Scamander returned the lab report to the boy and said, "Alright, since my personal request has been satisfied, let's get down to official business."
"Next, I need to give you this certificate as well."
With that, he handed Lewis a gold-rimmed certificate. On it, written in gilded letters, were the words: Annual Discovery Award.
Lewis was momentarily stunned, then accepted the award.
This was the first academic award he had ever received.
In his previous life, he had studied engineering and never pursued research, so this kind of experience was almost entirely unfamiliar to him.
"They originally wanted to give you the 'Best Newcomer of the Year' award, but I strongly objected," Scamander said with a chuckle.
"In my personal opinion, your paper—both the discovery itself and your groundbreaking experimental methods—holds great significance for the study of magical creatures. No one will surpass it for decades to come. Therefore, it would be completely unfair to put you on the same stage as other newcomers."
"For that reason, I took the liberty of nominating you for the 'Annual Discovery Award,' which is also the highest annual honor of the Yearbook of Magical Creatures."
After listening to Scamander's slow and methodical explanation, the young witches and wizards nearby were astonished.
Everyone else is the same age, so why are you the only one showing off like this?
While everyone else is still studying the textbook, you're already innovating and conducting research!
Not only are you innovating and researching, but you've also managed to publish your findings in a top-tier journal!
Not only has your research been published in a top journal, but it's also good enough to compete for an award!
And not only is it competing for an award, but it's skipping straight past all the newcomers and going head‑to‑head with established scholars!
And not only are you competing with established scholars, but you're winning by a landslide!
What kind of legendary experience is this?
After understanding Lewis's achievements, there were few people left who could still feel jealous of him.
The gap was simply too vast. All envy and jealousy turned into nothingness—there wasn't even anything left to be sour about.
And what about Lewis himself, the center of attention?
Upon receiving the certificate, his first thought wasn't excitement.
Given his current research into arcane magic, even a small fraction of it would be enough to overturn the entire theoretical foundation of the magical world.
If he revealed a few more findings, it wouldn't even be a matter of awards anymore—no one in the magical world would be qualified to give him an award. Every award should be named after him instead.
In comparison, a mere "Annual Discovery Award" was trivial.
Rather than feeling happy, Lewis's true reaction was... Are you kidding me? This certificate presentation is way too slapdash!
He didn't expect the award ceremony to be as formal as the Order of Merlin, but surely there should be at least a little sense of ceremony?
This felt more like handing out a pennant—casual to the extreme.
But upon second thought, it made sense.
The Yearbook of Magical Creatures is considered a top‑tier academic journal in the field of magizoology.
Such journals are the equivalent of Nature or Science in the non‑magical world.
And even those journals aren't very formal when giving out their annual awards.
Of course, the Yearbook of Magical Creatures doesn't have nearly as much influence as the two above.
That's because, in the magical world, magizoology isn't as important as the fundamental disciplines of Charms or Transfiguration.
Still, the Yearbook of Magical Creatures remains a top‑tier journal.
However, compared to the Muggle world, wizarding academia—or rather, magical research journals—have one major drawback:
The wizarding population is far smaller than the Muggle population.
This directly results in a much smaller pool of magical researchers compared to Muggle researchers.
A top journal in a circle of a few dozen to a hundred people is bound to be a bit more modest than one in a circle of hundreds of thousands or millions.
The Yearbook of Magical Creatures isn't the Daily Prophet—it doesn't have spare money to spend on fancy frills. The prize money is merely a symbolic two hundred Galleons.
"This award is recognized by the entire magical world," Professor Flitwick whispered to Lewis.
Oh, Lewis thought. That makes it clear.
Academic journals like Transfiguration Today and the Yearbook of Magical Creatures are so sought after by scholars largely because their authority is recognized by the magical world.
If you publish a paper in Transfiguration Today, whether you go to the British Ministry of Magic or the Ilvermorny School in America, even if the person in charge doesn't know you personally, you can just show them that journal, and they will acknowledge you as a Transfiguration scholar.
Whether for networking or employment, everything becomes easier.
And a wizard like Lewis, who has won the Yearbook of Magical Creatures Annual Discovery Award, needs no further explanation.
Wherever he goes, he will be treated as an honored guest by the local Ministry of Magic or school.
And that is how influence is built, little by little.
Lewis even began to consider whether, before breaking through to legend and gaining the ability to protect himself, he should slowly reveal some of his research results, submit them to various academic journals, and build up his influence.
"Now, let's take a photo," Scamander said, pulling out a camera and handing it to Professor Flitwick. "The next issue of the Yearbook of Magical Creatures will feature your paper as well as the news of your award."
Just then, a familiar, oily voice came from the distance:
"What's going on? Why are there so many people here?"
Gilderoy Lockhart pushed through the crowd and strode toward them. Out of professional sensitivity, he always gravitated toward wherever the crowds were—he was a master of chasing any bit of attention.
Then he spotted Flitwick, who was about to take a photo of Lewis, and Scamander, dressed in formal attire.
Lockhart clearly misunderstood. Upon seeing the camera, his eyes lit up with excitement: "Which newspaper are you from? Who are you interviewing? Why wasn't I told there was an interview today?"
As he spoke, he walked into the classroom, made a beeline for Lewis—clearly the center of attention—and familiarly grabbed his shoulder, cheerfully announcing, "We meet again, Lewis! How does it feel to be interviewed by a reporter?"
"Seeing my face all over the newspapers must have made you jealous, right?" he said smugly. "So you couldn't wait to cook up some big news?"
"Come on, Mr. Reporter," Lockhart said, beaming at Scamander. "You're in luck, running into me here. If it's for the front page, I might just consider letting you take a double shot!"
"Excuse me, who are you?" Scamander asked, bewildered.
The old man usually kept to himself. If not for the exceptional quality of Lewis's paper, he would never have come all the way from Dorset.
"I'm sorry, you don't recognize me? I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five‑time winner of Witch Weekly's Most‑Charming‑Smile Award."
Scamander still shook his head. He had seen plenty of people with Third Class medals. Who did this guy think he was?
Seeing that the man wasn't taking the hint, Lockhart turned to Lewis beside him and spotted the certificate in his hand. He read aloud: "An Anatomical Analysis of the Chimera..."
"The Chimera... I'm very familiar with that magical creature. In fact, among my countless experiences eradicating dark creatures, there is one where I killed a Chimera—I just haven't gotten around to writing it into a book yet." Lockhart didn't even think before he started boasting.
"So you are the second wizard in history to kill a Chimera?" Hearing this, Scamander suddenly became alert and looked at him with keen interest.
"Wizard... in history..."
Lockhart had no idea what a Chimera actually was, but from that phrase alone, he knew it wasn't an ordinary creature.
Even when he bragged, he only dared to target relatively common creatures like banshees, ghouls, or yetis. That way, his lies wouldn't be too outrageous and easily exposed.
Who knew that killing this thing was something that would go down in history?
That level of lie, he reckoned, was beyond his ability to tell.
Never brag about something you can't pull off—that was one of the principles he had developed over years of deception.
And it was also the fundamental reason he had managed to avoid being exposed for so long.
So he immediately backed down, pretended not to hear what was said, and asked Lewis, "Which newspaper are they from?"
"The Yearbook of Magical Creatures."
"The Yearbook of Magical Creatures? Never heard of it. Must be a small paper."
And with that, his back straightened again.
Fortunately, it wasn't a major newspaper. A slight slip‑up wouldn't damage his reputation.
If they did report anything, he could always brush it off by saying, "A small paper trying to make a name for itself by chasing rumors."
But upon hearing that, the young witches and wizards burst into an uproar.
Leaving aside the average unlearned wizard, someone at Lockhart's level—someone who supposedly dealt with dark creatures every day—had never even heard of the Yearbook of Magical Creatures?
Lewis nearly blurted out, "Then do you know what CNKI is?"
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lockhart realized he might have made a serious, elementary mistake.
He abandoned any thought of making the front page, made up an excuse, and fled.
"Where did Professor Dumbledore find such a ridiculous fellow?" Scamander complained, loud enough for all the young wizards to hear. "He belongs in a circus, not at Hogwarts."
Lockhart's reputation, which had slightly improved over the past few days, plummeted once again.
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