Mistakes (Newt Scamander)

9. What in tarnation?

The place outside of the cabin was exactly like a desert. Dry, sandy and unbearably hot. I'm sure there was more to the habitat looking back now but I was too focused on the magnificent creature before me. The giant male Thunderbird was a glorious sight and a rare one. The species normally hid from human beings and even then they were close to extinction. The one in front of me was a grey colour and his feathers seemed to be shimmering in the golden sunlight. I noticed that on one of his front legs, there was a bright red mark. It looked raw and tender, obviously the poor guy had been chained up and had only recently been released. He caught sight of the three of us and flapped his wings. On doing this the sky turned a deep grey, thunder and lightning replacing the quiet. With one clap of thunder, the heavens seemed to open and we were drenched with warm rain like taking a shower. Newt reached into his pocket, retrieving his wand and creating an umbrella to shield himself.

"And they say chivalry is dead" I muttered under my breath.

Newt continued to look up at the Thunderbird, who was still floating in the air, from the brim of his umbrella.

"Come on...come on...down you come...come on." Newt said in a low, calming tone.

I watched as the beautiful creature slowly calmed down and came to rest on a bolder in front of Newt. The moment his talons met the rough surface of the rock was also the moment that the rain ceased and the sun started to shine brightly again. Newt put his wand back into his pocket and grabbed a handful of something out of a different pocket. He held his hand out to the Thunderbird and stroked him affectionately when he bowed his head to get the food.

"Oh thank Merlin. If you'd have gotten out that could have been quite catastrophic." Newt turned to us. "You see, he's the real reason I came to America. To bring Frank home."

Jacob, clearly immersed in the beauty of Frank, took a few steps forward. Frank backed up onto his hind legs and flapped his wings to convey to Jacob not to come closer.

"No sorry- stay there-he's a wee bit sensitive to strangers." He turned back to Frank. "Here you are- here you are."

I knew that Frank had obviously been in a situation where a witch or wizard had tricked him and exploited him therefore making him wary of us. I also knew that I shouldn't cause him stress by approaching him but I couldn't help myself. I took small steps towards him and tried to be as silent as I could. I got so close to him that I could've stretched and stroked him but suddenly his head snapped up. I saw him immediately melt into a defensive posture but before he could go any further I let out a low whistle. As soon as the noise left my lips, he bowed to me and I returned the gesture. I slowly extended my hand to him which he nuzzled his head into.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" I heard Newt almost whisper.

"I was on a trip in Africa when I met this man. His name was Ryan Bell and we met when I bumped into a hippogriff. It was an accident but the hippogriff immediately went into attack mode. Just as it went for my neck, he whistled that note and it calmed. I made friends with him and he taught me how to do it. I only use it in emergencies but it hasn't failed me yet." I said, flashing him a smile.

"You'll need to teach me that." He said, shooting me a wink.

I blushed what was probably a deep red before clearing my throat.

"Where'd ya find this lil guy?" I asked.

"He was trafficked, you see. I found him in Egypt, he was all chained up. Couldn't leave him there, had to bring him back. I'm going to put you back where you belong, aren't I, Frank. To the wilds of Arizona."

He turned to me and gave me a wide smile, one that a child might give a parent in order to get a sweet. I couldn't help but return it. I heard Jacob mutter something under his breath but I couldn't catch quite what it was. Newt gave Frank's head a hug and then took a step back, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a handful of grubs. He tossed them in the air and with that, Frank soared up, sunlight bursting from his wings. Newt stood mesmerised by his beauty as I was before however now I was admiring someone else. Newt turned, putting his hands to his mouth and emitted a roar. He then shot me a broad smile before passing both me and Jacob to grab the bucket of meat. Me and Jacob followed Newt towards a large rock. Jacob nudged me and I turned to find him pointing at a large dung beetle rolling some dung. I then collided with something solid and fell onto my butt.

"Ah- here they come." Newt said in a happy voice.

"And who might 'they' be?" I asked grumpily, pushing myself off of the ground.

"The Graphorns"

I stood on my tiptoes and peered over Newt's shoulder, catching a glimpse of a muscular figure similarly built to that of a tiger. However the creature was a light grey colour and more importantly had tentacles where their mouth would be. I watched as Jacob backed up from them before Newt grabbed his arm, securing him in place.

"Damn. He is strong." I thought.

Newt turned a bright red colour and quickly let go of Jacob's arm, striding up to the Graphorns and lightly stroking one. Jacob turned to me and gave me an amused smile.

"What?" I asked him, folding my arms and raising an eyebrow.

"You do realise that you said that out loud, right?" He said, smirking.

My cheeks began to burn and I wanted nothing more than to find a hole to burry myself in a hole and die. I looked over at Newt to find him still busying himself with the Graphorns, seemingly feeling my gaze on him, he spoke up.

"So they're the last breeding pair in existence."

"If you hadn't rescued them then there wouldn't be anymore Graphorns in existence." I butted in.

He looked up from the Graphorns and nodded at me. He then grabbed a piece of meat from the bucket and threw it into the enclosure. I watched as an eager young Graphorn chased after it.

"So what - you, you rescue these creatures?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, that's right. Rescue, nurture and protect them, and I'm gently trying to educate my fellow wizards about them."

"A task not easily achieved, I can assure you." I mumbled.

"And how would you know?" Newt asked me, observing me from the corner of his eye.

"Did you not hear Tina earlier? I'm one of the best magi-zoologists in Britain. And no matter what you do to educate them, they will continue to be ignorant because it's the easiest option. You would know that though, wouldn't you Newt?"