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She smells Newt before she sees him, the unmistakable scent of fresh meat. He is carrying her favourite bucket, and she raises her head and snaps her jaws in anticipation.
Abandoning all sense of decorum (which is fine, because who here is going to judge her? Certainly not any of these lesser creatures) she throws herself towards him.
He is not alone. She hesitates. She has never seen another human before.
The new human is smaller than Newt, and where Newt's hair is golden, this man's is fiery red. He is approaching with far more confidence than he has any right to, so she shoots a bit of steam in his direction, just to put him in his place.
The human laughs. She snarls. Do all humans have such disregard for their own lives?
“Feisty one isn't she? Very healthy. You've done a good job with her.” The man sounds impressed. She blows a few more sparks his way. She doesn't need his approval and neither does Newt. She can take care of herself thank you very much.
“It's okay Sophie. He's not going to hurt you.” Newt is calm, and she feels the effect of his voice in spite of herself. As if this man could hurt her anyway. Please. She is the dragon after all.
Newt reaches into the bucket and throws a small piece of meat (rabbit, by the smell) towards her. She jumps to catch it, cooking it with a quick burst of flame before snapping it between her teeth. This is a game Newt likes to play and she humours him in it. For now. As long as the food keeps coming.
The next piece is thrown by the red-haired man, and she catches that too. She still doesn't trust him, but food is food.
“This is Charlie.” Newt says. “He's going to help look after you for a while.”
Why? Where is Newt going?
The third piece of rabbit is slightly overcooked. Not her fault. She was distracted.
“You're getting too big for this place. We're going to take you somewhere you'll be safe, in the wild, where you belong.” He sniffles slightly, as if trying to hold back tears.
Where she belongs? How can that be. This is the only home she has ever known.
“Don't worry. I'll stay for a few days, to make sure you settle in okay.” Newt turns to Charlie, looking suddenly sheepish. “If that's okay with you.”
“No problem, the more the merrier, especially those who bring their own accommodation!” Charlie laughs.
Newt isn't leaving, not yet. She squashes the feeling of relief. She is a dragon, and dragons do not get attached to humans.
“I'll set up a pen away from the others, we don't want to upset her with too much change in one go. Let her stay here tonight and we'll move her in the morning.”
The others? Other humans? Other dragons? Her mind spins with the possibilities. She has never met another dragon.
She almost misses the last piece of rabbit go flying over her shoulder.
Almost.
She is a dragon after all.
*
She doesn't sleep well that night, and the next morning she is alert and ready when they arrive. The two humans are deep in conversation as they pass the tree full of silly stick animals (she's not allowed near that one), and the nest with the pretty eggs that look oh so tasty (she's not allowed near that either). She shoots a few flames in their general direction to hurry them up. Whatever is about to happen, she would rather they got it on with it.
“That was close!” Charlie hops away from the fire which is now burning in the grass at his feet. She tries not to look smug.
“I think she has it in for the bowtruckles, poor things. I had to put up extra defensive charms.”
Charlie shakes his head as he pours water from his wand on the fire. “I can see what you mean about needing more space down here. They'll be crowding you out of you hut soon.”
“They already do.” Newt points to his pocket where a small lump is hidden, trembling in fear. Good. At least one creature around here is showing her the proper respect.
“You're too soft on them.”
“Coming from the man who sleeps with dragon eggs in his bed.” Newt smiles.
“It's the best place to keep them!” Far from defensive, Charlie is animated. “The insulation from the covers keeps the temperature constant.”
“Really? I never tried that with Sophie. I kept her egg by the stove.” Newt looks like he's mentally taking notes, probably for that book he keeps talking about.
They are ignoring her again. But she can see the bucket in Charlie's hand, and she's hungry. She lunges.
She is quick, but Charlie is quicker, and suddenly her mouth is full of chicken. Perhaps he's not so bad after all she thinks as she swallows it down. Newt never gives her such large pieces.
“Come on then. Let's get you up to your new home.” He shakes the bucket, and the two of them turn and run.
She chases them, and it feels good. The scent of fresh blood wafts towards her nose, driving her on. She snaps at Newt's ankles. Just a bit further, she's almost there...
The air is fresh, and she can feel wind on her scales. She leaps into the sky, and finds nothing stopping her. She's flying and it feels incredible.
She spins around and spots the two humans far down on the ground below her. Newt throws the other half of the chicken and she dives just in time to snatch it out of the air, before shooting back up into the sky in triumph.
Newts eyes follow her wistfully. “They grow up fast don't they.”
“As they should.” Charlie's hand tentatively touches his shoulder. “Come on, we should leave her to settle in. Why don't you show me this famous niffler that's been causing so much trouble?”
Newt's eyes light up, and the next time she looks down, they are gone.
It doesn't take long for Sophie to map out her new home. It is much larger than the inside of Newts suitcase, but not nearly as endless as she first thought. On three sides she is surrounded by thick forest which she can neither enter, nor fly over. On the fourth the forest opens out into grassy fields as far as she can see, but even here an invisible force prevents her from flying far. In the distance she can see a squat stone building. She heads towards it, but no matter how hard she flies it remains stubbornly far away, as if it is nothing more than an illusion.
It is from this building that Charlie and Newt emerge later in the evening. She has found a nice den now, deep in the shadows beneath a large pine tree. It is warm and cozy in the nest she has made of dried pine needles, and she is tired from the day's exertions. She keeps one eye open, watching them. The other is firmly closed.
“There she is!” It's Newt's voice. “Thank Merlin. I'm not surprised we couldn't see her. Look how well she camouflages!”
“I told you not to worry, she's in no danger out here. She's made herself right at home.”
“Still, I couldn't have slept without being sure.” Newt yawns, worry now giving way to tiredness. “Now that I am, I'm starting to think she has the right idea about heading to bed.”
“I have been reliably informed that dragons are very intelligent animals. We could do far worse than take their advice.” Charlie leads Newt back towards the house.
Yes, she could definitely get used to this new human.
*
Over the following days she grows used to the routine in her new home. Newt and Charlie visit her regularly, as do the other humans who live here. She meets Malcolm, an older man who walks with a limp he acquired after losing a fight with a manticore, and Katie, a tiny woman who smells like smoke, usually because her hair is on fire. (The fire was only Sophie's fault once, and even then she refuses to take all the blame. People who bring dragons tasty scorpion-shaped snacks should give them enough space to cook said snacks without getting in the way).
Still, as comfortable as this life is, she can't help but feel that something is missing. She lies awake at night, listening to the sounds of the forest, barks and screeches that seem to call to her from under the trees. When the wind blows just right she can hear another noise too, a low growl that wakens something inside her, and she knows that she is hearing other dragons, far, far away. She is growing stronger now, she can feel it every time she takes to the air, her powerful wings propelling her faster and faster. But she is still so small, and when she thinks of the other dragons fear grips her heart, even as she longs to join them.
She hears Newt and Charlie talking about the other dragons who live here. There is a horntail with a broken wing, and a young fireball they want desperately to return to China, though they know it will never be safe. There are eggs too, a clutch of welsh green that Katie rescued from a trader. She has never seen Newt run so fast as he does the night they finally hatch, disappearing back up to the house without even a glance back, Katie hot on his heels.
It isn't only dragons either. She sees the look of wonder in Charlie's eyes every time he emerges from Newt's suitcase with a new scratch on his arm. Watches as Malcolm plays with the little stick creature in the grass, a look of such tenderness in his weather-beaten face that it takes her breath away.
She wants to ask them why. Why do they commit their lives to helping these creatures? Why fight to save the lives of dragons who would cook them for breakfast without a moment's thought. Creatures who would not care that their meal was an animal as intelligent as themselves, if they even stopped to consider that such a thing may be possible. Why care for the strange plants and small rodents that are probably not even aware of their own existence, let alone anyone else's. What do they gain from it? What do they want in return? It makes her uneasy, to be so in debt to another creature, and she resolves to make it right, somehow.
On the fourth morning she is greeted early by all four of her keepers. Newt is holding a wicker crate, and from inside she can hear scuffling noises. Her ears prick up, this is new.
“Okay there Sophie?” He says, and she unwinds her long neck to watch as he opens the crate.
Out jumps a rabbit. A live rabbit.
The rabbit is alive, and is in her territory. Her instincts take over and the rabbit is dead before it realises she's there. She tears off it's head with a flourish of satisfaction. The fresh blood is warm as it runs between her teeth, and yes, this is what she has missed.
She pauses. Maybe this is the opportunity she has been waiting for. She gulps down the head and then considers the rest of the rabbit's body. It wouldn't do to give it back like this. She cooks it, careful this time to keep her distance from the humans. Then she picks it up in her jaws and drops it at Newt's feet.
“Merlin's beard.” Charlie looks like he has seen a ghost. “Did she just...” The other two are equally shocked, and they do not respond.
If Newt is surprised he does not show it. He is perfectly calm as he picks up the rabbit and takes a large bite of the charred flesh. Of course he does, because he understands. And then he passes the rabbit to Charlie who does the same, and Malcolm, and Katie, and it is strange, and it is beautiful, and now her debts are paid.
*
It is not long before she is catching not only rabbits and rats, but small birds too. Catching birds in mid-air is a skill that takes some time to perfect, but perfect it she does. After what feels like an hour-long chase she finally catches the first sparrow, and she has never felt more proud. Charlie cheers from the ground below her and pulls Newt close under his arm.
The next day there is something wrong. Newt is alone, and his eyes are downcast as he approaches.
“He asked me to stay.” Newt leans on the fence and kicks the ground with his heel. “I almost said yes.”
But you didn't. It's not a question. After all, she might be able to understand human, but she can't speak it.
She doesn't need to ask who 'he' is.
“A part of me wants to stay, more than anything in the world. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I have these last few days.”
Then why don't you? And why are you pouring your heart out to a dragon instead of the man you should be talking to? She wants to pick him up and shake some sense into him, but instead she just shakes her head, blows a few sparks at him, and listens.
“I can't though. I have my book to write, and other creatures depending on me to get them home. I have another job to do as well, one I can't tell anyone about, it's top secret from Dumbledore. There's something in New York hurting muggles, and I might be the only person who can stop it.” He is rambling now, the words falling over themselves.
“But it's not just that. He...” Newt takes a deep breath. “I can't give him what he wants.”
And she thinks, you silly human, he doesn't want anything you're not willing to give. For people who are so in tune to the feelings of animals, it seems they can be rather dense about their own. But she can't tell him this. She can only hope he will figure it out for himself.
“I think it's time I left.” Finally he smiles. “And I think it's time you did too. We were talking about it just now, that's why he asked. It's time for you to fly free Sophie.”
And finally she understands, that's what this is really about. Because Newt too belongs in the wild, not locked up in a grey-stone house. And she understands this as perhaps no human ever has.
“Newt?”
Neither of them hear Charlie approach, and Sophie can't help but feel embarrassed. Some terror of the skies she is, allowing a human to sneak up on her.
Newt turns to him, but does not move away from the fence. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run off like that.”
“Don't worry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” It's clear that Newt is not okay, and Charlie can see that. He pauses before speaking again. “I understand you know. You're a Hufflepuff.”
Newt's eyes shoot up. Whatever he was expecting, clearly it wasn't that.
Charlie continues, undeterred. “You're a Hufflepuff, and you're loyal. You're loyal to your creatures, and to your beliefs, but most of all you're loyal to yourself. You would never do anything that compromises those principles, and that's why you have to leave.”
And Sophie thinks perhaps there is one human who understands after all.
“But I'm a Gryffindor, and apparently I'm just brave enough to do this.” He steps forward and pulls Newt into a hug, and instead of stiffening as she has seen him do countless times before, Newt finally relaxes. “When you've finished saving the world, will you come back?”
Newt nods, apparently not daring himself to speak.
"Then we'll be here, waiting for you.”
*
All four of them gather to see her off. Now that the moment is here she feels as though she will burst with excitement. Newt does the honours, pulling out his wand and completing the complex movements which will dispel the charms surrounding her. There is no great trumpet call or flash of light when it is done, only silence, and four humans watching her.
Slowly she stretches out her wings and takes to the air, circling the field a few times. Now that she's free, she realises she has no idea which way to fly first. Then she spots her tree, and finally she can fly right to the top and perch in it's branches. It's a good spot, she can still see them from here, but she doesn't think they can see her.
She watches as Newt picks up his suitcase and turns to leave. Watches as he stops, turning back to Charlie. He shuffles his feet.
“Perhaps... would it be okay if I wrote?”
Charlie smiles. “I'd like that. We'll have to set up some new wards though. I'm not sure it's safe for owls around here any more.” And he's right about that, owls are delicious.
Newt smiles back. “Perhaps we can persuade Sophie to deliver letters.”
They laugh, and she laughs with them. It is a ridiculous notion. She is a dragon, and dragons do not deliver letters.
But these are not ordinary humans.
Perhaps for them, she can make an exception.