Dorset, England. An inconspicuous house situated on a certain small street.
The famous Magizoologist—Newt Scamander—and his wife, Tina Scamander, lived here in seclusion.
However, this ordinary, cramped house did not look like the hermitage of a powerful wizard in the slightest.
Moreover, this wizard had a habit of illegally keeping a large number of magical creatures.
On the surface, this place didn't seem to have enough space to keep animals; it would be hard to even raise a puppy.
Of course, things could not be judged merely by their appearance.
Given Newt Scamander's attainments in spatial magic, the interior of this Victorian-era yellow brick house was actually a world of its own.
Accompanied by the sound of Apparition, two figures appeared in a secluded corner of the street.
The sound of leather shoes treading on the ground rang out.
The two soon stopped... right next door to Newt Scamander's home.
"Master, this is the future new home for you and Young Master Kyle."
Grindelwald did not speak; instead, he gazed playfully at the magical glow enveloping the house next door.
He was wondering what kind of gift he should give his neighbor later.
For example, a gas stove that emits blue flames or something.
For some reason, ever since hearing that the original neighbors had moved away and a new family was moving in, Newt had felt a constant sense of unease.
Tina did not take Newt's ominous premonition to heart.
In her view, it was just the somewhat socially withdrawn Newt not wanting to deal with complete strangers.
This noon, she was preparing lunch as usual, while Old Man Newt stayed in his magical zoo, tending to his beloved magical creatures.
Suddenly, the ringing of the doorbell made Tina pause what she was doing.
It must be the new neighbors coming to visit.
Because Tina did not like that almost isolated lifestyle, she felt that as a normal person, some necessary social interaction was needed.
Actually, according to Newt's original idea, a life with just him, Tina, and a pile of magical creatures was the most wonderful life.
But looking at the family hierarchy, aside from matters in the field of magical creatures, no decision made by Mrs. Scamander was something poor Old Man Newt could change.
So, at Mrs. Scamander's insistence, their house did not have a Muggle-Repelling Charm cast on it.
"Newt! Go open the door!"
Urged by his wife, Newt reluctantly walked out from the magical zoo behind the house and opened the front door.
However, upon seeing the visitor, Newt's expression changed instantly, and he drew his wand to point at the visitor in a split second.
"Whoa, whoa, relax, Mr. Scamander."
Grindelwald wore a kindly smile on his face, as if he were visiting an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
However, this disguise failed completely to deceive Newt, who continued to point his wand at him as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Shouldn't you be staying in Nurmengard?! Why are..."
"Newt, who is it?" Tina walked out of the kitchen.
When she saw Newt pointing his wand at the visitor, Tina froze for a moment, but reacted with lightning speed to draw her wand and point it at the other party.
She didn't know the person's identity yet, but anyone who could make Newt react this way was surely not coming with good intentions.
Grindelwald walked past the two as if nothing had happened, entered Newt's home, and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
This presumption of authority left Newt somewhat dazed.
It was only then that Mrs. Scamander clearly saw Grindelwald's eyes; she could never mistake those heterochromatic irises.
"Gellert Grindelwald!"
"Hi, Tina. Long time no see." Grindelwald's gaze shifted from Tina's face to the teapot on the table, then he lifted his chin at Newt.
It was as if to say: Guests are here, aren't you going to serve tea?
"What are you doing here!" Old Man Newt's voice sounded exceptionally tense.
"Just visiting old friends I haven't seen in years," Grindelwald spread his hands. "Is this your hospitality? Not even the most basic tea?"
Seeing that Grindelwald had shown no ill intent so far, Old Man Newt took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He slowly lowered his wand.
"Tina, go prepare lunch."
Hearing Old Man Newt's words, Mrs. Scamander looked completely bewildered.
She kept her wand raised, pointing it at Grindelwald.
Newt pressed his hand over Tina's wand, expending quite a bit of effort to get his wife to lower it.
Only two lonely old men remained in the living room, and the atmosphere returned to silence.
After staring silently at Grindelwald for a long time, Newt finally couldn't help but break the silence.
"What exactly is your objective?" Newt looked expressionlessly at the first Dark Lord before him. "Don't give me that nonsense about visiting old friends."
Grindelwald smiled casually. "I have a matter to trouble you with."
"Trouble? You appearing here is already a huge trouble." Newt huffed coldly.
"'Trouble' is just a polite way of putting it," Grindelwald's voice turned cold. "Correctly speaking, it should be a command or a threat."
The old Dark Lord's blunt words instantly choked Newt into silence.
"What matter?" Newt forced himself to calm down. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat him, he would have picked up his wand and fought for his life right then.
"My son. You've met him. He is very interested in magical creatures."
Newt seemed to realize something, and his breathing quickened slightly.
Grindelwald was going to target his beloved magical creatures.
"Today is my first day moving to Dorset. As a neighbor, shouldn't you offer a housewarming gift?"
Hearing this, Newt's face instantly darkened.
However, before he could refuse, the wand in his pocket flew out automatically, pointing at his own neck.
Newt Scamander instantly lost his nerve; his lips moved, and the curse words at the tip of his tongue turned into—"I'll take you for a tour."
"No rush," Grindelwald waved his hand, and the wand floating in the air automatically returned to Newt's pocket. "We'll go after lunch."
As soon as his voice fell, Mrs. Scamander came out of the kitchen, levitating a large amount of delicious food with her wand.
The atmosphere during lunch was very stiff.
While cooking just now, Tina had considered countless times whether to poison the food and just kill this old Dark Lord.
But in the end, she chose not to act.
She had retired from the Magical Congress of the United States of America many years ago. Matters like the safety of the wizarding world should be left to the young people; she couldn't risk her family's lives.
Neither Newt nor Tina had any appetite, while Grindelwald enjoyed the lunch methodically, as if he were completely unbothered.
"Let's go. Take me to tour your magical zoo."
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