree-covered slope, gradually nearing the narrow riverbank below, where glowing mushrooms lit the ground.

Wizard Sean was also thinking:

The good news was that Ilvermorny indeed had cat leopards, and seemingly many of them;

The bad news was that cat leopards ran extremely fast—even if Wizard Sean found one, he couldn’t necessarily get close to it; not every cat leopard was as friendly as the one in Scamander’s suitcase.

But Wizard Sean had better news—he was being taught spatial magic by a world-class Magizoologist.

So he carried his questions to Scamander, who stood beside the frozen stream.

At his feet, three cat kittens were leaving paw prints like plum blossoms in the snow.

This reminded Wizard Sean that Scamander seemed to greatly favor cat kittens as magical creatures.

After all, in his retirement in Dorset, he and his wife had kept three pet cat kittens: Hobie, Millie, and Mole.

“Good morning, Mr. Scamander.”

Wizard Sean crossed the wooden bridge and stepped over the stream.

“Good morning.”

Newt replied shyly as always. He gazed into the distance, and following his eyes, Wizard Sean’s heart skipped a beat.

In the woods, a cat leopard was watching them curiously from afar.

“Cat leopards are proud and curious. That means a wizard must meet the gaze of their hidden, magical eyes.

They are intelligent magical creatures, capable of reading much from a wizard’s eyes. Thus, they rarely take to a wizard—most often, they simply vanish.

But for rare wizards, cat leopards will not refuse their approach; this is how Cherokee warriors successfully obtained cat leopard fur.”

Mr. Scamander spoke slowly, as if telling a tale.

As he turned his head slightly, he saw the young wizard straining to widen his eyes, trying to lock gazes with the cat leopard.

It made him want to smile.

“Distance is also an issue.”

He gently reminded.

Wizard Sean quietly approached the cat leopard; the feline-like creature tilted its head and stared fixedly at Wizard Sean with yellow eyes.

【You gained the affection of the magical creature cat leopard (unnamed) at expert level. Affection +50】

The interface chimed just in time; Wizard Sean’s breath was as light as falling snow.

“Cat leopards possess hypnotic and mind-reading abilities. Letting down your guard before such a creature is difficult.

It means the wizard lays bare their entire inner world…”

Newt added softly.

Wizard Sean stood not far from the cat leopard; the feline-like creature hesitated long, then finally vanished in a flash.

The young wizard felt a pang of loss.

“Once, while talking to goblins in my herb garden, I parted some basil and found a giant weasel.

Unlike typical weasels, it didn’t flee or hide—it lunged at me and knocked me flat on my back.

Clearly, it was a ground badger, a stubborn ground badger; I spent two months just getting it to stop ruining my herb garden.”

Newt said, blushing slightly.

Wizard Sean looked toward the snow-dusted treetops, knowing that earning a magical creature’s trust was a long and patient effort.

…

In the many days that followed, Wizard Sean always found the cat leopard’s presence in his magical studies.

When Wizard Sean finished cutting and shrinking a patch of ground, the cat leopard chased crows nearby in the woods;

When Wizard Sean shrank and then enlarged a yew tree, the cat leopard tested the ice’s thickness on the frozen stream with its paws;

When Wizard Sean finally succeeded in placing a patch of grass into his Wizard’s Book, the cat leopard tried to catch Bai Yi—only to be scared off by Bai Yi transformed into a great fire dragon, and didn’t appear to observe Wizard Sean all afternoon.

The internal space of the Wizard’s Book grew larger, and Wizard Sean’s skill grew increasingly refined.

After a few days, Wizard Sean could practice alone without mishaps.

His progress accelerated once more.

The warm sun rose and vanished; winter snow paused and fell again; Wizard Sean spent every day with spatial and weather charms.

On a day of rain and snow, the three-day magical creature class—extended to five days—was nearing its end.

Mr. Scamander would soon leave Ilvermorny.

This made Wizard Sean’s time even more urgent.

Finally, just as the fifth day drew to a close, Wizard Sean achieved something:

【You practiced the Splitting Charm at proficient level. Proficiency +10】

【Spatial Charms: Beginner (70/900) (Closed)】

All spatial charms were now unified under one category, though Wizard Sean could still open them individually.

【Weather Charms: Apprentice (20/300) (Closed)】

Though progress on weather charms remained limited, Wizard Sean now had basic means to regulate climate.

The refinement of both charm types meant Wizard Sean now had the foundation to construct the internal space of his Wizard’s Book.

So one evening, Wizard Sean walked to the riverside where he and Scamander often sat.

After an evening of transformation, the interior of Wizard Sean’s Wizard’s Book had taken clear shape:

At the entrance lay a meadow, its velvety green grass dotted with yellow and pink flowers, carrying the scent of spring sunshine;

To the left of the meadow ran a stream, winding past a small wooden cabin with bright windows and a chimney puffing warm smoke; above the door hung a sign: Wizard’s Cottage.

Beyond the cabin stretched dense forest, where beech and yew trees were most common.

It resembled a painting. Wizard Sean stood contentedly at the cabin’s door, thinking this three-hundred-square-meter space would surely suffice for a few small magical creatures.