Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Imagines

11. Mirror of Erised

Newt revisits Hogwarts, and Dumbledore sends him to the Room of Requirement, where reminisces and new discoveries await him...

Newt hurried down the long corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his head ducked low to keep any students from recognizing his face. He was trailing behind Albus Dumbledore, who'd summoned him just as he was finishing tending to the creatures that resided in his case. Newt had jumped at the chance of visiting his old school and professor once again; the last time he'd graced Hogwarts with his presence was the day he was expelled. The minute Newt arrived, Dumbledore had apparated to his side and instructed Newt to follow him and keep himself from being noticed by any wandering pupils. It was much easier for Newt to blend in now that he had replaced his flashy blue coat with a more bleak, gray version. After his textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them had become an international bestseller, and he'd become an incredibly acclaimed author, Newt had been forced to make a few adjustments to his lifestyle to keep from unwanted company. He could only imagine the rumors that would spread if the press got word he'd been spotted at Hogwarts. The Daily Prophet was always particularly nasty about any of his endeavors that weren't strictly work related; it's what led him to get a new coat. The journalists chasing after him and creating wickedly false stories about him nearly drove him mad. It didn't help that he knew Tina would be seeing the articles, though he could never understand why he cared what she thought of him. They'd left things... cordial.

    Hogwarts had hardly changed since Newt's days. The walls were still grand and tall, paintings covering nearly every blank space among the staircases that moved accordingly. It was relatively hard for Newt to resist greeting any of his old teachers as he passed them, but he was to follow Dumbledore's orders and knew better than to disobey them. They continued walking for what seemed like ages, passing the Hufflepuff dormitories and the great hall on the way. Newt continued to observe everything he could of his old school, until Dumbledore paused in front of a blank wall as the last robed students scurried off to their classes, glancing once or twice at the strange man who was accompanying their teacher. Dumbledore paced a few times in front of the wall, but stopped abruptly when Newt interrupted his concentration. "I'm sorry if I appear to be a bit frank, professor, but what good does pacing in front of a blank wall do? Is this all that you've summoned me for?"

    Dumbledore chuckled, placing his hand on Newt's shoulder. "You always had a problem with being patient. Any moment, what I've called you here for will appear. The room has to decide the worthiness of your need, Newt," He explained, and returned to his pacing. Newt glanced around the hallway, a million thoughts buzzing throughout his mind. What room? Why must it decide if you're worthy for it? He'd never thought a room could have thoughts of its own.

    It was as if something had been listening in on his inquiries. Only seconds later, the wall started to shake and bricks moved against each other to create a doorway. Newt looked at his old professor in awe; such a thing shouldn't even be possible. A hidden room at Hogwarts? Those kinds of ideas only existed in myths and storybooks. He'd been proven wrong, so Newt supposed everything he thought he knew about Hogwarts had a much bigger, grander story than he'd ever imagined. Newt was brought back to his days as a student, when there were rumors floating around the school that Salazar Slytherin had created a hidden chamber underneath the school, with a creature more dangerous than anyone could imagine. Newt had always concluded that it was a basilisk, because Slytherin was associated with snakes and they were capable of doing horrid things. Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black had immediately put an end to those rumors, declaring any student who decided to repeat such fabrications would face consequences of the utmost seriousness. Though that never stopped Leta Lestrange from asking Newt about the basilisks endlessly. He never minded it- she was the only student who'd understood his passion for creatures. She called it his muchness, which was something she perceived from a muggle book she'd found shoved into a corner of the school's library. Perhaps Dumbledore was leading him to the secret chamber his classmates had spoken about? Newt tried not to ponder about the suspected basilisk. Though he'd read about them in many books, his knowledge on being able to control one was limited. Newt was worried that Dumbledore had overestimated his knowledge on magical creatures, and wanted him to tame the snake-like creature in order to defeat Grindelwald.