Wonderful Magic

In a three-story house near Ottery St. Catchpole.

Eleven-year-old Kyle Chopper stood by the window, studying the parchment in his hands.

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, President of the International Confederation of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Chopper,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of the books and items you will need.

The term begins on September 1. We look forward to receiving your owl post reply by July 31.

Yours sincerely, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall

That's right. It was an acceptance letter from Hogwarts.

Ever since he had been transported to this world eleven years ago, Kyle had been waiting for this day.

As for how he was so sure, it was simple: several other unusual families lived nearby.

The ones Kyle knew best were Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler,

and the Weasley family.

The latter especially—their incredibly bizarre house and the whole family's red hair had immediately confirmed what sort of world Kyle had landed in.

It was worth mentioning that living here also meant that Kyle had been born into a wizarding family in this life.

His father, Chris Choba, worked at the Ministry of Magic as Deputy Director of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, as well as Head of the Beast Division. Thanks to his family's inherited talent for communicating with Fantastic Beasts, he was also a renowned Magizoologist and one of Newt Scamander's few students.

His mother, Diana, also worked at the Ministry of Magic, though in the Department of Mysteries. Kyle had no idea what she actually did there. He had tried all sorts of ways to fish for information, but every attempt had failed. Clearly, his parents were highly discreet and hadn't let slip even the tiniest detail.

As for his family's standing... well, no prominent figures had come from their family line, so they were fairly unremarkable. They were nowhere near as illustrious as famous families like the Dumbledores or the Grindelwalds.

Even so, Kyle was more than satisfied. At least both his parents were wizards, so getting into Hogwarts was a sure thing.

Unless he was a Squib.

That possibility had been ruled out after his first bout of accidental magic at the age of three.

Although he had known this day was bound to come, when an owl actually tapped its way through his bedroom window with a letter, Kyle was so excited he nearly jumped for joy.

He treated the parchment like a treasure, refusing to let go of it even in his sleep. Every few days, he would take another look.

"Dear, you've been poring over that acceptance letter for three days now. Can't you put it down? I promise you it's real!"

Chris looked helplessly at his son, who had started grinning to himself again, and reminded him, "Don't forget, we're meeting the Weasleys next door today to go to Diagon Alley together. Let's not keep them waiting."

"Okay, Dad. I'm coming."

At that, Kyle hurriedly put away the Hogwarts acceptance letter he had read countless times and sprang to his feet. He tapped the wooden stump beside him. "Groot, I'm off."

As soon as he spoke, a little green creature leaped out and waved at Kyle.

Kyle's family did keep Fantastic Beasts, but not many. Apart from Groot, the Bowtruckle, they also had a Kneazle called Tom.

As Deputy Director of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Chris could easily have kept a dozen or twenty Fantastic Beasts, but he didn't. Even Groot and Tom had only stayed because they stubbornly refused to leave.

It wasn't that Chris disliked Fantastic Beasts. He simply believed that they weren't meant to live alongside wizards.

If you kept one by your side, it was just a pet.

On this point, the middle-aged gentleman—usually warm and kind, and known as something of a soft touch at the Ministry of Magic—was utterly firm.

Newt Scamander shared his view.

Newt also believed Fantastic Beasts belonged in the wild, and that was how he had always treated them.

As for why his extraordinary suitcase contained so many Fantastic Beasts, that was purely because of Newt's unusual constitution.

Kyle had met the old man more than once, so he could say that with certainty.

Much like some amazing elementary-school detective, Newt Scamander seemed to have a similar sort of constitution.

Kyle clearly remembered that when he was five, he had been walking around the garden with Newt when he saw a Diricawl fly straight into Newt's arms.

Diricawls were natural masters of Apparition. They might not be very clever, and unlike other Fantastic Beasts, they didn't deliberately hide themselves, but they had a strong sense of territory and an uncanny ability to sense danger.

The moment they sensed a wizard—or any other creature that might threaten them—approaching, they would disappear without delay.

The first line about Diricawls in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them read: "Can be observed from a distance, but not approached."

And yet this Diricawl had flown straight into Newt's arms, landing there with perfect precision.

It was absurd.

Then, when Kyle was seven, he had gone out with Newt again and run into a Salamander.

At eight, he had encountered an injured Unicorn.

At ten, a Fire Crab had nearly been made into a cauldron.

Some of these Fantastic Beasts had escaped after being smuggled into the British Wizarding World; others had somehow wandered over. They always found some baffling way to appear beside Newt.

And that was with Newt spending most of his time at home.

Back when he used to travel all over the world with a suitcase, returning Fantastic Beasts to their homes, things had been much worse.

Every time he returned one Fantastic Beast, another dozen or twenty would come crashing into his path. No wonder there were so many creatures in his suitcase by the end of it.

With a special talent like that, it was no surprise that Newt had been placed on the entry ban lists of nearly every Ministry of Magic.

After all, before they met Newt, those Fantastic Beasts were often in a foul mood—especially the injured ones and those carrying young. The slightest provocation could send them into a rampage.

Just imagine: you're enjoying an afternoon tea on the street when a frenzied Manticore or Nundu suddenly leaps out beside you... Tch. Just thinking about it is enough to give you chills.

So what about Gellert, or Voldemort? The Dark Lord had to cause all that destruction himself? That was it? Pathetic.

Just look at Newt. If he wanted to make something disappear, he didn't even have to lift a finger. He could simply buy a plane ticket, stay in the area for three or five days, drink coffee, and admire the scenery. That was all it took, and afterward he wouldn't even have to get involved.

No wonder Grandma Tina was so great. She'd managed to keep Newt bound to her side all by herself. It was no exaggeration to say that the whole world owed her an Order of Merlin, First Class.

It was the British Wizarding World that suffered, though.

According to incomplete statistics, ever since Newt settled in Dorset, cases involving Fantastic Beasts at the Ministry had grown exponentially. The British Wizarding World had also somehow become smugglers' favorite place to unload their goods, bar none.

Fortunately, although incidents large and small had kept cropping up over the years, none had caused any serious damage. At worst, some unfortunate person had suffered a minor injury.

Perhaps, as Newt's birthplace, the area had some sort of passive buff protecting it.

Chris hadn't been so lucky. Because of his job, he had to work overtime for several days every so often.

But from the look of him, Kyle figured he didn't mind at all.

When he finally reached the door, Kyle noticed that his mother, Diana, had also come back from the Ministry early—a rare occurrence. She stood beside Chris, smiling warmly at him.

Her long black hair was perfectly groomed, and her black robes with white trim looked elegant and dignified. When she looked at Kyle, her light blue eyes were full of affection.

Elegant and poised.

That was how Kyle had always thought of Diana.

He turned to look at Chris without thinking... well, he was a little handsome, and you could still catch a glimpse of his youthful good looks. The two of them made a fine couple.

Most importantly, Chris wasn't bald. Even nearing forty, the distance between his hairline and eyebrows was still only about an inch. That stood in stark contrast to Mr. Weasley next door.

Of course, with such excellent genes, Kyle himself couldn't have turned out badly. Of all the people he knew, he could at least rank first. Even at his young age, he was already showing signs of being devastatingly handsome.

Not that it mattered, of course. Kyle never gave it a second thought. He wasn't going to make a living off his looks.

"Sorry I'm late."

Kyle walked over to the two of them and said sheepishly.

"If you'd put that letter away, you probably wouldn't be late. Hogwarts isn't going to leave Britain just because you didn't take good care of your acceptance letter."

Chris gave Kyle a teasing look and came up with a joke on the spot.

Well, it was sort of a joke, anyway. At least Chris laughed heartily after telling it.

Kyle didn't understand what Chris found so funny, but he politely tugged at the corners of his mouth, just to humor his dad.

Fortunately, it didn't go on for long.

"All right, it's getting late. We should be off."

Diana smiled and interrupted their awkward father-son exchange. She took Kyle's hand as well. "You need to buy a lot of things for school, so we should hurry. And it wouldn't be polite to keep the Weasleys waiting."

With a sharp crack, she Disapparated with Kyle.

Seeing that, Chris hurriedly Apparated after them.