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It was a crisp wintry Sunday in December that to many seemed like any other day, but not to him. Today was the day He was supposed to arrive. Young Hagrid had been waiting all term to meet him, and in just a few more hours his waiting will be over. He excitedly thought about owling his dad later to tell him how it went only to remember he wouldn’t be able to. A tear slipped from his eye as he fought back the many that always seemed to be looming just below the surface since he had died the year before.
Wiping the tears away, he tried to refocus his thoughts. These would probably be the most important Care of Magical Creatures classes he would ever have, because Professor Kettleburn was leaving on holiday early to study a new type of Chimera discovered in Spain. In his place the world’s best Magizoologist, and Hagrid’s idol, was coming to teach them – Newt Scamander.
Professor Kettleburn would tell his classes stories about meeting him, even teaching him what he knew about Chimera’s for his book. When the esteemed Magizoologist had heard whispers of a new sighting he immediately asked the Hogwart’s professor if he wished to check it out. In return, he offered to teach a few classes until the winter holidays were to begin.
Hagrid waited in the falling snow for hours, staring down the path leading to Hogsmeade just waiting for someone to walk up, not for the first time thankful that the snow didn’t bother him as much as it did his peers. Finally, Hagrid saw a slightly awkward man in a yellow scarf carrying a large suitcase heading up from the village. In an instant, the large youth was barreling through the snow headed in his direction.
“Welcome Mister – I mean Professor – Scamander, sir! Name’s Hagrid – Rubeus Hagrid – at your service. Can I take yer suitcase for yeh, sir?”
“No, thank you very much there Hagrid, but I have quite a few very special…things…in my suitcase and I would rather not part with it.”
“Oh,” exclaimed the half-giant sadly.
“But I would appreciate it very much if you could help me out.”
Hagrid’s face lit up. “What do yeh need help with, Professor Scamander, sir?”
“Just Newt will be fine there now, Hagrid. I’ve never gotten used to anything else. What I need is someone who can show me around the school so I can see what’s changed since I was here last.”
“I can do that Pro-, er, Newt, sir. Follow me!”
Hagrid started off at a run before remembering that most people had a much shorter stride than he did. He stopped abruptly to wait for Newt to catch up.
“I always loved the way the grounds looked when they were covered in snow. Tell me, does Professor Beery still decorate the outside of the greenhouses with twinkling lights every year?”
“Yes, sir! He’s in a competition o’ sorts with Professor Dumbledore.”
“Oh?” inquired Newt with a child-like glint in his eyes.
“Yeah. Come on, I’ll show yeh.”
Again, Hagrid had to stop himself from running too far ahead in his excitement. Newt still didn’t comment on it, though, he just continued at the same pace he had walked since arriving with a big grin on his face as he took everything in.
“Here yeh go, sir,” he informed him as he neared the area outside of the Transfiguration department. “This here is what Professor Dumbledore has been workin’ on.”
Hagrid looked up towards the Transfiguration professor’s window and thought he saw movement, but couldn’t be sure.
“Fascinating!” exclaimed Newt. “Leave it to Dumbledore to find a way to transfigure snowmen into tricksters.”
Hagrid chuckled as he watched the antics of the snowmen. Some where in the midst of a snowball fight, others were chasing down a group of students while singing carols very off key, and a small group were heading their way with what looked like a few buckets of snow.
“Uh-oh, sir. We need to go. Now!”
Without thinking, Hagrid picked up the interim professor, trunk and all, and placed him onto shoulder as he bounded out from the snowmen. Only once they had nearly made it nearly to the lake did he stop. It was at that moment he realized what he had done. He gently placed Newt on the ground beside him before sitting down and starting to cry.
“I’m sorry, sir. I forgot. I always forget. Dumbledore keeps tellin me ‘don’t pick up students’ when I’m startled, and here I went and ran off with a professor this time.”
“It’s alright there, Hagrid,” Newt reassured him, trying to reach up and pat his shoulder. “It actually reminded me a bit of flying a Griffin. I would like to know why we left the snowmen so quickly, though.”
“Oh, that. Well, yeh see, different groups of students enchant different snowmen. The ones that were coming after us were charmed to bury their targets in snow.”
“I don’t see much of a problem in that-”
“You would if yeh were standing next to a big, foolish oaf like me. People’ve stopped even being near me outside after they completely covered a little Ravenclaw first year that happened to walk past me. Took a bit fer me to finally pull her out once I got them to go away. Ever since then more snowmen have been getting enchanted to do that.”
“I’m so sorry that happened, Hagrid. That sounds terrible. Thank you for getting me out of there so fast, then.”
Pulling a small blanket from his pocket, the half-giant blew his nose hard enough the lake nearly part from the force. Newt stood there patting his shoulder and watching the water until he was able to calm back down.
“Blimey, I forgot!” he jumped up frantically as he spoke. “I was supposed to collect a tree out of the forest for the Great Hall to get decorated tonight. I got so caught up in yeh getting her I never contacted Professor Dippet to find out which professor was supposed to escort me into the woods, and now it’s nearly dinnertime.”
“I can help you with that, Hagrid. Any particular part of the forest, or just the forest in general?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
Newt titled his head slightly in thought. “I may know of a place, but it’s rather deep in the forest. It will take us a bit to get to it, but I believe I remember seeing a large stand of fir trees on the ridge of a large hollow. Follow me.”
Suitcase still in hand – Hagrid was starting to think Newt carried it with him absolutely everywhere – the Magizoologist started off through the forest. Hagrid was amazed at how well Newt still knew his way through the trees. As they walked, he pointed out different things.
“Over there is where a herd of thestrals live – fascinating, misunderstood creatures. And beyond them is where the Centaurs live – I’d suggest avoiding them if you can. Oh! This is where I came across a whole group of unicorns one day. They were beautiful. Always made me happy anytime I could see one. And over in that clearing…”
Hagrid soaked up every bit of knowledge he could. After many such captivating anecdotes, they arrived at the place Newt had been leading them to. Sure enough, a stand of fir trees dusted in snow stood before them. Many of the trees looked a little ill, but there was one tree that stood out among all the rest.
“You poor thing. What has happened to you?” Newt asked, running his hand along a wither tree. I was easily the largest tree in the group but was abnormally twisted and sickly. Hagrid took a step back when he saw it.
Suddenly, he saw Newt jerk his hand back.
“Ouch! What the?”
A small green creature stood on his hand, trying to jab Newt with a pointy appendage but was having a hard time staying upright.
“What is that?” Hagrid asked with a concerned sound in his voice.
“I should have known. A bowtruckle. And a rather sickly one, too. Probably because his tree is ill. I’ve got some wood louse in my trunk that should help him feel better. Hold on now, little one, this will only take a moment.”
Newt gently placed the bowtruckle on a small limb that doubled back on itself. Throwing open his trunk, Hagrid was shocked to see the magizoologist climb inside. He was halfway into the trunk before he suddenly stopped. He turned back to Hagrid with an odd look on his face.
“Right. Please don’t let anyone else know about this. I’ll explain later, I just have to get to my workshop.”
His head popped out of sight as Hagrid stared on, mouth agape, until Newt reemerged with a jar of wood lice. He immediately offered some of it to the bowtruckle, who snarfed them up rather quickly.
“There you go, that’s it. Do you have any friends up there that might need some as well?”
The bowtruckle nodded and scurried up the tree. It was soon followed back down by three more who were even sicker than the first had been. Newt wasted no time in offering them some food and by that point the first one had warmed up to him enough to climb up onto his hand.
“Look, Hagrid. See how gentle these creatures can be? He was only protecting his home earlier. And you can tell his home is a fir because the little needles coming out of his body – every bowtruckle looks a bit like their tree to help blend in, but as most wand woods have leaves instead of needles this is a rarer look. He almost looks like a Christmas tree. I am worried, though.”
“About what, sir?”
“This tree. Bowtruckles are tied to one tree their whole lives. If the tree dies, the bowtruckles will sometimes go to nearby trees of the same type, but I can see some signs of whatever evil overtook this tree in all these firs. I think you would be safe cutting one down to take to the castle, but this is no place for these creatures. Do you understand my little friend?”
The last line was directed specifically towards the bowtruckle, who seemed to nod sadly.
“Are there any other of you in this group of trees?”
The bowtruckle shook its head no.
“Would you trust me to find you a new home if you left here with me? I’ve got some other friends who are bowtruckles that might let you stay with them while I look.”
The bowtruckle turned to the others who seemed to communicate amongst each other in a language Hagrid could not understand. At last they turned to Newt and nodded.
“Good. I’ll get you settled in while Hagrid here cuts down one of the less sick trees.”
Newt grabbed a large stick from the ground and with a wave of his wand turned it into a fine hatchet. Passing it to Hagrid, he gently picked up the bowtruckles and placed a couple of them on his shoulders and moved to settle the other two in his pockets.
“Whoops, not that one. I forgot it’s taken already. I don’t know what spider venom would do to a Bowtruckle, but I’m not willing to find out.”
Hagrid was still amazed at how tender Newt was being with these creatures, and it took him a moment to remember he had a job to do.
He had just finished cutting down the tree when Newt popped back up out of the suitcase.
“Well it took Pickett a moment to warm up to them, but I’ve got them settled in for now. There’s a wand wood farm down in Hampshire I think that might have a tree or two they might like. Remind me to owl the Khanna family tonight.”
“Blimey, why would yeh trust me with something like that. Only Dumbledore trust me for special jobs – like the tree today. Everyone else sees me as a bumbling fool.”
“If Dumbledore trusts you, that’s good enough for me. Besides, it looks like you have a knack for creatures. You certainly listened to me rattle on about them long enough without getting bored. Even my wife Tina would have shut me up by now,” Newt admitted with a chuckle. “Who knows, maybe you could be a Magizoologist yourself once you graduate from here. How old are you anyways?”
“Thirteen, no, fourteen. Today’s me birthday.”
“Well, happy birthday then, Hagrid. Fourteen, eh? I doubt I’ve seen many fourteen-year-olds this interested in my work. It’s going to be a pleasure to teach you this month.”
“Been looking forward to it all year.”
Newt blushed. “Alright, we should probably get back to the castle soon. This section of the woods gets pretty dark earlier than the rest.
“Imma bit surprised meself that its not overrun with spiders,” Hagrid admitted.
“Spiders, huh? Yes this would make a decent spot…”
Newt trailed off a bit.
“Right. Back to Hogwarts. I daresay Professor Flitwick will want to start charming this tree as soon as possible. Unless you would like a detour over to a fairy glade I stumbled across once – it’s supposed to be good luck to see one on your birthday.”
Hagrid’s face lit up. “Lead the way, sir. A little extra distance with this here tree won’t bother me none.”
“Fantastic. Let’s go.”