The interior of the carriage looked no larger than a small room from the outside, but in reality, it had been divided into several massive chambers by Undetectable Extension Charms.
Sean often reflected on how the Ministry of Magic had strict regulations—monitored primarily by the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office—regarding these charms. Yet, in the minds of powerful wizards, they seemed like mere party tricks.
It was as if the rules were never written for them.
Recalling how his Hufflepuff senior, Newt, used to wander the globe with a suitcase packed with Thunderbirds, Swooping Evils, Nundus, and Obscurials, the death sentence once passed by MACUSA almost seemed... understandable.
After all, it wasn't much different from carrying a suitcase full of nuclear warheads. Left unchecked, an Obscurial truly could level an entire city.
They set off under the glow of the setting sun.
Sean could feel the seat vibrating beneath him and hear the exhilarated roar of the dragons. His Book of Wizards trembled slightly in his lap. Bai Yi hopped excitedly from shoulder to shoulder, while Tara gripped Sean's robes, refusing to let go.
"And we're off!" Mr. Scamander's voice called out from the front.
The ground and the buildings of Ilvermorny fell away into the mist, vanishing from sight within moments. The carriage climbed higher and higher; seconds later, the entire Ilvermorny Castle stretched out below them, a shimmering, smoke-wreathed jewel.
"We'll be in the air for a full day," Mr. Scamander explained softly.
"Got it!" Sean raised his voice, worried the wind might drown him out.
"Hang on!" Mr. Scamander gave a low shout, and they shot straight into a layer of cotton-like clouds, turning everything into a hazy, muted blur.
"Fun, isn't it?"
Professor Tyra's voice rang out suddenly. Sean looked left and right before finally following a unique magical tug to a small mirror, where he found the "Professor."
"Sharp as ever, my dear little Green," a miniature Professor Tyra beamed from within the glass. "A modified Two-Way Mirror—my latest project. It's still a bit experimental, and the production costs are astronomical."
Sean studied the mirror with curiosity while the tiny Tyra watched him with a fond, knowing smile.
"Could I learn—" Sean started.
"Of course, my dear. The inspiration for this creation came from that 'telephone' concept you described to me." Tyra's usually stern face softened into something warm and beautiful. "I intend to teach you everything I know."
---
Night deepened. A dragon-drawn carriage cut a silent path across the ink-black sky.
After transcribing every word of the knowledge the Professor had shared that day, Sean solemnly began to organize and review his notes. By the time he finished, even Mr. Scamander had drifted off to sleep.
Sean's mind raced with ideas. The "Mirror" currently only supported a single line and cost a fortune to make. If he could find more suitable materials to lower the cost and increase the number of connections, he might actually create a magical version of the telephone.
As for why he didn't just use a Muggle phone—Muggle technology had a nasty habit of haywire at Hogwarts.
As he moved the "Modification Project" to the top of his to-do list, his eyes snagged on the entry at the very center: [The Mystery of Ravenclaw's Diadem].
Sean paused. The light in his eyes grew darker, more focused.
---
The fog rolled in.
In the hazy twilight of the dream, the black cat leaped down from the "Children's Home" sign.
His borderland was now filled with mist clusters. Since these clusters were connected to him by faint, nearly invisible threads, the cat simply decided to call them "yarn balls." It helped distinguish them from the mist clusters representing base desires or temptations.
The largest new addition was a yarn ball labeled Newt Scamander.
The black cat watched as this yarn ball drifted toward him. After a moment's thought, he extended a paw.
A moment later, Newt opened his eyes within the borderland.
"It is a joy to see you in the dream, lovely Bastet."
The black cat could sense Newt's genuine happiness. Its whiskers twitched. "Good evening, Mr. Scamander."
"You look troubled?" Newt asked with a shy smile, inching slightly closer.
How could he tell? the cat wondered, impressed. Then, he noticed his own tail swishing restlessly. He quickly pinned it down with a paw.
"I have forgotten something. Something very important," the cat admitted.
"Certain branches of magic might help... Occlumency, perhaps," Newt suggested, moving even closer.
The cat's emerald eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed at Newt's next words.
"I'm sorry, I'm hardly an expert in that field myself," Newt said, now almost standing right next to the cat's tail.
"Mr. Scamander, you seem a bit troubled yourself?" the cat countered, making Newt pause.
"You have eyes that see everything, lovely Bastet," Newt admitted.
"May I ask why?" The cat was genuinely curious. Since Mr. Scamander had taken the reins of the carriage, Sean had noticed a shadow of worry between his brows. It wasn't hard to spot; his years in the orphanage had given him a masterclass in reading people.
After a few minutes of Newt venting his worries as if chatting with an old friend, the black cat's whiskers twitched violently. His tail escaped his paw and began to wag gently.
Mr. Scamander is worried about the supply of Fairy Biscuits...
"That is easily settled," the black cat said just as the heavy fog began to rise.
It was Newt's turn to be surprised. He cast a shy, cautious, yet curious look at the cat, only to see it leap away and vanish into the thickening mist.
"Do not worry," was the last thing Newt heard.
When Newt slowly woke up, he could only stare out into the distance, dazed. It seemed he had still underestimated the influence of this "Great Being."
---
By the time Newt fully awoke, it was morning. The carriage was piercing through the clouds. Minutes later, they burst into dazzling sunlight.
It felt like entering another world. The wheels skimmed across a soft sea of clouds; under the brilliant daylight, the sky was a vast, endless blue.
"Lovely... Bastet," Newt murmured to himself.
When Sean woke and opened the window, he felt as though he had stepped into a myth. It was a fairy-tale way to travel: sitting in a sun-drenched carriage pulled by dragons, soaring through swirling white towers of clouds, with a table full of William's feast spread out before him.
He could already imagine their arrival—descending gracefully from the heavens to touch down on the Great Lawn in front of Hogwarts.
High above the clouds, Sean began to record his dream time. Below them, New York was a distant memory, replaced by rolling green fields, vast purple moors, and tiny villages with churches that looked like children's toys. Then came a bustling city, where the cars looked like colorful ants.
Sean looked out the window and slowly wrote:
[Ten minutes. Progress is too fast. What is the cause?]
---