"Where are we going, Newt?"
That was the first thing that Edith Janeway asked whenever she met her cousin, Newt Scamander. After she had greeted the adults, she would immediately seek out her shy cousin. Newt wasn't like the other children in the family, who would organize impromptu games of Quidditch or broom tag at family gatherings. He spoke quietly and didn't seem to have much to say, or at least that was what people who didn't know him very well thought. Edith was one of the people who knew better.
Newt knew more about beasts than anyone else, and that included his mother, who raised hippogriffs. His room was full of books, skeletons and specimens in glass bottles or mounted beasts in various threatening poses. He had dissected horklumps at age seven, but had given it up when he found that there were no complexities in their physical structure. He had assembled a necklace of dragon scales and claws. He had let Edith handle a dragon egg ("Never will hatch—it's a dud") and had also entrusted her to hold a tiny vial of acromantula venom. He had explained to her that his mother's old teacher had given it to him only after he had promised to study it, but never sell it.
"It's very valuable Edith! People will pay bags of gold galleons for a very small amount since it is so hard to come by. The venom will only work if it is taken from the acromantula when it is alive or soon after it is dead. There is no record of anyone taking it from a live one."
"Of course not! They sound terrible!" Edith remarked as she squinted at the pearly liquid. She held the vial up to the sunlight.
"Terrible and magnificent! I've read everything that I can about them and there isn't much. There must be more to know." Newt furrowed his brow and went silent. Edith continued to spin the venom in the sunlight, marveling at how something so lovely and opalescent could come from such a hideous, violent creature. Newt didn't agree with her on that point. He wanted to see them, study them, and write about them.
He had shown Edith his notebooks which were full of drawings of the various beasts that he had encountered in the fields and forests near his home. She loved reading his notes. Aside from acromantulas (which she hoped to never encounter) Edith loved beasts, both wild and tame, as much as her cousin. Whenever she met him he would take her far afield in search of something new and interesting. Even if it was a beast as mundane as a garden gnome, Newt would have something interesting to say about it.
"So, where are we going, Newt?" Edith asked again as they made their way up the steps from the Hufflepuff Common Room to the main entrance hall of Hogwarts castle. "Why did we have to get up so early?"
Newt had told her to meet him in the Common Room at 4:30 a.m. The sun had not yet risen and the castle was dark and silent. Edith hoped that they wouldn't encounter Peeves the poltergeist. They weren't supposed to leave their House room when school wasn't in session and she didn't want to be caught by either the malicious poltergeist (who had emptied a full vase of flowers over her head on the first day of classes) or the fierce caretaker who prowled the halls after hours.
"Llewelyn was insistent that we had to be at the site of the ancient runes before sunrise. He sounded very excited."
"It must be something good!" Edith nodded enthusiastically. Llewelyn Lloyd-Jones was in Ravenclaw, but he was Newt's best friend. Aside from his Hufflepuff House mates, not many students understood him. He didn't make easy conversation, wasn't interested in sports, and preferred to do things on his own. He had found a kindred spirit in Llewelyn when they had been partnered in potions First Year. Lewelyn was also crazy about wild beasts, as well as plants and minerals. The only difference that Edith could see in the two boys was that Llewlyn was friendlier. Like Edith and Newt, he had an older sibling—a sister named Emily. To her delight, Edith found out in a letter from her sister, Harriet, that Emily Lloyd-Jones had been her good friend at Hogwarts.
"See, Edith! We were meant to be friends!" Llewelyn had exclaimed when she told him.
"Leta will be meeting us as well." Newt said.
"You didn't tell me that she was coming!" Edith stopped in her tracks and indignantly stared at her cousin.
"Em, well, I didn't think that you would come if you knew that she was coming," Newt mumbled. He avoided her glare and continued to climb the stairs.
"Oh, I would have come. You should have told me!" Edith said sharply. It was just like Leta Lestrange to ruin things, even when she wasn't around. Aside from Edith and Llewlyn, Newt spent most of his time with Leta. The girl loved wild beasts, but aside from that, Edith could not see anything else that she had in common with the rest of them. When she spoke to Newt, she smiled, but she ignored Edith. She didn't speak much to Llewelyn either, except to hector him: "Hurry up, Llewelyn!" "Be careful with my bags, Llewlyn! Don't crush them!"
The final insult had come when the four of them had sat down on a bench outside the greenhouses before class. Edith had sat on one side of Newt with Llewelyn on the other side of him. Leta had sat next to Edith. She then leaned over Edith and began talking to Newt. Her bold rudeness had rankled Edith, and she had told Newt later.
"Oh, Edith, I don't think that Leta meant to be rude. She probably wasn't aware that you felt left out."
"How could she not be aware? She leaned right in front of me and began talking to you!"
"Don't be so hard on her, Edith. Things aren't going well at home for her and she sometimes forgets herself."
"That doesn't excuse her rudeness!" Edith replied heatedly.
"If you want me to talk to her, I will," Newt said dejectedly. He looked torn.
"No, don't do that. Maybe she did just forget her manners for the moment," Edith sighed. She knew that her cousin had few friends and that Leta was one of them. She hadn't wanted to make trouble then, just as she didn't want to make trouble now.
"It's alright, Newt," she said as she gently tapped his shoulder. "I don't mind if Leta comes. Really."
"Oh, that's good Edith! I'm sorry. I should have told you. Next time I will." Newt looked relieved. He paused in the hallway and adjusted his gear. Edith spied the large net used for catching butterflies and other insects, but which Newt always carried on expeditions in hopes of netting the elusive Golden Snitch.
"Over here, you two!" Llewlyn's urgent whisper echoed in the entrance hall. He was leaning against the doors, nervously looking about.
"Where's Leta?" Newt inquired.
"I don't know. She never showed up. We can't wait any longer. Once the sun rises it will be over." Llewlyn blinked behind his thick spectacles.
"Leta will wonder where we are," Newt protested.
"Don't worry. I told her that if she missed us she should meet us at the ancient ruins. I had the feeling that Leta isn't an early riser," Llewlyn said as he slowly pushed the door open, wincing as it creaked.
"She isn't coming!" Edith thought gleefully and then felt ashamed. Maybe her dislike of Leta was unjustified, but she couldn't help feeling that the girl was neither kind nor trustworthy. She buried her misgivings as she followed the boys up the trail leading to the ancient ruins.
"If we hurry, we can make it!" Llewlyn was walking at a brisk pace, almost a run. Edith and New hurried close behind. The spring morning was cool and dew from the wet grass soaked the hems of their robes. Edith was panting and her knees felt wobbly as she cleared the crest of the hill. She leaned against one of the stone pillars to catch her breath. Newt laughed.
"What's so funny?" she gasped.
"Your hairbow!" he giggled as he pointed to the large bow on top of her head. "Your head was bobbing up and down and it was waving like a chicken's comb!"
"Feather-flux!" Edith retorted as she aimed her wand at him. Newt coughed and began spitting out white chicken feathers.
"Pay attention! Now isn't the time for jinxes!" Llewelyn was seated on one of the stone slabs, gingerly turning the pages of a very old book. Edith sat down and stared in curious fascination. The book's pages were yellow and fragile. The writing was in a language which she did not understand. There was a diagram showing the mound of rocks where they stood, as well as the rising sun casting its rays.
"How can you read that, Llewlyn?" Newt inquired.
"It's Welsh. A very old Welsh dialect, but I was able to understand most of it. I found this book in the library when I was looking for books on ancient runes. It was on the far end of the upper shelf. It was coated in dust. I don't know if anyone ever checked it out before."
"Well, there aren't many native Welsh speakers at Hogwarts!"
"That's true!" Llewlyn smiled widely, showing the gap between his front teeth. Edith and Newt smiled back.
"See this diagram? Whoever wrote the book says that at sunrise on the spring equinox, the path will be revealed leading to the door."
"What path? What door?" Edith asked excitedly.
"I don't know. I wanted the two of you to be here so that we could find out."
"You're the best, mate!" Newt said happily. Edith beamed. Llewelyn was smart, but he was also kind and generous.
"Stand back a bit. The first rays of light should be hitting that stone slab right there. If I've read this diagram correctly, the reflections will reveal the path. We have to act quickly. Once the sun is fully up the path and door will disappear."
The children watched silently as the first pinkish-gold light broke through the sky. Edith clenched and unclenched her fists. What was taking so long?
Her patience was rewarded when a ray of light hit the inscription on the stone slab that Llewelyn had pointed out. A thin beam reflected eastward down the slope. It slowly widened.
"That's it!" Llewelyn cried. "Quickly! Let's see where it leads to!"
The trio ran down the hill, following the ray of light. They stopped short outside the Forbidden Forest.
"We aren't supposed to go in there," Edith said. "It's dangerous."
"I think that we should be alright if we stick to the shining path," Llewlyn said uncertainly. "What do you think, Newt? Newt!"
Newt had not stopped to consider the dangers of the Forbidden Forest. He was walking ahead of them into the darkness. Edith and Llewelyn hurried after him, making sure to follow the bright strip of pathway.
The path continued as the sun's rays broke through the canopy of trees. After they had traipsed through a dark, dense thicket the path came to an end at a large wooden door. The door was built into a high stone wall. It was covered with vines and the lock was rusted.
"This must be one of the edges of the forest," Llewelyn whispered. "Let's perform an Alohomora and see what's on the other side."
"Look!" Newt's sharp whisper distracted them. He pointed upwards. There, hovering in the air was a small, round golden bird. Its wings rotated like a hummingbird's as it hovered over them.
A golden snidget! Edith stared in silent awe as Newt held his finger to his lips. He quietly climbed up a tree, holding firmly onto his net. The delicate bird sensed his presence and flitted to the branch of another tree . Newt silently motioned for the two of them to join him. Edith and Llewelyn clambered up the tree and stood on the wall next to Newt. Edith looked down, but could see nothing but a dense fog on the other side of the wall. Newt was oblivious.
He silently motioned for Llewelyn to crouch, then stood on his shoulders as his friend slowly stood up. Llewelyn immediately began to shake from the weight of his friend. Edith grabbed him firmly around the waist in an effort to hold them both steady.
Her efforts were in vain. With a gasp, Llewelyn lost his balance as his knees buckled from the weight. He teetered over the wall, bringing his friends down with him.
A scream died in Edith's throat as she went into free fall. She heard a sharp grunt from Llewelyn as they landed onto a firm, cushiony bed which broke their fall. Edith reach out cautiously, feeling the cool, leafy forms of squashed cabbages. Cabbages? She had expected to land on hard ground or rock, breaking her bones at the least, or at worst, meeting her death. She slowly stood up and looked around. They had landed in a large cabbage patch. Newt slowly rose to his feet, looking stunned and disoriented, but unhurt. Llewelyn lay on the ground below.
"Llewelyn! Merlin's beard, are you alright?" Newt exclaimed.
"I'm fine! Don't move!" Llewelyn ordered in a panicked voice. "I've lost my glasses! I can't see!"
"Don't worry! We'll crawl on the ground until we find them!" Newt reassured him.
They began crawling the cabbage patch, carefully feeling about for Llewelyn's spectacles. A bright glint caught Edith's eye. She carefully crawled towards it and found his glasses resting next to a large black boot. Another black boot stood next to it. Atop each boot was a trouser clad leg, above that a long black coat and beyond that…
Edith screamed as a large hand roughly grabbed her by the arm and yanked her up to her feet. She twisted out of the man's grasp and ran to the boys, who were staring, wide-eyed at the stranger.
"Trespassers! Look what ye've done to mah crops!" the man snarled. He was tall, with a coarse grey beard and pale blue eyes. He held a pitchfork with the prongs aimed at them. Edith nervously fingered her wand hilt.
"Please sir! We did not mean to walk on your lands!" Newt took one step forward, palms outward. "We wandered off of our school grounds and are lost."
"School? There's not a school within five miles of here," the man retorted. "Why are you wandering around in your dressing gowns?"
"These are our school uniforms."
"No school would dress their students so! Do you think I'm a fool?" The man narrowed his eyes at them.
"Oh, no sir!" Newt replied, in a reasonable voice. "If you would please direct us back to the door in the wall, we will be on our way back, and won't bother you."
"Door! That wall has stood at the edge of my family's property for centuries. There is no door!"
"Oh, Newt, he wouldn't know about the door or Hogwarts! He's a Muggle!" Llewelyn exclaimed.
A Muggle! Edith stared at the man. She saw no sign of a wand—that should have been the first thing that gave him away. She had only seen pictures of Muggles in a pamphlet entitled "The Scourge of Magic" that a stern, Seventh year Ravenclaw had silently handed her on the Hogwarts Express. The Muggles were fearsome looking, with pitchforks and torches. Her mother had destroyed the pamphlet when Edith had shown it to her, and lectured her about inaccurate propaganda. The pamphlet was hate propaganda, but the Muggle before her looked unnervingly like the crude drawings.
"What did you call me? Rude, unmannerly little brats! Trespassing on my property and destroying my crops! Get in the barn! I'll keep you locked up there until the police arrive. They'll take you back to school , or better yet, jail!"
"Oh, don't call the please-men!" Edith cried. The pamphlet had contained a section about the fearsome Muggle please-men, who beat people with clubs and locked them up in cages. Newt and Llewelyn looked terrified.
"I don't believe that will be necessary, sir," a small, squeaky voice said behind them. Edith whirled around and saw Professor Flitwick, the diminutive Charms teacher smiling up at the man. She was so relieved that she nearly cried.
"Eh? Who are you?" The farmer lowered his pitchfork and stared at Professor Flitwick in bewilderment.
"I'm Filius Flitwick," Professor Flitwick responded as he extended his hand. "These children are my pupils."
"You're a teacher? But you're a midget!" The Muggle exclaimed. He was staring at Professor Flitwick in disbelief. He dropped his pitchfork, rubbed his eyes and stared harder.
"Oh, just so that you remember, we do prefer the term little people," Professor Flitwick replied. "I am sorry for the destruction that my students caused to your property. I assure you that everything will be restored to its original condition when you return to the field."
"Restored? How? My cabbages are smashed to bits!" The Muggle was beginning to get over his astonishment and returning to his former, agitated state.
Professor Flitwick pulled his wand from his belt. The tip glowed with a luminous light.
"What is that?" The Muggle approached Professor Flitwick and crouched down, staring into the light.
"A tool to restore your cabbages, and also to erase any memory that you have of this encounter. Obliviate!" Professor Flitwick touched the man's forehead lightly with the tip of his wand.
The Muggle closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground. Professor Flitwick calmly stepped around him.
"He should be out for at least ten minutes," Professor Flitwick remarked. He waved his wands over the destroyed cabbages, restoring them to their undamaged state. "Follow me quickly! The sun will soon be at its height and the path will disappear."
Edith and the boys followed their teacher towards the wall. The door was open, leading them into the Forbidden Forest. Once they had passed through, Professor Flitwick performed a locking spell. Edith could not contain herself.
"How did you get through the door, Professor? The Muggle said that there was no door in the wall!"
"The door is only visible from the Forbidden Forest, which is the magic side," Professor Flitwick answered. "Muggles would not see the door from their side on the wall. We will discuss this matter later in my office."
Edith's heart sank. A teacher would only summon students to his office for three reasons: discipline, discussing schedules and discussing career opportunities. It wasn't exam time and they weren't Seventh years, so the first option was the obvious choice.
What type of discipline would Professor Flitwick mete out? Edith had never been in trouble before at Hogwarts. Her Head of House would lecture the Hufflepuff students about their infractions and then warn them not to act out of turn again. She had once asked Llewelyn if Professor Flitwick gave harsh detentions.
"Not to my knowledge," he had replied. "Professor Flitwick doesn't get angry easily—but he will tell you how disappointed he is."
The group reached the Hogwarts grounds at the edge of the forest just as the sun cast its full rays on the lawn. The bright path evaporated as if it were dew. They silently followed Professor Flitwick into the castle, up the staircases to his office in Ravenclaw tower.
Edith hardly noticed the colorful paintings, the violin on a stool near the window and the brightly woven tapestry on the wall facing the door. She and the boys sat down in front of Professor Flitwick's desk. The desk was atop a small dais, so that the tiny man would be eye level with the people seated in front of him.
"Well now, where shall we begin? Leaving the Hogwarts grounds is a very serious infraction. If I brought you before the Headmaster, he would very likely expel the three of you without explanation."
Edith felt ill. She glanced over at her cousin. Newt was white-faced and Llewelyn 's eyes looked bigger than usual behind his thick lenses.
"However, I believe that under these circumstances, you should explain yourselves to me first," Professor Flitwick continued. "Magic paths like these don't just suddenly appear unless spells are cast. Can any of you explain for me how this came to pass?"
"It was me, Professor Flitwick," Llewelyn volunteered. "I found an old book in the library and cast the spell. Newt and Edith did not know about it—they just came along. It was all me—not them."
Professor Flitwick gingerly took the ancient book from Llewelyn and carefully turned the fragile pages. He was silent as he read the spell. Edith held her breath. Finally, Professor Flitwick looked up.
"Did you find this book in the restricted section, Mr. Lloyd-Jones?"
"No, Professor. It was in the section for ancient runes."
"Obviously misplaced and never found by the librarians. It is a very old book. This spell was written by a witch or wizard who sometimes wished to visit the Muggle world outside of Hogwarts."
"Was it written by one of the Founders, Professor?" Edith asked eagerly. The thought of Helga Hufflepuff writing her spells in her native Welsh was tantalizing.
"No, Miss Janeway, it is old, not ancient," Professor Flitwick said with a smile. "Mr. Lloyd-Jones, if you hadn't broken the rules by leaving school grounds, I would commend you for mastering this spell. It is rather complex magic. Under other circumstances I would have awarded several points to Ravenclaw—and Hufflepuff as well."
"Professor, it is not Llewelyn's fault," Newt interrupted earnestly. "He wanted to show us the path to the gateway. We ended up on the farmer's land because I climbed on top of the wall to catch a Golden Snidget."
"It's my fault, Professor!" Edith chimed in. "I saw the boys teetering on the wall and I tried to steady them, but I wasn't strong enough. That's why we fell and ruined the Muggle's cabbages!"
"Forgotten books, old spells, rare birds and an encounter with a Muggle. What a morning you three have had so far and it isn't yet time for the beginning of first class! " Professor Flitwick closed the book and folded his hands.
"No damage was caused, but you were lucky. The Forbidden Forest is dangerous and is off limits for good reason. Aside from dangerous beasts there are parts of it which are impossible to navigate. Experienced wizards have entered it and have never come out. The Muggle farmer whom you met was bad-tempered, but harmless. However there are dangers in the Muggle world which could harm inexperienced witches and wizards. If Miss LeStrange had not told me that she was meeting you at the site of the ancient runes, things may not have ended well at all."
"Leta LeStrange told you where we were?" Edith gasped.
"Yes. I was taking my morning constitutional when I met her slipping outside of the main entrance. Because she was breaking curfew, I asked where she was going and she told me."
"She peached on us!" Edith thought angrily, but she kept her face blank.
"No harm was done, and I can see that your infractions were accidental rather than intentional," Professor Flitwick continued. "No need to bring you before the Headmaster. However you will all be on two weeks detention. No visits to Hogsmeade for a fortnight. The groundskeeper has been grumbling about the abysmal state of the owlery. You can report there for the next two Fridays and help him clean it. As for this book, I will be returning it to the librarian, with a request that it be put in the restricted section."
"Restricted section? It isn't dark magic, it is Professor?" Llewelyn asked.
"No, it isn't dark magic," Professor Flitwick laughed. "However old spell books like this one can result in mischief when bright, curious minds find them. It will be put into the restricted section as a safety precaution."
"You obviously have not had breakfast, so please take one of these." Professor Flitwick reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a blue and bronze striped box. He opened the lid, revealing freshly baked scones with the steam rising in thin, heated white streams.
"Hurry now! If you are late for class I won't be able to vouch for you! Mr. Lloyd-Jones, Professor Dumbledore is new, but he is not fond of people barging into Transfiguration after the second bell has rung. Mr. Scamander, Miss Janeway, you have a longer walk to the greenhouses. Hurry along!"
The children thanked him profusely before parting ways in the hall. Edith hurried alongside Newt. Missing the weekend visits to Hogsmeade was a bother, but she was relieved that the threat of expulsion was gone. Scrubbing owl droppings and freshening nests would have been a horrific punishment to most students, but it was more of a reward for the three of them. Professor Flitwick must have known that.
"I am so glad that Leta told Professor Flitwick that she was meeting us at the site of the ancient runes. She saved us, Edith! We must thank her!" Newt said happily.
"Thank her for peaching on us?" Edith thought. She immediately felt ashamed. If Leta had not told Professor Flitwick about their clandestine meeting, he would not have arrived to save them. However Edith could not rid herself of the feeling that the girl's actions were meant to clear herself and cast the blame on the three of them.
"Don't be like that!" she reproved herself. Slytherins were suspicious, Gryffindors rashly jumped to wrong conclusions and Ravenclaws could be judgmental. Hufflepuffs believed in giving everyone a fair chance.
"Yes, Newt. If Leta hadn't told Professor Flitwick we'd be sitting in a please-men cage! We will certainly thank her!"
Newt beamed at her. Edith felt light and happy inside, her misgivings vanishing. She could push aside her suspicions about Leta, or at least not voice them in front of her cousin.
"There's the first bell! I'll race you to the greenhouses!" Newt tore down the path with Edith on his heels. She closed her eyes and felt the cool breeze on her face as she sped after him. She whirred her arms in a circular motion and for a brief second, felt like a golden snidget.