Wizarding World one-shots

Boggarts (Newtangeline)

Neither Evangeline Sallow or Newt Scamander expected to see their Transfiguration Professor, Albus Dumbledore, standing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Especially considering Evangeline had seen her father, the regular professor, just that morning.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Newt asked.

Dumbledore smiled at Newt. "Mr. Scamander, good to see you!" He simply nodded at Evangeline in greeting. "Professor Sallow had to step out on some urgent business. I'll be teaching your lesson today."

"What kind of urgent business?" Eva asked.

"He didn't say. Sit down please."

Evangeline bit her lip to prevent herself from saying something disrespectful to her teacher. Even though she really, really wanted to.

Other students started filing in, a few of them taking a double take when they saw Dumbledore. Most of them didn't seem to notice.

Newt sat next to Evangeline towards the front of the classroom, reaching for her hand. He squeezed it gently when he took it and kissed her forehead when she rested her head on his shoulder.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore went to the front of the class and cleared his throat.

"Right." He glanced down at the lesson plans on the desk before shaking his head, moving the papers to the side. "Today, we're going to be doing something different. In that closet over there is a certain magical creature that thrives in dark spaces. Anyone have any guesses on what it could possibly be?"

Newt's hand shot up before anyone else's, followed by Evangeline's. Dumbledore nodded at him.

"A boggart?"

Dumbledore smiled. "That is correct Mr. Scamander. Ten points to Gr-Hufflepuff."

Carter Williams cheered from the back of the classroom. Newt's face flushed slightly red.

"Everyone line up. Single file please."

As the class lined up, Newt and Evangeline found themselves at the front of everyone else. He placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped forward, standing in front of the closet.

There was a loud whirring sound when it opened, and a desk and chair materialized in front of him.

"That's... an unusual one," Dumbledore commented. "So. Mr. Scamander fears what more than anything else in the world?"

Newt bit his lip. "H-having to work in an office, sir."

A couple of their classmates laughed. Even Dumbledore smiled. Eva stayed silent, her hands begging to sweat.

"Go ahead Newt."

Newt raised his wand at the desk. "Riddikulus."

The desk changed into the form of a dragon. Some of the students clapped and cheered.

"Good job," Dumbledore said. He turned to Evangeline, squeezing her arm and bringing her forward. "It's only a boggart Evangeline. It can't hurt you."

Professor Dumbledore led Evangeline past Newt and placed her in front of the dragon desk. The students in line quieted, curious to see what "The Ice Queen's" boggart would be.

The dragon shifted with a loud crack.

There, on the floor, was the body of Sebastian Sallow.

Evangeline raised her wand with a shaky hand. "R-Riddikulus."

There was another crack, and the body changed to Althea Sallow.

"R-Riddikulus!"

Crack.

Newt Scamander laid on the floor, his open eyes glazed over. He was dead.

A couple of the students snickered.

Evangeline took one last look at the body and turned to run out of the classroom, more laughter following her.

Newt didn't even wait for Dumbledore's permission before sprinting after her.

She was nowhere in sight when he got out to the hall, so he mentally ran down the list of all of her hiding spots. Her mother's office in the Charm's classroom was the closest, so he decided to start there.

He ran up the stairs two at a time, refusing to slow down even when other students were in the way. He didn't stop until he reached the locked doors of the classroom.

Not even waiting to catch his breath, Newt ran down the stairs he just ran up, his robes floating behind him. It was too cold for her to jump into the fountain in the Transfiguration courtyard, and too far to get to the Hufflepuff Common room. That left one other option nearby.

Newt sprinted back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and went down the stairs closer to it, stopping in front of a strange looking clock with golden gears and stars on it. He held out his wand, and the clock opened.

Evangeline sat in the middle of the Undercroft under a pile of blankets, her body shaking with sobs.

He slowly walked over to her and knelt down by the blankets. As if afraid to hurt her, he gently raised his hand and brushed a pink strand out of her face.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Newt asked softly.

Evangeline crawled closer to him and rested her head on his chest. After a second, she shook her head.

"That's okay," said Newt quietly, running a hand through her long pink hair. "I'll be here either way."