Newt Scamander (Part 2)

Newt Scamander (Part 2)

Purely in terms of the experience, Apparition felt even worse than traveling by fireplace.

Vaughn felt as though he had been squeezed into a circular tube and sent hurtling around its center, spinning until he was dizzy before being forced back out again.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he staggered and nearly fell, his stomach churning.

Fortunately, he did not throw up.

Dumbledore said brightly, "You did better than I expected, Vaughn. In fact, Fawkes has always been rather impatient. When it comes to Apparition, he's far rougher than many wizards."

"Then you should have warned me, Albus."

"Didn't you find it a pleasant surprise?"

"No! No wonder Professor Snape described you to me as having a twisted sense of humor, being eccentric, and senile."

"I never imagined that was how Severus saw me. How heartbreaking. He still doesn't understand what fun is!"

Dumbledore said with a smile. After looking around for a moment, he added happily, "Oh, Fawkes didn't get it wrong this time. Come, Vaughn. My kind friend must be preparing to give us a warm welcome."

Dumbledore said with a smile. After looking around for a moment, he added happily, "Looks like Fawkes remembered the Scamander home. I thought we'd end up at the seaside again like last time."

Vaughn raised his head and looked around as well.

They had appeared on a country lane. In the distance behind them, the sea reflected a faint glow beneath the night sky, and the roar of waves drifted over faintly.

Scamander...

Vaughn already knew who they had come to see: Newt Scamander!

Was this Dorset?

It was only after raising Fruit Tea that Vaughn had begun taking an interest in magical creatures. If anyone in the wizarding world knew the most about magical creatures, then Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was undoubtedly the foremost expert of the age.

During the summer holiday, Vaughn had even asked Arthur to look into Newt's whereabouts.

But since he had never met him before, all he knew was that Newt lived in seclusion in Dorset.

Of course, Newt's situation differed from Nicolas Flamel's. Presumably, no one would target a retired magizoologist.

So his house was not hidden away. It stood right beside the country lane where the two had appeared.

It was a small two-story villa, built of red brick with white tiles, simple yet refined.

Dumbledore led Vaughn over and knocked on the door.

Before long, the door opened, and a somewhat thin old woman appeared before them.

Dumbledore had just raised a hand in greeting when he said, "Good evening, Tina, I—"

The moment the old woman saw him, her face darkened. She slammed the door shut with a bang!

Vaughn tugged at Dumbledore's robe. "This is the warm welcome you mentioned?"

Dumbledore: "..."

Ten minutes later, inside the small villa.

Warm flames licked at the logs in the fireplace, bathing the living room in a fiery glow.

Dumbledore and Vaughn sat on the sofa while Newt Scamander brought them tea.

"Sorry, Dumbledore, Tina..."

Before he could finish, Tina snatched Dumbledore's tea away. "Whenever he comes looking for you, isn't it always because he wants you to help him solve some trouble? I saw through him ages ago. We're retired now—retired, do you understand?"

Newt gave an awkward, sheepish laugh. "Tina, don't be like that. There's a child here."

Tina looked at Vaughn, and the frost on her face quickly melted away. She smiled gently. "Child, don't be afraid. Grandma Tina isn't a bad person. The bad one is the Dumbledore sitting beside you."

They studied Vaughn, and Vaughn studied them as well—mainly Newt.

Newt looked very ordinary, with nothing particularly noteworthy about his appearance. Only his eyes stood out: bright, though not with Dumbledore's soul-stirring brilliance, but with an innocence that did not belong to someone of such advanced age.

A little like Hagrid, and Professor Kettleburn from Care of Magical Creatures.

Vaughn suddenly realized that people who loved magical creatures seemed to be rather simple-hearted.

"Your surname is Weasley, isn't it?" Newt suddenly asked. "The traits are too obvious. That's quite a large family. Before I retired, I worked at the Ministry of Magic, and I heard there was a Weasley in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. A while ago, I went to Romania to study dragons, and there was a Weasley there too."

"The one at the Ministry is my father, Arthur Weasley," Vaughn replied. "The one in Romania is my brother, Charlie Weasley, Mr. Scamander."

"Oh, oh, how wonderful..."

After exchanging a few stammering pleasantries, the somewhat socially anxious Newt left Vaughn to Tina's fussing and turned to Dumbledore instead.

"So, Dumbledore, you want me to look after that herd of unicorns for a while?"

"Yes, Newt. I can't think of anyone more suitable than you."

Newt showed no hesitation and readily agreed. "I can help. There's still room in the basement, but I must say that it can't be for too long. Unicorns long for freedom, and a captive environment is very bad for them."

Dumbledore nodded. "It won't be for long. Once that dark wizard is dealt with, they can return."

"It's truly unbelievable that such vicious dark wizards still exist today."

Newt said indignantly. Like Hagrid, he was a man of swift action. After having a cup of tea with Dumbledore and Vaughan and barely fulfilling his duties as host, he hurried upstairs.

A moment later, he came back down changed, carrying an old leather suitcase.

"I knew it. Nothing good ever comes from him looking for you. I should've shut the door and stuffed you into the fireplace right away."

Though she grumbled, Tina still stepped forward to straighten Newt's collar.

Dumbledore's expression did not change. "Tina, there won't be any danger. I promise."

Tina simply treated him as though he did not exist. Instead, she kindly called to Vaughan, "Come along, child. Let the old men get on with their business. Granny will take you to see some fantastic beasts."

Thus, the two old men Apparated away. Before leaving, Dumbledore winked at Vaughan.

Vaughan suddenly realized something.

He had asked old Dumbledore to be his hired muscle, but old Dumbledore seemed to be using him as a tool as well.

He had long known that Tina disliked him and would most likely refuse to let him through the door, which was why he had deliberately brought Vaughan along.

He had counted on Tina being too embarrassed to make a scene in front of a child.

Damn it!

A worthy opponent!

Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore led Newt in search of the unicorn herd while asking, "Newt, what do you think of that child, Vaughan Weasley?"

Newt did not understand why he was asking. After thinking for a moment, he said, "He's very complicated. Not like a child..."

"Yes, very complicated." Dumbledore sighed. He told Newt about Vaughan's achievements so far, then continued, "I worry that he is too immersed in rationality and power, but he is far too mature. I cannot think of any good way to guide him."

Newt blinked his bright eyes, somewhat baffled. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Today, he took the initiative to suggest relocating the unicorns. I think that is a good sign. He seems to have some fondness for fantastic beasts... I was thinking, why not try to cultivate that interest?"

Newt finally understood. "You want me to teach him?"

Looking at Dumbledore's old face, Newt suddenly felt that Tina had been right. Nothing good ever came from this old man showing up at the door!