I'm not dead I swear. My brain has been giving me issues with motivation but I've been on a Harry Potter binge. We'll just pretend I don't have a thesis I should be writing instead... But I hope you enjoy it! I don't know when I'll try getting back into other things like Doctor Who or Marvel (I've started another fanfic for this too but shhh) but I am still writing.

I encourage you to go to the Discord (discord. gg /nJZ3Ddy9R6) if you want to see what I'm up to or what documents I haven't published yet. I have about 14 chapters of this that I'll be updating here every so often. Oh! And a friend of mine has started to upload my fanfics to AO3. I wanted to expand my readership and because my brain refuses to try and figure out AO3 my friend offered. So thanks, Sammay for doing that :)

And this is more OC-centric which I don't usually do and am honestly surprised that I am still plowing through this when it's a lot of non-plot stuff. Let me know what you think though. It's nice to hear from people.

Graduating from Hogwarts was always a big celebration that all its students looked forward to. The End of Year feast accompanied the joy of their final exams being over, pressing a sense of fulfillment into every one of them when they finally walked out of those doors for the last time. It was a bittersweet experience. Everyone loved the castle and all its secrets but life moved on and so must they.

Each student had a few options after that. Most were handed job offers that corresponded to their Newt and Owl scores in various subjects. The others returned home to see family or start their own, merging back into the Muggle world or wizarding world as if they never left. Those Muggle-born had their own choices, of course. They could shift into being more magic oriented or generally hide it away unless the urge to be lazy or have a bit of fun crept in.

Then, there were people like me.

I was a Half-Blood with a Muggle mother and a wizard father. My father had died during the early war with Voldemort and my mother never bothered to assume that magic would return to her life when she had me. She wanted nothing to do with it but wouldn't stop me from getting involved, and what naïve eleven-year-old would say no to magic? So, I left that first year and returned home to discover that she'd passed away in a car accident.

Becoming newly orphaned was a hard hit but the following year the same Hogwarts letter came and I welcomed the distraction, throwing myself into my studies as any Ravenclaw would. Hogwarts became my home after that, far more than the orphanage I was left in with my mother's passing. So, when graduation came around, I didn't know where to go. I was removed from the orphanage for being too old and legally an adult, and while my friends had gotten offers of employment in the Ministry, I hadn't gotten much of anything. My mother's abrupt absence had affected my grades too much to be more than just a below-average wizard.

This left me with a decision to make. Did I wish to try and struggle through Muggle employment with whatever support the orphanage and government would provide; hiding my magic abilities unless alone at a place that would be my home? Or did I attempt to make my way through the wizarding world with the bare minimum of qualifications, hoping I had enough skill to be useful to someone and make a living?

Any sane person would probably choose the former. It offered a more secure place in a society that was oblivious to things like the ongoing wizarding war or the magic hiding under their noses. However, magic was all I had and I didn't want to lose it so I snatched the first job offer I could find, moving to Scotland to join a group of other potential apprentices—of which there were just three of us—to try and appease a man who worked with magical creatures.

It was hard and highly dangerous. We were interviewed initially and then given chores with zero interaction with the creatures. We had to earn the owner's trust before he'd even let us see where they were kept, leaving us to do mundane chores like preparing food for them or dealing with the normal animals he cared for that would be food for the creatures. He also often quizzed us about random ones, expecting us to know things we were never taught about or creatures we never heard of.

The other two potentials left before seeing a single Beast. One was angry about doing regular chores with not even a glimpse of a creature, angrily claiming the owner didn't even have any and was using us as cheap labor. The other said they found a better job opportunity and didn't like animals anyway. They'd just taken something for a bit of cash. This meant I was alone with my work being even harder as I now had to do theirs as well, on top of studying any book or hint of magical creatures as I could.

It was truthfully a peaceful job for me though. I didn't mind the threat of getting kicked or attacked by a bull and enjoyed doing the tasks by hand—something the owner forced on us as well under the claims that many of his creatures were aggressive around wands. The hard work got me in shape and allowed me a safe stress reliever. The creatures—as mundane as they were—enjoyed my calm, quiet nature and grew comfortable with my presence enough so that I was able to study while I worked without concern.

The studying itself was even fun. I had plowed through a list of known magical creatures (Beasts, Beings, and Spirits) quickly and dove into further studies. Myths from various countries that could be potential creatures, the uses of creatures in potions and medicines and wand-making, and forms of containment, taming, and control. This sent me on a deep dive into runic magic, which was used for containing creatures as well as restraining them. There was never much about these aspects but runes were somewhat well-studied and I wanted to see what I could do.

At this point though, the owner had decided one last thing would be required of me before he would take me on as an apprentice and show me the creatures. It was, of course, handling one of the more dangerous ones and how I would go about it. Dealing with creatures was dangerous and if I didn't have what it takes to step into a cage with a dragon or an injured and angry hippogriff, then I wouldn't be of much help. If I handled it poorly as well, it was just labeling me as a danger to myself, the creature, and others.

That being said, with all the studying I had done and my own calm nature, I passed his test with flying colors and only a few bumps and scrapes. The owner was impressed and given time I was not only allowed to see the animals but handle them and assist him in doing things only he'd been able to do. When he saw my studies himself, he only further encouraged me and the two of us became more of a family than a boss and employee, or a master and apprentice.

Abraham Augustus Magnus became my teacher, my family, and my friend. He taught me everything about creatures from handling them to restraining them to healing them. He showed me tricks to catch them and helped me through what potions would help or hinder each one. He allowed me to get what was needed to create goods from them as well, so long as they weren't harmed. Unlike other wizards, he respected them and treated them well. It forced him to hide some of them away from others but after some time I even got to see them as well.

With his help, I was able to learn more about runes too. I found the best way to make them and what materials worked well for what I would need. I was able to create goods for sale to other wizards as well as start to work up a way to better help him handle the creatures. He was well versed in tricks of the trade and potions, but when it came to spell work, he struggled, and restraining creatures without proper magical items or spells often led to injuries. Runes were the solution…if I could create the correct sequence using the right runic words and apply it to a material.

He was never a fan of using such things though—other than the halters I created for more rowdy hippogriffs—so I turned some of my attention to an alternative: legilimency. It was never something I really looked into, back at Hogwarts but Magnus had noticed something about me that I didn't. I was almost eerily attuned to his emotions as well as other wizards. I knew when a sale would turn potentially poor and given how he read the actions of creatures well, it wasn't hard for him to notice my small movements too. This brought up the question though, would legilimency work on magical creatures?

There were no real answers to this mainly because no one had tried. Wizards rarely dealt with creatures and assumed the worst of them. Why bother trying to understand them through legilimency then? Magnus thought of that as an annoying fault of the wizarding community and took my apparent skills in legilimency as an opportunity to test that theory out. It came with mixed results and I couldn't be certain if what I thought I was feeling, as I looked into the eyes of a dangerous wampus cat, was just what I saw and assumed based on body language and what I knew of the creature, or if it was its actual emotions.

More tests were required, and so I began to juggle everything from apprentice duties of caring for the creatures to studying and creating runic magic to testing my legilimency with any creature I could get to maintain eye contact without losing a limb. There was only one thing Magnus warned me about through this whole process, and that was to never let anyone know about my studies.

Being able to control a creature with one's mind or with a simple toss of rune-carved stones was unheard of, and if proven true, would undoubtedly put the attention of dark wizards on me; especially with the Dark Lord having been defeated while I was hiding away with Magnus and the constant rumors of his return. His followers would give anything for more power and that sort of skill could easily turn any war in their favor. This meant I had to be careful about what I said and who I spoke with. Normally Magnus handled all the transactions with shop clerks in Diagon and Knockturn Alley, but with our growing trust, he left it to me sometimes. That, and by diving into runes, I was able to toy around with materials and create objects for sale myself.

Not just things for magical creatures either. While I did make self-cleaning owl cages, hippogriff halters, and durable magical creature products like dragon hide gloves that were fire-resistant I also made more practical items for everyday usage. Non-stick pans, fire stones to start campfires, water-resistant shoes and cloaks. Anything I could think of that runes could provide while also learning how to work leather, sew cloth, and forge metals. Runes were very particular as well. Their effects depended on the material used to create them. Some were more effective than others; usually, stone, bones, hide, and wood. Then, I had the option of adding my own magic into the runes or leaving them empty for others to fill after purchase.

Runes became a never-ending source of entertainment and knowledge for me and coupled with my experiments using legilimency and I finally felt as though I had a proper purpose. Things had been going well and every time I made progress I was eager to share it with Magnus who enjoyed it just as much as I did. It made his job easier, after all, and I yearned for the praise from my make-shift father figure. After almost a decade though, something changed.

Magnus became a little more on edge after a trip into town to sell things. I had stayed behind because I was finally making progress on the legilimency side of things and just handed him some things to sell in the alleys. When he came back though, there was a nervousness in the air. The creatures sensed it too and started acting up a bit. I assumed it was because of a storm coming in but I shouldn't have ignored the signs. I had finally managed to communicate with a cornish pixie using legilimency—though I didn't get much as far as actual words, just was able to encourage actions from it—when there was a loud rumble from outside my work shed.

I assumed it was thunder. Rain had already started coming down hours ago but I got up to go find Magnus anyway. I pulled the hood of my cloak up to protect myself against the rain and started to head toward our home when there was a flash. I jumped, concerned about the lightning except there was another flash and it was blood red. The color drained from my face as I shoved my hand into my pocket and rushed for where the spells were going off, hoping I would find Magnus and figure out what we were going to do about the sudden trespassers.

I rushed for the edge of the trees only for another roar to echo across the forest—it wasn't thunder—and an orange-red glow informed me that the trees were on fire. No. No, no, no. Not a dragon. How did it get out? I grit my teeth and took a half step back, eyes scanning the edge of the trees in concern. Magnus had warned me that if a dragon ever escaped its containment I was to never try to catch it again. It was ingrained into my skull that I was to run. Run as fast and far away in the other direction as possible but more spells were going off, lighting the sky with green, blue, and red sparks. My heart was racing, mind scrambling to figure out what I was supposed to do. This never happened before and I'd never been told what to do in such a situation.

There was a screech off to my right and I lifted my arm to catch the Swooping Evil that rushed out from the trees. It easily curled up into my palm and I stared at my fist in confusion, knowing that it should have been in the aviary with the other flying creatures. How many creatures got out? What is happening? Then, there was a crack and I dodged the spell that came flying for me quickly, tucking the Swooping Evil into my coat pocket and firing a spell in retaliation out of habit. Someone in a dark cloak rushed out after blocking it and continued to try and hit me as I faltered back, dodging and protecting myself as best I could.

My dueling skills were rusty but my reactions were quick. Working with dangerous creatures made it easy for me to react quickly but my spellwork remained simple as I struggled. Too many questions were rushing through my mind as I fought back against this intruding wizard. Who were they? Why were they here attacking us? Where was Magnus? Why were the creatures out and how many had escaped their contaminants? I cursed as a cutting spell caught my thigh and with the rain soaking the ground it was hard to regain my footing. I slipped in the muck and that left me open for my wand to get knocked out of my hand. Dread filled me as the opposing wizard aimed their wand only for a screech to ring out and a large shadow to cover them.

I fell back into the mud as the hippogriff slammed into the wizard, throwing them into the ground and tearing into their back. The wizard stopped moving and I remained frozen before the creature. It wasn't the first time I'd seen how powerful some of the creatures were. I'd seen them tear cows apart and attack myself and Magnus more than once. I knew the damage they could do and how one wrong move could turn them back onto you, so I stayed quiet and immovable as the dark brown feathers lowered themselves from their puffed-up state and that sharp golden beak rose; blood staining it. Silver eyes locked onto my emerald green ones and my breath caught in my throat as it abandoned the wizard's corpse and moved toward me.

It stood right in front of me, its beak millimeters from my forehead as its breath lightly brushed my skin. Then, it bowed deeply, causing my shoulders to fall and relief to flood through me as I lifted a shaky hand to rest on its head. I flinched when it suddenly lifted its head and turned, stiffening as it moved to stand protectively over me when a figure stumbled out from the forest. Magnus tossed back his hood with a sigh of relief, checking behind him nervously before bowing to the hippogriff who bowed back, allowing him close.

"Thank Merlin, you're okay, Farlan," Magnus breathed, pulling me to my feet and looking again over his shoulder as the hippogriff pawed the ground near us, eyeing the forest as well.

"Magnus, what's happening? Why are the creatures out and—"

"Listen, there's not a lot of time," he explained, cutting me off as he pushed me toward the hippogriff.

"Magnus, there are wizards!" I argued, struggling against him lightly.

"Farlan!" He shouted, stunning me at first because the man only ever rose his voice to warn me about something dangerous. He then took me by the shoulder and took a shuddering breath. "It's my fault, okay? But we can't talk about it now. I need you to go."

"Go where?" I countered, worried about what he meant. "How is this your fault? Magnus, I don't understand. What's happening?"

"I messed up, Farlan. That night I went out to sell things, I… I got reckless. We got a bit extra a-and I gambled a bit. It was going well. Too well. Someone must have spiked my drink or something. I don't know but I told them things I shouldn't have. The creatures, the runes… Farlan, I told them about you."

I was a bit surprised. I knew it was dangerous to mention my studies but it never occurred to me that some happenstance at a pub could have turned into this. As a blast went off again, closer this time, Magnus returned to trying to get me into the hippogriff.

"It's too late now. I released all the creatures I could. They'll run or buy us time but it's you they're after. I'll cover your back and let the rest free. No point in those bastards getting their hands on them."

"But what about you?" I pressed, climbing onto the hippogriff with concern. "If you let the creatures all go then—"

"Don't worry about me. I've got plenty of fight left. Now listen." He shoved an envelope into my hands, wrapping my cold fingers around it and holding tight to my hand. "Give this to Albus. He'll help you. The hippogriff knows where to go."

"But Magnus—"

He sighed, giving me a crooked smile. "Would it kill ya to say my name for once kid?"

I hesitated, opening my mouth to speak only for the hippogriff to stiffen and shuffle under me at the sound of someone storming toward us. Magnus cursed and drew his wand, unsettling the beast I clung to further as he flung a curse into the trees and shouted at me as one flew back in return.

"Go! Farlan, go, now!"

I bit my tongue to keep from arguing with him and kicked the hippogriff into taking off. We hadn't gotten far before it screeched, a spell tearing across its side and through one of its wings. It faltered and for a moment I thought we would fall out of the sky but it righted itself and flew on as I risked a glance back over my shoulder.

My heart sank as the wizard below lifted his wand again to fire at us but a figure rushed at him and I recognized the untamed fury of my teacher, my mentor, as he tackled the man to the ground. I couldn't see who was who as they scuffled and pulled against the hippogriff's feathers to try and slow it down, to turn back. I needed to make sure he was okay.

Then, a flash of green and one man went still. My heart sank as the hippogriff screeched a complaint against my hard pull to stop it. It struggled for a moment and that was all it took for me to see the second figure shove the other off and turn toward us. I opened my mouth, seeing someone come up further behind them in the small clearing.

"Abraham!"

They didn't turn though, instead aiming their wand at me with the other wizard. They fired off two spells and I jerked the hippogriff to the side, dodging one and cringing as the second spell slammed into my back. I slipped off the side of the hippogriff who faltered at the shifting of my weight as I clung desperately to the feathers on its neck and the thickest part of its wing. My boot managed to find purchase on the front leg of the hippogriff and I swung myself back onto it as my body throbbed and my vision spun. My mind was foggy though as a single thought went through my mind, shutting out everything else.

Abraham was dead. They'd used a killing curse. I knew that green light anywhere. When the wizarding war was happening it was all anyone could talk about. How terrible the fighting was, the haunted expressions of witches and wizards who'd lost someone close to them, how the green flash from the killing curse haunted them at night. Now, it was playing on repeat in front of my eyes and I wasn't sure what to do.

Abraham was all I had. The creatures were the only other thing and they were all gone and scattered too. I had nowhere to return to. No one, now that he had been killed, and for what? Because some dark wizard had heard I might be the key to controlling magical creatures? That wasn't even what I was doing! You couldn't force any living thing to do what it didn't want to. Legilimency wasn't capable of that or Voldemort would have won the war without even trying.

All it took was a rumor. One rumor and my entire life had been ripped from me by some fanatics following a dead man. I wanted nothing more than to go back and just get shot down too. I had nothing without Abraham…but he had sent me away. He wanted me to do something or else he wouldn't have saved me. He wanted me to keep studying and searching for answers. He loved watching me come rushing in with another bit of progress and tears finally fell as I buried my face into the hippogriff's wet feathers.

The trip became a bit of a daze after that. I had possibly gone into shock but my body was too numb from the cold and the death of my only family for me to even consider what might be happening to me. I didn't even notice we were slowly falling until I heard the rustling of leaves and cracked open my tired eyes to see the tops of trees. It took only a half-second before the hippogriff's legs hit one and we flipped end-over-end into the forest.

The added pain of falling through the branches and slamming my already battered body into the ground left me barely conscious and not for long. I assumed it was the end. I was chilled to the bone, numb, and in pain but couldn't bring myself to move or think. Breathing hurt and my back felt tight from the damage it had been dealt. All I could do was stare ahead of me as the hippogriff who'd fought through its own injury to fly me to safety took its last breath after the damage from its own fall.

My eyes closed with my own soft breath and I thought that was the end until a chill run through me. My eyes opened of their own accord, weakly with my vision blurred. A creature stood over me, pitch black and shadowed with deep crimson eyes. A Grim… my mind sluggishly supplied as my eyes closed again, accepting my fate.

Then, something wet hit my cheek and there was a snuffling in my ear. I wasn't sure how I had the energy to open my eyes again, staring at the drooling, wrinkled hound who was sniffing me before someone called it from a distance. I wasn't dead, I realized belatedly, but I didn't have the strength to call out. My whole body felt as though it were weighted down by an Erumpent and all I could do was lie there and wonder if the hound would help or if I would stay to die in the forest.

The idle thought of using legilimency passed through my mind as the hound hesitated on leaving me. I stared at its face as it turned, its deep brown eyes finding mine as I gathered what little energy I could to beg it for help. Please…. It blinked and I couldn't tell if it had worked or not as the hound was called again and it left me. I let out a raspy breath, closing my eyes and flinching slightly at the smallest attempt to move anything. Everything hurt too much though and I gave in to just not moving at all when I heard the sound of vegetation being crushed followed by a deep, booming voice.

"Creatures is all riled up, eh, Fang? Somethin' happened in the night I think. Even the centaurs have been quiet and—" The man cut himself short when he came through the trees, seeing the hippogriff first as his hound came for me.

He was a giant of a man dressed in leather and hides over his clothes and wielding a threatening crossbow as he went over toward the downed creature. He muttered something under his breath, lowering the crossbow and lightly touching the beast with something akin to respect before his hound let out a bark, drawing his attention over to me. I was struggling to remain conscious again as he wandered over, eyeing me before rolling me over with his crossbow. I weakly stared up at him and his frown that was half hidden under his large beard.

"Who are ya? Trespassing, you are."

I wasn't sure what sort of answer he was expecting from someone in my shape but struggled to say something to get his help. All I could think of was the one thing Abraham had told me to do; the person he'd told me to find.

"A-Albus."

Dumbledore didn't take the job of headmaster at Hogwarts because he wanted a quiet, peaceful job as he grew older. When he offered to be a professor, way back when, it was for a similar reason. He wanted to teach, to show the next generation the skills they would need to get by in the world when all people could talk about was the next big dark wizard and whatever war was on the horizon.

Grindelwald had been the first. A problem of his own making and one that he wished had never happened. Then came Tom Riddle who later became Lord Voldemort. One after another the problems seemed to follow him around through the years and after being so successful as a professor teaching students how to protect themselves, being the next headmaster seemed far safer than becoming the Minister of Magic.

He had hoped that by staying out of the political side of things he would be free of all those people expecting so much of him. Hogwarts was his safe haven away from all that, though it was hardly peaceful. Students were always a handful and as the years changed the kids did too, always bringing with them fresh new ideas, pranks, and skills. It's why he enjoyed Hogwarts so much. There was always something new to enjoy.

That being said, it wasn't every day that he was summoned to the infirmary during the summer break where an intruder was recovering. McGonagall had rushed into his office while he was having his breakfast and considering what was needed of him for the day with the near-empty castle not needing his attendance. She handed him a wet and crumpled envelope and explained that Hagrid had gone into the forest after the creatures in his care acted strangely.

Dumbledore assumed it was something to do with the centaurs, who always seemed to push their boundaries in regard to the half-giant, but then she went on to explain what he'd found. An injured young man and a deceased hippogriff, one not from their flock. Hagrid would have restrained him and imprisoned him if not for the man speaking Dumbledore's name and as the headmaster opened the letter and read the contents, he was glad of that fact.

He rose from his meal instantly and made his way to the infirmary where McGonagall said the man was recovering. He knew the man should be up soon enough with Madam Pomfrey's skills and he had a few things he needed to confirm. The letter's contents didn't bode well for the man or for Dumbledore's work. He hadn't yet found the best way to deal with Voldemort's remaining followers but this definitely meant that they were a bigger problem than expected.

When he stepped into the infirmary though, he wasn't expecting the chaos that was happening in the usually quiet medical center. Madam Pomfrey was shouting as Hagrid's burly body struggled to catch something that was moving easily past his hands. McGonagall was staring in shock from beside Dumbledore as well, who caught sight of the fast-flying bluish-green creature and felt a hint of a smile creep over his face. Reminds me of Mr. Scamander. McGonagall went to draw her wand but Dumbledore lifted up a hand to stop her as he approached, smiling at Madam Pomfrey comfortingly as she spotted him and relaxed in relief at his appearance.

"Headmaster! Thank goodness. It flew out of his coat when I went to check on him. Won't let anyone near him, I'm afraid."

"I'll take care of it. Not to worry," he hummed, placing a hand on Hagrid's arm to stop his wild swinging and lightly gesturing for him to move away.

"It's a Swoopin' Evil, I'm sure of it," Hagrid explained. "Nasty things. I'm sure I could catch it if I had the right tools, sir."

"No need. I had a student who was always keen on caring for many types of creatures. I'm sure I've picked up on a few things," Dumbledore reassured, moving toward the young man's bed as the creature flared its wings with a hiss from the headboard. "Come now. We're only here to help. What would he think about you making such a commotion, hm?"

The creature still didn't relax but Dumbledore was in luck. The man was stirring and when his emerald green eyes finally cracked open, Dumbledore felt a hint of recognition.

"Ah, yes. I remember you. That young Ravenclaw who had the unfortunate happening of a family death which caused your grades to suffer. Ever the bright mind though, as I recall. I would ask, to what do I owe the pleasure, but I do believe the letter you came with has explained quite a bit."

"Sir?" Hagrid questioned, eyeing the still wary creature but confused as to who the man was.

"Not to worry, Hagrid. This young man was a rather brilliant student of ours not twelve years ago. Young Farlan Daggrow, yes?"

The man was still rather dazed and seemed to be in a bit of shock. Dumbledore suspected that he hadn't known who he had been sent to for safety other than the first name Albus, which was common enough in the wizarding world. So, now that the room had calmed significantly, he lightly gestured to the creature nearby.

"It seems your companion is not quite so willing to let Madam Pomfrey near your injuries. Could you possibly…"

Farlan's gaze moved to the Swooping Evil and he weakly lifted up a hand. The creature eyed the people reluctantly, but after a short glance at the man, curled back into a ball to rest in his palm. Dumbledore waved Madam Pomfrey over to look at his injuries and once she had shuffled off to prepare the potions he would need, Dumbledore shooed off Hagrid. McGonagall would need to hear about the letter but Hagrid had other business to get back to. Madam Pomfrey would undoubtedly scold Dumbledore if he let everyone stay.

"I read the letter your mentor left with you but I would like to hear from you what happened, if I may."

Farlan was too weak to sit up for long and remained laying down but did his best to speak clearly and with as little emotion as possible; no doubt still feeling the loss he had just been dealt.

"I… was working in my shed," he explained. "I thought I heard something but we had a storm coming in. I didn't think much of it until I went outside. A dragon had gotten loose and part of the forest was on fire. I…I could see the light from spells in the distance and attempted to find him. Find Magnus because I wasn't sure what to do."

"Do you know why they were attacking?"

Farlan had a flash of guilt rush over his features, his gaze turning away in shame. "He found me in the forest and kept trying to get me to leave. He said… someone spiked his drink at a pub, got him talking about what he did and… and what I was doing."

Dumbledore turned to McGonagall, who was frowning in slight confusion. "Abraham Magnus runs a magical creature farm in order to provide items needed for potions, wands, and other magical wares. He treated the creatures well and as such, was able to keep the business going effectively and efficiently. He provides a lot of the rarer items used in Severus's class among other things. Mr. Scamander introduced us." He glanced over at Farlan. "Though I am curious about what you have done that has him asking for your protection."

"I…I studied ancient runes, mostly. Trying to create new ways to use them in relation to creatures but… he warned me not to tell people about what else I was doing. That's why they attacked us, because of me."

"Dark wizards are greedy people who are always eager to harm others and take things that are not rightfully theirs. You should not place blame on yourself for their attack. Whether Abraham intended to or not, word would have gotten out at some point. However, I don't believe there is much benefit in attacking a sanctuary of that magnitude for a simple runic student. You were studying something more."

Farlan nodded hesitantly. "I… I'm a legilimens. I wasn't aware of it at first but Magnus… he could tell I was more in tune with things, with feelings and emotions. I thought, maybe, it would work on magical creatures."

"Wizards and magical creatures are two different species," McGonagall argued. "Being able to comprehend what a creature is thinking is impossible from our standpoint. Even Animagi have difficulties communicating with other creatures."

"I still wanted to try," Farlan countered, though looking a bit sheepish at the admittance. "Magnus felt that there was a chance and supported me. It might have been silly but… there was something to it. I don't know why I wanted to prove it worked so much but I-I could tell that I was close to something working."

"Did it?" Dumbledore asked curiously, knowing that the dark wizards wouldn't have taken such a risk without some show of proof.

"I… Not at first. Nothing worked at first but I think it was because of the relationship I had with them and what I was trying it on. Larger creatures, more intelligent creatures, it never worked. Or didn't work for me at the time. Something was working though. With simpler creatures and those I worked well with. Nothing concrete, just… nudges in the right direction. Knowing when a creature was hurt or hungry or excited or dangerous before really seeing the physical signs. Nothing big or meaningful until… until we were attacked."

"You succeeded?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

"With a pixie, and only for a brief moment. It was… the biggest forward step I had taken before…He said he would stay back to protect me…"

Dumbledore could tell the boy wouldn't have much more to say. He was still mourning and trying to come to terms with what had happened. His mind was scattered and his heart broken with injuries that were no doubt starting to pain him again. Dumbledore could get more information later when the man was grounded.

"Abraham was never someone who would open his home to just anyone," he said softly, comforting the young man as best as he could. "I am certain that he would have been proud of the work you were doing and grateful you were able to survive and get here. Now, get some rest. You are welcome to stay here at Hogwarts and once you are healed up, we will discuss what to do next."

Farlan didn't respond, just dazedly staring off into the distance as Dumbledore gave his shoulder a light squeeze and left with McGonagall, who eyed him as they walked out of the room.

"Do you believe what he said?"

"I have no reason not to, Minerva. The letter was proof of where he had come from. I have no doubt that creature would have stopped others from taking the letter to use to sneak in."

"But using legilimency on creatures?"

"Mr. Scamander, while not a legilimens, was able to handle creatures quite well without it. Now, given this man had been with Abraham for long enough to become something akin to the man's son, I do believe he would have a similar connection to the creatures. Being a legilimens is just an added benefit.

"While this may not prove that he can control creatures—as those dark wizards seem to believe—it does mean he has a far better insight into them than any average person. That, and you know as well as I do that wizards have never viewed creatures as things with intelligence. So, if a legilimens believed otherwise and proved it, would that not bring about quite the change?

"Whether he is capable of controlling them or not, it still shows there is much we don't know and he is someone chasing after that knowledge. I can hardly fault him for trying to learn."

"But if you're going to protect him—"

"Yes, Minerva. If I am going to protect him as my good friend requested, then I am going to need to change some things as well. Tell me, so we still have that old rule about apprentices?"

McGonagall sighed heavily as the headmaster just smiled away, knowing he had won their argument and Hogwarts was about to get new staff.