The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Caught

Caught

It was late and Professor Kettleburn and Newt Scamander carried tea cups and books, talking about dragon hatching laws, as they stepped into the teacher's parlor on the third floor of the castle. Newt Scamander was talking hurriedly about loopholes that he'd left in the legislature he'd helped to pass for the Ban on Experimental Breeding. "Technically the grounds of Hogwarts lies in an extra-ministerial ruling," he was saying, "And enforcement of the law depends upon the Headmaster's discretion. As such, if a creature were to be experimentally bred --" he stopped and looked around the room, eyes landing on Professor Veigler, at the end of the table. "Oh, uh... uh yes... uh... hello," he greeted the younger man.

Veigler waved vaguely without looking up from the book he was pouring over. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and his usually Sleekeazy-groomed hair was loose and wild.

"As you were saying, Newt?" Kettleburn asked, walking over to a pair of very plush arm chairs, away from Veigler, and settling himself into one of them, waving for Mr. Scamander to have a seat in the second one. However, Mr. Scamander was holding very still, hugging his briefcase to his chest once again, and staring across the parlor at Professor Veigler with concerned eyes.

Veigler felt his stare and he looked up from his book, meeting eyes with the elder magizoologist, who he couldn't help but think looked a bit like some sort of refined magical jack rabbit in a long coat. "Can I do something for you, Mr. Scamander?" Professor Veigler asked uncertainly.

Scamander's eyes searched Veigler's slowly, then dipped to Veigler's neck. "What's that on your collar, Mr. Veigler?" he asked curiously as he took a couple steps closer.

Professor Kettleburn turned to look 'round the chair he sat in. "Newt?" He spotted Mr. Scamander standing before Professor Veigler, tugging at the collar of his button-down shirt and jumper to see. Veigler struggled to keep the magizoologist from looking. "Mr. Scamander! What in heavens --"

Scamander had got a look though now and he let go and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Veigler thoughtfully. Veigler tugged his shirt back into place, looking up at Newt with pleading eyes. "Sorry, Mr. Veigler," Newt said, nodding and then clearing his throat and backing away, his eyes slightly wider than they'd been before but otherwise looking exactly the same, his teeth resting on his lower lip. "I apologize, dunno what came over me - you'll understand, of course..." He stepped backwards quickly all the way to the seat across from Kettleburn and sat down rapidly.

Veigler was still adjusting his tie as Kettleburn slowly turned back away, to look at Newt with a questioning glare. "I'll - uh - see you lot about," said Professor Veigler quickly, and he hurried out of the room.

"What was that about?" Kettleburn asked Newt.

Newt had put his briefcase down on the floor between his boots and his long knees sort of wobbled as he sat back, slouching in the chair, his messy greying auburn hair in a puff above his head. He shook his head, "Just a thing I thought I saw. But it was n-nothing, I assure you."

Kettleburn looked unconvinced.

"Well... where were we?" Newt asked, clearing his throat, "On the, uh, the - the topic of the Ban on Experimental Breeding, yes. Yes, I remember...."

Veigler closed his office door quickly, leaning against it, his heart pounding. He clutched at his robes and pulled them back, looking in his own reflection in a mirror on the wall. The bite on his shoulder wasn't exactly hard to spot. The half moon-shaped chunk of where Greyback's teeth had ripped into his flesh when he was just a kid was marked by a bright silvery-pink scar. He put his hand over the scar and felt sick to his stomach, just picturing Newt Scamander telling Kettleburn right that moment that he'd just caught a werewolf on the grounds of Hogwarts.