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Harry Potter: I Get Stronger by Taking Loans - 64
🕑 Added 2025-10-10 13:04:34 +0000 UTCChapter 64: Love Makes Scabbers Long-Lived, A Pregnant Unicorn
Leo glanced at Scabbers in Ron's hands and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Ron, do you carry this pet rat with you every day?"
"Yeah, Scabbers is getting really old now. I have to take care of him all the time."
As he spoke, Ron gently stroked Scabbers's head, though the latter remained listless with a drowsy, half-dead appearance.
Ron's tender expression and careful movements made Leo struggle to maintain his composure.
"Really old? How old is Scabbers exactly?"
Ron looked up thoughtfully, mentally calculating. "Well, he's been with our family for twelve years at least."
Leo fell silent for several seconds before carefully saying, "A common rat living this long should be extraordinarily rare..."
"Yeah, but Mum says it's the magic of love that makes Scabbers so long-lived."
These earnest words almost made Leo lose his composure entirely. Fortunately, he had sufficient self-control and managed not to laugh outright.
Magic—very magical indeed! Was it because of magic's existence that wizards had such remarkably high acceptance of bizarre phenomena?
Watching Ron pull out a biscuit to feed Scabbers with devoted care, Leo shook his head slightly.
Hopefully when Scabbers transforms into a balding, short man, you'll still love him this much.
There was no need to expose Scabbers's true identity as Peter Pettigrew for now. When Leo reached the Animagus transformation stage, this would make a perfect living research subject.
An Animagus who'd maintained continuous transformation for over a decade wasn't remotely common—such prolonged transformation should have psychological and physiological effects worth studying.
Moreover, Peter Pettigrew was an unregistered Animagus involved in that year's betrayal—he fundamentally didn't dare seek help from anyone in the wizarding world.
Once Leo taught Ron alchemical mechanics and they became more familiar friends, borrowing Scabbers to "observe" for a few days should pose no problem whatsoever.
Deep in the Forbidden Forest, Leo walked alongside Aurelius through shifting patterns of moonlight and tree shadows.
"Aurelius, can you sense that unicorn from last time or others of its kind?"
Leo wanted to find unicorns to record partial population data and send it with his next letter to Newt. If Newt believed he possessed genuine understanding of magical creatures, Leo should be able to trade for Erumpent explosive fluid to create explosive potions.
Of course, if he encountered other magical creatures first, he could record them and repay the growth loan immediately.
"Master, I found them."
"Excellent! Where—"
However, just as Leo finished speaking, two silver-white swift shapes passed through the trees and stopped several metres ahead.
Leo observed two unicorns standing before him. Under the luminous moonlight, their silver-white coats appeared even more ethereally beautiful, almost glowing with inner radiance.
One was definitely the unicorn from their previous encounter. The other was smaller, with a more slender and shorter horn adorning its forehead, and less pronounced spiral patterns etched along its length.
This appeared to be a female unicorn. They were clearly mates.
The male unicorn Leo had seen previously approached first with measured steps, his mate following behind with quiet grace.
Upon approaching, both magnificent creatures simultaneously bowed their heads gently toward Aurelius in unmistakable respect.
Leo had already extracted paper and quill to record detailed information about the unicorns' behaviour and characteristics.
Not long into his documentation, Leo noticed the moonlight illuminating his parchment was suddenly blocked by a large shadow.
Looking up, the female unicorn's elegant head had leaned over curiously, watching the paper in his hands with evident fascination.
"Aurelius, can unicorns actually read human writing?"
"Master, Astrion says they cannot read written language. Because Selenia is pregnant, she's become very curious about many things."
"Astrion? Selenia? You gave these two unicorns names?"
"Yes, Master. Isn't it more convenient to address them this way? Besides, they seem to genuinely like these names!"
Leo looked at Aurelius with genuine surprise, not expecting the little Qilin to have already learnt naming conventions in such a remarkably short time.
As expected of a divine beast, Aurelius showed remarkable intelligence from the start.
It seemed Aurelius had already mastered what Leo had taught and was ready for more advanced instruction.
Leo then regarded the female unicorn, Selenia, with renewed interest. Already pregnant with offspring? During gestation, unicorns experienced heightened curiosity? Leo carefully noted these behavioural observations on his parchment.
"Aurelius, could you help me ask what they usually prefer to eat and what habitual behaviours they exhibit?"
"Also ask what specific changes Selenia has experienced since becoming pregnant."
Aurelius immediately served as translator between human and magical creatures, facilitating detailed communication.
Leo rapidly transcribed this rare and invaluable information. Ordinary researchers probably couldn't access these intimate details about unicorn habits and behavioural patterns.
Especially the distinctive physiological and behavioural changes in pregnant unicorns—this was unprecedented data.
After finishing his comprehensive documentation, Leo smoothly addressed the system mentally.
"System, can this unicorn data count as observation records for one magical creature species?"
[Relatively complete behavioural data, but insufficient population sampling. Please record more individual subjects.]
The system's response didn't discourage Leo—this had been an opportunistic attempt anyway.
Unicorns were naturally solitary magical creatures, only gathering when mated pairs bred offspring. Even if Astrion and Selenia were willing to introduce him to other herd members, locating them would probably require extensive time.
Leo put away his documentation materials, then regarded Selenia thoughtfully.
He extracted a small vial from his robes, carefully removed a single drop of Qilin saliva, and used his wand to levitate it before the pregnant unicorn.
Aurelius's saliva possessed extraordinarily potent healing properties. When administered to Aragog, it had made the ancient spider feel noticeably more vital and energised.
Perhaps this substance also possessed nourishing or strengthening effects—he'd observe how Selenia responded.
Leo watched as Selenia consumed that luminous drop of Qilin saliva with almost no hesitation, as though instinct told her it was beneficial.
The silver-white patterns adorning her abdomen visibly brightened with inner light, then became more intricate and complex before his eyes.
"Thank you very much."
"Master, this is what Astrion and Selenia asked me to convey to you. Selenia says she feels the foal in her belly has become considerably stronger."
Leo nodded with satisfaction—his hypothesis about the saliva's strengthening properties seemed correct.
"Master, do I need to provide more for them?"
"No, definitely not!"
Aurelius's innocent suggestion made Leo grimace at the mental image.
The Qilin and unicorns that appeared so magnificently holy and ethereal would be spitting at each other repeatedly under the moonlight in the forest.
He refused to picture it!
After the unicorn couple took their gracious leave and departed silently into the forest depths, Leo continued traversing the Forbidden Forest, methodically searching for the final required magical creature species.
"Master, there are creatures approaching from that direction."
Leo looked toward where Aurelius indicated while cautiously raising his wand in preparation.
"Leonardo Grafton, Knower of the Future, Master of Qilin..." a measured voice called from the shadows.
"Centaur Firenze greets you."
