Newt's silence was exactly what Tver had expected.
All the arrangements he had made were not merely for profit, nor simply to demonstrate the limitations imposed by the Statute of Secrecy. More than anything, they were meant to present an image completely different from his teacher and from Voldemort.
He had prepared for moments like this. When his identity as Grindelwald's student was revealed, it would not damage him. On the contrary, it would create a powerful contrast.
And the more someone despised Grindelwald and Voldemort, like Newt, the stronger that contrast would feel.
"I…"
After a long pause, Newt finally looked up at Tver. His eyes were filled with confusion, shock, and a trace of guilt.
"I apologize for misunderstanding you. But I hope you can also see this from my perspective."
"Your teacher, Grindelwald, nearly exposed the wizarding world to the Muggles. One could even say he already did."
"If we hadn't acted in time, wizards would not be living in peace today."
"And now, as Dumbledore grows older, the wizarding world simply cannot afford the rise of another, younger Grindelwald."
Tver made no comment. He moved to sit beside Newt, taking the seat that had belonged to Dumbledore.
"But you must admit," he said calmly, "the risk of exposure does not necessarily originate with wizards."
"In the face of rapidly advancing Muggle technology, magic is no longer an untouchable miracle."
"But at present, the greatest threat is the Dark Lord, is it not?" Newt frowned.
He had always been wary of arguments about Muggle threats. If Tver had chosen to avoid that topic, Newt might even have considered becoming his friend.
But that would not be Tver.
"What is it? Getting older, so you no longer wish to think about the future of the wizarding world?" Tver tilted his head, his tone almost teasing.
"What are you talking about?" The faint goodwill Newt had begun to feel vanished at once.
"Whether it's me or Dumbledore, no matter our age, we have never stopped caring about the wizarding world."
"To put it bluntly, I was protecting this world before your parents were even born."
"Then perhaps you're simply too old. Not as sharp as you once were."
Tver's expression remained gentle. If not for the sting in his words, he might have looked sincerely concerned for an elderly man.
Anger flashed across Newt's face. His weathered hands tightened around the armrests, as though he might rise at any second.
"You are being extremely rude…"
"No. You are being ignorant, Newt Scamander."
"As a magizoologist, do you truly not see what is happening to magical creatures in the wild?"
"Their habitats are shrinking. In many places, they are being destroyed outright."
"You know about the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. In the past twenty years alone, an area equivalent to Germany has been lost to illegal logging."
"And if one day the rainforest disappears entirely? What happens to the magical creatures who live there?"
"Do we simply stand by and watch them die, batch after batch, because the Statute of Secrecy demands we look away?"
"Newt, I know you want to protect the wizarding world. I understand that. In fact, I want the same thing."
"But if the Statute of Secrecy becomes an obstacle to protecting the wizarding world, then how exactly are we supposed to protect wizards?"
Tver reached out and patted Newt lightly on the shoulder.
For a fleeting moment, the scene felt strangely reversed, as if he were the older and steadier one of the two.
"But war cannot…"
"I know perfectly well that a war between wizards and Muggles cannot, and should not, happen."
Tver interrupted Newt again, but this time his tone was noticeably calmer.
"Did you know that in many countries, there is actually a communication channel between the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister or President?"
"It's rarely used, usually reserved for major incidents, which is why most people don't know it exists."
"But what if we strengthened that channel?"
"For example?" Newt felt a slight stir in his chest.
"For example, Muggle governments and the Ministry of Magic could cooperate to establish nature reserves. Not just for magical creatures, but also for ordinary Muggle plants and animals."
"Or magizoologists like you could advise Muggle authorities on how to create environments more suitable for magical species…"
Before Tver even finished, Newt was already drifting into the possibilities.
Magical creatures could roughly be divided into several types.
The first were extremely dangerous species, such as dragons or thunderbirds. These were already tightly monitored by various Ministries of Magic, and their habitats were protected with powerful magic. The ones at risk were usually Muggles who wandered in by mistake.
The second type included creatures with strong self-preservation abilities. The Muggle dodo, known in the wizarding world as the Diricawl, was a perfect example. When their habitat was destroyed, they could simply Disapparate without restriction and relocate elsewhere.
The final type was the one that troubled Newt the most.
Creatures like the fire slugs living in the Brazilian rainforest, which Tver had mentioned. They possessed some defensive abilities, but not enough to withstand modern Muggle weaponry. Instead, they could easily become targets.
Species like these existed all over the world, in both the magical and Muggle realms.
As Muggle settlements expanded, the survival space of these creatures was steadily shrinking.
So when Tver spoke of nature reserves, Newt's eyes lit up.
He knew that some Muggle governments had established protected areas. But those were meant only for Muggle wildlife, not the magical creatures hidden by wizarding secrecy.
Now all it would take was a small adjustment.
In fact, perhaps not even an adjustment to the boundaries.
If part of the environment within a reserve were subtly modified to suit magical creatures, the area could shelter both Muggle animals and magical species at the same time.
...
Half an hour later, Dumbledore, who had been sitting rather restlessly in the Great Hall, stared in astonishment as Tver and Newt returned, chatting cheerfully about nature reserves and improved communication between the wizarding and Muggle worlds.
"What on earth did you two discuss?" he asked, utterly baffled.
Newt could not help smiling.
"We spoke about the protection of magical creatures. I must say, Tver is remarkably knowledgeable. Even outside his own field, he has a surprising number of original ideas."
Tver simply smiled at the side.
Newt was not someone who could be persuaded easily. But despite his age, his thinking was far from rigid.
In fact, it was flexible.
Once he realized that limited cooperation could better protect both wizards and Muggles, he began considering the possibility without hesitation.
Of course, truly winning over someone like Newt would require more than a single conversation.
He would need to show him, and many other wizards, the tangible benefits of cooperation.
After all, as Newt himself had said earlier, interests were the decisive factor in wizarding decisions.