Shawn sat immovable on the hall sofa, watching Kreacher usher Alice inside.
He could faintly hear his grandmother's portrait downstairs loudly asking whether the girl was a pure-blood and so on.
"Chief!"
Alice stepped forward and dipped into a ladylike curtsy. Shawn raised a hand to invite her to sit wherever she pleased, but his eyes remained fixed on the purple bird in the cage.
Alice smiled knowingly and respectfully placed the cage on the coffee table in front of him.
"My grandfather had someone seek out this lightning-affinity pet in Northern Europe. It's a Christmas pet from the Fawley family. We hope you like it, Chief."
Shawn nodded and said, "That was thoughtful," his gaze still fixed on the bird.
The bird in the cage was none other than the Violet Lightning Kite captured by the Acolytes.
Grindelwald did not want to reveal himself yet, so he could only send it through Old Fawley, a former Acolyte whose allegiance remained ambiguous.
Ever since entering the room, the Violet Lightning Kite had also been staring at Shawn from inside its cage.
It was as though, amid a crowd of thousands, they had eyes only for each other.
The bird's thoughts: This person smells so nice, just like Mom and Dad.
Shawn could not bear to see it confined. After briefly examining the alchemical cage, he found a button and reached to press it.
Alice had just taken out a piece of dragon hide covered in intricate patterns. Seeing what Shawn was doing, she hurried to stop him.
"Chief, although this Violet Lightning Kite has undergone some initial taming, it's still proud, unruly, and highly aggressive. You'll need to sign a contract with it before letting it out."
Shawn pressed the button as he spoke confidently.
"Don't worry. It's the companion