Fantastic Beasts: Alone

3 - Foes and Creatures

The days passed slowly. I ignored all questions about what it was like with Grindelwald, and I tried my best not to listen to hushed voices, and people talking when I passed through the castle. Edwin had grown yet closer to me, and we didn't spend a moment away from each other (apart from in classes, but Edwin always walked me to class to make sure I got there safely). I enjoyed his company, and we always made each other laugh. He helped me through the next few days or so, before we got to the worst day at school yet...

I walked through the corridor of the school (with Edwin, as usual), talking about what we would do with the creatures we still had in possession (Edwin and Ellen had managed to keep all the creatures safe, apart from two or three that had sadly passed away in my absence). We needed to get the creatures used to me being around again.

"Well, look who's arrived back..." I heard a voice not too far from us say tauntingly. Edwin and I turned to see Evelyn smiling vilely at us.

"Hello, Evelyn!" I said cheerfully, trying to avoid the obvious hate in her eyes. She laughed.

"You're an idiot, do you know that, Grindelwald?"

I frowned. "Grindelwald? My surname is Scamander, not Grindelwald."

Evelyn laughed again. "Once a Grindelwald, always a Grindelwald." She said, before she looked at Edwin, who was looking at her angrily, and laughed.

"What's your problem, Goodwill?"

"What's my problem?" He said, scoffing. "You're my problem, Curtis. You come in here, offending, mocking, hurting my best friend. Leave her alone."

Evelyn walked over to Edwin, who flinched, tensing up, as she got too close. "No, Edwin. I won't leave her alone." She took out her wand and turned to me. I whipped out my wand too and stepped back. "Stupefy."
"Protecto!"

Our spells met and disappeared. Edwin took out his wand too, and before I knew what was happening, Edwin and Evelyn started duelling each other. Attacking spells bounced from defensive spells to the walls of the corridor. I fell to the ground as Evelyn threw a spell in my direction. I covered my ears as the two started shouting.

"Stop it!" I shouted as Edwin got hit by a spell to make his nose bleed uncontrollably, and as Evelyn in turn received a spell to knock her over. "Please stop it!"

"Expelliarmus!" Edwin shouted, catching Evelyn's wand as it flew from her hand. Edwin forced her into a corner and held his wand out to her face.

"Edwin Goodwill, Evelyn Curtis, Lia Scamander, into my office at once!"

I whipped my head around in fear to where the headmaster had just shouted from across the corridor. Edwin rolled his eyes and put his wand back in his pocket, before helping me up and walking the both of us to Professor Dippet's office. I heard Evelyn curse under her breath, a little behind us. Edwin hugged me.

"It's alright, Lia." He said, releasing the hug and holding my hand as we walked into the office and sat down with Evelyn, who scowled at the both of us.

"Will the three of you explain exactly what happened?" Professor Dippet said angrily. I looked down, before burrowing my head in my hands and crying.

"It was Goodwill's fault, Professor!" I heard Evelyn said.

"Was not!" I heard Edwin retaliate.
"Was!"
"Wasn't!"

"You two, be quiet!" Professor Dippet turned to me. "Scamander." I lifted my head, looking at Professor Dippet. "What happened?"

"Well... Evelyn cast a spell at me... and I cast a spell back... and then, Edwin cast a spell at Evelyn... and they started duelling..."

"She isn't to blame." Edwin said, holding my hand again. "She didn't do anything wrong. She cast a defensive spell to protect her from Stupefy."

"I'm not to blame either, sir!" Evelyn said, scowling at me. I looked down in fear. Edwin saw this and scowled back at Evelyn, before putting a hand around my shoulder. I smiled up weakly at him, and he smiled back, before looking back to Evelyn.

"She is to blame, sir, she called Lia a Grindelwald!" Edwin said, standing up. "She's a Scamander."

"Sit down, Goodwill!" Professor Dippet said furiously. "Goodwill, Curtis, you will both receive detention for 1 month, and Scamander, you will receive detention for 2 weeks."

"That isn't fair for Lia, Professor!" Edwin said, standing up again.

"Edwin, it's okay. It means we-"

"No, Lia. It isn't fair! You didn't do anything! It was this clown!" He said, turning to Evelyn.

"Will you be quiet, Goodwill?!" Professor Dippet said forcefully, standing up. "Now, get out of my sight, the three of you!"

"I'm sorry, Lia." Edwin said as we walked into the Forbidden Forest with Ellen.

"It's ok, Edwin. It wasn't your fault at all. It was Evelyn's fault." I said, putting an arm around him. Ellen laughed.

"Alrighty, lovebirds!" She stated, grinning. Edwin and I released each other and looked down, embarrassed. Ellen scoffed. "Oh, come on, it's obvious!"

I laughed, before putting my arm back around Edwin, who ran his hand through his hair and put his arm around me too.

"We're here. We need to get Ari used to the other Bowtruckles again." I said, trying to draw our attention away from me and Edwin. Edwin chuckled, before he released me, rolled up his sleeves, took Ari from my shoulder and approached the Bowtruckles slowly.

"Woah, woah, no. No." He said as one of the Bowtruckles tried to hurt Ari. "Come on. Ari, it's okay, you remember these guys... Mila, no..."

I smiled as Ari and the other Bowtruckles socialised. Edwin slowly stepped away.

"There we go." He said, putting his hands on his hips and sighing. "They'll soon get used to Ari being around again."

"Good job, Edwin." I said as he slowly took Ari back from the other Bowtruckles, who clearly liked Ari being around. "It's okay... He'll come back soon..."

We spent the next couple of hours just reintroducing me to the other creatures, who seemed to remember me for the most part (some of the newer creatures needed some more persuading, and the other creatures who had arrived when I was away needed to be introduced to me, and me to them.). We now had 219 creatures in total, which I'm sure Newt would be extremely proud of.

"And the Manticore?" I asked, suddenly remembering about my old friend. Edwin and Ellen looked at each other, then at me, both looking equally as confused as the other.

"Manticore? What's a Manticore?" Ellen asked, confused.
"Lia, we never had a Manticore." Edwin added, frowning.

I froze in fear. "You don't remember the hurt baby Manticore I found just before I went to Paris? The hurt one that I had to spend a few days tending to? The Manticore who grew close to me?"

"Can someone explain wh-" Ellen started.

"A Manticore is a highly dangerous Greek beast with the head of a man, the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. As dangerous as the Chimaera, and as rare, the Manticore is reputed to croon softly as it devours its prey. Manticore skin repels almost all known charms and the sting causes instant death. Newt made me recite that many, many times, as they can be very dangerous!"

Edwin shook his head. "Like I said, Lia, we never had any Manticore."

"Yes we did. I clearly remember her." I looked up, before running to the Creature's Reserve, which is what we had named the place where we kept our creatures, closely followed by Edwin and Ellen, who were both still confused. I raced deep into the Dark Forest, where I saw tracks clearly made by the baby Manticore. We followed them cautiously, me going first, in case we actually found her. We followed the tracks for about an hour, slowly walking to where the tracks had led out of the Forest, towards...

I looked back at Edwin and Ellen, terrified, as they slowly started understanding what had happened. Her tracks were leading towards the castle, into the school itself...