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Fallengundur University


Ned Veigler approached Newt Scamander one evening, the day before the full moon of June, and carrying a notebook in his arms and a solemn expression on his face. He stood to one side as Newt finished a sketch of the Charkorais chicks, which had curled themselves up into the folds of Remus’s jumper to sleep. He watched as Newt finished the details in the silver feathers with his charcoal pencils and then laid down the parchment he’d been using to draw upon. Newt turned to look at Ned, picking up a cloth to wipe excess charcoal from his hands, “Yes, Mr. - Mr. Veigler?” Newt asked.

Ned’s grip tightened on the book he held. “I wanted to speak to you about something. An idea I had. Something that I should like very much to do.”

Newt Scamander turned and motioned for Veigler to follow him as they left Remus and the Charkorais birds, out into the laboratory… Tina was working at a foaming potions cauldron and Newt kissed her cheek and said, “Ned and I are going to step out for a, uh, a drink. The boy’s asleep.”

“Alright,” Tina replied, concentrating on the potion she was mixing - a tonic for the poor Niffler, who had a bit of a cold and was sad because he couldn’t sniff for gold like he enjoyed doing. The little niffler sat curled in a basket at the end of the counter, looking glum and clutching one of the gold galleons from her pouch in one hand, holding it to her nose, trying desperately to catch the scent, but to no luck.

Newt and Ned climbed out of the laboratory, into the little room of the inn where they were staying. Newt closed the briefcase carefully behind him, flipped the Muggle Worthy switch and opened it again to reveal his personal belongings. He pulled out a flask and handed it to Ned, flipping the switch back to the laboratory, but leaving the case closed. They got a couple glasses from a shelf there in the room and Ned poured the contents of the flask into each, carefully still holding his notebook.

Newt raised his glass and so did Ned and they each took a long sip.

“Alright, Mr. Veigler,” said Newt lowly, “Let’s see what it is you’ve got.”

Ned Veigler took a deep breath, “I’ve been thinking, Mr. Scamander, and as much as I enjoy the adventure of traveling all over the world with you -- I’ve seen so many things, my eyes can barely comprehend that they’ve seen all of the fantastic things you’ve shown me -- I have… a heart… a passion… for something… else.”

Newt Scamander nodded, “Tell me.”

Ned Veigler opened the notebook. Inside, he’d taped clippings - photos of castles in mountains, snow covered grounds far, far from prying eyes… and he’d drawn crests… coats of arms and sketches of classrooms with tall windows, light streaming in, of teachers standing before rooms full of students, of long tapestries and burning beakers and students… learning…

Newt Scamander’s eyes travelled over all the sketches and notes.

“Fallengundur University,” Newt whispered, running his fingers over a particularly well done crest - a teal and purple tri-star shape with three symbols - a leaf, a snowflake, and a wand. Newt looked up at Ned Veigler with interest.

“I want to start a school,” Veigler said, “A university, a place for… for unusual students that have graduated secondary schools like Hogwarts or Illvermorny.” He pointed to the symbols, “A school of magic -” he touched the wand, “ - for the unique - “ he touched the snowflake, “ - to learn of life,” he touched the leaf. “All students who wished to learn would be accepted… no matter their peculiarity. They would be encouraged to… to learn the subjects that they find most dear. The subjects that are off the beaten path… astrology, mystics, specialized herbology, mythology, fantastic beasts… It would be a place where the unaccepted would be loved and the unbelievable could be believed.”

Newt Scamander smiled and he stared down at the pad with a sort of pride in his eyes.

“I realized what I wanted when we were in the Great North Woods, when the Longbottom boy said that it was I who had taught him dueling… and Lupin, Lupin coming to me about the boggart, quoting back things I’d said, carrying his book with all my words from his classes, written all over the pages… as though things that I had to say were important… were worth making notes of…” Ned’s eyes were soft with passion, “I’ve never felt more needed and more alive than I did in those moments, Mr. Scamander. I never felt more like I mattered.”

Newt put a palm on Ned Veigler’s shoulder. “That is how I felt the first time I rescued a creature,” he said thickly.

Ned Veigler smiled.

“Far be it from me to stop you following your dreams,” said Newt, “Tina and I will do anything we can to help make this a reality.”

“You have done more for me, Mr. Scamander, than any other person ever has,” said Ned quietly, thankfully. “You truly are a great man.”

Newt Scamander smiled awkwardly.




The next night, Sirius woke up at two in the morning in a sweaty panic and looked around. Moonlight flooded the bedroom from the window and he grappled for the mirror. Remus’s bed was empty on the other side, the pillow untouched, nobody beneath the blankets. He stared at the empty bed, then flung the mirror down and got up, pacing from one end of the room to the other. Finally, he snuck out of the bedroom and down the hall to James’s room.

James was asleep, of course. James could sleep through anything - even the light of the full moon dancing over his face. Sirius quickly transformed into Snuffles and jumped up on James’s bed, curling himself ‘round his mate’s feet, resting his chin on James’s knees. He lay staring across the room, out the window, at the wide moon in the blue sky, hoping Remus was alright and not tearing at his own skin out there.

This was the second full moon of the summer, the second time that Sirius spent the night wondering helplessly about Remus Lupin. They were the longest nights. He wished he could go and be with Rey during them, but he didn’t have even a clue where Newt Scamander had taken him, not even an inkling…

James woke up several hours later, as the sun rose in the sky, to find Snuffles there on the bed. He sat up slowly, carefully, and reached down to stroke the dog’s ears. He didn’t need to ask Sirius to know why he was there. He’d been expecting it, really.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and Snuffles leaped up instinctively, about to bark…

“James?” it was Dora, “James, honey, is Sirius in there with you?”

James threw himself forward, grabbing Snuffles ‘round the neck and holding his muzzle shut. “DON’T COME IN!” he yelled, panicked and Snuffles struggled to get away.

Dora was quiet a moment, “Is everything alright?”

“YEAH WE’RE GRAND!” James shoved Snuffles to the bed and a moment later he was Sirius -- just as the door opened.

Sirius tilted his head up to look at Dora, James flattening him to the bed, arms ‘round his neck. Sirius grinned, “Hey, Mrs. P.”

Dora eyed them suspiciously a moment. “You boys sure everything’s alright in here?”

“Grand, just as James said,” Sirius answered, grinning.

“Well. I’m on my way out to St. Mungo’s to get your father. He’s coming home today,” Dora said. “I just wanted to let you boys know I was leaving.”

“Bye,” James said quickly.

“Bye, Mrs. P,” Sirius echoed.

Dora eyed them again, then backed out of the room, pulling closed the door behind her. She shook her head as a tuft of black shaggy dog hair swept out of the room on a breeze from the open bedroom window. She bent to pick it up, “I swear that dog’s hair is bloody everywhere,” she muttered, and she went on down the hallway. “Been nearly three months and I’m still finding it…”

James poked his head out after she was on her way down the stairs, listening for her to leave, then turned ‘round to look at Sirius, “That was bloody close.”

Sirius was grinning.

“Don’t - don’t grin like that,” James said, “She think we’re mad. If she’d ever found you in here as Snuffles -- blimey. They’d be expecting the both of you here at once and then what?!”

Sirius laughed.

“I’m serious!” James said, exasperated that his mate didn’t see the predicament they’d be in.

“So am I,” Sirius grinned.

“Shove off,” James answered, pushing Sirius in the side. He turned to his dresser and rooted about for slacks and a shirt.

Sirius laid back across James’s pillows. “Would it really be so horrible, if they did find out?” he asked, and he picked up the snitch from back at Hogwarts, which was getting old and tired and just laid pitifully on James’s nightstand now, it’s wings barely flickering, not even having the energy to try to get away.

“That we’re illegal animagusies?” James asked.

“Animagi,” corrected Sirius, “And yeah, would it be so bad?”

“Yes,” James replied. “It would. You know the load of trouble we’d be in? Dad’s friend’s with Minnie. And with Moody and about fifty other aurors. We’d be in deep trouble!”

Sirius shrugged, “You know - I’ve thought of telling your dad a few times recently.”

“Well don’t,” James said, “He’d be right upset! He loves Snuffles!”

“So you’re saying he doesn’t love me?” Sirius asked, challenging.

“No, I’m saying it’d be like you lied to him all this time, being Snuffles and being Sirius and it would confuse him and at this point I think he’d be rather heart broken that Snuffles isn’t real, honestly.

Sirius hadn’t thought of that, “Yeah, I s’pose you’re right.”

James nodded.

At that moment, Bubo came in the window. She landed ungracefully on James’s bead, toting the thickest edition of The Daily Prophet that James had ever seen. He ran over and untied it from Bubo’s leg. He undid the bindings and rolled the paper out and his eyes widened. “Sirius look,” he gasped, pointing at the headline.


MURDER AT THE MINISTRY - MADAM MINISTER FOUND DEAD
The night before the trial of Druella Black for the attacks on the Ministry last month, the Minister for Magic, Eugenia Jenkins, was found dead in her office. The Minister was working late yesterday evening, her security detail standing just outside the door of her office, when the Ministry came under attack. Madam Minister’s security was overthrown - and none recall details of the attack, their memories expertly modified by their attacker(s). The attacker(s) then assassinated the Minister for Magic using what appears to be the Avada Kedavra curse.
The Dark Mark was set over the Ministry for Magic in the sky, tipping off nearby aurors that something had gone incredibly wrong.
“It is a tragedy, the loss that the wizarding world has suffered this day,” said Ministry candidate Adom Tutman of the death of the Minister. “We will all grieve our losses. If this teaches us any lessons it ought to be that the Ministry is far from safe.”
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement quickly apprehended a suspect - a young muggle-born witch whose guest pass onto the premises had expired hours before the murder. She was found wandering dazedly about the halls, and claiming she didn’t recall being at the Ministry at all. Her wand has been retained for inspection and she will be sentenced accordingly.
The trial and sentencing of Druella Black, meanwhile, has been postponed until Monday, when trial will be held at the Ministry. The duty of judge shall befall the Department of Magical Law Enforcement’s third-in-command, Mr. Bartemius Crouch.



Sirius looked at James. “Blimey,” he said.

“I know,” James answered. “She’s dead.”

“And they’re blatantly blaming muggle-borns directly. Look at that,” Sirius scowled.

James shook his head, “Obviously she was imperiused, look how they descibed her state. Obviously they know the girl was imperiused, yeah?”

Sirius shrugged. “The question isn’t so much if they know… so much as if they care.”