HP: The Dropout Who Saved the World

Forced to abandon her transfer plans and return to Britain, Jane Yu was feeling utterly dejected.

Even though Grindelwald had set her house ablaze as she left, nearly burning her alive in the process—

For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't his actual target.

Even though he kept calling her "Miss Scamander," perhaps he already knew it was just an alias?

He had even gone to the trouble of teaching her how to handle Horcruxes... Maybe he simply wanted to help her guardian—and former lover—deal with Voldemort?

For some reason, this strange thought surfaced in her mind.

But no matter how hard she tried to plead her case, Madame Maxime, ever prioritizing safety above all else, firmly refused her.

"He will come for you. Everyone believes you are the key to threatening Dumbledore—you cannot stay at Beauxbatons; it cannot protect you."

Even her mentor, Newt Scamander, nodded silently and took it upon himself to escort her back to Britain.

But as she noticed the heavy expression on Newt's face, Jane suddenly became curious about why Grindelwald had shouted his surname upon waking.

"Do you know Gellert Grindelwald?" she asked.

Newt hesitated for a moment, then nodded, shook his head, and began recounting their connection:

"I once captured Grindelwald—that was a long time ago. I know who he is, but I don't think I truly know him."

"In 1926, I took a suitcase full of magical creatures to America, but they escaped... He disguised himself as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement..."

Through his lengthy recollection, Jane finally understood why Tina occasionally had to give her mentor a wake-up call.

Young Professor Scamander—he was truly both stubborn and brave!

Smuggling magical creatures, breaking out of prison, fighting Grindelwald, commanding a Niffler to steal the blood pact...

She couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up in admiration!

"Well, as I've said before, when it comes to animals... my judgment can be quite poor," Newt admitted, looking a bit embarrassed and shy. "I caused a lot of trouble back then. If it weren't for Headmaster Dumbledore and Tina's support and help, you might have found me in Azkaban or the Woolworth Building... or perhaps not at all, as Grindelwald might have sent me away."

Hearing this, Jane couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine, and regret flooded her heart.

Looking at her own actions—posing as "Newtie Scamander," using a Niffler to cozy up to Grindelwald...

Feeding him potions soaked in Horcruxes, nearly paralyzing him...

She was practically dancing on a minefield, flirting with death!

She wished she could travel back in time and slap her past self!

Given this history, the fact that Grindelwald only used Fiendfyre to burn down her house instead of Avada Kedavra-ing her—

He must truly be a good man!

But Newt suddenly paused in his story, appearing conflicted about whether he should continue discussing the topic with her.

After a moment, he seemed unable to resist the urge to vent and lowered his voice, speaking softly:

"Do you know... about Headmaster Dumbledore and Grindelwald?"

Jane wasn't entirely sure if Newt was referring to her guardian's romantic history with Grindelwald or their later duel.

But it felt like there was a hint of gossip in his tone, so she nodded, indicating she knew a bit.

"Though it's just my speculation, I think he might come looking for you... After all, your identity isn't exactly a secret," Newt continued.

In fact, she had already been in contact with Grindelwald for quite a while.

Thinking of this, Jane couldn't help but show a pained expression.

Newt tilted his head slightly and, in a low voice that suggested mutual understanding, said:

"Listen, Jane, if you unfortunately encounter Grindelwald, you must be cautious... I suffered a lot of unnecessary hardships back then..."

"For your safety, if you do meet him, try to stall for as long as possible. Whatever you do, don't give him responses like 'I don't know,' as that's practically an admission. I think if you're willing to chat with him about what's happened at Hogwarts... you know who I'm referring to... he'd be more than happy to keep talking."

Jane felt like this sounded like some sort of survival guide for dealing with a boss-level character, where Grindelwald was the gatekeeper and Dumbledore was the cheat code.

In her mentor's words, she sensed a strange disconnect between the Grindelwald he described and the one she had met.

Perhaps time and age could truly change a person...?

Newt let out a deep sigh, as if finally unburdening himself of a long-held secret:

"To be honest, I was really confused back then... Suddenly being attacked and sentenced to death... I just wanted to retrieve my creatures..."

"Sometimes I feel like I was just a messenger owl... running back and forth, with Headmaster Dumbledore occasionally speaking in riddles... When I saw the blood pact between them, I always felt something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it..."

"It wasn't until much later that I realized. I'm not very perceptive about these things. When I told Tina, she couldn't believe I hadn't noticed all along... That blood pact, sigh—"

He let out a long sigh, seemingly mourning his fate of being beaten up.

Perhaps discussing this with a student so much younger made him feel a bit embarrassed, as Newt scratched his head awkwardly:

"I've only ever dared to talk about these things with Tina. Of course, I'm telling you this for your safety. Based on my experience, I wanted to give you this advice."

"After all... ahem... you know Headmaster Dumbledore means far more to me than just a mentor... I shouldn't speculate recklessly or speak about this to outsiders... That would betray Dumbledore's trust in me... You understand, don't you, Jane?"

Jane gave him a strange look.

Her straightforward mentor—had he not gained much emotional intelligence over the years?

She strongly suspected that if Grindelwald heard this, Newt would once again face a barrage of lightning-fast attacks, possibly ending up as meat pies alongside his magical creatures.

Honestly, based on her years of reading novels, she roughly understood Newt.

He was likely a man whose heart was entirely devoted to magical creatures, yet he had been dragged into the love-hate entanglements of Grindelwald and Dumbledore—a hapless individual who was Dumbledore's favorite student, though perhaps with a "former" prefix.

And through his stubbornness and obstinacy, he had managed to max out enemy hostility, suffering beatdowns and death threats filled with personal grudges.

To be fair, even modern internet friends like Steve, who specialize in companionship, would probably do a better job—at least they wouldn't get beaten up.

This story taught her that for the sake of personal safety, uninvolved parties should never meddle in romantic disputes between couples.

"I completely understand the bond between Headmaster Dumbledore and yourself." She nodded affirmatively at Newt, lighting a metaphorical candle for him in hopes he would never encounter Grindelwald again. "I also believe that if you were to meet Grindelwald again, he would definitely mourn for you."

Newt tilted his head, sensing something was off once more.

But he still flashed a warm, kind smile—the signature smile of a Hufflepuff.

After all, it was a gesture of understanding from his student—

And understanding was priceless!

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