The bloodbath at the Ministry of Magic was quietly swept under the rug.
Even the Greek Ministry only issued a perfunctory obituary and a warning about escaped dangerous creatures, without so much as sending out a single person from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
But despite being free to return to their old haunts, the old griffin insisted on staying in Cohen's suitcase with its kid and a gaggle of magical creature babies.
"Is free room and board really worth anything?" Cohen muttered, watching the old griffin and its son stuff their faces the moment they entered the suitcase. He felt like he'd been duped by the griffin's formerly upright and serious demeanor.
He should've known. Anyone who raised a kid that went around saying "Dad's dead" couldn't exactly be normal…
Though the poacher and Silver Key business was dealt with, Cohen and Newt had to stick around for a bit.
They were attending the final ceremony hosted by Newt's old friend, Frike.
So, while waiting for the ceremony, Cohen turned the time into a bit of a vacation.
The young basilisk, who'd been begging to explore Greece, was finally let out. Accompanied by Sissoko and the old basilisk, it was sent off to the preserve to cause a ruckus—though Cohen had sternly warned them not to overhunt the local wildlife, lest they get slapped with an "invasive species" label.
Aside from their deadly gaze, basilisks didn't look all that different from regular snakes at a distance—especially these three, who'd gone from wild to practically domesticated.
The goats had gone off to visit some old friends.
Norbert and his mum were still in their cave, raising a clutch of newly hatched Norwegian Ridgebacks, all squawking for food.
As for Cohen…
"You want me to go play the sob story card with the old sea serpent so it'll come visit you, right?" Cohen asked, jingling a bag of pocket money.
"Exactly, that's the idea," Frike said, stroking his beard with a sheepish grin.
Frike had gone to great lengths to lure Cohen into a private alcove for this conversation, using tactics ranging from "snake food" bribes to snack temptations.
At first, he'd assumed Cohen, as the sea serpent's "grandson," would love fish like it did—but Cohen turned down the grilled fish offer, saying he wasn't a fan.
The next attempt involved trendy snacks, but Cohen still didn't bite.
In the end, it took two bags of pocket money to finally drag Cohen over.
"So… can you do it?" Frike asked, slinging an arm around Cohen's shoulders and leaning in close.
"Piece of cake," Cohen said, patting the money bag. "I'll make sure it shows up."
Truth be told, if the price was right, Cohen wouldn't mind spending an afternoon sweet-talking the old sea serpent…
"No need to strong-arm it," Frike said hesitantly, noticing Cohen's enthusiasm. "I just want it to…"
"Come because it's touched, not because I forced it. Got it," Cohen said knowingly, clapping the old man on the back. "Don't worry, I'll have it crying buckets—"
"Do snakes even have tear ducts?" Frike frowned, sensing something off.
"…"
---
[…Doro didn't know what a deep-sea octopus was, or a low-spine sea bass. All Doro knew was that giving you a tasty fish would make you happy. So she worked hard every day, planting oranges, hoping to save up enough to buy you one. But her owl couldn't find you anymore. Those oranges, Doro's dreams, and Doro herself were all buried on the beach by the sea…]
Cohen pointed at a portrait on a piece of parchment, spinning a long, elaborate tale for the old sea serpent.
[Hiss…] The sea serpent made some odd noises. [This fan-puppy was so kind to snakes too…?]
Sigh. Cohen let out a dramatic breath.
[Can I still go see her in time—]
[Isn't this a made-up story?] The chimaera, who'd returned at some point, cut in. It stared at Cohen, who was clearly trying to emotionally manipulate the sea serpent. [And neither dogs nor snakes eat oranges…]
[Wahhh… no one's ever been this nice to me…] the sea serpent wailed.
[You're getting a bit emotional there,] the chimaera's snake-tail said dryly. [Haven't the goat and I always had your back? We cleaned up all your messes before…]
[I'm feeling low,] the goat chimed in.
"Roar," the lion added, trying to whimper but failing to keep the volume down.
[It didn't understand a word, did it?] The sea serpent sighed toward the lion's head. [I was just imagining having a cute little friend like that be nice to me. Cohen's puppy drawing was too appetizing.]
[There is someone like that,] Cohen said smoothly, easing into it. [That old wizard in the temple—he's been preparing sacrificial fish for you his whole life. He's been a priest all these years just to see you…]
[Him?] The sea serpent squirmed uncomfortably. [I'm not going. If I did, wouldn't it look like I'm some cheap snake who'll roll over for any food?]
[You… aren't?] Cohen asked, as if seeing the serpent in a new light.
---
There were a few hiccups, but overall, it went smoothly. The sea serpent, though still acting coy, agreed to join Cohen at the ceremony to see the old priest.
It's possible it had always planned to go—after all, it couldn't stop thinking about the temple's fish.
Cohen hadn't taken it to sneak any food lately, mostly because he couldn't wrap his head around one thing: if no one at the temple was stopping it from eating, why did the serpent insist on sneaking around?
Maybe it enjoyed the thrill of the crime. Or maybe snakes just loved being sneaky.
"It treats them like playmates, the way it does the griffins," the goat explained to Cohen. "Prey you hunt is always more exciting than food handed to you. The older you get, the fewer thrills life holds. This is one of the few things that still feels fresh to it."
"No wonder it's so interested in me," Cohen said, rubbing his chin.
[It's interested in us too,] the chimaera's snake-tail added. [Though that only lasted a few decades. Maybe we were too tame, and it got bored…]
[Grandbaby, look at this fish I nabbed from those cubs!] The sea serpent slithered over excitedly, dragging a massive fish. [First bite's for you—]
A pack of magical creature babies, who'd followed the griffin family into the suitcase, were hot on its tail, chasing it down.
"You two are cut from the same cloth," the goat remarked.
"Is it too late to repent for stealing lollipops from kids?" Cohen muttered, pursing his lips.