4Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts.
Prompt: Hagrid gets introduced to Newt by Dumbledore
For Wrenchinator
The Gamekeeper
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
October 19, 1951
Warren Roberts checked his watch- the train was late. It was a last minute delivery that corporate had sprung on them at the start of their shift- something time sensitive was coming up from Miami.
Roberts worked for the port authority. It wasn't anything fancy, but it kept the lights on. He was actually pretty good at it, considering the only machine he'd operated before cranes was an M4 Sherman in the European Theater.
A whistle blew in the distance and Warren leaned out the office's window. The train had arrived at last.
Yawning, he pulled his raincoat on and walked out to the tracks to meet them.
The train pulled to a halt in the shipyard and the conductor stepped off. He was tall and gangly with messy brown hair and he didn't look at Warren as he walked toward him. "Good evening," the man said, in a heavy British accent.
Warren only grunted his greeting. Too late for pleasantries- let's just get this over with. "This it?" he gestured to the first car after the engine.
"Yes," said the conductor. "Feel free to lock up and be on your way- I can unload it."
Warren shook his head. "Can't let you do that, pal. Security's pretty tight around here, what with the missing ships and all. Corporate's nervous. No one knows if it's the Soviets or the Cubans or the danged Bermuda Triangle, but it's all hands on deck. Plus, who's gonna operate the crane?"
The conductor awkwardly shuffled to the side and said nothing else.
The rain started to pick up as Warren pulled himself ontop of the outrigger and started winding the drum. The hook lowered quickly and banged against the steel shipping container. The conductor climbed up the container and ensured the hook connected. Maybe it was Warren's imagination, but he thought the guy appeared to be patting the container. Then, even stranger, the conductor appeared to be making a shushing noise. Was there someone alive in that container?
Warren was immediately struck with a impulse to call the police. Someone was being smuggled out of the country. Commies? A shiver went up his spine.
Warren began to wind the drum the other way and the entire crane lurched forward with the weight of the container. "Jeez," he said. "How heavy is this thing?" The crane wasn't designed to life more than a few tons.
"Er… should be light enough?" said the conductor. His hands were behind his back, but he moved like he was hiding something.
Warren, disliking this more and more, winched again and the container lifted easily. It was simple to swing over off the train and line up with the marker on the ground.
Just as Warren was about to lower the container, it suddenly started swinging wildly. The crane lurched one way and the next violently, nearly throwing Warren off the outrigger.
"What the-" he demanded but the rain beneath his feet caused him to slip and he fell into the mud beneath the crane. He heard the distinct sound of a cable snapping and the container fell sharply toward him.
Then, miraculously, it stopped. Breathing heavily, Warren scrambled out from beneath it. Then he saw an amazing sight. The train conductor was levitating the container!
The man's hand was outstretched, fingers extended toward the container, face screwed up in concentration. Then he lowered the container and it settled onto the ground.
"What was that?" Warren demanded but the conductor rounded on him, something long and pointy in his hand.
"I'm sorry for this," the man said, and then Warren woke up in his bed the next morning, drawing a complete blank from the night before.
…
…
The obliviated Muggle wandered away, locking the gate to the shipyard behind him. Newt heaved a sigh of relief.
He climbed on top of the container and opened a hatch on top. All he could see was the dark, murky water swirling beneath him. "I'm sorry about that, beastie," Newt whispered. "I didn't know the big Muggle machine would scare you so badly."
The water churned, noiselessly.
Suddenly, Newt heard a carrying voice in the shipyard. He closed the latch and hopped down, looking about.
In the distance he saw two figures striding toward him- one tall and skinny and the other big and large. Massive in fact.
"That's him!" came a gruff voice and the big figure started moving quickly toward him. As he got closer, Newt could make out some of the man's features. He was nearly nine feet tall with a tangle of wild matted hair. Still, he looked young. Just… huge!
The giant- or half-giant more than likely- seized Newt's hand and shook vigorously, nearly crushing his fingers. "Rubeus Hagrid, Mr. Newt Scamander. Rubeus Hagrid- So pleased to finally meet yeh, can' even tell yeh."
Rebeus Hagrid released Newt's hand and Newt felt as if his arm was much looser in its socket.
"And you as well," he said uncertainly. He looked past Rubeus Hagrid- an impressive feat in its own- and recognized Albus Dumbledore. He was older now, his auburn hair and beard showing traces of silver.
"It's good to see you again," Dumbledore said serenely as he shook Newt's hand.
"Always a pleasure, professor," said Newt, grinning. "No Ogg tonight?"
"I'm afraid not, he's filling in for Professor Kettleburn since the accident," Dumbledore replied. "Hagrid here works for him."
Hagrid thrust out his chest proudly. "I'm a huge fan o' yers, Mr. Newt Scamander, a huge fan! Read all yer articles. Or at least, tried to. Not so good with letters, meself. But Professor Dumbledore helps me with some of the harder ones." Hagrid's brow was sweating so much his bushy sideburns were starting to look matted.
"So," said Dumbledore, cutting Hagrid off and gesturing toward the container. "This is then?"
"Yes, professor," Newt replied. "Poor thing has a bounty out for her by the MACUSA. Six Muggle ships and an airline attacked all in the last ten years."
"What's the cover?" asked Dumbledore curiously.
"Something about a triangle on the island of Bermuda, I don't really understand it," said Newt, shaking his head.
Dumbledore nodded sagely. "The Kraken will certainly be safe at Hogwarts. They never attack children- it's part of their magic."
"Yes," said Newt and he gave Hagrid a wary glance. "And you're sure you and Ogg are up to the task of caring for it?"
"Wouldn' be here if I wasn'," said Hagrid with bravado. "The Kraken will have plenty to eat in the loch- there's more than enough fish up there. Plen'y o' space to swim around too. More than capable o' defendin itself from the kelpies that may wanna slice."
"And Merchieftainess Murcus has agreed to tolerate its presence and use non-lethal force in the defense of the colony," said Dumbledore.
"Good, good," said Newt absentmindedly.
"Could I see him?" asked Hagrid, eagerly. "He ough'ta meet his new family before he gets locked in a ship all the way to London, don' yeh think?"
"Er… why not?" said Newt and he waved his wand. The shipping container started to shift and sink into the earth. It angled its back end down and kept the front at surface level, giving the shipping container the outward appearance of a tunnel leading underground. The doors opened to reveal the magically reduced lake, its waves lapping up over the brim of the container.
Newt and Hagrid both stepped up to the edge of the container and peered into the murky water. A moment passed, and then a long slimy tentacle breached the water and reached out.
"Hello, beastie," said Newt affectionately. The Kraken allowed Newt to pet its tentacle gently, then mimicked him, its tentacle stroking his head and hair in similar fashion.
Newt took the tentacle in his hands and passed it over to Hagrid. "This is your new friend," said Newt. "He's going to be taking care of you."
The tentacle felt Hagrid's bulk and bushy beard, and then wrapped itself around his head. Hagrid laughed. "He's givin' me a hug," he said.
"Easy now," said Newt, who recognized the signs of a Kraken measuring its dinner to see if it would need to expand its stomach. "You'll want to feed him before he gets loaded up on the boat." He tickled the tentacle and it released Hagrid, leaving little round marks from the suckers on his face.
The tentacle retreated back into the water and the Kraken rolled its head up to the surface, a big amber eye looking from Newt to Hagrid.
"So long, big fella," Newt said.
He closed the doors to the shipping container and it righted itself on solid ground again. They turned to see Dumbledore smiling genially at them.
"I forget sometime the effect these creatures can have on the kindhearted," Dumbledore said. "Those who nurture and provide for the marvels of our world are as miraculous to me as these animals. And every bit as educational and valuable to our understanding of magic."
Newt smiled softly and then a thunderous trumpeting to his right made him jump. Hagrid was blowing his nose into a tablecloth-sized handkerchief. "That was beau'iful, professor," he said.
Newt laughed. "Rubeus Hagrid, I trust you with this creature," he said, trying to match the young man's bravado. "With his safety, with his health, and with his magic."
Hagrid nodded. "Yeh can coun' on me, Mr. Newt Scamander, sir. Oh! An' one more thin'! I, er… I'd like to give yeh this in person." He reached into a pocket of his massive robes and passed over a crumbled piece of parchment and a small bag of coins. When Newt unfurled it, he recognized the Flourish and Blotts pre-order form for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"I haven't even finished it yet!" Newt said, blood rushing to his cheeks.
"No matter," said Hagrid. "Can' wait ter get a copy o' me very own."
Newt was so touched, it didn't even occur to him to tell Hagrid that the pre-order form should be owled to the publisher, not himself. "Tell you what, Rubeus Hagrid," Newt said, handing the coins back for him. "For professional magizoologists, no charge."
Hagrid beamed. Newt said his goodbyes to Dumbledore and disapparated.
"Don' know why they say yeh shouldn' meet yer heroes, Professor," said Hagrid, after Newt had left and they'd wrangled the shipping container on the boat to London. "That felt incredible!"
Dumbledore smiled. "When your heroes are the right people, idolatry is not such a sin."
…
…
A/N: This was fun to write! Hagrid's west country dialect is tricky to get just right. You've gotta know the rules pretty well to deliberately break the right ones.