CHAPTER 1
A NEW DISCOVERY
It wasn't an everyday event to get permission to travel to an exotic place. Lorcan and Lysander Scamander just got the approval of their parents to have an adventure of their own. It was something they had dreamed of since hearing the stories of their great grandfather, Newt Scamander, and his great travels around the world in hopes of discovering new magical creatures and their abilities. Just the thought of going through the same experience filled both of them with giddiness, and why won't they be? It was in the blood of the family that were known as famous magizoolgists.
Rolf Scamander, father of the twins, was very reluctant to give the permission for his children's wishes but he couldn't do anything as his wife highly encouraged his boys to live freely and roam many places. He just thought that they were too young to go on an adventure of their own. If it was not for his job at the Daily Prophet as a chief magizoologist consultant, he would teach them everything he knew and ensure their safety. After all, Lorcan and Lysander only knew quite the basic spells after just finishing their first year at Hogwarts Wizarding School. In the end, he was just happy that his sons shared the same interests.
The twins took a backpack of their own and stuffed it with different treats. Their mother helped with fixing their clothes. It sure was handy to live in a magical household. No matter how many things they placed inside their bags, there was still room for more. Lastly, each of them took their own copy of their great grandfather's book- 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' to which would never be left behind. They pulled the zipper and now they were set to go.
Wiping his forehead, Rolf approached the excited twins and gave them their plane tickets. If it wasn't for the tedious task of seeking authorization to create a Portkey, they wouldn't be in this certain predicament sohe decided that going through a muggle transportation service was the best choice.A colleague of his could fetch them when they landed. There was no going back on his word and he would have to drop his kids off the airport.
An hour later, Rolf literally kept reeling the twins from running away while giving them his final notes, "When you get there, the two of you look for Mr. Huang Xiaoming. He would be your guide towards your lodging and your field trip, okay?" They both nodded. "With that I mean you Lorcan, don't run around too much. Lysander, look after each other and send an owl once in a while." He added.
With that, he waved his sons goodbye while praying that they had a fruitful and safe journey ahead of them.
Lysander ran way past his brother to the check-in counter. Lorcan took the challenge and raced past him and reached the counter first. The lady was shocked at the sight of two twelve year old boys travelling without supervision. She took their tickets to confirm the flight and saw that there were special preparations made for them. And so, they were escorted to the plane.
They were heading to China.
It took them fifteen hours to travel but boredom wasn't felt at all. Normally, they would complain but to travel by muggle means was an adventure of its own. Lysander was keeping still reading his great grandfather's book while Lorcan slept almost all the time. With still no sight of the sun followed by a large thud, they knew that the plane had landed. A stewardess approached and assisted them until they found their dad's colleague waiting with a board that had their names written on it.
"Welcome to China. It is nice to finally meet the sons of Rolf."
Lorcan's smile said it all. He was ready for the adventure up ahead. Lysander, on the other hand, kept hugging his book and looked afraid. Their guide noticed and so he introduced himself, "You can just call me Huang. Come now, let's hurry."
Like travelling by plane, they rode Huang's car and immediately headed to his apartment. The mountains soared high at the edges of the city forming a bowl with the buildings inside. It didn't take long to arrive to Huang's building and it was as simple as it could be. Rusty pipelines hanging from the wall filled with stains and graffiti was not the house the boys expected. The Scamander twins dragged their weary feet, tired from the plane ride, to the top where a single door was the only thing visible in the entire floor.
Behind the door was a sight to behold. Lorcan and Lysander was used to seeing grand houses but what was in front of them was totally different. They had the feeling of being transported back to imperial China, not that they had any idea of what it looked like from the start. Two sets of enormous and thick red columns were lined up until the end of the room and the ceiling were like tiles with paintings on it. A long dragon switched from tile to tile following the twins wherever they walked. It was a room fit for a king.
To the left was a vast library of all things that were related to the beasts that are indigenous to China. Lysander immediately picked a book and scanned its pages. "Where is it?" he kept asking while flipping through the pages. Lorcan peeked through his shoulder, curious of his brother's sudden interest.
"What are you looking for anyway?"
"Any detail pertaining to the Chinese Fireball." Lysander answered.
"Wait a minute, we just arrived and you want to know more about a dragon from a book? Live a little and observe the real thing. Isn't that right, Mr. Huang?"
A drop of sweat trickled down Huang's cheeks. Of course, a dragon isn't part of the itinerary. If he was alone and kept his distance then a little dragon sightseeing was easy, but bringing two kids to one of the most territorial dragons in the world raised a lot of red flags in his head. If he had doubts at first then all of it was swept away. They were Scamander's kids, alright! The knack of looking for creatures with a complete disregard for the dangers that entails is a common trait of their family.
"Slow down boys. I was thinking of going to a trail hike for you to be acquainted to the terrain before letting you observe some beasts from a distance. It was your father's wish to secure your safety."
Huang's voice fell on deaf ears as the two continued doing whatever they were doing. He could see Rolf's introversion in Lysander and enthusiasm in Lorcan. They would definitely be great magizoologists when they grow up but for now, a safe trip around the TianZi mountain sounds better.
It didn't take long for Lorcan to wander around the house and eventually found a peculiar thing at the wall in one of the inner rooms. There was nothing inside the small room but a fireplace but not quite what he was used to see. He immediately recognized what it was, it was a Floo Network and there was a twinkle in his eyes knowing they also have it in China. He remembered what to do, just grab a handful of Floo powder and drop it at his feet while clearly stating his place of destination.
"Mr. Huang, are there many established fireplaces around China?" Lorcan asked. "We could go to all sorts of places now, can't we?"
"Not that much because only a handful of local wizards use this so the places to go are limited. Our first stop would be a normal sightseeing then tomorrow I would take you to more places and introduce to a few beasts that you would surely find interesting. For now, let's have an early breakfast."
As he walked out of the room, dozens of ingredients were flying in the air. Cleaver knives were chopping off vegetables precisely and noodles were being thrown in a huge wok, occasionally tossing itself while condiments flew and dropped the exact amount of liquid. A heavenly aroma circled in the air as the food was served in no time.
"Hey Lysa, come here and eat! Mr. Huang prepared us food." Lorcan called.
"I told you not to call me that. It makes me sound like a girl."
"Eat well and rest. In half an hour, we are heading out." Huang reminded.
The time was slower than usual, at least in the minds of the boys. They really wanted to get out and start their journey. Their patience has paid off and they held each others arms at the front of the fireplace. Huang stood before the boys and told them the place they needed to say, "I reckon that you are familiar with this. Now then, just say Tian Di Jiu Jia and just stay put until I appear."
Lysander thought that it was more reasonable to go first knowing that his brother would instantly roam around the minute he is left unsupervised. He stood in the fireplace and grabbed some powder and recited the place of destination. In a second, he was enveloped with green fire and has totally disappeared. Lorcan followed suit and did the same. Next was Huang who grabbed his own rucksack and went ahead to join with the boys.
They all reappeared in the back of a restaurant. Huang held their hands and guided them out. It was the first time they saw a grand teahouse. Women were walking around with long robes patterned with intricate designs of flowers to birds. The threads were seemingly alive as the embroidered in their clothing hopped and run around the stared at the butterfly embroidery flying around until it touched the threads of the was like the long dragon in the ceiling of Huang's house that followed them around. Some men wore shorter robes and funny looking hats that stretched upwards but the younger looking ones donned usual muggle clothing. They all seem to mind their own business and paid them no attention.
"Yingguoren! Ni xuyao shenme?!" the old lady from the far side of the bar called out. Not understanding what was just said, Lysander pointed at himself to confirm that he was the one spoken to. Huang approached the woman instead and started having a lengthy conversation.
"What do you think they are talking about?" Lysander asked."It seems like Mr. Huang has forgotten our presence."
"Don't worry about a thing. I'm sure it is just normal Chinese wizard business."
Huang returned a few minutes later with his face ashen but still keeping his poise. He took a chair and sat at the nearest table and the twins sat as well. The teacup in front of them was magically refilled with tea.
"Okay children, something bothering came up in the mountains. The important thing is to stay with me at all times and we should be able to do everything as we planned."
"You sure that is everything we need to know?" Lorcan exclaimed.
He was sharp for his age but for now his question was met with a smile and he knew that the conversation was already over. Lorcan and Lysander shrugged the heavy atmosphere and tightened the grips on their bags.
The first step outside dealt a big blow to their expectations. It was just as they imagined it to be, if not, then better. The newly risen sun shed light on the towering pillars of rock formation that were scattered towards the horizon. The clouds were almost at their reach and the cool breeze kissed their cheeks. The lush forest beneath and fresh air seemed to heal their weary minds that were packed from their classes back in Hogwarts.
"Come along, first we must take a trek down. Remember that on the other side of that mountain," Huang pointed. "is where the... what do you call them? Ah, right! Muggles! That is where they roam. We are going to go deeper so stay with me and things should be alright."
Climbing down a steep cliff was nothing like they have ever tried. It was a lot harder that what they anticipated. It was a good thing that they were wearing pants or else they would have a lot of small cuts in their legs. The bushes were becoming prominent and the trees towered above them. They finally made it down the cliff.
It was amazing how Huang could still go on when their legs almost felt like lead. The joyous galloping turned to dragging of feet. They were making unnecessary noise that even disturbed the chirping of insects.
"What is the matter? Are you tired from the warm up exercise we just had?" Huang teased.
"Warm up?" the twins said in unison.
"That was already a tough hike! If only I could ride my broom then I could have gone far already." Lorcan said nonchalantly. "It has already been two hours of walking and we still haven't met any remarkable beasts. All I've seen are lizards and dogs."
"Don't be like that! The one you saw earlier was a Chinese giant salamander and they are quite endangered. The wild dog you saw earlier looked like a pack leader with the way it stood its ground when you made so much noise with those troll feet of yours." Lysander muttered.
"Why are you so interested in normal animals anyway? If you'd ask me, even flobberworms and horklumps would keep me awake rather than your old boring animals."
"I dare you to say that again!" Lysander felt his temperature rising. It was perfectly understandable that he would find magical creature more fascinating but a complete disregard for the entirety of living things was an argument he won't back down.
"Cut it both of you and stay close. Something isn't right here." Huang whispered in a low voice.
A loud screech from behind caught all of them by surprise. They took a quick look and saw a crane that had white feathers, black feathers covering its head and wing tips with red streaks on its tail and eyes. They thought of why it was in the middle of the thick forest. Lorcan tried to grab hold grains from his bag while Lysander took out his sketchbook and drew the bird at amazing speed. But it was then that he noticed that it looked different. The crane only had one leg and at the top of its head was a crown that greatly resembled fire. Odd as the creature appeared to be, but it was the first magical beast in their journey. The bird tilted its head, trying to get a better look at the boys then it suddenly lifted its long beak and released a harsh grating cry.
"It isn't safe anymore, we must take our leave." Huang quickly pulled the two. "That right there is a Bifang. It won't eat the grains you are holding in your hand because the only thing it craves for is fire. An incident is sure to appear when they come out."
Perhaps it was just bad luck that their journey coincided with a soon to be a forest fire. True to the warning, a couple of the same birds rushed in and stopped at the same spot and all of them stared at the distance. From afar a growl was heard, then it turned into a fierce roar followed by screaming men. Huang immediately grabbed Lysander to a hiding spot but Lorcan already was halfway towards the top of the tree.
The sky grew dark as a huge beast blocked the sun. It was as big as he had imagined with its wide flapping wings beating in the air. The creature in front of him was none other than a dragon. It didn't matter that Lysander was hiding behind a rock, he could see the beast in all of its majestic glory. As if he was in a state of trance, the pencil in his hand started moving rapidly trying to recreate the image embedded in his eyes. They instantly hit the jackpot on their first day. With another deafening roar, it was clear that the dragon was none other than the...
Chinese Fireball.
Red as it can be, the Fireball's scales were the embodiment of fire itself. The huge wingspan was a sight to behold as it swayed trees with every flop. Its eyes glinted red with rage and the head, followed by a golden mane (which made it look more ferocious), was huge enough to swallow any animal in one go. The Chinese Fireball was surely not a creature to be messed with.
Huang knew that dragons were territorial and would attack anything that came within its boundaries but the TianZi mountain was not part of its natural habitat. Dragons do migrate from time to time but it was uncommon for the Fireball species since they are known to share with dragons of their same kind.
The dragon roared once again with more intensity. Small flaming spheres came out of its flaring nostrils followed by a huge ball of fire coming out from its mouth, directed to the ground. Though it was obvious, the reason why the dragon was named became clear to the twins. Men below ran in circles to avoid the fire. What came after was something Lorcan, who had a bird's eye view, didn't of light came from the tip of their wands. The words of the men were muffled but he could understand it just as well.
"Expulso!" a man casted a spell.
"Confringo!" followed by another.
Two blasts exploded in the face of the dragon. Neither of which resulted to any damage but instead, fueled the rage of the beast. It entered into a mindless frenzy, using its tail and sharp claws to nab any of the attacking wizards. One spell exploded point blank into the dragon's face causing it to lose its balance and fall to the ground. Ropes flew to subdue the monster but it lashed its head and went for a satisfying bite that caught nothing but air. Continuous spells were short but none had any effect against the strong scarlet scales.
"This is already taking too long! You blunderbrains should know that casting a fire spell doesn't work with dragons!I am already running out of patience..." A woman who had an English accent stepped out from the shadows and confronted the rampaging beast. "I'll end this quickly."
The atmosphere suddenly changed and the Fireball has felt the immense presence of the woman. It struggled with all its strength and once again flew in the air. The dragon blew its biggest fire and when it was about to hit its target, the woman lifted her wand and shouted, "Aqua Eructo!". A huge stream of water met with the fire blast which resulted to steam that blocked each other side's sight.
"What is happening? Why are they hurting the dragon?" Lysander held on to his sketchbook.
There was nothing but silence in the area. Even the Bifangs stopped eating the surrounding fire for a moment, trying to get a feel of the situation. The eerie silence was broken when a deafening roar followed by huge sets of sharp teeth emerged from the steam cloud. With its mouth open wide, ready to claim its dinner, the woman didn't flinch from where she was standing. She pointed her wand at the mouth and casts the spell that would decide her fate.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The Fireball's direction shifted ever so slightly, missing the woman by a hair's breadth. It crashed on one of the stone pillars and slumped its body lifelessly. The scales could pretty much withstand any spell thrown at it but the unforgivable killing curse was shot straight inside its body. No beast could survive against such an attack.
"Boss, you killed the dragon. The client would be furious!"
"It is a dragon carcass for crying out loud! There are many buyers who would want to buy parts of this monster. None of it goes to waste, you hear me?"
The men started their work.
Lysander shut his eyes. He knew what was coming next and decided to hug his knees wishing that everything was a dream. The next thing he knew was a sensation like a pull strong to his gut and he was back in the teahouse. Huang had apparated them both back.
"Keep still. I am going back for your brother."
Not less than a minute, Huang reappeared with his brother Lorcan by his side, complete opened his notebook and saw a half finished drawing of the Fireball in mid-flight. Tears trickled down his innocent cheeks as he finished the sketch in memory of the dragon. The old lady from earlier came with two mugs of hot cocoa. She must have known that they had a traumatic experience after a lengthy conversation with Huang. Reality was too much for their young minds to handle. The fantastic beasts they were so eager to study were hunted by people who wanted to make profit off of it.
That night, neither one of them had a wink of sleep.
Morning came and the two boys rose from their makeshift bed in the teahouse. Dark circles covered their eyes but that didn't prevent them from getting up. Lorcan wore his gear and looked at his brother.
"Well?"
"You know they told us that the area is forbidden. Mr. Huang explicitly told us to stay here until they got everything sorted out." Lysander said.
"Then it's either you stay here and mope around or come with me and go back to see what they did to the dragon."
Lysander stiffened his face and wore his gear. He also wanted to know what happened to the dragon. He knew that the poachers who killed the creature came from England based from their accent. His objective was to at least be familiarized with the face of the woman and tell his father all about her so that she would know what it feels like to be hunted by the Ministry of Magic.
The twins set off for another hike down the cliff but with the pent up fatigue and exhaustion held them back. It took them longer before they could return to the same spot. They expected at least investigators around but the place was totally deserted as if nothing happened the day before. Lysander held his temper but Lorcan was already fuming and stomping his feet.
There was no visible damage in the area. It was as if someone erased the evidence of a grand fight that resulted to the casualty of a great beast. It was downright unforgivable. Lysander approached his brother to make sure that he didn't imagine everything that transpired.
"What is happening? Is there really no one here?"
"Everything feels dodgy." Lorcan barked.
"Well, that dragon was considerably large so I assume that was a female. If so, there are bound to be eggs nearby. We better look for it to prove that a crime was committed here."
The twins searched the grounds for any clues but to no avail, they found nothing. They were about to head back to the teahouse until they heard voices coming from the east side. They laid down flat on their bellies trying to take a peek on the people arriving.
"How many times will you fail me?" the woman who killed the dragon walked out from a dark patch and walked in the exact spot of the crime. "I told you to clear the area yesterday, didn't I?"
Two bulky built wizards approached her and nodded.
"Then why is a local wizard coming after us? That man took a lot of my precious time last night. Do you know how hard it was to lose him?"
"The area was clear when I checked and even secured the location of the eggs." One of the wizards said.
"Yeah boss, I can vouch for him on that." The other added.
"Then where are my dragon eggs?! I want you to cover more ground. I'll search this area myself."
The two wizards ran away as soon as they could but the woman stayed. She scanned the area without giving any effort at all. The twins could clearly tell that she wasn't even trying and a few minutes later, she disappeared by apparition.
"Whew! That was a close call." Lorcan's tone was full of relief.
"It is not something we should be happy about. That criminal was right in front of us but we couldn't do anything. Maybe dad was right, we are just too young to be exploring on our own."
A ruffle in the nearby bush caught the young wizard's attention. He came near to inspect it and found a small crevice hidden behind. What caught his eye was an egg- not just any regular egg but a gigantic one at it. The shell was smooth and deep crimson red with gold freckles halfway down. He went down on his belly and tried to reach deeper but instead of touching an egg, his hands felt soft furry sensation instead.
"Lorcan stop! I hear something." Lysander warned his brother after hearing a small snarl from within and he was right. Lorcan yelped in pain and retracted his arm back only to pull out what seemed to be a creature just as small as a house elf biting tightly on his arm.
"Agggghhhh!Let go creature!" he grabbed his wand and pointed it at the wild boy. The moment he saw it, the bite was instantly released while he went for the egg from Lysander's arms. Lorcan saw the its movements and casted his spell.
"Reducto!" the spell hit the hiding hole and it collapsed. He jerked his torso and aimed at the creature. "Rictumsempra!"
It dodged at the last second and the spell hit his brother instead. Lysander was thrown off, rolling in the air the moment he got hit which caused him to lose the egg. Instantaneously, the egg was nabbed before it was thrown off. The beast stood on its fours and growled as deeply as it could. The egg was guarded from anyone who would take it.
Everything happened very quickly that the twins didn't notice that the boy's unique features. They certainly knew their beasts. Like how Centaurs are hybrid beasts that have striking resemblance of human features and Merpeople share the same body structure. Surprisingly, the beast in front of them was different from what they knew.
A small boy.
"What are you?" Lorcan tried to take a step forward, curiosity drawing him in. The boy's snarl grew and was now showcasing his canines.
"Pointed ears at the top of the head and a bushy tail..." Lysander flipped through the pages of his great grandfather's book and none of it matched. In addition, the boy was completely naked.
"You think this is a new beast? Why is it guarding the egg?"
Lysander observed the situation. They still need the egg. His brother's way of retrieving the egg proved to be of no use and it was his turn – and he already had a plan that would surely slightly backed away and sat down. The boy was still on his toes, not backing down a single inch.
"He looks like a guard dog from this angle." Lorcan joked. "And a small one at that."
"Shush! You are going to scare him away. Sit down, will you?"
"Why should I? The egg is right in front of us."
"In his eyes, you are no better than the wizards yesterday. He must've seen it all."
Lorcan did as his brother told. At the same time, the boy's snarl softened and went back to attending the laid down on top of it, never averting his gaze from the potential threat. Just when they thought that things have calmed down, they saw him on his toes once again. A wild dog stood proud and menacing. The boy and the twins already knew that they were surrounded. If they did nothing then they will be turned to dog food before the sun entirely sets.
One by one, four more dogs came out of the shadows and eyed their prize. Nothing would stand in between them and their meal but the boy stood up to the pack leader and growled back. They were sizing up each other and no one seemed to back down. Only varying barks and whimpers could be heard from the two.
"Are they having a conversation?"Lorcan asked.
"I am not entirely sure but whatever it is, things won't look good if they decide to attack."
The other dogs' attention shifted to the twins as they started to encircle them the atmosphere completely tense, one wrong strep could lead to a bad outcome. Lysander thought to himself but he didn't expect that it would become literal. As he stepped back, his foot snapped a twig that set things in motion.
Running out of patience, the pack leader pounced towards the mysterious boy who looked completely outmatched in size and strength. His size could have made him agile enough to avoid the incoming blow but he still had an egg to protect and so he stood his ground ready to receive the saw everything in slow motion with the boy being swiped in the face. The dog was now standing above him ready to deal the finishing blow.
"Stupefy!"Lorcan acted upon reflex.
The pack leader's body slumped beside the boy completely stunned. This lowered the morale of the pack which hesitated for a bit. Lorcan took it as an opportunity and held his brother's hand and dashed straight to the boy and the egg. He carried the miniscule creature in his shoulders and Lysander took the egg as desperately ran back to the safety of the teahouse.
"Lysa, hold on to that egg real tight!"
"Shut up and just run!"
Despite their current situation, they could only look at their new discovery and ask...
"What are you?"
A/N:
Hello there. The first time I've seen the movie, I knew I had to write one. Now here I am with the first chapter. Yay! This is my first story outside the anime/manga category so there are bound to be flowing issues which I would like to have corrected. Post a review to let me know what you think or if it is promising enough to be continued.
I hope you enjoyed the story...
Cheers!