When they entered the suitcase, they were disappointed: it wasn't a fantasy world inside a suitcase, but a plain-looking workspace, crowded with a group of students, making it almost impossible to find a place to stand. Justin Finch, who was at the back of the group, was even leaning on the stairs leading to the outside world.
Tom looked around the box and found a circle of wooden tables lining the walls, filled with books, scrolls, various objects, and a few unidentifiable green plants.
Newt huddled in a corner of the room, waiting for the students to enter, and was about to say something when suddenly a few of them shrieked as something strange flew over their heads. It was a peculiar creature with bluish-green wings, resembling a bat.
Judging by its color, it was probably poisonous.
The students stirred, trying to dodge the creature, but Newt reached out and caught it. He also grabbed a glass test tube, brought the strange creature close to it, and gently squeezed it, causing it to spit out jets of bright blue, vaporous liquid.
After releasing the liquid, the creature seemed to lose energy and curled up into a ball, shedding its skin and forming a sack in which it wrapped itself.
"A Swooping Evil, that's what the locals call it, a dark creature," Newt said as he sealed the tube and began introducing the young wizards to the creature he held in his hands.
"It's not a very friendly name, so be careful when capturing it. The little creatures are quite agile, and their venom can erase bad memories when properly diluted." Newt waved his hand, and the Swooping Evil dangled from his hand like a yo-yo, motionless.
He turned his back, assuming a searching posture as he spoke, and then, with a sudden hand movement, a green creature emerged from his hand and chirped loudly at the young wizards.
This startled many of the young witches in the front row, who were so close they could see the cactus-like spikes on the creature's back. Many of the young wizards fell backward, on top of other wizards, and the formation, which hadn't yet recovered, became disorganized once again.
Newt withdrew it with a mischievous smirk. It was a trick he had tried and tested. At that moment, he looked like a child showing off his toys to his friends.
"Perhaps we shouldn't let it fly around here." He paused as he tucked the Swooping Evil into his pocket, recalling that he had said the same thing last time he had scared someone here with a Swooping Evil, and the person had reacted just like the children...
How many years had passed, 60, 70?
It seems I can't count them. But Newt quickly adjusted his emotions and, as if nothing had happened, he grabbed a can filled with raw meat and opened a wooden door in his workshop.
"Come," he gestured to the students to come closer and see his "friends."
The students were drawn to the sound of his voice, and without anyone ordering them, they leaned towards the door. One by one, they passed through the door, but those who hadn't entered made no more noise.
The first time Tom stepped through the door, his eyes met with a plain: yes, there was a vast plain inside the suitcase! The plain was scattered with stone pillars. These pillars didn't make the plain seem crowded but rather empty. The sky above the plain was cloudy; a lightning bolt passed, and a torrential downpour fell. But even though it was just a line, not a drop of rain fell where Newt and the little wizards stood.
Newt stood in front of a large stone in silence.
There was a beautiful golden feather on the stone, and just by looking at it, Tom felt as if electricity was running through his body, making his skin tingle and his hair stand on end; it wasn't an illusion, but the feather was actually generating a lot of static electricity in the air.
"Frank," Newt pronounced a name, "This once belonged to Frank, a Thunderbird. And the most powerful magical creature in the wizarding world."
He looked at the students, whose hair was tousled, and explained the Thunderbird's customs.
"...it is native to Arizona, in the southwest of North America, and is closely related to the Phoenix. They can create storms in flight and are also very sensitive to danger, but of course, like humans, different Thunderbirds have different personalities, like Frank, who used to live here and is a bit wary of strangers. I wouldn't dare bring you here if he were still around; God knows what he would do if he went mad."
"I rescued Frank; he was illegally trafficked to Egypt, chained up, he was a legend, it was a lot of work, but I couldn't leave him, I saw him and decided to bring him home. His home, the wild desert of Arizona... that's why I went to the United States, where many things happened..."
Newt became talkative, when a spark of electricity emerged from the Thunderbird's feathers, bringing him out of his past memories, and he realized that the young wizards on the stage had sparks in their eyes, waiting for the elderly Newt to continue his story.
But thinking about that adventure made Newt's head spin, and he had to quickly stop. "Well, without further ado, we have many more creatures that...".
"So, Professor, what happened to the Thunderbird?" Hermione asked loudly, raising her hand.
A happy look appeared on Newt's face. "He finally flew back to Arizona, and he probably has several offspring by now if Frank can find a mate."
He stepped down from the small platform he was on.
"Oh, watch out!" He moved Hannah Abbott aside, making way for a large dung beetle pushing a dung ball, so it wouldn't soil his robe. The long-armed dung beetle was pushing a giant dung ball about half the size of a man, and no one dared to get in its way.
"And watch out for the Murtlaps, don't let them bite." Newt waved his hand, shooing away a group of Murtlaps. "A bite from one isn't a big deal, but it's never a pleasant experience."
Newt had created various terrains and climates inside his suitcase, and on the other side of the plain, a deep jungle beckoned, he dove into it, peering out and gesturing for the students to approach.