The round hall at Ilvermorny had a large noticeboard covered with announcements about the Christmas holiday classes and other important notices.
One of them stood out clearly: an honorary professor at Ilvermorny would be teaching a three-day course on Magical Creatures.
"Sign-ups are right here."
The Horned Serpent prefect spoke with barely contained excitement. The moment she saw Sean, she nearly burst out laughing.
"Mr. Green, Greylock Mountain isn't that freezing."
Bundled up in heavy layers, Sean nodded in agreement.
"You can call me Tina," she said.
Tina the witch plucked a sheet off the board—it was a sign-up form.
"I'm responsible for counting Horned Serpent's enrollment… Since it's Professor Scamander, tons of people signed up. We're lucky. Ever since he became an honorary professor, he's barely taught any classes.
"Rumor has it that he only took the honorary position because of his wife… Honestly, if he were really going to teach, he should've gone to Hogwarts."
Tina gave Sean a playful wink.
"Time is ten in the morning. Class will be held in the Ilvermorny Forest."
She handed him a thin book.
"Thank you for your help," Sean said.
But when he looked at the book's title, he froze.
Ilvermorny: A School History.
He flipped through it. Except for being a bit thinner, it didn't differ much from Hogwarts: A History, and it even had a full map of Ilvermorny in the same spot that Hogwarts' map appeared in its own edition.
"The dining hall is right past the Entrance Hall. Good luck, Mr. Green. They say the Magical Creatures class is no walk in the park."
Tina walked off with the form.
---
Ilvermorny's dining hall was as spacious as Hogwarts' Great Hall, but lacked the floating candles and enchanted starry ceiling.
Still, Sean enjoyed a grand lunch—at least a hundred roast turkeys, heaps of Christmas puddings, and mountains of crispy Klippitch wizard biscuits.
Tina sat not far away, chatting with her classmates about the upcoming Magical Creatures lesson.
"People say Mr. Scamander can communicate with creatures in ways most witches and wizards simply can't. He's naturally gifted at forming connections with magical beings. But…" said a witch with fiery red hair.
"But for the rest of us, it's a bit harder."
A wizard wearing the Horned Serpent crest chimed in.
"Every time he teaches, students end up scrambling like mad… I bet it's because they don't actually read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. That book is incredibly detailed."
Tina sounded very confident.
Not far away, Sean was already buried in the pale-yellow final pages of Fantastic Beasts:
> "In many ways, writing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was something I loved deeply. Whenever I reread this early work, the memories printed on every page come rushing back. My greatest hope is that new generations of witches and wizards will find new reasons within these pages to love and protect the wondrous magical creatures with whom we share our world…"
By the time class was about to begin, he had finished the book once again. He'd memorized the creature details more than a few times.
Reviewing, recalling, preparing—soon it was time for the lesson.
---
The Ilvermorny Forest wasn't far from the founders' statues. As Sean passed the statue of Isolt Sayre, he noticed William the Pukwudgie polishing it.
When the creature noticed the button on Sean's clothes, it muttered something unintelligible and vanished with an annoyed pop.
Just beyond the statues—there, in the edge of sunlit clearing—stood Mr. Scamander.
An old brown leather suitcase rested by his feet.
He wore a worn brown coat and rarely looked directly at people.
Instead he kept his body slightly angled, eyes clear, shy, almost bashful as he glanced at the young witches and wizards.
Time had carved soft wrinkles around his eyes, but it hadn't erased that innocent, devoted air he carried.
Without any introduction, the lesson simply… began.
---
"Thunderbirds mainly eat rodents and birds…"
Newt spoke quietly—and in the next second, the suitcase snapped open a crack, and something tiny shot out like a darting shadow.
The students all jumped.
"A XXXX-class creature…"
Tina went pale.
The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures classified such creatures as dangerous beasts requiring specialized knowledge and highly skilled wizards to manage. And that kind of creature was now loose in front of them?!
Feathered wings flashed—after wriggling free, the creature darted toward insects deeper in the woods.
Some students trembled; others watched with wide-eyed excitement.
"Thunderbirds generally eat insects, rodents, and birds, though sometimes they'll go after monkeys…"
Newt continued calmly. With everyone's nerves sharpened, he knew they'd remember every word.
When Whitewing, perched on Sean's shoulder, fluttered closer in curiosity, the Thunderbird shrank back in alarm.
"In their juvenile stage, Thunderbirds are afraid of owls… Una has only just matured. She's still a bit timid…"
Newt wasn't bothered at all.
Soon the Thunderbird expanded—massively. A single feather on its head was larger than some of the students.
"Thunderbirds can freely expand or contract their bodies. They can grow large enough to fill any space or shrink to fit whatever space they have."
Newt smiled gently as some students scribbled frantic notes while others stared in terrified fascination.
"Thunderbirds get big, Whitewing…"
Sean whispered while taking notes.
Whitewing looked from the Thunderbird to Sean, seemed to understand, and swallowed her biscuit whole.
A heartbeat later, a fire-red dragon roughly the size of the Thunderbird stood before Newt, roaring.
"Whitewing!"
Sean's rune floated upward; guided by the spell of Soul-Shaping, Whitewing quickly returned to her normal form.
Meanwhile, the startled Thunderbird shrank to a few inches and zipped straight toward the students, who shrieked in panic.
Newt wasn't worried. His eyes lit up as he stared at Whitewing.
Sean, however, looked down as the Thunderbird dove into his pocket—where it snuggled beside a Bowtruckle named Tilla, both poking their heads out curiously.
"Una… seems to like you," Newt said softly, suddenly right beside Sean without him noticing.