Chapter 336: The Same Action, Different Outcomes
Chapter 336: The Same Action, Different Outcomes
Newt looked at Kyle, remaining silent.
He wasn't opposed to having another assistant; he just didn't like the idea of admitting his age.
After all, he had worked with assistants before, so there was no reason to be averse to the idea.
Moreover, upon further reflection, house-elves were actually easier to get along with. At the very least, they had pure intentions and worked diligently and meticulously, rarely making mistakes.
By the time Tina and Dobby were discussing wages, Newt had already accepted this fact.
His current gaze towards Kyle, however, was for a different reason.
"Dumbledore sent your trunk a week ago," Newt said with a complex expression. "To be honest, I kind of regret giving it to you."
Life was much simpler back when Kyle had first enrolled—despite the incident with the Dark Wizard, Oren. That had been more of an internal school issue, and life had quickly returned to normal after the matter was resolved.
But ever since his second year, when Newt had given him the trunk, everything had changed.
Before that year had even ended, Newt had seen a giant, a three-headed dog, and a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon in Kyle's trunk... He had even helped care for the giant and the dragon for a period of time.
It was also during that time that Newt had personally witnessed just how rich the biodiversity was in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts... Even the three-headed dog, a creature rarely seen in Greece, could be found there. Newt himself had only seen such a creature twice.
Initially, Newt had thought that was the limit.
After all, whether it was the Norwegian Ridgeback or the three-headed dog, they were both considered 5X-level magical beasts, and there shouldn't have been anything more dangerous lurking in the Forbidden Forest.
Yet, something Newt had never imagined was that there was actually a secret chamber within Hogwarts Castle.
Not only had Kyle found that place, but he had also brought back the thousand-year-old Basilisk that had been residing there.
Upon seeing the letter Dumbledore had written to him and the massive ink-green monster in the trunk, Newt was left dumbfounded.
A thousand-year-old Basilisk... It was just absurd to think about.
Facing Newt's strange gaze, Kyle scratched his hair awkwardly. "It was just a coincidence. Mr. Salazar Slytherin insisted on giving it to me, and I had no way to refuse."
"Slytherin gave it to you?" Newt blinked in confusion. Dumbledore's letter hadn't mentioned this detail.
"But I thought the secret chamber was meant for the heir of Slytherin," Newt said.
"Maybe I am," Kyle replied after a moment's thought. "After all, my mother graduated from Slytherin."
"..."
Newt stared at Kyle without saying a word, as if he were seeing him for the first time.
What a character, trying to pull off such a bold claim!
Feeling a bit lost for words, Newt shook his head. Taking advantage of Tina and Dobby's absence, he led Kyle to a small hill.
"Dumbledore asked me to find a new home for the Basilisk."
With a wave of his wand, the plants at the base of the hill moved aside, revealing a massive cave.
The Basilisk lay quietly inside, motionless.
"I know," Kyle said as he stroked the Basilisk's scales gently. "He doesn't want the Basilisk to appear in the castle in any form. It might have to stay here with you until I graduate."
"It can stay even after you graduate if you'd like," Newt said with a smile. "I've never dealt with a live Basilisk before, so this is a good opportunity. Are you sure it won't wake up?"
"No," Kyle shook his head. "As long as no one summons it using Parseltongue, it will continue to sleep like this."
Newt took out his wand and gently tapped the Basilisk.
"Probably because of Slytherin," Kyle replied uncertainly. "The method to put the Basilisk to sleep was something he taught me."
"My thoughts are the opposite..." Newt mused.
He continued to examine the Basilisk's scales, his eyes narrowing in concentration.
"Thirty years ago, when I was in the pyramid, I stumbled upon a dead Basilisk. I remember it had eight fine lines on its scales. But the one you brought here has ten."
Newt stood up and began to pace, his voice soft as he spoke. "These lines may represent their age, with a new line appearing every century... If that's the case, then that previous Basilisk must have been eight hundred years old. And it managed to live that long without the aid of Salazar Slytherin."
After pacing in circles for a moment, Newt pulled out a bottle of unknown potion and poured it over the Basilisk's body. The gray potion was sticky and quickly began to solidify, forming a thin film that resembled a snake's shed skin.
Newt peeled it off, and Kyle noticed that the fine lines from the Basilisk's scales had been perfectly imprinted on the film.
The two of them then left the cave, and the plants once again closed around the entrance, hiding it from view.
"I was planning to release the new edition of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' next year, but now it looks like we can move up the schedule considerably."
"Oh, right, and here's this back."
After some hesitation, Newt handed over a box to Kyle.
It was the trunk that Dumbledore had sent, which Newt had kept after transferring the Basilisk out of it. Now it was time to return it to its owner.
Even though the trunk had already given him two surprises—or rather, shocks—Newt believed that there probably wouldn't be any more incidents like that.
After all, it was unlikely that Hogwarts would have another Chamber of Secrets belonging to Gryffindor.
There were only a handful of magical beasts that could live for hundreds or thousands of years, and none of them resembled a lion... or an eagle or a badger, for that matter.
Moreover, after the incident with the Basilisk, Newt's capacity for acceptance had increased significantly. Even if Kyle brought back another 5X magical beast, like a five-legged monster or an eight-eyed giant spider, he didn't think he would be as surprised as he was before.
Well, perhaps except for the Monster Book of Monsters... maybe it was better not to think about that one.
"I've already fed Norberta for you," Newt said.
"And I'm sure Dumbledore hasn't opened it to look inside," he added.
Kyle nodded in agreement. That was certain.
Dumbledore was currently preoccupied with other matters, and he hardly had time to bother with a trunk.
In the past month, he had only appeared at the end-of-year feast a week ago; the rest of the time, he was absent from the school.
As Kyle took the trunk from him, Newt's expression became complex.
He recalled how he and his friends had been expelled from Hogwarts for breeding a Kneazle in the castle.
And here was Kyle, who had kept a giant, a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, and now a Basilisk... surely any one of those was more dangerous than a Kneazle?
Yet, instead of being expelled, Kyle had become the first student to receive the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award for three consecutive years.
The contrast was stark.
...
(End of Chapter)
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