Chapter 368: Telephone

The interior of the carriage looked no larger than a small room, but in truth it had been expanded by an Undetectable Extension Charm into several terrifyingly vast chambers.

Sometimes, Wizard Sean thought, the Ministry’s strict regulations—mostly enforced by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures’ misuse of Muggle artifacts—made the Undetectable Extension Charm seem like nothing more than a trivial toy in the eyes of powerful wizards.

Rules, it seemed, were not made for them.

Recalling how the old Hufflepuff senior had dragged a suitcase filled with Thunderbirds, Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, Bowtruckles, and Obscurials everywhere he went, the U.S. Magical Congress’s death sentence suddenly seemed justified.

After all, it was no different from carrying a nuclear bomb.

Unregulated, an Obscurial could truly destroy an entire city.

Under the glow of the setting sun, they set off.

Wizard Sean felt the seat trembling, heard the dragon’s joyful roar, and sensed his Wizard’s Book trembling slightly.

Bai Yi bounced excitedly on Wizard Sean’s shoulder, while Tila clung to his robe, refusing to let go.

“We’re taking off—”

Mr. Scamander’s voice sounded ahead of him.

The ground and buildings amid the clouds sank away, disappearing in moments.

The carriage rose higher; seconds later, the entire Ilvermorny Castle lay beneath them, shrouded in mist, faintly glowing.

“We’ll be flying all day.”

Mr. Scamander explained softly to them.

“I understand!”

Wizard Sean raised his voice slightly, fearing Mr. Scamander might not hear.

“Sit down!”

Mr. Scamander called out lowly, and then they shot straight into the low, cottony clouds, everything dimming and blurring.

“Isn’t it fascinating!”

Professor Professor Tela’s voice suddenly rang out; Wizard Sean looked left and right, then followed a peculiar sensation to find “the professor” in a small mirror.

“How perceptive, my dear little Green.”

A smaller version of Professor Professor Tela beamed in the mirror.

“This modification of the Two-Way Mirror—my latest project—it’s still incomplete, and extremely expensive.”

Wizard Sean studied the mirror curiously; the miniature Professor Professor Tela watched him silently, smiling.

“Can I learn…”

Wizard Sean was about to speak.

“Of course, my dear little Green—this invention was inspired by your explanation of the ‘telephone’ concept to me.”

The miniature Professor Professor Tela’s stern face softened into a kind and beautiful smile.

“I will teach you everything I know.”

…

Night deepened.

A carriage pulled by dragons cut across the ink-black sky.

After meticulously recording every word the professor had taught that day, Wizard Sean solemnly began to reorganize and review it.

When he finished, even Mr. Scamander had fallen asleep.

Wizard Sean’s mind swarmed with ideas: the mirror currently had only a single connection line, and its cost was exorbitant—if he could find other suitable materials, reduce the cost, and increase the number of connections, perhaps he could truly create a magical telephone.

As for why he didn’t just use a Muggle telephone—it was because Muggle artifacts always malfunctioned at Hogwarts.

After moving his modification plan to the top of his notebook, Wizard Sean naturally noticed the central, topmost entry: 【The Ravenclaw Diadem Enigma】.

This made Wizard Sean pause slightly.

The light in his eyes grew deeper.

Fog rose.

In the hazy dimness, the black cat leapt down from the sign reading “Children’s Home.”

Its borderland had grown many fog clumps; because each clump was connected to the black cat by an almost invisible thread, the cat simply called them yarn balls.

This way, they could be distinguished from other fog clumps tied to desire and temptation.

The largest and newest among them was the yarn ball named Newt Scamander.

Now, the black cat watched this yarn ball drift toward it, thought for a moment, then extended a paw.

Soon, Newt opened his eyes in the borderland.

“I’m delighted to meet you in this dream, dear Bastet.”

The black cat knew Newt was genuinely happy; its whiskers trembled slightly:

“Good evening, Mr. Scamander.”

“You look troubled?”

Newt smiled shyly, leaning in a little closer.

How did he notice that… the black cat was baffled.

Until it noticed its own tail wagging frantically—it swiftly pinned it down with a paw.

“I’ve forgotten something. Something important.”

The black cat said, still holding its tail.

“Some magic might help a little… like Occlumency.”

As Newt suggested, he leaned even closer.

The black cat’s emerald eyes gleamed slightly—but Newt’s next words dimmed them.

“I’m sorry, I’m not an expert in this area.”

Newt said, now nearly at the black cat’s tail.

“Mr. Scamander, you look troubled too?”

The black cat suddenly said, causing Newt to pause.

“Dear Bastet, you have eyes that see all.”

Newt admitted.

“May I ask—?”

The black cat was intrigued; ever since Mr. Scamander began driving, Wizard Sean had noticed the worry between his brows.

It wasn’t hard. After all, his time at the orphanage had thoroughly honed his ability to read people.

Within minutes, when Newt spoke of his worries as if chatting with an old friend, the black cat’s whiskers quivered violently, and its tail slipped free from its paw, swaying gently.

Mr. Scamander was worried about the distribution of Fairy Cookie rations—

“That’s easily solved.”

Before the thick fog rose, the black cat said.

Now it was Newt’s turn to be surprised; his shy, cautious, curious gaze turned toward the cat—only to see it leap and vanish into the rising mist.

“Don’t worry.”

The last thing Newt heard was that voice.

When he slowly awoke, he could only stare blankly into the distance.

He had, it seemed, still underestimated the weight of this great being.

Newt awoke to morning.

The carriage was piercing through the clouds; minutes later, it burst into dazzling sunlight.

Entered another world.

The wheels skimmed over the soft sea of clouds; under the brilliant daylight, the sky stretched endlessly, bright and blue.

“Dear… Bastet.”

Newt murmured dazedly.

When Wizard Sean awoke and opened the window, he felt as if he had stepped into a mythic dream.

This was undoubtedly a fantastical mode of travel: sitting in a dragon-drawn carriage bathed in sunlight, gliding through vortex-shaped and tower-like clouds, the cabin filled with a full table of meals prepared by Will.

One could even imagine them soon descending gently, landing smoothly on the great lawn before Hogwarts Castle.

So, within the clouds, Wizard Sean began recording the timing of this dream.

Below him, New York quickly fell far behind, replaced by flat green fields, then vast purple marshes, villages, their churches like children’s toys, then a bustling metropolis, countless vehicles like dense swarms of colorful ants.

Wizard Sean gazed out the window and wrote slowly:

【Ten minutes. Progress too fast. What’s the reason?】