Chapter 116: A Visit
Newt Scamander and his family lived reclusively in Dorset, in southern England, on a small hillside.
Surrounded by lush, soft green grass, one could see distant Muggle villages from the doorway.
Of course, the same spells as Hogwarts were cast here. To Muggles, the hill appeared to be nothing more than bare rocks.
Steven pushed open the door with practiced ease, revealing a winding garden path.
A swarm of Fairies, accompanied by butterflies, flitted among bowl-sized flowers, creating a truly dreamlike scene.
A rustling sound came from the grass, and a tawny Kneazle poked its head out. It watched Wade warily, its large ears twitching slightly.
Then came a second Kneazle; they were naturally astute and could detect individuals of poor character.
"Hi, Hobby, Millie," Steven said, crouching down with a chuckle. "Long time no see, did you miss me?"
Hobby, seeing him, relaxed its guard and climbed onto Steven, making sounds like a fawning baby.
The other Kneazle approached Wade, primly rubbing its claws on his trousers, then climbed up his leg. Wade quickly picked it up.
"Millie really likes you," Steven said, looking pleased. "They're Mr. Scamander's pets. There's also one named Moller, who doesn't like going out much."
The two walked along the stone path into the yard, where they saw Newt Scamander already standing at the bottom of the steps, with a very pointy-eared Kneazle lazily sprawled at his feet.
Newt Scamander was ninety-five years old.
He wasn't the young and shy man depicted in the movies. Time had given him greying hair and faint wrinkles, but it hadn't changed a certain innocent and earnest quality about him.
His eyes were still clear, and he stood slightly turned away, as if unconsciously avoiding others' gazes, appearing a bit reserved.
Even though the two people in front of him were far inferior to Newt Scamander in terms of age, social status, and magical ability, he showed no hint of condescension.
He seemed like a child who feared harm and was easily hurt by evil.
"Good morning, Steven," Newt said, looking at Wade with reservation. "Welcome, Mr. Wade Grey."
Wade bowed slightly. "Please just call me Wade. I've always admired you greatly. I apologize for this abrupt visit and for troubling you."
"Not at all," Newt said softly. "I'm delighted when excellent Young Wizards are willing to learn about these things."
A boy with brown curly hair emerged from behind Newt, flashing a bright smile at Wade. "Hello! I heard the Book of Friends was your invention?"
"Polite, Rolf," Newt said, neither lightly nor heavily.
Clearly, he wasn't a formidable grandfather in his grandson's eyes. Rolf secretly made a face, then extended his hand.
"Hello, I'm Rolf—Rolf Scamander."
The boy grinned. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wade Grey, inventor of the Book of Friends."
"Hello," Wade said, shaking his hand.
"Do you want to tour my grandfather's animal sanctuary? Come with me, I'll be your guide!"
Rolf enthusiastically pulled Wade forward, while Newt and Steven followed behind, smiling.
"I heard you went to America recently?" Steven asked.
"Yes, to visit an old friend," Newt said with a sigh. "About seventy years ago, I sent it to America. I never thought that now, I'd have to see it off from this world."
Upon hearing this, Steven realized the old friend he spoke of was a Thunderbird, and he said in surprise, "I thought Thunderbirds were supposed to have very long lifespans?"
"It was too severely injured protecting its young and didn't make it to treatment," Newt said sadly. "You know, they can summon lightning and storms, so they're often targeted by poachers."
Steven said angrily, "Dreadful poachers! I've always dreamed of seeing a Thunderbird with my own eyes, and they dared to harm it!"
"Then your dream can come true today."
Newt forced a smile. "After Frank died, its child lost its protection. To keep it safe, I brought it back."
Rolf paid no attention to what his grandfather and Steven were discussing; he excitedly told Wade:
"The Book of Friends is such an amazing invention! Everyone in our family has one. My grandmother has the most—she has three all to herself!"
"I have some too! One with my grandfather, one with my grandmother, one with my dad and one with my mom, and even one with my uncle… chatting on paper is more fun than face-to-face!"
"There's just one thing! The information doesn't save for very long! Sometimes I wake up from a nap and miss my mom's messages, and she complains about it—ah, you have to go in here!"
He placed a brown leather suitcase on the ground and opened it, then crawled inside himself. When only his upper body was visible, he turned back and waved to Wade.
Then he vanished completely, as if eaten by the suitcase.
Wade had seen this scene in a movie in his previous life. He smiled at the sight, then followed him inside.
The entrance to the suitcase was quite narrow, but the internal space had been magically expanded, like a personal Pocket Dimension.
Down the stairs was a small room like a storeroom, filled with many items, many of which looked quite old. Wade didn't have time to examine them closely.
"Hurry up!"
Rolf called from ahead, opening a flimsy-looking wooden door in the room.
*"Creak—"*
The wooden door let out a hoarse groan from its hinges, and a rush of cool, damp air and animal scent washed over them.
A vast world abruptly appeared before their eyes with a shocking impact.
Wade couldn't help but hold his breath, his heart pounding like a drum.
Experiencing all of this firsthand, being inside this miraculous space created by magic, was entirely different from seeing it on a movie screen.
For a moment, he felt his breath had been stolen from him.
Magic… what a wondrous power…
Rolf had grown up playing here and was already used to it, so he couldn't grasp the shock Wade was feeling. Seeing him frozen in place, he pulled him by the arm to the side.
"This way, I'll take you to see the new residents here!"
They hadn't walked far when a golden desert appeared before them, with several giant stone pillars in the center.
Nestled in a hollow of one of the pillars was a chick with three pairs of wings and a slender tail. It was sleeping with its eyes closed, its feathers gently swaying in the breeze.
Rolf made a shushing gesture and led Wade tiptoeing over, then gestured for him to gently extend a finger, just as he did.
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