Chapter Text
Year 3
"Oi, Oi! A curious child approaches..." whispered Leta, sitting on the cupboard’s windowsill.
“Yes, Madame Lestrange, you got me!”
Your answer brought a smile to the girl’s face, and you admired her joyful and carefree look.
Oftentimes you wondered how you managed to acquire a friendship with a person like Leta. You were what people would call polar opposites. Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Pure-blood and Muggle-born. Her wit and precision against your vivid, almost childish imagination. Although, you did have one thing in common - trying to endure and survive in Hogwarts whilst not being liked by the general public.
“So…” you continued. “I didn’t think you would be a visitor to my cupboard of shame.”
“Dear Y/N, as much as I enjoy the company of the little creatures you store here, I am not a frequent guest.” She explained in an uncanny tone. “However, somebody else may be.”
“What are you talking a-” you tried to reply but got startled by Leta pulling a tank from under an old, dusty carpet. The container was filled with multi-colored toad-like creatures you immediately recognized to be tadpoles. They glistened and swam around in what seemed to be a freshwater self-made reservoir.
“What? Wh-”
“Last week, I ran away from McGonagall and a horde of Gryffindor students.” You chuckled at Leta’s confession, yet remained very focused on her story. “One of them was saying vile and rotten slander about… well, about us. Our upbringings in particular. I may or may not have sealed her mouth shut with Ocussi …”
“No, you didn’t!” You blurted out baffled. “Oh, you mad, mad woman! You could have gotten yourself in trouble!”
“What can I say, it was worth the bother.” She stated with a shrug.
“You know I love you like an unabridged sister, but you must be extra careful with jinxes and hexes. Hell, these are dark charms!” After a quick second of thinking, you continued your monologue. “And you know, I can defend myself just fine. I might not possess your outstanding spell-throwing skills, but there is nothing my animal companions won't help me with.”
After these words have left your mouth, she locked you in a short, but sweet embrace. Her soft, curly hair tickled your cheek as you both laughed.
“I don’t want to ruin a precious moment, however…” you said while pulling away. “What does your runaway accident have to do with these magically appearing in my hideaway spot?” You asked, pointing at the tank filled with tadpoles.
“Ah, yes. After being chased down the halls, I found myself in the comfort of this comely cupboard. To my surprise, it wasn’t you raising a wildlife family inside the school’s nooks and crannies. It was another Hufflepuff!” She explained with a smirk.
“Really? Who was it?” You questioned, wide-eyed and intrigued.
“Newt. Newt Scamander.”
Newton Scamander. In Leta’s mouth, his name sounded like they were close comrades or at least old pen pals. He drew your and everybody else’s attention several times in the Great Hall. He received howlers, not once but twice in a span of one week. One from his mother, scoffing at him for entering the Forbidden Forest. Another was from his brother, Theseus - telling him to listen to their mother’s disapprobation. Right now, all of this knowledge was coming together in your mind like perfectly crafted puzzle pieces.
“Huh… I guess the youngest Scamander has a passion for fauna and flora.” You declared.
“I know you wouldn’t think he had it in him, considering his brother was a so-called schoolboy hero and an embodiment of popularity, but he truly is a caring soul…” Leta acknowledged, and let out a delicate sigh. “He even showed me a raven chick he was nursing! The raven is my family’s emblem.”
You weren't only stunned by the oh-so-similar hobby you and Newt shared, but you were dazzled by his work's gentleness and care. The creatures he collected were preserved in appropriately crafted and amazingly adjusted habitats. The tadpoles had pond water to swim around in, and he kept a jar of fresh algae near to satisfy their hunger. You weren't surprised by the praiseful way in which Leta was telling you about this boy - you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals.
Your stream of thought was interrupted by being bitten on the inside of the hand you kept in your pocket. You winced in pain and drew the attention of your friend, who looked at you with concern.
“Hey, what was that? Are you okay?” She asked.
“Yes! Don’t worry it’s just this-” There goes a bite again. “Ah, shit!”
You pulled out a piece of willow’s bark you had previously hidden. A bright green, plant-looking creature emerged from the piece of wood and looked at your companion in amusement.
“Y/N, I see you have some explaining to do as well.” She said, raising an eyebrow. You couldn’t quite figure out if she was more appalled, curious, or both.
You laughed nervously and you could feel your cheeks burning up. It wasn’t caused by shame or uneasiness, because Leta never made you feel uncomfortable. It was just a distinctly human, almost primal sense of embarrassment. Like a little kid caught stealing candy from the store by their parents.
“You know the old willow? The one near the Great Lake, to the south of the castle?” You questioned.
“I know of it.” She responded, crossing her arms.
“Well, nobody truly wanders there these days. With the exception of me, as you can tell.” You lowered your hand towards the window and the Bowtruckle rushed to the source of light, peeking curiously. “Bowtruckles are usually timid and meek unless something or someone threatens their tree. You wouldn’t count them as beasts at first glance, but I’ve heard of wizards losing sight because of their ignorance.”
“There you have it, genius! The tiny guy is probably offended, and I would be too if someone bothered me in my own home.” She replied sarcastically.
“That’s the thing, Leta.” You started to get overwhelmed. “I didn’t violate their space. I just picked up a bark I found in the grass.”
You averted your gaze towards the Bowtruckle, which was now looking directly back at you. “I thought it would domesticate or at least stop being violent towards me, but all I've been getting for the past hour are bites and scratches! I'm lucky they are a baby and I still have my eyes intact.”
“Hey,” she placed a warm hand on your shoulder. “I can see how you’re getting all worked up, and I know you have too big of a heart to let this one go.” The kind and tender look on her face told you she was being genuine. “But I am no expert on the animal kingdom, and even your wonderful mind is limited sometimes. Don’t you think it would be nice to ask for some guidance?”
You sighed. “Ask who?”
Leta said nothing as she grinned cheerfully and you plastered your eyes on the jar of colorful tadpoles floating around their temporary domain.
-
You were sitting near the enormous, wooden door to Dumbledore’s class with a timeworn book sprawled across your lap. The fern-green cover had numerous scratches and stains distributed all over it, you could tell it was passed around by many generations of Hogwarts students. You looked at a small-scaled, charcoal drawing of a Bowtruckle inside of it. There was a lot of information about their mannerisms and the trees they like to inhabit - yet nothing about the domestication process. Your stress-filled contemplations were quickly cut short by the pair of brown dress shoes standing before you.
“Hi, um,” you heard a quiet, yet weirdly soothing voice. “I don’t think we have Magizoology today, just some defense spells with Dumbledore.”
You looked up and to your surprise, there stood none other than the boy you and Leta talked about a couple of hours before. He was positioned in an awkward, unsure stance, not reciprocating eye contact. You could tell at first glance that he was rather a shy type of person. You didn’t find his timid presence to be unpleasant, but rather coy and welcoming.
“Newt!” You exclaimed without thinking. “Erm, Newton? Sorry, you probably have no idea who I am, I shouldn’t be so blatantly informal…”
“No, no, Newt is okay!” He reassured you, stuttering in the process. “You’re Leta’s friend. She’s a great witch and an even better person, so I figure you must be good-natured as well.”
You smiled at the thought of your best and only friend. Her pure soul did not deserve any of the horrendous treatment she received at Hogwarts in the slightest.
“So, Newt,” you said while holding up the coursebook in your hand. “I heard that this topic sparks your interest”
He grinned to himself and loosened up a little, still not looking you in the eyes. “You may be correct.”
Before you had the chance to ask him anything else, the door to Dumbledore's class opened and you had no choice but to go inside and mix with the crowd of other students.
-
You were third in the queue, right behind Newt and Leta. In front of you stood Albus Dumbledore, doing what he does best - teaching. Today's lecture was about Boggarts and how to banish them, using a spell. He described them as unusual non-beings that could take on the forms of the observer’s worst fears. By the look on some of the wizards' faces, you could tell this lesson was not going to be an easy one. However, Scamander didn’t seem fearful or discouraged; it was curiosity that radiated from him. He swiftly tightened the hold on his wand as the Boggart appeared before him. It has taken the form of… an office desk?
“That’s an unusual one.” Dumbledore stated, looking at the table filled with paperwork. “So, Mr. Scamander fears what more than anything else in the world?”
“Having to work in an office, sir.” He explained humbly as the class filled with laughter.
“Go ahead Newt.”
He has taken a moment to steady his breath and then blurted out a quick, but precise “ Riddikulus ”. After successfully dispatching the Boggart, it turned into a medium-sized, mechanical dragon. The boy received praise from the professor and even more laughter from the crowd. Leta was next, but the look on her face was nothing alike Newt’s. She seemed pale, and her whole body went stiff when Dumbledore gently grabbed her by the shoulders.
“It’s only a Boggart! It can’t hurt you.” He tried to reassure her trembling frame. “Everyone is scared of something.”
You heard some purposefully stinging comments addressing Leta behind your back and you silently hoped she didn’t hear them. You prayed in your heart that she would somehow drown out the noise and focus on the Boggart in front of her. The girl closed her eyes and grabbed a wand from her pocket while breathing deeply. Suddenly, the whole room went quiet and drowned in the colors of indigo and deep, dark violets. The surroundings seemed water-like. Up in the air, towards a ceiling, floated something covered in a white, silky material. The outline of the matter indicated that it was wrapped around something small, like a baby animal or a… child.
“Oh no,” you thought to yourself. “Poor Leta.”
She told you about her brother once. More specifically, about the day of the accident. A tragedy, that she should have never been blamed for. Not by her parents, not by herself, and most importantly - not by the rest of the wizarding school. She let out a hasty breath, her usually piercing dark eyes now left dull and frightened. Without a second thought, she stormed out of the class as fast as she could, you and Newt rapidly following in her footsteps.
-
“I don’t want to talk about it!” Leta stammered through her clenched teeth, kneeling beside the willow near the Great Lake.
“You don’t have to.” You swung your arms around her shoulders and squeezed lightly. You stayed like that with her for a moment, Newt standing right beside you; he was patiently waiting for a better moment to speak. You pulled away, squeezing her hand. You had no words at that moment, so instead, you turned towards a small gesture. She gave you a tearful smile and that's how you knew she was going to be okay. Your emotional heart-to-heart was cut short by being bitten by your animal companion. You grimaced in pain and both Leta and Newt were quick to be by your side.
“Are you okay?” They asked almost simultaneously.
The dainty creature once again emerged from the bark you kept in your pocket. You were amazed by its seeming innocence. How could this be the reason your whole palm was covered in wounds?
“Oh wow,” Newt exclaimed, staring at the Bowtruckle. “Where did you find this guy and why does he dislike you so much?”
You chuckled. “I can ask myself the same thing.”
“Y/N has a passion for taming the untamable” Leta declared and you could swear you saw the corners of Newt’s mouth rise towards his freckled cheeks.
“Yes, Bowtruckles can be a bit feral, but nothing to be scared of.” He explained. “And treated with proper care, definitely domesticable.”
The boy raised out his two hands and both you and Leta took them. He guided you to come closer to the elder, mighty tree.
“They know me,” He said while reaching toward the willow’s hollow. “Or they’d hide.”
To your surprise, another Bowtruckle emerged from the tree and landed comfortably in the palm of Newt’s hand. There was no hesitation in the animal’s behavior, you could tell that it trusted him.
“They only nest in trees with wand quality wood. Did you know that?” He added while handing the little beast to Leta. “And they have very complex social lives. If you watch them for long enough, you’ll realize…”
The Bowtruckle resting on Leta’s hand reached out to the one resting on your palm. It squealed in happiness as it has just most probably reconnected with an old friend or a family member.
“And so, Y/N,” the boy turned towards you. “What did you use to tame the untamable?”
“I, uh,” you stuttered. “I forgot.”
Red color spilled over your cheeks because your knowledge was minuscule compared to the skills that Newt possessed. He gave you a short, comforting glance and then looked away hurriedly.
“If you want to keep the guy, I suggest you offer it woodlice or fairy eggs.” He explained. “That’s how you gain their trust and then slowly start building your relationship. Just like you did today with me.” After the words left his mouth, you weren't the only person with the rosy cheeks and Leta just stood there grinning to herself.
He coughed to clear his throat and then continued his speech. “You can also leave it here if you want to. I call this place Bowtruckle’s Island for a reason.”
“I think I will try to parent this small beast. Thank you Newt, see you in class!” You said as you parted ways, Leta holding you under one of your arms.
“Well, well, well, so you met the tadpole stealer!” She started laughing as you swiftly made your way back to Hogwarts castle.