HP: Fantastic Beasts And The Right Way To Use Them

"Whew! These little guys are really feisty."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Hagrid carefully crouched down, trying to guide the Fire Crab that was waving a pair of flaming pincers to where it should be positioned.

"Be careful, Hagrid. These little ones' flames should be able to burn through your skin." Newt warned while drawing precise boundaries on the ground nearby.

"I know, don't worry."

Saying this, Hagrid handled the Fire Crabs scurrying around on the ground with even more careful attention.

Before long, Newt finished drawing the designated area for the Chameleon Ghouls and stood up again, brushing dirt from his hands.

"I'm done here. Let me help you."

It had to be said that physical size had a very obvious intimidating effect on magical creatures. These Fire Crabs seemed to be so wary of him precisely because Hagrid's build was far too massive for their comfort.

With Newt's experienced help, the Fire Crabs became noticeably more docile and more willing to listen to what they were saying.

But getting them to nest in this particular patch of grass would still take considerable effort.

"Squeak!"

After a sharp, panicked cry, Hagrid heard several exclamations and frantic shouts echoing across the grounds.

He turned his head and saw several Ministry employees in the distance frantically trying to stuff some highly agitated female Nifflers back into their cage, but their movements were clearly unskilled. Not only did they fail to calm the animals, but they also made them even more agitated.

"The standard of Ministry employees is getting lower and lower. They can't even handle a few Nifflers properly." Hagrid's tone was distinctly unfriendly. "This is a required O.W.L. subject! How did they become examiners?"

"We have to allow people to forget some things over time." Newt's expression remained quite gentle and understanding. "Just like when I took my Potions O.W.L. exam and received Outstanding, but now, if you asked me to brew a simple Pepperup Potion, I'd probably need to relearn the entire procedure."

"But this is too embarrassingly poor!" Grumbling in dissatisfaction, Hagrid lowered his head and continued working with Newt to slowly guide the Fire Crabs running around everywhere.

Meanwhile, several Ministry employees were experiencing what felt like the greatest challenge of their professional careers.

"Careful! Cora! It almost bit your finger!"

"Don't Nifflers calm down if you just press the middle of their nose?"

"I remember that technique too! Press the middle of the nose and stroke their belly..."

"Damn it! It's about to run again! Catch it!"

Through the unremitting but clumsy efforts of several employees, the Nifflers finally escaped their inexperienced embrace and began scurrying around everywhere with renewed panic.

They scattered more and more chaotically, with some even sprinting toward the dangerous Forbidden Forest. The situation was gradually spiraling out of control.

Just then, brilliant silver-white light suddenly burst nearby, and a young figure appeared out of nowhere. Several semi-transparent down feathers materialized behind him, and a peaceful, calming feeling swept in all directions, gradually soothing the scurrying Nifflers.

"To make Nifflers quiet, you first need to cover their eyes completely, then you can proceed with the following steps."

Watching those employees frantically catch the Nifflers and soothe them according to his clear instructions, Evans shook his head with mild exasperation and walked toward Hagrid and Newt, who were still battling wits with the stubborn Fire Crabs.

"How's it going over here?"

"Not very well at all." Hagrid supported himself on his knees, looking dissatisfied at the Ministry employees, who were still somewhat flustered even after helping to calm the Nifflers.

"Thanks to this incompetent bunch, we haven't even finished the most basic preparations. Normally by this time, all the magical creatures should be settled in their designated venues, but now only Mr. Scamander's Chameleon Ghoul exam area is properly set up. The rest haven't even started!"

"The Niffler area should be fine now. The others are being tested tomorrow, so we can set them up tonight." Newt added helpfully from the side.

"So we're still missing the Fire Crab exam area?" Evans crouched down, observing the Fire Crabs moving restlessly around on the ground.

Some sounds that only he could hear echoed in his ears. After listening carefully for a while, Evans nodded with understanding.

"I understand. Nesting is hard work, but I can offer you some benefits."

He pulled out several reddish-brown small balls from his pocket, crushed them between his fingers, and scattered the fragments on the ground, saying softly. "Nest here for now, and after the exam ends, I can give you several more generous portions."

Several Fire Crabs approached the scattered particles Evans had sprinkled with obvious suspicion. One of them picked up a piece with its pincers and placed it in its mouth. After a moment, its two slender eyes immediately perked up with delight, and it scuttled sideways to begin enthusiastically excavating its nest.

Seeing the first brave tester's positive reaction, the other Fire Crabs also picked up those enticing fragments. Then their eyes stood up straight with excitement, and they began nesting very industriously.

"If I'd known you could handle this so easily, I wouldn't have put in so much wasted effort!" Looking at the Fire Crabs that had started nesting after receiving small benefits, Hagrid stood up indignantly.

"I was even thinking of feeding them some of my rock cakes earlier! But not one of them wanted to eat them!"

"Uh..."

Is your rock cake something living creatures can actually eat?

Evans had this pointed complaint right on the tip of his tongue, but after thinking about it, he diplomatically swallowed it back.

Never mind, that would hurt Hagrid's self-esteem far too much.

Seeing there was no more urgent work to do, Newt stood up and looked at Hagrid with curiosity.

"I heard from Evans that you're raising a dragon?"

Hagrid's expression immediately became panicked. He looked around frantically to make sure the group of Ministry employees in the distance hadn't overheard, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Norberta is too big now. Hagrid's hut simply can't house her anymore." Evans explained quietly. "I made a case with an Extension Charm attached, so she's temporarily living in there."

Having said this, he also looked directly at Hagrid.

"But you need to make a decision soon. When she can fly freely, the case will be too cramped for her."

"I suggest raising her in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, planning out a proper hunting ground for her, or just write to Charlie and have him take her to Romania. That way you won't have to worry every day."

Hagrid was silent for a while before asking somewhat dejectedly. "What do you think I should do?"

"Of course I'd prefer raising her in the Forbidden Forest. I can find you an ideal location and personally train her to ensure she won't cause any serious trouble." Evans said.

He actually quite liked that little dragon too. If possible, keeping her in the depths of the Forbidden Forest would be much better.

This would also make it convenient for him to develop a relationship with the little dragon. Because Hagrid was being so protective, he still hadn't established the kind of friendship with that little dragon that would trigger his talent.

After hearing Evans's words, Hagrid was silent again for a long time before murmuring softly.

"Let's wait until after the holidays. I still want to see more of her, teach her more things."

"Fine, just call me when you need help." Evans shrugged indifferently and glanced at the sky. "Isn't it about time?"

"Mm, in a little while, the O.W.L. students should be arriving." Newt also looked at the sky thoughtfully. "Today's weather is quite nice. It shouldn't rain this afternoon."

"Don't worry, I checked. There won't be any rain all day today, and even the wind is pitifully weak." A white light flashed in Evans's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

"It's perfect weather for an exam."