4: Holiday Season Trouble

It was near christmas of their first year when most of the students got to get home, most of the students were excited. Diantha at least was, she was excited to see her father again, he must be longely, and it meant that their family would be together again. She still hoped that her eldest cousin had to work because she did not want to see him at all. "You sure you are alright staying here?" she asked Thalia who seemed to have no intention in leaving Hogwards anytime soon. "My parents are not home, both are busy on an investigation, my uncle is not very well, so I would be no use at home" Diantha remembered Thalia´s parents to be wonderful people, in first instance she had no reason to doubt that there could be family issues.

"Did something happen in the last years with your parents?" – "No not really, they just got very busy with work, I told you it is fine" – "I am definitly not alright in leaving you here for christmas by yourself, why do you not come along with me? Father would be more than happy to welcome you" – "Because I need a break of you" she stood, smiling. "Come on, your father needs you, it is just christmas" she closed the door. "I guess that is goodbye then" Diantha rolled her eyes, that girl could be so easy to read while it could be very difficult.

Thalia walked her way through the corridor, it was rather relaxed and calm, many had left and many were prepared to leave, only a few would be staying behind, including herself. "Newt" she called for him, seeing him leaving the grounds of Hogwarts. "Thalia, I thought you were gone- i mean that you would have left- Not for good... Just for the season, I mean-" – "i know what you mean and no, I am staying here for the holidays" his eyes widened in suprise. "I-I cannot imagine that, your parents-" – "Are on an investigation, seriously do not worry, I told the same to Danthia, I will be just fine, being here or being alone at home what is the difference?" – "Why will you not come with us?" she shook her head. "No, thank you both you and Diantha, but I made up clearly my mind."

Newt was definitly not okay with her being alone here, she was still very young. "Can I give you something then?" she followed his hand who went into his pocket of his coat. "Sure" she said doubtful, she truly trusted Newt and had believed that they developed a strange yet close friendship, but he was still odd in his own way. "Could you keep this for me?" he handed her an egg. "An egg?" she asked suprised, it was brewing trouble. "Something tells me that this is not an ordinary chicken egg" He oddly laughed. "No, it is a Occamy egg" – "Did you said that correct? A Occamy?!" Thalia asked in panic. "No need to panic, he will be no harm"

Thalia deeply sighed, she had a Occamy egg in her hand and would be all alone in Hogwarts for two weeks, how could she not panic. "Newton Scamander, why in Merlin´s name would you give me a Occamy egg?" she asked confused. Her fascination for Mystical Creatures was definitly not as empatizing as his or his cousin´s. "I want you to have it, it is hatching any time soon" – "Why is that a good thing? I do not even know much of it" she said dissapointed, while he seemed so excited. "I do not feel the comfort of leaving you here by yourself. Occamy´s are very agressive and protective, that way nobody will harm you"

Thalia was pretty sure that nobody would harm her, but if Newt want to protect her, than so be it, she was not going to complain. "Alright, what should I name it?" – "Whatever you feel comfortable with, it is yours, I mean ehm, if you want to keep it, if not it is fine, you know, I just want-" she sushed him down with her finger on his lips. "Alright then, thank you Newton, I will keep an eye on it" he pulled away her finger. "It is Newt, Thalia" she laughed, hearing Diantha coming near them. "Oh Newt did you convince her to come with us?" – "No, but she will be fine" he said, not mentioning what he just did.

Thalia said them goodbye and hoped they had a good holidays with their family, she would try to get some reading done, and babysittin an Occamy was definitly something new. "Now it is you and me" she whispered to the egg, she hoped it would hatch soon, she was not very good in talking to herself.

Later during that holiday Diantha´s family got together for christmas and once more she found her cousin without his brother, what was a plus point for her. "He is not coming?!" she asked excited, and he offered her a soft smile. "He is not coming, too busy with-" – "That is great!" she spoke, helping Newt with his luggage. "It does not feel the same without Thalia" – "You are quite attached" he observed. "Oh look who is speaking" she said offended, seeing them too many times talking by their own. "Does her family have problems?" – "Not that I know off... But GreenGrass is related to the Blacks, you never know what they might encounter" newt was suprised. "Oh Leta is also related to them" – "No hard feelings but it is said that the Lestrange as the crazy part of the family"

Newt could see where that came from, he was worried for her time to time, she got often wielded into black magic. "is Thalia interested in Dark magic?" – "Not really, she is very good at defense against dark arts, as I am in potions, as you are in spells, but I never saw her going dark wizard of time" she explained to him. "She is not Leta Newt" – "Leta is nothing like what you think" he tried to defend her. "Sure" she said unbelieving, it was not point in argueing at this point. "Help me with the turkey without any dark magic please" she teased her cousin who clearly did not get the joke.

Thalia spend most of her time in the library reading about wizards and places, she had to do something passing her time. "Thalia?" she heard a fellow Slytherin calling for her. "What?" – "There is someone to see you" she was suprised and immediatly ran to the door where she saw her homeroom teacher as a suprise, which turned into more of a dissapointment. "Should you not be at home?" – "I could ask the same of you" she shooked her head and closed the door of the library behind her. "No, my parents are on some invetigation" – "So I have heard, you seem close to the Scarmanders" – "Being close and being family are two different things" – "Well then if you are here, follow me" – "Where to?" she asked,running after him, leaving the things behind in the library.

Time passed by and another student in the room had hear some cracking noise for a while. "What is that?" she stood up and went to check where it came from. The student had long dark brown hair and dark eyes, she wore small glasses, almost dissapearing behind her bangs. She was a small second year student who had returned earlier due to some problems in the muggle world which we call Earth. "What is that?" she asked to herself. Quickly she found out that it came from the stuff that the Slytherin had left behind, removing the cloak from the chair she found an egg, moving, or in this case hatching. "What by Merlin´s beard is this?!"

Thalia opened the door and was suprised to find a Ravenclaw student touching her belongings. "Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?!" – "Oh nothing at all, there is just a egg hatching from your robe!" – "Oh my!" Thalia ran towards her, pulling the egg in her hands. Both of the students looked carefully at it and found a beautiful blue feather snake coming slowly out of it shells. "By Merlin´s beard what is this?" – "An Occamy, it is an Serepntine from the far east, it is an choronaptyxic, it means it will grow or shrink to its available space." She nodded. "the name is Mirian Obryne" – "Thalia GreenGrass, thank you for baby sitting my Serpent" – "I am pretty sure that is not legal in Hogwarts" she backed off from the creature. "Cannot help it, they gave it to me as a present" – "i will not tell, but I rather am curious how you plan in raising that in Hogwards, you are in my year right?" she nodded. "I am from the house of Slytherin, second year, you are from Ravenclaw if I am not mistaken" – "Yes I am, it seems we are the only ones here"

The two talked, it was not like they had anything else to do. "What do you plan to do with it?" – "Currently, letting its owner know that it hatched. I am clueless at this point" she looked at the restfull Occamy before she written down a letter to Newt. "Who gave you that int he first place?" – "Newt Scamander, he is a sixth year student" – "Hufflepuff right? I have heard stories and the fact that he gave you a creature is not strange to me at all, coming from him" – "Why so?" – "His mother was a breeder of Hippogriffs, he was basically raised around magical creatures, I bet that is his dream carreer, he is just spending time in Hogwarts due to obligation, because to be a Magizoolist you do not even need to graduate" – "Well it comes in handy, knowing what you actually do" – "True, but on that one Newt is not a bad wizard either, I heard he knows his stuff"

Thalia was suprised by how much she knew about him, and it made her like him even more, he was responsible in no matter what he did, except in giving her instructions to care for this creature. "A friend of mine, Diantha, is a second year too and his cousin" – "The troublemaker I have heard" – "So you have heard"she knew it. It was impossible for Diantha not to be known for something. "I have met her personally though, we had to do a group project, it was a interesting experience" – "With Diantha always, did you succeed?" – "We got a good grade, we passed, that is what matters" Thalia smiled, closing the envelope, writing down Newt´s name and address. "Ophelia?!" she called for hew Barn Owl who immedialy came in flying. "Deliver this to Newt will you?" the young wizard binded the letter to her small paws and saw her off flying from the window.

Mirian joined Thalia near the window, until the Owl was gone out of their sight. "Did you ever think how they get to the Muggle world? Like a secret passage?" – "That is a good question, maybe they just come out flying of Kingsroad in London?" – "That sounds supicious but it does explain the amount of birds near that station"

Near two days later Newt was quite busy with his creatures, having help from Diantha who was crazy about them too. "You know when we graduate let´s find a dragon" – "Those are illegal, and one of the most dangerous creatures to have in possesion" – "I won´t tell if you will not!" Diantha yelled excited. It was impossible for Newt not to smile in front of his excited cousin, one day she would be much of help for sure. "Incoming!" she yelled diving away from the window. Newt immediatly grabbed his wand, pointing at the broken window. "Immobulus!" by now it was an owl, freezed in the air. "Using magic world is not allowed Newt" – "I will not tell" he said concentrated.

Slowly he pulled the letter from the paw of the owl, trying to figure out who would write him. "That must be Ophelia, Newt I am going to tell Thalia that you froze her bird!" – "It is an owl" he moved his wand to unfreeze the incoming owl. "And nobody said about freezing" he walked away reading the letter. "Oh sure go ahead, walking away with a love letter from my friend!" but he did not even replied.

"Hi Newt, Merry christmas for you and Diantha and your family. The Occamy hatched, I called him Severus, I find it fitting for a Serpent. See you back at Hogwarts. Thalia~ " it did not said much but enough to make him worry. Did she know enough to raise the Occamy. He suddenly slapped his face, what was he thinking giving her an Occamy at Hogwarts it is completly illegal. "What does she say? Is she in trouble?!" Diantha said, preparing her wand. "What are you doing?" he asked confused. "Well we are going to apparate right? We have to save her!" she clearly was imagining a bigger picture. "You are not allowed to use magic in the muggle world" – "You just used it!" she flipped out by his lack of response. "It is just to wish us a merry christmas" he quickly changed the words with his wand. "What?" the young wizard pulled the paper out of his hands. "Oh" – "There you go"Newt called the owl upon his fingers who immediatly stood on his hand, looking at him. "I do hope your owner does not do anything stupid" he whispered in the ears of Ophelia who made a worrying noise.