Fleur and Hermione had no idea what little calculations were running through Tver's mind.
To students like them, Newt Scamander—though not particularly favored by the various Ministries of Magic—was still a great and deeply respected Magizoologist in their eyes.
So when Hermione learned that her article on House-elves had earned the appreciation of someone like Scamander, she was over the moon.
It was like a student publishing a paper in Transfiguration Today and then receiving a personal letter of praise from Dumbledore himself.
"Professor, how should we reply to Mr. Scamander?"
The thought of ignoring him never even crossed Hermione's mind.
Tver frowned slightly, folded the parchment, and handed it back.
"Did you know? The Ministry of Magic has always had an Office for House-Elf Relocation. Scamander worked there for two years."
"Isn't that a good thing? Since he's had direct contact with House-elves, that's probably why Mr. Scamander is interested in our ideas?" Hermione asked softly, shoulders tensing as she shrank back a little.
The professor's serious expression made her nervous. She was afraid he might refuse Scamander outright.
"That's exactly the issue," Tver said. "Scamander considered those two years at the Office for House-Elf Relocation unbearably dull. What if this is just a momentary whim?"
"Of course," he added, noticing the worry on Hermione's face, his tone easing, "I'm not forbidding you from exchanging ideas with him. I just want you to be cautious."
"Before we understand what he truly thinks, don't reveal our goal of securing equal status for sentient beings."
Fleur nodded in understanding and slipped an arm around Hermione's shoulders.
As a half-blood Veela, she had grown up seeing and hearing plenty of stories about Veela being deceived by wizards' honeyed words.
So although she was also excited at the prospect of establishing contact with Scamander, she kept a measure of vigilance in her heart.
"Here's an idea. Dumbledore and Scamander are quite close. I'll see if I can have him invite Scamander back to Hogwarts sometime so we can talk to him in person."
Hermione brightened immediately, any trace of guilt over having doubted Scamander disappearing in an instant.
"By the way, you two have gotten pretty close, haven't you?" Tver said, giving them an odd look as they remained wrapped around each other.
Hermione had never had many friends, largely because of her habit of lecturing others. As far as Tver knew, even her dorm mates didn't get along with her particularly well.
Among the students at Hogwarts, only Harry and a few others were truly close to her.
Fleur was even more aloof. Her isolation wasn't just because she was ostracized; her own pride and reluctance to mingle with classmates played a part.
Most of the time, she stayed with her younger sister. In some ways, she had even fewer friends at Hogwarts than Hermione.
And now these two solitary girls had found comfort in each other.
"Of course!" Fleur tightened her arm around Hermione, a rare, radiant smile spreading across her face.
"We share the same beliefs about protecting magical creatures, and in our studies we both have, well, strong individual abilities. Isn't it only natural that we'd become good friends?"
Hermione laughed, her smile just as bright.
Compared to the hopelessly straightforward Harry and Ron, Fleur was the kind of best friend she could whisper secrets to.
Watching them, Tver found himself at a loss for words. In the end, he simply changed the subject and began discussing their plans moving forward.
...
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office...
Dumbledore had received a letter as well—also from Newt Scamander.
"As you requested, I've written to that young lady.
"To be honest, if you hadn't told me this line of thinking came from Grindelwald's student, I would have assumed it was your own careful reasoning."
"But precisely because of that, I made some discreet inquiries. That article seems to have become a lure, stirring restlessness among sentient beings."
"Especially the goblins. I've even heard that some of them are openly discussing, in taverns, the promises wizards once made to them."
"Albus, I don't know what that Mr. Fawley intends to do, but this ideology is undoubtedly positive—and extremely dangerous."
"Much like Grindelwald's call to rule over Muggles."
"Albus, the wizarding world cannot withstand war after war. In recent years alone, there have already been multiple emergencies involving Muggles noticing magical creatures."
"Their population keeps expanding. Their demand for land and resources grows by the day. They've even begun destroying magical creatures' habitats."
"When I was researching Firetrail Snails in the Brazilian rainforest, I saw this trend with my own eyes."
"One day, it may very well escalate, just like the wars Grindelwald and Voldemort once ignited and completely expose the wizarding world to Muggles."
"Forgive me. I don't mean to add to your burdens. Tina always complains that even in retirement, I can't stop worrying.
"Well, that's my fault. Tina's complaints—strike that—her words are right. I should have more faith in the younger generation of the wizarding world. She's right beside me now and asked me to send you her regards :)
"—Newt and Tina Scamander."
After finishing the letter, Dumbledore did not put it down. Instead, he sank into thought.
For the first time, he felt his strength wasn't quite enough.
Or perhaps it was simply that he felt powerless.
The signs of Voldemort's return were becoming increasingly obvious.
According to past intelligence, Voldemort had long been hiding in the forests of Albania, barely clinging to existence.
But over the summer, he had vanished from the forest.
Dumbledore did not believe that Voldemort had simply grown tired of hiding and decided to find somewhere new for a holiday.
Now that Harry's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore was even more certain that Voldemort had likely regained strength and was preparing for his return.
That was a problem left behind by the past.
And now, a new one had surfaced.
What exactly was Tver trying to do?
It was a question Dumbledore had been seeking to answer.
The senior Ministry official Cynthia, the eccentric Auror Dawlish, the won-over Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, the alchemists of Knockturn Alley and Hogsmeade, werewolves, the merchants of Diagon Alley...
Even from what had already been uncovered, Tver had formed connections with all these people.
If he truly meant to protect the wizarding world from Muggle influence, Dumbledore could only say he remained unconvinced.
He could not fully trust him—yet he could not make sense of his actions either.
And in the years to come, the Muggle issue would only grow more pronounced.
At that thought, Dumbledore pressed his fingers to his temples, massaging them gently to ease the ache building there.
Had anyone else witnessed this scene, they would have been astonished.
Ever since he had been hailed as the foremost wizard of the age, this was the first time Dumbledore had felt so troubled by the state of the wizarding world.
To put it bluntly, there was even a fleeting moment when he considered simply walking away—following Newt's example, traveling the world to clear his mind, and leaving the wizarding world to be tossed about by Voldemort and Tver as they pleased.
"Hmm... perhaps that wouldn't be entirely impossible?"
The thought surfaced suddenly—and, strangely enough, began to take root in his mind.
Perhaps it truly was time to try placing his faith in the younger generation of the wizarding world.