Saving F.

Chapter 1

Three weeks earlier...

Albus Dumbledore was a strange man, Newt Scamander finally came to realize. When he was a student, like everyone else he admired the amiable professor and saw something of a father in him. This admiration doubled when Dumbledore was the only teacher to argue against his expulsion from Hogwarts and to believe his innocence. But as Newt grew older and was no longer obliged to show the man as much deference as he used to, he discovered that Albus Dumbledore was much more than that.

He was a great wizard, and Newt didn't respect him any less, nor did he ever doubt that he was a good man. But the problem with Dumbledore was that his intentions were indecipherable, and his motives were never clear, like an enigma, impossible to solve. Such people made Newt uncomfortable; he didn't like being a pawn on anybody's chessboard.

But when it came to rescuing beasts, Newt would do anything. Dumbledore knew that, and he made sure to use it to fulfill yet another purpose which Newt did not understand.

"Dear Newt," he had said in an unexpected letter. "A reliable source has informed me that there is a Thunderbird being trafficked in Cairo, Egypt. I thought you might be interested in rescuing it." Then he went on with some more details before ending the letter with "Yours, Albus Dumbledore."

When Newt read this letter, he didn't doubt the professor's words for a moment, but this didn't prevent questions from buzzing in his head. How did Dumbledore know about the Thunderbird? How reliable was that reliable source? And more importantly, why had he chosen that exact timing to contact him? When the letter arrived, Newt was in Italy, the last stop in his European tour after which he intended to go to Africa. So did Dumbledore know his whereabouts or was it merely a coincidence?

All these questions, and no answers. Newt couldn't bring himself to include them in the letter he sent back to Dumbledore, because he didn't want to sound rude or distrustful towards the man who wrote to him, "I trust you will try to the best of your ability to save the poor creature." So he thanked him for the information, and promised to do his best as well as keep him updated. That was it.

Besides, even if Newt could say what was really on his mind, the Thunderbird needed to be saved first, and the earlier he did that, the better. Therefore, asking those questions would be pointless, at least for the time being. He would have to move quickly without awaiting a response.

Newt spent his last day in Italy recalling what he knew about Thunderbirds. That didn't prove to be so useful in reducing his worrying, but it was the most positive thing he could do at that moment. The other option was to fret, and let the foreboding thoughts consume him and turn his mind into a war zone of agitation. He opened his notebook, the treasured draft which contained his knowledge, and read in silence what he had written there about those magnificent creatures:

Thunderbirds are avian creatures, native to North America, and most commonly found in Arizona, US. They are large and their appearance resembles a Hippogriff in its head (note that the beak of a Hippogriff is more curved), but the fact that a Thunderbird doesn't possess a rear similar to a Hippogriff's makes the two creatures easily distinguishable (DO NOT use the word rear in your book unless you intend to describe how it looks). Thunderbirds also have three pairs of wings, and their—

Newt turned the page. He didn't need to be reminded of the Thunderbird's anatomy, but rather any information about its nature that he might have forgotten and should have in mind.

Thunderbirds create thunderstorms as they fly (perhaps you shouldn't mention this part in the book. Too obvious, given that their name is Thunderbirds). The most interesting thing about them, though, is that they can sense any approaching danger and react to it. Normally, they aren't friendly creatures, however, a few Native American wizards have managed to gain their trust in the past. It's not certain how they did so—