Harry Potter's : Fantastic Beasts Guide

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of something knocking against the window interrupted David's reading. He stood and opened it, smiling as he recognized the snowy owl perched on the sill.

"Felax! You're back," he said warmly.

Felax, David's recently purchased snowy owl, ignored his outstretched arm and glided into the room with a small package tied to its leg. It dropped the bundle on David's desk and flew to its perch, closing its eyes as if it had already forgotten him.

David sighed. Felax was still as aloof as ever. Shaking his head, he set out a small plate of crumbs and water beneath the owl's perch. Only when he turned away did Felax silently flutter down to eat.

Turning back to his desk, David untied the package. Inside were three items: a book, a packet of biscuits, and a letter—all from Hermione. After David had written to her, she'd replied with a long letter filled with questions about her studies.

"She's already read through all the textbooks," David muttered, amazed. "That's... impressive."

Unlike Hermione, his textbooks were still bundled together. He hadn't found anything as interesting as magical creatures to motivate him to open them.

The letter also mentioned the biscuits. Hermione explained that they were made by her mother and had "tooth-protecting ingredients." At the end of the letter, she politely requested that David ask Newt to sign her copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as she had forgotten in her excitement while shopping.

David took a biscuit, noting how tasty it was, then picked up the book and went downstairs.

"Grandma, where's Grandpa?" he asked, glancing around the cozy sitting room.

Tina looked up from her Daily Prophet. "Newt and John are in the magic space. One of the kelpies is acting up, and they've been at it for a while."

"I'll go check," David said, placing the book on a side table before heading toward the arched door leading to Newt's magical sanctuary.

---

As soon as David stepped through the door, the scenery changed. A massive lake stretched out before him, its surface shimmering under an enchanted sky. However, there was no sign of Newt or John.

"Grandpa? John?" David called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

There was no response.

He pulled out his wand, pointed it at his throat, and cast the Sonorus spell, amplifying his voice.

"GRANDPA? JOHN!"

The amplified shout echoed across the lake like thunder.

At first, nothing happened. Then the tranquil water began to ripple. The ripples turned into waves, and soon the entire lake seemed to rise. A towering wall of water, at least ten meters high, surged forward before crashing down with a thunderous roar.

"Uh-oh," David muttered. He turned and ran as fast as he could, but the floodwaters caught up quickly.

Just as the wave was about to engulf him, a spell shot out from the lake. A shimmering shield formed around David, shielding him from the full force of the water. He was pushed to the shore but remained unharmed.

Soaked and coughing, David struggled to his feet.

"David, what were you thinking? You scared it!" John's voice rang out.

David turned to see Newt and John emerging from the lake, soaked and clinging to a struggling creature. It was a kelpie—a magical water horse with a mane of cattail-like grass. Though kelpies could shapeshift, this one had chosen its equine form.

It bucked and thrashed wildly, splashing water everywhere.

David stared, confused. "But I thought Grandpa had already tamed it?"

Newt, riding the kelpie's neck and gripping its mane tightly, shouted back, "Normally, yes! But kelpies are sensitive, and your amplified shout startled it!"

John, clinging desperately to the kelpie's tail, looked like he might be flung off at any moment.

"David, get the bridle from the studio!" Newt called. "We'll hold it off. You'll use a placement spell to secure it on its head!"

"Got it!" David ran back to the studio and rummaged through the cabinets, finally finding the enchanted bridle designed to control kelpies. He sprinted back to the lake, the bridle in hand.

"Ready?" Newt yelled.

"Ready!" David replied, gripping his wand nervously.

Newt and John wrestled with the kelpie, trying to keep it still. "We'll give you a window. Be quick!"

David raised his wand, but as he prepared to cast the spell, his mind went blank. He froze, his confidence crumbling.

"Grandpa!" he shouted, panicked. "I don't know the placement spell!"

The kelpie stopped thrashing for a moment, as if even it couldn't believe what it had just heard.

Newt groaned loudly. "I told you to study! But no, you're always too busy playing!"

John burst out laughing despite the situation.

David's face burned with embarrassment. He silently vowed to crack open those textbooks as soon as this ordeal was over.