The next morning, Lucien walked into the independent Alchemy classroom assigned to him by Beauxbatons.
The moment he stepped through the door, several subtle yet precise magical pulses swept over his body like invisible scanners, gentle yet thorough.
This was to prevent contestants from smuggling in unregistered items and to ensure the fairness of the competition.
The room was spacious and bright, fully equipped with various Alchemy instruments, ranging from brass scales and multi-necked cauldrons to precision crystal cutters.
On the shelves against the wall, all the materials Lucien had registered and submitted yesterday were categorised and neatly stacked.
The rules for the Free Crafting phase were strict. Contestants had to register all materials in advance, which would then be collectively placed here by the school.
Every time they entered or exited, they would undergo the same magical inspection. Aside from wands, all personal items, especially containers with Undetectable Extension Charms, were strictly forbidden.
If materials needed to be replenished midway, a new declaration had to be made, and the same process repeated.
Lucien scanned the room, confirmed that everything was correct, walked to the centre of the workbench, and pulled out his wand.
The crafting began.
...
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, deep within an isolated primeval forest in Albania.
Cold mist swirled among the bare branches.
Newt walked with uneven steps through the silent woodland, his exhaled breath condensing into white mist.
Ever since he had learned from Lucien over half a month ago that a special great serpent might exist in this forest, and that it was highly likely to be the transformed form of his old friend Nagini, who suffered from a Blood Curse, Newt had set off without pause, arriving here to begin this faint search.
Albania was a small country with a sparse wizarding population, lacking even a formal Ministry of Magic.
But precisely because of this, the land was rarely disturbed by civilisation and nurtured many rare magical creatures.
This richness also drew the covetous eyes of Dark Wizards and illegal poachers.
In the past, to protect the creatures here, Newt had visited many times and was not unfamiliar with this land.
Before officially entering the forest to investigate, Newt followed his usual routine and first sought out a well-informed local underworld boss: a Portkey dealer he knew quite well.
It should be noted that at his peak, Newt had been explicitly restricted from entering more than a hundred countries. This was purely because the Ministries of Magic in various nations were deeply troubled by his tendency to attract trouble and by the group of animal companions in his suitcase that always managed to create surprises.
These Portkey dealers operating in grey areas had become his illegal routes for travelling the world and continuing his work protecting magical creatures.
They often possessed information from the shadows that could not be found on the open market.
The dealer's intelligence gave Newt hope. About a month ago, a woodcutter had indeed glimpsed a strange-looking, terrifyingly large snake on the edge of the forest.
This news lifted his spirits slightly.
One had to understand that this forest was vast as an ocean, with dense vegetation everywhere. Searching for a single snake within it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Furthermore, it was currently the dead of winter, and ordinary snakes had long since entered hibernation.
Newt could only hope that Nagini, transformed into a snake by the Blood Curse, had habits different from ordinary snakes and might still retain the ability to remain active in the cold.
In a relatively open clearing, Newt stopped, skilfully set down his suitcase, and popped the latches.
The moment the lid sprang open, a dozen agile figures darted out with a swoosh. There were Crups, which closely resembled Jack Russell Terriers but had forked tails; Nifflers with their darting eyes; and light-grey Tebo warthogs...
They were all masters of tracking.
Newt then pulled a handful of small magical talismans from his pocket. These were Alchemical items Lucien had given him to guard against dangerous ambushes.
He placed one on each of the little fellows about to set out on the search.
"I'm counting on you, everyone. Help me find my old friend."
Surrounded by a dozen or so magical creatures, Newt carefully pulled several worn, yellowed letters from his inner pocket. These were the last letters exchanged between him and Nagini.
Time had flown by, the handwriting had faded, and the paper retained only a faint, almost imperceptible scent.
The little ones leaned forward, using their respective talents to memorise the characteristics of the scent.
A moment later, they darted into the surrounding forest and began the search.
Once the magical creatures had dispersed, Newt also chose a direction guided by his intuition and began his own investigation.
His own magical foundation was solid, and he possessed a sensitivity far beyond ordinary people, especially when identifying animal tracks and clues.
As for his deep understanding and application of the habits of magical creatures, Newt could be said to be unrivalled in the world.
These furry and scaly companions had performed countless extraordinary feats in the past.
Setting aside bodyguard duties, Bowtruckles had helped him escape prison and pick locks, Fwoopers and Zouwu had carried him through the air, and there was even a Niffler that had helped Newt steal a certain someone's token of love, directly influencing the overall situation.
Another three or four days passed. Although the magical creatures had searched several nearby areas, no definite news had arrived yet.
Newt was not anxious. After retiring, he might not have much else, but he had plenty of time.
He walked through the cold, rugged forest, showing none of the sluggishness of an old man. Instead, he could be described as walking as if he had wings.
Previously, Lumen had sent a special gift: a Potion brewed by Lucien called Vigor Reappearance Potion.
After taking it, both Newt and his wife Tina felt their bodies become significantly lighter and more agile.
When they were young, one of them had been an Auror for MACUSA, constantly dealing with Dark Wizards, while the other had travelled everywhere, handling dangerous magical creatures and fighting insidious poachers.
The two had even personally experienced the Wizarding War against Grindelwald and his Acolytes.
Over the years, it was inevitable that they had been left with some chronic ailments that healing Magic and conventional Potions found difficult to eradicate.
To their surprise, these were actually cured by a single bottle of Potion from Lucien.
Newt even felt several years younger, his physical strength and energy returning to what they had once been, allowing him to pull several all-nighters in a row caring for magical creatures.
Vigor Reappearance Potion truly lived up to its name.
Newt was slightly distracted, remembering his correspondence with Lucien a few days ago, in which the boy had mentioned participating in an Alchemy competition at Beauxbatons. He was no stranger to Beauxbatons, having visited it several times in his early years to investigate local magical creatures...
Suddenly, he felt his trouser leg being tugged.
Newt looked down and saw the pure black Niffler looking up at him, its bead-like eyes shimmering slightly.
He understood the little fellow's meaning in an instant: it had found something and needed to lead the way.
"Well done."
Newt praised it in a low voice and immediately fished out a pre-prepared sapphire from his pocket. It was not particularly valuable, but it was shiny enough, and he handed it over.
The Niffler took it excitedly, tucking it very carefully into the pouch on its belly. It even patted it with its little paws to make sure it was secure before turning around, pressing its nose to the ground, and beginning to lead the way.
Led by the Niffler, Newt pushed through a patch of messy shrubs and arrived at a forest clearing where snow was mixed with thick, withered leaves.
"Is it here?"
The Niffler nodded vigorously, its little paw pointing to a spot on the ground.
Newt hesitated no longer and raised his wand.
"Appare Vestigium."
With a soft bang, a large amount of fine golden magical powder sprayed from the tip of the wand, quickly spreading in all directions and covering the ground within a dozen feet.
Within the area covered by the golden powder, marks of varying depths and shapes began to emerge on the original surface. These were footprints left by the recent activities of various animals, including bird claw prints and the plum-blossom-shaped tracks of small beasts, all intricately intertwined.
Newt crouched down, searching carefully through these overlapping marks. His gaze swept over them as he tried to find the winding indentation left by a crawling snake.
The Niffler, having just received its reward, appeared exceptionally active. Its little nose was almost glued to the ground, sniffing here and scratching there.
Suddenly, it stopped at a spot near a tree root where the snow was thin, gave a short cry, then jumped up and waved its little paws vigorously at Newt.
Newt quickly stepped forward, stood at the spot indicated by the Niffler, and waved his wand again.
"Revelio."
A more intense light burst from the tip of the wand. The surrounding golden powder seemed to be summoned, rapidly converging on a single point before erupting and condensing upward like a reversed film, finally forming a slightly shimmering, translucent, illusory scene in mid-air.
A huge snake with dark green scales was slowly crawling across the ground.
Its movements carried the composure and eerie silence unique to cold-blooded animals. In the cold vertical pupils on its triangular head, there was not a trace of human reason or emotion, only the most primitive and pure wildness, along with an indifferent alertness toward its surroundings.
Newt recognised it with just one glance.
Nagini!
________
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