[Roar...]
The three-headed hellhound growled low, its eyes fixed hungrily on the Aurors.
As one of the most bloodthirsty of all monstrous beasts, it hadn't had nearly enough of a killing spree just moments ago. Now, it was barely able to suppress its primal instincts.
"Little brother," Theseus hissed, "Aren't you a—cough—Magical Creature Master? Quickly, save this poor, controlled little animal!"
"Big brother," Newt replied, "Are you blind? That thing is a magical construct, not a creature of this world."
The two brothers bickered as they retreated step by step, facing the encroaching three-headed monstrosity. They weren't sure if they could win, but simply abandoning Paris to this evil felt a bit beneath their professional ethics. Who knew what would happen to the city if they fled?
Ethan watched them, a pleasant smile playing on his lips.
He had no intention of stopping the hound. Instead, he said with a look of fatherly pride, "See? It just wants to play with you~"
The crowd: "..."
"He's constantly provoking us!" Theseus grit his teeth, his wand gripped tightly in his hand, hesitating.
To be honest, this dutiful Auror—Newt Scamander's older brother—was currently utterly bewildered. He had thought he was here to capture the escaped Grindelwald, only to have some never-before-heard-of "Mr. Lamp" pop out halfway!
And the man's first move was an absolute power play.
"If I didn't know that even a Time-Turner couldn't manage long-distance travel across eras, I'd think he hopped here from another timeline," Theseus grumbled.
While the two sides were at a standoff, a figure suddenly stepped forward!
"——Newt?!"
Lally screamed in shock, instinctively reaching out to grab him, but she missed.
In that instant, Theseus's heart lurched into his throat. He stared in shock at his brother's back, screaming internally: I was just joking, brother! Why are you actually going up there to train it?!
"Good boy, good boy..."
Newt lowered his body, making himself look as harmless as possible. Drawing on his years of experience soothing magical beasts, he slowly extended his hand.
However, the closer he got, the more he felt a sense of palpitations.
...There was none of the spirituality of a natural animal. In the six orange-yellow eyes looking down at him, there was only cold, bloodthirsty desire!
It couldn't be communicated with; it couldn't be tamed by others! It was, quite literally, a killing machine brought to life!
[Roar]
The three-headed dog growled, strings of saliva dripping from its fangs as its eyes locked onto Newt. The scent of burnt fur, mixed with the smell of paint and rust, filled Newt's nostrils.
"Good boy, good boy... we mean no harm, we don't want to hurt you..."
Newt's voice trembled, his forehead drenched in sweat. His gaze flickered cautiously behind the hound, toward the figure who truly controlled the situation.
The reason he chose to approach, even knowing it couldn't be tamed, was to demonstrate their "harmlessness" to the masked youth calling himself Mr. Lamp.
Newt had a creature-like intuition. He could vaguely sense that the masked boy wasn't a "bad person"... even if he was far more sinister than any villain.
Across the distance, Newt met the eyes hidden behind the pure white mask. They were like stars reflected in the deep ocean, flickering with a faint, brilliant light.
The boy was watching them with genuine interest, reminding Newt of an innocent child watching ants struggle in a jar.
[ROAR!]
The three-headed dog could no longer restrain itself. It lunged down, its jaws snapping to tear Newt in two!
Heat and foul breath blasted his face. Facing countless dagger-like fangs, Newt instinctively closed his eyes. Even then, he didn't hear a command from Ethan to stop.
Had he guessed wrong? Maybe the other person didn't care about their lives at all. Maybe he was just a total lunatic.
The shouts of his brother and companions rang out from behind. Spell-light flared; Newt tried to Disapparate, but it was too late.
Just a split second before he was consumed—at the absolute critical moment!
"ROAR!!!"
A fiery red figure suddenly leaped into the fray!
Like a burst of flaming embroidery in the dark night, a long, silk-like tail fluttered in mid-air.
Clang!
Claws met fangs, producing a sound like clashing steel.
[Roar!]
The three-headed dog bellowed in fury, its six eyes glaring at the sudden interloper.
The newcomer had the massive body of a tiger, but its head was encircled by a mane that looked like a blooming sunflower. Its bright yellow, vertical pupils stared warily at the hound, and a low hiss escaped its throat.
It was the divine beast originating from the East—a Zouwu!
"Oh ho."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly. Looking at the magnificent creature, he felt his heart swell with a bit of excitement.
On the other side, Newt opened his eyes as if sensing something. He felt the other person's mood suddenly improve for some reason.
"Zouwu!" he cried out in surprise and joy, looking gratefully at the figure standing protectively in front of him.
"Ha!"
The Zouwu opened its mouth wide, hissing fiercely at the three-headed dog, its large paws shuffling back to hide Newt behind it.
[ROAR!!]
The three-headed dog returned the roar with equal ferocity. The combined howl of its three heads immediately drowned out the Zouwu, causing the large cat to instinctively pull back its neck.
The hellhound didn't care about aesthetics or divinity. Its six bloodthirsty eyes saw only the hunger for a new prey.
——Kill! Kill! Kill!
Snap its neck, tear its flesh! Use that scalding blood to fill its never-satisfied, parched throat!
[ROAR!!]
Just as the hound was about to pounce again, an irresistible suction force hit it from behind!
Like a wild horse being jerked back by a halter around its head and neck, its movements were forcibly suppressed!
[Awooo?!]
The dog wailed, struggling with all its might. However, the suction was so powerful and unyielding that it was impossible to resist.
Its flame-like black mane was sucked away, its four claws left the ground, and its entire body began to dissolve and melt!
In just a few short seconds, it returned once more to the blank canvas. It transformed back into a card, held quietly between Ethan's fingers.
Phew, I gambled right.
Newt let out a deep sigh of relief. A simple, honest smile broke out on his dirty face.
The next second, he was given a sharp thwack on the head by his rushing companions.
Ethan watched the scolded Newt with a smile as he tucked the card away. He began to clap his hands as if he had just watched a grand performance, praising them: "What a truly wonderful scene. You certainly live up to your reputation as a master of magical creatures, Mr. Newt Scamander."
Ethan took a deep look at the beautiful giant cat, engraving its form into his mind. He tipped his hat to the stunned Newt, winked, and said playfully, "I've heard much about you."
Newt's cheeks flushed slightly. The other's attitude made it seem like they had known him for a long time! But was he really that famous? Compared to being a "Magical Creature Master," he was probably more famous for the mess he caused in New York...
"Who exactly are you?" Theseus stepped forward, questioning him tensely.
"Just a traveler carrying out a request," Ethan said gently. "Safe and harmless."
Though the "request" part hadn't technically started yet. And he was definitely not "safe and harmless."
Having said that, Ethan ignored the group, who all looked like they wanted to say something. He turned his gaze back to Newt, idly playing with his wand. "I have some business at Hogwarts. I wonder if you could lead the way for me, Mr. Scamander?"
"You wouldn't want to see old Mr. Dumbledore suffer too much of a shock, would you?"
Newt: "..."
——A threat! This was a blatant threat!
Newt believed he wasn't bluffing. A man who, upon his first appearance, had left an indelible psychological shadow on the wizarding world's greatest enemy, Grindelwald... Hogwarts would be no trouble at all for him.
"I... I agree, Mr. Lamp."
Facing the surprised and disapproving looks of his companions, Newt whispered, "Trust me, I feel that he... doesn't actually have any ill will."
As long as you don't 'test' him with overconfidence like Grindelwald did.
Lally: "Yeah, so much goodwill. He's one step away from replacing Grindelwald as the next Dark Lord."
Newt comforted her, "At least he isn't one yet."
After saying that, Newt paused. That came out wrong... It made it sound like this weird Mr. Lamp would eventually become a Dark Lord in the future. How unlucky. The thought alone made Newt's skin crawl.
...Well, at least the Dark Lord of their current generation was a "normal person" who put on a proper act.
Swish—
A pitch-black, distorted door appeared before them. The swirling tunnel seemed to lead to an unknown abyss, radiating a cold and hair-raising aura.
"Hogwarts," Ethan commanded.
The dial on the door, resembling an old-fashioned elevator, began to spin, finally stopping at an icon of a castle. Simultaneously, the originally pitch-black tunnel cleared like dispersing mist, revealing the cliffside castle standing under the moonlight.
"It's Hogwarts!" Theseus exclaimed, his eyes widening yet again. He felt like a country wizard who had just entered the big city—he hadn't seen anything like this before.
"Safer than Apparition... What kind of miraculous magic is this? I've never heard of it."
"So, what exactly are we here for..."
Amidst the quiet whispers, Ethan curled his lips and elegantly extended his hand in a "please" gesture. "Everyone, please enter."
For a moment, no one moved. They didn't know if this door truly led to Hogwarts or if it was a false illusion leading to hell. Finally, it was the ever-explorative Newt who took the lead, stepping in first. The others followed one after another.
Ethan shrugged, his eyes looking at Newt on the other end with a sense of "affectionate" warmth. "This is why I like Hufflepuffs."
As an outstanding student of Ravenclaw, Ethan was determined to learn as much as possible from Newt during his time in the past. After all, it wasn't every day you met a living textbook author.
On the other side: "Achoo!"
Newt suddenly shivered as a chill ran down his spine. He looked around in terror. ...He felt like a Dementor had just crawled across his back.
Just as Ethan was about to step through the door:
Click.
His toe kicked something. Ethan looked down and saw a brooch-sized object rolling on the ground. Inside a spherical container, a speck of crimson light flickered.
"This is..."
Ethan's eyes lit up as he leaned down to pick it up.
[You have obtained Grindelwald's lost item: The Blood Pact]
[The Blood Pact: A proof symbolizing that two people can never harm each other, containing extremely powerful ancient magic.]
[It seals a drop of a young man's blood. Loyal, fiery, and ambitious, it is as crystal clear and dazzling as a gemstone. Even though the world outside has changed, this drop of blood remains as pure as ever.]
"It really is the pledge between Grindelwald and Dumbledore!"
Ethan stared wide-eyed at the glittering "pendant" in his hand. He remembered that in the original Fantastic Beasts, this Blood Pact was stolen by Newt's Niffler. But... it didn't seem to serve much purpose there beyond background lore and annoying Grindelwald.
"The Blood Pact itself is a powerful magical creation no less significant than a Horcrux..." Ethan tightened his grip. "Perhaps I can unearth even more value from it."
A new Lamp in the Lab, soul synchronization, prophecy magic, and now the Blood Pact... He hadn't been here for a full day and he was already swimming in loot!
"As expected, the stronger the person, the easier it is to fleece—cough, I mean, extract value. That's also not quite right."
Ethan scratched his head, tucked the Blood Pact into his pocket, and planned to study it slowly once he returned. He stepped through the door, crossing over to the Hogwarts of decades ago.
A time before Voldemort had even touched the relics of the four founders.
While the group departed for Hogwarts, outside the cemetery:
"Wh-when are they coming out... uh-oh!"
Nicolas Flamel, who had come along to assist, stood alone in the bleak, cold wind, shivering.
...He felt like he had been forgotten. So lonely.
Sob.
Ethan didn't stay in the past version of Hogwarts for many days. After settling the matter of Ravenclaw's Diadem, the Silver Key reached its limit.
"The energy is about to run out..." Ethan murmured with some regret, looking at the significantly dimmed Silver Key. He hadn't had enough fun yet.
"The Silver Key can take me to specific points in history, allowing me to save some who were meant to die... but whether it's the arrangement of fate or not, I can't seem to use it to save 'Key Characters.'"
Like Lily and James.
"Unlike a Time-Turner, I can't control it. I can only let it bring me into a segment of history."
Ethan tightened his hand, feeling the hard edges of the key pressing into his palm. "Maybe once I defeat Death, I can truly master fate... Hehe, I look forward to it."
Ethan's lips curved upward. The Silver Key in his hand began to glow, preparing to take him back to the modern era—
Bang!
Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A slender figure burst in, throwing herself at Ethan's feet!
Like grasping at a final straw, she tightly gripped Ethan's hand!
It was Nagini, who had not yet succumbed to the Maledictus curse and turned into a serpent.
During this time, Ethan hadn't ignored Nagini. Whether it was Horcruxes or the remains of Death, everything seemed linked to this woman burdened by cursed blood. However, aside from occasional bouts of illness, she acted like a normal person, though she often stood silently in the shadows, her back habitually hunched from her past experiences of oppression.
The cold, soft touch on Ethan's arm gave him a slight shiver, but meeting those red-rimmed eyes, he ultimately didn't shake her off.
He glanced at the glowing Silver Key, using his magic to suppress the travel progress. "Make it quick."
Nagini trembled, biting her lower lip as she cried out, "My Lord! I beg you to help Credence! He was only bewitched by Grindelwald! He shouldn't have to face this!"
Credence was the youth possessed by an Obscurus, later revealed to be a Dumbledore. In the cemetery, he had joined Grindelwald's side and left with the acolytes.
"I beg you to bring him back... He was the one who rescued me from the circus. He is definitely not a bad person; he's the only family I have in this world!"
"As long as you are willing to help me, I am willing... I am willing to offer you everything, my flesh and blood, everything to you!!"
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