The fire crackled in the hut, and Fang lay on the floor, whining.
Douglas glanced at Newt, who had fallen silent again, and sighed inwardly. Looks like I'll have to do it myself after all.
"Hagrid, do you know why we didn't go to Headmaster Dumbledore, but came all this way specifically to see you instead?"
Hagrid froze for a moment and blew his nose. "Oh... Douglas, you're welcome anytime, of course... But I can't think how I could help with this..."
Douglas cut him off. "The headmaster is certainly a great wizard, but he has his weaknesses when it comes to magical creatures, doesn't he?"
That final question was directed at Newt, who once again seemed unsure how to speak up. Newt answered instinctively, "Ah... yes, yes, Albus really isn't particularly good at that..."
Before Hagrid could speak, Douglas nodded solemnly.
"But you're different, Hagrid. You can hear the heartbeats of creatures the world misunderstands. You don't just have experience taming dangerous species; you even know how much morning dew to mix in when weaning unicorn foals so they won't get diarrhea... I imagine plenty of people in the wizarding world don't know these things, Dumbledore included. Isn't that right, Mr. Scamander?"
"Ah, yes, that's certainly... Though that's because people rarely come into contact with..."
Douglas cut him off. "None of that matters. What matters is that you even crossbred those delicious Blast-Ended Skrewts Madame Maxime loves eating..."
Hagrid blinked, tears still clinging to his lashes, looking a little bewildered and a little embarrassed. "Wasn't that the research topic and direction you gave me? I'd originally just wanted to try a bit of crossbreeding..."
Sitting on a wooden stump nearby, Newt unconsciously rubbed the brass clasp of his suitcase and silently rolled his eyes. Douglas's outrageously earnest face was