September 1, 1992, could be considered a big day for the Scamander family.
Because this day was the very first day Rolf Scamander, the only child of the Scamander family, would set out on his journey into the magical world.
Therefore, as Rolf was about to head to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to board the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the entire Scamander family turned out in full force.
The whole scene was practically on par with the episode in My Own Swordsman where Shopkeeper Tong sends Mo Xiaobei off to school. [Translator's Note: My Own Swordsman is a famous Chinese historical sitcom.]
The morning was crisp and golden as an apple.
Amidst the rumbling of cars, the Scamander family briskly crossed the street toward the massive, soot-blackened train station.
The exhaust from the cars and the breath of the pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs, drifting in the cool air.
A brown-haired boy with a face full of freckles stopped in his tracks outside King's Cross Station. He tilted his small face up to look at the elderly man beside him.
"Grandpa, what if I get sorted into a house other than Hufflepuff?"
Newt rubbed his grandson's little head affectionately. "All four houses at Hogwarts have their own merits. It doesn't matter even if you don't get into Hufflepuff."
"Really?"
"Really. Going to Gryffindor would be quite nice, too. Headmaster Dumbledore, whom you admire the most, graduated from Gryffindor."
Click.
Two brass catches on a small suitcase perched at the very top of the luggage trolley suddenly popped open.
Newt swiftly snapped the two catches back into place. "You must keep a close eye on your little suitcase at school. Don't let your Niffler run loose in the common room."
"Like you did in New York back then?"
Hearing Rolf's words, Newt's face darkened slightly.
He looked at his wife, Tina. "Why do you tell the child everything?"
Mrs. Scamander spread her hands, her expression seeming to say: Is that my fault?
No longer looking at Newt, Tina helped Rolf tidy his brown hair, which was always just as messy as his grandfather's.
"Grandma packed you plenty of snacks for the journey. They're right in your trunk. You can share them with the students in your compartment on the way.
"Try to make lots of friends once you get to school. Remember to be kind to others, and don't be like your grandfather, always saying baffling things like 'the middle head' and whatnot..."
Innocently catching a stray bullet, Newt rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"The middle head" was something he had said when he first confessed his feelings to Tina, referencing the three-headed Runespoor.
The middle head of a Runespoor is the visionary.
Generally, not many people could understand such a subtle way of expressing affection.
Watching his parents nagging yet again, William Scamander let out a helpless sigh.
His parents were wonderful in every way, except that they spoiled their grandson way too much.
Newt and Tina had repeated these exact same words who knows how many times on the way here. He and his wife's ears were practically growing calluses from listening to it.
They say doting skips a generation, but this was a bit much.
He couldn't help but remind them, "Say, let's hurry into the station. The train will be leaving soon."
Meanwhile, inside King's Cross Station, two figures were leaning against the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
After Kyle returned from Diagon Alley, it felt like September 1st had arrived in the blink of an eye.
Kyle had originally planned to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel to London himself.
The last time he took the other three "Father-Troublers" to make some money in London, he had left a few Flying Thunder God marks over there. [Translator's Note: "Father-Troublers" (父愁者 - Fùchóuzhě) is a phonetic pun on the Chinese translation for the Avengers (复仇者), literally meaning "those who cause their fathers to worry."]
Although his magical power wasn't enough to support him crossing such a vast distance all at once, he could always get there through multiple Apparitions.
However, since Grindelwald said he wanted to see him off at King's Cross Station, Kyle gave up the idea of using the Flying Thunder God.
From the looks of it, Grindelwald seemed to thoroughly enjoy the process of sending his kid off to school.
It was only after Kyle and Grindelwald arrived at King's Cross Station that Kyle realized Grindelwald wasn't actually here to see him off.
He was waiting for someone.
"Dad, who are we waiting for?"
They had been standing there for nearly twenty minutes. Cedric had arrived later than them just a moment ago, and was likely already seated on the Hogwarts Express by now.
"Newt Scamander."
"Scamander?" Kyle repeated.
Kyle remembered that name; back in Brooklyn, he had shown up alongside Dumbledore.
What Kyle didn't know, however, was that Newt Scamander was actually their current neighbor.
Having stayed holed up at home for two months, he only knew that a kind, elderly couple lived next door.
They rarely showed their faces, so Kyle, being a magical shut-in, hadn't seen them even once.
Moreover, because it was a dark piece of his history, Grindelwald had never mentioned to Kyle the past incident where Newt had ambushed him using a Swooping Evil.
This made Kyle even more unfamiliar with the Scamander name.
All he knew was that there was a rather interesting encyclopedia of magical creatures titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, authored by the old man Newt.
Just as Kyle was growing a bit impatient from waiting, five figures appeared on the platform.
A dangerous, mocking glint flashed in Grindelwald's eyes.
The person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"All you have to do is walk straight toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten..." Newt's words suddenly broke off. "Why are you here?!"
Grindelwald glanced at the little tyke beside Newt. "You're seeing your grandson off to school, and I'm seeing my son off to school. Is there a problem?"
He patted Kyle on the shoulder beside him. "Allow me to formally introduce you: this is my son, Kyle Grindelwald."
He emphasized heavily, "He is also my heir, the future leader of the Acolytes."
Newt immediately choked on his words.
Kyle stepped forward. "Hello, Mr. Scamander. We meet again."
He then turned to Tina Scamander. "It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Scamander."
Regarding Kyle, this future Third-Generation Dark Lord—even though he behaved very politely and wasn't a bastard like his father—Tina couldn't muster up much affection for him.
So she simply gave a very cold nod.
Grindelwald paid this no mind. He looked at the Scamander boy, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
"Little Scamander... barring any accidents, he should be sorted into Hufflepuff House, shouldn't he?"
"That is none of your business," Newt snorted coldly.
"How could it not be my business?" Grindelwald broke into a grin. "My Kyle is in Hufflepuff House. You'll have to take very good care of your junior schoolmate at school from now on."
Grindelwald directed the second half of his sentence at Kyle, heavily emphasizing the words "take care."
A few dark lines dropped down Kyle's forehead.
Dad, don't be like this. I'm not some great villain, don't ruin my image in front of outsiders.
As a doting grandmother, Tina immediately lost her composure upon hearing Grindelwald's words. In a flash, she drew her wand and aimed it straight at Grindelwald.
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
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