Ritz Paris Hotel
Inside the magically expanded safety pouch.
Hermione descended the staircase into the vast space created by the Undetectable Extension Charm.
The living room was spacious and eerily familiar. Its layout, furniture, kitchen, decorations, and even the potted plants were nearly identical to the house in the wizarding village of Saint Catchpole.
Hermione felt a moment of nostalgia, as though she had returned to the village.
She continued down the stairs and gently turned the doorknob.
Inside, William was hard at work over a massive cauldron, which was steaming profusely.
Hermione donned her work robes, checked the potion brewing steps on the workbench, and began preparing the ingredients.
Everything felt so routine.
"This time, we're adding silk from the Acromantula," William reminded her.
On the workbench lay a large pile of tangled spider silk, each strand shimmering with a sticky sheen.
Hermione placed the silk in a container, carefully pressed it, and used a magical pipette to extract the viscous liquid.
William poured the liquid into the cauldron, turning the potion from blue to a lighter shade of blue.
They were still working on improving Lockhart's shampoo. William had tried countless materials, but none could effectively counter the explosive properties of the Thunderbird egg.
This time, they had reduced the amount of Thunderbird egg essence and mixed in other ingredients, finally adding the Acromantula silk extract.
The danger seemed to have decreased significantly.
Once the brewing was finished, William and Hermione returned to the living room.
Yesterday, Roy and the others had left Paris for Lyon. Now it was time for William and Hermione to begin their investigation.
"Shall we go now?" Hermione asked.
William thought for a moment. "Let's check the little pets Newt gave us first to see if they'll be of any use."
Hermione nodded, pulling out the glass vial and unscrewing the lid.
A Thunderbird's head emerged, peeking curiously out of the vial. Its eyes scanned the room, and upon realizing Newt wasn't there, it seemed absolutely ecstatic.
William was certain he saw joy written all over the Thunderbird's ugly face.
A sense of foreboding washed over him.
The Thunderbird eagerly wriggled out of the vial. While the part still inside remained slender, its upper body suddenly grew larger.
Coiling itself like smoke rings, it quickly filled most of the living room.
William grabbed Hermione and retreated to a corner as the Thunderbird's body expanded like an Ultraman monster, crushing the table, sofa, paintings, and nearly everything else in the room.
ON Merlin's beard!
"Turn back right now!" William shouted.
But Newt's "obedient little sweetheart" completely ignored him. It arrogantly wagged its tail and then rolled in the opposite direction, destroying the living room all over again.
So this was the "obedient little sweetheart" Newt had described? William cursed himself for believing the old man's nonsense!
Suddenly, a small, furry, black creature popped out from the Thunderbird's mouth, squeezing through its teeth.
A Niffler!
There was a Niffler hiding inside the Thunderbird's mouth?! Was there any place a Niffler couldn't hide?
The Niffler's eyes lit up when it spotted the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. It leaped into the air, clinging to the chandelier and swinging back and forth like a pendulum.
With a crash, the chandelier shattered, falling right onto the Thunderbird's head.
Despite its intimidating size, the Thunderbird turned out to be a coward. Startled, it let out a high-pitched scream.
Rippp!
The sound wasn't Parseltongue, it was more like nails scraping against a chalkboard.
William and Hermione immediately covered their ears.
The Niffler, equally terrified, leapt into William's arms, trembling uncontrollably.
"Tremble, my foot!" William growled, grabbing the Niffler by its tail and tossing it into a corner garbage bin.
The Niffler pulled the lid over itself, leaving only a small crack through which it peeked out.
Meanwhile, the Thunderbird, now frenzied, rampaged through the room and even attempted to charge upstairs.
William pulled out a piece of bread and tapped it with his wand, transforming it into a giant rhinoceros beetle.
The Thunderbird's massive body suddenly froze. Its eyes crossed as it fixated on the beetle.
Thunderbirds loved insects and were voracious eaters.
William tossed the beetle into the glass vial. The Thunderbird immediately coiled its massive body, shrinking rapidly as it funneled itself into the vial.
Hermione quickly slammed the lid back on.
The Niffler peeked out of the trash bin again, its beady eyes darting around shiftily.
It dashed into the kitchen, and Hermione followed with a frying pan in hand. With a deft motion, she covered the Niffler under the pan and slid it along the floor.
William lifted the pan, grabbed the Niffler by its paws, and threw it back into the trash bin. With a flick of his wand, he sealed the lid tightly.
Merlin's beard! Just because I'm an eagle doesn't mean I won't act like a badger when provoked!
William sent Hermione to retrieve a box from the basement while he began casting Reparo spells to restore the living room to its original state.
Moments later, Hermione returned, carrying a magical suitcase.
William opened the suitcase. Inside lay a three-meter-long basilisk, coiled tightly and wearing a blindfold.
Basilisks grow incredibly fast; as long as they have enough food, they can shed their skin every two weeks.
William picked up a spider and placed it in front of the basilisk before carefully removing its blindfold.
The spider died instantly.
The basilisk wasn't fully grown yet, ordinary animals died upon meeting its gaze, but larger magical creatures would merely be petrified.
Still, this was more than enough to make a statement.
William shook the glass vial threateningly and said, "If you dare disobey me again, I'll lock you in here with the basilisk and let it finish you off!"
The Thunderbird immediately lost its appetite, nodding meekly in submission.
"And you!" William said, pulling the Niffler out of the trash bin. The little creature covered its eyes with its paws, too frightened to even glance at the basilisk.
…
Half an hour later, a young man and woman walked out of the Ritz Paris Hotel openly and without any obstacles.
Aurors stationed around the hotel remained vigilant, holding photos of William. The moment he emerged, they were prepared to follow.
But William and Hermione, having used Polyjuice Potion, now looked like two ordinary Muggles, making it easy to leave unnoticed.
Magic makes certain crimes far simpler, especially when the enemy underestimates you, thinking you're just a pair of underage wizards.
Underestimation always comes with a price.
In a secluded corner, William and Hermione ducked back into the safety pouch, took another dose of Polyjuice Potion, and transformed into Crigan and Costa.
…
The Sixth Arrondissement, Paris;
In an unassuming building, a man and woman pushed open the door and entered the hall.
The Niffler emerged briefly from the safety pouch, pointed to a spot in the room, and then quickly retreated.
Suddenly, the sound of a heavy door slamming open echoed from the far end of the hall, followed by hurried footsteps heading straight toward them.
"Sir!" a voice shouted angrily. "This site has been sealed by the Ministry of Magic. No one is allowed inside!"
William turned around to see a witch storming toward him.
She was petite, with short, chin-length brown hair.
Approaching quickly, she drew her wand, exuding an air of aggression.
However, when her eyes met "Crigan's," she froze, her expression shifting to one of shock. She covered her mouth with her hand.
"Mr. Crigan!" she exclaimed, her tone suddenly awkward. "I'm terribly sorry! I didn't realize it was you."
"Hmm." William, recalling Crigan's stern demeanor, replied sharply, "I need to re-examine the site where Newt was attacked."
"But…" The witch hesitated. "Haven't you already inspected it? You ordered that no one else approach the area."
"There's been an unexpected development," William said gravely.
"The day before yesterday, the British Wizengamot representative, Stark, visited Scamander. Scamander shared a method to locate the suitcase with Stark."
William gestured subtly toward Hermione.
"Miss Costa managed to extract some details from Stark. I need her to recheck a few specifics."
'Costa' nodded nervously, adding in a soft voice, "Stark seemed… rather flirtatious."
William: "…"
That line definitely hadn't been part of their rehearsed cover story!
The witch scrutinized 'Costa,' then turned an eager gaze toward 'Crigan,' clearly hoping to impress her superior.
"Shall I accompany you?"
"No," William said, shaking his head. "The two of us can handle it. I know the location. You stay here and guard the entrance. No one else is to enter."
The witch looked disappointed, casting a jealous glance at 'Costa,' but forced a smile and said, "Understood."
William blinked at Hermione, signaling her to follow as they moved toward the room.
The Niffler emerged from the pouch again, pointing to a corner.
William raised his wand. "Homenum Revelio."
A plume of golden smoke erupted from his wand, illuminating traces of recent magical activity in the hallway.
The Niffler scurried across the floor, carefully sniffing for Newt's trail.
Soon, it found something.
William and Hermione saw a shimmering illusion of Newt.
Newt lay unconscious on the ground as a woman appeared. From beneath her robes, a three-to-four-meter-long giant python slithered out.
The snake coiled itself around Newt's suitcase, delivering it into the woman's hands.
"Thank you, Nagini," the woman said.
At that moment, distant commotion echoed through the hall.
William flicked his wand, making the golden smoke vanish.
Grabbing Hermione's hand, he swiftly Apparated them away.
Moments later, a group of Aurors stormed into the room, but it was empty, save for faint traces of magic lingering in the air.