when things go wrong | harry potter

Chapter Six

The train screeched to a halt on the train tracks and the luggage overhead jolted forward and with a loud thud, the train stopped. The ever-changing scenery outside turned from a sunny shnset to completely pitch black. Stars were twinkling overhead and a faint shadow of a castle in the distance could be made out. Alfred gulped slightly and stood up without dropping any sweets or sandwich crusts on the floor whilst Newt was transfixed on the shadow in the distance.

"Incredible..." he mumbled to himself.

Alfred rolled his eyes and pulled down Newt's luggage too and thrust it at him so he fell against the window slightly.

"Alright, now get up. We'll be able to see the actual view of Hogwarts soon," he sighed.

Newt nodded and pulled his luggage out of the cabin and towards the corridor, already packed full of worried-looking first years to burly and grouchy seventh-years who seemed to think rules didn't apply to them. Newt was pushed through the corridor with Alfred following closely behind (although getting occasionally flattened against the panels of the compartments.

"Hey, watch it!"

"That's my owl you're stepping on!"

"Anyone seen my robes?"

When thinking of Hogwarts, he never expected it to be this difficult. But, I guess he'd just have to get used to being a nobody in his first year. No one may know him until his name gets called in the great hall, but by the end of the year, he silently vowed to himself that everyone would know the name Newt Scamander, especially Dumbledore who he admired so.

Once he'd been shoved off the train with his trunk and friend behind him, they stood at a loss on Hogsmeade platform until a rather scruffy and unkempt woman with a stout figure ushered the first years one way whilst the rest of the school was told to go in the other, like a flock of birds being separated and travelling in different directions in different seasons.

"Stop thinking about birds," Al said from beside him.

Newt laughed, "how did you know?"

"You have that face you always have when you're thinking of birds, just like the face you had when you rescued that Starling bird. It's your signature bird face... I know you too well, don't I?"

Newt laughed again and shook his head, "if I find a shrine of me in your house next time I visit, should I act surprised or...?"

Al went red and looked down at his feet as they walked whilst Newt just occasionally laughed at the thought of his own face shaped like one of a Starling and these bird pictures littering a shrine covered with candles.

Once they reached the black lake (where he knew a giant squid lived, and he dare not think what his 'thinking about squids' face is), they all clambered into boats. Newt got into the boat first then held the bank so that Al could get in. He wasn't exactly nimble on his feet and was generally seen as being a roundish shape during his childhood so Newt could only see him as being his mum's little 'plum pudding'. He roughly stamped one foot into the boat and took Newt's hand, then lost his footing and began to shake the boat.

"Hey, careful Al! Easy does it..."

It was already too late and Al had begun to dive headfirst into the lake, and dragged Newt backwards with him. The water was incredibly icy for September, but temperatures such as that were suitable for the squid so that made perfect sense to Newt, but all Al could do was flap around, pushing Newt down into the water so he could clamber out. Al pulled himself up on the bank of the lake and Newt out too, to which Newt replied, "yes yes thank you Alfred. Now I smell like fish and I'm about to introduce myself to the whole school here."

A girl in the boat setting sail next to theirs glanced over at them and smiled widely. Newt glanced up at her and smiled back, although he could only make out slightly who she was through his wet fringe which nearly covered his whole face. He could discern that she had a shiny brown head of hair and a smile that could only make him smile back. He'd recognise her if he saw her again.

It turns out he really could recognise her again, because during the sorting ceremony he saw her go up to the stool and the sorting hat once the name, "Lestrange, Leta!" had been cried out.