Chapter Thirty-Five
"Accidental Arsonist"
April 29th, 1992
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Staring up at the looming castle in front of him, Newt sighed. As much as he loved Hogwarts and the few good memories it held for him from his youth, he rarely liked to actually visit. Most times that he'd needed to come back once he'd been expelled from school, had been under duplicitous invitation or out of necessity.
Today was a necessity.
He and Cassiopeia had spent months researching how to retrieve the cerberus from the school without Dumbledore's knowledge. Cassie had opted for ideas on how to lure Dumbledore away, but Newt was adamantly against manipulation, as it was a tactic that had been used on him far too many times in the past. He respected Dumbledore for the things he had done for their community; however, there was still a great deal of mistrust left between him and the man. Still, Newt was not the type of person to hold a grudge, and therefore, would not resort to playing the same cards that Dumbledore held in his own hands.
That left figuring out how to persuade Dumbledore that his actions were wrong. Cassie, along with the witches of the Black Coven Newt had had the pleasure of meeting, were all angry that Dumbledore was keeping secrets and endangering the students by keeping the cerberus inside the school. Newt, naturally, was concerned for the creature's well being. Cerberuses were known to be extremely large with a need for wide open space or, at the very least, a vast cave with various tunnels to dig around in. It was assumed that Rubeus Hagrid was taking care of the creature, and although Newt found the man's love of animals endearing, he worried that a lack of experience put Hagrid at a disadvantage.
The opportunity to speak to Dumbledore had presented itself, and Cassie had accompanied Newt to the castle. Lucretia Prewett had a scheduled appointment with Minerva at Hogwarts to set up a place for her class on Wizarding culture which was to be added to the curriculum the following autumn, but Lucretia still had to show both the board of governors and the Ministry that she had her things together prior to September first. A very determined individual, the woman had scheduled a set up as early as possible to try to prevent anyone from deterring her plans any longer.
Ahead of Newt and Cassie's arrival, Lucretia had been accompanied by Minerva, a few select members of the board, as well as the Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and a few Aurors that looked, to Newt, more like bodyguards.
He and Cassie watched from afar as the small group entered the castle.
"When we cross over, it'll alert Dumbledore," Cassie said. "That will give Lucretia a chance to get her plans set in motion without him intervening. This works out perfectly."
Newt sighed at the cat-like look of satisfaction on her face. "Don't eat the canary just yet," he said, clenching his fists in an effort to bring a little heat to his stiff knuckles. Even in the springtime, the weather of Scotland was hell on his joints. Dorset had not been much better, and he missed his home back in America—better yet, the humid little cottage he and Tina had temporarily lived in whilst working in South America—but it was still heaps better than dealing with MACUSA on a near-daily basis.
"Let me talk to him first. He was a man of reason once. Sort of," Newt said, feeling the way his face contorted a bit as he cringed. He wanted to say that Dumbledore owed him, but those words felt bitter on the tongue, and he would not let them pass his lips.
"Fine," Cassie agreed. "I'll fly about for a bit and see if he's got anything else visible from a bird's eye view."
He could feel her impatience rolling off of her in waves, but was relieved when she took her Animagus form, shifting into the beautiful snow owl and then taking flight. Newt watched as Cassie flew once above the Forbidden Forest, eyes set downward in investigation, eventually flying toward the castle and perching atop Gryffindor Tower with several brown owls belonging to the school.
By the time Newt reached the front doors, they were open, and Albus Dumbledore was standing in the archway. Both men smiled and greeted one another with a hug. Whatever Dumbledore might be now, or what he had been long ago, there was a time when Newt considered him a friend, and being confrontational with people he had favoured at any given time had never been one of his strengths. In the heat of battle or an argument, certainly, but that was something entirely different.
"Newt, my boy," Dumbledore said with a bright smile. "It's been too long."
"Hardly a boy," Newt said with a crooked grin, tugging on his own beard which paled in comparison to the length of Dumbledore's. "Do you have a moment?"
"Here on business?" Dumbledore asked as he turned, leading Newt into the school.
The castle never changed other than the occupants. Everything looked exactly as it had the last time Newt had been here, years ago and under much worse circumstances. "No business left for me, I'm afraid. Retired now. Just me, Tina, and a handful of kneazles." Just as he spoke, a bowtruckle peeked out from behind the scarf wrapped around his neck. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Newt added, "And a few little ones that are a bit too attached to be relocated."
They walked past the large set of staircases, and Newt smiled as he saw two Gryffindor boys make a leap from one moving staircase to the other, landing just in time to avoid imminent death. A Ravenclaw prefect scolded them both, while a group of Slytherin girls shook their heads in disapproval from the staircase above which the boys had vacated. At the bottom of the stairs, another prefect, a Hufflepuff, was consoling a little girl from his House who'd fallen and skinned her knee. Briefly tempted to stop and assist them, Newt halted only when he watched the boy heal the girl's wound with a gentle smile, putting his arm around her afterward to help stop her tears.
It was moments like this that he regretted sending his son to Ilvermorny, despite how wonderful the education Jacob received had been. Ilvermorny would never be as magical as Hogwarts, no matter what Tina said.
They walked in silence toward the headmaster's office, and Newt wondered if Dumbledore was giving him the time to reflect on his memories of the castle. They had not all been good, of course. Newt had not had many friends, and most teachers had a hard time dealing with him as well. Still, Newt appreciated the gesture, at least until they reached the stairs leading to Dumbledore's office. Newt's left knee ached when he climbed it, reminding him of a nasty curse he had taken in the leg during his time in the war against Grindelwald. A war he had all but been manipulated into joining, only to lose nearly everything dear to him in the end. Tina was all that remained of everyone he'd loved before Grindelwald's war. He tried not to blame Dumbledore for any of it, but could not help feeling hurt by inaction, even all these years later.
"Tea?" Dumbledore offered as he sat down in his chair.
"Please." Newt stopped before sitting to admire the phoenix perched on his stand near the desk. The bird was small, likely having had a burning day no more than a month earlier. All the feathers had grown in well, but they were extremely soft to the touch. Newt smiled as the bird leant into his hand, allowing him to scratch the back of its neck.
"You remember Fawkes," Dumbledore said.
Newt's smile faded as flashes of phoenix fire alongside Killing Curses flying overhead came to the forefront of his mind. "I do," he said and then quickly took his seat. "I hear Fawkes is not the only creature you're keeping in the castle."
Dumbledore's smile did not fade.
Newt was not surprised that he hadn't caught him off guard.
"You've made friends with the Black Coven, I see?"
"I've always been friendly with many of the families," Newt said, thinking of parties in his youth that Leta had invited him to when they were still very young. "And my wife has been a friend of Dorea Potter's for many years."
"How is Tina liking Dorset?" Dumbledore asked, changing the subject.
Newt sighed, feeling too old for these games. He honestly had no idea how Dumbledore did it, being years older than him. "Albus, why are you keeping a cerberus in this school?"
"Am I?"
"Albus. How is it fair to that creature to be cooped up in here? There's nowhere in this castle that could possibly accommodate its size without being a neglectful environment. And what's it eating? Where does it exercise? Does Hagrid take it on walks?" he asked, feeling his temper rise a bit. "I highly doubt it."
Dumbledore sighed, folding his hands in front of him. "The cerberus is, I'm afraid, a necessary evil at the moment."
"It's not evil," Newt said without thinking.
"I understand," Dumbledore replied with a placating tone. "If you understood what I am . . . I tried to get others involved to help, but . . . I'm trying to protect something. It's very precious, and only here temporarily."
"Like the students?" Newt asked. "Precious and temporary, that is. I hear the creature already bit one of your staff members."
"The corridor is forbidden to all."
"But not warded," Newt added. "Albus, I know you always think you have your reasons for the things that you do, but—"
"Something is coming, Newt."
"Something is always coming, Albus."
Dumbledore's smile faded completely, and he truly looked his age in that moment. "Madam Potter and I have very similar goals, you know. I want to keep this world safe. I want to keep Harry safe. But I also want to make sure that Voldemort can never return. There are steps needed to ensure that. Perhaps if you—"
"No," Newt said firmly. "I'm done with all that, and you, better than most, know why. Fight your wars, kill your Dark Lords, but I'll have nothing to do with it. I'm here about the creature, nothing more."
There was a long moment of silence, and Newt wondered if Albus was just regarding him or attempting Legilimency. Years spent in Queenie's company had helped Newt develop an iron thick wall of Occlumency, so he was not worried, but he could no longer feel when someone was even attempting it.
"Have you met Harry?"
Newt leant forward, putting his head in his hands. Cassie had warned him. Tina had warned him. Dumbledore could not be reasoned with when anything interfered with his own machinations. "Thank you for giving me the possibility to visit, Albus." He stood up slowly, adjusting his robes and scarf, making sure his travelling bowtruckle was snug and warm. "It's always nice to see the castle."
As he turned to leave, Dumbledore said, "It's not that we seek out the wars to fight, Newt. But wars happen, and innocent people are pulled under regardless of whether or not they want anything to do with it."
"Innocent," Newt repeated as he turned around and made eye contact with the man. "Albus, they are alive. Living, breathing animals—humans and creatures." His gaze fell on Fawkes, smiling sadly when the bird chirped at him. "Remember that we all can't come back to life once your actions set us on fire."
Cassie flew around the castle a few times once Newt had vanished from her sight. Eventually, when nothing interesting could be seen, she flew into the owlery to have a look around. All she found there was a pair of Hufflepuffs snogging in a corner with all the owls looking bored or uncomfortable by the display. Then again, this might have also been due to the two students standing in one of the nests on the floor.
Taking flight once more, Cassie looked out across the Black Lake, over the vast expanse of the forest, and at the hints of the Hogsmeade village beyond. Had it been a normal day without coven business, she might've stopped in and paid a visit to Aberforth, who was currently dodging her owls and fire-calls, the relentless tease.
With a handful of other owls, she flew in through a large open window and into the Great Hall. Unlike the other birds who were there to drop off some packages, Cassie landed on the Gryffindor table near a small gathering of young boys who were sitting at the end with a mixture of biscuits and books spread out in front of them.
"We're revising," Harry said, looking at her with an intense expression, as though she would shift back into human form instantly and accuse him of mischief.
She had, of course, heard about the fight with the Slytherin boys on the Quidditch pitch. Minerva fire-called late that night to inform Sirius and Dorea, and both had been in a strop about it until Remus intervened with the notion that it seemed Harry might've provoked the boys on purpose, seeing as he had not fought back.
Dorea had still been upset that Harry needed yet another trip to the hospital wing, and all but threatened to pull him from Hogwarts and send him to Ilvermorny, but Sirius eventually caved and started laughing, calling Harry a brilliant boy, if a bit mental.
"Are you talking to that owl, Harry?" another boy with a thick brogue asked.
"Don't be ridiculous."
Neville looked up, meeting Cassie's gaze, and choked on a mouthful of biscuits.
"What a pretty bird."
Cassie tilted her head to the side as a small group of Slytherins approached, all led by the two girls that had attended the Yule party. Looking down, she spotted the little orange kneazle trailing behind, along with another fluffy cat.
"Is it yours, Harry?" the curly-haired witch asked.
"No!" Harry said loudly, as though he were being accused of something.
Offended, Cassie let out a little bark and snapped in his direction.
All of the Slytherins looked at him like he was insane.
"Okay," the girl muttered carefully as she eyed the other Gryffindor boys. "Well, I'd just been up to the library and Madam Pince said—Oh! You do have it!' She reached forward, snatching a book from the table. "Are you finished with this? It's the only one I haven't been able to get notes on that's not in the Restricted Section."
"For you, Granger," the Irish boy said with a grin and a wink, "anything."
All the boys glared at him, and the little girl scrunched up her nose in disgust before setting the book back down. "I can wait."
Harry sighed. "Hermione, take the book. I barely understand it anyway. My head's completely full of everything I've read, and it's all jumbled together. Exams are going to be a bloody nightmare." He paused, turned, and looked at Cassie. "I mean . . . they'll be fine. I'll ace them all. Everything is fine. Thanks."
The two other Slytherin girls whispered together, giggling a bit under their breaths. The boy in green robes at their side was staring at Harry with a confused look. The other girl, Hermione, stepped forward and put her hand on Harry's forehead. "Are you all right?"
He shrugged her off and scrubbed his hands down his face. "M'fine."
Giving the boy a break, and now thoroughly amused, Cassie spread her wings and took flight once more, leaving the children to their revising.
She left through a high window in the back, circling the castle to see that Newt was already outside. Dumbledore nowhere in sight. Instead, the man was surrounded by Lucretia and the people who had accompanied her. Cassie perched on the branch of a nearby tree, watching as Lucretia stared daggers at the short witch in front of her who carried a clipboard and was making notes.
"Of course we're going to allow the Muggle-borns to attend," Lucretia said. "This class is mostly for them and the children who were raised in families that aren't privy or don't often celebrate our culture."
"Well, it's just my opinion Mrs Prewett, but I just don't think that Muggle-borns have the capacity to truly understand the complexity of—"
An extremely loud yelp of pain echoed across the grounds, and everyone turned their heads in the direction of the noise. The humans below squinted to see, but Cassie saw all too clearly. Just across the way, near the edge of the forest, the roof of Hagrid's hut was on fire.
Newt took off at a speed that seemed unlikely for his age, and the Aurors were quick to follow just ahead of the others. Cassie flew quickly toward the hut, hoping to assist if she could. Hagrid was a good sort, even if Dorea still held a bit of a grudge. It was no secret that the man blindly followed Dumbledore, much to his own detriment, but Enid had taken a shine to the bloke, and Cassie wasn't just going to let him burn to death because he was Dumbledore's pet.
Landing on her feet as a witch, Cassie removed her wand from the holster on her thigh and cast a spout of water at the top of the hut, doing her best to extinguish the flames.
Hagrid flew out the front door, choking for air as he collapsed to the ground. One large hand rubbed at his eyes, watery and red from the smoke inside. The other hand was clutched to his chest, his large coat pulled tight.
"Can you breathe?" Cassie asked, watching with intrigue as a green tail moved around from beneath the fabric. "Oh, that's not going to end well."
The Aurors, having outrun Newt in the end, arrived and did their best to put out the rest of the fire. One went inside to check for other survivors and potential damage. A large boarhound sat on the front porch, sleepy-eyed and looking barely affected by the commotion.
"Hagrid, are you all right?" Newt bent down, checking the man over. "What's—? Oh, Hagrid."
"Don't let 'em see," Hagrid cried, holding both arms to his chest.
"Cassie," Lucretia greeted as she approached with the members of the board, all looking with concern at the smoking hut and the man on the ground. "Out for a stroll?"
"Was visiting Aberforth," Cassie lied, mostly for the benefit of the other witch that joined them. "Saw the fire."
"All the way from Hogsmeade?" the witch wearing a pink bow in her hair asked in disbelief.
Grinning at her, Cassie held out a hand. "I don't believe we've met. Cassiopeia Black."
The woman blinked a few times in shock, and then cleared her throat. "Oh, umm, I am Dolores Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister for—"
"Feeling better there, Hagrid?" Cassie asked, cutting Umbridge off. She knew of the woman, of course. Anyone who stepped foot in the Ministry either saw the witch making a show, bragging about her station, or following Fudge around like a dog that was trying to take over control of the leash.
"I'll be jus' fine," Hagrid said gruffly, allowing Newt to help him to his feet. With his left arm still holding his coat closed, he had little stability and lost his balance, reaching out with his right arm to hold onto something.
Umbridge, nearest him, let out a shriek of "Don't touch me!" before jumping away, allowing Hagrid to fall back to the ground.
Despite the fact that Newt rushed to stop it from happening, Hagrid's coat opened up on the impact, and a large baby dragon rolled out onto the ground, spinning around at the circle of humans and hissing. Before Hagrid could offer an explanation or Newt could reach the little beast in time to work that famous magic he was known for, the little thing opened its mouth and growled in Umbridge's direction. A small ball of fire sizzled at the tip of its tongue, flicking out and catching the hem of Umbridge's robe on fire.
"Norbert, no!" Hagrid cried.
"Shit," Cassie groaned as Umbridge began wailing in terror.
After the board left Hogwarts, Cassie, Lucretia, and Newt had stayed behind, greeting Minerva and updating her on the situation. Dumbledore had come outside as well, surrounded by several of the other teachers. Madam Pomfrey loudly argued with the Aurors and Umbridge in order to attend to a severe burn on Hagrid's arm, but none—not even Dumbledore—were able to sway them from arresting Hagrid. Not only was he in possession of a smuggled baby dragon, but he had "allowed" it to attack a Ministry official. Umbridge said repeatedly that she was pressing charges, as though anyone but the Aurors needed to know.
As much as they wanted to assist the poor man, Newt, who had helped to draft most laws in Britain that protected dragons, informed them that there were no loopholes. Still, Lucretia sent a quick owl off to Cedrella, saying that she had a great idea but wanted another opinion on the matter.
"Minerva," Dumbledore said, looking morose as Hagrid was taken away by the Aurors, "I'll be accompanying him to the Ministry."
"He'll be going straight to Azkaban," Umbridge said with a huff, looking down at her singed robes, which she had yet to even bother trying to magically repair, likely in hopes of sympathy. "He'll sit in a cell there, properly guarded."
"Azkaban?" Lucretia asked, looking horrified. "There's no need for that. I know that the Ministry has holding cells for people awaiting trial."
Umbridge opened her mouth, looking as though she might protest having a trial entirely, but both Cassie and Lucretia took a step toward her. Clouds gathered overhead, and a dangerous rumble of thunder sounded above them. Umbridge shut her mouth with a click of her jaw before stiffly nodding her head.
"I'll take care of this," Dumbledore said, looking down at Umbridge with—what Cassie could only imagine since his facial expressions rarely shifted—disdain. "Minerva, I trust that the castle and its occupants will be well cared for in my brief absence. I'll return as swiftly as I can."
The moment that Dumbledore Disapparated at the edge of the grounds, followed immediately by Umbridge, Cassie turned and looked at Minerva. "Now's our chance."
Minerva sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, turning back to look at several of the other staff members that had accompanied her outside. "It's not something I'm glad to do, but Albus's brief absence will give us all a chance to remove that dog of his from this school. I don't care what he's bothering to protect. I will not be an accessory to whatever might happen should it be let loose. It's our job to keep those children safe when they are here."
Filius nodded his head. "How can we help?"
"The students should be secured in their common rooms for the time being," Snape interjected, folding his arms across his chest. "And not to be left in the hands of the prefects. Each Head of House should make sure everyone is accounted for before we meet back up to find the monster."
"It's not a monster," Newt said from below where he was kneeling on the grass, letting Hagrid's baby dragon nuzzle his fingers from within the cage that he'd been secured in. "Just an innocent creature."
"That innocent creature bit me last Halloween," Snape said, scowling down.
Looking up, completely unperturbed by the surly professor, Newt gave a half-hearted smile. "Cassiopeia and I have been working together to safely remove the cerberus from the school. We know how to handle it. Though, I do agree that no student should be left out in the corridors. If it gets startled in any way, there's no telling what it may do or who it would attack out of fear or defence of itself. If it's secured like we've been told, then we should have no problem collecting it. If something should go awry, though . . ."
"I'll go round up my lot," Pomona said, picking up her robes and turning on her heel. "Should we meet you all back in the Great Hall once the students are secure?"
Minerva nodded, turning her attention to Newt and Cassie. "Once the four of us confirm that the students are accounted for, we'll join the two of you on the third floor."
"What should I do?" Lucretia asked.
Sighing, Cassie flicked her wand at her heels, transfiguring them into a sturdier boot since she had a feeling she needed a good footing with whatever was going to happen next. "The others should be told about what's happened. Maybe someone can go to the Ministry on Hagrid's behalf. Stall Dumbledore there."
"I'll pick up Cedrella and Enid," Lucretia said, pushing her shoulders back with determination. "I think I know how to help Hagrid, but Cedrella's influence certainly wouldn't hurt. And I have a feeling Enid could cause enough of a stir at the Ministry to delay any proceedings. That should give you some time." Glancing down, she smirked at the baby dragon. "Poor thing. What will we do with him?"
"Her," Newt corrected as he stood up. "I'll arrange for a reserve to collect her. She'll grow up safe and happy with her own kind."
"Right then," Lucretia said with a stiff nod. "Not exactly how I wanted this day to go, but progress nonetheless."
When Newt and Cassie entered the school, the students were all being led off to their respective common rooms. Several Hufflepuffs stopped, staring up with wide gazes of recognition at the sight of Newt, and Pomona sighed in frustration as she stumbled into the group that had stopped walking.
"Mr Scamander is assisting us with a small infestation, off with you lot, go on," she said.
Newt smiled at the children. "It will be safe inside your rooms. Listen to Professor Sprout, please."
Not a Ravenclaw was in sight, their tower on the other side of the castle, but the Gryffindors were noisily rushing up the stairs, and the Slytherins filing down toward the dungeon.
Cassie spotted both Neville and Harry on the stairs, the boys turning back to give her a questioning glance. She pointed her index finger at them in silent command to follow the others. Both looked nervous, or annoyed, possibly both, but they obeyed regardless.
Draco and Cassius Warrington approached her then, several other young Slytherins in tow, including the group that Cassie had seen at the Gryffindor table earlier.
"Should we know anything?" Draco asked.
"No," Cassie replied. "We've got it handled. Just stay in your rooms until you're told." She looked at Cassius and narrowed her eyes at his prefect badge. "Do you understand?"
The boy nodded, putting his hand on Draco's shoulder and turned. "No stopping," he said. "You heard Professor Snape. Straight to the dungeons and report to a prefect if you notice anyone missing."
"Shoo," Cassie told the orange kneazle looking up at her. The cat narrowed its eyes before darting off after its little witch.
Newt reached into his pockets, which looked much deeper than they obviously were. Up to his elbow in them, he squinted his eyes in concentration.
"Dare I ask?"
"I used to keep a flute on hand. Cerberuses fall asleep to music."
Grinning, Cassie nodded in approval. "Well done. I mean, that is, if you can find the bloody thing. I'm not much of a singer."
As Newt began to empty his pockets onto the floor, Cassie chuckled at the contents. Several potion phials, a container of murky gelatin-like substance, a very large bone, and a collection of what looked like cat toys were all piled at the man's feet.
Glancing up to see the last of the Slytherins walk toward the dungeon, Cassie noticed one that looked familiar. With Newt distracted, she approached the boy with a sweet smile. "Pardon me, young man. You wouldn't happen to be Aurelius Flint's boy, would you?"
Looking suspicious but polite enough, the boy nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, Aurelius was always such a lovely man," she said, extending her hand. When the boy took it, she stepped forward. "I'm Cassiopeia Black."
At the recognition of her name, the boy tried to pull his hand away.
She kept him in a firm grip as she stepped forward, leaning toward him to whisper in his ear. "And if you or your little friends put one more hair out of place on any of my nephews' heads again, I'll sew whatever's left of your skin when I'm done with you into pocketbooks and feed your bones to my kneazles. Have I made myself perfectly clear, little boy?"
She could taste the fear in the air, which left the skin on her arms covered in delightful shivers. Dorea had always been thought of as the intimidating one. She had been Head Girl at Hogwarts and ran off with a Gryffindor long before she ever had the blood of a dragon. She was ruthless in her rules and unpredictable. Cassie had always just looked pretty. But Cassie had been the older sister, and their parents did little in the way of raising them other than to insist they be proper young ladies.
No one ever questioned where Dorea had learnt to be ruthless.
"I believe I asked you a question."
The Flint boy stared up at her with wide eyes. He looked angry but more frightened than anything else, which was a very pleasing sight. He gave a quick nod of the head, and Cassie smiled brightly, using her free hand to brush the fringe from his forehead.
"So good to know that you'll be behaving yourself and also keeping your friends in line." She kissed his forehead, feeling a little thrill as he flinched. She watched as his friends looked on in horror as the lipstick print she left behind on him faded into his skin. The moment she let his hand go, he and his friends darted to the dungeons as fast as possible.
Newt looked up at her from the ground, where he was attempting to put everything back into his pockets. "Did you curse that boy?"
"Only a little one." She took her wand from its holster and cast a Cleansing Charm on her hands, pocketing the wand and then rubbing her palms together. If the Flint boy touched Harry again, Cassie would be alerted. It wasn't a very strong spell, and most grown wizards would be able to throw it off, but she hoped that the fear in him would be enough to do the trick. "I detest people who think they can hurt others just because they're smaller."
Looking worried but amused, Newt stood back up with a small flute in his hand. "I heard Harry handled himself well, in the end, at least."
"And now he won't need to. He can focus on his exams, just like my sister wants him to."
Shaking his head, Newt turned toward the now empty staircase. "I don't think I'll ever get used to coven witches."
Cassie followed after him, retrieving her wand once more. "Darling, you adore us. We're more like your loveable beasts than you give us credit for."
Chuckling softly, Newt muttered, "That's the concerning part."