Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 468, Section 466: A Story of Gods and Wizards
"They're waiting for you, Newt."

The woman's voice said.

Newt stood up and faced Leta Lestrange.

Leta was beautiful and smiling. Newt quickly stuffed the buttons and Pickett into his pocket.

At this time, Newt was still very young, with a shy and embarrassed smile on his face.

The elderly Newt stared at them blankly, his eyes shining with a long-lost light.

A black cat was perched on his shoulder, its eyes fixed on the two of them.

"Rita... what are you doing here?"

"Young Newt said."

Theseus thinks it would be great if I joined the Ministry of Magic family.

Rita replied.

"Did he really say 'the Ministry of Magic family'?"

Newt asked casually.

Rita let out a soft chuckle. Then they walked forward down the corridor in unison.

The atmosphere gradually became tense, and it seemed that there were many past events between the two.

"You haven't come to dinner even once, and Theseus is a little disappointed. We invited you, but you didn't come."

Rita said.

"Me? I'm always busy."

Newt said.

“He’s your brother, Newt, and he’d like to spend more time with you. So would I.

Rita said.

At this moment, Newt noticed Pickett climbing up his collar and opening the pocket on his chest.

“You jump in, Pique.”

Newt whispered to Pickett.

Pickett squeezed in comfortably.

"Why do strange creatures always love you so much?"

Rita smiled.

"There are no strange creatures—"

Newt said seriously.

"—It's just that people are narrow-minded."

Newt and Leta spoke almost simultaneously.

They smiled again.

"Do you remember how long you were kept after school the last time you said that to Prendgast?"

"To be honest, I think I stayed for about a month."

"I planted a feces bomb under his desk so I could come and keep you company, remember?"

During their conversation, they could already see the two imposing, gloomy doors leading to the conference hall.

"I don't remember that."

These were Newt's last words.

"She was my best friend, maybe I once..."

The aged Newt had completely lost control of his emotions; he was like a child, helpless and sorrowful.

"You once loved her."

The black cat finished saying those unspoken words for him.

"Perhaps it is..."

The elderly Newt looked nostalgic.

"Her mother died in childbirth, and her father did not love her, which made her childhood difficult;

I once saw her Boggart... it was a baby that kept sinking in the water.

Later I learned that it was because her younger brother died unexpectedly because of her that she was unable to get rid of feelings of guilt and self-loathing for a long time.

She was convinced that she had killed her brother and that he was an evil monster.

Despite this, she remained a polite and considerate person.

Well, because neither of us is suited to staying in school, so we—"

The black cat knew this, and that's how they forged a deep friendship.

This friendship led Hufflepuff to take the blame for Rita's expulsion, and it also led Rita to resolutely face death.

...The scenes of memory began to replay. This was a place like a cemetery, where fifty Aurors stood outside.

Tension and even fear were evident on their faces, and several of them clearly displayed a desire for fighting and revenge.

Inside the cemetery.

A white-haired wizard was giving a passionate speech; his voice had a special magic that made people want to agree with him.

"It's time to show everyone the future I've predicted. If we don't rise up and reclaim our rightful place, that will be the consequence."

Just as he was about to say something more, his memory twisted again. The black cat turned to look at Newt, seemingly because the Hufflepuff senior didn't want him to see these things.

Then, a few seconds later, the scene suddenly changed, and the wizards had begun their battle.

The white-haired wizard conducted the flames like an orchestra, the Elder Wand serving as his conductor, the tongues of fire striking the Aurors who attempted Apparition or escape.

Six or seven Aurors panicked and ran through the flames toward him.

The result, naturally, was death.

"Mr. Scamander, do you think Dumbledore would mourn for you?"

The white-haired wizard spoke to Newt and Theseus.

He unleashed a torrent of black flames, and Theseus and Newt could only fight for their lives.

Just when they were about to give up, Rita appeared.

"Grindelwald! Stop!"

she says.

"I think I know this person."

Grindelwald stopped and walked through the flames toward Leta. Theseus and Newt struggled to get closer, desperate to reach Leta, but to no avail.

"Leta Lestrange...disliked by all wizards, unloved, abused...yet brave. Very brave."

It's time to go home.

He extended a hand to Rita.

Rita suddenly looked at Theseus and Newt.

"I love you."

The scene that followed was a chaotic mess of colors, and all the black cat could tell was that Rita had used magic to make the skeleton explode, thus interfering with Grindelwald.

Newt and Theseus were then able to Apparate and escape.

"I hate Paris."

The black cat heard Grindelwald say something at the end.

"Is that enough...?"

The black cat heard Newt's hoarse voice, and the way he looked at the black cat was almost pleading.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Scamander.”

The black cat lowered its eyes.

They once again stepped onto the white, barren land.

"Bastet, this is war."

Newt murmured,

"Destroy everything, tear everything apart... What good is it to fight the world's most terrible wizard? It's to save some innocent lives."

Fewer broken families, fewer tears and sorrow—this is something that must be accomplished no matter what.

He remained silent, watching the black cat spin the black stone around its neck three times as if it were a toy.

“Follow me, Mr. Scamander.”

The black cat jumped off Newt's shoulder.

The Resurrection Stone is summoning Lady Leta, but she seems too far away, or perhaps the connection between Sheen and her is still separated by Newt, so she did not appear immediately.

But the black cat thought that if it summoned Lady Helena, she might arrive in no time.

So the black cat could only carry Newt through the fog-shrouded borderlands, sensing that the other was getting closer and closer.

Am I going to see her?

Newt seemed to sense something and began to feel uneasy.

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

The black cat was puzzled.

“My dearest Bastet…you don’t know, she, she makes my heart explode like fireworks.”

Stuttering and incoherent speech were the price of interacting with her.

Newt is like an old storyteller, and unlike other wizards, he believes he is telling stories to a god.

If the gods understand the wizard's story, they may spare the wizard from suffering.

(End of this chapter)