The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Time Thief

"I shall, uh, bring you in the case one day, I promise, Hagrid," Newt called as the wall closed up behind them and the staircase carried them away.

Hagrid stared at the wall as the gargoyles slid back into place and clasped his hands hopefully, already looking forward to the day he'd get to meet the creatures Newt Scamander owned. He hurried back to his hut, then, to re-read Mr. Scamander's book and to try and guess at which of the creatures listed were in that case... he did hope there was a hippogriff. He was rather fond of those.

Meanwhile, Newt and Tina rode the rotating staircase all the way up the tower to the landing outside Dumbledore's door. By the door was the wellingtons and umbrella. Tina walked up to the door and knocked three times, Newt hovering beside her, his eyes wide. No matter how many times he came here to this office with Dumbledore on the other side, or as an adult with actual business to conduct, the office of the Headmaster of Hogwarts would forever be a formidable place to him. Even now, as he stood there, clutching his briefcase, he felt a rush of nerves as he recalled the day he'd been ushered roughly through these doors to face Phineus Nigellus Black, the headmaster of his day, for the accident that had gotten him expelled in the end... He shivered.

"Newt?" Tina looked at him with concern.

"Nothing," he shook his head.

The door swung open and there was Dumbledore, who smiled widely upon seeing them, and he welcomed them into the office, stepping back to give them clearance. The pair of them walked in - Tina with her strong, quick gait, and Newt with his slouching sort of walk as he looked around the office at all the silver instruments spinning and whirring about and Fawkes the Phoenix, near burning, his feathers all singed as he sat, belching smoke.

Dumbledore waved for them to take a seat, "You said you have important information, Mr. Scamander?" he asked, walking 'round his desk and waving his hand to make a few glasses and a decanter appear. The bottle poured one then offered to Newt and Tina. Newt shook his head no, but Tina took hers and the third glass and the decanter disappeared.

Newt leaned forward as Tina and Dumbledore exchanged their pleasantries and Tina told Dumbledore how they'd been traveling doing some ministry work and had just gotten back to London and gone right to their investigations the moment they returned... Meanwhile, Newt balanced his briefcase on the edge of Albus's desk and undid the latches, reaching in for the clock he'd taken from the mantel of the Lupin house.

Suddenly the Niffler leaped out of the case and ran for some of the shiny objects on Dumbledore's shelves. Newt quickly waved his wand, "Accio Niffler," he said without looking up and the Niffler went flying backwards into the trunk once more with a loud thump. "Serves you right," Newt said as the Niffler whined from the floor of the lab below. "Now you - you stay in there and don't you be coming out again unless you're called. Little bugger." He closed the lid of the suitcase firmly and flicked the catches closed with his wand before putting the case down, firmly wedging it between his leg and the leg of the chair to be sure the Niffler didn't try her hand at squeezing out again. Now that she'd seen the shiny silver things in Dumbledore's office, the little bugger would be quite obsessed.

Dumbledore smiled in amusement.

Newt put the clock down on Dumbledore's desk and he stared at it - his eyes instantly clouded.

"I - I, uh, I know who killed Lyall Lupin," Newt Scamander announced, "And... uh, what's more is... is I know why and how... and it's, I'm afraid it's very dangerous, what's... what's loose in the world, Mr. Dumbledore. And if V - Voldemort gets his hands on it... if, if he understands the power... what it could - could do... very bad..."

Tina looked over at Newt. He'd explained it all to her, of course, in the case, in low whispers with Ned Veigler and herself, sitting about in the laboratory room...