In the laboratory,
Tom was staring intently as Wade examined the basilisk flesh.
After a while, Wade finally removed his equipment and placed the basilisk samples back into the safe.
"According to the analysis, the basilisk's DNA shows similarities to vipers, rattlesnakes, and pythons… what's surprising is that it even shares some traits with crocodiles!" Wade said excitedly.
"So what does that mean? What do we do now?" Tom couldn't understand Wade's explanation, so he simply asked what to do next.
"First, we need to extract somatic cells containing genetic material from the basilisk tissue, and then…" Wade paused. "Even if I explain it, you wouldn't understand."
Tom shrugged. "That's true… then I'll just watch. Or is there anything you need me to do?"
In truth, Tom only wanted to see Wade's strange experiments with his own eyes. Even if he couldn't understand them, it didn't matter.
He was here to broaden his horizons, so whether he participated or not made no difference to him.
"There is something I need your help with, Tom," Wade said with a smile.
"What do you need me to do?" Tom asked.
Wade thought for a moment before replying, "We need to go into the Forbidden Forest and catch a few snakes. If I go alone, it'll be troublesome since I'd have to search for them. But if you come along, there's no need to search. You have Parseltongue. Just summon them, and we can take our time choosing."
"What do you need ordinary snakes for?" Tom asked.
"It's hard to explain their use to you… I need some female snakes, preferably vipers," Wade said.
…
In the Forbidden Forest,
Grindelwald stared at Newt, his teeth grinding audibly.
After a long pause, he forced out a sentence through clenched teeth.
"You're saying… that out of the seven checkpoints I set up, six are unqualified?"
Newt nodded. "Yes. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that you didn't place any Dark creatures in the checkpoint meant for first-year students, all seven of your checkpoints would be unqualified."
The members of Grindelwald's group all fell silent. After a while, one of them said, "Sir… it seems like he's playing you."
Grindelwald thought the same.
"So, you take me for a fool? Isn't that going too far?"
He had assumed that even if Newt was here to nitpick, at most he would point out one or two issues, stall for time, and cause some minor trouble.
Instead, the man had nearly rejected everything. No matter how he looked at it, Newt was clearly here to cause problems.
"And even now, you still think I'm deliberately making things difficult for you? Have you considered that it might simply be that you amateurs didn't do a proper job?" Newt shot back.
"Then explain it. Tell me what's wrong. If you can't… I won't mind sending you to Azkaban to clear your head," Grindelwald said through gritted teeth.
"You're insulting my professionalism. In fact, your mistakes are obvious… Did you divide all the Dark creatures and magical beasts into seven groups based on their level of danger, and then simply place them into seven tents?"
"Of course… what's wrong with that? Arranged like this, students from all seven years can face appropriate challenges…"
Newt shook his head. "Then have you considered that some Dark creatures and certain magical beasts simply cannot coexist?"
"When we designed this, every creature was separated by barriers. They can't harm each other. So I don't see why they wouldn't be able to coexist," Grindelwald said with a frown.
Newt let out a cold laugh. "Is separation enough? Some kinds of harm can't be prevented by barriers alone. In Azkaban, prisoners are separated from Dementors most of the time, aren't they? Then why are the prisoners still affected by them?"
Grindelwald hesitated at that. Indeed, creatures like Dementors, even without actively feeding on human happiness, could make anyone nearby feel deeply uncomfortable just by passing close.
"Dark creatures and magical beasts influence each other when kept together… for example, a Quintaped cannot be kept with Inferi. In the seventh-year tent I just inspected, your Quintapeds have become depressed. To them, those Inferi are delicious prey right in front of them, yet they can only look and not eat… And the toxic fumes produced by the purple giant toads will irritate Banshees, making them more aggressive…"
As Newt listed dozens of conflicting combinations, Grindelwald's expression kept shifting.
Perhaps… Newt wasn't exaggerating?
Newt closed his suitcase and continued, "In short, placing so many creatures together like this creates severe internal conflict. While they clash with each other, their overall danger increases significantly. That means the students attempting these challenges will face opponents far stronger than intended. In that case, how could I possibly deem this acceptable?"
"...."
"....."
Grindelwald and his followers fell silent once more.
"If you don't believe me, you can go and take another look yourselves. See whether what I said is true," Newt added.
Grindelwald turned and nodded to the wizards beside him. Several of them immediately entered the tent.
After a while, they came back out, their faces pale.
Seeing them nod at him, Grindelwald felt worse than if he had swallowed a fly.
It was actually true.
"Then what's your solution?" Grindelwald asked unwillingly.
Newt replied casually, "Of course there's a solution. When arranging these magical creatures and Dark creatures, you just need to pay attention to which ones are compatible and which ones conflict."
"Fine… then you come and help us sort it out," Grindelwald said helplessly.
He knew very well that if Newt were to handle it, he would have plenty of ways to drag the process out indefinitely.
But for now, there didn't seem to be any other option. Even if he found another magizoologist, Dumbledore might not approve.
However, to Grindelwald's surprise, Newt directly refused.
"No. I'm not responsible for adjusting it."
"You're not responsible? Then what exactly did you come here for?" Grindelwald snapped in anger.
"I'm only responsible for inspection. After all, Dumbledore only paid me to inspect. The adjustments are up to you," Newt said, picking up his suitcase and turning to leave.
As he walked, he said, "When you've finished making the adjustments, write to me. I'll come back and inspect again…"
Hearing this, Grindelwald was furious.
He had originally thought Newt would deliberately put on an act during the adjustments and drag things out.
But now it seemed… he couldn't even be bothered to pretend.
In other words, if Grindelwald wanted to continue with his plan, he would have to find another magizoologist and set up all the checkpoints again?
Not only would that take a long time, but what if Newt came back afterward and casually declared it unqualified again? Wouldn't all that effort be wasted?
Very well… Dumbledore, you old schemer, your skill with underhanded tactics has certainly improved.
Just who did you learn this from?
___
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