In Dorset, an exquisite and low-key manor is covered with snow.
There were several pine trees with colorful lights hung on them placed around, and there were several circles of colorful ribbons wrapped around the roof.
Inside the house, several white-haired elderly people, each with their own temperament, gathered together and chatted around a classic round table.
Just then, a bright green flame suddenly ignited in the fireplace next to it.
Three figures walked out of the flames - a slightly fat, strong old man with a mustache, a witch who still maintained a good figure even with her gray hair, and a young man with the same mustache as the old man.
"Even after using Floo powder so many times, I still have to say... it's really uncomfortable to spin around!" The old man with a mustache began to complain dizzily as soon as he came out of the fireplace.
"Jacob, Queenie, and John, welcome!" The old people who were originally sitting at the table stood up, and one of them welcomed them with a smile.
"Ah! Newt, my old friend, long time no see!" Jacob stumbled over and hugged Newt, patting his back heavily, "And Tina and Theseus, oh, Lali is here too, it's such a pleasure to see you!"
"Nice to meet you too, our Muggle gentleman." The handsome old man next to Newt laughed and patted Jacob's shoulder.
Tina and her good friend Professor Eulalie Hicks watched the scene with smiles on their faces.
"Tina, your letter to me said... that the Dark Lord in England was killed?" Queenie also smiled and asked her sister.
"Yes, they were dealt with by Albus and his team at the end of September." Tina said with a smile, "So Theseus suggested that we take advantage of Christmas to get together and celebrate with all our old friends from decades ago."
Then, she turned her head and looked into the room, "Rove, come out quickly, your cousin is here."
"coming!"
Rolf hurried out from the inner room, with three or four plates of exquisite dishes floating behind him, landing one by one on the table where Newt and the others had been sitting before.
"Why is housework magic so difficult? I would rather face a fire dragon than cook again!" He fell on the chair, gasping for breath.
"You can't do it, Rolf." John came over and rubbed Rolf's head, ruffling his hair. "Didn't you say you would learn to cook and make it for Luna to taste?"
"That's what I said, but..." Rove was in a dilemma.
At this time, an old lady in the kitchen leaned out half of her body and shouted to Newt and others:
"Leave it to me, I can do it right away!"
"Bunty, don't spoil Rolf, just let him do it on his own!" Tina replied, "He wanted to learn from you at the time, he should stick to it."
"It's okay. It's a holiday today. Let him have a rest." Newt's former assistant, Bunty Broadacre, smiled and waved his hand, then went back to the kitchen to prepare Christmas dishes.
"Then I'll help too. I'm a professional!" Jacob took off his coat and hung it aside, then ran excitedly to the kitchen. "Tonight I'll let you taste the high-end bread I made!"
"Don't mess it up, Jacob, you haven't made bread yourself for a long time!" Queenie warned with a smile.
Then she looked at Newt, "Who else is invited over tonight, just us?"
Newt opened his mouth and was about to speak, but was interrupted by Queenie again.
"Hey, is Flamel planning to come over too? He also invited Dumbledore but he didn't reply?" asked Queenie.
"Um..." Newt paused for a moment, and nodded helplessly, "Queenie, your natural Legilimency hasn't changed in decades."
"I can't help it." Queenie winked playfully.
"By the way, why didn't Albus come?" Professor Hicks asked curiously, "Didn't he even quit as the headmaster? He should have a lot of free time now."
"Well, he..." Newt hesitated for a moment, glanced at Theseus, and said slowly, "Albus is traveling around the world now."
He did not tell his friends that Dumbledore was actually traveling with Grindelwald.
Although their hostility towards Grindelwald has faded a lot after decades of baptism, there are still some things that cannot be erased.
Grindelwald did commit many crimes during the Global Wizarding War. Few people could have imagined that the two biggest enemies more than fifty years ago would become friends and travel together.
But Newt knows something—
The knot between Dumbledore and Grindelwald was indeed resolved, but Dumbledore's sense of responsibility made it impossible for him to completely allow Grindelwald to spread his ideas in the wizarding world.
On the one hand, he really wanted to travel around the world with Grindelwald, but on the other hand, he also needed to carefully examine whether Grindelwald had really abandoned his idea of ruling the wizarding world and conquering the Muggle world.
Besides, the Muggles are developing too fast, and conflicts with the wizarding world will sooner or later break out on a large scale.
Some solutions can only be thought of by a great wizard like Grindelwald who has worked hard for most of his life. Dumbledore also needs to find some inspiration from Grindelwald.
It can be said that the meaning of this trip is not pure.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald both knew this, but they both also knew that at least they were happy, and that was enough...
Newt sighed and shook his head slightly.
Queenie seemed to understand something. She was stunned for a moment, but then quickly changed the subject, turning everyone's attention to small talk.
The reason why Dumbledore did not come to the party was quickly overlooked by old friends who had not met for a long time.
Newt breathed a sigh of relief.
Queenie also had to be smart. With his eloquence, he would not have been able to change the topic so naturally and quickly.
Just then, the green flame in the fireplace lit up again.
Nicolas Flamel and his wife also came to Newt's house as promised and greeted everyone with a smile.
"Be careful, there's a step here, Mr. and Mrs. Lemay." Rolf and John, the only two young people on the scene, quickly took the initiative to step forward and helped the Lemay couple to the table.
"Thank you, Rolf and John." LeMay sat at the table and said to the two young men with a smile, "You are as enthusiastic as your grandfather was when he was young."
…
Soon, everyone gathered around the round table.
The table was filled with sumptuous dishes, as well as a number of breads made by Jacob in the shapes of various magical animals.
Newt and his old friends enjoyed the meal very much.
After dinner, they began to chat about the past.
"Speaking of which, have all the comrades gathered tonight?" Theseus' face flushed from drinking, and his voice became louder. "Except for that guy Albus, is there anyone else who didn't come?"
“It should be just us, right?” Jacob took a sip of magic wine and made a strange “woooo” sound, then continued calmly, “Who else was on the train to Berlin at that time… Oh, what is Mr. Kama doing now?”
"Yusuf has been ill recently, and it seems to be quite serious." Flamel said, "He is currently hospitalized in the best magical hospital for injuries and diseases in France. He probably won't be able to come this time."
"I see..." Theseus sighed, "We are old after all, and our bodies are not good anymore!"
Actually, it is not easy to say. More than 50 years have passed, and most of the friends from the Global Wizarding War are now close to 100 years old. Even though the lifespan of wizards is much longer than that of Muggles, it is quite rare to get together again.
"Actually, there's another person here too." Newt suddenly spoke up, saying softly, "But she can't sit with us right now."
Everyone was stunned and the room fell silent.
"Newt, who is she you are talking about?" Theseus asked in confusion.
The others also looked at Newt.
"It's Nagini..." Newt sighed deeply, "I found her by accident three or four years ago, but she had been completely controlled by the blood curse and could not transform back into human form."
"I have been searching for a way to remove the blood curse over the years, but there has been no progress."
"You found Nagini?" Jacob exclaimed. "I thought she was already... No, you said she was under some spell?"
"It's the blood curse." Queenie said softly, "Nagini was able to turn into a snake because of this curse. When the savagery generated by the blood curse completely engulfed her consciousness, she could no longer change back to human form."
"This... Dumbledore can't remove this curse?" Jacob was stunned.
"Dumbledore is not omnipotent, Jacob." Newt said, "The problem of the blood curse has troubled the wizarding world for thousands of years... I thought Professor Dracula, who knows the most about blood, could do it, but he also said there was no way..."
At this moment, Flamel suddenly raised his hand and interrupted Newt.
"No, Newt, that's just that Brad might not have had a way back then." Flamel chuckled, "He definitely has a way now."
He looked at his wife, and Madame Flamel took out a thick book engraved with a phoenix from her bag in tacit understanding.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Brad for a while." Flamel opened the book and turned to the first page, with a smile on his face. "Why not call him over to help us cure Nagini's blood curse?"
…
…