A/N: Prompts, as always, are displayed at the bottom.
Their Protector
AlwaysPadfoot
Newt walked fast through Knockturn Alley.
He could feel every uneven cobblestone under his feet. This alley always seemed to be colder than it's larger, less troublesome, counterpart. Newt wrapped his yellow scarf once around his neck to try and retain some warmth. That being said, he would willingly suffer a cold if it meant he got to those creatures faster.
He had been intending to retire for the night to his room in the Three Broomsticks when he heard whisperings in the booth behind him. Newt's head had cocked, discreetly casting a charm to overhear. His blood had run cold at the words he heard exchanged.
Hippogriffs, for sale, in the back room of Borgin and Burkes.
Not only was it illegal, but he hardly could imagine the back of a shoddy shop in Knockturn Alley offered adequate conditions for Hippogriff.
Newt knew almost immediately what he would do. That was why he was striding towards the aforementioned shop with no intention of leaving it until the illegally kept Hippogriffs were in his care. Briefcase gripped in his hand, he slipped down a narrow alleyway having to squeeze past a group of doddery old witches whispering to one another. They went quiet but Newt paid them no mind; he'd learnt the hard way not to acknowledge anyone in Knockturn Alley when he was just a teenager. He wasn't about to fall prey to this Alley once again; he had a focus.
The front window of Borgin and Burkes was illuminated. The dirty window cast a murky glow across the alley in front of the shop and Newt stepped up to the door, pushing it open without a second thought.
A tingle of the bell above his head announced his arrival. Nothing had changed since Newt's last and only visit to the shop. It was still dusty and badly lit, the shelves still filled with items that Newt knew better than to touch. Most of them were cursed with dark magic; the items that weren't would probably maim you in some way.
"Can I help you this evening, young sir?"
Newt's eyes moved to the grey-haired man that appeared behind the counter. He strode forward, held his hand out to the man. "Hello, Mr Borgin I presume. I'm looking for something in particular you see, something, well, I was wondering whether you could supply it to me."
Mr Borgin eyed him suspiciously; Newt's excitable energy often made people give him looks very similar. He'd long since gotten used to them.
"That depends what you're looking for, Mr…?"
"Scamander," Newt supplied.
He didn't much care who he made enemies of these days; Newt had gotten used to that too. Enemies were simply people that he didn't care much to think about once the moment had passed. Then suddenly Newt heard something, the mistake cry of a young Hippogriff. Mr Borgin had noticed Newt's head cock to the side at the sound.
"Any chance there's a baby Hippogriff in there?" Newt asked calmly.
"And if there is?"
"I'd very much like to see them."
The man didn't trust him because his hand twitched to his wand. That being said, when it came to magical creatures Newt would not lose. He was quicker, more determined. Borgin was on the floor stunned before he could wrap his fingers around his own wand. Newt's heart racing, he stepped over the old man and pushed back the curtain behind the counter. Following the sound of young Hippogriffs, Newt walked along the corridor. The quicker he worked, the less time there was for things to go wrong
One thing was for sure, Hippogriffs did not belong here.
Comps/Prompts:
Assignment 11. NW&W — Task #1: Incorporate the location of Borgin & Burkes into your story.
72Hr: Dialogue - "Any chance there's a baby Hippogriff in there?"
IHC: Word Count - 610 words
365: 188. Location - Knockturn Alley
Word Count: 610