Catching Snakes

Newt hurries through the Albania winter forest.

His footsteps were light and quick, with only a slight "crack" sound when he stepped on the thin ice.

The pure black Niffler perched steadily on his shoulder, its tiny paws gripping his coat, alertly scanning its surroundings, its nose twitching occasionally.

Tracking doesn't always go smoothly.

The lingering scent of Nagini is intermittent, especially during the season when snow covers everything and all things are dormant, her unique traces are increasingly diluted by the harsh cold and the environment.

When clues become blurred, Newt will stop and use magic or the help of Magical Creatures to continue the search.

With each pause and rediscovery, Newt's excitement became increasingly difficult to conceal.

Many years have passed since Nagini said goodbye and left.

Over the years, questions like "Is she still alive?", "What has she become?", and "Is she in pain?" have occasionally pricked Newt's old friends and comrades-in-arms, who had been through life and death together.

Several times, the pursuit seemed to have reached a dead end, but Newt did not give up. He had enough patience for the forest, for the animals, and for his lost old friend.

Finally, following a very faint, winding imprint, and Niffler Sniffle's sudden, rapid breathing and direction, Newt arrived at the base of a sheltered rock wall.

The ancient trees with their gnarled roots leaned on each other, forming a dark and deep tree cavity at their base.

Icicles hung from the edge of the cave entrance, which was pitch black inside and smelled of a mixture of dirt, decay, and cold, fishy odors.

The Niffler on his shoulder suddenly squeaked softly and gripped Newt's curly hair tightly with its little paws, clearly telling Newt not to come any closer.

Newt was about to raise his hand to comfort the nervous little guy when suddenly, a rustling sound came from deep inside the tree hole.

The sound was slow and heavy, carrying the texture of scales rubbing against branches and frozen soil.

A dark green, triangular snake head slowly emerged from the shadows.

Then came the winding body covered in a cold, gleaming light.

This green snake was much larger than an ordinary python, yet it climbed up the cave entrance with an eerie lightness and power.

Like some cobras, it raised its front part of its body high, its indifferent yellow vertical pupils locking onto Newt a few meters away, its forked tongue occasionally flicking in and out rapidly.

An oppressive aura, a mixture of primal wildness and Dark Magic, permeated the air.

Newt looked at his old friend, who was now in his beast form, and a flicker of pain crossed his eyes.

Despite being mentally prepared, Newt still found it hard to accept witnessing the beautiful woman whose eyes were once filled with melancholy and kindness transform into a large snake that was now nothing but coldness and wildness.

At this moment, he understood even more why Nagini had chosen to leave without saying goodbye back then.

When one senses that they are about to be completely consumed by the Blood Curse and cease to be human, how could they bear to let their former friends see their current appearance?

Newt slowly and deliberately put his wand back into his pocket, a slow and deliberate movement that seemed to convey a harmless intention.

He turned his body to the side, reducing his frontal profile, and then very slowly extended one hand forward, palm open, his whole body moving closer to Nagini in an almost imperceptible manner.

His voice was low, with a gentle tone as if calling to an old friend:

"Nagini... it's me, Newt. Don't be afraid... look, I mean you no harm..."

As Newt continued to whisper and approach with extreme slowness, the snake's vertical pupils seemed to lessen slightly, and its taut muscles relaxed a little.

Newt felt a surge of joy. Could it be that Nagini still retained her past memories and emotions?

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly with anticipation.

But Nagini's head suddenly turned slightly, as if it had heard a call or command that only it could perceive.

The faint hint of "memory" in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a pure and violent ferocity!

That was the look in the eyes of an enraged beast.

The snake's slightly relaxed body suddenly contracted, and it shot out at an astonishing speed!

Its gaping maw opened, revealing gleaming white fangs, lunging straight for Newt's neck!

It moved so fast that it left only a dark green afterimage in the air.

The experienced Newt sensed something was wrong the instant Nagini's eyes changed. His body's instincts beat his thoughts, and he rolled sharply to the side and backward to dodge.

However, Nagini's attack was faster than expected.

Just as the fangs were about to reach Newt's neck--

The seemingly ordinary watch face on Newt's left wrist suddenly lit up!

Two solid magical beams burst forth instantly: one was a semi-transparent circular shield called "Protego," and the other was a distorting, air-restricting force field called "Impedimenta."

The protective layers against both magic and physical attacks were applied almost instantly, completely enveloping Newt.

At the same time, a gray light flashed on the copper buckle of his belt!

A precise Petrificus Totalus shot out, arriving faster than expected, and struck Nagini squarely on the forehead.

"Bang!"

Nagini's fierce charge came to an abrupt halt. His muscles stiffened, and he was frozen in mid-air, maintaining his attacking posture, before crashing heavily onto the snow and fallen leaves with a loud thud.

That's not all.

The necklace around Newt's neck, branded with the Scamander family crest, shone brightly and transformed into a dozen slender golden beams that shot out like nails Nagini deep into the earth surrounding Nagini. The beams quickly connected, forming a temporary magical cage that enveloped the petrified giant snake.

Newt, having completed a clumsy but effective roll, steadied himself, panting, still shaken.

He subconsciously touched his watch and belt, which were returning to their original state, a fleeting look of fear and embarrassment crossing his face.

The fear stemmed from the fact that Nagini's sudden outburst was completely unexpected, vicious, and deadly, truly making Newt sense danger.

The embarrassment stemmed from the fact that he had completely forgotten that he was currently wearing a bunch of "trinkets" that Lucien had insisted on giving him.

Among them are many alchemical artifacts that provide protection or trap enemies.

Unexpectedly, its first use was in stopping Nagini's attack.

Newt quickly got up, not even bothering to brush off his clothes covered in snow and mud. Without any hesitation, he took out his wand again and gently waved it, lifting the petrified Nagini steadily. Then he opened the briefcase that had been lying at his feet.

The box gently nestled Nagini's massive body inside.

After doing all that, I snapped the lid shut and picked up the box.

Newt glanced around at the eerily silent forest.

Unwilling to cause any more trouble or delay, its body suddenly twisted and compressed, and with a soft "pop," it disappeared without a trace.