Chapter 164: Stanley's Designs, Newt Takes the Blame
Inside a Thunderbird nest.
Leonardo stroked the soft feathers on the Thunderbird's breast, soothing the great bird's nerves.
After the poachers had been dealt with and handed over to the MACUSA wardens stationed at the Sanctuary, Frank had come to find them again. It was not that his mate was in trouble this time. He was asking for help for the rest of the flock.
So the three of them had set off at once on another round of bird‑side house calls.
Leonardo was happy to help. The work won him the Thunderbirds' goodwill and gave him time to observe them, to quietly pick out a partner for his future "dance".
He had already brewed one batch of Bone and Blood Baptism Draught for Norbert. The results had been excellent.
It was perfect for a species as tough and sturdy as dragons, and the boost to Norbert's growth was considerable.
Which meant Leonardo had every intention of completing the Thunderbird‑dance loan.
The system's explanation had been very clear. To count, he and the Thunderbird had to fly at full speed, keeping pace with each other, and cover the full hundred kilometres without a break.
That ruled out chicks and near‑ancients alike.
The young ones might not be able to manage the distance. The oldest adults would be too fast; even flat out, Leonardo doubted he could keep up.
Choosing the right partner mattered.
Fortunately, the animal affinity and direct communication the unicorn's blessing gave him made it far less of a headache than it might have been.
And there was always Frank, king of the flock, to ask for a recommendation. Somewhere in this mountain range, there would be a Thunderbird that matched him perfectly.
Leonardo set a small cooking range down on the stone floor, drawing it from his Flask, and began to prepare the food and tonics Thunderbirds liked, following Newt's instructions exactly.
Newt and Stanley, whose work here was done, stood in the mouth of the cave and watched the boy as he cooked and absently scritched at the bird's throat.
Each man was lost in his own thoughts. It was the more talkative Stanley who broke the silence.
"Newt," he said, "I have a lot of questions, actually. When did Transfiguration on your side get that far? Magical‑creature Transfiguration?"
He rubbed at his jaw. "I will admit, Transfiguration is not my field. But that has to be a forbidden area of research. I have certainly never heard of anyone actually managing to Transfigure a magical creature."
Newt winced faintly.
"I have been in seclusion for years," he said. "I am not exactly up to date on cutting‑edge theory."
"That cannot be right," Stanley muttered. "A breakthrough like this would be all over the journals. Transfiguration Today at the very least.
"And by your lot's rules, whoever created that spell would be a shoo‑in for an Order of Merlin. Maybe not First Class, but Second for certain. News like that would have crossed the Atlantic."
Newt mumbled, "I do not know. Perhaps Leonardo came up with it himself."
Silence.
Both wizards stopped dead.
"Er," Stanley said at last, "Newt, that seems… a little much. I do not doubt the boy is gifted, but opening a whole new field…
"Cough. Actually, how old is he, anyway? He looks quite young."
Newt's eyes went a little distant, as if he, too, were remembering that first meeting in the Forbidden Forest.
"Twelve or so?" he said. "Thirteen at most."
Stanley's gaze slid from Leonardo back to Newt, incredulous.
"How much?"
"I am not entirely sure of his exact age," Newt admitted. "But he has only finished his first year at Hogwarts. He will start his second year in September."
Stanley looked between them for a long time, then let out a slow breath.
"Newt, I know you are not a liar," he said. "But this is pushing it."
"Affinity with creatures can be a gift," he went on. "Fine. But his ease with potions processing, and… whoever invented that magical‑creature Transfiguration, it is an extremely advanced, complex bit of magic.
"Does that really look like something a boy who has not even started his second year should be able to handle?"
The barrage of questions made Newt scrub a hand through his curls, embarrassed. In the end, he fell back on the one explanation that never failed.
"Dumbledore talked with me about him," he said. "He said the boy has unusual gifts. A prodigy."
Put like that, it became much easier to swallow.
Albus Dumbledore's judgment carried weight all over the wizarding world.
Stanley still found it hard to believe, but another idea was beginning to burn brighter in the back of his mind.
"I wonder if Leonardo would like to stay in America a bit longer," he said lightly. "He seems quite interested in Ilvermorny."
For no clear reason, Newt felt a prickle of alarm. There was something very pointed under those casual words.
"Leonardo is a hard‑working boy," he said carefully. "Being curious about other schools is natural for someone who loves learning."
Stanley nodded, smiling more broadly. "Ah, a child who likes to learn. Wonderful. Wonderful.
"Oh, that reminds me. I saw Leonardo use an Extension charm container to store a dragon…"
"That one is mine," Newt said immediately.
Keeping dragons in private was illegal. Newt was the exception. His case was home to more magical creatures than anyone could easily count. That was how he rescued and protected them.
No law‑maker on earth had known what to do with him.
Leonardo was another matter. He did not yet have Newt's years or his reputation.
And Newt still remembered very clearly why he had been expelled from Hogwarts. A creature he had cared for had hurt a student. The fault had not been his, but he had taken the blame to protect his friend and future sister‑in‑law.
He had no wish to see Leonardo walk the same path.
If that meant shouldering this particular burden himself, he was happy to do it.
At the same time, one of the ideas that had been nagging at him since the Forbidden Forest grew more solid.
If Leonardo truly had this much talent and interest in magical creatures, then a roomier, safer case of his own would be a very good idea.
"Come now, Newt, do not be so tense," Stanley laughed. "I was only talking. Do you really think I would march off to your Ministry, report the boy, get him expelled from Hogwarts, and then conveniently recruit him into Ilvermorny?"
"…"
Newt had no answer to that. He knew the man too well. It was a joke.
Mostly.
He still rather suspected that the "recruit him into Ilvermorny" part was perfectly sincere.
He set his jaw. He would just have to make sure there was no chance for Leonardo to be spirited away.
If one little trip abroad cost Hogwarts its brightest new Ravenclaw, Dumbledore would almost certainly come to his door in person.
And he would not bring tea.
Still cooking, Leonardo listened to their conversation and decided Professor Jones was quite a character.
Ilvermorny really did sound fascinating. It was a shame wizarding schools did not seem to have anything like exchange programmes. It felt like a waste.
His thoughts drifted.
If he ever had the chance to change how magical education worked, perhaps that was where to start. More exchanges. More chances for students to see the wider world. More ways to learn.