AN: This story is written for the International Wizarding School Championship.

School: Durmstrang

Theme: Hogwarts

Prompt: School trip abroad to Ilvermorny (#7; main prompt) & #16; dialogue

Year: Six

Word Count: 2990

Hermione Granger sat huddled around her schoolbooks at a small table in the corner of the library as she let out a soft sigh of frustration. Even though it had been almost three months since she had returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year without Ron and Harry, she still wasn't entirely used to being at school without them. At times it was strangely more difficult to study in peace and quiet than having to listen to Harry and Ron beg her to help them with the essay they had let go until the last minute, and this was certainly shaping up to be one of those times. She was just about to pack up her books and head back to the Gryffindor common room, where she might start a letter to Ron, when she spotted Ginny and Luna walking over to her table.

"Looks like you've had a productive morning," Ginny commented as her and Luna sat down.

"Hardly," Hermione replied. "I've been trying to translate these runes for hours, but I can't seem to focus."

"That's not surprising," Luna said. "I spotted a Wrackspurt nest by one of the bookshelves. I reckon a few of them have flown into your ears."

Hermione pursed her lips but said nothing. She had learned over the past few months that it was best to simply let some battles go.

"We just finished up Care of Magical Creatures," Ginny continued. "Hagrid let us out early, actually. McGonagall came by his hut and the two of them went inside. Any idea what that could have been about?"

"No," Hermione frowned. "I hope Hagrid isn't in trouble. Did McGonagall seem angry?"

"Couldn't tell, she had the same look she always has," Ginny shrugged. "The one that makes you think you're about to be put in detention just for passing by."

"Maybe we should go by after dinner," Hermione said.

"That'd be nice," Luna said. "And maybe on the way back we can stop at the lake and toss in some breadcrumbs for the Grindlotoads. They're a close relative of the Grindylow, you know, but Grindlotoads used their webbed feet to change water currents. I saw a pack out in the sun the other day."

"Grindlotoads?" Hermione frowned. "Luna, there has never been a credible sighting of them. I'm sure you saw a group of regular old toads out by the lake. Or maybe some Grindylows-"

"I'm certain I saw them," Luna said firmly. "And there have been several sightings. In fact, the Quibbler did a piece a few years back about the benefits their eggs have for curing muscle spasms."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue but decided against it at the last moment.

"Wise move," Ginny muttered to her under her breath.

….

Later that evening, the three girls hurried up the steps to Hagrid's hut and knocked at his door.

"Ah, just who I was hopin' ter see," Hagrid beamed as he opened the door. "Come on in, you lot. I jus' put a kettle on if any of you would fancy a cup of tea."

"Yes, thank you," Luna said politely as they sat down at the table.

"How are Harry and Ron then?" Hagrid asked, busying himself as he poured for cups.

"They're alright," Hermione told him. "They seem to be settling into the Ministry nicely."

"They're just doing paperwork at the moment," Ginny added. "So I imagine it's a bit boring for them."

"Boredom can do them both good, if yeh ask me," Hagrid said.

"That's what my mum tells them," Ginny smiled.

"So Hagrid," Hermione said. "Luna and Ginny said that Professor McGonagall stopped by during your class today."

"Gettin' straight to the point, huh?" Hagrid chuckled. "No matter, I wanted to talk ter you three about that anyway. See, I was talking to Professor McGonagall about a special project."

"A special project?" Luna repeated.

"The headmaster of Ilvermorny reached out to McGonagall," Hagrid explained. "About me! Can yeh believe it?"

"Ilvermorny?" Ginny frowned. "What's that?"

"It's a wizarding school in the States," Hermione answered right away. "It's supposed to be quite nice. But why is the headmaster asking McGonagall about you, Hagrid?"

"Apparently nearly one hundred Thestrals have made themselves at home on the school grounds," Hagrid explained. "And Ilvermorny doesn't have a forest like Hogwarts, see. The things are roaming all over the place, bumpin' into students who can't see them, rippin' up the Quidditch pitch…The headmaster knows Hogwarts has a big population of Thestrals, so he wrote to McGonagall to see if she could send whoever manages our Thestrals."

"So you get to go to the States then?" Luna said. "It's lovely there. Daddy and I went the summer after my first year. He was writing an article on the different types of Nargles that are found in different continents. We couldn't find any, though."

"I didn't know there were different kinds of Nargles," Ginny said causally.

"Oh yes, there are over a dozen different breeds," Luna nodded. "Probably even more that haven't been discovered yet."
Hermione bit the corner of her lip before turning back to Hagrid. "When are you going then?"

"Weekend after next," Hagrid said cheerfully. "Have to wait until Professor Grubbly-Plank can come by to cover me classes. There is one more thing though…handling all those Thestrals is goin' ter be more work than even I can handle. I talked ter McGonagall and she agreed that I can bring a few of my best students with me with the Thestrals. I was thinking you three would like ter come."

"Really?" Ginny said. "Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun, Hagrid. Getting to see another wizarding school would be really interesting."

"Yes, I've wanted to go and visit Ilvermorny for years," Luna said.

"You have?" Hermione said. "What creatures are supposed to be there?"

"Oh, I don't want to go for the creatures," Luna said. "Though I am looking forward to seeing the Guffleflys. But Ilvermorny is connected to a preserve area set up to save endangered creatures. It was created decades ago by the Scamander family."

"That-That's right," Hermione said, clearly taken aback by Luna's knowledge.

"Scamander…he's the bloke who wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, no?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, that's him," Luna smiled. "He went to Hogwarts, but after he was expelled, he spent a lot of time over in the States. I suppose that's why he created his preserve over there. Will we get to see it, Hagrid?"

"Don't see why not," Hagrid nodded. "I'd fancy a look myself. Now then, Hermione? What do you say?"

"Oh, well, Hagrid I'm not your student," Hermione said.

"Cadswallop, you spend enough time helpin' me prepare for lessons," Hagrid pointed out.

"But I'd hate to get behind in my classes," Hermione replied.

"Come on, it's one weekend," Ginny said. "Besides, I'm sure without Ron and Harry here distracting you, you're already more than caught up in all of your classes. And think of what a great learning opportunity it would be to see Ilvermorny; you wouldn't want to miss out it, would you?"

Hermione contemplated this for a moment.

"Well…alright," she finally said, smiling up at Hagrid. "I'd love to go with you, Hagrid."

"Glad to hear it," Hagrid said, beaming. "I'll send word ter Professor McGonagall that you three agreed ter come."

"I'll have to write home write away," Luna said, finishing off the last of her tea. "Daddy will be so pleased to hear that I'm going to see the preserve. And the North American Nargles, of course. Did you know that those Nargles fly backwards instead of forwards?"

"No," Hermione said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I didn't."

….

"Here we are," Hagrid said cheerfully several days later as him, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna came to a stop outside a pair of kissing gates. The group was staring up at a beautiful castle with stained glass windows, a glossy marble finish, and towers that seemed to disappear into the clouds.

"Look," Luna said, pointing through the gates. "I can see some of the Thestral groups."

Hermione and Ginny both took a step back as dozens of Thestrals began to approach the gate. Neither of them were quite used to being able to see the creatures yet. It had been a nasty shock at the beginning of the term when suddenly they could see exactly what was pulling the carriages up to the school.

"Jus' remember," Hagrid told them comfortingly, clearly sensing their discomfort. "Thestrals are some of the gentlest creatures you'll ever meet."

"We know," Hermione nodded, her tension easing up a bit.

"This place looks huge," Ginny commented, looking around. "I thought you said Ilvermorny was smaller than Hogwarts, Hermione."

"It is," Hermione nodded. "I think it's just the way this castle is built that makes it look bigger than it is."

"It's odd that I've never heard of this place before," Ginny said. "They must be a much quieter school than Hogwarts."

"Well, they do say Hogwarts is the greatest magical school in the world," Hermione smiled.

"Actually!" a booming voice exclaimed. "I think that you will find that Ilvermorny is the greatest wizarding school in the world!"

The group turned to see a short, sturdy-looking woman carefully walking through the pack of Thestrals, along with a tall, blurry boy with sandy-blonde hair. As the woman reached the gate, she pulled out her wand and muttered an incantation under her breath, causing the entrance to gracefully open up.

"Sorry, you'll find we're very spirited about our school here," the woman said. "You must be our guests. Pleased to see you've arrived safely."

"'Lo," Hagrid said politely, extending a large hand. "Good ter meet you."

"It's Hagrid, no?" she replied, shaking Hagrid's hand. "I'm Belinda, the Ilvermorny groundskeeper. Now, Headmaster Simpson said you're brilliant handling Thestrals. We don't have too many of them up in these parts normally, see? But something seems to have drawn them to us. Now I know they mean no harm, but we've been going out of our minds. They've been chewing up our grounds and giving some of our native creatures a real fright. Not to mention that the majority of the students and staff here can't see them; myself included. We've been having students run into the things as they go in and out of the castle, which I'm sure you can imagine, has been quite a shock for them."

"Course," Hagrid nodded understandingly.

"Do you think you'll be able to help?" Belinda continued. "I hate to have any creature removed from our grounds, but we simply do not have to space to accommodate so many Thestrals."

"I reckon we'll be able ter help," Hagrid said, looking around at the Thestrals. "From the looks of it, these Thestrals are all fairly young. Lot of them seem ter have injured wings too. Probably fell behind the others during a group flight and took shelter here. I'll get them bandaged up and once they're healed, I'm sure they'll be takin' flight and will be out of here in no time."

"That's good to hear," Belinda smiled. "But will you be able to handle all of them on your own?"

"I brought some of me best students ter help," Hagrid said, looking over at the three girls proudly. "This here is Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood."

"Pleasure," Belinda said, nodding at the three of them. She turned to the sandy-haired boy at her side. "This is Rolf Scamander. He's become sort of my assistant over his years here; he's wonderful with any creature he comes across."

"Scamander?" Hermione repeated as Rolf gave them all a friendly wave. "Not as in Newt Scamander?"

"Yes, actually," Rolf nodded. "He was my grandfather."

"And he certainly inherited his grandfather's gift with magical creatures," Belinda said, clasping Rolf's shoulder. "Now, Rolf has volunteered to help you in any way that he can while you are here. I'll assist where I can too, of course, but I'm afraid you must excuse me now. We're set to get a heavy amount of snow tonight, and several of the windows on our south tower need sealing charms reset to them. Would you prefer to rest up for a bit first, or get straight to work?"

"May as well start now," Hagrid said. "Looks like mos' of the Thestrals are out now."

"Are they?" Belinda said, looking all around. "Well I had no idea. In that case I'll send word when supper is being served in our dining hall. Thank you all again for your help; we greatly appreciate it."

And with that, Belinda turned and walked slowly back towards the castle, her arms stretched out in front of her as she blindly navigated through the packs of Thestrals.

"Right then," Hagrid said excitedly, clapping his hands together. "Firs' thing we need ter do is get a good meal into these poor things. Looks as though they haven't eaten in days."

He reached into his bag and pulled out pouches of raw meat and handed it out to the others. "You four go around and feed 'em. I'll start inspectin' their wings."

"Alright," Rolf said at once. "I'm really looking forward to learning more about the Thestrals, Professor Hagrid. I've read about them, of course, but I've never had the opportunity to work this closely with them. It's quite a privilege."

"Well," Hagrid said, looking pleased, and a bit surprised, to be addressed in such a manner. "Always good ter find someone who appreciates these creatures. You'll get ter learn tons from this bunch, I'm sure."

As Hagrid turned and headed off towards a group of Thestrals further off, Rolf extended his hand to the girls.

"It was very kind of you to join Professor Hagrid in helping us solve our Thestral problem," he said, shaking each of their hands. "Do you have much experience with them?"

"You could say that," Ginny nodded, reaching into the bag of meat.

"We once flew on them to our Ministry," Luna told him, also reaching into her bag of meat. "It was quite exciting."

"You flew on them?" Rolf exclaimed. "That must have been amazing!"

"Amazing isn't the word I would use," Ginny muttered as her and Hermione began holding out chunks of meat for the Thestrals.

"How can you tell where they are?" Rolf asked, intrigued.

"We can see them," Hermione explained.

"You can?" Rolf frowned. "That-That means that you've seen-"

"That's right," Ginny nodded.

"Of course, I should have realized," Rolf said, his face going slightly red. "Everybody knows about the Battle of Hogwarts, even here. You all fought in it?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "Many of the students played a big role in the battle."

"Well, then you're all owed our thanks," Rolf smiled. "I know Lord Voldemort didn't spread much to the States, but I'm sure it would have been only a matter of time before he did. My grandfather used to tell me just how powerful Dark wizards like Voldemort could be. He had plenty of experience in that area."

"Did he?" Hermione frowned. "I wasn't aware Newt Scamander faced any Dark wizards."

"Not many are," Rolf grinned. "But believe it or not, him and my grandmother played a big role in Grindelwald's defeat."

"That-But that was never mentioned in any of the books I've read on Grindelwald," Hermione sputtered.

"Ah, I find sometimes books can be a bit…inaccurate," Rolf said simply.

"I find that as well," Luna spoke up.

"Good to hear it," Rolf nodded. "Say…you said your surname was Lovegood? Any relation to the editor of the Quibbler?"

"Oh yes, that's my father," Luna beamed.

"Is he really?" Rolf gasped. "I was just reading an old article last night about the benefits of gnome saliva!"

"I helped with that piece," Luna replied. "And we're hoping to do a follow-up soon about their anti-aging benefits."

"I didn't know the Quibbler circulated this far out," Ginny said.

"Oh yes, we have readers all over the world," Luna nodded.

"I should hope so, it's one of the only magazines that delivers truthful reporting nowadays," Rolf said. "I've learned more about Nargles from it than I could have from any book."
"Well yes, considering there hasn't been any proof of Nargles published in a book," Hermione chimed in.

"Exactly the point I was making earlier about books being inaccurate," Rolf nodded. He turned to Luna. "Have you gotten a chance to see some of the North American Nargles?"

"I haven't," Luna said. "I was hoping to on this trip, though."

"I have a theory that some are nested down by our preserve," Rolf told her. "Perhaps once we finish with the Thestrals, I could take you down there to try and find some?"

"I'd like that," Luna smiled. "If we find some, I could send a write-up to daddy and it might make the next issue."

"You know, I reckon Hermione and I could handle feeding the Thestrals," Ginny said. "Why don't you two head over there now?"
"Are you sure?" Luna asked.

"Course," Ginny nodded. "Go on. We'll come find you if we need you."

"Thank you," Rolf said appreciatively. "It's not often I find people who are as excited about Nargles as I am. In fact, many people here don't even believe in them. Mad, right?"

"I don't believe it," Hermione said as Luna and Rolf walked off. "I didn't think I'd ever meet someone so similar to Luna."

"I know," Ginny grinned.

"Is that why you've sent them off?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"After the year she had last year, don't you think Luna deserves to find someone like this?" Ginny asked. "Maybe they'll find they really fancy each other. And if not, well, at least the two of them will have a really good conversation able Nargles."

"Yes," Hermione said, a small smile forming on her face. "I suppose your right."