Harry Potter's : Fantastic Beasts Guide

"Grandpa, you can scold me later—just teach me the placement spell first!" David yelled in desperation, gripping his wand tightly. He knew Newt had taught him the spell before, but he couldn't remember it at all.

Was it because of the side effects of crossing into this magical world? It felt like a plausible excuse to David, though deep down, he knew the real reason was his lack of focus.

"The spell is "Place it" ! The wand movement is slow at first, then quick—draw two arcs," Newt shouted back, demonstrating with one hand while gripping the kelpie's mane with the other. "But don't overdo the arcs, or the spell will backfire!"

His demonstration was short-lived, as the thrashing kelpie almost threw him off. Newt quickly grabbed its neck again, holding on tightly.

"Got it?" he asked.

"I'll try!" David stammered. On the shore, he began practicing the wand motion—slow, then fast, two careful arcs.

"Place it!" he exclaimed, pointing at the bridle. To his relief, the spell worked, and the bridle appeared on a nearby rock.

"Grandpa, I got it!" David shouted, his confidence soaring.

"Good! Now follow the plan. Focus completely on Kelpi's head when casting the spell. If you get distracted, the spell will go astray," Newt instructed, his voice firm.

David swallowed hard, nodding. He couldn't afford to mess this up, especially since the alternative might result in the bridle appearing on Newt's head.

"Now, David!" Newt and John wrestled the kelpie into a momentary lull.

"Place it!" David cast the spell with all his focus.

This time, the bridle materialized perfectly on the kelpie's head. Awad, the kelpie, stopped thrashing, shaking its head slightly as if testing the fit.

David exhaled deeply, his tense shoulders relaxing as relief washed over him. His heart, which had been pounding in his chest moments ago, began to slow.

---

Newt guided Awad back to shore, securing the bridle's reins.

"Grandpa, what's wrong with Awad?" David asked, observing the kelpie closely. The creature, usually gentle, had been unusually aggressive today.

Newt sighed, running a hand along Awad's cattail-like mane. "It's sick. I should've noticed earlier, but I've been so busy."

David frowned. He had ridden Awad several times before and never seen it behave this way.

Newt tried to lift Awad's mane for a closer look, but the kelpie flinched and pulled away. Understanding dawned on him, and he turned to David.

"David, it trusts you the most right now because you placed the bridle. Come here and lift its mane—gently," Newt said.

David hesitated, then nodded. He approached Awad cautiously, speaking soothingly as he reached for its mane. This time, Awad stayed still, allowing David to lift the cattail-like strands.

What he saw made him recoil in shock. Beneath the mane were countless small, blood-red bugs the size of fingertips. They writhed and wriggled, burrowing into Awad's flesh and feeding on its blood. Some spots were already raw and bleeding.

"Grandpa, what are those?" David asked, his voice filled with disgust and concern.

"They're parasites," Newt explained grimly. "Horse-shaped water monsters can clean each other in the wild, but Awad's too shy to live with others. Without regular grooming, these parasites build up."

Awad had been rescued from the wild by Newt after being abandoned by its herd. Its fear of social interactions made it impossible to reintroduce it to others, leaving Newt responsible for its care.

"David, you'll need to help me remove these bugs. They won't harm you," Newt assured him, handing over a pair of tweezers.

David gulped but nodded. He lifted Awad's mane again and used the tweezers to pluck out a wriggling bug. The creature thrashed in his grasp, trying to bite the metal.

"Drop it in here," Newt instructed, pointing to a basin filled with water and a few drops of potion. The moment the bug hit the water, it stopped moving and floated belly-up.

"Why can't we just bathe Awad in this potion?" David asked, seeing how effective it was.

"Because the potion would sting its wounds," Newt explained. "We need to remove the bugs one by one."

With a resigned sigh, David continued his painstaking work. For hours, he stood beside Awad, lifting its mane and plucking out the parasites. His arms ached, and his patience wore thin, but he refused to stop until the task was done.

The basin filled quickly, layer upon layer of dead bugs covering the surface.

"Almost there," Newt encouraged as David fought exhaustion.

Finally, Newt declared, "That's it! No more bugs."

David slumped forward, resting his head against Awad's side. "Finally," he muttered, too tired to celebrate.

Awad let out a soft, grateful whinny. Turning its head, it licked David gently on the head, and a surge of magical warmth flowed into him. In that instant, a new page appeared in David's mental magical creature journal—the kelpie had officially recognized him.

Before David could relish the moment, Newt tapped him lightly on the head. "You did well, but we're not done yet. Awad needs something to help it recover."

As Newt walked off to prepare a restorative potion, Awad swished its tail and lightly smacked Newt on the back.

David chuckled, stroking the kelpie's mane. "Good job, Awad. You didn't let me suffer in vain today!"