Lucien held a small, mole-like creature in his hands.
The little niffler's paws were busy stuffing something into the pouch on its belly.
"Sorry about this," Newt said with an embarrassed smile, taking the niffler cub named Goldie from Lucien. "Goldie's still young, and her curiosity's at its peak."
With one hand gently holding Goldie by the scruff, Newt used the other to tickle her soft belly.
Unable to resist the tickling, the niffler squirmed and squeaked, dropping bits of gold and silver treasures from her pouch.
Lucien quickly grabbed the Circuit Tablet, noticing that a niffler pattern and its magical circuit had already appeared on the stone surface.
Phew, caught it just in time.
"Goldie, huh? Her fur color's pretty rare," Lucien remarked, eyeing the niffler, who was still spilling treasures. Most nifflers had black fur, though some were gray or pale blue.
But Goldie? Her coat was a pure platinum blonde, not a speck of another color, making her absolutely stunning.
Newt cradled Goldie in his hands, though she kept trying to jump down and snatch the treasures scattered on the ground.
Lucien and Newt both chuckled at the sight, and Newt said, "Goldie's the offspring of an old friend's niffler. Her fur's rare, which makes her a target for shady wizards in the wild. Plus, she's not the healthiest, so I figured I'd keep her close."
Lucien pulled out a Galleon and dangled it in front of Goldie. Her eyes lit up, and she reached out with her tiny paws to grab it.
Watching Lucien tease the niffler with a grin, Newt suddenly asked, "Lucien, ever thought about raising a niffler?"
"You mean Goldie?"
"Yeah, if you're up for it."
Lucien thought it over briefly.
He'd recorded the magical circuits of tons of creatures using the Circuit Tablet, building up a solid collection of samples. Having one to observe up close could reveal even more details.
Newt must really trust him to offer a niffler after just one meeting.
Raising a niffler seemed pretty easy, too, and…
Lucien stopped teasing Goldie and handed her the Galleon. She clutched it with both paws and stuffed it into her belly pouch.
Nifflers were adorable, no question.
"If I run into any issues with Goldie, I'll ask you directly," Lucien said.
Newt's face lit up, and he handed the little niffler over to Lucien.
Lucien held Goldie gently, pulling Galleons one by one from his pocket and passing them to her.
Nifflers never turned down shiny coins—Lucien handed her one, and she stashed it away, over and over.
Galleons are a bit plain, though. Maybe I'll write to Aunt Penelope and ask her to send some fancier gold and silver jewelry.
"By the way, Mr. Scamander, if I wanted to raise a dragon, what would I need to prepare? Any tips?"
Newt took the question as a kid's fantasy. Dragons were magical creatures steeped in mystique, after all. They were the ones Muggles most often glimpsed, despite wizards' efforts to Obliviate those who saw them. A few always slipped through, making dragon tales common in the Muggle world.
Seeing Lucien's interest in magical creatures as a good thing, Newt shared freely, like it was a casual chat. "Wizards aren't allowed to raise dragons on their own, but if you're working at a dragon reserve, you'd need to know a lot about them."
"For example, dragon eggs need to hatch in fire. Once the hatchling emerges, it needs to swallow a flame—usually provided by its parents. If humans are involved, you can feed it a mix of brandy and chicken blood every half hour to boost its immunity. Even with a newborn dragon, you'd better cast a Flame-Freezing Charm—those little guys' breath can burn right through you."
Lucien mentally noted every detail. He'd soon be raising a dragon himself, aiming to make it the king of its clan to repay the Mana Weaving Technique loan. Starting from birth was key—ensuring the dragon's health and strength from day one.
Newt's advice was gold. Lucien could write to him later for more, and maybe get Ron to ask his brother Charlie, a dragon keeper, for extra insights.
If he could tap into that connection, taking his dragon to dominate its kin later would be easier.
Oh, and the Malfoys—they had a dragon reserve. Maybe he could arrange a visit to scope things out.
After dragons, Lucien asked about niffler care in detail, which reassured Newt. He covered diet, nesting, and more.
"Oh, and Goldie loves looking at the moon—especially when it's full," Newt added.
Lucien nodded. "Got it. I've got a mooncalf too, so they can keep each other company."
Loves the moon? Maybe because it's shiny, triggering her niffler instincts?
How cute.
Lucien scratched Goldie's belly, surprised by how soft and warm it felt.
The young wizard and the older one hit it off, time flying by as they chatted.
Suddenly, Newt slapped his forehead. "Oh no, I forgot to tell Tina I was leaving! I'm in for it now…"
"Lucien, I gotta run. See you this summer!"
---
Ding-a-ling!
The bell for class rang.
In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lucien watched Quirrell at the front, stammering through his lesson as usual.
Quirrell's face was still pale, bloodless, but less gaunt than before, his voice a touch louder.
He wore black gloves on both hands, though no one paid much attention. Quirrell's style was already odd—purple turban, reeking of garlic.
But Lucien noticed Quirrell kept his right hand at his side most of the time, using his left to hold the textbook.
Quietly activating his Eye of Magic, Lucien saw faint swirls in his vision and studied Quirrell's magical circuits.
Huh.
The withering at the circuit's edges had stopped.
Unicorn blood, probably. Luster had said Quirrell was soaked in Asterion's blood—must've drunk it afterward.
But…
Lucien narrowed his eyes. Faint black tendrils clung to Quirrell's circuits, creeping toward his heart.
The curse of drinking unicorn blood—a half-life of torment.
The circuits in his left hand were dim and thin.
Regrowing a limb with dark magic, but still limited, huh?
Luster had burned off Quirrell's left hand, but he'd ruthlessly severed his arm to escape.
Watching Quirrell act normal, Lucien recalled a private talk with Dumbledore after Newt left.
Dumbledore's stance hadn't changed: everything was under control, and he wanted Harry to grow through his adventures.
Lucien knew arguing was pointless. The prophecy was clear—the Boy Who Lived would defeat Voldemort.
Still, Lucien remembered Firenze, the centaur seer, saying he could alter others' fates.
So…
How to deal with Voldemort, that nagging problem?
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