Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything you recognize is not mine, including dialogue, characters, etc.


Rolf Scamander jumped out of bed at precisely five in the morning, hurriedly threw on his new school robes, and raced down the stairs. He banged on the door of his parents' bedroom, shouting "It's time! It's time to go to the station! We're going to be late! Mum! Dad!" He kept banging until his father pulled the door open, hair still mussed and robe hanging lopsided on his arms, staring at his son.

"You do realize, Rolf, that we have six hours before the Express leaves?" Ivan Scamander said, amusement evident.

Rolf huffed. "But Grandma Tina and Grandpa Newt are coming! They'll be here any minute!"

His mother came to the door, clutching her robe around her. "Sweety, go and feed the puffskeins and the jobberknolls. We'll be down in a few minutes." Rolf raced away. "And don't run on the stairs!" Gwendolyn Scamander yelled to her son.

"Yes, mum!" Rolf yelled as he ran out the front door. He finished quickly with the jobberknolls and puffskeins, and continued on to the swamp at the edge of the property, throwing in a handful of Mandrake parts. He watched as the dugbogs swarmed the plants, leaving nothing behind. The more aquatic creatures had long since been Rolf's favorite, and he had been trying to talk his father around into adding a pond to their property in order to acquire a grindelow or two. Thus far, his father had refused adamantly, insisting that his father had once kept several grindelows which had ended up killing all of his kappas. But Rolf didn't care; they didn't have any kappas to worry about anyway.

He was half-way to the hippogriff pasture when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Grandpa Newt!" Rolf dropped the bucket of dead ferrets and ran back toward the house.

"And who is this?" the elder Scamander asked, looking puzzled. "You look familiar, but..."

"Grandpa it's me! Rolf!"

"No, no, no. My grandson Rolf is much smaller than you, I'm afraid." Newt Scamander sighed. "You look like you're nearing Hogwarts age, you know... You can't be little Rolf Scamander."

"Grandpa!"

"Newton, don't harass the poor boy," Porpentina Scamander said with a sigh.

Newt Scamander grinned, placing both hands on his grandson's shoulders. "So you are. My apologies."

Rolf grinned and gave both of his grandparents a huge hug, and started pulling them both out toward the hippogriff pasture.

"I'm trying to get everything done before mum and dad get out here. I can't wait to get to Hogwarts! No one will tell me how we're sorted, though. Even the MacMillan's won't tell! Grandpa Newt, please please please tell me!"

"Well, you see..." His wife slapped his arm. "I can't, Rolf, or your grandma will never forgive me."

"Just whisper, she'll never know!"

"You, Mr. Scamander, are a bad influence on this boy," Tina said, rolling her eyes at her husband.

Ivan and Gwen Scamander found the three inside the hippogriff enclosure, Newt roaring with laughter as Tina tickled Rolf, who by now was seated in the mud, covered practically from head to toe.

Ivan started laughing as well, though Gwen was not amused. "Those are brand new robes! Rolf, get up this instant!"

"Mum, let him up," Ivan said, still chuckling.

Tina smiled. "Ivan, Gwen, lovely to see the both of you."

"It's been much too long, mum," Ivan said, giving her a hug. "And dad, next time, please tell someone before running off out of the country! Rolf was beside himself when he couldn't find the two of you last month."

Newt gave a sad smile. "Yes, sorry about that. I had heard tell of poachers in Nepal hunting the Demiguise population to near extinction. I had to see if there was anything I could do."

Tina narrowed her eyes. "Yes, and that duel you got yourself into was completely reckless, no matter what you say."

"That curse barely grazed me, Tina!"

"You were bleeding for two days!"

"I am fine though, aren't I?"

"Two days, Newt!"

"You worry far too much."

"And you, not nearly enough!"

The others looked back and forth between the two as if watching a quidditch match. Finney, the hippogriff closest, finally nudged Tina's arm, breaking up the argument. Tina reached up and stroked her beak.


The Scamander family took the floo to King's Cross at ten thirty. It would give them plenty of time to get Rolf on the train, his trunk into a compartment, and to let him meet up with his friend and neighbor, Ernie MacMillan. While Ivan Scamander loaded Rolf's trunk onto the train, Rolf hung back to talk to his grandfather.

"What house do you think I'll be in, Grandpa?"

Newt looked at his grandson a moment before answering. "Whatever house you are in, you will do them proud."

"But what if I'm not in Hufflepuff? What if I'm in..."

"It's best not to worry, Rolf. It makes you suffer twice."

"But what if, though. What if I'm the first Scamander not to be in Hufflepuff?"

"You wouldn't be the first. Your mum was a Ravenclaw, you know that."

"But she's a Kershaw, not a Scamander!" Rolf reminded him.

"You know, my own grandfather was a Gryffindor, as was my brother. You've met your great-uncle Theseus, haven't you?"

"Yes, but he's so..." Rolf broke off, looking away. He knew he shouldn't insult his own uncle, but the man was so arrogant!

Newt looked into his grandson's eyes. "You are a good person, Rolf. The best person I know. You are loyal and dedicated. And if you're not a Hufflepuff, no one will think anything bad about you."

"What if I'm a Slytherin, though?"

Newt smiled. "Then you will prove everyone wrong about Slytherin house. You'll be the kindest, smartest, bravest Slytherin in the school."

Rolf grimaced. "I just hope I'm a Hufflepuff like you and dad."

"Don't let your mum hear you say that."

Rolf grinned. "She knows I'm not going into Ravenclaw. Can't sit still long enough to read all day!"

"I heard that!" Gwen called, and Rolf's grin widened.

He gave a hug to each of his family members, and when he reached his grandfather, Newt whispered into his ear, "We'll be proud of whichever house you're sorted into. Remember that."

The whistle blew, giving the students a five-minute warning before the train would leave. Rolf headed for the train, looking out for his friend, Ernie MacMillan, but the other was nowhere to be found. He waved out the window of an empty compartment, watching as his family disappeared behind him. He was on his way to Hogwarts at last.