In Slytherin's study,
Wade and Toby were busy at work.
Tom and the cat Tom stood to the side, watching the commotion.
It wasn't that they didn't want to help, but Wade was worried these two clumsy Toms would end up breaking his precious instruments.
Tom the cat watched for a while before getting bored, then ran off to the nearby chicken coop to play with the little rooster.
Tom himself, however, stared at Wade's equipment without blinking.
To be honest, since Wade had taken out the experimental apparatus right in front of him, it meant he had no intention of hiding the process.
In other words, this would be the first time he watched Wade conduct an experiment up close.
He had long been curious about how those strange spells and alchemical items were created.
Watching as Wade and Toby used a Levitation Charm to move out a cabinet containing glass containers, Tom couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
"This is a cultivation chamber. It can be used to grow living organisms," Wade replied casually.
Tom asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you weren't going to raise a basilisk here?"
"I never said we had to raise a basilisk. We can cultivate other interesting creatures instead," Wade said cheerfully.
"Hiss… I seem to remember that this isn't exactly legal," Tom said hesitantly.
"It's a bit questionable… but as long as the Ministry of Magic doesn't find out, it's fine. And even if they do, it's nothing more than a fine of a few Galleons."
Wade understood the nature of the British Ministry of Magic all too well.
If they could even accept Grindelwald, what principles did they really have?
"And what about Dumbledore…"
"Before I start cultivating anything, I'll submit an application to him… after all, Professor Slughorn needs some new materials for brewing potions," Wade said with a smile.
Tom suddenly understood. With Professor Slughorn's endorsement and Dumbledore's trust, what was there for Wade to worry about? As long as he didn't create something as dangerous as a basilisk, there would basically be no problem.
"In fact, many of the magical creatures we see in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were originally the result of wizarding biological experiments," Wade explained.
"There's such a thing?" Tom wasn't particularly interested in magical creatures, so this was the first time he had heard of it.
"For example, the Hidebehind. It's a nocturnal magical creature that lives deep in forests and preys on humanoid beings. It can alter its form, allowing it to hide behind almost any object, perfectly concealing itself from both predators and prey."
"And the origin of this creature actually comes from an accidental incident caused by a wizard…"
"At the time, there was a wizard involved in the illegal trade of artifacts and magical creatures named Phineas Fletcher."
"He intended to transport a Demiguise he had acquired to America to make Invisibility Cloaks. But the Demiguise escaped on the ship and crossbred with a stowaway ghoul…"
"And that's how the Hidebehind was born. After the ship docked, their offspring escaped into the forests of Massachusetts, and to this day they still appear there in large numbers."
"In the early 1620s, an unusually large and powerful Hidebehind caught a young Pukwudgie, but was driven away by Isolt Sayre… oh, Isolt Sayre was one of the founders of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She also carried the blood of the Gaunt family and was a descendant of Slytherin."
Tom couldn't help scratching his head. "Where did you learn all this?"
"From books. I don't just read spellbooks," Wade said as he took out another glass container.
Inside it, Tom saw preserved flesh and blood from a basilisk, kept fresh by Wade's magic…
"You're planning to…"
"Although I can't hatch a basilisk for now… using its DNA to clone some weaker snakes isn't impossible."
"Clone? DNA?"
More unfamiliar terms…
In the end, Tom gave up trying to understand once again.
...
The Forbidden Forest.
Grindelwald stepped out of a tent, several documents in hand as he flipped through them.
After a while, a faint smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"Finally finished…" Grindelwald murmured.
Ever since the incident with the parallel world, he had been forced to abandon the preparations he had just completed.
He had set up several additional layers of safeguards.
Resetting those measures and placing the dark creatures had taken him quite a bit of time.
Only today had everything finally been completed.
Just as he was about to go find Dumbledore, a figure appeared on the forest path.
When Grindelwald saw who it was, the smile on his face gradually disappeared.
The newcomer was tall and thin, carrying a suitcase in his hand…
"Newt Scamander… what brings you here?" Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning dangerous as he looked at the middle-aged man before him.
Facing that dangerous look, Newt showed not the slightest trace of fear.
"I'm not here for you, Grindelwald. Dumbledore asked me to come."
Grindelwald frowned. "What is he trying to do this time?"
"Dumbledore told me what you're planning… I may not fully understand why he isn't stopping you, but he always has his reasons. So when I received his request, I came. You've set up all these checkpoints and placed a large number of Dark creatures and magical beasts. After you finish your preparations, I'll be here to inspect them…"
"You're quite obedient, aren't you? Dumbledore tells you to come, and you come? And another thing…" Grindelwald let out a cold laugh. "My arrangements need to be inspected by you? Who do you think you are?"
Newt remained calm and composed. "I may not be anyone important, but with all due respect, when it comes to the study of magical creatures, I am more professional than the rest of you. That is why Dumbledore invited me to inspect your checkpoints, to ensure nothing goes wrong…"
Grindelwald snorted. "That old man Dumbledore is trying to use you to trip me up again, isn't he?"
"Dumbledore is thinking about the students' safety. No matter how thorough your plans are, no one can guarantee that a large number of Dark creatures and magical beasts, in the hands of non-experts, won't cause problems."
Newt was usually not good with words, but when facing Grindelwald, every sentence he spoke carried a sharp edge.
"Fine… you're the expert, you're so impressive. Then hurry up and inspect them!"
Although Grindelwald knew this was likely another way for Dumbledore to delay his plans, the reasoning was sound.
At this point, if he wanted to play by the rules, he had no way to refuse Dumbledore's legitimate request…
"So, you're already prepared?" Newt glanced at the tent behind him.
"Yes. Your timing couldn't be more perfect," Grindelwald said impatiently.
"Good. Then I assume this tent behind you is one of them."
"Yes, yes. Hurry up and inspect. Someone, take him there, so this 'expert' doesn't accidentally stumble into one of the checkpoints set up by us amateurs," Grindelwald said with a mocking tone.
Newt said nothing further and followed a member of Grindelwald's group into the tent…
___
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