The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

A Gross Oversight

Newt lit the fire with his wand and Elva stared at it as it blazed, instantly a roaring flame. He put the briefcase down on the table and undid the latch. It was a shock to Elva to see, not rolled up socks and folded jumpers as she would have expected to, but instead what appeared to be the top rung of a ladder and the darkness of an open space below. Her brow furrowed and she leaned to look beneath the table, but all she could see from below was the bottom half of Mr. Scamander. Elva, confused, sat up and found that Newt was bent double into the briefcase, and it sounded as though he were talking to somebody.

When Newt stood up, he saw the perplexed expression on his face, and he said, simply, "Ex-extendable charm. Quite - quite a good one, if I do say so myself. Set it - it up in my - sixth year - at - at Hogwarts." He smiled. "Made qu-quite the hideaway when I n-needed."

Elva wanted to ask what a Hogwarts was, but she was distracted by a woman climbing up out of the briefcase by way of the ladder. Newt offered her his hand and turned to Elva. "This - this is Tina - my - my wife." He quickly pushed the Niffler back into the case and slammed it shut.

Tina smiled, and, when she saw Elva's face, she said, "I'm sorry, my husband is probably doing quite a shoddy job of explaining to you what's going on." She gave Newt the side eye and he shrugged. 

"What is going on?" Elva asked. "And how did you make me change from my fox?"

Tina said, "Well, actually, we were wondering about how you change into your fox."

Elva stared at them. "I just can."

Tina sat down. "Your name is Elva, isn't it? Elva Greenwood?"

She nodded. "How did you --"

"Ned Veigler told us. The man who owns this castle."

Elva nodded, "I know Ned."

Tina said, "Well, Elva, I'm a witch... and this is my husband, Newt Scamander, and he's wizard, like Ned Veigler."

"Ned Veigler's werewolf," Elva said.

"And a wizard," Tina nodded. "A wizard first. Always a wizard first."

"Were-were wolf is m-more a - a side effect than a - an identity," Newt broke in, "It's c-caused by --" Tina stared him down and Newt said, "Side e-effect, not identity. Th-that's all."

Elva shook her head though, "Werewolf is more than a side effect." Her voice was harsh and bitter, her nose flared with conviction.

Tina replied, "It's an illness as terrible as any other."

Elva looked at Tina and Newt and back again, "You speak as though it can be cured, as though-"

"Not - not cured, but t-tamed," Newt interrupted, "M-managed, at least."

Elva looked sickened. "Tell that to my parents, tell them how manageable werewolves are. Tell it to my brother," she snapped, "Who has six inch scars across his face, deep and pink, that have ruined him. Tell it to the other villagers, whose families have been torn apart by the werewolves."

"Not m-my werewolves," Newt said. "Others, p-perhaps but --"

"Newt, not helping," Tina stopped him. She turned to Elva again. "What Mr. Scamander is trying to say is that there are some werewolves who don't try at managing their condition - some even that use the full moon for evil purposes, to kill - but there are some, too, who are good. And Ned - Ned is one of the good ones."

Elva stood up. "He's told you to come."

"No, we came of our own volition," Tina said. "We were worried for Ned, worried that his home might be in danger."