Man or Monster? The TRUTH about Newt Scamander was a biography written by Rita Skeeter about Newton Scamander. In it, she claims (among many other things) that Scamander was never a Magizoologist, but rather this was a cover story allowing him to infiltrate the Magical Congress of the United States of America at the behest of Albus Dumbledore.
In his foreword to the 2017 edition of his textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Scamander notes the absurdity of using Magizoology as a cover in the 1920s given the hostility many witches and wizards felt for magical beasts, and the consequent distrust felt towards those who study them. He also noted, somewhat ruefully, that a spy would never make the egregious mistake (as he realised it was in hindsight) of carrying a menagerie of magical creatures into New York City.[2]
According to this foreword, Scamander stated his belief that it would take "months" to contradict everything Skeeter wrote about him, so he limited himself to correcting the ridiculous claim about his involvement in espionage, and the equally ridiculous assertion that he seduced MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery, then abandoned and left her heartbroken (when in reality, Picquery had ordered him, in no uncertain terms, to leave New York immediately).[2]
Appearances
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2017 edition) (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2017 edition) - In the Forward, Newt Scamander calls it a "recent" biography.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2017 edition) - Forward by Newt Scamander