Events from Ten Years Ago

"Look at the Little Cat's claws," Newt said to Xiwen.

Xiwen came closer, tilting his head like Newt, and looked at the Little Cat's sharp claw that Newt had squeezed out of the Little Cat pad.

"Is there anything special about it?" Xiwen asked, somewhat puzzled, after looking at it for a long time without figuring out anything.

Newt turned to look at Xiwen, pointed to the tip of the Little Cat's nail, and said, "Look at this part of her nail, isn't it a bit darker than the rest?"

Xiwen nodded, indicating that he had seen it.

"Actually, this is a characteristic of the Zouwu," Newt explained. "Because the Zouwu is good at running and likes to jump, the tips of these Fantastic Beasts' claws are tougher than those of other large felines, and the darker color reflects this trait."

"Also, look here." Newt tried to point it out to Xiwen, but the Little Cat seemed unwilling and meowed in dissatisfaction.

Newt kindly released the cat's paw, scratched the Little Cat's head, and made her purr contentedly.

Newt then turned to Xiwen and explained, "Normally, feline claws grow naturally, and after a certain length, they exceed the length of the paws, thus affecting their walking. So when their claws become too long, they usually choose to bite off the excess part and then sharpen them again."

"However, the Zouwu's claws are different. These dark parts are not only resilient, but they can also fall off naturally after a period of time. Therefore, there are no bite marks on the Little Cat's claws."

'So how did you notice such minute details?' Xiwen smiled and nodded, but inwardly he was numb with shock. 'He truly deserves to be called the most renowned Magizoologist of our time...'

"That's roughly what the Zouwu looks like, but I haven't found any Cat-Leopard traits in the Little Cat yet," Newt continued. "I guess I'll only be able to feel it after experiencing Cat-Leopard abilities firsthand."

"Um, you don't want to end up like Professor Kettleburn, getting taken down by Little Cat, do you?" Xiwen said, looking a little awkward.

"What? Silvanus has already experienced it?" Newt suddenly asked.

"Ah, yes..." Xiwen paused for a moment, then said.

"Unfortunately, we're not entirely clear on the specific effects of your cat's abilities right now. We're in a hurry, and we can't let this delay our business," Newt said regretfully. "Otherwise, I would definitely want to experience her hypnotic abilities for myself."

Xiwen: "..."

After more than ten hours of travel, passing through several stations, the European Magic Star Train finally arrived at the two's destination— Paris.

Newt, as always, picked up his suitcase and got off the train with Xiwen.

After leaving the station, Newt extended his hand to Xiwen.

Xiwen paused for a moment, not quite understanding what he meant.

"I think we can use some time-saving methods," Newt said, turning to look at Xiwen with a smile.

"Oh, okay." Xiwen quickly grabbed Newt's arm.

Then, their figures twisted and disappeared from the spot.

When the two reappeared, they were standing on a street with a strong sense of history. The antique buildings, constructed of marble, lined up along the street.

The two were standing in front of a café where some wizards and witches dressed in robes were leisurely drinking coffee.

Newt looked at the scene with a nostalgic expression and said softly, "Just ten years ago, Gellert Grindelwald summoned his followers around here."

"I heard he once wanted to destroy all of Paris?" Xiwen asked after a moment's silence.

Newt nodded, a hint of lingering fear on his face, and said, "Back then, Grindelwald unleashed a powerful magical flame at Père Lachaise Cemetery. I even suspect that flame was more destructive than Fiendfyre."

"If Flamel hadn't arrived in time to end this curse, it would have grown stronger as it devoured everything, and eventually all of Paris would have been engulfed in flames."

What kind of flame could possibly destroy a city as large as Paris? Xiwen found it hard to imagine, and even harder to accept, that this person would be their enemy.

"Doesn't he care about his followers? It's impossible for all of them to escape Paris, isn't it?" Xiwen asked.

"In fact, they didn't need to escape," Newt said, shaking his head. "I don't know how Grindelwald did it, but his flames ensured the safety of all those who supported his ideals."

Hearing Newt's words, Xiwen's heart grew heavy.

For the first time, Xiwen realized with such clarity that the Dark Lord his Aunt Vida followed possessed such formidable power.

Newt seemed to sense Xiwen's heavy mood and comforted him, saying, "There's no need to be so stressed. Don't forget, we still have Dumbledore."

"Yes, we still need Dumbledore." Xiwen nodded, but couldn't help asking the question that had been troubling him for so long, and had puzzled the entire wizarding world for just as long. "But why didn't Dumbledore stop him himself?"

Newt paused for a moment, then shook his head and said to Xiwen, "I can't tell you this on my own. But you can ask Dumbledore yourself."

He then declined to say anything more and simply led Xiwen to the corner of the street.

"Cards," he said succinctly.

Xiwen took out the golden card from the Pocket Watch Space.

The moment the card appeared, the stone buildings along the street suddenly extended, and another ancient stone house abruptly appeared before Xiwen's eyes!

The stone house has three floors, and its exterior walls are extremely exquisite, with intricate carvings between each pair of floors. The elegant windows are made of colorful glazed tiles, covering the entire exterior wall of the first floor.

Near the other side of the street, there is an old wooden door, with a few steps connecting it to the street. The wall on the other side is empty, except for a sign with the words "21 Montmorency Street" that have long been blurred by time.

"Should we knock on the door?" The thought that this was where Nick Flamel lived made Xiwen a little nervous.

Newt chuckled softly, took the card from Xiwen, and strolled to the door.

As Newt approached, the wind chimes outside the door rang out with a clear and melodious sound.

Then, the metal door opened automatically.

"Let's go, Nick should be waiting for us inside." Newt turned around and said to Xiwen with a smile.