Fantastic Beasts 3

The Chamber of Secrets

INSIDE THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENTS

"Dumbledore, what are you showing me?"

Dumbledore lead Newt through the clutter of abandoned items to a tall object covered by a dark sheet. He grabbed the fabric and yanked it off.

Underneath the sheet was a large, dirty mirror.

"It's called the Mirror of Erised," Dumbledore explained.

"Tina!" Newt yelped as he peered into the mirror and spun on his heel to look over his shoulder, but no one was there. He glanced back to the mirror to see her standing by his side in the reflection, smiling. As she moved her hand up to brush hair out of her face, something sparkled on her finger that caught his eye.

A ring.

"It shows the deepest desire of your heart."

Newt turned beetroot red. "Can you see–"

He chuckled. "No, I only see what I desire."

"And what is that?"

Pain crossed Dumbledore's features at his question. "It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

Dumbledore tore his gaze away from the mirror, tear stricken. "Because I can't love him."

"Oh," Newt murmured, the realisation dawning on him. "I'm so sorry–"

"It doesn't matter." Dumbledore tried to pull himself together. "Newt... promise me that you will tell Tina you love her, because I regret not doing the same for Grindelwald. Perhaps he would not have become the monster he is if I had said something..."

"I will tell her. Tonight." There was something about saying it out loud that gave him newfound confidence.

"Good." Dumbledore threw the sheet over the mirror. "Now, let's go have lunch."

Newt followed after him through the school landfill when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. His gaze landed on the vanishing cabinet, whose door had creaked open a few inches. He pulled the door open and peered inside.

No one was there.

Well of course nobody would be there, he thought, the protection charm that Dumbledore put in there when we left–

"Newt!" Hurry up, I'm starving."

"Coming!" He called back, closing the door and hurrying off to find Dumbledore. They exited the Room of Requirements and hurried off down the corridor.

That's when the cabinet door opened, and an ecstatic acolyte ran back into the vanishing cabinet to inform his master that they could finally access Hogwarts.

___________________________

The rest of the day went by as a blur for Newt, as he found that teaching was actually a lot more enjoyable than he had anticipated it to be. He also found that the students showed a lot more interest in creatures compared to his year when he was in school. All he had to do to get the class to listen was to show them Pickett, who bathed in the attention.

After his last class, he went up to Dippet to confirm his leave for that day.

"It's been a pleasure having you Mr Scamander, the students tell me they loved having you teach for them. Would you like to teach tomorrow's classes as well?"

"Of course, that would be lovely," he replied.

"Right, then," Dippet said from his desk, his fingers intertwined in a very business-like way, "I'll send you an owl with your classes tonight, you should have it no later than eight o'clock."