A Team Everyone Had High Hopes For

The dazzling green flames illuminated the entire train car.

Along with the flames came a comical scream—

"Ughhhhh, it's always like this! It just keeps spinning and spinning and spinning..."

A slightly overweight man with a comical mustache spun out of the fireplace and bumped into Newt, who was standing in the middle of the carriage.

The slightly overweight man nervously opened his eyes and glanced at Newt, then patted Newt on the back with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, Newt, my good brother!" the slightly overweight man exclaimed excitedly. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Jacob," Newt said with a smile, giving the slightly overweight man a happy hug.

After Jacob made his strange entrance from the fireplace, a pretty black witch gracefully emerged from it.

Xiwen had seen this witch in Flamel's Phoenix Relief Book; her name was Lali Hicks, a brilliant Charms professor and key keeper at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ten years ago, it was Professor Hicks who had a conversation with Flamel through the Phoenix Relief Book.

She urged Flamel to help Newt save Paris. It was because of her persuasion that Flamel, who had not personally intervened in a conflict for two hundred years, finally decided to go to Père Lachaise Cemetery and lead a group of wizards to Oblivion the raging flames unleashed by Grindelwald.

Silently reviewing Professor Hicks's information, Xiwen turned his gaze once again to the interesting, slightly overweight man Jacob.

Xiwen glanced at Jacob casually, then widened his eyes. He didn't sense any magic from Jacob!

"Wait a minute, I think I need to ask. Does this gentleman named Jacob possess a unique way of concealing his magic?" Xiwen interrupted the group's polite conversation and asked with a puzzled look.

Upon hearing Xiwen's question, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

Finally, Newt stepped forward and said softly, "In fact, Jacob is a Muggle, Doctor Strange."

"Muggle?! Joining our team against Grindelwald?" Xiwen exclaimed in surprise.

He didn't believe for a second that the addition of Muggle would be of any positive effect in the fight against Grindelwald. Jacob's arrival might actually cause the wizards to be distracted by protecting the Muggle, needlessly reducing their fighting strength; more likely, the Muggle would be unable to protect himself in the wizarding melee and would be sacrificed meaninglessly.

Then, Xiwen said somewhat vehemently, "There's absolutely no way we can protect him! This is irresponsible to our team, and irresponsible to this Muggle's life!"

"Doctor Strange, Mr. Kowalski's joining was arranged by Dumbledore," Professor Hicks said to Xiwen as he approached.

"Why would Dumbledore make such an illogical decision?" Upon hearing that it was Dumbledore's arrangement, Xiwen calmed down slightly, but still frowned and questioned.

"Um, Mr. Ghost, you're Doctor Strange, right?" Jacob cleared his throat and forced a smile as he spoke to Xiwen. "First, I want to thank you for your concern. But what you're doing is actually closely related to me. My beloved, Queenie, has been bewitched by that Grindelwald, and I must persuade her to come back!"

"Therefore, joining your ranks is my own free will, even if it means dying in a battle between wizards!" Jacob said solemnly. "Of course, if I can offer any small assistance to your plans, that would be even better."

"You really didn't have to do this..." Xiwen stared blankly at this Muggle who had no magic whatsoever, not knowing what to say.

"Doctor Strange, you may have forgotten what Dumbledore told each of us," Newt said earnestly, looking at Xiwen. "Whatever task Dumbledore assigns, we need to trust him unconditionally, even if his decisions go against our instincts or our beliefs!"

Hearing Newt's words, Xiwen was stunned.

He looked around and saw the unwavering gazes of the people around him, realizing that their trust in Dumbledore was far greater than he had imagined.

Xiwen took a deep breath and slowly nodded.

"In that case, it does look more like a team!" A slow smile crept onto his lips.

After everyone introduced themselves, the team members got to know each other a bit better, and the atmosphere in the carriage gradually became more lively.

During this time, Newt took some items from his briefcase that Dumbledore had asked him to deliver and handed them to the members of the various teams designated by Dumbledore.

Theseus and Professor Hicks each received a Portkey, their expressions revealing a knowing understanding; Newt's assistant Bunty Brodak, nervously received a note, which she then automatically burned after reading it; Yusuf Kama didn't take anything, but solemnly indicated that he knew what to do.

Just as Xiwen was enjoying everyone's performance, Newt walked up to him and handed him a note.

"Doctor Strange, this is what Dumbledore left for you," Newt said to Xiwen. He then unfolded the note and held it up in front of Xiwen's face.

"Uh, thanks. But really, there's no need for that." Xiwen's lips twitched as he looked at the note Newt held up.

He beckoned, and the note in Newt's hand flew over automatically, hovering in front of Xiwen's eyes.

However, after seeing the contents of the note, Xiwen was completely stunned...

"Do what you think needs to be done!" The note read in a bold and elegant handwriting.

Xiwen felt he hadn't said everything and wanted to flip the note over to see if he'd missed anything, but the note had already been swallowed by the flames...

Looking at the expressions of the others—some confident, some calm, and some anxious—it was clear they all understood their mission at least. Xiwen, reflecting on his own task, felt a pang of existential doubt...

"Oh, right." After handing the note to Xiwen, Newt took out a delicate, curved wand from his pocket and handed it to Jacob.

"Dumbledore has something for you, Jacob," Newt said with a smile. "It's made of Snakewood, of course, without a core."

Jacob seemed a little incredulous, pointing to himself with his index finger and asking doubtfully, "Are you kidding me?"

Newt didn't say much, but simply insisted on handing the wand to him.

Jacob carefully took the wand and examined it repeatedly.

"Wow! That's incredible!" he kept exclaiming.

Before we knew it, the train had entered the city from the suburbs, and its speed gradually slowed down.

"It seems everyone knows their mission now, right?" Theseus clapped his hands and asked.

Everyone else nodded, but Xiwen remained bewildered.

Xiwen was about to ask what he needed to do, but before he could speak, Newt stopped him with a look.

"Just do as Dumbledore tells you, Doctor Strange," Newt said.

"But..." Xiwen opened his mouth, then thought of Dumbledore's "plan without a plan". In the end, he quieted down and decided to wait and see.

Theseus glanced at the diverse expressions on the faces of the crowd and chuckled, saying, "Then, we are the team entrusted with defeating the greatest dark wizard in modern history."

"A Magizoologist, his assistant, a wizard from an ancient family, a school teacher..."

"And... a ghost, and a Muggle!" Theseus said, looking at Xiwen and Jacob with a smile.

"We truly deserve everyone's support!"