Newt peered ahead and, as if remembering something, added, "Everyone follow my lead and don't make too much noise when you see something... never mind, don't come in."
He pondered for a while and dismissed the idea of taking the children for a walk in the jungle, especially because a Nundu inhabited that tropical forest. It was an extremely dangerous magical creature, classified by the Ministry of Magic as a five-star threat, whose breath could cause a deadly disease capable of easily wiping out an entire village. Newt didn't dare venture into its territory with a group of young wizards.
He emerged from the jungle, led the group a few steps, changed the angle, and revealed a cliff.
"We'll wait here for a while, and hopefully, we'll see the most dangerous animal in the world." Newt still wanted the kids to see more of the astonishing creature. So he decided to wait here a few more minutes.
Tom and the children were lucky; they hadn't waited for more than a minute when they heard the roar of a Nundu. A gigantic Nundu leapt onto the rock; it didn't look different from a regular leopard, just much larger, until it let out a roar and its neck inflated like a pufferfish.
The appearance of the leopard had nothing to do with luck; it only appeared because it had smelled Newt. Typically, these big types can stay well hidden.
With a satisfied smile, Newt made a "silence" gesture to the young wizards, indicating that they shouldn't make any noise that could disturb the sensitive leopard.
However, the Nundu's attention was soon stolen by a pair of Diricawls. Originating from Mauritius, these birds were round and resembled blue balls. They couldn't fly, but they could teleport for short periods of time. In Muggle circles, they were called dodos, and it was believed that they had gone extinct. But they weren't extinct; they were merely protected by wizards.
What happened to the Dodo is not an isolated case.
Before the International Wizarding Secrecy Law, Muggles coexisted with magical creatures like fire dragons and phoenixes. However, after the Secrecy Law, wizards made a determined and unimaginable effort to control all magical creatures, keeping them out of sight from Muggles and relegating them to the realm of legend.
The Nundu growled lazily at one of the Diricawls, only for its paws to reach the bird, causing it to disappear and reappear moments later on the flat ground, a few meters away, triumphantly wagging its tail at the Nundu.
In addition to the tropical jungle area and the desert plains they had just left, Newt's suitcase contained over a dozen more habitats. After seeing the Nundu, Newt took the students to see the Grindylows, Horned Serpent, and more.
Lastly, he led them to the back of the cabin, a patch of moonlit sand. As soon as the group arrived, the ground trembled slightly, and several massive creatures emerged from the mist. They had gray-purple skin, were similar in size to saber-toothed tigers, had bulging backs, and long tentacles around their mouths.
"Graphorn," Newt proudly said after calming the frightened young wizard, "Powerful, but endangered."
The leader of the Graphorns approached Newt and gently placed a tentacle on his shoulder, affectionately greeting him. At that moment, several young Graphorns also ran toward the young wizards, greeting them with their large heads.
Newt looked back at the young wizards with a sad expression on his face, saying, "These are probably the last Graphorns on Earth. Their ancestors are the last breeding pairs I found in the wild. The sense of protecting magical creatures is like this..."
After decades of diligent care from Newt, the Graphorn population had barely reached double digits, and if they had been left to survive in the mountains of Europe, they would have already gone extinct.
Tom coughed dryly, "Sir, if you believe that any of these animals are facing extinction, why don't you take a stroll in the Forbidden Forest? Perhaps you might find something new..."
Newt paused for a moment and nodded. There were so many species in the Forbidden Forest that it could be a surprise to encounter them. He was about to say something more when his words were interrupted by the roar of a dragon.
Newt covered his face.
The ground shook twice as a massive black shadow descended from the sky. The uninvited guest was a fire dragon covered in black scales with a long protrusion on its back. The dragon still didn't appear fully grown, but it measured over four meters. It stood proudly in front of the young wizards, its dominant presence evident, and spewed a ball of flames into the air. At the same time, a dark figure emerged from its back, a giant three-headed dog.
Hermione couldn't help but look at Tom – they were familiar faces! It was Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback, and Fluffy, the three-headed dog.
Newt hastily drew his wand and cast a freezing spell to freeze the dragon's breath before the flames spread where they shouldn't and caused a conflict. Even a fire dragon can suffer if it bothers the magical creatures in the suitcase. Of course, Norbert isn't foolish, and after a few lectures from the "older siblings" in the suitcase, he learned the hard way to only ignite when Newt is nearby. So why not let the old man take care of everything?
With a burst of flames, Norbert spread his wings and quickly flew away, not giving Newt a chance to scold him.
"Ugh... a dragon that doesn't grow..." Newt said, feeling a headache coming on.
Tom was standing, watching the spectacle, and suddenly he felt a chill. He turned his head to find the source of the chill and finally spotted a small hole in a corner blocked by a curtain. The curtain had accidentally opened with Norbert's arrival. Tom gently lifted the curtain, peered inside, and felt a cold, very cold breeze because inside was a frozen landscape. In that snowy landscape, there was an Obscurus, like a drop of ink in water.
A snowy scene with a floating silhouette. This perch is hidden by a curtain and is not usually easy to spot.
"Ahem!" Before Tom could take a closer look, a hand pulled him back, and he turned to see Newt. Newt shook his head, telling him to be quiet, then closed the curtain and moved Tom away from the area.