Newt Scamander and the Werewolf Pup

Into the Woods

Into the Woods

Newt stood at the edge of the property of the burned house in the village across the lake from The Great North Woods. It still smelled of sulfur and burned up possessions all throughout the little town. Like most small towns, everyone was sharing in the suffering of the one.

When Newt had asked for directions to the house, they'd given him a once-over, thinking how strange he looked and acted for an investigator - but he had a briefcase, they thought, and investigators often carried briefcases. Perhaps the Yard could spare no other than this lunatic of a man who never quite looked you in the eyes, and fidgeted unnecessarily with the band on his left ring finger. Perhaps none of the other investigators would agree to go, afraid of Walking Death. Whatever the reason, surely no man would come here, all the way from London, without being charged to investigate the arson and presumed murder of the widow of the clockmaker and his poor little son... So they'd sent him off to where the ruins of the house stood, where the ashes lay on scorched earth.

t was there, at the gate of the property, that Newt stood now, clutching the handle of his suitcase.

The Great North Woods certainly held a good deal of presence. He'd felt it when he'd been there in May to assist in the rescue of Remus Lupin. But now it was even stronger, and he felt sick from it, casting his eyes along the stone walkway that led up to a house that no longer stood.

There was a knock on the briefcase and he glanced to the left and right. The smoldering remains of the house were at the very end of a long street and had once had a mill that ran the water in the lake - the mill lay in wreckage on the edge of the water, surrounded by crushed cat-o-nine tails and reeds. There was no persons in sight, neither down the road or across the lake (no one ever dared to go across the lake) and so he lowered the case to the ground and flipped the switches, pushing open the lid.

Tina was standing at the top of the ladder peering up at him with wide questioning eyes. "Is it safe?" she whispered. Newt nodded, and she climbed up the rest of the way, glancing at the smoldering remains of the house. "Good gracious," she whispered, covering her mouth with her palm as she gasped.

"Do you feel it, Tina?" he asked. "The presence?"

"Yes, I feel it," she shivered, cold from it. She looked around, half expecting there to be several ghosts just floating about the yard, staring at her. But there was nothing except burnt grass and fragments of the lives decimated by the fire's burning.

"Mopsus is - is very much present here. In this town, in this place." He looked away across the lake, which was so dark that the water seemed black and ominously still. Newt turned to Tina again. "How is Ned?"

"I gave him aconite. He's very sore."

Newt nodded. "Did - did you put him in the observation room?"

"Yes. He's secured."

Newt nodded again.

Tina's eyes moved about the scene before them as Newt closed the case. The air was so heavy with Presence that even the Niffler wasn't trying to escape today. Newt locked the briefcase and held it to his side.

"So where do we start?" Tina asked.

Newt drew his wand from his coat sleeve and glanced around again to be certain they were alone, and he turned back to the ruins. "Accio clock," he tried. They both waited for a long moment, then he said, "I didn't - didn't really expect that one to work... Too easy... a, uh, man can hope, though," he smirked, his upper lip twitching ever so slightly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.