Newton Scamander

"I have visited lairs, burrows and nests across five continents, observed the curious habits of magical beasts in a hundred countries, witnessed their powers, gained their trust and, on occasion, beaten them off with my travelling kettle."

- Newton Scamander

Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander, O.M. (Second Class), (b. 1897) was a famed Magizoologist and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander developed an interest in magical creatures early in life, influenced by his mother's breeding of hippogriffs. After attending and being expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scamander joined the Ministry of Magic, spending two years in the Office for House-Elf Relocation before joining the Beast Division. In 1918, he was commissioned by Augustus Worme of Obscurus Books to write Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book became a best seller, making Scamander a respected expert in the field of Magizoology. In his personal life, Scamander married Porpentina Goldstein, and fathered at least one child. By the beginning of the 1990s, Scamander was retired and living in Dorset.

Early life and schooling
Newton Scamander was born in 1897, and developed an interest in magical creatures at an early age, as his mother was a breeder of hippogriffs. As a seven year old, Scamander would regularly dismember Horklumps in his bedroom. From 1908 to 1915, he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was Sorted into Hufflepuff. He most likely took Care of Magical Creatures as an elective in his third year. He was expelled for endangering a human life with a beast, though Albus Dumbledore, his transfiguration teacher, argued againnst it.

Joining the Ministry of Magic
"...tedious to the extreme..."

- Newt Scamander on his years at the Office for House-Elf Relocation

After being expelled from Hogwarts, Scamander joined the Ministry of Magic and worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He spent two years in the Office for House-Elf Relocation before transferring to the Beast Division, where his extensive knowledge of magical creatures led to a rapid series of promotions.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
"I was then but a lowly Ministry of Magic employee and leapt at the chance both to augment my pitiful salary of two Sickles a week and to spend my holidays travelling the globe in search of new magical species."

- Newt Scamander on Augustus Worme's offer for him to write Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

In 1918, Augustus Worme of Obscurus Books commissioned Scamander to write the first edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander, earning only two Sickles a week working at the Ministry, jumped at the chance for extra money and the opportunity to spend his summers travelling the world.

Scamander travelled to a hundred countries across five continents researching his book, observing many magical creatures. He learned about their abilities, gained their trust, and occasionally beat them with his travelling kettle if they got too dangerous.

Shortly after he completed his global excursion to document magical creatures and their natural habitats, in 1926, Scamander arrived in New York for what was supposed to be a brief stopover. However, when a Muggle by the name of Jacob Kowalski accidentally opened his magically-expanded suitcase, containing several creatures inside, the episode turned into an incident of major proportions (since magical and non-magical relations in the United States were already frail due to the presence of a Muggle fanatical extremist group, the New Salem Philanthropic Society), requiring the intervention of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Once in New York, Scamander met his future wife, Porpentina Goldstein as well as her sister, Queenie.

First published in 1927, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a massive bestseller. It became an approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and, by the mid-1990s, was in its fifty-second edition.

At some point, Scamander authored A Children's Anthology of Monsters, for younger readers.

More work at the Ministry
In 1947, Scamander was responsible for the inception of the Werewolf Register, and, in 1965, created the Ban on Experimental Breeding, which he considered his proudest moment. Scamander also worked extensively with the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau, which led him on expeditions all over the world, allowing him to collect information for new editions of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Awards and Honours
"Regarded as the world authority on magical creatures, Newt Scamander is the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which has been an approved textbook at Hogwarts since its publication in 1927 and can be found in most wizarding households."

- Scamander's Chocolate Frog Card.

In 1979, he was awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class, for services to Magizoology. He was also honoured with a Chocolate Frog Card named after him.

Private life
Scamander married a woman named Porpentina, and the union produced at least one son, who produced at least one grandson named Rolf.

By the beginning of the 1990s, he was retired and living in Dorset with his wife and their three pet Kneazles, Hoppy, Milly, and Mauler, but was known to study Fire Slugs in the Brazilian rainforest. At some point during the 1993-1994 school year, he visited Hogwarts, possibly to discuss the printing of a version of Fantastic Beasts for Muggle audiences. Following his grandson's marriage to Luna Lovegood, Scamander became the great-grandfather of twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander.

Personality and traits
Scamander was a dedicated individual who tirelessly researched new information for his book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, even when he was supposedly retired. Considered an authority in the field of Magizoology, his works were respected throughout the wizarding community. Newton was described as eccentric and felt more comfortable around creatures than he did around humans.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Care of Magical Creatures: Newt was interested in Magizoology from a young age and throughout the years, he gained knowledge of a wide variety of creatures from all over the world. He was awarded a famous Wizard Card and an Order of Merlin for services to Magizoology.
 * Potions: In his books, he wrote down hints how parts of magical creatures could be used in potions. It's unknown if this knowledge was theoretical or if he could brew some of the potions himself.
 * History of Magic: Newt also had knowledge of magical History, especially Magizoology. A whole chapter in his book was devoted to the definitions of beasts, beings and spirits and how the definitions were developed in past centuries.

Etymology
Scamander's full name is drawn from a variety of sources; Newton refers to the newt creature, which in turn is used as Scamander's nickname, the surname is possibly also taken from the known English mathematician Isaac Newton; Artemis is the name of the Greek goddess of the hunt; Fido is a common dog name, from the Latin for faithful; and Scamander sounds like "salamander". His nickname "Newt" is a small, brightly coloured salamander.

Behind the scenes

 * Newt will be portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in the film adaptations of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
 * In the Harry Potter films, a portrait of Scamander is present in the Headmaster's office, thus implying that he was a past Headmaster of Hogwarts and that he was dead by 1992, as the portrait first appears in Chamber of Secrets. However, the Pottermore Timeline of the Wizarding World (see it here) establishes that Scamander was still alive by 2015, thus making this non-canon.
 * Interestingly, the portrait of Newt Scamander mentioned above bears the monogram of Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). Dürer's dates to not match those of Scamander the slightest.
 * In 2001, J. K. Rowling published a real version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for Comic Relief, a UK based charity event. The book was written from an in-universe perspective, and Scamander was credited as the "author" of the work. He is also slated to appear as the star character in a series of films based on this work, beginning with one named after it directly.
 * Newt was the first known Hufflepuff introduced in the series, although this information was not revealed until Pottermore.
 * When Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was originally translated into German, Newt's name was translated as "Lurch" Scamander. Lurch is a German word for amphibians, a family of animals the newt is also part of. When Fantastic Beasts was translated, his original first name was untranslated instead and Lurch was one of his middle names. This makes his full name in the German version "Newton Artemis Fido Lurch Scamander".
 * Similarly, in the French version of the Harry Potter books, he is named "Norbert Dragonneau" (Dragonneau meaning baby dragon) a possible foreshadowing to Norberta). In the translation of Fantastic Beasts, however, it is said that this is actually a pen name, and the book uses his original name the rest of the time. Even though it's a pen name, the name "Monsieur Dragonneau" is also used in the French trailer for the film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
 * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
 * Harry Potter: The Exhibition
 * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
 * J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life
 * Pottermore

Notes and references
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