"You don't need to be so reserved around me." Newt greatly admired the young man in front of him, but Alan had always been too much of a gentleman, making Newt feel that it was somewhat unreal, as if Alan were hiding some secret. However, Newt never liked to pry into the backgrounds of his friends, and from Alan's behavior, as well as the evaluations from the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts professors, he was a trustworthy person.
"My apologies, I was too reserved." Alan shook his head helplessly. He had always demanded that Slytherin students adhere to a standard of elegant self-possession, so he had long ago applied this to himself. When facing people he wasn't particularly familiar with, he always maintained a polite demeanor.
"Don't always apologize. To be honest, you're the first Hogwarts student to visit me. It's good that you don't mind my mess." Newt smiled and shook his head, then looked at Alan again. "After all, you helped us a great deal recently. Tina and I both need to repay you properly. Tell me, is there anything you like here, or anything you need my help with? You can ask, don't be shy."
Of course, he said not to be shy, but he thought that Alan, who had always been very humble, would surely still be polite to him. Therefore, Newt spoke quite frankly. Then he was proven wrong, because Alan's response suddenly became quite impolite.
"To be honest, I do have something I want from you; I just don't know if you're willing to part with it." Alan squinted, smiling at Newt.
"Oh? Tell me." Newt was a little surprised that Alan had suddenly become so direct. This sudden change left him a bit flustered. Could this young man also be interested in the suitcase? If he really made such a request, how should I respond?
"I…" Alan looked around, then said with a slight apology, "I'm very interested in the knowledge you have here, especially knowledge related to alchemy and magical creatures. I wonder if you'd be willing to satisfy my small thirst for knowledge?"
Knowing that Newt wanted to repay him, Alan naturally wouldn't be humble. He knew this old man was incredibly wealthy, but after his alchemy business got on track, he wasn't short of money himself. Materials and such could also be bought with Galleons. Instead, it was rare knowledge and data that sometimes couldn't be bought with money.
"Knowledge? Hahahahaha…" Newt was stunned for a moment after hearing Alan's request. He had thought this young man had taken a fancy to one of his treasures. Thinking of this, Newt's eyes showed an even deeper appreciation for Alan. He hadn't expected this young man to be such a pure scholar.
"No problem." Newt nodded affirmatively. "Someone being interested in what I've learned—I'm overjoyed! If these academic materials aren't passed down, they'll just become a pile of waste paper. Spreading magical creature protection to wizarding society was always my ideal. However…" Newt looked at Alan with some surprise. "I have made some achievements in the field of magical creatures, but in alchemy, my level might not even be as good as yours, and I don't have much alchemy data here."
"The study of alchemy sometimes doesn't need to rely on materials." Alan smiled slightly. "I've already seen many things worth studying here with you, such as the weather blankets in your animal enclosures, and the entire enclosure itself, and even… that kettle you used to extinguish Fiendfyre."
"So that's it; you want to study these alchemy tools here with me." Newt smiled and nodded, then took out the metal kettle. "However, this travel kettle was given to me by Dumbledore, so it's not convenient for me to lend it directly to you. How about this: you can come find me whenever you have time. All the materials in my library can be opened to you, and if you have any questions about magical creatures, you can ask me. If you need to, you can also study the travel kettle here with me, provided you don't break it; otherwise, I won't be able to explain it to the Headmaster."
Alan was overjoyed. "Thank you, Mr. Scamander! This arrangement is perfect. I can also come often to see that Thunderbird."
"Hmm, a love for magical creatures themselves is the foundation for studying magizoology. That Thunderbird has a deep connection with you. I think with your company, it will recover very quickly." Speaking of this, Newt seemed to think of something else. "Oh, by the way, can you establish a direct connection with the Thunderbird?"
"Direct connection?" Alan was a little confused. "When I saw that Thunderbird, I did feel a strange connection. This might be related to my wand. I'm very closely connected to my wand, and I think that's why I was able to establish a connection with the Thunderbird." After speaking, Alan asked somewhat strangely, "What? Is there something wrong with that?"
"Hmm, if you can really sense the Thunderbird, it might be a great help." Newt thoughtfully rubbed his chin for a while, then looked up again. "When you come here, you can try to sense the Thunderbird from a distance to see if you can feel its presence. Your current situation with the Thunderbird is very similar to the early manifestation of a bloodline contract."
"Bloodline contract?" The last time Alan heard this term was when he was studying Tonks's Metamorphmagus ability, but he didn't understand this kind of pact very deeply.
"Exactly. How should I describe it to you? You know Dumbledore keeps a phoenix, right? His family has a bloodline contract with the phoenix family, so Fawkes is Dumbledore's close companion. They can communicate telepathically and feel each other's presence from a great distance," Newt explained with an example.
"I know that, but is the connection between me and the Thunderbird also similar to a bloodline contract? But I've never signed any contract with the Thunderbird family. I only first encountered a Thunderbird yesterday," Alan asked, somewhat puzzled.
"A bloodline contract doesn't only create a connection after it's signed. Many powerful magical creatures will only sign a contract with intelligent beings they have a fondness for or are very close to. So, before signing the contract, a connection has already formed between them. This is the early manifestation of a bloodline contract. And only wizards who show this kind of manifestation can potentially sign a bloodline contract with these magical creatures. The contract itself will also deepen the mutual connection. These two things are inherently complementary. It's the prior existence of a mental connection that aligns with a bloodline contract that allows the contract to be signed, not that a mental connection can only be established after signing the contract. This is a fundamental difference, which is why so few wizards in our society sign bloodline contracts." Newt, who was proficient in magizoology, explained in great detail to Alan.