"And magical creatures aren't fixed or unchanging. As the world's environment shifts—climate, magic flows, human activity—both ordinary animals and magical ones keep evolving. New species appear all the time."
"So the creatures you mentioned, Luna—the ones I've never seen or heard of—maybe you're the very first person to discover brand-new magical beings that only just came into existence."
Luna's earlier disappointment vanished completely at Viktor's words. Her silver eyes brightened like moonlight breaking through clouds.
Ginny grabbed Luna's arm in pure excitement.
"Luna! You might have actually discovered brand-new magical creatures!"
Ginny had always been half-skeptical about the strange, invisible beings her quirky friend kept talking about—things no one else could see.
But now a world-famous magizoologist and Hogwarts professor had basically said, "Yeah, they could be real—and maybe brand new."
That was enough to flip her from doubtful to fully on board.
Watching the two first-year girls practically vibrating with excitement, Viktor smiled and patted the grass beside him.
"Come sit. Since we're on the topic, let me tell you about some of the truly special magical creatures in wizarding history—the really unusual ones—and the stories of the wizards who encountered them."
Ginny and Luna dropped down beside him instantly, leaning in like they were afraid they'd miss a single word.
Viktor casually passed them each a thick, blackened segment that looked roughly the size of an adult forearm—charcoal-grilled, jointed, still steaming with an incredibly tempting aroma.
Ginny hesitated, eyeing the mystery limb in her hand.
"Professor Viktor… what exactly is this?"
Luna was already nibbling happily away, completely unbothered.
Ginny glanced at her friend, then bravely tore off a small strip and popped it into her mouth.
Viktor swallowed his own bite of Eight-Eyed Giant Spider leg before answering—after only a tiny pause.
"Uh… Scottish soft-shell land-walker crab legs. Really good, right?"
The moment the girls heard "crab legs" (a creature they'd never heard of before), their hesitation evaporated. They dove in with renewed enthusiasm, happily debating the texture and flavor of this mysterious "land-walker crab."
Viktor mentally noted: Okay, from now on, Eight-Eyed Giant Spider's official alias is Scottish soft-shell land-walker crab.
Time to update Magical Creatures in the Stomach with a new entry.
Giant spiders were perfect for that book.
Once the last "crab leg" had been devoured, Viktor cleared his throat under the girls' expectant stares.
"This story comes from my travels in Greece. It's an ancient tale—supposedly over a thousand years old."
"And supposedly, one of the most famous time-related magical devices—the Time-Turner—was invented because of the wizard in this story."
At the words "Time-Turner," both girls sat up straighter, eyes wide.
Anything involving time magic sounded instantly powerful.
"A thousand years ago, there was a tremendously powerful Greek wizard. His strength had reached the point where no one could match him. To prove his uniqueness, he decided to explore a field no wizard had truly mastered: time itself."
"To truly feel and grasp the essence of time, he spent years researching and finally chose the perfect vessel: the ancient sand of the Aegean beaches. Grains that had once been solid rock, worn down by countless centuries of waves and wind—each one carrying the weight of history."
"So he walked the shores of the Aegean, painstakingly examining every single grain of sand. He wanted only those that had genuinely witnessed history, that had transformed from stone to sand over millennia."
"The process took forever. After more than a decade, he'd only collected a few thousand suitable grains."
"He grew frustrated at times, but he stayed patient. After all, he was researching something almost no wizard had ever touched: the fabric of time."
"One day, while still searching the beach, he encountered a small, strange snake endlessly chasing its own tail in perfect circles."
"The powerful wizard barely spared it a glance. In his senses, it was just an ordinary, non-magical little snake. So he casually kicked it aside."
"The instant his foot connected, a strange numbness shot through his backside."
"After checking, he discovered a small, very old-looking bite mark on his buttock—a perfect set of tiny snake fangs, scarred over like it had been there for years."
"In that moment, he locked eyes with the strange snake he'd just kicked away."
"But when he turned to look again… no matter what detection spells or tracking charms he used, the snake had vanished completely. Gone without trace."
"He tried everything to remove the bite mark. Nothing worked. Eventually, with no explanation, he buried the incident deep and carried on."
"Decades later, after finally gathering thirty thousand perfect grains, he poured his immense magical power into creating an alchemical artifact: the Time Hourglass."
"Turn the hourglass over, and the user could flow backward through time—return to any moment they chose."
"After thorough testing, the wizard eagerly used his creation for the first time."
"As he slipped into the time stream, in the blurred gap between moments, he caught a fleeting glimpse of that same strange snake—still chasing its tail."
"At the exact same instant, the snake saw him."
"A sharp pain stabbed through his backside again. He whipped around—and there was the snake, latched firmly onto his buttock, fangs sunk in."
"The wizard snatched the snake up and demanded, 'Why did you bite me?'"
"The snake looked him straight in the eye and answered calmly:
'Because you kicked me. So I went back in time to bite you in revenge. Even if the price was my own existence dissolving forever in the river of time.'"
Viktor paused, letting the weight of the ending settle.
Ginny's mouth hung slightly open.
Luna tilted her head thoughtfully, carrot earrings swaying.
Somewhere out in the lake, the Giant Squid might have been listening.
After all… some creatures really do chase their own tails.
And some bites echo across centuries.