Chapter 22: Newt Scamander
"It... It's you, Miss Lovegood..."
The door to the small cottage swung open, and the person who appeared in Lyra's sight was a stooped, somewhat frail old man...
He seemed... no different from any ordinary old man.
"Good morning, Mr. Scamander!" Luna nodded happily at Newt, then opened her arms and gave him a hug.
"And... this is?" Newt stammered, looking at Lyra. The cadence and rhythm of his speech gave Lyra a strange sense of kinship.
He's an enemy of Lord Grindelwald... so why do I feel...
Lyra's blue eyes instinctively swept over Newt's face. Their eyes met for a second, and then both of them quickly looked down.
Oh... oh no!
It turns out Mr. Scamander is... the same as me... a person... bad at dealing with strangers...
"She is Lyra Hamilton." Luna, seemingly unaware of the awkwardness, recited Lyra's name as if it were poetry.
"Ah... Good morning, Miss Hamilton..." Newt gave a slight bow.
"Good... morning..." Lyra's voice was much quieter than Newt's.
My apologies, Newt. We are not the same. You can greet a stranger so skillfully. You're already much better than I am.
Newt didn't seem to mind Lyra's rudeness. He simply opened the door wider, gesturing for them to come in.
"Mr. Scamander is a Magizoologist," Luna said as she entered the house, batting at the wind chimes hanging in the hallway. "There are many cute magical creatures here."
"M-Magical... creatures?" Lyra pressed her lips together and carefully followed Luna inside. She wasn't afraid of magical creatures... well, most magical creatures.
After all, compared to wizards and Muggles, magical creatures were so much easier to get along with.
"Is Grandma Tina not here?" Luna asked, tilting her head. Before Newt could answer, she had already nodded to herself. "She's not."
"Y-Yes." Newt gave a slightly anxious smile. "Tina... she went to... the Ministry..."
"It's not about the gum disease, is it?" Luna asked, her mind jumping. "I'm sure Grandma Tina will convince them to give it up."
"I... hope so?"
So, am I the only person here who doesn't know what 'gum disease' is?
Lyra followed behind Luna, watching her chat happily with Newt. For a moment, it felt rather nice... Not having to answer anyone's questions was just wonderful...
She looked around Newt's house with keen interest. Don't misunderstand—she was just doing reconnaissance for Lord Grindelwald's eventual return!
When the time comes, Mr. Scamander will be the first to go!
Just as Lyra was thinking this, a pot of green plants above her head suddenly rustled, and a fluffy little thing dropped down from it.
Is... is that a Niffler?!
Lyra, of course, recognized the creature. She instinctively shot her hands out and caught the Niffler to keep it from hitting the floor.
"Marney..." Newt had noticed the movement. He looked at Lyra, but when he saw that the anxious-looking girl showed no signs of fear, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Miss Hamilton... you're not afraid... of magical creatures?"
"N-No." Lyra cuddled the Niffler in her arms, a little confused.
Why would anyone be afraid of something this cute?
"I'm more afraid... of... people..." she stammered.
"Is that so..." Newt nodded, looking a bit awkward.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say. This is what happens when you leave two inarticulate people alone.
Fortunately, Luna was there. She reappeared from somewhere, holding a small twig.
"Mr. Scamander, is this the wood you said Bowtruckles like?"
"Ah... yes, that's right." Newt's face lit up. He seemed to be in high spirits when talking about magical creatures. "Bowtruckles are very... selective... about the wood they live in."
"Usually, wood they favor... is also the best material for making wands..."
"Is that so... A pity I already have a wand," Luna said, pulling her wand out from her hair behind her ear.
Why would you keep your wand there? Lyra couldn't help but press her lips together.
But to be honest... Newt Scamander wasn't as fierce or as cunning as Lyra had imagined. He was just like a normal old man. He was even a bit like her, which gave Lyra a strange feeling of closeness...
No, no, no, no... This must be some kind of disguise!
Just like Dumbledore, pretending to be a decent person... but in reality, they're both despicable!
Lyra gripped her wand, eying Newt warily.
If this Mr. Scamander tries to feed Luna to some magical creature, I'll put a stop to it.
But it was clear Lyra was overthinking things.
Newt soon brought them both some tea and began to talk with great interest about his travels.
He had apparently just returned from Australia, where he had discovered many magical creatures... Ah... magical creatures...
He truly was a Magizoologist... He possessed the same passion for magical creatures that Lyra had for Magic Formations.
He could talk non-stop for ten minutes about the living habits of the Thunderbird...
Is this what other people feel like when I talk about Magic Formations?
Lyra pressed her lips together, staring at the tea leaf spinning in her cup. She felt a sudden urge to apologize to Mr. Lupin... and to Mr. Scrimgeour...
Hmm, speaking of which, is Mr. Scrimgeour really a vampire?
Just as she was thinking this, Newt suddenly looked up at her and let out a small, surprised gasp.
"Miss Hamilton, are you... part-Veela?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"Ah... I..." Startled at being addressed, Lyra was even more frightened by his question. She shrank back, instinctively wanting to deny it.
But Luna had already answered with a smile, "That's right! Lyra is a pretty part-Veela!" As she spoke, she reached out and gave one of the pointed ears under Lyra's hood a tug.
This made Lyra instinctively jerk her head up, which caused her hood to fall back, revealing her long silver hair and the pair of trembling, pointed ears.
"Don't... I'm just... a little... with Veela..." Lyra stammered, unable to speak, and just covered her ears, curling up in the chair.
"Pointy-eared monster!"
"Freak!"
"Something dirtier than a Mudblood!"
The sharp curses echoed in her ears, and she trembled, unable to say a word.
"Ah... but they're so beautiful..."
Newt's voice came, calm and gentle. He was looking at Lyra's ears and silver hair with great interest. "I've only seen a part-Veela once before... but they were nowhere near as..."
"...beautiful as you, Miss Hamilton."
"B... Beautiful?" Lyra froze, her trembling slowly stopping. Her blue eyes stared at Newt in surprise.
"Yes... very pretty," Luna nodded. "Just like a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."
"I would have said a Thunderbird," Newt muttered, shaking his head.
Wait... you two... Veela aren't magical creatures!