The name Newt was undoubtedly one of the most familiar among young witches and wizards—not just in Hufflepuff, but across all houses.
'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' had become one of the best-selling books in the wizarding world. It wasn't just the standard textbook for magical creature courses in every wizarding school; it was also bedtime reading for countless young witches and wizards.
His research had an immeasurable impact on the entire magical community. Before Newt, magical creatures existed, but no one had ever proposed the concept of protecting them.
It was he who dedicated himself to research, travelling the world to rescue endangered magical creatures, enriching the world with their presence.
Erumpents, Graphorns, Diricawls, and Nundus—species on the brink of extinction at the time—all flourished under Newt's efforts, their populations gradually recovering.
Many of the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest were later introduced by Newt. And in Hufflepuff, Newt was practically an idol to every little badger. He added yet another defining trait to Hufflepuff's legacy.
Beyond Herbology and food-related magic, Hufflepuffs were also adept at handling magical creatures.
Moreover, Newt played a significant role during the First Wizarding War.
Aside from Grindelwald and Dumbledore, he was the most renowned wizard of the time, repeatedly thwarting Grindelwald's schemes, earning him the title of Grindelwald's most hated man, bar none.
He was practically the protagonist incarnate.
In the final battle, Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, and Newt returned to America, settling in New York with the Auror Tina, where he remained to this day. Without hesitation, Wayne opened the letter in Dumbledore's presence and began reading.
To Mr Wayne Lawrence,
Greetings, I am Newt Scamander, a former Hufflepuff. I'm delighted to hear that a genius like you has emerged in our house. I've always believed Hufflepuff to be the most perfect of houses.
A few days ago, I received feathers and some droppings from Dumbledore. To my astonishment, your Phoenix is extraordinarily unique—far more so compared to Fawkes...
(Followed by a lengthy academic discussion.)
If possible, could you provide me with some research materials? Additionally, I'll be returning to Europe this summer. Would it be possible to visit you in person?
Yours sincerely, Your loyal Hufflepuff senior, Newt Scamander.
The letter was lengthy, brimming with Newt's intense curiosity about Ho-Oh, along with numerous notes on Phoenix care.
It was hard to believe this was written by someone who was genuinely socially awkward.
"Professor," Wayne looked up. "How should I reply to Senior Newt's letter?"
Dumbledore's smile stiffened for a moment.
Though there was nothing wrong with the address—technically, he was indeed Wayne's senior. But Newt was nearly a hundred years old.
Dumbledore took out a piece of parchment, wrote down Newt's address on it, and then left an imprint with his wand.
"Just send the letter to this address, and remember to include this mark. Otherwise, Newt won't receive it."
"He's rather... introverted. Quite afraid of fans showing up at his door. Oh, and some old friends still hold a lingering affection for him as well."
'Old friends? Probably those fanatics from Grindelwald's ranks back in the day,' Wayne thought to himself.
Tucking away the letter and parchment, Wayne bid farewell to Dumbledore and left the Headmaster's Office, heading straight for the library.
...
Cho and Hermione were waiting for him there, working on some homework in the meantime.
As the three of them stepped out of the castle, Hermione casually asked, "What did you and Dumbledore talk about?"
Wayne answered truthfully, "Nothing much. Newt Scamander wrote me a letter and had Dumbledore pass it on."
"Oh," Hermione replied automatically before suddenly stopping in her tracks.
Scamander... That surname sounded so familiar.
"Who?"
Her eyes widened. "Newt Scamander? The Scamander who wrote 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'?"
"Yes, that's him." Wayne looked at her in confusion, not understanding why Hermione was reacting so strongly.
Cho was equally astonished. "Newt Scamander wrote to you?"
"That's the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'!" Hermione shrieked, grabbing Wayne's hands excitedly. "What did the letter say? Why does he know you? Could you get me an autograph...?"
She looked no different from a Muggle fangirl.
Bombarded with endless questions, Wayne simply took out the letter and let the two read it for themselves. Nothing was incriminating in it anyway.
When they saw that Newt had mentioned visiting Wayne, Hermione's face flushed with excitement, and Cho wasn't far behind.
Only then did Wayne realise just how famous Newt was in the wizarding world.
"Wayne, could I come and see Mr Scamander when he visits?" Hermione asked hopefully.
Cho didn't speak, but her beautiful eyes were fixed on the boy.
"No problem," Wayne agreed readily. "I'll write to Newt and let you both know once we've settled on a date."
The two girls cheered in unison.
...
The trio made their way to Hagrid's plot of farmland at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
After some time growing—and with the help of potions to speed things along—the Chomping Cabbages had already taken on a shape close to maturity.
But it looked unusually quiet. Wayne pried open a Cabbage to inspect it and found their teeth hadn't grown in yet.
"Wayne, why are you growing Chomping Cabbages?" Hermione had long given up chastising him for breaking school rules.
Wayne was far cleverer than she—even when violating regulations, he never left any evidence.
Now Hermione was gradually becoming a proper Gryffindor. If you weren't caught, you didn't break the rules.
"First, I want to taste them. Second, I plan to use them against enemies," Wayne explained.
"Toss out a dozen Cabbages and any foe would flee in panic."
Hermione looked unconvinced. "This is Hogwarts, the safest place in the world."
"With Dumbledore here, what enemies could there be? Just be careful not to hurt yourself."
Wayne opened his mouth but said nothing.
'The safest place. Well, I hope you can still say that after everything happens.'
As Professor Sprout's star pupil, with an innate gift for Herbology etched into his soul, Wayne's farming skills were exceptional.
After guiding the two young witches through tilling soil, fertilising the Cabbages, and casting beast-repelling charms, the work was finally done.
"You just dragged us here as free labour," Cho complained, wiping sweat from her brow. The gardening had dirtied her robes, while Hermione's face was smeared with soil like a little tabby cat.
"Don't say that," Wayne chuckled. "I'll give you some Cabbages as payment."
"No thanks!"
"I don't want any either."
Both girls looked disdainful. Chomping Cabbages were ugly and vicious—only Wayne would like them.
"What do you want then?" Wayne asked.
Hermione pondered. "A few bottles of that potion from last time. It worked quite well."
"What potion?" Cho's curiosity was piqued.
"Just standard Invigoration Draught. I gave her some after our last charms lesson."
"You taught Hermione charms?" Cho glared at him. "Why not me?"
Wayne shrugged. "You're already exhausted from Quidditch training."
Cho persisted. "I don't care, I want lessons too."
Reluctantly, Wayne agreed.
Only after securing this concession did Hermione and Cho let Wayne off the hook.
...
Late at night.
Seated at his desk, Wayne was writing to Newt.
He held a great interest in this senior, who was practically the Harry Potter of the previous era.
Moreover, Newt's expertise in magical creatures commanded respect.
Most importantly... Wayne coveted Newt's suitcase.
While he'd mastered the Undetectable Extension Charm to an advanced level—several of his pockets were as spacious as this dormitory—creating a portable Forbidden Forest remained far beyond him.
Newt's case incorporated not just extension charms but also spatial anchoring, magical conversion, and other alchemical complexities—a masterwork of wizardry craftsmanship.
This was the unique legacy of the Scamanders, the closely guarded secret of an old pure-blood family. Newt's brother had become the Head of the Auror Office at a young age.
Even after expulsion, Newt's magical prowess remained considerable—he'd held his own against Grindelwald for a few exchanges.
His exclusion from the Sacred Twenty-Eight was purely due to personal grudges. According to rumours, Newt didn't get along well with Cantankerous Nott, the compiler of the Pure-Blood Directory, and strongly disapproved of the latter's championing of pure-blood families.
That was why he had been deliberately ostracised.
Wayne wasn't yet capable of crafting such a suitcase himself, so he planned to trade for one with Newt.
At worst, he could sacrifice Ho-Oh's dignity.
But of course, he wouldn't bring it up outright—first, he'd write letters to build rapport and slowly coax him into it.
By Christmas, Wayne intended to make a trip to America, where he could bring it up during a visit.
It wasn't solely for Newt, though—Wayne had other matters to attend to. This year was an exceptionally unusual one, as a world-shaking event was set to occur at Christmas: a colossal entity would collapse, leaving countless people to feast on the spoils.
Even though he had entered the wizarding world, Wayne wouldn't pass up easily attainable wealth.
He had also been writing to his uncle, Humphrey, making some arrangements. Once the time came, he could join this gluttonous feast.
...
October arrived, and time seemed to pass more quickly.
Before he knew it, half the month had passed.
As the temperature gradually dropped, the young witches and wizards grew listless, entering a near-hibernation state.
But the professors paid no heed to this—instead, they sharply increased the workload.
The first month of term had merely been for easing everyone back into the rhythm after the summer break, so many classes had progressed slowly.
But come October, the professors began ramping up the intensity.
In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall scolded those who couldn't even turn a toothpick into a needle and assigned them extra homework.
Ron looked close to tears.
The other students weren't faring much better. Now that they had a basic grasp of magic, Professor McGonagall had them practising transfiguration from living creatures to inanimate objects.
Gritting their teeth against their disgust for earthworms, the young witches and wizards waved their wands. There were no specific requirements—as long as the object was transformed, it was considered a success.
Hermione, her face green, requested a mouse from Professor McGonagall—she'd rather double the difficulty than face an earthworm.
Other classes followed a similar pattern, with professors piling on assignments, leaving the students groaning in despair.
Wayne became the envy of everyone, as he was exempt from homework in Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions.
A few students attempted to negotiate with the professors.
Flitwick cheerfully laid out his terms: if anyone could make a wardrobe perform a complete tango, they wouldn't have to do homework for the rest of the year.
Unfortunately, no one succeeded.
Professor McGonagall's condition was equally straightforward: turn the lectern into a pig, just as she had done in her first lesson.
As for Snape—
No one dared to be suicidal enough to negotiate with him. Not even the Slytherins.
Many had quietly asked Wayne how he'd managed to get Snape to excuse him from homework.
Wayne always claimed his talent had moved the professor, making further effort unnecessary. Few believed him, aware that Snape disliked Harry and Wayne equally.
Only when the young witches Hermione and Cho asked did he tell the truth.
"...I gave him another vial of Ho-Oh's tears."
"You bribed a professor?!" Hermione gasped in shock.
"That's just how the world works," Wayne said, patting her shoulder before striding off.
The increased workload also had its advantages for Wayne. First of all, he didn't have to write most of it. While others were frantically catching up on their homework, he could sit back and watch, enjoying cakes and pastries, doubling his pleasure.
Moreover, business at Celia Store had been booming recently, with customers purchasing various quills daily.
Lately, the quills were all made by Fred and George. They'd barely grasped the method, but the quality was poor, so they only sold for one Galleon each.
Yet the sheer volume made up for it—Fred and George were ecstatic, spending lavishly at Zonko's Joke Shop.
Combined with Wayne's newly added range of products like Invigoration Draughts and Sleeping Potions, the young wizards' wallets were being thoroughly drained.
...
One evening, Wayne was having dinner in the Great Hall when Cedric, across from him, started complaining about Quirrell.
"I don't know if he's gone mad or the world's changed—two two-foot essays every week! I barely have time for Quidditch practice anymore!"
Wayne sometimes wondered if Voldemort, having suffered through academic torment himself, was now taking revenge by doubling their workload.
One class's homework equalled three others combined.
But since Voldemort's teaching was genuinely brilliant, captivating all seven years of students, complaints remained mild without serious backlash.
The only pity was Quirrell's public claim that his brain remained severely damaged by the curse, causing occasional relapses.
Sometimes, mid-lecture, he'd suddenly revert to his old stuttering self.
Students now nicknamed him "Dr Jekyll and Mr Quirrell".
Everyone prayed for "Good Quirrell" rather than "Mad Quirrell" during lessons.
"You could buy two Fluff-Filler Quills," Wayne suggested.
Cedric protectively covered his money pouch. "Not even sparing me now?"
"I'd rather write until my hand falls off than miss saving for a Nimbus 2001."
With recent profits, Cedric and the twins had earned decent shares. He'd already set his sights on next year's new broom model.
This hope made him thriftier than ever, visiting Hogsmeade only to fetch things for Wayne, never splurging on himself.
Wayne gave up on the miser, changing the subject.
As they chatted about Transfiguration theories, commotion erupted at the Ravenclaw table with several students rushing out.
They paid little attention until the Ravenclaws returned, and news soon reached Hufflepuff.
Wayne's expression darkened.