"Those blasted poachers!"
"I'll make them pay for this!"
Hagrid roared toward the Forbidden Forest, snatching up his weathered crossbow and slinging a quiver of bolts over his shoulder as he stormed out of his hut.
"Wait, Hagrid!"
Newt reached out, grabbing his arm and shouting to stop him.
Adam winced, knowing it wasn't easy to calm a half-giant in a rage.
"Mr. Scamander, they hurt Fluffy! I can't just stand here and do nothing!"
Hagrid shook off Newt's grip, charging toward the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
"I'm not trying to stop you, but you need to figure out if this is part of Professor Dumbledore's plan!"
Newt's words hit like a spell, clearing the fury from Hagrid's eyes. He spun around, hurrying back to Newt, his voice urgent.
"Sorry, Mr. Scamander, do you know something about this?"
Newt let out a relieved breath, pulling Hagrid back toward the hut and taking the suitcase Adam had been carrying.
His expression grew serious as he fixed his gaze on Hagrid. "Did you get a letter from Professor Dumbledore, asking you to keep an eye on the Forbidden Forest these past few days?"
"Yeah, but what does that—" Hagrid fidgeted, nervously adjusting the quiver on his back.
"I got a letter too," Newt said. "Dumbledore asked me to speak with the centaur tribes in the forest, to keep them within their territories. More importantly, he wanted me to check the deeper parts of the forest for any unusual activity among the magical creatures—specifically, if any have gone missing."
Newt pulled a letter from his suitcase, showing Hagrid the Headmaster's seal, his words deliberate and clear.
"So, Dumbledore knew this was coming?"
Hagrid scratched his ginger hair in frustration, looking like he wanted to say more but holding back.
"Clearly," Newt replied. "But he probably didn't expect you to be raising a three-headed dog in your hut, or that you'd run into those poachers in the forest."
Newt's calm tone made Hagrid freeze. He glanced nervously at his hut, smacking his forehead in regret.
"So I've gone and messed up Dumbledore's plan? Merlin's beard, how could I be so stupid!"
"It's not that bad yet," Newt said, glancing toward the forest's depths, lost in thought for a moment.
"Dumbledore likely asked you to patrol the forest to keep the poachers from getting too bold. Meanwhile, he brought me to Hogwarts to quietly investigate the magical creatures, so the poachers wouldn't catch on."
Newt knelt, setting his suitcase on the ground and calling softly into it.
A group of tiny green creatures scurried out, lining up in front of them, their brown eyes blinking curiously at Newt.
Adam recognized them instantly—Bowtruckles. These little creatures, made of bark and twigs, lived in trees and were nearly impossible to spot when camouflaged. Their long, sharp fingers were perfect for snacking on insects, living in harmony with the trees they protected.
Newt leaned down, whispering to them. The Bowtruckles nodded, then scattered into the forest, swinging from branch to branch with their hook-like arms until they vanished.
"Professor Scamander, what are you doing?" Hagrid asked, puzzled by the sight of the tiny creatures disappearing into the trees.
"This must be the real reason Dumbledore brought me to Hogwarts," Newt said. "You and I are working two angles—one out in the open, one in the shadows—to track down where these poachers are in the forest and figure out how they got here."
As Newt closed his suitcase, a yellowish-brown blur darted out and vanished into the forest.
Adam stared after it, catching Newt's subtle nod in his direction.
"So you're sending those little guys to snoop around the forest, right?" Hagrid said, smacking his palm in realization.
"The Forbidden Forest is crawling with Bowtruckles," Newt explained, smiling. "They live everywhere in there and must've seen the poachers at some point."
He glanced back at the hut. "And we can ask your three-headed dog. It might know something about where the poachers went."
Hagrid's face lit up with envy. "I wish I had your knack for talking to magical creatures," he said earnestly.
"That's up to you now," Newt replied. "Though I doubt we'll get much. The poachers saw Fluffy run toward your hut—they've probably already moved to a new hiding spot."
Newt rummaged in his suitcase, pulling out a vial of dittany and handing it to Adam.
Adam nodded obediently and headed toward the hut.
Hagrid's eyes widened, about to protest, but Newt waved him off with a smile. Watching Adam tiptoe into the hut, Newt said softly, "Adam's my student. Not long ago, he helped a struggling Occamy hatchling break free from its egg—right under the watch of two very protective adult Occamies."
"You know how territorial Occamies get during breeding season, but Adam handled it without a hitch. A wounded three-headed dog shouldn't be a problem for him."
"You taught him all that!?" Hagrid gasped, the quiver slipping from his shoulder as he stared at Newt in disbelief.
"It's not something you teach," Newt said with a chuckle. "It's a natural gift. I couldn't teach that if I tried. And don't you get along just fine with the creatures in the Forbidden Forest without it?"
Hagrid glanced around, then leaned in, whispering, "So, is he, like… your secret kid or something?"
Newt quickly waved his hands, laughing as he set the record straight.
But deep down, Newt had wondered the same thing. Adam had been brought to Hogwarts by Dumbledore, and with that familiar gift, it wasn't impossible he could be a long-lost Scamander.
He thought back to when he and Tina had scoured the Scamander family tree, searching for any distant relative who might be connected to Adam. They'd found nothing.
Meanwhile, Adam was in high spirits inside the hut, enthusiastically rubbing Fluffy's three scruffy heads. Unlike the silky fur of his niffler, Fluffy's coarse fur felt like a giant, rough sponge.
"Easy, easy, there's enough for all of you," Adam said, pulling out chunks of dried meat. The three heads, previously a bit grumpy, quieted down, their tails wagging furiously.
The middle head leaned in first, its wrinkled nose twitching as it clumsily licked Adam's hand with a pink tongue. The other two heads nuzzled his arms, letting out soft whines.
"Tepig jerky," Adam said. "I was saving this for a dragon, but you lot can have it this time."
He set a piece in front of each head, tapping the middle one to stop it from snatching the others' shares.
With that sorted, he uncorked the dittany and carefully applied it to Fluffy's wounds, asking about what had happened.
"They had little sticks in their hands!"
"It hurt when they hit us…"
"Good thing the horse with the horn helped us out."
Amid the chaotic barking, Adam pieced together their story. Fluffy had been chasing rabbits in the forest when it stumbled across some dark wizards. A unicorn had helped it escape.
The deeper wounds began to heal quickly under the dittany, easing the pain etched across all three faces.
"You three are not to go wandering in the Forbidden Forest for a while—it's dangerous out there," Adam warned, repeating himself to make sure they understood.
With Fluffy reluctantly letting him go, Adam left the hut and relayed the information to Newt.
"Near the unicorn territory? I'll check it out with Hagrid. You head back to the castle and stay with Tina," Newt said, clearly not wanting Adam too involved.
He watched Adam enter the castle before rejoining Hagrid.
As Adam stepped into the Great Hall, dinner was in full swing, students gathered around the long tables.
Something in his pocket vibrated lightly. At first, he thought it was the warning charm he'd set up in the secret passage last night.
But when he reached for it, his face paled.
It wasn't a charm. It was a ring.