An Eerie Place

Professor Kettleburn kept Riddle in the shed, wanting to learn about snake behavior in order to aid his research on the Ashwinder and other Fantastic Beasts.

Meanwhile, Xiwen returned to the castle alone, found a secluded spot, and prepared to open the Dimensional Gate to return home and spend Christmas with Sandrine.

However, just before he was about to open the portal, he suddenly felt something inside the Pocket Watch Space begin to vibrate violently—

It's Two-Way Mirror with a Phoenix -shaped border!

With a thought that flew through his mind, Xiwen changed the Dimensional Gate that was about to lead to his own courtyard into one that led to the Albania forest, placing it near Newt.

Behind the golden halo of the Dimensional Gate lies the scene where Newt is located.

Upon seeing his surroundings, Xiwen almost cried out in surprise. If the ring hadn't clearly indicated that he was inside the Albania Forest, he wouldn't have believed that such an environment could exist on Earth!

There were many withered and even nearly rotten tree trunks around. The trunks were charred black, all dry and weak, and the few remaining branches had no leaves, as if all their nutrients had been drained.

The ground was also pitch black, like embers from a fire, but with an even stronger aura of evil.

Not only on the ground, but even in the sky, a curtain darker than the night is gradually being drawn back, covering the surrounding area.

"Something's not right here. Get me out of here!" Newt said urgently, carrying his briefcase, as he headed toward the Dimensional Gate.

However, the golden halo of the portal suddenly began to flicker, its stability became extremely poor, and it even felt like it was running out of power and was about to shut down.

Xiwen increased his absorption of magic, but he was still unable to stabilize the aura structure on the Albania side, as if all the magic had lost its activity after reaching the other side!

"Quick! I don't know why, but the portal seems to be about to collapse." A bead of cold sweat trickled down Xiwen's forehead as he forcibly controlled the constantly trembling light circle and shouted loudly.

Fortunately, the Dimensional Gate was located not far from Newt, and he was already standing next to the light circle. He only needed to take one more step forward to enter Hogwarts Castle and escape that strange area.

However, the next moment, a dark vine suddenly wrapped around Newt's ankle, pulling him to the ground and dragging him deeper into the dead wood.

"What is that?" Newt was startled, but his reaction was quick. He immediately drew his wand and aimed it at the vine, preparing to cast Severing Charm to break it free.

However, the tip of his wand only flashed a faint light, which vanished in an instant, without any spell being cast.

Seeing the situation was turning against him, Xiwen raised his wand and cast a spell on the briefcase Newt was clutching tightly.

"The box Accio!"

He used Summoning Charm on Newt's suitcase, hoping the suitcase would carry Newt back into the Dimensional Gate.

However, the Summoning Charm abruptly lost its power when it entered the area behind the light circle, and vanished without even reaching Newt.

The black curtain in the sky grew wider and wider, the golden halo flashed faster and faster, and Newt was slowly dragged further and further away by the vines...

"Forget it, Xiwen. If it doesn't work, just close the portal." Newt said resolutely, seeing that he couldn't break free of the vines anytime soon. "This place is too eerie, you absolutely mustn't come over there!"

"But..." Xiwen hesitated, sensing that Newt was in a precarious situation.

Even as he was slowly dragged along by the vines, Newt held tightly to the briefcase he never parted from.

He pressed a button on the box, and four metal claws popped out from the four narrow sides of the box.

The four metal claws are an alchemical creation that Flamel modified for Newt, enabling the box to automatically keep up with Newt's pace, making them very practical.

But this time, Flamel's alchemical concoction failed to work. The metal claw sprang out and struggled to move the box, but ultimately drooped down helplessly.

Seeing this, Newt sighed deeply.

"If you have the chance, have Dumbledore come to me, but remember to remind him that something is wrong here, and tell him to be careful!" He seemed convinced that he Elphias Doge, and began to give instructions on various trivial matters.

"I still have plenty of supplies in my trunk; the little ones should be able to stay inside for about two weeks. Please remember this location. If Dumbledore gets here, make sure he takes my trunk to Bunty."

As he spoke, Newt silently released the briefcase he always carried and placed it on the ground.

"Also, if you see Tina and Theseus, don't tell them about me yet," Newt said with a smile. "I'm afraid they won't be able to resist coming to find me and then get themselves involved."

Upon hearing Newt's last words, Xiwen finally lost control of his emotions and cried out, his voice filled with complex emotions, "Don't say anymore! You'll be alright!"

In the final second before the Dimensional Gate collapsed, Xiwen finally took a step forward, stepping onto that patch of black, evil ashes.

The black curtain in the sky completely closed, and the golden halo disappeared, leaving only Xiwen's figure faintly visible in the darkness...

Newt stared in surprise as he saw Xiwen approaching from the other side of the light.

"Xiwen, how could you be so impulsive?!" he shouted in exasperation. "You're only making our situation worse. Now we don't even have anyone to pass messages to Dumbledore."

Xiwen didn't speak, but took out his wand and tried to use the Severing Charm to free Newt from the vines.

However, this time the tip of the wand didn't emit even a glimmer of light.

Fortunately, this magical shielding only applies to the flow of magic; the Pocket Watch Space and Newt's box, products of the Undetectable Extension Charm, can still be used. This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Xiwen took out a longsword from his Pocket Watch Space and ran quickly to Newt's side, severing the vines wrapped around his ankle with a single stroke.

"Don't worry, the message has been sent out," Xiwen said softly to Newt, still holding his sword in a swinging motion.

He silently felt the connection with his Soul Body, confirming that he could still sense the situation on the other side in real time, and then breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The Ghost Xiwen has now gone to Flamel's safe house and borrowed the Phoenix Relief Book to begin contacting Dumbledore.