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Chapter Three

But this Peeves would not listen; he spun through the air, his curly hair wild as corkscrewed, shrieking, "Werewolf in the castle! The murderer has brought a werewolf to the castle! Run! Run! RUN!"

Newt continued to shout, though I no longer heard his words. Because Peeves' echoed through my mind.

Murderer.

Newt was a… murderer?

I sat rigid in my chair, watching Peeves float away, disappearing from sight, his cackle echoing through the corridors. Newt ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it in agitation, before turning to me with a frown, apologizing with an uncomfortable shrug, "Don't listen to him. He's a nasty little bugger, that one. Poltergeist are fascinating creatures, but I've always found that one particularly horrid."

Offering him a discomfited smile, I waved a hand and complied weakly, "Seems horrid to me."

He grinned softly before positioning himself behind me once more. He began to push, noting conversationally, "Did you know the term poltergeist originated from-"

"Newt."

He paused at the solemnity in my voice and cleared his throat awkwardly, "Y-yes, V-Vivian?"

"He was lying, wasn't he?" I queried, cursing the way my voice trembled at the question. But if he was a… a killer, and I was alone with him, perhaps things were far more dangerous than I had anticipated. Maybe he had drugged me and none of this was real? Maybe he had kidnapped me and planned to kill me. Maybe-

"No," he replied firmly, stepping around from my back and kneeling before me. He reached for me, but thought better of himself and dropped his hands to his lap, clasping them together so firmly that his knuckles were a stark white. "It's not like that. N-not entirely. I never… no one ever died, though I did- my actions nearly cost someone their life, but I never meant for them to-to get so hurt. I never meant to harm anyone and neither did she. Or my creature. You must believe me. I-it's not at all what you think."

Who is she? Who is she and what was the creature? I wondered nervously, was it another werewolf, or… and what happened to this person? They might not have died, but-

"We-I brought something I shouldn't have into the castle and it was… mishandled," he admitted, staring at my feet sheepishly, his cheeks coloring to the shade of a beet root, "it wasn't a dangerous creature, per se. None of them are, really. But- a student, a fellow Hufflepuff no less, did nearly die because of it. I… I regret it, every day of my life. I do, truly."

"How did it happen?" I queried, curiosity overcoming the fear in my tone. Questions burned in my mind and I wanted to press him, though his answers were vague enough to tell me he didn't truly want to discuss it. "What kind of creature was it? Was it a… werewolf, like me?"

"No," he assured me, sending a rather charming grin my way, "you're the only werewolf I've met and by far my favorite."

Snorting, I rolled my eyes to the ceiling far above us and laughed, "I have to be, then, if I'm the only one you've met." He offered me a brilliant grin and, though I noticed he evaded my question, I trusted him enough to drop it for the moment. Instead, I commented, "Alright, so, another thing to know about this place; don't trust the poltergeist."

"Exactly," he grinned, hopping to his feet, lighter now than I wasn't rolling away from him in terror, "right, so where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

"You were taking me to the Great Hall," I replied; he made a soft noise in agreement and we carried on. Though I didn't allow my wariness to disappear completely - he had been far too vague with his tale and wanted to know the entirety of the story - I was relatively certain Newt was honest in his admittance that he hadn't meant to hurt anyone. Perhaps I could ask Dumbledore about the story, as it had happened there in the castle and the professor had been there for decades, apparently. He would know, and he would be less likely to dance around the question than the perpetrator himself. "Do you think we might run into a house elf?"

"We could just ask for one," he answered thoughtfully, "when we get to the Hall, I'll see if one might bring us something to eat. The kitchens are too far from here and I'd like to take you outside before dark."

A massive set of twin, oak doors stood before us before too long and I stared up at them in awe. How did anyone even push them open? They were tall and wide and probably weighed a ton, but a simple touch of Newt's hand and one swung open instantly.

Ah, magic.

I still wasn't used to the fact that it existed, let alone could be used for anything and everything, including changing the weight of an enormous door so even the smallest of the children attending the school could open it. I could probably open it, weak as I still was, without much fuss.

If the doors leading into the Great Hall were huge, the room itself was enormous. The ceiling was sweeping, the very top hidden from view as it was covered in a beautiful scene of blue sky and white, fluffy clouds. Arched, open windows lined the stone walls, and four, long tables sat straight along the length of the room. At the far end was another table, stretched horizontally across the wall with an elegant, eagle-shaped podium before it.

"Normally, banners are above the tables," Newt noted suddenly, startling me from my reverie, "one for each house, but since there are no students at present, they're not needed. But that would be Gryffindor, and next to it Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff's next and then Slytherin at the end. Slytherin and Gryffindor are always separated; those houses have the worst rivalry."

"It's amazing!" I exclaimed, eyeing the tables in wonder and wishing the banners were there for me to see, "I wonder what house I'd be in."

"Hufflepuff," he replied immediately, flushing when I turned to look up at him in amusement, "w-well, from what I know of you. You're k-kind a-and, and, erm, well… I just know. Certainly not Slytherin."

I recalled the description of the witches and wizards that belonged to that house and grinned to myself. No, I didn't think I would fit into Slytherin, either, and was grateful that Newt agreed. Quirking a brow, I pressed, "Not Gryffindor? Am I not smart enough to be a Ravenclaw?"

"That's- no, that's not what-"

"Newt, I'm teasing you," I replied, reaching around me and patting his hand, "I think you're right. I do believe I would fit well into Hufflepuff. I wish I was magical. I mean, when I was-," I didn't want to say normal, so as to not offend the certainly not normal wizard behind me, "wasn't a werewolf. I could've come here, gone to all of your wizarding classes with you."

"You would've done well here, I think," he agreed softly, wheeling me to the table he identified as Hufflepuff's and positioned me at the head of it. He took a seat on the bench beside me and grinned down at me. "What would you like to eat?"

"Anything," I replied laughingly, "preferably dessert."

He ducked his head and chortled, calling out tentatively, "H-hello? Erm, Dottie? Minnie? Are you still-"

A loud crack sent me jumping, and the sight of two tiny house elves had me gaping. One was smaller than the other, with brown eyes; the taller of the two had bright green eyes and bigger, floppier ears. The two of them nearly shrieked with joy as they stared up at Newt, the green-eyed one exclaiming, "Master Scamander! It's an honor to be seeing you here again! What can Dottie get for you and your mistress?"

"S-s-she's not, not um, my m-mi-mist-"

"Hello, there, Dottie," I saved the poor, stuttering man from any further struggle, "Minnie. I'm Vivian. It's nice to meet you. I've never met a house elf before. You're both quite adorable."

Minnie tugged bashfully at her ear and Dottie beamed brightly up at me, "Many, many thanks, Mistress! You is too, too kind! What can Dottie get for you? Just tell me and it's yours! Anything! Anything!"

Sharing an amused glance with a still flustered Newt, I replied hastily, "I'd like a tart, if it's not too much trouble. Lemon, if-"

Minnie snapped her fingers and in an instant, the table was filled with lemon tarts, several dozen of them, and I gaped at the massive amount of sweets, "Oh, Minnie, we can't possibly eat that many!"

She looked between us and then to the dessert, giggling sheepishly, "No, I guess not, Mistress Vivian."

Clicking her fingers together once again, leaving only four tarts, which was still far too many for Newt and I. I didn't have the heart to tell her as much, though, and thanked her profusely.

Dottie beamed and then rounded on Newt, "And for you, Master Scamander? Would you still be wanting the pumpkin pasties? You was always so fond of them!"

He nodded and in an instant, there were two dozen small, orange-colored treats interspersed among the tarts. Newt reached for one immediately and took a bite, a delighted groan escaping him; with his mouth full, he turned to Dottie and Minnie and grinned, "These are just as good as I remember them being! Thank you both. It's wonderful. Do you think you could get us some butterbe-"

Bottles of a golden-hued drink appeared before us and I examined it curiously, reaching for a lemon tart and wondering what exactly it was. The tart was delicious and I told them as much; the par tittered excitedly before bowing low and asking if they could help us any further.

"No, thank you," Newt smiled, "you two are as lovely as ever."

"I hope we see you again soon!" I waved at them before they disappeared with a crack, leaving us alone in the hall once more, "what's this? Butter-something?"

"Butterbeer," Newt supplied, taking a bottle and removing the cap for me, offering it to me as I embarrassingly reached the end of one whole tart myself, "it's quite good. You'll like it. I haven't had one for ages. Here, try it?"

It was sweet and tasty, like butterscotch, smooth and warm. I gestured toward one of the pasties and tipped my head to one side, "And those? Are those good, too?"

"Try one," he replied hastily, handing me one as he drank from his own bottle, "if you'll spare me some of that lemon tart."

Blushing, I gestured toward them and studied the pasty in my hand. It looked and smelled delightful, and was just as good as I had hoped when I bit into it. Grinning broadly, I laughed, "I love your wizarding food, Mr. Scamander."

"Wonderful, isn't it?" he questioned, "I haven't had any of these things in quite some time. After leaving Hogwarts, I began to travel, working on my book."

"Will I be in it?" I inquired, somewhat self-consciously, nibbling at the pasty and staring at the table, "you can study me, probably closer than those ones in the woods. You could make all your observations, maybe safer than out there, with them."

"I-, well, I must admit, I would like to," Newt replied, dropping his eyes sheepishly, "for educational purposes. People are so frightened of the creatures they don't understand; I want to show them, teach them, that they should not be afraid."

I would be afraid, Newt, I thought, chewing thoughtfully and sighing softly, I am afraid. And you will be, too, when I turn.

"When's the next full moon?" I inquired cautiously, finishing off the pastry and taking another sip of the butterbeer, "will I be ready, you think?"

"It's in a week," he replied, a sympathetic smile flitting across his face at my sudden panicked frown. He caught my hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't worry. I'll be with you every step of the way. You'll be ready, Vivian. I'll make sure of it."

A lump rose to my throat and tears pricked at my eyes, my voice raw with emotion as I smiled, "Thank you, Newt."

"Of course," he replied, snatching another pumpkin pasty from the table with a wink, "now, shall we visit the grounds?"

Nodding, I grabbed another tart and allowed the wizard to roll me out of the Great Hall and to the castle's entrance. Though I calmed some, I was still anxious for the full moon. I knew by the time it came, I would be a panicked mess, but with Newt's assurance, I take the next few days to prepare myself as best I could.

Though, I wasn't certain how prepared you could actually be for your first transformation as a werewolf…

If I thought the doors to the Great Hall were big, the ones at the castle's entrance dwarfed them completely. Intricate designs lined them and, when Newt pressed his hand to one, they began to move. I realized they were locks and his touch began to unlatch them.

Soon, the door swung open and the outside world was revealed to me once more. It had been days and I had never quite seen the world like I did now. The grass was greener, the sky bluer, the sun shining brighter than I had ever seen it before. I could see the forest clearly, though it was far off in the distance, and the glimmering lake at the far end of the grounds. I could hear every last bird chirp and tweet, the wind rustling through leaves far out of sight. I smelled things I couldn't name, let alone see in the immediate area.

It was incredible and overwhelming and Newt seemed to realize this, giving me a moment to take everything in. He remained silent at my back, resting a light hand on my shoulder until I reached up and covered his with my own. He let out a nervous chuckle, withdrawing his hand and querying gently, "Shall we?"

Nodding, I grinned as he wheeled me onto the grass, the trip far less bumpy than I expected. I had the feeling he had enchanted the chair to keep from making the trip too uncomfortable for me and my heart swelled in gratitude to the strange magizoologist.

We wandered far and wide, toward the groundskeeper's hut, empty for the summer until he returned for the fall semester. A field of wildflowers stretched behind it, toward the forest, and I admired the sight. We paused for a moment, and Newt dashed around the chair, toward the colorful patch. He stooped low, gathering a handful, before righting himself and rolling his shoulders. He rounded on me, face redder than ever, and offered them to me with a smile.

Taking them, I inhaled deeply, admiring the scent far more than I ever could have as my old human self. Newt's heart thumped loudly in his chest as he hopped slightly and positioned himself to push me along once more. Smiling to myself, I quirked a brow; maybe being a werewolf had its advantages.

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Lululillie: I hope you like this chapter! Sorry I couldn't get it out sooner!

.2017: thank you!