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The marble clock struck midnight.
Seventh year detention was probably the worst, considering the fact that the last year in Hogwarts was supposed to be the toughest.
Theseus Scamander yawned from his place next to the quidditch trophy, his hands greasy with cleaning oil. About ten other golden cups were neatly ordered behind him, fashioned by his own hands.
“That is fine for now Scamander, you may go.”
“Thank you professor.”
He considered blowing a raspberry at Slughorn as he left, but shook his head and left the room quickly, ready to sink on his bed on the cozy Gryffindor common tower.
Detention had been long and boring, but it was worth it.
And it had all started with that fucking Oliver Dietfried. Or at least when Newt told him about it. And how it went on. And on. Thinking about it, it had been the first time Theseus had actually seen someone bully Newt. He knew the rumours that spread like wildfire through the portraits, but had never been present in any harmful action towards the Hufflepuff. Of course, the child was odd and peculiar, but he didn’t deserve all the hate some classmates burdened upon him.
The Scamander siblings had the usual, non official tradition of chatting every Friday near the Great Lake. Newt would usually have a creature in his arms. It depended on the week, sometimes a stray kneazle, or a specifically naughty niffler.
In this occasion, to Theseus' amusement, it was a baby occamy.
Newt, a fresh first year, was cradling the creature in his arms gently, feeding it tiny insects. The animal cooed in delight as the Hufflepuff ruffled its silvery scales, mostly listening to his brother lazily critizice his exams. The conversation had gone smoothly, a bit about the younger ones year, a bit of the older ones, and so on. Eventually Theseus was able to make Newt talk more and break the usual silence.
“...so I just hid Alice under the desk, but the professor almost saw me. Her scales had been falling off making an obvious trail everywhere.”
“What then?” He asked, floating the insects around with his wand. Newt smiled.
“We hid her on Leta’s desk until the class was over. But she, erm, got angry at me for that. This little one loves to munch on quills.” he smiled kindly at the occamy. “And here we are now.”
Theseus frowned at the mention of a Lestrange, but didn’t say anything.
“I will accurately guess that you will keep her?”
“Of course ‘Seus, she needs more insects and enough warmth to fully grow,” he replied, oblivious to his sarcasm. “Besides, I like her.”
He looked up at him with big, blue green eyes.
Theseus just gave a dramatic sight. “Don’t look at me. You never truly follow my advice anyways.”
Newt beamed at him, and kept cuddling the animal. A comfortable silence ruled for a while before Newt spoke again.
“Theseus, can I ask you a question? Without you getting, umm, mad?”
“Sure, why would I be mad?”
“It’s just a question.” he said.
“Alright.”
Newt took a deep breathe before parting his lips. “Do you love me?”
The older man sat up immediately, staring at the boy. Newt flinched away and tightened his arms protectively around the occamy.
“You said you wouldn’t get mad.” His voice was barely audible, and it broke Theseus’s heart.
“I’m not-" He ran a hand through his hair, toning down his volume. "I'm not mad, at least not at you, Newt. What, or who, made you ask that?”
Newt mumbled something, and Theseus had to ask again.
“It doesn’t really matter what he thinks ‘Seus, I just want to know what you think.”
Theseus ignored the urge to break the idiots jaw, and ruffled his ginger hair.
“Of course I love you Newt. Your my awesome, cute, little brother.”
“Ack!” Theseus laughed as Newt was careful to take care of the occamy.
One hell of a little brother.
It wasn’t until two days later that Theseus finally got a good reason to be in detention. After Transfiguration class, he walked towards the Fat lady portrait, ready to finish his homework by the warm fireplace. The halls were quiet, the echoes of his steps the only sound around.
“Get out of the way freak!”
The voice of a seventh sixth year, resounded through the hallway, but didn’t stop Theseus. It was probably another older student bugging a young one.
“Leave that pest outside, twerp, it’ll only bring trouble.”
“Maybe he likes it eh? Clutching to that filthy creature boy. Just as freakish as you Scamander!”
The blood on his veins started to boil as he turned around a corner to see Oliver Dietfried, with a pair of sixth years, around Newt.
The boy had a bloody lip and hand, but didn’t falter to protect his back as one of the kids tried to jinx him. Behind him, the tiny occamy rested, fast asleep on a makeshift nest.
“I’ll skin you and that creature of you Scamander.” Dietfried muttered, “Maybe them you’ll brother will be proud. At least you would make a nice coat huh? One would thing a Scamander would end in Gryffindor, not a scumbag like you!”
The punch caught him of guard, and Theseus could only catch a glimpse of a broken jaw as he jinxed the other two.
When the three of them were running away, he turned to Newt, ready to comfort the boy. He instead saw, with great pride, that the child didn’t pay attention to his bloody hand or lip, but to the tiny occamy. He sat on the ground next to the pair, and was quiet for a while.
“Newt?”
“... yes Theseus?”
He noted the quietness in his voice, and moved closer.
“You do know that everything they said is false. Right?”
When the boy didn’t respond Theseus got tense.
“Newt, please answered the question.”
More silence again.
‘But… they’re right ‘Seus..” the whisper wouldn’t meet his eyes, and Theseus simply
enveloped the kid in his arms.
“You are not an oddball Newt. You are by far the kindest person in the whole wide world. You don’t have to be in Gryffindor to prove it.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you ‘Seus.”
“Besides, you probably know much more than any of those bastards. One day, Newt, you’ll do something awesome. Something great.”
Newt punched him playfully, and both Scamander laughed as they walked down the halls of Hogwarts.
So yeah, detention had been worth it.
Many years later, Theseus would find a weather beaten letter on his desk. It contained a photo of his brother disappearing into a traveling suitcase and appearing back out with a chimaera.
He would later decide that the creature was extremely dangerous, but by the end of that day his sides ached from laughter.