"Okay," Cat said. She got up and stretched. "I'm going to head back then. See you at breakfast."

"See you." Olivia grinned and went back to her reading, although she was starting to feel like bed too.

The next day was pretty normal, all things considered. Classes went as usual, and she spent her free hour in Professor McGonagall's office, working on perfecting a partial animagus change. Dinner, however, was when things got interesting.

The headmaster stood up after everyone had eaten, and raised his hands for silence.

"As many of you are already no doubt aware, our dear Professor Kettleburn has decided to take an early retirement," Dumbledore announced. "As we still need someone to teach Care of Magical Creatures courses, I have reached out to an old acquaintance of mine to fill in while we search for a permanent replacement." He gestured, and someone stood up. The old man seemed oddly familiar to Cat, as if she knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't place his face.

"This is Newton Scamander, and he will be our interim Professor for Care of Magical Creatures," Dumbledore finished. "I am certain we will all do our utmost to make him feel welcome."

At the name, Olivia perked up. Scamander? The Newt Scamander? Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, because she'd wanted to meet him for years.

Cat blinked. Newt Scamander? That was impressive. She knew the man had written the book they used as their care of magical creatures text. How had Dumbledore convinced him to teach? She was definitely looking forward to class now.

Fortunately for her, Olivia had Care of Magical Creatures later that day, and she was nearly bouncing down the slope to class that afternoon. She was that excited.

Cat had class at the same time, since she'd chosen it as one of her electives. It was a mixed class, with all four houses represented.

"You're vibrating," she teased Olive as they got to the grounds reserved for class.

"Can you blame me?" Olivia asked, grinning and rubbing her hands together in pure glee. This was going to be a glorious class.

Cat snickered and rolled her eyes.

"Don't try to steal a niffler yet, okay," she teased. She glanced around, and noticed Remus was in the class as well.

"I never steal a niffler, he comes to me," Olivia shot back, grinning.

Remus was hanging back a bit, curious but unwilling to be potentially put in the spotlight just yet.

Cat noticed he was hanging back, and dropped back herself.

"Everything alright?" she asked quietly. "Never seen you act like this in class before."

Sirius was up near the front, near Olivia. He was genuinely interested in the class.

Remus smiled faintly. "I must admit this is not my best class," he murmured. "I'd rather observe today than volunteer."

Olivia glanced over at him, shifting over a bit so they could talk easily. "So, new professor. Thoughts?"

"I see," Cat said, nodding a bit. "So what do you think of the new professor?"

"I'm surprised," Sirius said. "Kinda wonder how Dumbledore managed to talk him into teaching. Last I heard of, the papers were saying the guy was off in the wilderness somewhere."

"I think it's going to be an interesting remainder of term," Remus said quietly. "He's known to be a bit... eccentric."

"That's what I heard last," Olivia agreed. "Dumbledore has literal magic powers of persuasion, I guess." She smirked, since she knew just how awful that sounded.

"We'll have to see what happens," Cat said. She grinned a bit. "Olive wants to sneak a niffler home with her. It should be interesting to see if she manages, now that Professor Scamander is around."

"Yeah, don't joke about things like that," Sirius muttered, glancing around.

Remus snorted at that. "A niffler? Why on earth does she want one of those?"

Olivia grinned but went quiet when Newt came out to start class. He looked around at them, blinking, momentarily looking like he hadn't the foggiest idea what to do with them. Then he grinned.

"Anyone seen a gryphon up close before?"

Cat shrugged.

"Hell if I know why she wants a platypus bandit," she said. "Maybe because they're fluffy and cuddly. Or she wants to treasure hunt in the yard." She paused when Professor Scamander came over to start class.

A couple of hands went up across the class. Surprisingly, James and Sirius both raised their hands.

"Good." Newt nodded his approval. "Now, come on then, this way, follow me. No screaming, please." He turned and walked off.

Olivia was the first to follow him, grinning widely. Oh this was going to be excellent.

Sirius was right behind, also grinning. He'd seen gryphons before, but they were magnificent creatures, and he wasn't going to pass up the chance to see one again.

Cat followed after a moment, intrigued. Where was the professor even keeping a gryphon on school grounds?

Newt led them back to a nice clear area. "Wait here a minute," he told them, motioning for them all to stay. He went behind a tree and was gone for a minute.

"No way he's hiding it back there," Olivia murmured. "Not enough room, we'd have seen by now."

Cat's curiosity got the better of her, and she crept around the crowd of students, so she could see the tree from a different angle.

Sitting behind the tree was a nondescript leather suitcase, the lid open and propped against the tree.

"What...?" she murmured. She didn't try to get closer, not yet, but she also didn't take her eyes off of it.

It took a few moments, but Newt emerged from the suitcase, and once he was fully out a gryphon followed him, beak clacking as it pulled itself out until it was free, wings shifting and resettling.

Cat just stared. That was the single most brilliant piece of spellwork she had ever laid eyes on, and it was cast on a suitcase.

"Oh god that's amazing," she murmured. She stepped back into the crowd of students as they all got closer to see the gryphon.

Newt went on with the lesson as if nothing abnormal had happened. At the end of class, he dismissed them all, and then looked at Olivia and Cat.

"If you two wouldn't mind staying behind a moment?" he said casually, half-grinning.

Cat blinked, and glanced at Olivia.

"Sure?" she said, looking back at him.