Chapter 41: Newt Scamander
Purely from an experiential standpoint, Apparition felt worse than the Floo Network.
Vaughn felt as if he were being squeezed into a ring-shaped tube, sliding rapidly around a center point, spinning until he was dizzy, and then being pushed out of the tube.
As he touched the ground again, he staggered, nearly falling, and his stomach churned.
Fortunately, he didn’t vomit.
Dumbledore said cheerfully, “You performed better than I expected, Vaughn. In fact, Fawkes has always been rather impatient, and its reaction during Apparition is far rougher than that of 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 wicked sense of humor, being eccentric, and being a doddering old fool.”
“I never expected to be seen that way by Severus; it’s truly heartbreaking. He still doesn’t understand what fun is!”
Dumbledore said with a smile, looking around for a moment, then happily added, “Oh, Fawkes didn’t go to the wrong place this time. Come on, Vaughn, my kind friend must be preparing a warm welcome for us.”
Dumbledore said with a smile, looking around for a moment, then happily said, “It seems Fawkes remembered the Scamander family. I thought we might end up at the seaside again, like last time.”
Vaughn also looked up and around.
The place where they materialized was a country lane. In the distance behind them, the sea could be seen under the night sky, reflecting the faint moonlight, and the sound of roaring waves could be heard faintly.
Scamander…
Vaughn already knew who they were going to find: Newt Scamander!
Is this Dorset?
It wasn’t until after he got Guo Guo Cha that Vaughn began to be interested in Magical Creatures. Currently, in the Wizarding World, if anyone understands Magical Creatures the most, it would be Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, who is undoubtedly the foremost authority today.
During the summer holidays, Vaughn had even asked Arthur to inquire about Newt’s whereabouts.
But because he had no prior contact, he only knew that Newt lived in seclusion in Dorset.
Of course, his situation was different from Nicolas Flamel’s; he assumed no one would target a retired magizoologist.
Therefore, his house was not hidden but stood beside the country lane where the two had appeared.
It was a two-story villa with red bricks and white tiles, looking simple yet exquisite.
Dumbledore led Vaughn over and knocked on the door.
Soon after, the door opened, and a somewhat thin old woman appeared before them.
Just as Dumbledore raised his hand to greet her, saying, “Good evening, Tina, I…”
The old woman’s face fell the moment she saw him, and she slammed the door shut!
Vaughn tugged on Dumbledore’s robe, “Is this what you call a warm welcome?”
Dumbledore: “…”
…
Ten minutes later, inside the small villa.
The warm fire in the fireplace licked the firewood, bathing the living room in a fiery glow.
Dumbledore and Vaughn sat on the sofa, and Newt Scamander brought them tea.
“I’m sorry, Dumbledore, Tina…”
Before he could finish, Tina snatched Dumbledore’s tea, “When has he ever come to you without needing you to solve his troubles? I saw through him long ago. We are retired, do you understand, retired?”
Newt chuckled nervously, “Tina, please don’t be like this. There’s a child here.”
Tina looked at Vaughn, and the frost on her face quickly melted. She smiled warmly, “Child, don’t be afraid. Grandma Tina isn’t a bad person. The one next to you, Dumbledore, is the bad one.”
They looked at Vaughn, and Vaughn looked back at them, mostly at Newt.
Newt had an ordinary appearance, with nothing particularly remarkable, except for his bright eyes. They weren’t the piercingly bright eyes of Dumbledore, but rather filled with a childlike innocence that didn’t belong to someone of his advanced age.
He was a bit like Hagrid, and like Professor Kettleburn from the Care of Magical Creatures class.
Vaughn suddenly realized that people who liked Magical Creatures seemed to have very simple hearts.
“You’re a Weasley, aren’t you?” Newt suddenly asked. “Your features are too distinctive. It’s a large family. Before I retired from the Ministry of Magic, I heard there was a Weasley in the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, and recently, when I went to Romania to study Fire Dragons, there was also a Weasley there.”
Vaughn replied, “The one at the Ministry of Magic is my father, Arthur Weasley, and the one in Romania is my brother, Charlie Weasley, Mr. Scamander.”
“Oh, oh, how peculiar…”
Newt, who was a bit socially awkward, stammered a few pleasantries before handing Vaughn over to Tina for some fussing.
He then said to Dumbledore, “So, Dumbledore, you want me to look after those Unicorns for a while?”
“Yes, Newt. I can’t think of anyone more suitable than you.”
Newt showed no sign of hesitation and readily agreed, “I can help. There’s still space in the basement. But I must say, it can’t be for too long. Unicorns yearn for freedom, and a confined environment is very bad for them.”
Dumbledore nodded, “It won’t need to be for too long. Once that dark wizard is dealt with, they can go back.”
“It’s hard to believe there are still such wicked dark wizards these days.”
Newt said indignantly. Like Hagrid, he was also a man of action. After finishing a cup of tea with Dumbledore and Vaughn, having barely fulfilled his duties as a host, he hurried upstairs.
A moment later, he came back down, having changed his clothes and carrying an old trunk.
“I knew it. He never comes to you for anything good. I should have shoved you into the Floo Network the moment I closed the door.”
Although she complained verbally, Tina still stepped forward to help Newt adjust his collar.
Dumbledore remained unfazed, “Tina, there will be no danger, I promise.”
Tina completely ignored him, simply calling to Vaughn kindly, “Come, child, let the old men deal with their own business. Grandma will take you to see the Magical Creatures.”
Thus, the two old men Apparated away. Before leaving, Dumbledore winked at Vaughn.
Vaughn suddenly realized.
He had asked Old Dumbledore to be his muscle, but Old Dumbledore seemed to be using him as a pawn.
He had known all along that Tina disliked him and might not let him in, so he deliberately brought Vaughn along.
He had counted on the fact that Tina wouldn’t make a scene in front of a child.
Damnable!
A draw!
At the same time, Dumbledore, who had appeared in the Forbidden Forest, was looking for the Unicorn herd with Newt while asking him, “Newt, what do you think of young Vaughn Weasley?”
Newt was confused. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Very complex. Not like a child…”
“Yes, very complex,” Dumbledore sighed. He introduced Vaughn’s current achievements to Newt and continued, “I’m worried he’s too immersed in logic and power. But he’s too mature, and I can’t think of a good way to guide him.”
Newt blinked his bright eyes, a little bewildered, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Today, he took the initiative to suggest I relocate the Unicorns. I think that’s a good sign. He seems to have some fondness for Magical Creatures… I was wondering, why not try to ignite this interest in him?”
Newt finally understood, “You want me to teach him?”
Looking at Dumbledore’s aged face, Newt suddenly felt that Tina was right; this old man never brought anything good when he visited!
