Blake shook his head at Xiong Da's pleading look.
"Xiong Er has to find it himself," he said firmly.
"You must know—forced marriages aren't sweet, and arranged ones are usually miserable!"
Xiong Da scratched his head, muttering, "I feel like you're lying to me... but I have no proof."
He paused and added reluctantly, "But... even if the melon isn't sweet, it still quenches your thirst."
Blake rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"No wonder Muggles say you should neuter your pets at a certain age. Makes sense."
Xiong Da trembled. "Boss... you're joking, right?"
Blake patted the bear's broad shoulder. "Relax. I don't even know how to do that."
"Oh... then I'm relieved," Xiong Da sighed and patted his chest.
"But," Blake continued, "it's not like I can't learn. I heard what you guys did... very enlightening."
"Uh..." Xiong Da's face scrunched into a grimace.
"Boss, I was wrong! I swear I'll find my own Xiong Er and then follow you forever!"
He'd once had a potential match—a yellow-furred girl named Xiong. But he hadn't acted fast enough. If he still hadn't found her... he'd be ridiculed. It was too pitiful.
"Very good!" Blake said, patting his shoulder again. "I'm pleased to see you're so motivated."
He looked Xiong Da over, noting that aside from his bear head, his body was mostly human.
"With how you look now, you don't need to stay in the Master Ball. You can live outside. After all, you won't find a Xiong Er in there."
Xiong Da's bear face lit up with joy. Somehow, it managed to show a range of expressions.
"I knew you loved me, Boss."
The Master Ball was cozy, sure, but he preferred being outside.
"But your face..." Blake mused. "You should stay on the island for now. I'll come up with something."
Unlike other magical creatures, Xiong Da was different—he'd been with Blake since the beginning. He wasn't born magical. He had evolved from an ordinary animal, learning Druidic transformation magic by himself. His case was invaluable for Blake's research.
Newt had already been studying him for over an hour but still hadn't figured out his species.
Finally, Newt looked up at Blake, puzzled.
"You're saying... you taught a bear to transform?"
Blake sat in a chair, munching on Tina's special cake.
"Well, yes. He transformed himself, technically. But as you can see, he's not very good at it. He's still got the brain of a bear."
"But he talks like a human," Newt pointed out.
Blake nodded. "Well, Animagi can communicate with animals of the same type, right?"
"True..."
"So maybe Xiong Da is like... an Animagus, but in reverse. A bear who can turn into a human."
"That's... a new one," Newt muttered, reluctantly accepting it. It was the only explanation that made sense, especially since Blake couldn't fully explain the System Master Ball either.
Blake leaned back. "Looks like you're done with your research. Got any honey beer? I'm thirsty."
Meanwhile, Xiong Da had been sitting obediently on a wooden stump, waiting.
Newt replied, "No honey beer, but we do have honey. Would honey water work?"
Xiong Da's eyes lit up. "Honey! That's great! Not as exciting, but I still love it."
He'd once tasted honey beer in a Master Ball dream and had fallen in love with it. When Blake told him it actually existed in real life, he'd been overjoyed.
Newt brought over two buckets of honey and a large pail of water. He also added a bucket of fresh cod, guessing that Xiong Da might be hungry too.
Xiong Da perked up at the sight of food and rushed over. He expertly mixed honey and water.
"The best ratio is two parts honey to one part water."
Blake frowned. "Isn't it supposed to be one part honey to two parts water?"
"What? That's a crime!" Xiong Da cried, taking a big sip before munching on a cod fillet.
But after just two bites, he paused, then spat everything out.
"Blegh!"
Newt looked at him in alarm and examined the fish.
"This was fresh cod! What happened?"
Xiong Da wiped his tongue, grimacing.
"I never knew raw fish was so... fishy!"
Blake stroked his chin. "So now that you're more human... even your sense of taste has changed?"
"Apparently," Xiong Da said, sipping more honey water. "Boss, I'm still hungry..."
He eyed the honey buckets. "How about I drink from one and make honey water in the other? I'm a genius!"
Blake rolled his eyes. "More like your habits are just getting closer to human ones. Drinking honey straight—are you crazy?"
"Well, what should I do, then?"
"Grill the fish," Blake decided. "Let's see if your tastes really have changed."
In another part of the house, Hermione was helping Luna with her Potions homework when the scent of grilled fish drifted in. Luna set down her quill.
"Mmm... Blake must be grilling!" she said cheerfully.
"I suppose we could eat first," Hermione conceded.
As they walked outside toward Newt's backyard, they heard a loud, unfamiliar voice.
"Oh wow! I didn't know grilled fish was this good! I'm starting to appreciate being human!"
Hermione and Luna exchanged looks. The voice was unfamiliar—maybe one of the magizoologists visiting the island?
When they reached the backyard, they found Blake furiously waving a wand over a firepit, cooking skewered fish. Normally, he avoided using magic while cooking, but now he looked like a man possessed.
Across from him sat a massive, cloaked figure. Hermione blinked. She had never seen Blake cook so enthusiastically for someone who wasn't a girl.
Newt was nearby, just watching. Around him were empty honey buckets and a pile of skewers. He flicked his wand, levitating more fish onto sticks, ready for the grill.
Blake noticed Hermione and Luna and waved his wand at the grill, causing the fish to flip themselves.
"You're here!" he said.
Hermione frowned. "What are you doing? And who is—"
"Oh! You two must be the boss's Xiong Ers!" the cloaked man boomed. "Hello! I'm Xiong Da!"
He turned around and extended a paw-like hand, then quickly wiped it on his cloak before offering it again.
Hermione and Luna screamed.
They had just seen a massive, furry bear face beneath the hood.
Panicked, they turned to run—only to crash into someone's chest.
"Sorry for scaring you," said Blake gently, wrapping them in a reassuring hug. "I should've warned you."
Xiong Da looked apologetic too... but after a moment, realization dawned on him.
"Ohh... I see now. I need to remember this! No wonder the boss has so many Xiong Ers!"
Ding!
Shock detected!
Congratulations! You've received a golden treasure chest!
Reward calculating...
After Blake explained everything to the girls, Hermione's expression turned pale—not from fear, but shock.
"You taught a bear how to transform? I haven't even learned Human Transfiguration yet. You're telling me... I'm not as good as a bear?!"
Blake quickly reassured her. "You're still young. Xiong Da's already an old man. That's why he's looking for a girlfriend."
Xiong Da sat on his bench, listening intently and not even touching his grilled fish.
"I'm an ambitious bear," he thought proudly.
Eventually, Hermione and Luna warmed up to him. Luna even took over grilling duties, while Hermione offered to help Xiong Da learn to read and write.
"You want to learn?" she asked.
"Yes! I love learning!"
"Great," she smiled. "I'll teach you!"
Blake, meanwhile, was sketching something on parchment. Watching Hermione and Luna scream earlier had convinced him—he needed a better disguise for Xiong Da. A magical mask, perhaps. Alchemical, of course.
Just as he was about to refine the blueprint, Hermione cried out, "Oh my god! You did it!"
Blake looked over. Xiong Da was holding Hermione's wand like a toothpick, levitating an empty barrel.
Blake dropped his quill and took a deep breath.
A talking, transfiguring bear. With wand skills.
Maybe he should write to Ollivander and ask...
"How do you make a wand for a bear?"
Would Ollivander just fly over on a broom and beat him with it?
=============
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