PRONGSLET AND THE CERYNEIAN GUARDIAN

Chapter Nineteen

It was true what the man said about no one ever greeting him and telling him it was an honour to meet him, they simply called it a "pleasure." But the boy in front of him really knew how to make Newt stand in bewilderment as he began to cry.

"Are...Are you crying?" Newt asked him as he peered down at Milo, who was still holding on him. The boy nodded his head with a sniffle.

"I'm so happy."

Gently, Newt removed himself from the wrong, his old bones couldn't take much longer with how tight Milo was squeezing him. But he did offer the boy a kind smile, appreciative by far that Milo enjoyed his work that much. It was flattering but also reassuring that his words were still touching some people, enough that they felt dedicated enough to continue his work. Milo must have realised that he was close to causing quite the scene if people stumbled upon the two of them standing at the edge of the forest and the scene of him crying with an old wizard in his presence. Probably wouldn't look the best in other people's eyes. 

"Sorry," he sniffled, "with a smile. You caught me off guard. I knew you said in your last letter that you would be coming to Hogwarts eventually, but I didn't know when."

"Well, I realise when I don't announce my visits that it makes it all that more exciting," Newt informed him. "But I must say, Milo, before the conversation goes any further, it is also an honour to meet you. I've come across some people who have admired my work before, but not with your dedication. I have never come across a boy, barely a teenager who had come across basilisk skin. You can ask my wife with how impressed I was after that, I spent the entire day at home trying to figure out the perfect display case for it. I would have kept it in the kitchen or the living room, but she told me no."

"Yeah, my mum doesn't let me keep anything on display outside of my room, she says it might frighten people when they come in," Milo informed him.

Newt smiled before he looked around. "Now I remember that you sent a little gift from me, is he perhaps on you right now?"

Milo was practically jumping with excitement even though he was trying to control himself. "There's hardly a time that he isn't on me, Sir. And if he isn't it's usually because he's sleeping in. Paden, come on now, you don't have to hide anymore."

Like the bowtruckle that he had cared for so many years, Pickett had been the bowtruckle's name, a companion to Newt during some very difficult and harrowing times. He expected the bowtruckle that he had gifted to Milo to appear in the pocket, poking out as Pickett once did. However, he was surprised when the bowtruckle appeared in the boy's hair, peering out cautiously. He couldn't believe it and for a second, he started to laugh, happy to see that the bowtruckle was in good health. 

"Paden, you said?" Newt asked repeating the name. "Scottish name for him seems fitting."

"Well, my mother's Scottish," Milo informed him. "I thought it would be a respectful gesture as well, considering she actually allowed me to keep him."

"I figured a bowtruckle would go over well compared to a niffler."

"Yeah, I don't know how that would have gone over, but even if she wasn't so fond of the idea of Paden in the beginning, he's practically family in her eyes now. It just took her a little bit to get used to him."

Newt was more than pleased to see the bowtruckle in good health, but Paden remained shy, hiding back inside Milo's hair for the time being and letting out a small chirp. Milo seemed to have a question, biting at the tip of his tongue as he faced Newt.

"Have you experienced a jealous bowtruckle?" He questioned. "I suppose it sounds rather silly, but-"

"Milo, it would only have sounded silly if you've been around bowtruckles and never experienced a jealous one. It's a very common trait especially after they've attached themselves to you. Trust me, Pickett had his moments where he would bite people if they came too close."