Tengu and Ninja's Daughter by StarFeather



Summary: Someone will go hunting Kappa's eggs.
Rating: R starstarstarhalf-star
Categories: Magical Creatures Challenge (2017-3), Magical Creatures Challenge (2017-3)
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2017.10.06
Updated: 2017.11.12


Tengu and Ninja's Daughter by StarFeather
Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Freshwater Plimpies
Author's Notes:

After Neville went back to the office to meet with Malfoy, Albus walked with Rose up to the Great Hall from the greenhouse. Albus forgot for a moment about his hunger as he remembered how Malfoy had ignored him when he asked about his essay. He halted suddenly in the middle of the corridor.



"Why do you think Malfoy gave me a good mark?" he asked.



Rose looked perplexed. "Why do you think? Your essay was very good, especially your detailed pictures of the Kappa's eggs and plants."



"Yeah, I thought I had done a good job on all of it. But Malfoy didn't mention anything about the pictures or the writing."



"Because you left before he could tell you."



"He ignored me when I asked him. He never just goes ‘round openly praising our reports. He must be up to something."



"Well, I did feel that he wasn't happy about giving my report a good mark either. He might have just come to talk to us because he's afraid of McGonagall. Still, I got the impression that he meant it seriously."



Students from all houses passed them, chatting merrily as they entered the Great Hall.



Albus frowned and said, "Do you mean that giving us good marks will bring him merit?"



"Yes, I think so. He was going to ask me something before you left the office." Rose shoved the door open. "Let's wait for professor Malfoy to come back to see what he was going to ask me." She waved her hand towards Hagrid who sat down on his chair on the platform.



They waited for Malfoy to appear during lunch, but he never showed up.








Scorpius stayed in Neville's office with his father. Professor Longbottom set a silver plate of sandwiches next to the biscuits on the desk.



"Is it cold? I'll ignite the hearth," asked Neville, who raised his wand to point at the hearth.



"No, thank you," Malfoy said shortly. "I was planning to eat my lunch in the Great Hall. This won't take long..."



"Sandwiches and warm soup served by Hogwarts house-elves are not bad. I have so many kludgy things to do later in the greenhouse that I can't go back to the Great Hall to have lunch."



Malfoy and Scorpius exchanged glances. Finally, they took sandwiches and began eating.



Neville smiled, satisfied that they were eating. "So what do you want to know?"



"Rolf Scamander. I remember Lovegood is married to the guy, isn't she?" Malfoy couldn't hide his disdainful look. He had never understood Luna.



Neville didn't notice Malfoy's expression. He grinned and began talking. "I will never forget their wedding party. We were assigned costumes that Luna had picked out for us.I heard it was difficult for Rolf to prevent Luna from putting on a lion hat, and..."



"Excuse me, Neville," Malfoy interrupted, "I have a class after lunch so if you could simply tell me where they live, I would really appreciate it."



"Oh. Luna lives with her family near the Burrow. Do you want to meet them?"



"I heard Mr.Scamander had visited Japan." Malfoy pretended that he didn't care whether Scamander had visited Japan or not. "As you know, I am studying about special items from that area. He may have information that might help."



Neville grabbed a sandwich and started eating it. With muffled voice, he spoke, "Yes, I heard that too. I know he will be in the country the end of October. Luna's family live near Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon. They'll celebrate Halloween for a week wearing costumes just like Muggles. On the last day, they'll have a big Halloween gathering at Scamander's house at Shitterton. It's Luna's idea. Their twins will wear Halloween costumes and..."



"I cannot wait until then," Malfoy cut in. "Will you ask if they're available for this weekend?" he tried asking nonchalantly.



"I'll tell her via Floo network. Oh, you can ask Rose to tell her father that," Neville stopped talking and opened his mouth again. "Eh, never mind. I'll tell Luna myself."



"Thank you. I'm afraid Ronald Wealsey won't be happy if I appear at Ottery St. Catchpole. So please don't mention this to him. Thank you for sandwiches and soup. Let's go, Scorp." Malfoy stood up.



Not only would he hate to see Ron, but he was also afraid that Weasley would tell Potter that he had shown up near Ottery St. Catchpole, so close to the Burrow.










Scorpius went back to his dorm after lunch in the greenhouse. He wanted to bask in the afterglow of his father's praise alone. He pulled out his essay marked "Outstanding" and smiled. He opened the trunk by the bed and put it inside carefully, on top of his textbooks. Then he remembered the half read fairy tales of East Asia and went to the desk. He sat down and began reading.

Riding a horse was one of the needed skills for Kouga ninjas. Saki quickly learned all the paces: trotting, cantering and galloping. Once she mastered them, her father taught her to use a sword on horseback. To his satisfaction, she acquired that skill very quickly, too.

One spring day, her father came to her and said, "As much as I hate to see you on the battlefield, it is your destiny, Saki. Starting today, I will train you as one of our secret army."

"Yes, my father. I'm ready." She didn't flinch at all, proud that her father had sensed her skills were strong enough. She was hoping that her new skills of stealth would help her to find Shota, who she guessed might be a Tengu. She was sure that the young man with the beautiful wings must be a leader of Tengu tribe. She didn't know what she would do when she encountered him. But the feeling that she wanted to meet him again was getting stronger and stronger.



Scorpius was absorbed in the story. It would be embarrassing if anyone saw him reading from the book of fairy tales, so when his Slytherin roommates came into the room, he closed the book and pretended that he had been studying. The next class was Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures. He didn't hate the class, no matter how his father despised the half-giant teacher. He just liked Hagrid's kind eyes. That was because he was lonely. He could never remember having real friends.



Flint blew hard on the back of Scorpius and said, "Oi, join us in messing up the half-giant's class, Malfoy!" he smirked with the other cunning Slytherins.



Scorpius stood up rubbing his back which ached and asked, "Okay, what are you up to?"



"I saw him go to the pond to feed the grindylows. I reckon he'll let us observe the grindylows today. Why don't we feed them spicy flobberworms? It'll be fun!" He pulled out a small glass case in which the poor creatures slowly wriggling from his pocket.



"What did you do to them?" Scorpius asked irritated. It was disgusting to see the poor creatures getting weak. Flint must have swiped the worms from Neville's greenhouse.



"I sprinkled red pepper sauce over them. Let's go!" Flint dragged him outside.



Hagrid carried an enormous fish scooping tool and a tank by the muddy pond. It had been twenty years since he'd taught Harry to ride a Hippogriff. After the tragic news that Buckbeak was nearly going to be executed, the professors had discussed changing the curriculum to introduce Care of the Magical Creatures to the first years at Hogwarts. Hagrid also remembered that Remus Lupin was the first professor to bring grindylows to the class.



"The great teachers die young." Hagrid got a little melancholy and shook his head. "It may be about time for me ter retire." It would be good to go to France to see Madame Olympe, he thought.



One of grindylows showed its head on the surface of the pond. Hagrid handled the big net skillfullly and scooped up a grindylow. He threw it into the tank filled with massive water plants, willow and moss. Among the floating plants, he found a dull green egg speckled with brown spots. He wiped it with his clothes and pocketed it. It was a good opportunity for the students to learn about hatching the animals.
Albus rushed up to him with Rose and said, "Hagrid, I saw Flint dragging Scorpius Malfoy. They are up to something!"



Hagrid smiled at him, "Yeh're really like your father, Albus. Good boy, I'll be careful."



When the naughty boys arrived, Hagrid sensed that Flint was hiding something in his hand but pretended he didn't notice anything.



"Everyone, come closer ter the tank. Today, we will learn how to treat this creature, the grindylow."



Some of the boys started chattering with excitement. The other girls noticed the sharp nails of the creature in the tank and backed away.



Hagrid saw them retreat and spoke to them, "Girls, don't be afraid. It's not difficult. C'mon, come closer."



But the girls didn't dare. The creature bared its scary green teeth and turned to show its sharp little horns. Hagrid coughed lightly and continued his lecture.



"Well, the brave four champions of the Triwizard Tournament had to confront them in the Great Lake in the past, but yeh don't have ter fight them. What yeh have ter do today is find their eggs and prepare to hatch them."



Smirking, Flint asked, "Professor, I have a question."



"Yes?"



"Do we need to swim in the pond?"



"No, yeh don't. Flint. We're only collecting their eggs. Here," Hagrid took out the egg from his pocket and showed it to them.



Most of the students, including the girls, came closer. Hagrid was excited to see their sudden change of attitude, and didn't notice Flint throw a spicy flobberworm in the tank. It didn't take much time until the class turned to chaos. The grindylow jumped at the food. Soon, it writhed and splashed muddy water around the tank. The students near the tank got soiled and made a big fuss. Hagrid was completely disconcerted as some of the Slytherin girls were soaked with muddy water and began complaining loudly. Flint and the other Slytherin boys laughed their heads off. Albus noticed that Scorpius wasn't laughing among them.



He couldn't believe his ears when he heard Scorpius suggest to Hagrid, "Professor, I think you'd better get it back to the pond. Why don't we sketch the egg in the class while you take care of the grindylow?"



"You're right, Scorpius. Everyone, go back ter..."



"We could go to the Greenhouse. I heard that Professor Neville isn't teaching this period." Scorpius offered helpfully.



"Thanks, Scorp. Boys and girls, go ter the greenhouse. Albus, please carry this egg with yeh." He handed the grindylow's egg to Albus.



Albus took it carefully with his both hands. It was bigger than a chicken's egg.



Hagrid whispered to him, "Please watch Flint. Protect this from his mischief."



"I will." Albus nodded determinedly. "Let's go," he said to Rose. Then he glanced back to Scorpius. He contemplated the fact that Scorpius Malfoy had helped Hagrid twice. What was he up to? What merit would he get by helping the Care of Magical Creatures professor? Was he trying to get good marks?



On their way, Rose swished her wand and cast cleaning spells on the Slytherin girls who were blaming Hagrid for getting them muddy. Albus was nearly stumbling along the way up to greenhouse holding the egg in his hands. When they arrived at the greenhouse, they were welcomed by Neville.



"What happened to Hagrid's class?"



"Flint did something to the grindylow in the tank. Hagrid is taking care of the poor creature right now."



"Is that its egg?"



"Yes, it is. We're supposed to sketch this during the rest of the class. Can we use the greenhouse, Professor?"



"Sure. Come in everyone and find a seat!"



Albus and Rose stood at the door while Flint and his gang passed by. Flint glared at him and gestured rudely towards Rose. Albus didn't understand what Flint meant by it, but he was sure it was some sort of insult. He glared back at Slytherin boys. Scorpius was the last to enter. He chose the northern end of the long wooden bench which was the farthest away from the group of snickering boys and sat down. Albus and Rose asked Neville to give them something to cushion the egg.



"I have something good. Wait here."



Neville retreated to the back room, and in a few minutes, he returned with a small cushion made of cotton and silk. After setting the egg in the center of the long table, Neville cast a protective charm around it to prevent anyone from touching it. Albus and Rose went to find seats, but the only vacant space available was across from Scorpius. They nodded to each other and moved to the spot.



Having seen Scorpius help Hagrid, Albus thought that maybe he had misjudged the boy. He saw that Scorpius was taking something out of his colored pencil case with a blue and white logo of Puddlemere United printed on it.



"Hey, are you a fan of Puddlemere United?" Albus tried to smile, but his face felt tense.



Scorpius stared at him for a while, apparently confused by the unexpected question.
"Yes. Eh, you?"



"I am. Though Uncle Ron tried to force me to be a fan of Chudley Cannons." Albus tried smiling again. This time it was easier.



Scorpius said, "They're the worst team, aren't they? I mean based on the results of last year and the year before that. They've never been great."



"Yeah, I know. I still like them, though."



Soon the class became quiet as everyone concentrated on drawing the egg. Even Flint and his friends got wrapped up in making magical animated cartoons from their scribbles. Neville overlooked them, thankful that they were quiet and not being harmful.



While Albus began coloring his drawing, Scorpius asked him, "Potter, I have something to ask you."



"What is it?" Albus stopped his hand and faced Scorpius.



"Nice picture." Scorpius looked at the well-drawn picture with full of admiration for a while and said, "I want that egg. Will you tell professor Hagrid?"



Albus became guarded. He wondered if the only reason that Scorpius had been so helpful to Hagrid was to get his hands on the egg. Even his praise for his picture seemed like a tactic to get a favor.



Albus answered carefully. "What will you do with the egg? Why do you need it?"



Scorpius bit his lip. He seemed to think deeply before answering. When he finally spoke, he nearly whispered, "I desperately need the egg. Please don't tell anybody." He stopped, seeming to think it over, and then added, "My father was threatened. I need your help."



Rose who had been listening to their conversation, couldn't ignore what he'd just said, "Who threatened your father?"



"Shh!" Scorpius looked around nervously, making sure nobody was eavesdropping. "I'll talk you later. Okay?"



"I got it. Let's meet at Hagrid's hut after class. I have a moment before Quidditch tryouts. You?" said Albus.



"Yes. Thanks." Scorpius looked relieved.



After Neville dismissed the class, the three of them dashed across the lawn, passing by the pond where Hagrid was taking care of the writhing grindylow. On their way, Scorpius told them all about the threatening letter he found in his father's office. Then they noticed the limp body of grindylow floating in the tank.



Albus asked fearfully, "Hagrid, did the creature die?"



"Nope. It took a long time ter have it spit out the poisoned food. I gave him radish roots mixed with fish for his recovery." Hagrid answered, mortified. "I can't forgive Flint. What a naughty lad!"



"Hagrid, do you mind giving Scorpius the grindylow's egg?" asked Rose.



"What for? What do yeh do with it?"



"Well, Scorpius, can we explain the real reason for this?" Albus asked.



Scorpius seemed to hesitate. Rose insisted that they needed adults to confront the threat that was targeted at Professor Malfoy. Scorpius thought for a while and at last he agreed with them. He pulled out the crumpled letter and showed Hagrid.



"That was delivered to my father's office the other day. I found it in a dustbin."



When Hagrid finished reading, he asked, "Good ter know what's bothering you right now but why don't you consult with your father, Albus?"



"Don't, please. If they find out we informed Aurors, my father will be in trouble!" Scorpius begged Hagrid.



Hagrid got perplexed and said, "But it's better ter ask for help from Harry. He's a professional."



Rose suggested,too. "If you find it difficult to leave everything to us, please tell Uncle Harry."



Hagrid muttered, "I have hunch you'll be in trouble, lads. You're like your parents. The three of yer are just like the trio." He shook his head and handed the egg to Scorpius. "Tell me your plan. I may be able ter help yeh."



"Thank you, Professor. I'm wondering if I can disguise it with paint or a spell so it will look like a Kappa's egg." Scorpius spoke.



Everyone was surprised by his confession.



Albus asked, "Are you planning to trick the villains?"



"How can we get real Kappa's eggs?" Scorpius said heatedly. "We can only get them in the Far East countries. We will never be able to go there."



"But if they find out we cheated them, the result will be more serious," Rose opposed.



Scorpius frowned and started thinking hard for a while. Finally he compromised, "Okay. Tell your uncle, then. But don't tell my father about this."



"We won't" Rose promised.



"Fine. I'll give yeh the eggs after Rose and Albus tell Harry the truth." Hagrid promised.



"Well, I have to go. The Quidditch tryouts." Albus stood up.



"Wait," Scorpius said suddenly.



Albus turned around. "What?"



"Can I go with you? I mean... I'd like to watch the tryouts." Scorpius answered, stammering.



"Sure, follow me." Albus smiled. He trusted Scorpius this time.



They went up to the pitch together. Albus felt the bracing autumn air and admitted to himself that he had a kind of a prejudice against Scorpius for his father's past. But after he witnessed how Scorpius was concerned for Hagrid and his confession about his father, he changed his mind about the Slytherin. He remembered what his father said at the station when he was going to go aboard the Hgowarts Express.



"All Slytherins are not villains," he muttered to himself.



"What did you say?" Scorpius asked frowning.



"Never mind. Let's hurry!"



The weather was awesome. The tall seat building stood beautifully against the blue sky with a few clouds. Such a scene was rare to be seen in Scotland. Albus' brother waved to him as he flew by on his Firebolt.



Scorpius groaned with envy. "I wish I had that broomstick. My father didn't allow me to buy it."



"There are various makers. My father just likes the Firebolt. His godfather bought one for him for the first time. James followed his taste. I want to try a Hayabusa though."



"I heard of the brand. My father told me that he tried to buy a Bulgarian maker's broom once."



"Didn't he get it?"



"No, he had no chance to buy it. He had to spend more time studying potions instead of playing quidditch."



"Are you going to join the Slytherin tryouts? I heard it'll be held next weekend."



"I wish I could. But I reckon they have no intention to hand over the position for Seeker. They had the fifth year super star, MacNeil. Though my father joined in his second year, I don't have such a chance." Scorpius continued chatting with Albus Potter, even though the conversations felt surreal. Hadn't they hated each other just yesterday?



"Even if they don't give you the Seeker position, it's worth joining the tryouts." Albus was going to the spot where a group of the other Gryffindors gathered around.



Scorpius shouted without realizing it, "Go for it! You can capture the postion!" Then he regretted it instantly. All attention was focused on him.



One of the Gryffindors shouted, "Malfoy? Are you spying us?" John McLaggen, who seemed to be the same year as James, scowled defiantly at him.
When he tried to object, Albus did it for him.



"I invited him. He's not spy."



McLaggen was still dubious of the existence of Scorpius in the pitch, but he turned to his fellow Gryffindors and asked the captain, "What position will you start, Ted?"



Teddy Lupin, who came back after two years study abroad, stared at the spot where Malfoy was sitting for a while and then shouted, "Chasers, go to your position! We'll begin with Beaters. McLaggen, release the Bludger when the newbies are ready."



Scorpius couldn't take his eyes off the astonishing sight, the vigorous performance played by the Gryffindor Chasers. Among them, James Potter far surpassed the others, and he remembered that his mother was Ginevra Potter, who had been a Hollyhead Harpies star Chaser. He felt that it might be a good idea to join the Slytherin tryouts next week. But at the same time, he felt discouraged. He could guess there was hardly a possibility that he would be selected as a regular. It was obvious that they would never give the chance to first years.



Watching Albus Potter prepare for the tryouts, he got envious again. Being a son of Potter gave Albus an advantage to join the quidditch tryouts unquestionably thought he was still a first year. Albus had a talent as a Seeker, and watching the process of choosing the position was thrilling. Scorpius was sure that he couldn't do such splendid nimble movements as Albus. After Albus was awarded the Seeker position, Scorpius left without telling him. It was thoughtless of him to have confessed about his father to Rose and Albus. Scorpius felt miserable again thinking over how he had been bullied as a son of the ex-Death Eater, ever since he had boarded on the Hogwarts Express. Even some of the Slytherins ridiculed and slandered him. Storming away from the pitch, the feeling that he could be a friend of Albus Potter faded away.










Malfoy stood in front of the odd building. The outer wall was made of blue glass. Malfoy scowled at his own figure reflected on the blue wall. He hated his own pointed chin and wondered if he'd better grow a beard. The news reported by the Daily Prophet the other day had been horrifying. He understood what the soaked shoe left on the crime scene meant. He knew who had abducted the Muggle officer from Marsham Street.



Then a dreamy voice was heard from a letter box at the bottom of the stairs. "Who is it?"


Malfoy answered the letter box, "Draco Malfoy. Did you hear about my visit from Neville Longbottom?"



"Yes, we did. Please come in."



Then one of the glasses changed its color to purple, and the entrance door emerged. Malfoy opened the door cautiously. Luna and her husband Rolf welcomed him. He couldn't subdue his feeling towards their twins. He smiled at them and said, "Hello." But the twins soon hid behind Luna whose uncombed blonde hair was reached her waist. Rolf Scamander was a very tall man with dark hair. He had handsome Indian features and held out his hand to Malfoy.



"Nice to see you, Professor Malfoy. I heard about you from Neville. You study Asian potions and you'll be attending the meeting in Tokyo, right?"



"Yes, I am. I have questions that I need to ask in order to finish my research report. I hope that you would be able to help me."



Luna asked, "Do you like Freshwater Plimpies? Rolf caught them early this morning."



Malfoy haven't heard of Freshwater Plimpies. He had no idea what they were like. He managed to answer, "Well, I've never eaten them, but I'll try." He tried to be as amiable as he could. He wished they didn't look so grotesque.



Rolf urged him to sit down on the sofa covered with cotton clothes and said, "Please take off your shoes. We go barefoot in the house. I learned the custom in Japan."



"Oh, I didn't notice that." Malfoy hastily took off his leather shoes, placed them neatly by the hearth and sat down.



Rolf sat the opposite side of him and asked, "Neville told me you wanted to know about my visit Japan. What are you studying now?"



Malfoy wondered if he should beat around the bush or not, but then he decided just to ask.
"I heard from Rose Weasley that you had found Kappa's eggs. I'd like to know all about that, with as much detail as possible."



Rolf's hazel eyes sparkled with excitement. "Are you interested in the Kappa? I have so much to tell you." He talked on and on.



"I explored the upper reaches of the Oirase River. It's an unexplored region near Towada Lake. Unknown Asian magical creatures still reside there. I have had much interest in the area, and luckily I got a native guide. She was a middle-aged witch who could foretell things. She told me I wasn't the only European who had visited there. She predicted one more would come. Oh, now I've got it. You'll be the next to visit there!"



Malfoy was very astonished and asked, "She predicted that I would go there?"



Rolf nodded, satisfied. "Yes, she did. Led by her, I kept exploring the place. Two nights passed before we finally found the Kappa habitat. You know, they prefer a place with plenty of water. They were living behind the basin of a waterfall, and looked like monkeys with a shell on their backs like turtles. I wished I could take a magical photo of the ones I saw who were wrestling in the cave. But the witch didn't allow me to."



Malfoy leaned forward intently. "Did you see their eggs?"



"Yeah, I did."



"What color were they?"



"They were dull green and covered with Taro leaves. I guess the leaves protect them from dirt or raindrops. I wanted to bring them back, too. But she advised me if I bring them back, my family will be cursed forever. So I followed her advice and left them alone."



Malfoy took a breath and thought on what Rolf said. What if his future family members would be cursed forever? But if he refused to bring back the eggs, Lestrange would never let him pass. Without the Kappa's eggs, House of Malfoy would be ruined forever.



He tried a question, "Have you heard of the other wizards who had taken their eggs before?"



"Well, it was possible that one of our kind has done that in the past.,."Rolf smiled with a look that meant something.



"What do you know? Come on, don't keep me in suspense."



"My grandfather did."



"Oh, are your family members cursed?" Malfoy asked nervously.



"No, we aren't. I suppose the witch made up that story to prevent us from overhunting them. Do you know what effect they have?" His look turned serious suddenly.



"Yes, I do." Malfoy answered gingerly. "Though it's not written in the textbook, ‘Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them*' written by your grandfather."



"No. He didn't mention it on purpose. What are you going to do with the eggs, Mr. Malfoy?"



Malfoy broke into a cold sweat, being questioned closely by Rolf. He managed to open his mouth, "I, eh, need them for my study. Nobody in the Potions field has studied them from my country. I need to establish my status as a scholar. You know our family history. I'm desperate to return to the good graces of society." He waited for Rolf's answer holding his breath.



The smell of cooked fish wafted from the kitchen.



Finally Rolf smiled at him and said, "I understand. I'll tell you about the place in detail after lunch."



Malfoy felt relieved. Luna brought in a tray on which three bowls of soup.



She said, "Here are the Freshwater Plimpies. It's a very delicious soup. If you taste them once, you'll never forget them." She set a bowl of soup in front of Malfoy and asked in her dreamy voice, "How's your wife, Astoria?"



"Fine, thank you." Malfoy stared at the bowl. The surface looked like clam chowder.



"I reckon she feels lonely. You and your son stay at Hogwarts most of the year."



"Thank you for asking about her. She's alright. Her sister Daphne visits her for tea with their friends."



"Good for her." Luna sat next to Malfoy. She kept staring at him.



Malfoy felt he would nearly lose his mind. He couldn't stand it and asked her, "What are you thinking?"



"I think you'd better take Harry with you. He'll keep your secret."



Malfoy got pale and wondered whether she saw through him. He asked trembling, "What do you mean?"



Rolf laughed and said, "Never mind what she said, Mr. Malfoy. Sometimes I don't understand what she says. She's really funny to live with. That's why I married her."



Then they started kissing deeply in front of him. Malfoy had to endure the passionate display until their twins began crying in the next room. Luna jumped up from the sofa and dashed to the children's room.



Rolf coughed lightly and said, "Well, I'll bring you a map of the unexplored regions," and he left.



Malfoy held up a bowl of soup and tasted it. It was delicious, even though it had gotten cool after the long conversation, and then the kissing.






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