Chapter 371: The History of Beings
Master Newt stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the displays with a burning intensity.
Before him, in the decorated shop windows, various alchemical statues of magical beasts looked almost indistinguishable from the real thing—a fire dragon unfurled its wings, an owl swiveled its head with mechanical precision, and a Hippogriff lifted a proud, silver-taloned paw.
Once Hermione had finally finished her wide-eyed inspection of the craftsmanship, the Magizoologist reached into his coat and produced a staggering amount of gold Galleons from his case.
His massive purchase meant that the Fairy Tale Workshop's inventory was effectively wiped out for the day. Professor Quirrell cast a slightly worried glance toward Sean, but the young shop owner didn't seem to mind in the least. He simply mused that as a primary supplier of magical materials, Master Newt was perhaps a bit too wealthy.
"He bought the lot..." Hermione whispered in awe. She had only just finished being scandalized by the high prices of the individual biscuits. Now, someone had come along and bought the entire floor.
She and Neville watched as the once-lively statues grew dormant. Master Newt's face looked significantly more flushed, though whether it was from the excitement of the purchase or the heat of the nearby hearth was hard to say.
The group moved to the back of the shop, settling into a small, cozy table tucked between a frosted window and a towering Christmas tree near the fireplace. Five minutes later, Professor Quirrell arrived, balancing four large mugs of frothing, creamy pumpkin juice.
As they drank the warm juice to ward off the winter chill, the muffled voices of wizards outside the shop drifted through the walls.
"How unexpected," a witch living in the Alley remarked. "Usually, the Workshop goes dark much earlier than this."
"The Proxy Manager is as punctual as a clock," her husband replied with intense curiosity. "Aside from a visit from a certain young gentleman, I can't imagine what would keep the lights burning this late..."
Hearing their comments, and looking around at the high-priced inventory and the proximity of such a legendary wizard, Hermione realized that Sean was held in an extraordinary level of respect in this district.
As she turned back to the table, Master Newt—his shy smile still in place—began to speak.
"Regarding the definition of a 'Being' versus a 'Beast'... early attempts to classify which magical creatures deserved the status of 'Being' were remarkably crude and short-sighted," Master Newt explained. He seemed delighted to provide the students with a lecture on magizoological history.
As they sipped their juice and tucked into an assortment of pumpkin pasties, roast beef, cold chicken, pork chops, and lamb cutlets that had appeared on the table, Newt began his chronicle.
In the corner of the shop, two magical wireless sets were playing softly; the low hum of broadcasts from both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds blended with Newt's melodic, magnetic voice.
"Burdock Muldoon, the Chief of the Wizards' Council in the fourteenth century, decreed that any member of the magical community that walked on two legs would henceforth be granted the status of 'Being,' while all others would remain 'Beasts.'
"With the best of intentions, he summoned all 'Beings' to a summit to meet with wizards and discuss new magical legislation. To his utter horror, he realized he had made a grave miscalculation. The meeting hall was swamped with Goblins, who had brought every two-legged creature they could find.
"As Bathilda Bagshot tells us in A History of Magic: The din was unbearable. Between the harsh screeches of Diricawls, the mournful wailing of Augureys, and the relentless, piercing song of Fwoopers, one could hardly hear a word. While the wizards tried to consult their documents, pixies and fairies zoomed around their heads, cackling and jabbering. A dozen trolls began swinging their clubs, intent on smashing the hall to splinters, while hags glided through the shadows, looking for children to eat. The Chief stood up to preside over the meeting, only to slip on a pile of Porlock dung and flee the hall, cursing the lot of them."
Neville let out a series of small gasps, clearly horrified by the mental image of the chaos.
Sean, meanwhile, recorded the details in his notebook, his mind connecting the dots of magical history. He thought about the long-standing friction between Goblins and Wizards—the way the former always seemed to be fanning the flames of discord.
"As we can see, simply possessing two legs is no guarantee that a creature has the capacity—or the desire—to take an interest in the affairs of wizarding government," Master Newt continued. "In a fit of pique, Muldoon abandoned all further attempts to integrate non-wizard members into the Council."
"Was that the start of the true rift between Goblins and Wizards?" Sean asked thoughtfully. "I remember reading that three centuries later, Goblins instigated a riot at the Ministry over reforms to Quidditch regulations."
"Perhaps," Newt replied slowly. "Magizoological history suggests that wizards weren't always the undisputed masters of the magical world. There are epics buried in the past that we no longer remember. Whether wizarding magic and creature magic once shared a common source is a question that remains unanswered."
Sean sat perfectly still, feeling the vastness of the history closing in around him.
"Let us move the hands of the clock forward," Newt said. "Muldoon's successor, Madame Elfrida Clagg, attempted to redefine 'Beings' in the hope of building closer ties. A 'Being,' she declared, was any creature capable of human speech. Thus, everyone capable of making themselves understood to the Council was invited to the next summit.
"But again, disaster struck. The Goblins had taught the Trolls a few simple phrases, and the Trolls proceeded to wreck the hall just as they had before. Jarvies scurried around the legs of the Council members, biting every ankle they could reach."
Hermione knit her brows, clearly trying to solve the logic puzzle of the classification.
"So, how do you distinguish a 'Being' from a 'Beast'?" Sean mused aloud. "What was it that truly allowed Wizards to become the dominant power? Perhaps it was knowledge and wisdom—the ability to forge a new path through magical theory. If there is a fundamental difference between a Wizard and a creature, it lies in the inheritance of accumulated intellect across generations."
Sean, who felt he was standing on the shoulders of giants from two different worlds, had a flash of insight.
"That is why the only true wars were between Wizards and Goblins," Sean's eyes grew bright. "Not dragons, not giants... because those were the only two species with the intellect to truly clash. It wasn't just a fight for territory; it was a collision of two different ways of thinking."
Sean realized that wisdom had created the vastness of wizarding magic, preventing it from becoming a mere branch of nature-watching like magizoology. He thought of the development of science in his previous life—the parallels between the evolution of intellect and the evolution of magic were striking.
"A novel interpretation," Newt noted, watching the young wizard with a look that was a mix of realization and a slight, healthy fear. "And... a remarkably logical one."
He leaned forward to continue the tale.
[End of Chapter 371]
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