Maybe this is just how all younger sisters-in-law are.
"Actually, it wasn't just the Graphorns. Because I got arrested, I never did figure out why the Chinese Fireball dragons living around the Yangtze River were all getting fatter and fatter," Newt Scamander muttered, clearly still brooding over the mystery.
"Absolutely not. You are not going," Tina said with unshakable firmness.
Newt Scamander could only let out a heavy sigh. Then he turned back to look at Ian.
Seeing Ian still wearing a suspicious expression, he looked him in the eyes and said seriously, "Believe me, the Graphorns are much smarter than most wizards give them credit for."
"They've made themselves Class One Protected Animals in the Muggle world, and 'critically endangered magical creatures' in the wizarding world. And now, they're living cushy, carefree lives under those identities."
"This is all part of the Graphorns' grand plan…" Newt Scamander might actually be getting a little senile, or maybe he really had uncovered some earth-shattering secret about magical creatures.
It was hard to say, really. Ian himself didn't know what to think. He was... conflicted.
"Forget it, let's go back to talking about the Thunderbird," Ian decided that he couldn't be the reason Newt Scamander ended up behind bars sewing buttons in Azkaban.
Sure, Newt might be too old to be doing hard labor, but still, he'd definitely suffer under that bland prison food. The jails back in Ian's hometown didn't serve gourmet meals just because you had money.
"Alright then, I'll entrust the baby Thunderbird to your care. I can already sense your... persistence." Newt Scamander clearly knew how to gracefully back off and avoid a domestic argument.
"Nick's office is that way, right? I think we'll have to talk more about this next time, we're getting close to your curfew," He added, glancing up at the large clock in the hall.
He actually thought Ian was the type of little wizard who followed curfew.
"If you want to find Professor Nicolas Flamel, you'd better hurry. He usually heads out around ten. He loves going into the Forbidden Forest to take a dump," Ian added casually, clearly already familiar with Nicolas Flamel's... biological habits.
"Uh…"
Newt Scamander was completely at a loss for how to respond. He had always known Nicolas Flamel's personality was a bit eccentric, but this was the first time he'd learned about Nicolas Flamel's… bathroom habits.
Who would even think to observe such a thing!?
"Looking forward to seeing you again." Ian waved.
Seeing that Ian had already started up the stairs, Newt Scamander, along with his wife and sister-in-law, also raised a hand to wave goodbye to Ian.
"Don't forget my earlier suggestion, okay? My spirit-summoning magic is really impressive." Ian reminded the old lady, Queenie, once more before sprinting up the staircase.
"I'm always thinking about others, how could I not be a kind-hearted white wizard?" Ian mused to himself, to the point that he almost believed it. Fortunately, Queenie, a true born Legilimens, hadn't detected his thoughts, because after mastering both Legilimency and Necromancy, Ian's strongest attribute was his mental defenses.
He had trained hard in this area, because the opponents he'd encountered were each more dangerous than the last. Ever since Morgan, he'd had a slight case of Legilimency-induced paranoia.
"What a truly special little fellow," Newt Scamander said, holding the "Sands of Time" in his hand. Recalling his conversation with Ian, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"I found him rather terrifying… your school is a bit cursed, honestly. It keeps turning out these terrifying wizards." Queenie's comment was absolutely heartfelt.
Among the three old wizards present, she had the deepest sense of Ian's presence. The constant awareness he exuded, that overwhelming mental force, even made her feel a chill, it was utterly irresistible.
It felt as though everyone's thoughts and emotions were being leafed through by that boy, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Over the years, Queenie had never imagined she would one day feel the same kind of fear others had once felt standing in front of her.
On top of that, Ian, who is still growing, radiated a magic power like a deep, stormy ocean. Calm and still on the surface, but hiding a terrifying, turbulent force below.
Over the years, Queenie had only ever sensed that kind of magic power from Grindelwald and Dumbledore… and now, that same overwhelming power was coming from this young, terrifying wizard.
How could Queenie not be shaken?
"Hogwarts really is a bit of a monster factory, every generation is more outrageous than the last," Tina said. She didn't share her younger sister's sensitivity, but she could easily read the expression on Queenie's face.
"Well, it is my alma mater. Of course it's powerful." Newt Scamander might've been the only one not worried, as he led his wife and sister-in-law toward Nicolas Flamel's office.
"Long time no see, my friends."
As the door opened, Nicolas Flamel stepped forward to hug Newt Scamander and the two ladies. Given his playful personality, it was likely that hugging Newt was just a pretense to hug the ladies.
His wife wasn't around, so he dared to be that bold.
"You seem to be adjusting to life as a professor better than I expected," Newt Scamander said as he entered the office, looking around the décor with the two older ladies.
His gaze fell upon the large, clunky clock.
"That's Albus's ancient Time Turners, right?" Newt's knowledge of topics outside his interests was about the same as that of a school dropout.
"I knew you wouldn't bring your whole family just to deliver some materials for the Expansion Charm," Nicolas Flamel said, walking over and covering the clock with a big white cloth.
"This is not a Time Turner. It's far more dangerous than that." Nicolas had clearly already started working on repairing the big clock. No wonder he was considered the unrivaled master of alchemy, he'd already made some progress deciphering the tower's magical texts Ian gave him, and in such a short time too.
"Mainly, after hearing your slip-up about Albus owning a Time Turner, I couldn't help myself… I wanted to borrow it to observe and document some extinct magical creatures," Newt said a bit sheepishly, scratching his head, a gesture that didn't quite suit someone in their eighties.
Some men really do stay young at heart until the day they die.
"I want to… see my husband one last time, just once…" Queenie stepped forward, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief as she voiced her own heartfelt wish.
"Ah~"
Nicolas Flamel sighed and looked at Tina, but Tina didn't make any requests.
"I'm just here to accompany them. After all, staying home alone isn't any fun," Tina shrugged and gave Nicolas Flamel a big smile.
"You people are being ridiculous. Time isn't something that can be casually tampered with. That's precisely why the Ministry of Magic banned individuals from privately owning time-turners."
"You have your regrets, he has his dreams... if everyone acted without restraint, it would lead to disasters that couldn't be undone. We must revere time and respect fate." Nicolas Flamel wasn't unwilling to help his friends, but as a Master of Alchemy, he understood the dangers and hidden risks of time-turners better than most.
"I truly won't try to change anything, believe me. I'll definitely remember all the rules about crossing over time," Queenie knew Nicolas Flamel's scolding wasn't wrong.
But the guilt and regret in her heart had already tormented her for months.
(To Be Continued…)
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