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[Hogwarts] Ch 126: The Unicorn-Rejected Newt
🕑 Added 2025-08-06 19:19:46 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
"There are guests?"
The elderly lady had just stepped inside when she heard voices from the sitting room.
Curious, she wandered over—and that's when Tom spotted the woman who clearly had Newt wrapped around her finger: Tina Scamander.
Much like Newt, Tina's hair was white, but her posture was upright, her eyes sharp. You could tell from the way she carried herself that she had been a stunning beauty in her youth. Even now, everything she did had an air of elegance.
"Hello, I'm Tom Riddle," Tom said politely, standing up and offering a small, respectful bow.
Tina smiled immediately and stepped forward to gently take his hand, patting it lightly. "So you're that handsome young man I heard about. I had a feeling it might be you."
"Blame me—I completely forgot you were visiting today. Otherwise, I would've postponed my work at the Magical Congress."
Tom shot a quick glance at Newt, who'd also stood up alongside him like some nervous assistant.
Dude, seriously?
You're the man of the house, Newt! Why are you acting like an employee meeting his boss now that Tina's back?
In just those few seconds, Tom had already figured out the household hierarchy: regardless of how anyone else ranked, Tina was clearly at the top of the food chain.
His smile grew warmer, but his tone added a hint of playful complaint. "If I'd known you were there, I would've waited for you. I just came straight from registering at the Magical Congress—New York traffic is even worse than London's."
Instead of getting annoyed, Tina actually laughed harder. "You're absolutely right. Neither of these cities are much fun to live in. If it weren't for work, I'd be back in Devon enjoying some peace and quiet."
"North Yorkshire's not bad either," Tom replied smoothly. "The weather's milder there. Plus, Devon's gotten so tourist-y lately, it's hardly peaceful anymore."
How do you win over someone who already kinda likes you?
First, don't be nervous.
Second, be outgoing—but not loud or bratty. Older folks like energetic youth, not rowdy children.
Third, show you've got some sense. You're still a kid, but you're not clueless.
Tom had mastered the balance perfectly. The way he naturally bridged the gap between them was smooth as silk. And when he casually dropped hints about being an orphan, it didn't take long before Tina was holding his hand and asking all about his daily life.
Newt stood to the side, feeling completely out of his depth. Whenever Tom spoke to him, he never felt like he was talking to an adult. But now?
Now he looked like someone's sweet little grandson.
Actually... compared to Rolf, who barely talks, Tom was way more expressive and way more likable.
Suddenly, Tom clutched his stomach. "Ugh, why do I feel so hungry all of a sudden?"
Tina glanced at the clock—it was already six. "Oh no! I completely lost track of time while chatting. Newt, why didn't you remind me?"
Newt: "???"
You two were talking a mile a minute—how was I supposed to get a word in?
"I-I'm sorry." He smiled awkwardly but said nothing more. No way was he brave enough to argue with Tina.
"Sweetheart, hang on just a bit, I'll whip something up for you."
With that, Tina bustled into the kitchen like a woman on a mission. Her wand waved in the air as pots and pans sprang to life around her.
Tom tilted his head toward Newt. "What happened to the house-elf? Does Granny Tina usually cook?"
Tina still looked spry for her age, but let's face it—she was nearly a hundred. She worked a full-time job and handled the cooking? That's rougher than being a workhorse.
Newt answered softly, "We used to have a house-elf, but Leo and the others have it harder than we do out there, so we let Chick go with them to help."
Now that made sense.
Newt didn't strike Tom as the kind of man who could—or would—boss his wife around.
Since Tom had said he was hungry, Tina kept things simple: hamburger steaks with a generous helping of spaghetti. Within fifteen minutes, the three of them were seated and eating.
Tom was a total carnivore, so the meal was right up his alley. His satisfied smile made Tina feel happy too. Her son and grandson were both off doing their own thing, but with Tom here now—well, he was better company anyway. More talkative, better manners.
During dinner, Newt brought up their plans to visit the Thunderbird Sanctuary. He sounded like an employee reporting to a senior manager.
Tina didn't object, but she did offer a warning: "That poor kid came all this way and must be exhausted. Just help him get his business done and don't make more trouble, alright?"
"Thank you, Granny Tina!" Tom chimed in cheerfully, beating Newt to the punch.
Tina pointed a finger at him, grinning. "A true Slytherin, through and through."
She could see right through Tom, of course. The compliments were clearly meant to curry favor — but she wasn't annoyed. In fact, she liked it.
He was clever. That mattered.
She'd spent her life married to a quiet, wooden man. Had a wooden son. And that son had a wooden son of his own. So yeah—she appreciated a sharp kid who knew how to talk.
The more she looked at Tom, the more she liked him. So much so that she decided to share a bit of hard-earned wisdom.
"Tom, listen…"
He looked up from his plate, still chewing. "Mmh?"
"Since you're in Slytherin, you should be careful around Dumbledore. He's not exactly fond of your house."
"Tina!" Newt quickly cut in. "You shouldn't say stuff like that in front of a kid. Dumbledore's not that kind of person. He'd never hurt a student."
"Oh, so now you're defending him?" Tina's eyebrows shot up. That only made things worse.
"Tell me where I'm wrong. His favorites have always been Weasleys, Prewetts, Longbottoms—all Gryffindors. You think he kept in touch with you just for fun? Please. If you weren't useful, he wouldn't have bothered."
"I wanted to help him," Newt insisted. "No one forced me into anything."
"Exactly," Tina said with a cold laugh. "That old man's best skill is manipulating people. He loves students like you—people who get sold down the river and still thank him for the ride."
"Tom."
She turned back to the boy, who'd just finished eating. Her voice softened.
"I'm not saying Dumbledore will harm you. Newt is right about that. But what I am saying is—be careful not to let him influence you too much. Don't let yourself turn into the kind of person he wants you to be."
"I told Rolf the same thing. All he needs to do at Hogwarts is live his life quietly and stay away from the students Dumbledore pays attention to. Otherwise, he's bound to attract notice."
Tom nodded in understanding.
'So that explains it.'
A student like Rolf Scamander—pure-blooded, well-raised, and full of potential—was exactly the type you'd expect Dumbledore to recruit for the fight against Voldemort. But if his family had already warned him to keep a distance, that made perfect sense now.
Judging from Tina's attitude, she probably didn't just warn Rolf—she might have even confronted Dumbledore about it herself.
"This woman… she's sharp," Grindelwald muttered inside the study space.
Even he had to admit it: the Scamanders were an impressive bunch. Newt, his wife Tina, Newt's brother, Newt's sister-in-law…
And that damn Muggle friend of Newt's.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.
Back at the table, Tom smiled slightly in response to Tina's warning. "Honestly, I get along with the Headmaster fairly well. I can tell he's trying to steer me in a certain direction, but I have my own plans for how I want to grow. I'm not that easily swayed."
He added, "But if you're worried about Rolf, I could keep an eye on him while we're at school. If anything weird happens, I'll let you know right away."
Truthfully, he was looking forward to seeing Tina go head-to-head with Dumbledore. That would be very entertaining.
Tina's eyes lit up immediately.
Tom was clearly sharper than her grandson. Having him act as a little informant would be much safer. She agreed on the spot.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Tom."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Tom replied with a grin. "As long as I'm around, no one at school will dare bully Rolf. I heard Mr. Newt didn't have the best time back when he was a student."
Tina sighed. "Yeah… Hufflepuff kids are great, but the Headmaster back then was awful. Say what you will about Dumbledore—he may have his secrets, but at least he doesn't expel students without good reason. Your Uncle Newt was just too honest. Someone tricked him with a pretty face."
Tom's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Oh? Do tell…"
Newt let out a helpless sigh as the two chatted away more and more enthusiastically.
'Albus, I really tried to salvage your reputation… but I don't think it's working.'
By the time the clock struck eight, Tina finally wrapped up the gossip session, albeit a little reluctantly. She still had work to do and went upstairs to her study.
Newt started cleaning up, levitating the plates into the sink.
Tom hesitated for a moment, then followed him. "Uncle Newt, want to come with me to check on the unicorns? I'm not sure if I've been raising them right."
"Going to Hogwarts now? But don't you still have to…"
Newt stopped mid-sentence, eyes lighting up. He lowered his voice. "Wait… did you bring them out?"
"Yup. They were getting clingy, so I made a little space and brought them along with me."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
With a loud clatter, all the plates dropped into the sink. Two cracked instantly, but Newt didn't even flinch. He grabbed Tom and practically dragged him outside.
They reached a clear spot in the front yard. Tom pulled out his card case and enlarged it. The lid popped open automatically. He stepped on, motioning for Newt to join him.
As soon as they were both standing on the platform, it began to lower into the internal world of the case.
Newt's breathing quickened. "An automated lift… of course! Why didn't I think of that? The elevator."
"What?" Tom looked at him, puzzled.
"Nothing," Newt replied with a strained smile, dying a little inside.
His own case still had the most primitive setup—just a staircase. At his age, climbing up and down every day was a real pain. But there was no way he'd admit that to Tom. He didn't want the boy thinking he was some kind of fossil.
Originally, Newt had planned to invite Tom to visit his own world tonight. But now? That plan was scrapped. Not until he revamped his entrance system first.
They soon landed on a grassy field. Tom gave a sharp whistle, and before long, the unicorns trotted into view.
As soon as Newt saw the three unicorns, his gaze turned sharp—like an X-ray scan—and he grew visibly excited.
"Brilliant white coats, elegant physiques… These two adult unicorns are the healthiest I've ever seen! And their horns—look how much longer they are. Their magical power must've increased too."
Then he spotted the third. "Wait, this little one is pink? A mutation, perhaps?"
Newt was completely absorbed in his own world, muttering to himself as he examined them. Meanwhile, Tom wandered over and started petting each one affectionately.
He'd been so busy lately—between alchemy, flight training, and spending time with the Greengrass sisters—that he hadn't had a proper moment to play with the unicorns. This was a much-needed break.
"Tom," Newt asked, hopeful, "could you feed your Patronus to them right now?"
It was a small favor, and Tom had no reason to say no. A soft white light glowed around him as he summoned it, and the unicorns immediately crowded around to absorb it eagerly.
Newt watched in amazement, eyes wide, not wanting to miss a single detail.
The Patronus seemed perfectly compatible with the unicorns' nature. Still, that alone shouldn't have caused such a dramatic evolution—or perhaps, a reawakening of ancient traits.
Even after the unicorns finished, Newt was no closer to understanding the transformation.
On impulse, he decided to try his own Patronus—a snow-white ferret.
(A/N: J.K. Rowling has stated that Newt Scamander's Patronus is a "big spoiler" for the Fantastic Beasts series, implying it will be revealed in future films. So "ferret" here is a fanon.)
The little creature bounced over to the unicorns under Newt's direction. But the unicorns… didn't even react. They glanced at the ferret once, then looked away, their big, expressive eyes filled with…uh
Was that disgust?
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