The Life of Newt Scamander
Newt Scamander fell backwards, his hands releasing Sirius Black's shoulders, the werewolf upon him. Somewhere behind them, in the moonstone ceilinged room, Tina Scamander was screaming, her eyes wide with disbelief as she watched, horrified, as the wolf, who had been their friend only moments before, tore at the neck of Newt's robes with his teeth, his claws slashing across Newt's chest - drawing blood, soaking the fabric. Newt grappled his hand over himself, through each of his pockets, as the wolf tore and ripped at the robes and finally he surfaced the werewolf whistle - the very one he'd used in the forest two years prior. He raised the silver whistle to his lips and blew -- as hard as he could.
The result was instantaneous.
The wolf that was Ned Veigler shuddered at the sound, jumping back, his ears flattening to his head and he howled, crying out at the sound. Remus's wolf reacted the same way, staggering into the depth of the elevator cart. Veigler leaped over his prey and ran into the moonlit forest beyond, disturbing birds that flew up out of the trees in a flurried panic all along the way as he ran on. Newt collapsed, the whistle falling from his fingers.
The moment the whistle blow stopped, Remus was recovering and moving forward, hungered by the scent of blood, and Sirius quickly shoved Newt's body out of the cart, lunging forward to pull the lever on the cart so it would go down - the doors closing behind him as he quickly transformed. The doors of the cart closed only just in time before Remus tried to jump forward and he slammed against the doors of the cart instead, falling back...
Sirius had just finished transforming as the cart dropped into the dark tunnel - his eyes met Tina Scamander's through the glass as she looked up to see the two dogs in the elevator cart as Mr. Patra ran to get a medical kit from the wall... and the cart dipped below that level.
Remus growled, turning on Snuffles.
It's me, Remus. It's me. Come back to me.
They faced one another, pacing slowly in a round, Sirius imitating what Remus was doing, trying to keep space between them.
Alpha, Rey... Alpha. I'm your Alpha.
Remus growled.
The elevator cart came to a jolting stop on the next level down - the dragon level - and the doors opened... only just in time as Remus leaped at Snuffles, and Sirius engaged him, their legs scraping at one another, both sets of gleaming teeth bared, and the pair of them went rolling out of the cart, into the dusty habitat of the dragons. They flipped twice before Snuffles landed on his back with Remus's wolf pegging him down... but even as he pegged Sirius to the ground, the wolf shook and fell to the side, landing on the dirt, trembling harshly as the transformation reversed itself.
Sirius lay there in doggy form, exhausted, his heart still racing, staring at Remus as the wolfish features changed... back into a boy...
Upstairs, Mr. Patra had torn open Newt's robes up to reveal the slashes across his chest. "No bites," he said in relief, "Only scratches. But they're deep... Tina, in your laboratory, do you have - I need --"
She'd already drawn the tools he'd need. "I work with my husband, Mr. Patra," she said in reply to the stunned expression on the man's face as she drew exactly what he needed from the already open briefcase, the Niffler handing her the tools from within.
Quickly, Mr. Patra got to work. It was lucky that of all the places they could've been visiting, it was a lab of another magizoologist. Normally, it would've been a horrid tragedy for Newt Scamander was one of the only ones that would have known how to heal himself of the wounds, but here was Mr. Patra, a man who had learned many of the same skills as Newt Scamander, and his hands moved quickly at the work of saving the life of Newt Scamander. Tina's hands shook she stroked her husband's cheek bones gently with the backs of her fingertips, Newt's greying auburn head resting in her lap... his eyes closed...
Far off in the wood - the wolf howled.
Something was nudging Remus... something dry and coarse... warm air hit his face, like opening an oven door, only it smelled like burned toast and embers... He opened his eyes and found himself staring into two very wide, green-scale-rimmed nostrils... a long, skinny forked tongue flickered at him and he gasped, rolling over quickly, away from the baby dragon. He rolled right onto Sirius, who was back to being himself again, but passed out on the ground. The dragon staggered forward, too, his great big feet thumping the ground so hard it shook and Remus's back pressed against Sirius's as the dragon sniffed him curiously, the heat of his steamy, stinky breath hitting Remus again in the face.
There was a loud call - something like Remus would've imagined a dinosaur to sound like - and the baby dragon lifted its head, looking. The adult dragon was on the way...
"I'm not a snack, I'm not a snack, I don't taste good..." Remus murmured, and he shook Sirius's shoulder. "Time to get up, unless you fancy being eaten."
"Don't eat me, Rey," murmured Sirius.
"Not me, you git. The dragons."
"Dragons...?"
"Yes. Dragons. Green Welsh ones, remember?"
The baby dragon seemed to want to remind Sirius for it had snuck about and leaned down into Sirius's face and his tongue flickered into Sirius's ear, making Remus jump back as Sirius waved his hand, "Stop it, Moony."
"That. Wasn't. Me." Remus said.
Sirius opened his eyes then and saw the dragon.
"Holy Hippogriff balls!" he cried jerking back, rolling into Remus's lap. "I've been wet willied by a dragon!"
Remus gripped Sirius under his armpits and pulled him up to his feet, pointing across the habitat at the adult - mummy, daddy, whatever it was! - which was fed up with it's baby not coming to its call and was coming to inspect what was keeping it busy. "I reckon that one's just going to swallow us whole instead of taking licks, what do you think?"
"Bloody hell."
The two of them rushed to the glass elevator, the baby dragon frolicking after them, making little snorting sounds so that black clouds of smoke puffed out of it's nostrils, his wings flapping in agitation that his new playthings were running away... The adult dragon ran faster, seeing it's baby was upset, and the great wide wings spread and the dragon flew quickly across the habitat, arriving, breathing fire over the whole scene. The fire slammed into the glass elevator doors, which had just closed, slamming the glass with its force. Sirius and Remus both pressed their backs to the far side of the cart, eyes wide.
"Could use a tums, you could," said Sirius to the dragon calmly.
Remus looked over at him in disbelief at his calmness as the cart lowered to the next level, the dragon shrieking at them as they went, the fire still hitting the elevator's shaft above. He started laughing.
"What?" Sirius asked.
"You... You always have some quirky thing to say," Remus hooted, laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes, "I've been wet willied by a dragon!" He wheezed.
Sirius said, "Well that's what it's done to me!"
Remus doubled over, gripping his knees. He was dizzy - still horribly fuzzy minded from the transformations, his muscles sore, but the memory of Sirius's squeaking, squealing voice... he couldn't stop.
"Do you remember the time that James gave Pete a wet willy in potions?" wheezed Remus, "And he squeaked and tipped over that whole cauldron of cough elixir? And Slughorn had a fit?"
"Yes. We both got a detention for that," Sirius laughed. "I dunno how I got the detention for it, seeing as it was James who'd done it and for once he was acting alone... but I did. Had to sit in there polishing all the school's brass scales while Sluggy went on about all the bloody famous people he knows."
Remus snorted, "Oh Merlin, Sirius. I bloody love you and all your madness."
"Somebody's got to," Sirius said.
The doors of the elevator cart opened on the jungle level. They could still hear the dragon's shrieking through the ceiling, mixing with the calling of the monkey-like creatures on this level. "I'm thinking I'd rather go down to that garden level, that seemed safest," Remus said, and he pulled the lever and the cart continued on.
"If this is what the life of Newt Scamander is like, I'm quite happy not being a magizoologist full time, I reckon," muttered Sirius.
Remus said, "He does have a good deal of tales about being nearly bitten or killed by some beast or another."
"I have a new understanding for all of Kettleburn's missing limbs," Sirius said.
Remus couldn't help but snort-laugh.
It opened up on the bottom level and the two boys stepped out into the flower and brush filled garden. Butterflies with huge neon coloured wings flew past as they left the cart. Sirius turned around and hit the button on the wall that would send the cart back to the level with the moonstone ceiling. He hoped that Veigler had gone off into the woods... that Tina and Mr. Patra were okay... that Newt wasn't -- he couldn't bring himself to think it. He just remembered the blood he'd seen and he swallowed back a sudden, horrible feeling like he might throw up. He bit his lip and looked over at Remus, wondering how much of what happened up there Rey had remembered so far...
As though he'd read his mind, Remus suddenly asked, "Wait. Where are the others?"
Sirius cleared his throat, "They're... up on the moonstone level. I'm sending the cart up for them."
"And Professor Veigler... if I changed, he must have, too."
"Yes," Sirius nodded, "Yeah, he did."
Remus could tell by Sirius's demeanor there was something he wasn't saying, the way he kept himself turned to the elevator button panel, as though he were studying it... avoiding turning about... In the reflection of the glass, Remus could see him gnawing his lip nervously, could see the worry in his eyes. He looked up and their eyes met in the reflection... and then Sirius turned around.
"What did I do?"
"You didn't," Sirius said, "I managed to keep you out of it."
"What happened?" Remus's voice shook.
Sirius's voice was low, hesitant, "Veigler... attacked Newt..."
"No."
"There... there was blood... but I dunno what... exactly... there was just so much happening... and Newt... he had this... silver thing... I guess it was like a dog whistle or something because when he blew it you and Veigler both reacted, and it sort of made the skin on the back of my neck crawl all funny... and Veigler, he ran off into the woods... and... I pushed Newt off the cart and took you away. That's all I know."
Remus lunged for the elevator buttons, "We gotta go help them."
"You're far more helpful here, not helping them up there, I reckon, Rey," Sirius pointed out.
Remus looked about and spotted a rock and went over, sinking down to sit upon it, his knees weak and quivery as he leaned forward, trying to breathe, images flashing in his mind, memories of the moments spent as a wolf flooding him. Sirius hurried over and rubbed his back gently.
Several minutes passed, and there was a sound and Sirius looked up from Remus to see the cart was returning. Mr. Patra came out, carrying Newt Scamander's briefcase. Sirius nudged Remus, and Remus sat up, staring up at Mr. Patra. His robes were stained with blood and he had a dirt smudge on his cheek.
"Sir?" Sirius said, and in the one word were all the questions he wanted to ask, all sort of rolled up into one.
Mr. Patra said, "Mr. Scamander is resting in the briefcase with his wife. He's only been scratched. He is very, very lucky."
"Thank Merlin," whispered Sirius.
"And Professor Veigler? What of Professor Veigler?" asked Remus, nervously.
Mr. Patra's voice was steady, "My colleagues and I must collect the werewolf from the observatory floor." He put the briefcase down at their feet. Sirius turned to Remus, about to tell him that it was going to be okay, when Mr. Patra continued on, drawing his wand, "Once we've got the werewolf upstairs... we will take care of you, as well." And he aimed the wand at Remus. "Petrificus totalus!"
Remus went very stiff, unable to move, and Sirius jumped to his feet, "What're you doing! Are you mad!"
"Mad? For protecting myself from a werewolf?" Mr. Patra asked, "You're the mad one, letting yourself be vulnerable to attack. I always said Newt was messing with beasts far beyond his power to control -- but werewolves!" He shook his head, "And to think he would bring them into my observatory! Without so much as a warning! The disrespect... So no, sir, I am not the mad one. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a werewolf on the loose and I must destroy it."
Mr. Patra turned, headed for the elevator cart.
"Destroy it?" Sirius asked, his heart crawling into his throat.
Mr. Patra turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed, "Yes," he said, "I intend to kill them before they kill me."