A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts - Chapter 388: Newt's Life Experiences

Felix was just about to start introducing himself when, all of a sudden, a black shadow darted out from the tent. It scampered up Newt’s leg and settled onto his shoulder, one hand on its hip and the other pointing at Felix.

“Squeak! Squeak!” excitedly squealed the Niffler, its little voice high-pitched.

Even Harry could tell – this Niffler was reporting something.

“Oh, Pickett,” Newt soothed, “It’s good to be curious, my friend. You really should read the section about you in my ‘Fantastic Beasts’ book. And if you could read, I’d send you letters every year…”

Pickett looked at Newt in disbelief.

Newt exchanged a glance with it. “Have you had your medicine yet? I brought a portion…”

“Squeak!”

Pickett let out a mournful cry and leaped from Newt’s shoulder into Felix’s arms, hiding its head, causing the onlookers to stifle their laughter.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you, Mr. Newt Scamander, the most renowned magizoologist of our time.” Felix, holding Pickett, smiled as he continued, “Mr. Scamander arrived earlier this morning, thanks to the persuasion of Headmaster Dumbledore, who convinced him to leave behind a precious memory, to endure within Hogwarts… If the history of the school is ever chronicled in the future, today will surely be a noteworthy entry.”

Newt looked a bit uncomfortable as he stared at Felix, his expression mirroring that of the memory he had left behind.

The glint of knowledge admiration sparkled in Hermione’s eyes, and she couldn’t wait to share, “Mr. Newt Scamander, we’ve written to you – Ron, Harry, and I,” she gestured to the two beside her, “about Hagrid’s Buckbeak! He’s still in the Forbidden Forest, living with his family!”

Newt looked at Hermione, then at the slightly shorter figures of Harry and Ron, and at Cedric, Colin, and Roger standing nearby, all of them staring at him intently. He realized he had become the center of attention.

He said gently, “Miss Granger, is it? Oh… I simply did what I believed was right… I’m glad for it, too.”

They gathered around a rudimentary wooden table at the campsite, the texture of the wood grain on the table’s surface clearly visible. Newt’s memory gave a quiet apology, “Excuse me,” and promptly vanished.

Newt himself blinked and looked with a hint of longing at the spot where the memory had disappeared. When he turned back, he noticed everyone was looking at him with slight surprise. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Well, let’s begin officially… Dumbledore told me to leave a memory behind and trust him with the rest… but, before I departed, I felt it necessary to have this moment with you all.”

“My journeys have taken me across five continents. I’ve visited the lairs of beasts, the dens of subterranean creatures, and the nests of flying creatures. I’ve observed the peculiar habits of magical creatures in over a hundred countries, experienced their abilities firsthand, earned their trust. Occasionally, I’ve had to use a Travel Flask to chase them off.”

“Travel, Travel Flask…?” Roger Davies chuckled, adjusting his hair, “Did you encounter a group of migrating gnomes?”

Others also seemed amused.

But Newt answered Davies with seriousness, “No, a herd of Graphorns.”

“What’s that?” Harry asked.

“Umm…”

Felix motioned with his fingers, and a peculiar creature appeared on the ground, about a foot tall, covered in shaggy fur, with a bald gray head.

“Just like this.” Newt said cheerfully, “See, compared to their body, their heads are surprisingly large. They simply flop down on the ground – yes, thank you – you see, if you’re not paying attention, you might mistake them for a shiny, round stone. Many traveling wizards have not noticed, leaned against them to rest, or used them as pillows, only to wake up more tired and feeling drowsy… or falling into a state of hysterical despair.”

“These creatures love to chase shadows, so if you encounter them in the wild, making some noise can scare them off. Of course, Stunning Spells work too, or you can just kick them away with your feet…”

Of the six champions, only Cedric had chosen Care of Magical Creatures in his sixth year, influenced by his father – Mr. Amos Diggory, who now worked in the Beast Division of the Ministry. He had seen images of Graphorns in class, but hearing Newt’s description, he still found it intriguing. They all realized that this somewhat inarticulate elderly man was remarkably talkative when it came to magical creatures, and he unintentionally slipped in many interesting details.

Harry inquired about Thunderbirds.

“That’s a type of large magical bird that can fly, sensing danger and creating storms while airborne.” Newt reminisced, “About seventy years ago, to be precise in 1926, I rescued a Thunderbird from a trafficker in Egypt. I named it Frank. A few things happened in between… I can’t discuss it; I signed a confidentiality agreement… but during that incident, I met my wife…”

He smiled slightly.

“Thunderbirds are a bit like magnified eagles, adorned with brilliant feathers of varying colors, but most often trailing two long tail feathers – they’re distant cousins of phoenixes. Frank’s feathers are gold and white, shining like flowing clouds when caught in sunlight.”

Harry pressed further, “But I heard that, uh, Thunderbird feathers can be used in wand cores. Do wands made with them possess any unique qualities? And what about the Horned Serpent?”

Newt had heard from him that his wand’s core was Thunderbird feather, and Viktor Krum’s wand had a core from a portion of a Horned Serpent horn.

Newt pondered, “Thunderbirds are highly attuned to supernatural danger. Wands made with their feathers are said to not only be powerful but also able to cast spells faster in duels…” The trio exchanged deep glances, prompting Newt to continue, “But I find these descriptions somewhat exaggerated. My wife, Tina, has a wand with a Thunderbird feather core, and I’m quite familiar with it. She often complains that her wand can be hard to control.”

“As for the Horned Serpent, I don’t know much about wand cores from them,” Newt candidly admitted, “I only know that if the wand and its owner share a strong connection, the wand can give an alert in times of danger, similar to the Horned Serpent’s nature…”

Felix chimed in, “I happen to know a bit about wand materials. One thing you need to understand is that while wands choose wizards, over time, wizards also influence wands. Even wands with the same material and core can perform quite differently in different wizards’ hands. So, you should pay more attention to the person.”

They all nodded in agreement.

In the next hour, they chatted and enjoyed a leisurely evening, as if they were truly in the Romania Dragon Sanctuary under Professor Harp’s guidance, coincidentally meeting a knowledgeable elder.

“…The first time I encountered dragons was through a secret program in the Ministry of Magic, back in 1914, when I had just come of age… I was just a low-ranking employee at the time… but the others at the Ministry couldn’t handle a group of Ukrainian Ironbellies, so they turned to me. They had to abandon the project later when the investigators from the Ministry found that these dragons would only respond to me…”

Harry and the others gaped at Newt. He explained—

“I was born with the ability to communicate with various creatures and form connections with them. I’m skilled at dealing with them… Later, in 1918, Augustus Worm, the publisher of Obscurus Books, commissioned me to write an authoritative guide on magical creatures. I accepted the proposal eagerly, though I felt inadequate. So, I spent my holidays traveling the world, gathering material. Then, in 1925, I embarked on a year-long journey to document the habitats of various magical creatures…”

The young wizards present, including Felix, listened silently, fascinated by the opportunity to hear a distinguished, even great, wizard recount his youthful experiences and glean profound thoughts that couldn’t be captured on paper from his words.

“It was a wonderful time, carefree and full of anticipation for tomorrow. I traveled through the dark forests of Africa, witnessing precious scenes like Nundu hatching from their eggs; I waded through the bright deserts of Egypt, chasing the legends of the Sphinx; I wandered to the untouched green lakes of Ireland, draping Water Horse with water lilies; I traversed the winding European mountains, witnessing Mountain Trolls attempting to tame Erumpents in a comical show…”

“It wasn’t until 1927 that I completed the first edition of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,’ which quickly became a bestseller.”

“Like a textbook at Hogwarts!” Roger Davies exclaimed.

“My mom used it as a bedtime story to put me to sleep… but it had the opposite effect.” Cedric said, eliciting good-natured chuckles from those around.

…

“Children.” Newt prepared to conclude today’s conversation.

“My initial intention was simply to make more people aware of the unique features of magical creatures living alongside us and to improve their lives a bit. At that time, there were prejudices against these creatures, and for centuries, debates about the boundaries between animals and humans have raged… It was during my continuous travels that I began to contemplate the relationship between animals and humans more deeply. If there’s something from my experiences that I urgently want to convey to you, it’s that only through communication and understanding can we bridge the gap.”

Newt stood up, adjusting his blue coat.

“Mr. Scamander, are you really deciding not to stay for a day or two?” Felix tried to persuade.

“I’m a bit worried about Tina… She’s at home alone, taking care of the magical creatures in the basement. It’s not an easy task.” Newt said, “I’ve left all my knowledge about magical creatures behind. He’ll stand in for me, telling you everything about dragons.”

“Good luck with your tasks ahead,” he said, donning his hat and addressing the six champions.

They reciprocated in a jumble, and then Hermione asked, “Mr. Scamander, when you first knew you’d be facing dragons, how did you feel? Were you afraid?”

“Afraid?”

“Meaning worried, too excited to sleep,” Hermione clarified.

“My perspective might not fit yours, but in my view, worry just means enduring suffering again. And both then and now, we’re facing dragons in a relatively safe environment, so we can relax a bit… I hope that helps, Miss Granger.” Newt answered earnestly.

As he prepared to leave, he saw his memory concealed in the mist, behind him a host of magical creatures.

The past vividly returned, his eyes slightly moistened, and he let out a soft breath. With that, he bid farewell and left Room 7.

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