Chapter 188: An Invitation from Newt Scamander
Lockhart wasn't in a hurry to find Sirius.
That fellow had just escaped Azkaban and was probably still hiding from the Aurors. Instead of aimlessly searching, it would be better to wait until Hogwarts started, when Sirius would naturally appear before him.
Lockhart had more important things to do.
The original body had a collected list, detailing many powerful wizards living in seclusion, with profound achievements in various fields.
This list hadn't been fully utilized; the original body had only focused on the field of Defence Against the Dark Arts, a practice that allowed him to rapidly expand his influence.
Lockhart intended to activate this list and begin exploring the field of Care of Magical Creatures.
The next day, he took Madam Mary to the United States, registered their entry at the Magical Congress, and entered the wizarding street through a passage opened by a wizarding statue in a park.
American wizarding life was very different from British wizarding life. The most obvious difference was that candy shops no longer dominated; looking around, there were more coffee shops.
The streets were also wider, with circuses or bands occasionally coming to hold events.
They soon arrived at Gringotts Wizarding Bank here. The original body's list was hidden in a vault within.
"I actually don't understand why wizards would let goblins manage banks," Madam Mary grumbled. "You, like me, know a lot about Muggle life and understand the importance of banks. Goblins are not exactly docile creatures."
Lockhart smiled faintly. "It's not a bank."
Madam Mary thought for a moment, then nodded. "I know, it only handles vault services and currency exchange."
"You can't view some wizarding daily routines from a Muggle perspective," Lockhart explained. "Do you know what magical creatures like Sphinxes, Merpeople, Acromantulas, Basilisks, Gargoyles… were used for in ancient times?"
Madam Mary clearly didn't know, looking at him with some confusion.
"Guarding wizards' treasures and residences!"
Lockhart casually mentioned content that would be covered in Hogwarts History of Magic. "Wizards were accustomed to finding powerful magical creatures to guard their treasures and residences. This habit evolved into Gringotts Wizarding Bank in modern times."
"You'll find that opening a vault there doesn't require extra expenditure, and there are no handling fees for currency exchange. This is because wizards never had the habit of paying magical creatures for guarding treasures, and it's the same with house-elves."
Madam Mary blinked, still grumbling, "I still think wizards live in an ancient and backward state."
Lockhart smiled and didn't discuss it further. He led Madam Mary into Gringotts Bank, had a goblin lead them into the underground vaults, and after several twists and turns, arrived at an inconspicuous vault in a corner.
The vault contained items convenient for travel: clothes, a spare wand, signed books and photos, Galleons, etc., and even some American Muggle paper money, and a handgun.
Yes, the original body was quite resourceful, secretly acquiring a handgun.
Lockhart had no opportunity to touch such a thing in his previous life. He picked it up and played with it for a while, then casually put it into his ring, and retrieved the list from the neatly stacked shelves.
He carefully read through it, intending to memorize it and then destroy it.
Among the names on the list for the Dark Arts Defence field, Madam Mary's name was prominently featured.
And on the list for the Care of Magical Creatures field, the very first name was the extremely familiar Newt Scamander.
Newt's strength was undoubtedly formidable, but it wasn't the kind of power Dumbledore possessed. His deficiencies in certain areas were enough for a cunning person to devise targeted strategies and easily deal with him.
Lockhart immediately excluded Newt from this category. Besides his fondness for the character from the original story, there was also the reason that Dumbledore was already keeping an eye on him, and going after someone close to Dumbledore would be pure suicide.
He quickly memorized all the information on the list, drew his wand, pressed it to his head to carefully confirm he had remembered everything, then cast a spell to destroy the record in his hand.
Keeping it would only invite trouble.
When he emerged from Gringotts, Madam Mary asked, "Where do we go next?"
Lockhart was undecided.
Since he didn't need to steal the other person's life, nor did he intend to write a book based on their experiences, but merely intended to replicate some knowledge, the scope of his choices became much wider.
However, before he could speak, an owl flapped its wings and flew over.
It circled once above his head, then landed on a nearby fire hydrant, raising one leg and presenting a rolled parchment letter to him.
"A letter for me?"
Lockhart was surprised, unsure who would write to him.
He reached out and took it, and the owl flapped its wings, soaring into the sky.
The sender was Dumbledore. In fact, he had only provided some explanations and forwarded another letter an invitation from Newt Scamander.
Suddenly, Lockhart's expression became peculiar.
Although people at school usually referred to a legendary figure like Newt as an 'alumnus,' Newt was actually 96 years old this year.
At this age, he was still actively involved in the conservation of endangered magical creatures, truly embodying his own magical path consistently throughout his life.
Lockhart didn't know much about this old alumnus, only that he continued to update the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, had come to Hogwarts to plead for Buckbeak the Hippogriff when he was to be executed by the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter's third year, and that Luna eventually married Newt's grandson, Rolf Scamander.
Oh, and one more thing: in his later years, Newt and his wife lived in Dorset, England.
But interestingly, the meeting place for Newt Scamander's invitation was in the United States.
"We'll probably have to stay in the States for a while," Lockhart said with a strange expression, looking up at Madam Mary. "An invitation just arrived."
By the time Lockhart and Madam Mary arrived at a farm in Texas, it was already the next afternoon.
This was a farm invisible to Muggles. Between two low ridges was a huge, rusty steel gate entrance, with a wooden sign hanging beside it that read 'Scamander Farm.'
A house-elf was already waiting by the gate, dressed in a well-fitted, exquisite butler's uniform, respectfully inviting them inside.
"My apologies that old Scamander couldn't greet you personally. His leg pain has been acting up lately, so he can finally get some proper rest."
The old elf mumbled, leading Lockhart and Madam Mary towards a pumpkin carriage. Once they were seated, it whistled, and some long-haired animals resembling dogs with dragon scales on their spines ran out, slipped into the harnesses in front of the carriage, and quickly pulled it towards a distant residence.
Lockhart looked around curiously. Everywhere were fantastic beasts he hadn't encountered during his original body's time at Hogwarts. Even recalling the memories of the dozen powerful wizards in his mind, he couldn't name most of the animals.
The farm covered an enormous area. Just when he thought they were about to reach their destination, the pumpkin carriage rounded a low ridge, and a broader landscape came into view.
"Are all these Mr. Scamander's farms?" Lockhart asked curiously, looking at a colossal creature in the distance that was lying on the ground sleeping, almost indistinguishable from a nearby low ridge.
"They belong to young Mr. Scamander," the old elf explained the legendary history of this magical creature conservation farm, founded by Newt's son. "He had a very difficult time getting it up and running initially. Fantastic beasts consume vast amounts of food daily, and their waste needs to be cleared. Funding was always insufficient…"
They soon saw Newt's son.
A burly figure with a full beard, wearing wizarding robes and puffing on a cigar, he was currently driving a large Muggle agricultural harvester, busy in a field of strange purple plants.
As the harvester passed, small animals with long arms, somewhat resembling monkeys and kangaroos, excitedly rummaged for something behind it, stuffing it into their mouths.
Lockhart found it hard to imagine Newt's son looking like a burly old cowboy. After a moment's thought, he decided he might be too stereotypical and specifically asked the old elf to detour so he could greet him before continuing towards Newt's residence.
Soon, a cluster of wooden houses with grey stone tiles appeared before them. These houses were nested in layers, and there were even some similarly styled towers, making the place look like a fantastical version of a Muggle country villa.
Newt and his wife Tina both looked quite spirited. Aside from their white hair, they seemed somewhat youthful in appearance, and they kindly introduced the young boy doing his homework beside them.
"Rolf Scamander, my grandson. He studies at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Rolf seemed young, probably around the same age as the Weasley twins, wearing glasses, and looking quite refined.
After politely greeting them, he looked at Lockhart with some curiosity. "You have the scent of fantastic beasts on you, but also a rather uncomfortable scent."
Lockhart smiled faintly, looking at him with interest. "You can smell that?"
Rolf nodded somewhat proudly, then shook his head. "Not smell, but sense. Like a shroud of black smoke covering you."
Lockhart burst out laughing at this perceptive child. "You are very talented."
He patted his pocket, and the little golden monkey emerged, curiously examining the child before him. It could now freely control its influence over fear, and at this moment, it looked like a small monkey with three hands.
"Animality?!!!"
Newt suddenly exclaimed, sitting bolt upright in his wheelchair, his gaze fixed on the little golden monkey. "I'm seeing animality in a Dark magical creature!!!"
Lockhart smiled, beckoning his little companions to come out and play: a Swooping Evil, a Sack Creature, a Boggart…
Each creature drew an exclamation from Newt.
His wife Tina, meanwhile, couldn't see the difference. In her life after marrying Newt, she had seen far too many strange and oddly shaped fantastic beasts, and was somewhat bewildered by the scene before her.
But she knew that her husband, who had finally agreed to rest quietly, was probably about to get busy again.
In fact, she had long known that their quiet life had indeed begun to stir.
Because the young man who had just arrived he had released Gellert Grindelwald!
This was why Newt, the old social recluse who disliked entertaining friends, was willing to invite Lockhart to the estate for a detailed discussion.
(End of Chapter)
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