All The Colors Of The Rainbow

Disclaimer: All Fantastic Beasts names, characters and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing that you recognize.

Written for The Great 2021 Prompt Compendium
Prompt 19: use the prompt crayons to write about either Harry Potter or Newt Scamander

A/N: In case anyone is wondering, Newt is five in this story.


As far back as anyone could remember, Newt had always been an unusual child. He didn't like socializing with the other children, and whenever he was given an activity or a new toy to play with, he would always wander off by himself, carrying his plush niffler to a quiet spot where he could be alone.

When the holidays rolled around, Newt shied away from his relatives, preferring the corner behind the Christmas tree where he could avoid the other children and their parents. This time he wanted to be alone because he'd just been given a brand new coloring book and some crayons for Christmas. He was eager to explore the pages of his gift. But this could only be done in solitude, so he would have the peace and quiet he needed to concentrate on his artistic venture.

None of them really understood how important this was. This wasn't an ordinary coloring book. It was a coloring book filled with pictures of magical creatures. There were prancing puffskeins and adorable baby kneazles frolicking across the pages. Unicorns raced through flowering fields, stunning hippogriffs showed off their plumage, and bowtruckles that were busy scurrying across the trunks of trees.

Newt settled behind a mound of presents and wrapping paper, ducking out sight and sitting on the floor. The glittering lights shone down upon the pages of his coloring, his eyes widening as he marveled at the images on every page.

This would require careful consideration. Where should he start? Should he color one of the puffskeins first? Or should he try something a little more complex?

He slowly turned the pages, admiring each one before settling on a picture of a mother unicorn with her baby. The next several minutes were spent rearranging his crayons, placing them in order from red to orange, yellow, green and blue. Everything had to be just right before he could begin making his masterpiece.

He'd just finished selecting a green crayon when a little girl approached him. It wasn't until she sat down beside him and dumped his box of crayons on the floor that he finally looked at her.

"What're you doing?" Newt asked, trying his best to sound polite.

"Color," the four-year-old chirped, holding up some of his crayons. "Wanna color now."

His lips parted and he stared at her in silence, not knowing what to say. He wanted to let her color with him, but what if she made a mess? She'd already ruined his perfectly organized color system. That alone was making him feel anxious.

"No," Newt muttered, gathering the crayons that had spilled out onto the floor. He placed them back in the box, making sure everything was in order before turning his attention to the little girl. "Can you color inside the lines?"

Newt used his green crayon to carefully color the leaves and grass. "Like that. See? Inside the lines."

The girl had crammed her fingers in her mouth and was sucking on them. She never took her eyes off the coloring book while he spoke. After a while, Newt continued coloring. The little girl was watching him intently. She then picked out three different colors and started scribbling on the pages.

"No!" Newt said again, louder this time. Without thinking, he tugged on the crayons in her fist, taking two and leaving her with one. "Inside the lines," he repeated, pointing to the page and tapping it with each repetition. "Inside the lines. Inside the lines. Unicorn foals are supposed to be gold, not purple and pink. Inside the lines, please."

By now he was getting rather frustrated. He was practically begging her to follow his instructions. And yet the little girl used the gold crayon he had left her with to scribble all over the pages.

"No!" Newt whined, snatching the crayon out of her hand.

His patience was wearing thin. Why didn't anyone understand how important this was? The crayons had to be kept in order, the colors needed to be inside the lines. Everything had to be just right. These majestic creatures turned white once they reached adulthood, changing to silver in adolescence and begining their lives as gold. Didn't she know that? Didn't she understand?

Newt picked up his coloring book and crayons, carrying them into the kitchen where he hid beneath the table. It was quieter here, a nice secluded spot where he could be alone to finish his picture.

He spread his coloring book on the floor, frowning at the ugly scribbles that adorned the pages. It was a mess, an absolute disaster. This wasn't what unicorns were supposed to look like.

His lower lip trembled, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He didn't even realize what he was doing when the colors began to drain from the pages of his book, dripping and running like watercolor paints.

"Oh?" Newt blinked and looked at the pages in astonishment. What happened? Was he responsible for this?

He picked up his coloring book, allowing the remaining liquid to drip onto the floor. When the colors were gone, he was left when a clean, dry canvas. This left him feeling a little perplexed by the situation, but Newt didn't worry about it much. He simply picked up his crayons and continued working on his picture.