House: Gryffindor
Position: Prefect
Category: Bonus 2
Prompt 1: Happily Ever After
Prompt 2: Newt Scamander
Prompt 3: Sienna
Word Count:1560 words, excluding header, author notes, and title.
Beta: CK and Tigger
A/N: This was written for The Houses Competition, Y3R4 A bit of an AU since Newt did let
Frank out in NY, but I like to think he still would have made sure that Frank made it to Arizona safely.
Thunderstorm of Emotions
Newt stared at the creature in front of him in awe; he had only heard of the Thunderbird before. The creature was young, its sienna feather's barely showing up as fuzz. It looked more like a naked mouse than a bird, but Newt knew what it was. The little creature stared up at him, its wide black eyes blinking up at him with uncertainty.
"Shh, it's okay little guy," Newt said, scooping the little creature into his palm.
The creature began to cry and a light misting began to fall. The moisture coated Newt's skin and he looked towards the sky in amazement, a large smile on his face.
Newt was tired but he knew that they weren't safe here. He quickly put the small bird in his pocket and looked through the unconscious wizards' packs to make sure that they hadn't smuggled any other creatures into Egypt and away from their homes. He was disgusted with these men, taking poor defenseless creatures to try and make a profit. Newt was almost determined to leave them there but he knew he couldn't; he sighed and slowly moved them to the shade. The poor bird squawked the closer he got to the bodies.
"Shh. It's okay little guy. They aren't going to hurt you anymore. I've got you. I'm only making sure that they don't roast in the sun."
It started raining heavier the more distressed the bird became, and Newt had to remind himself to stop looking at the small bird in amazement and to hurry up and get out of there. When he finally had the two smugglers shaded from the heat, he began to run.
He didn't know if they would come after him; Thunderbirds were valuable creatures, but they could have other more valuable creatures that need their attention. He hated that he couldn't save them all but he didn't know where their hideout was and didn't want to risk getting more hurt. He would send his brother, Theseus, a famous Auror, a note to look into animal trafficking in Egypt. He knew his brother would. His brother didn't exactly agree with Newt becoming a Magizoologist, but he would still support him and do what he could to help Newt and for that he was grateful.
Newt didn't have many people in his life. His parents were dead and he had no friends. He had been considered weird in school and preferred creatures to humans. Creatures didn't judge; they gave the exact same treatment to him that he gave them. It was why he loved them so much; if he was nice and kind, they would trust and love him in turn. People, in his experience, weren't usually like that.
He looked down at the small creature in his breast pocket and knew he would love this animal.
Newt was resting on a rock, eating a sandwich and watching Frank, the rescued Thunderbird, fly above the treetops. Frank had grown in the past year. He had been able to travel on Newt's shoulders, for a little while but know he was too big and had to fly above Newt's head. His feathers had grown in nicely. Some feathers reflected the clouds in the sky, he was mesmerizing to watch. The red feathers glimmering in the sun turning into a much richer red than the true sienna color they were. He saw Frank swoop towards a branch of brightly colored birds. Frank tried to land on the branch chirping at the little birds happily but they quickly flew away with the dip of the branch under Frank's weight. Frank stared wistfully at them and Newt felt his heart twinge. He understood not fitting it. Frank didn't belong here, just like he didn't belong in London. He had noticed Frank drawn to flocks of birds over the last year. The poor bird just wanted to make friends but he was too large for the smaller birds to trust him. Newt's chest constricted again as he saw Frank slowly make his way towards him, his eyes dull and his head down. Newt raised his arm and the bird flew to his side and snuggled against his chest, a light drizzle fell from the sky reflecting the tears that streaked from the bird's eyes. Newt sighed and rubbed the bird's wings soothingly.
"I'm sorry Frank. I promise I will get you home."
He rubbed Frank until he calmed down and fell asleep against Newt's side
The moment Newt exited the boat, he found an abandoned alleyway and opened his suitcase. He stepped inside and found Frank sitting mournfully on top of a giant low-hanging tree branch. Newt walked over to him and ruffled the feathers on his head affectionately. Frank looked at him but did not rub his head in Newt's palm like he normally did.
Newt had seen Frank begin to deteriorate in front of his very eyes. His sienna feathers were beginning to dull and turn browner, and he no longer liked to fly around. He showed no interested in food and Newt had to force him to eat.
Newt looked into the dull black eyes that stared back at him and swore he could see the creature's will to live disappear.
"Soon, Frank. Soon. I promise."
Newt had finally made it to Arizona and it couldn't have come sooner. Frank was now making it rain every day. His sad, melancholy mood was reflected in the constant downpour of rain and the dark stormy rain clouds that covered the skies, but Newt was hoping that would stop once Frank met another bird of his own kind.
Newt was making his way up the mountain. The trees were thick and he could feel the air getting colder with each step he took. He knew he was almost there.
He walked for another twenty minutes before he spotted the first one. The large Thunderbird was at the top of a tree, his black eyes watching Newt cautiously. Newt gently put his suitcase down and raised his hands non-threateningly.
It was time to get Frank.
He had to carry Frank out of his suitcase. The bird quietly squawked out his protests but made no attempt to stop Newt. It broke his heart, this large magnificent bird resigned to his own fate. Newt was hoping that this would fix all that. This long journey had been all for Frank and if this still didn't help Frank, it all would have been for nothing.
Newt cautiously placed Frank on the ground. Frank stood with his head down, and the other bird in the tree chirped at him. Frank's head snapped up and he eyed the other Thunderbird in the tree and gave a tentative chirp back.
The other Thunderbird chirped and glided down to Frank, landing in a muffled thud in front of him. Newt backed up to give them some room and watched as the events unfolded.
The Thunderbird chirped again and nudged Frank. Frank chirped again, louder this time, and nudged the bird back. Soon they were happily squawking at each other and flapping their wings in the air in excitement.
Newt watched in amazement as they both flew upwards towards the sky. Their bodies twirled around each other as they rose and their sienna feathers merged together, making them indistinguishable from one bird to the other. They were dancing around each other in a magnificent ritual and Newt watched as their elated chirps turned into a beautiful duet between the two birds. Newt smiled happily as he watched them fly away, their song filling the air long after they left. Frank had found his place.
Newt was cleaning up Frank's room in his suitcase. He knew it wouldn't be long before this room was filled with another animal that needed his help, but it still stung. Frank had been with him for so long; he had watched Frank grow up, and he had been lucky enough to see him find his place among the flock of Thunderbirds.
Newt had stayed a few weeks to make sure that Frank would be accepted among the birds but he hadn't needed to. Frank had been quickly accepted by the rest of the flock after the mating ritual he had performed with the other Thunderbirds. He was happy and belonged with this flock, but that didn't stop Newt from missing him. He knew Frank would have died if he hadn't been reunited with others of his own kind but that didn't make it easier for Newt to say goodbye. He felt like he was saying goodbye to a son.
Newt wiped away the tears that were starting to fall from his eyes and continued to clean. He was picking up waste and hay off the ground when he noticed the feather. It was buried under a layer of hay. Newt quickly dug the feather out and held it up to the light. The sienna feather gleamed in the light and Newt smiled before placing the feather in the breast pocket of his shirt, where Frank had once been.
He began to smile and instead of seeing this as a goodbye, he saw this as a new hello for whatever creature needed his help next. Newt had given Frank his happily ever after and now he was ready for his next adventure.