A/N:
How Newt met Frank.
WARNING: Minor spoilers for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
New Beginnings
Hatred swelled painfully inside him at the sight. Newt suppressed a shudder of pure revulsion as his eyes darted over the Thunderbird's dishevelled brown feathers, the bloody claws. And the chains… tarnished bronze shackles encircled the bird's feet, the heavy metal links looped carelessly over its back and wings, forcing it into an awkward position amidst the garbage in the narrow Cairo alley.
"Oh, Merlin, what have they done to you?" he breathed, horrified.
The bird cawed feebly and shifted underneath the tangle of chains. Tears sprang to Newt's eyes, and he hastily blinked them away, running his sleeve over his face for good measure. Stowing his case in an inconspicuous spot, he approached the Thunderbird and extended his left hand, palm up.
"Don't worry," he murmured soothingly as he stroked the Thunderbird's crest. "I'll get you home. I swear."
Newt moved away from the Thunderbird and stepped to the side, where the metal cuffs contrasted starkly with its feathers. The rays of the late afternoon sun were not as strong in the alley, and the bronze glowed dull copper in the dim setting.
"Relashio," he incanted desperately, checking behind him for any sign of the traffickers, but they were nowhere to be seen. What they were up to hiding an adult Thunderbird in an alley behind a bazaar, Newt didn't want to know. The cuffs sprang open and landed on the dirt road with a muffled thud.
Newt flicked his wand, and the metal chains vanished, leaving no sign they had ever existed.
Thunder crashed overhead as the Thunderbird ruffled its wings, creating gales of wind that threatened to whip up a storm.
"Whoa, there," Newt laughed, patting the bird's beak. Its golden eyes glimmered as if thanking him, and he smiled wryly. "Time to go now."
He opened his case, flipping the "Muggle-Worthy" switch off, and the Thunderbird eyed it warily, unsure if this was another prison of some sort.
"Come on," coaxed Newt patiently. "That's right, in you hop."
It took a tiny step towards the open case…
Voices, loud ones, echoed at the end of the alley. One voice lifted in a surprised shout, and the voices drew near rapidly, yelling profanities in fluid Arabic. Oh, no.
Three silhouettes rounded the corner and charged down the lane towards him, wands drawn and angled at his chest.
"It's alright, nothing to worry about," he turned back to the Thunderbird, tone laced with harassment. He aimed his wand over his shoulder. "Depulso!"
The last of the Thunderbird's tail feathers disappeared inside the case as the three figures reeled backwards, hit point-blank by his spell. Blood pounding in his ears, Newt slammed the case shut, latched it, and Disapparated in a flurry, amid mingled screams of dismay, anger and shock.
His feet found the ground a moment later, and he fell automatically into a duelling stance that would have made Theseus proud. Newt whipped his wand from side to side, checking the surroundings for his pursuers.
After confirming that he was, indeed, clear of any danger, Newt placed his case in a side lane behind a clothing shop and entered the magically expanded space.
It was raining gently as he exited his shed. The thunderbird was a sleek black shadow streaking through the air, lightning forming at the fringes of its feathers as it flapped its three sets of wings. Newt felt his heart soar as it landed a short distance away and came over to him, nuzzling its beak into his palm.
"I think I'll call you Frank," he mumbled absently, feeling his lips curl into a serene smile.
As if to celebrate his christening, Frank the Thunderbird shot into the air like a meteor, screeching as the raindrops flashed electric white with lightning, the sky shaking with the crack of thunder.
Fandom: Harry Potter (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)
Venue: Cairo, Egypt
Time: Pre-Fantastic Beasts
Okaay this is kinda short, in fact it's the shortest fic I've posted so far. Sorry.
So this story idea has been floating around in my brain for some time, and now I've fished it out and here you are.
Hope you enjoyed it. Review please x