Massachusetts, USA.
In a remote little estate on the outskirts of Amherst, the gentle sunlight softly kissed the lawn.
An elderly man with white hair and beard sat leisurely in a wicker chair. Although his face was lined with age, his eyes sparkled with wisdom. At this moment, he seemed to be deep in thought.
Opposite him sat a young man in a light blue robe, holding a cup of orange drink and savoring it slowly.
Beside them, three beautiful Kneazles were lazily basking in the morning sun on the grass.
...
Time seemed to slow down.
Ino quietly sat aside, waiting for Newt's answer. In the realm of magical creatures, no one had more authority than Newt.
After a long while.
"I've thought about your question before, but no one knows, or rather, there's no record of it. Phoenixes are too mysterious! They resurrect from their ashes upon death, can appear anywhere at any time, perform powerful teleportation, have tears that can heal, and their cries inspire courage!"
Newt explained in a slow and steady pace.
Ino did not speak hastily; he knew this was not the end of it. A grand master of magical creatures would not simply dismiss the question with a brief statement about the mystery of phoenixes.
Sure enough, after a brief pause, Newt continued:
"However, I have closely interacted with both Fawkes and Sparks. But it is precisely because of this that I find phoenixes so mysterious!"
Hearing this, Ino became instantly more attentive, sitting up straight and listening closely.
"Though both are phoenixes, they give me different impressions. Fawkes embodies the rebirth from ashes, symbolizing sacrifice, while Sparks' inspiring cry symbolizes courage!"
Newt's tone grew more intense as he spoke.
"This is a major discovery! Truly! So, based on these two points, I conducted an investigation and reviewed the history of the Motora Kea Parrot team from New Zealand. Something very interesting came up: Sparks appeared after the year 862 AD, and for over a thousand years since then, it has always been the team's mascot."
Newt, seemingly slowed by age, now picked up a nearby glass of water and slowly fell into contemplation.
Ino did not rush him, patiently waiting.
He increasingly felt that this trip was worthwhile. Perhaps Dumbledore knew Fawkes, but he might not understand the species of phoenixes as thoroughly as Newt did.
After all, Fawkes is a phoenix, but not all phoenixes are Fawkes.
After a while, Newt seemed to recall something deeply embedded in his memory, and began speaking slowly:
"It was the 16th Quidditch World Cup, held in New Zealand. The New Zealand national team, the predecessor of the Kea Parrots, fought relentlessly despite being far behind in score. According to records, ten thousand wizards sang an inspirational war song together for them on the field..."
"After a brutal seven-day and night battle, the New Zealand team miraculously won, but regrettably, many players could never play again, including the Seeker who completely lost an arm. However, the next year, the New Zealand national team changed their mascot to the phoenix Sparks."
At this moment, Ino already had a vague answer in his mind.
Especially when thinking about the Dumbledore family and the fate of Principal Dumbledore in the original story, it seemed everything was coming together — Sacrifice and Courage, Fawkes and Sparks!
"Born from flames, a mythical species, the embodiment of the wizard's spiritual power."
Ino slowly voiced his inner conclusion.
"Exactly!" Newt clapped his hands excitedly, as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"Only this explanation makes sense. Phoenixes are immortal because their mission still exists. For example, the Dumbledore family or the New Zealand Kea Parrots team — as long as the spirit persists, the phoenixes persist. But similarly, phoenixes are rare because their mission fades over time, or some families become extinct, and thus they lose their reason to exist. Born from fire, vanishing in fire..."
Suddenly, Newt smiled apologetically and said with a somewhat helpless tone:
"But all of this is just my speculation, not proven, so I dare not write it in my book."
"Thank you for your teachings!" Ino stood up and slightly bowed to Newt.
"Your hypothesis is very helpful to me, really very helpful! To be honest, I want to hatch a phoenix of my own, or rather, a phoenix whose mission is tied to me."
Hatch a phoenix? Hearing this, Newt's eyes lit up.
For someone who spent a lifetime with magical creatures, witnessing the birth of a phoenix in his later years might be the ultimate fulfillment.
Of course, if someone else had spoken of hatching a phoenix, Newt might have dismissed it with a laugh. But this young man was different. After receiving a letter from Dumbledore, Newt had specifically learned about him.
The young man before him might really be able to do it.
Especially after seeing an old newspaper from a few months ago about the grand Quidditch match at Hogwarts.
Even without sound, the photos alone conveyed the atmosphere of the time, not to mention the flames that enveloped the entire sky at the end.
Perhaps, he just needed an extra push back then...
For this reason, Newt did not withhold any information when asked about the phoenix.
All his hypotheses and speculations, mature or not, were laid out in full.
"Stay here with me, and we'll research together. I'll handle things with Hogwarts. If you really want to go to school, Ilvermorny is three hundred miles away. My wife has some connections in America; I can have her help you transfer."
Newt's smile was bright; he was genuinely happy.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Scamander! But transferring schools is not necessary."
Ino politely declined the offer. Two years ago, he might have agreed, to avoid the troubles in England.
But now, people do have attachments.
"We'll start our research first. If we run out of time, we can delay this semester a bit."
After careful consideration, Ino offered a compromise.
Similarly, Newt didn't insist. What he cared about was the research on phoenixes, whether Ino attended school or not was secondary.
Even being expelled wouldn't affect a wizard's achievements.
On this matter, Newt Scamander had the most authoritative opinion.
"Rest today. I need to organize some materials overnight, and we can start our new research project first thing tomorrow morning."
Newt, seemingly a man of action, stood up as he spoke, but just as he was about to leave, he stopped suddenly.
"Oh, right! There is a house-elf in the estate. You can call on it for anything you need; its name is Kiki!"
With that, Newt walked towards his room without looking back.
From his back, he seemed much younger now, without the leisurely old-age demeanor he had when they first met.