New Magical Creature Companion and the Magical Diadem

The Ravenclaw's Diadem.

Even though he had never seen it before, Sean immediately recognized what the "messenger" had delivered.

The eagle-like creature in front of you, covered in golden feathers, with a pair of huge wings, two pairs of smaller wings, and two lion-like tail feathers, is the messenger.

Grindelwald sent the Thunderbird with Ravenclaw's Diadem...

The Thunderbird before me was clearly not fully grown yet; it wore Ravenclaw's Diadem and a small piece of parchment on its chest.

It lay there in the Vanishing Cabinet, slightly cramped, with something seemingly beneath it.

Sean's eyes met Thunderbird's; at the center of his golden iris was a jet-black oval vertical pupil.

He could clearly see the hesitation and panic in the other's eyes—clearly, Grindelwald didn't have much patience when dealing with Magical Creatures.

Sean sighed inwardly, smiled, and slowly extended his hand, while steadily meeting Thunderbird's gaze.

Some of the more agitated Thunderbird were shaking their heads in place, tiny sparks of electricity flashing back and forth on their tail feathers.

The Thunderbird is a Magical Creatures that is highly sensitive to supernatural energy; it can create thunder and lightning when it flaps its wings and takes flight.

A wizard once tried to study this rare and powerful creature, but after being stunned by lightning more than a dozen times, he only brought back one message— the Thunderbird's electric shock really hurts.

However, Sean did learn something from Newt's animal notebook—because of its sensitivity to supernatural energy, the Thunderbird was also more likely to discern a wizard's true intentions.

It is said that this creature can judge whether a wizard is benevolent or malevolent from the magical fluctuations of the wizard. You can hardly tame a Thunderbird like you would a Fwooper.

But none of these are problems for Sean, whether it's his ridiculously high affinity with Magical Creatures Magical Creature Affinity, his attitude towards them, or the experience he's gained from getting along with his own little ones.

He was born to run a zoo.

Sure enough, under Sean's gentle and reassuring gaze, the somewhat anxious Thunderbird slowly lowered its guard. After hesitating for a while, it gently leaned its head closer.

"Little guy, how did you get here?" Sean patted the Thunderbird's golden beak, the static electricity bringing a ticklish sensation.

The immature Thunderbird immediately rubbed against Sean like a vulnerable little kid, its slightly shrill cries filled with a hint of grievance.

Sean's Beginner Beast Speaker allowed him to understand Thunderbird's meaning fairly smoothly, but the content left him both amused and exasperated.

In Bhutan, Grindelwald used Thunderbird to mix Potions into the rainwater, but since he disliked Magical Creatures, he was clearly not the kind of person Sean be. Grindelwald went directly to the largest Magical Creatures smuggler in North America, and he didn't even have to pay—after a long talk, the smuggler willingly became Grindelwald's workman.

At the time, the smuggler happened to have a batch of Thunderbird, so he simply packed them up and gave them to Grindelwald.

In addition to the four adult Thunderbird, the baby Thunderbird and a batch of eggs were also sent over.

In fact, what Sean didn't know was that this was almost one-tenth of the Thunderbird population in North America.

While comforting the whimpering Thunderbird, who was practically a child, he sighed inwardly.

Grindelwald was clearly a pragmatist; the little Thunderbird and Thunderbird egg were of no use to him, yet he brought them back anyway, obviously intended for Sean.

After comforting the Thunderbird for a while, the little guy completely trusted Sean. Not only did he stroke its beak, but it even allowed Sean to touch its precious, magnificent breast feathers.

Sean tried touching it and was surprised to find that the Thunderbird's breast feathers were surprisingly soft. Not only did they not carry any static electricity, but they also gave off a strange feeling of heartbreak, as if they had become extremely sensitive to everything in the world.

"Could this be a sign that the Thunderbird is extremely sensitive to supernatural energy?" Sean exclaimed in amazement.

However, he didn't try to pluck a few feathers to study them; the Thunderbird clearly treasured its breast feathers very much.

Thunderbird, who had only recently established trust with Sean, keenly noticed Sean's thoughts. Like a child willing to share a treasure with a good friend, it said with a mix of tenderness and generosity that it could give Sean a few when it grew a little bigger.

Sean couldn't help but sigh, dealing with Magical Creatures was definitely much better than dealing with wizards...

When the Thunderbird stood up, it revealed what it was lying beneath: a nest made of rock mixed with dark brown bark, containing seven golden eggs the size of Hagrid's fist.

So many?! Sean was a little surprised; he had originally thought there would only be two or three.

It was only after asking the Thunderbird that it learned that only one of the eggs was its younger brother or sister, and the other eggs were brought together later. So it took care of all the eggs equally.

Thunderbird are not social animals, but they are very protective of their own kind and will do their best to protect them. Because of this trait, when they see their own kind or their eggs being captured by a wizard, they will attack the wizard to rescue their fellow birds.

North America Magical Creatures smugglers rarely dare to capture Thunderbird because of this characteristic; after all, even a single Thunderbird is difficult to deal with. But for powerful wizarding forces, this is a good opportunity to capture multiple Thunderbird.

They would ride around the area on Flying Broomstick, carrying stolen Thunderbird eggs, to attract Thunderbird that were used to protecting their own kind. In the end, most of the Thunderbird in the area would be captured and then smuggled to different corners of the world.

Under Thunderbird's watchful gaze, Sean gently picked up an egg. It was heavy, with a slight static charge on the shell, and you could smell the peculiar ionized air if you got close.

"You're going to take care of them until they're born, right?" Sean looked at the Thunderbird.

Although it was still a minor, the Thunderbird nodded firmly, its eyes filled with anticipation.

Sean responded to its expectation, "Shall I help you take care of it?"

The Thunderbird let out a joyful cry.

"Let's go into the ring first. Hmm, the Wasteland Area is quite large, and there are cliffs where we can place these bird eggs—oh, I'll order you a huge weather umbrella; you'll probably like that sun..."

Sean placed the Thunderbird into the ring, and instructed the other companions inside to treat the newcomer kindly.

Then he took the parchment and Ravenclaw's Diadem that the Thunderbird had brought.

He found a soft cushion, sat cross-legged, placed the Sean Ravenclaw's Diadem on his lap, and opened the parchment.

Grindelwald's distinctive cursive handwriting leaps boldly from the paper.

"Kind-hearted but foolish Sean:"

"As you can see, I don't have the time to keep pets, especially not the kind I hate the most. So, it's up to you. You can fry the eggs or boil them, it's up to you. Just remember to tell me how they taste."

Sean curled his lip; the old man was still spouting nonsense.

"Okay, the point isn't the little guy, the point is the Ravenclaw's Diadem. I think you've already guessed how I got it."

The moment Sean saw the Ravenclaw's Diadem, he knew that the person who had taken Ravenclaw's Diadem before Stephanie was Grindelwald, and that he was probably the one who had altered Stephanie's memories and left her with memory hints.

No wonder Stephanie's expression was a bit strange that day, as if she knew who it was but didn't want to say.

She probably realized it herself at the time.

"Sean, this is the part where you and I are most different—you should be able to sense it, right? You can completely absorb the enormous magic power originating from [Lust], with only benefits and no drawbacks."

"That's right, I orchestrated it all. The reason is simple: as the host of the Sin [Lust], she was absorbed by [Pride] and became a controllable power. This is a more valuable thing."

Upon reading this, Sean's eyes flickered, and finally, exhausted and helpless, he rubbed his temples.

This is Grindelwald. In his value system, being absorbed is clearly more beneficial to Sean's future development than to a bright and excellent fifth-grader.

He never shied away from such things, even though Stephanie hadn't done anything heinous.

Or rather, Sean believed that if Grindelwald could find a way to solve everything, Grindelwald wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own life.

"You refused this gift; you're even more merciful than Albus —though I've always hated the word 'merciful.' Well, it's your choice, and I won't interfere. By the way, if you're not going to absorb Stephanie's words, then go for it—[Lust] is the easiest power to be aroused, and as long as the primary Sin, [Pride], hasn't awakened, the overflowing power of other Sin will be a powerful, controllable aid."

"An unforgettable love can ignite the power of Lust, and she can become a powerful asset to you in the future."

Sean: "... What a load of bull..."

"Finally, let's talk about the Ravenclaw's Diadem. I've been researching it for a while, and wearing Ravenclaw's Diadem can stimulate a wizard's intelligence and creativity. In this state, whether you're learning, reasoning, or creating spells, you'll find your mind exceptionally clear, and inspiration will flow endlessly."

"However, this thing cannot be used indefinitely. The Ravenclaw's Diadem will bring great mental burden to the wearer. When using it, you must pay attention to the duration of wearing it and your mental state."

"You can try to figure it out on your own, but remember not to get too caught up in it."

"Think carefully about what I said yesterday."

"Your teacher: Gellert Grindelwald."

What nonsense did you spout yesterday? You just said you wanted to fight Dumbledore to the death and see who was better... and you even planned to start Muggle war, putting yourself on the opposite side from me...

Letting the parchment turn to ashes in his palm, Sean picked up the Ravenclaw's Diadem tiara and examined it carefully.

Its design is classic and elegant, and its craftsmanship is exquisite and full of detail.

After hesitating for a while, Sean decided to try it himself.

He took a deep breath and placed the Ravenclaw's Diadem on his head.

The moment the Ravenclaw's Diadem tightened around Sean's scalp, a mysterious feeling surged up inside him.

The biggest change is that Sean's Spell Proficiency has increased slightly!

He understood some details he had overlooked while practicing those spells, and the experience was quickly absorbed and transformed. Sean can now use his spells more easily and skillfully.

And this was just the beginning. Sean felt as if his head was being immersed in ice water that wasn't too cold, and all his thoughts became smooth and clear, each one becoming imaginative and full of imagination.

The feeling was so magical that Sean almost wanted to get lost in it, but before he could even savor this exhilarating thought, another feeling immediately welled up inside him.

He felt as if he had been hit hard in the face, and his mind went blank as if he had suddenly lost too much blood. A huge amount of information was suddenly crammed into his mind.

That wasn't information from the outside world; it was all from Sean's own mind.

Those fragmented details buried in his subconscious, those things he didn't really care about, those pieces of knowledge he had learned but hadn't fully grasped yet...

Everything was like all the files on a computer's hard drive being placed on the desktop, with every tiny detail crammed into the same spot.

Sean's thoughts raced after a sharp pain; he immediately understood that this was the powerful effect and side effect of the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

His expanded mind and increasingly sharp consciousness allowed Sean to immediately integrate all this information, and he directly selected the memories about Dumbledore in his mind.

This stems from a quote Grindelwald once told him, "Think carefully about what Albus told you."

On the parchment he had just written, Grindelwald emphasized it again in a subtle way.

Grindelwald was telling himself that Dumbledore had hidden something in their past conversations that he wanted to tell him but couldn't say outright.

Sean's brain was racing, and his face was flushed as if it had been steamed by hot, humid air.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes... Time passed second by second, and Sean's face became increasingly flushed, and even, bright red blood began to trickle down his nose.

But Sean still didn't remove the Ravenclaw's Diadem; he felt he could see more useful information, that the overlooked details might be connected...

Another minute passed, Sean was drenched in sweat, his body trembling.

Just as blood was seeping from his ears, he suddenly opened his eyes and quickly removed the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

"Huff... huff..." Sean knelt on the ground, breathing heavily.

The mental strain of wearing Ravenclaw's Diadem is terrifying!

However, he also found the answer he was looking for.

Sean raised his head, his bloodshot eyes shining slightly. He calmly swallowed a spoonful of the Potions that could calm his mental turmoil, then closed his eyes and sat down to rest.

When he opened his eyes again, the pressure from the mental burden had finally disappeared.

"Think carefully about what Albus told you..." Sean's lips finally curled up slightly.

Not long ago, Sean thought were Dumbledore and Grindelwald's words of estrangement were actually a hint from Dumbledore to him!

"I wish I could go back to that summer..." The white-haired old man stood in the shadows in front of Sean, sadly and wistfully.

That was a hint he gave himself!