CHAPTER 184: CHAPTER184

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Thursday was a bright, sunny day, though the biting chill of the wind still cut through the air.

After all, it was still winter, and at the high latitude of the Scottish Highlands, there was no chance of year-round warmth like the equator. Despite the influence of the North Atlantic Current, the latitude of the Highlands was comparable to that of Moscow.

In the afternoon, students from all four houses were scheduled to attend a Care of Magical Creatures class together. Since it was the first lesson, Newt had no intention of diving into practical activities. Instead, he planned to cover some theoretical knowledge.

Newt had set up a tent near Hagrid’s hut as his temporary residence. Though the tent appeared small from the outside, its interior was deceptively spacious—a clever application of the Undetectable Extension Charm. As a proud Hufflepuff alumnus, Newt was no stranger to bending the rules in this regard.

Gellert and Hagrid were sharing quarters, sleeping in the same room. Naturally, Gellert had to disguise himself, adopting the surname "Scamander." When he learned he was to be renamed "Scamander," Gellert had resisted with unprecedented fervor, but Dumbledore and Veratia had swiftly subdued his protests. In the end, he reluctantly accepted his new identity as "Gale Scamander."

For Newt, this was as refreshing as sipping an ice-cold Butterbeer on a sweltering summer day—a moment of pure, exhilarating satisfaction.

"Harry," Draco said, approaching Harry as they gathered at the tent. "That Miss Grindelwald—is she your friend?"

"Yeah, why?" Harry replied with a cheerful grin.

"Is she really not related to that Grindelwald from fifty years ago? You know, the dark wizard?" Draco pulled up a chair and sat beside Harry. "I think she must be. I mean..."

Draco trailed off, but the implication was clear: My great-grandfather mentioned that name.

"Hey, Malfoy," Ron interjected, giving Draco a hearty pat on the back. "Grown-up business is none of your concern!"

Normally, a comment like that from Ron would have sparked a sharp retort from Draco. But this time, Draco didn’t take the bait. Instead, he delivered a single, understated line that completely threw Ron off balance.

"2-16, Weasley."

Ron took a deep breath, choosing not to stoop to Draco’s level.

Nearby, Gellert was diligently polishing coins in a Niffler’s nest with a rag, seemingly oblivious to the debate about his sister. However, his subtly perked ears betrayed the fact that he was eavesdropping on the children’s conversation.

"But that Grindelwald..." Draco suddenly continued, "who do you think was stronger—him or You-Know-Who?"

"You-Know-Who, obviously!" Seamus answered confidently. "Think about it—you can say Grindelwald’s name without a second thought, but would you dare say You-Know-Who’s name?"

Draco opened his mouth to argue but paused. Seamus had a point. Everyone freely uttered Grindelwald’s name, but even the moniker "Voldemort" was avoided, let alone his true name.

"No, I think Grindelwald was stronger," Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff declared, stepping forward. She felt compelled to add some luster to her house’s legacy. After all, Grindelwald had been defeated with the help of a Hufflepuff alumnus. Elevating Grindelwald’s reputation only enhanced Hufflepuff’s prestige. Defeating an ordinary wizard was no great feat, but taking down someone of Voldemort’s caliber? That was something to boast about.

A faint smile crept onto Gellert’s face as he polished the coins. Even if he thought Voldemort was an idiot, he still believed himself far superior.

"No way!" Theodore Nott from Slytherin shot back. "Think about it—Voldemort was the Dark Lord! Who’s this Grindelwald you’re talking about? Just some dark wizard whose name is scribbled on a Chocolate Frog card, defeated by Dumbledore, no less."

"Exactly!" Blaise Zabini chimed in. "If it weren’t for Dumbledore, we wouldn’t even know Grindelwald’s name! What’s there to brag about? Look at his supposed descendant attending Slytherin—she doesn’t even dare admit she’s related to him..."

Draco’s face froze. He wanted to stop Blaise from digging his own grave—not for Blaise’s sake, but to avoid the fallout. But it was too late. Blaise had already said it.

Gellert, still polishing coins, didn’t seem to care. To him, being defeated by Albus and immortalized on a Chocolate Frog card was a sweet memory.

"At least he’s better than your Slytherin’s You-Know-Who!" Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff bellowed. "Think about it—your precious Dark Lord was defeated by a one-year-old baby! Merlin’s beard, if I were him, I’d dunk my head in a basin and drown myself rather than lose to an infant."

Ernie’s words left the Slytherins speechless. What could they say? The baby who defeated Voldemort was sitting right there, their classmate. It was an undeniable fact—Voldemort had been undone by an infant.

"No, no!" Daphne Greengrass countered. "Losing to a baby is embarrassing, sure, but it’s still better than losing to a Niffler! I heard from my dad that Professor Scamander was involved in the hunt for Grindelwald, and it was his Niffler that stole some critical magical artifact, leading to Grindelwald’s defeat..."

Gellert, who had been calmly listening to the children’s debate, suddenly flushed red with anger. He couldn’t believe how absurdly the story had been twisted. Losing to a Niffler? He had been defeated by Albus, the greatest white wizard in the world—not some blasted Niffler! How dare these insolent students spread such lies?

"It was just the Niffler’s assistance!" Justin Finch-Fletchley shouted. "The fact is, Professor Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, with help from our Hufflepuff alumnus, Professor Newt Scamander! I say Grindelwald was the stronger dark wizard because he was defeated by Dumbledore—while your You-Know-Who was taken down by a baby!"

"Grindelwald!"

"You-Know-Who!"

The argument escalated into a chaotic shouting match. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws sat back, munching on metaphorical popcorn. After all, You-Know-Who was a Slytherin, and his infamy, however dark, still proved Slytherin produced no ordinary wizards. Hufflepuff, meanwhile, was eager to prove Grindelwald’s might, which in turn highlighted their own excellence—Newt, their alumnus, had been instrumental in capturing the world’s greatest dark wizard.

"Youth is wonderful," Harry remarked, glancing at Gellert, who was still nonchalantly polishing coins. Raising his voice, Harry added, "I think Grindelwald was pretty impressive. I mean, compared to a baby, an adult Niffler has some fighting power..."

Gellert took a deep breath, set down the coins, and closed the Niffler’s cage. He decided to polish something else instead—perhaps the Niffler itself. Reaching out, he grabbed one of the creatures, but in his agitation, it slipped from his grasp. The Niffler scampered up his sleeve and burrowed into his robes.

"Hahahaha!" Harry burst out laughing at the sight. What could he say? Maybe Nifflers really were Gellert’s kryptonite.

This was definitely a story to share with Veratia later—Gellert’s embarrassing moment and the houses’ debate over which dark wizard reigned supreme.

The argument raged on until Newt and Tina finally arrived, slightly late. Newt had a few Niffler pups clinging to his coat.

"What are you all arguing about?" Tina asked curiously.

"Mrs. Scamander!" Hannah piped up first. "We’re debating whether Grindelwald or You-Know-Who was stronger. I think Grindelwald was, because Voldemort was defeated by a baby..."

"Nonsense!" Daphne snapped. "Grindelwald, the greatest dark wizard? He was just Hufflepuff’s prisoner! And he lost to a Niffler!"

Gellert, who was fishing the Niffler out of his robes, darkened visibly.

Tina noticed his expression and suppressed a laugh. "Children, there’s no need to argue over this..."

"Assistant Gale," Harry interjected, "what do you think? Do you side with the Voldemort-who-got-beat-by-a-baby camp or the Grindelwald-captured-by-a-Niffler camp?"

"I have no opinion," Gellert said through gritted teeth.

Only Harry, Tina, and Newt knew Gale’s true identity. Even Hagrid was kept in the dark—Dumbledore had warned them not to tell him, as Hagrid, bless his heart, was a walking security risk when it came to secrets.

Seeing Gellert so thoroughly humiliated, Tina and Newt exchanged amused glances. Who would have thought that the proud Gellert would face such indignity at Hogwarts? Mocked to his face as a "Niffler’s captive" by a gaggle of young witches and wizards, with no way to silence them. This was Hogwarts, after all, with Dumbledore and Veratia holding court in the castle. Even with three times the courage—or a vial of Alfonso’s snake bile—Gellert wouldn’t dare touch a student.

"Alright, children," Tina said, stifling her laughter. "This isn’t worth arguing over. Especially you Slytherins—You-Know-Who is not a source of pride. You need to understand that."

"Yes, Mrs. Scamander," the students chorused.

"Shame," Seamus muttered under his breath. "I was hoping the two houses would get heated enough to start throwing hexes."

"Next time, sneak a curse in," Hermione whispered back.

Newt’s theoretical lesson was, as expected, excellent. Despite his social anxiety, when it came to his area of expertise, that nervousness miraculously vanished. Since Nifflers had come up in the debate, he held one up and began explaining their habits.

"Nifflers are burrowing creatures, covered in black fur with long snouts. They have a particular fondness for anything shiny," Newt said, displaying the Niffler to the class. "Goblins often use them to dig for treasure deep underground. But I must warn you—while Nifflers are gentle and even affectionate, they can wreak havoc on your possessions, so never keep one at home."

The class erupted in laughter.

When Newt saw Daphne raise her hand, he nodded. "Miss Greengrass, what’s your question?"

"Professor, is it true that a Niffler stole something from Grindelwald?" she asked.

"Yes, that’s true," Newt replied with a chuckle. He continued, "Nifflers live in burrows, typically twenty feet underground, and a litter produces six to eight pups. You saw the Niffler pups I was carrying earlier—that’s a single litter."

At the end of the lesson, Newt handed out shiny Niffler badges to everyone. The Niffler on the badge was adorned with a pearl necklace, looking rather dashing.

"Just missing a pair of sunglasses," Justin quipped.

Everyone got one, even Assistant Gale. But Gale was visibly displeased, though no one quite understood why.

"Look at Assistant Gale," Hannah said, puzzled. "The Niffler badge is so cool—why’s he unhappy? Does he not like it?"

Harry thought to himself, He definitely doesn’t like it.

But ever the professional, Gellert pinned the Niffler badge to his chest.

In a way, Harry reflected, Gellert was indeed greater than Voldemort. He couldn’t imagine Voldemort wearing a badge with Harry Potter’s face on it.

At dinner that evening, Harry recounted the day’s events to Veratia.

"You lot are awful," Veratia said softly, though she had no sympathy for her foolish brother. He brought this on himself, she thought. Imagining Gellert reluctantly pinning on the Niffler badge, she covered her mouth to hide a giggle.

As bedtime approached, Veratia casually glanced at Miss Farley and caught her giving an "OK" gesture. With a subtle smile, Veratia turned and headed toward the Slytherin common room.

As expected, when she stepped inside, more than a dozen upper-year students were waiting for her.

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