Newt's suitcase was nothing short of magical.
Enhanced with an Undetectable Extension Charm, it housed a vast array of creatures.
Although most of the animals had been released back into the wild, the suitcase still contained a number of less dangerous magical creatures, such as Nifflers, Fwoopers, and Bowtruckles.
For Jane, this was a full immersion into the life of a magical caretaker.
She teamed up with Newt to prepare cooked food for the creatures. Newt handled the chopping of insects and large chunks of raw meat, while Jane took charge of the cooking. By the end, she felt as if the aroma of meat had seeped into her very soul.
Newt attempted to feed the cooked insects and meat to creatures like Fwoopers, Augureys, and Occamies, but unfortunately, they didn't seem to appreciate the culinary effort. The Fwooper let out two indignant squawks before Disapparating on the spot; the Augurey emitted mournful cries that grew even more sorrowful at the sight of cooked beetles; and the Occamy retreated into its teapot, refusing to come out.
However, when they offered cooked cockroaches and fairy eggs to the Bowtruckles, the little creatures found it quite agreeable. One Bowtruckle even used its slender, twig-like fingers to break off a piece of its protective tree's branch and handed it to Jane.
This discovery thrilled Newt, who eagerly filled an entire page of his research notes:
"You've got a gift! They're welcoming you!"
Jane, however, couldn't quite see how he interpreted the fleeing Fwooper, the wailing Augurey, and the teapot-hiding Occamy as signs of welcome.
"For a stranger feeding them food they don't like, and yet they didn't attack you—"
"That Fwooper and Occamy were just shy; the Augurey, which thrives on death, was trying to make you feel as though you were already dead; and Tom—the Bowtruckle—even gave you a branch. He's not usually this friendly."
Brimming with enthusiasm, Newt decided to take her deeper into the suitcase to meet a young dragon.
"It's a female Ukrainian Ironbelly that we rescued from Romania last month."
"Its mother was killed by poachers, and it was gravely injured, barely able to breathe fire. Fortunately, it should recover by the end of July and be ready for release back into the wild."
When it came to magical creatures, Newt's reserved demeanor vanished, replaced by an animated flow of words:
"Getting a license for a XXXXX-class creature isn't easy. It took quite a bit of effort to bring her back."
"Even as a juvenile, their bellies are already quite round. When fully grown, they can weigh up to six tons."
The two stopped at a riverbank, still some distance from the dragon. Newt motioned for Jane to hide behind a large tree.
"Be careful. Stay here and don't get too close. Its wings are injured, so it shouldn't be able to fly far."
"I'll cast a Shield Charm on you just in case—it has quite the temper."
Jane finally got a full view of the dragon. Its scales shimmered in a silvery-white hue, its eyes were a deep crimson, and its claws and wings were impressively large. Perhaps due to its past trauma from poachers, it warily scanned the riverbank, its gaze devoid of warmth.
Newt cautiously approached it, carrying a bucket of raw meat.
But the dragon didn't pay him any attention, nor did it touch the food. Instead, its crimson eyes darted around and locked onto Jane, who was hiding behind the tree!
This little monkey cub—it smells so delicious!
Suddenly, it spread its wings, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked Newt over—
And it grabbed Jane!
Jane felt her collar tighten as the dragon carried her across the river!
The next thing she knew, her backside hit the ground painfully as she was dropped into a stone nest.
Thanks to Newt's Shield Charm, she wasn't smashed into a pulp.
The dragon curiously sniffed at her, its deep red eyes now showing a hint of human-like emotion.
Perhaps because it was still young and playful, it didn't harm her. Instead, it flew out of the nest, retrieved the bucket of raw meat, and placed it in front of her, looking at her expectantly.
Jane understood immediately. This dragon wanted cooked food too.
It made sense, after all. Dragons often used fire to roast their prey, so their meals were usually cooked.
But now, due to its injuries, it could only produce sparks instead of flames and had to endure being fed raw meat by Newt. No wonder it was so frustrated.
Clearly, it had come to her for better meals!
Jane looked around and found plenty of scattered branches and dry grass. She began fashioning a makeshift grill to prepare some roasted meat for the dragon.
"Mind lending me some fire—"
The dragon folded its wings and tilted its head, watching the little monkey cub press a branch to its mouth. It exhaled gently, and the end of the branch ignited with sparks.
"Good dragon!"
Jane praised it and started grilling the meat on the spot.
The dragon's nostrils flared as the aroma grew stronger, and drool began to drip from its mouth. Excited, it accidentally released a few more sparks, making the dry grass burn even brighter.
"Dinner's ready!"
With a wave of her hand, Jane tossed a piece of roasted meat into the dragon's mouth. It caught it eagerly, tearing and swallowing it as though it were the most delicious thing it had ever tasted.
"(More! More!)—"
After devouring the first piece, it let out an impatient roar, but the little monkey cub in front of it didn't understand its language and continued grilling at her own pace.
Frustrated, it reached out with its long claws, tugging at her robes. Though her clothing was embroidered with protective runes, the dragon's persistent "gentle touches" eventually tore a small hole.
The dragon was startled, jumping back and letting out an anxious cry, its claws scraping the ground as sparks flew from its mouth.
—It had injured the little monkey cub!
—Where would it find another monkey cub as fragrant and skilled at grilling meat if this one died?
It began licking her with its tongue, trying to cover her wound with its saliva, which was infused with the scent of roasted meat, in an attempt to heal her.
But this method clearly wasn't working. Despite soaking Jane in saliva, the tear in her robe remained unchanged.
The dragon grew anxious, flapping its wings and pacing back and forth.
This was bad!
It had hurt the kind-hearted little monkey cub who made it delicious food!
Reluctantly, it decided to forgo the pile of roasted meat and seek help from the old monkey across the river.
A full meal today was better than no meals tomorrow—it understood that much.
Jane felt her collar tighten once again as the dragon scooped her up onto its back. Her perspective rose higher and higher as they flew over the river, landing on a stone platform.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, Newt's heart nearly stopped!
He had tried everything to distract the dragon, but nothing worked.
Tina had quickly arrived on the scene, and the two prepared for the worst, ready to use force to rescue Jane.
They carefully hid their wands behind their backs to avoid provoking the dragon and made various gestures to communicate with it.
The dragon tilted its head, unable to comprehend the strange dance of the two old monkeys.
It crouched low to let Jane slide off its back and run toward them.
"(Remember to come back and grill for me!)—"
It let out two reluctant roars, watching them disappear into the woods.
---
That juvenile dragon had actually returned Jane unharmed, even crouching to let her dismount safely!
Newt could never have predicted this!
"A natural-born dragon tamer…"
He stood frozen, still in an awkward crouching position, until Tina smacked him on the head.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness, no injuries!"
The couple quickly examined Jane, relieved to find only a tear in her outer robe.
"Taking a child to see a dragon? What were you thinking? What if something had happened? How would you explain this to Albus?"
Tina began scolding her husband for his reckless behavior. Newt, clutching his precious research notes, stammered in defense:
"She has a special affinity… They all like her…"
"That juvenile dragon was so gravely injured it couldn't even fly yesterday, yet today it's recovered so much."
"And we've confirmed one more thing—Ukrainian Ironbellies prefer cooked meat… Perhaps they enjoy roasting their prey in the wild…"
Tina, exasperated, began listing all of Newt's past reckless actions, from smuggling magical creatures into a strictly regulated America, which landed him in court, to taking their non-verbal grandson to see a Lethifold, nearly getting his brain sucked out… Newt hung his head under her relentless tirade.
"All right, all right, I admit my judgment wasn't great when I was younger…"
"But she's special… The dragon adored her… Sometimes animals are drawn to certain wizards. She must have some unique traits…"
Jane suspected Newt might be treating her as a magical creature to study.
Sure enough, his next words were:
"I'd like to examine her blood, magical energy, or even her clothing to see if they have the same effect on the creatures."
"Perhaps we could determine whether this attraction comes from her soul or her physical body."
Tina's face darkened as she smacked him on the head, forbidding him from mentioning it again.