In fact, she had no idea whether Thunderbird was alive or dead, let alone where he might be. If headquarters started asking questions, Azalea would have nothing to say.
Driven by anxiety and desperation, she decided to get more involved in tonight's aftermath, hoping she could collect enough information to protect herself. She volunteered eagerly for firefighting duty, hoping to uncover any clues about what exactly had happened.
Yet as she helped extinguish the lingering flames of Fiendfyre, she only grew more frightened. Whoever Thunderbird had faced was clearly terrifyingly powerful. To force him into retreat meant they were dealing with extraordinary opponents.
After working feverishly for hours, Azalea realized she had gained nothing useful. Everyone around her, whether Aurors or Ministry officials, was strangely tight-lipped, offering her no insight. It was as if they'd all agreed beforehand to conceal what had truly happened, making her anxiety spike further.
Feeling increasingly desperate, Azalea approached Newt and Alex with a blank expression, forcing herself to maintain composure.
"Mr. Scamander," she said evenly, masking her internal panic, "the magical creatures are all loaded and ready for transport. Director Barnabas asked me to check with you, are you ready to leave?"
Newt smiled pleasantly, impressed by Barnabas's quick efficiency. "Ready already? Barnabas works faster than I expected," he joked lightly, then turned toward Alex. "How about you, Alex? Ready to go?"
"Of course," Alex replied cheerfully. "It's been quite a while since I've enjoyed a late-night flight under the stars." He took out his broomstick casually, careful not to reveal his flying cloak in front of the crowd.
Azalea watched in confusion as Alex prepared himself. Who exactly was this young wizard?
Wasn't he simply the talented alchemist and owner of the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica, brought along like Scamander to provide technical support?
But that didn't make sense, Newt was here because magical creatures needed his expertise. If an alchemy device malfunctioned, they could simply replace it rather than have Alex fix it at the scene. Was there another reason Alex was involved?
Suddenly, a disturbing thought struck Azalea. Could Alex have somehow participated in the battle against Thunderbird?
She dismissed the idea almost immediately, Thunderbird was far too powerful to be challenged by some young wizard known primarily for his alchemy. Besides, Alex didn't even have a scratch; his clothing looked entirely neat and unruffled, clearly untouched by combat.
Azalea let out a bitter laugh at herself, shaking her head inwardly. Clearly, the disaster tonight had made her paranoid enough to suspect anyone. Imagining Alex fighting Thunderbird was absurd, she was losing it.
Yet, as she stood there struggling with her thoughts, Alex watched her quietly, a faint, teasing expression on his face. He didn't trust the Ministry's secrecy measures, and seeing Azalea's suspicious behavior, he felt she might become a threat later if she connected him to the Thunderbird incident.
It would be wise, Alex decided, to deal with her quickly, eliminating any potential problems before they arose.
***
The journey from Northern Ireland to Southern England wasn't short. Alex, along with more than a dozen Ministry officials, flew tirelessly through the night, finally arriving at Scamander's house just as dawn broke. Tina, who had apparated home ahead of them, was already waiting at the entrance, warmly greeting everyone despite the early hour.
Fortunately, most wizards were physically resilient thanks to their magical constitution, so the long overnight journey wasn't unbearable. The only one who genuinely struggled was Shalltear.
As the morning sun rose, she quickly turned into a tiny bat and nestled desperately into Alex's robes to shield herself from the sunlight.
According to Shalltear's own explanation, vampires weren't necessarily destroyed by sunlight outright, but their tolerance varied depending on their strength and the intensity of the sun.
Strong sunlight was especially uncomfortable, causing a burning sensation, followed by painful redness, blisters, and severe skin peeling, like extreme sunburn. It wasn't fatal, but certainly unpleasant enough to avoid at all costs. Under cloudy skies or during dawn and dusk, the sun was more bearable, though still irritating.
Truly powerful vampires, however, could even stroll freely under midday sunshine. Unfortunately for Shalltear, she wasn't strong enough for that. Thus, her instinctive reaction was always to hide as soon as the sun appeared, eager to avoid the painful experience entirely.
During their journey, Alex had also taken the chance to speak with Barnabas about Shalltear's situation. Barnabas readily agreed to Alex's request; after all, Alex was now an invaluable partner to the Ministry, providing vital equipment and assistance.
Doing Alex this favor by accommodating a harmless vegetarian vampire was an easy decision for Barnabas, strengthening their already beneficial relationship.
Previously, Alex had only seen Scamander's house from the front, thinking it similar to the Burrow, quirky, odd-shaped, but ultimately ordinary. He had never imagined that it would conceal something so incredible behind its walls.
Newt led Alex and the group around to the back of his house, revealing large double doors that resembled the entrance to a stable or barn. When Alex stepped inside, his eyes widened in disbelief. It was a vast, astonishing indoor zoo, stretching out for kilometers.
High above them was a beautifully crafted artificial sky, meticulously simulated using large enchanted weather blankets. From what Alex could see, the ceiling appeared to soar at least fifty meters overhead, replicating real atmospheric conditions.
Below the enchanted sky, dozens of carefully divided enclosures were neatly arranged, each one emulating a different natural environment and climate through skillfully placed weather blankets.
As Alex walked past, he marveled at the sight of peacefully sleeping Re'ems grazing on lush green grasslands and Mooncalves strolling leisurely beneath a stunning simulated starry night sky. Even more impressive was a large crystal-clear lake, home to schools of brightly colored Plimpies darting gracefully beneath the surface.
Both Alex and the Ministry officials felt like children exploring an enchanted fairytale. None of them had ever imagined such a variety of magical creatures living so harmoniously together under one roof. The experience was simply extraordinary.
However, Alex was perhaps the most astonished of all, not only because of the incredible collection of magical creatures, but also because of the unbelievable scale and sophistication of the space itself. Expanding an internal area to this immense size with the Undetectable Extension Charm wasn't something easily accomplished through simple spell-casting.
Typically, enlarging spaces to such magnitude required both exceedingly rare materials and powerful, sustained magic to maintain stability.
Alex's own space ring, crafted from premium goblin-made Ulim Steel, offered a substantial internal space but required constant magical energy to maintain its stability.
Judging from the sheer size of Newt's magical zoo, Alex deduced that Ulim Steel alone couldn't possibly sustain a spell of this scale. The materials Scamander used had to be among the rarest and most powerful magical substances available, resources Alex doubted even he could acquire easily.
Moreover, the enchanted weather blankets covering the sky and walls were unique products from Cairo, Egypt, rare commodities nearly impossible to obtain in Britain. Clearly, Newt Scamander was not only a legendary magizoologist and powerful wizard but also astonishingly wealthy, wealthy enough to invest such an enormous amount of resources into creating this magical sanctuary.
Alex suddenly saw Newt Scamander in a whole new light. Beneath his quiet, humble exterior, Scamander possessed an unimaginable combination of resources, passion, and dedication.