Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Chapter 161 Can I ride it?

With Henry's help, Harry reached out and carefully patted Norbert's head.

Norbert looked down at the little one, his eyes filled with curiosity.

It moved closer, its nose almost touching Harry's face, and spewed out a small burst of sparks.

The sparks, smelling of sulfur, landed on the ground in front of Harry and went out instantly.

Harry was so startled that he pulled his hand back, his eyes wide with shock.

But the next second, he shouted excitedly.

"It's breathing fire! It's breathing fire at me!"

William also came over and tried to reach Norbert's head by standing on tiptoe.

Norbert glanced at him and also spat out a small spark.

William was also excited. He stopped pretending to be a little adult and jumped around cheering.

"It breathed fire at me too!"

George and Fred exchanged a glance and simultaneously reached out their hands.

Norbert looked at them and hesitated for a moment.

Its gaze swept back and forth across the two faces, as if judging whether these two red-haired fellows were trustworthy.

Then it spewed out a flame slightly larger than before, which spread out in a cone shape, almost engulfing both of them.

George reacted quickly, pulling Fred aside.

The flames grazed the hem of their clothes, leaving a small charred patch on the ground.

"It almost caught fire!" George patted his robe to make sure it wasn't on fire. "It's got quite a temper."

Charlie explained from the side, "That's how Norwegian Ridgebacks are. They recognize people; they'll be affectionate with those they like, but wary of strangers. If it breathes fire at you, it means it thinks you're worthy of its attention, but it's not the kind of relationship where you can just touch it."

George nodded and smiled knowingly.

"I understand. Just like dating a girlfriend, you have to start as friends first. You can't start touching her right away."

"More or less." Charlie gave a look that was hard to describe.

Two single guys are talking about girlfriends.

Fred, standing nearby, asked thoughtfully, "If we come a few more times and bring it some treats, will we be able to get used to it?"

Charles thought for a moment and said, "It's possible, but don't get your hopes up too high. Norwegian dinosaurs are very selective about who they are; it takes a long time for them to completely trust someone."

George and Fred exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time.

A group of people stood around Norbert for a long time, but Harry refused to leave, repeatedly shouting, "Touch it again!"

Every time he was picked up and petted, he would ask to be petted again, and this cycle would continue endlessly, with him never tiring of it.

Although William didn't shout, his eyes were glued to Norbert, and he didn't move an inch.

Finally, Charlie told them that there were other animals in the research center and that Norbert needed to rest, so they reluctantly left.

As they were leaving, Nobeta breathed a burst of flame at their retreating figures.

Philip turned around and waved at it.

I'll bring you something delicious next time.

Norbert called out, but it's unclear whether he understood.

Newt was waiting for them at the research center.

His hair was still so messy, as if it had just been blown by the wind.

His tie was crooked, and a piece of his shirt was tucked into his pants, but he was completely unaware of it.

Seeing a group of people come in, he stood up and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"Your Highness." He nodded to Henry first.

Then he looked at Charles and Diana.

"Your Highness Prince of Wales, Your Highness Princess, welcome."

Charles walked over and shook hands with him.

"Mr. Scamander, it's been a long time."

Newt blushed slightly, and his hand seemed a little stiff in Charles's, as if he didn't know whether to grip it tightly or touch it gently.

"Yes—it's been quite a long time."

Diana greeted him as well. Her gentle smile put Newt at ease.

Philip walked over and looked him up and down.

"Are you Mr. Scamander, the author of that book?"

Newt nodded: "Yes, that's me. I wrote the book 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'."

Philip extended his hand: "I've read your book; it's well-written."

Newt paused for a moment, then took his hand.

His hands were a little cold, probably from standing outside for a long time.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Philip waved his hand.

"You're welcome. I just wanted to know if all the animals you described in your book are here?"

"Some of them are," Newt said with a smile. "Dragons, unicorns, hippogriffs, and the rest are still in the planning stages. We want to take it slow, to ensure that each animal has a suitable environment for it; we can't rush it."

Philip nodded.

"Then take us to see it."

Newt then led them on a tour of the research center.

He showed them various instruments and materials, including notebooks recording the habits of magical creatures, parchment covered with sketches, and glass bottles containing various samples.

After that, Newt told them about the research topics he was working on, such as the correct method for extracting unicorn horn powder and the reproductive habits of hippogriffs.

When he talked about these things, he seemed like a completely different person.

The uneasy Newt from before was gone, replaced by a fluent and eloquent expert.

Philip listened attentively, occasionally asking a question or two.

Although the questions were simple, they were all to the point, which made Newt look at him with new respect.

Inside the medical station, a harpy with an injured wing is receiving treatment.

It looks different from the previous one; it must be new.

Its wings were wrapped in bandages, the white bandages standing out conspicuously in the sunlight.

But it was in good spirits; when it saw someone come in, it even looked up and called out.

The cry was loud and clear, echoing throughout the medical station.

Newt explained that it had been injured by poachers and was barely alive when it was found.

After two weeks of treatment, I'm almost fully recovered and the bandages can be removed next week.

Philip walked over and stood in front of it.

The winged, hippogriff-like creature watched him warily.

"Can you ride it?" Philip asked.

"Theoretically, yes, if you can gain its trust," Newt said. "The Hippogriff is proud and only allows those it approves of to ride. If you want to ride it, you need to bow to it first and wait for its response."

Philip thought for a moment, then bowed to it.

The winged hippogriff looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered its head in return.

No one expected the hippogriff to react in this way.

"It—it agreed?" Ron asked incredulously.

Newt nodded, his expression one of surprise.

"It agrees, Your Highness. You may give it a try."

Philip walked over to it, reached out, and gently stroked its neck.

The winged hippogriff did not resist; instead, it comfortably squinted its eyes.

Philip smiled and said, "That's good. I'll come visit it again once it's healed."