章節 65: Newt Scamander
I turned to see Newt stand there, and his wife by his side. I looked at him, and answered politely, "Hello, Mr Scamander, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Leonardo Aethelred Cornaro, and yes, I am looking for a wand core that would pair with me."
He looked taken aback. "Oh, you recognised me. Was it from the History books or the advanced reading you did before Hogwarts?" He seemed laid back, calm and seasoned, compared to the goofy manchild from the movies.
"Oh, your book, sir. But I must ask, is it true you met your wife, when your Niffler got lost into the Muggle bank from your suitcase?"
He looked taken aback, as his wife laughed at her husband. "Oh, look Newt. Children know what a blundering fool you were in your youth."
She looked at me, in her auror face. "But how did you come by this information, Mr Aethelred Cornaro? I am very certain, the exact circumstances never made it to the tabloids. And such information cannot be found in public records either."
I grinned at her. "Please Mrs Scamander. Call me Leo. And I know quite a bit about your adventure in the states. I make it a point to read up on every bit of creature related sightings news articles and little breadcrumbs, that marked Mr Scamander's adventure in the States. In my records, I have marked the first unusual sighting at the Muggle Bank, where the aforementioned Niffler was sighted, then the Erumpents in zoo, the Billywigs, Bowtruckle, more Nifflers all ending with the majestic Thunderbird in the storm clouds till he reached Arizona."
The couple could hear my admiration and love for creatures, as Mrs Scamander looked at me in fond exasperation. "Another one like you, Newt."
I smiled at her compliment. "I have been taking care of a few cute Ashwinders, Bicorns, a herd of cute Graphorns, this lazy Basilisk, and now a few Acromantula as well."
They looked amazed. "Quite a reputable stock, you got there. But aren't almost all of them Wizard killers, not to mention this giant snake of yours."
I looked affronted at her. "What do you mean? We must all admire the magical creatures, instead of hunting and hurting them. They came before our kind, after all, and it is us who is encroaching their territory."
Newt looked at me funnily. "You are quite vocal about magical creatures, aren't you?"
I looked at him with a smug face. "Of course. Not even you understand magical creatures better than I would."
Newt smiled at my claim, while Porpetina Scamander looked affronted at my claim. "Care to put your money, where your mouth is?"
I looked smug. "Sure! Ten thousand Galleons!"
I looked at their shocked faces, and turned to Ollivander, who was watching with an amused smile. "I must say Leo, I won't get to make my masterpiece today, but I would enjoy myself with this wager."
I grinned at the old man. After our heart to heart, we were on first name basis, at least unidirectionally. I cannot call him Garrick, with all the respect I have for him.
"You bet. Here, I will let you be the mediator, and the witness to Mrs Scamander losing." I handed a pouchful of Galleons, and the couple turned to each other.
"Mr. Ollivander, I don't think it is appropriate to wager with the boy like this. It is unfair to him, not to say, he shouldn't be wasting his money like that."
I looked at Newt and said, "Don't worry, it's my pocket money, and I am utterly confident in my abilities, after all."
When Tina turned to Ollivander, he smiled kindly. "Don't fret Mrs Scamander. I am afraid, it is your husband, who is at a disadvantage in this wager. If I were a betting man, I wouldn't be worried about Leo's odds."
Now the couple were surprised, but Tina was unwilling to back down. "Fine. I will agree on the wager. Ten thousand Galleons."
But I stopped her. "I don't need your money, and I am certain I wouldn't want you to lose on a sucker's bet. Why don't you offer something equivalent of the bet amount?"
Tina looked surprised at my confidence, and my words. "And what would be equivalent to ten thousand Galleons?"
I smiled at her. "Not Ten thousand, but twenty. The winning amount. And as to what can be equivalent, can I meet your creatures, the ones you took care of? In the suitcase, and the others. I suspect, Graphorns, Mooncalves, Erumpents, a Nundu, Wampus Cats and Demiguise, Occamies and Runespoors, and if I am not utterly mistaken, an Obscurus too."
Newt looked at me in shock, "Have you been spying on me?"
I shook my head. "Didn't need to. Just paid someone to keep an eye on strange sightings of creatures, who are not from that area, and coincided your known whereabouts during that time. Like a Zuowu in Paris, which would have been catastrophic, if it was let loose on the streets, and somehow it was trapped and taken care of, before anyone was injured. The same with the Nundu, and also report of black most in Sudanese tribes, where there was a shaman descendant living."
Even Tina looked impressed. "How old are you again?"
I grinned. "I would be eleven next month."
She whistled at that. "And your parents let you hire people to track others and collect reports and witnesses?"
I shrugged. "I am different. My parents had to give me freedom to grow on my own terms, when they couldn't contain me. But, I believe, we have a wager?"
She looked at me for a while, and nodded. "Deal! How do you want to decide that?"
I shrugged. "Say it explicitly, that you accept the wager."
She grunted as her nose flared. "I accept, brat. Happy?"
I nodded. "Sure! But I have a question. How did I talk to the Basilisk?"
Both husband and wife were taken aback, at the sudden question. "You were talking to the Bas...wait a minute, you are a Parseltongue?"
Tina shouted in my face.
I grinned like a looney tune. "NOPE! I am not!"
She looked even more shocked. And even Newt was confused. "Then how did you talk to the Basilisk?"
"I can talk, read, write and understand every tongue spoken in this world, including creatures and beings."
They looked in shock, and Tina tried to test me in Spanish, French, and German. After answering her, I looked smug. "So still want to take that wager? Or do I have the pleasure to see those sweet sweet creatures."
Newt smiled at my love for animals, while Tina was amazed and filled with mixed feelings of awe, shock, amusement and finally a garnish of anger at being duped into a sucker's bet.
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