"The Cockatrice is a magical creature with a rooster's head and a serpent's body. In legend, they are creatures born from eggs laid by roosters and hatched by serpents, but in reality, they are a separate species..."
In the afternoon, in a huge classroom on the third floor of Hogwarts, Newt Scamander stood at the center of the platform. He glanced up at the young wizards below whose eyes were shining with genuine interest, then quickly lowered his head again.
So many people.
Nervously rubbing his hands, he explained the Cockatrice's abilities and habits while mentally recalling how all this had come to pass.
He remembered that he had come to find Evans today, wanting to see the young Lethifold that Tina had mentioned in her letter.
When exactly had he been dragged into giving this public lecture?
Newt's mind replayed the scene of chatting with Evans, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember how things had developed to this point.
He remembered that at first he had been interacting with that little Lethifold while chatting with Evans about some interesting stories he'd heard recently.
Then, somehow, he had been confusedly dragged to Minerva's office and agreed to give this public lecture?
Why did it feel like every time he chatted with Evans, he would somehow get drawn into some strange logic?
Puzzled, he tapped his head and looked at the young man sitting at the back of the classroom whose eyes were full of relaxed pleasure. Newt shook his head and glanced at the manuscript on his desk.
This was the script he had prepared two hours before this public lecture began. Although it wasn't very comprehensive, at least it would prevent him from forgetting where he was due to nervousness.
Fortunately, this class was almost over.
With some light of impending liberation in his eyes, Newt began talking about the last magical creature he had prepared.
In this public lecture, all the magical creatures he discussed were extinct species, which was a very good topic choice for a public lecture.
However, this last one was somewhat different from the previous ones.
Organizing his thoughts, Newt spoke as smoothly as possible. "Finally, I want to discuss a magical creature called the Cait Sith."
With a wave of his wand, a semi-transparent cat phantom appeared nearby.
"They look like black cats with white fur on their chests, but they only stand on two legs, with eyes that always sparkle with intelligent green light."
"They only like to appear in dark places. If they wish, neither Muggles nor wizards can see them."
Saying this, Newt waved his wand again, and a crown appeared on the phantom cat's head.
"Cait Siths are natural kings among cats. They possess the peculiar ability to command cat colonies. Under a Cait Sith's leadership, cats will form a small society, each performing their duties, building their own kingdom."
"Besides this, Cait Siths can also speak human languages and are proficient in many foreign languages. Some are even more intelligent than humans."
"Mr. Scamander, has this creature also gone extinct?"
A little Hufflepuff witch asked somewhat sadly.
"According to historical records, they should have gone extinct, but I obtained some other clues a few days ago."
Saying this, Newt's face showed a genuine smile.
"They might still exist in this world."
"Really, sir?"
"What kind of clues? Could you tell us about them?"
"Sir, if they haven't gone extinct, could I keep one?"
The young wizards chattered excitedly, making Newt, who was already somewhat nervous, unsure of what to say for a moment.
"Well, I'm not sure if the clues are reliable. I need to personally verify them first..."
But his explanation didn't make the young wizards lose interest. They became more and more excited in their discussion, and the situation was about to get out of control.
Fortunately, the end-of-class bell came to Newt's rescue.
"Ahem! Let's end our class here for today!"
After most of the young wizards in the classroom had dispersed, Evans walked to Newt's side, looking at this master of magical creatures whose social energy was completely depleted and who was now staring blankly while recharging.
"That was an excellent public lecture, Senior. You should have more confidence in yourself!"
Hearing Evans's words, Newt's eyes regained some vitality.
"Was it really good?"
"Of course! You're the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.' Those young wizards' textbooks were all written by you!"
"You should be more confident!"
He didn't know how a wizard who had experienced the wizarding war and played an important role in it had developed such an introverted personality.
"It's not that I lack confidence, it's just... compared to communicating with people, I prefer those magical creatures." Shaking his head, Newt said softly. "Don't you think they're much purer than people?"
"That's true." Evans sat down next to Newt. "When are you leaving?"
Although he had dragged his senior over to give a public lecture, he knew Newt wouldn't stay at the school for long.
His basement had too many magical creatures waiting for him to feed and care for. They couldn't be left unattended.
However, Newt's next words were beyond Evans's expectations.
"I probably can't leave for the next few days." Newt somewhat awkwardly pulled out a letter from his chest and spread it before Evans. "This was sent to me at noon."
"The Ministry of Magic has invited me to be an examiner for this year's Care of Magical Creatures O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams."
"An examiner?" Evans's face showed surprise. "What about your magical friends?"
"I'll have to take the Floo Network home later and bring them all into my case. As for those I can't take with me, I'll have to ask Rolf's father to come back and help feed them for now."
"But Tina will be able to go back in just over a week, so then I can relax."
Saying this, Newt seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to look at Evans.
"Just right, after the exam supervision ends, I also need to go to the French-German border. Do you have time during the holidays?"
"What's up?"
"The Cait Sith I just mentioned. A few days ago, I received intelligence that someone seems to have seen traces of this creature in a small town on the French-German border!" As he spoke, Newt's eyes burst with excited light.
He had always felt regretful about those extinct creatures, and he cared very much about intelligence, suggesting they might still be alive.
"A creature that disappeared over three hundred years ago. Are such sighting reports really credible?" Evans held a pessimistic attitude.
"We have to go look, don't we?" Newt said softly. "Want to come along?"
After hesitating for a moment, Evans nodded lightly.
"Alright."
The French-German border wasn't far from France, and coincidentally Dumbledore had found him a job visiting Hufflepuff descendants in France. Moreover, he was also very interested in such long-extinct creatures.
"Then it's settled. After your vacation starts, we'll meet in the French forest?" Newt said.
"No problem." Evans nodded very naturally. "Which forest?"
Hearing this question, Newt showed a slightly teasing smile.
"Which forest could it be?"