Something here does not belong [Aidan]

[Deleted]

Shetland Islands, Fethaland Croft
April, 2026

During a recent expedition in the wild northern beaches of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, Malcolm had heard of a strange new creature from the locals. They were accustomed to the killer whales that called their waters home - the fishermen had co-existed with them for as long as the island had been inhabited. Viking times, Malcolm reminded himself as he looked out over the coastline in search of the creature. This new sighting had been whispered about since October and Malcolm thought that was just a little bit suspect. "Where are ye?" the part giant wondered out loud, although to whom he was speaking even Hagrid himself was unsure. It may have been the creature itself or his druid friend that he'd sent an owl for the day before.

The weather itself was beginning to warm but the wind was biting where the young man stood atop of a weathered sea rock. The sea itself was calmer, folding in and around the rock as a lover caressed their paramour's jawline. He'd chosen this place to look for better evidence of the magical creature because by Malcolm's reckoning it was the perfect bay for a Hippocampus to lay their tadfoals. They'd be just about ready to hatch if a hippocampus mare followed similar breeding patterns to their land counterparts. With spring just around the corner, Malcolm believed it was important to help relocate them to the safe and magical waters of Hy-Brasil - the merpeople surrounding the island would be ever so thankful... he thinks.

"By Merlin's beard, I'll have to look for them meself at this rate," Malcolm grumbled as he bent down to roll up his pants to just below his knees. He was not a water-giant. He definitely preferred his big feet firmly on the ground and wasn't so keen on the sinking feeling when wet sand sucked his feet into it. It reminded him of just how heavy he was. Malcolm did enjoy looking for things and helping out friends though and with Aidan being tasked to help get the magical creatures back to Hy-Brasil, he hoped that this would be a good start.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

April 2026

Erumpents could run very, very fast. Aidan had always known that in a vague sort of way, although he’d never seen any members of the small herd on Hy-Brasil run at anything faster than a trot before. But something had startled this breeding pair and they were now smashing through the otherwise idyllic countryside of Ireland, trampling little gardens and fences without even seeming to notice they were there. Aidan could barely appreciate the rolling green hills or mild fresh air as he tore after them in his Animagus form, easily bypassing obstacles that would’ve proven difficult to navigate in his more clumsy human form. He could see two streaks of red out of the corner of his eye as the other two druids who formed this recapture team caught up in their own transformations and began to circle the Erumpents from the other side.

They’d gotten good at this, which was a depressing thought when you dove into it a little further. The Elders had warned them that they would need to work quickly – many of their magical creatures had been left to fend for themselves since October, and the majority had never known anything but a calm and quiet island with no natural predators and a druid population that adored them. They weren’t ready for the outside world, especially those poor creatures that wandered into environments decidedly not suited for them (a pair of African mammals in Ireland? It was a wonder they’d made it this long). After putting on another burst of speed, the three druids were finally able to catch up to the startled Erumpents and slowly corral them away from the clear signs that Muggles lived nearby. After another quarter of an hour – or longer maybe, it was difficult to keep track of time in his Animagus form – the pair began to slow down and eventually stopped completely, taking turns to sharpen their horns on nearby saplings. He turned back into a human and cautiously approached, letting the male Erumpent catch his scent and turn curiously. He spoke slowly in his native tongue of Brasilic as he reminded him, “You have a calf at home waiting for you, remember? She’s quite lonely, why don’t we change that?” He continued speaking in a soft tone along this vein as the other druids approached and began the now-incredibly familiar process of prepping the creatures for transport.

It was only after Aidan glanced at the sky and saw that the sun was much higher than it had been when they started that he gave a groan. “Boudicca’s spear, I’m going to be so late - sorry guys I have to go thanks for taking care of this bye!” he rushed out. He Apparated once sharply to the location where they had left their things – slinging his pack over his shoulder and dusting off his staff – before he Apparated once more to meet his friend at the location he’d described in his last letter. He’d chosen to keep the details vague when he’d explained to the other druids that he would need to leave early, because the druid position towards demi-humans hadn’t changed in a thousand years and part-giants were viewed with as much disdain and suspicion as werewolves or vampires. Truth be told, Aidan still mostly bought into the view that demi-human magic was tainted, but he’d grown to like Hagrid immensely. They were about the same age and he’d never seen his love for creatures matched so fully by a mainlander – until he’d met the part-giant. Anyway, he knew what Aidan had been tasked to do by the Druid Council, and Aidan was so so grateful that he was trying to help. He landed off-balance – his ma had always warned him not to Apparate in a hurry – and scanned the landscape until he spotted a hulking figure in the distance. One more sharp pop and he landed next to his friend dazedly (druids never really worried much about little details like when or where it was okay to perform magic, because when would they ever come across a Muggle?). “Hi,” he said breathlessly, leaning on his staff to catch his breath. “Erumpent…Ireland…here now,” Aidan explained in his heavy accent as he rushed to say it all in one breath. “But,” he began as he wrinkled his nose in concentration, “Why we here?”

@malcolm
[Italics = Brasilic]

[Deleted]

The pants were nicely rolled up past his calves although it had been tough around its widest part and Malcolm had almost given up on the task for a good moment there. However, the young man stood basking in his glorious defeat of his task for a proud moment before he began to shrug off his jacket very unceremoniously. Maybe it was a good thing that his druid friend hadn't yet arrived because this was ... this was not graceful. Think drunken uncle trying to learn how to pop'n'lock. He'd just managed to get the sleeve past his final wrist when there was a pop and a small bundle of ginger-goodness appeared in his peripherals. Malcolm hoped that he'd managed to cover the startled jump up by his 'removing my jacket' moment. "Ye look like ye ran from Ireland," Malcolm joked, attempting to fold his jacket up but the wind wasn't having it. Instead he balled the fabric up and put it in his mokeskin knapsack.

"I hope yer up for a bit of a paddle. It'll help ye cool off - I didnae know skin could turn that colour red," the young wizard said as his dark eyes looked his friend up and down pointedly, a lopsided grin showing on his face. "Erumpents! I bet they messed up the countryside a bit," he said in wonderment, "ye'll have to tell me all about it later. Gotta do this before the sun goes down else it'll be nigh on impossible 'til mornining!" Malcolm awkwardly jumped down off the rock he'd been on and landed unsteadily in the knee-high water. "I just finished an assignment here and there's been some sightings of a mythological creature amongst the fisher men here. It's a hippocampus, Aidan, I'm sure of it. In class we learned of one that was found in the Scottish waters and relocated... I think this one is one of yers though. No whispers until after October." Malcolm tapped himself on the nose gently, "coincidence? I think not!"

Malcolm began trying to wade in the water, occasionally stopping to put his hands into the waves to feel around a bit more. "Oh, and it's tadfoal season. That's what were doing here. Catchin' us some tadfoals. So get in 'ere and help me find 'em before we have more than just whispers to deal with!"

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan was still a little dizzy from his rapidfire Apparition from Ireland to Hagrid – his ma had always warned him not to be hasty with transportation magic, because Splinching was a very real problem, if you even made it to your destination at all. Because of that, Aidan was never going to tell his parents about the time he’d tried to Apparate to Hogsmeade on absolutely no sleep and accidentally ended up in Wales instead. He couldn’t even pronounce the name of that town! He swayed unsteadily on his feet, leaning on his staff until Hagrid stopped looking like a wavy hallucination. Then he grinned at Hagrid, laughing sheepishly as he craned his neck way way up to take in his giant friend. “I only run in Ireland. Dog not run on water.” He said this last part a little sadly, because that sounded like the coolest thing ever – except his animagus dog form couldn’t run over water. But maybe someday!

He glanced down with wide eyes at his pale, freckled skin, then looked back at Hagrid’s darker features. Was his fur still red? Had he forgotten to transform back? But no, Hagrid could understand what he said, and it was well-documented that humans couldn’t understand barks (for now, at least). So he was making a joke! Humor was difficult to understand in other languages – Aidan had only just learned his first joke in Mermish, and English was still a bit beyond him. But he laughed anyway and nodded his agreement. “Red, it is my color,” he joked, shaking out his red hair the same way he might shake his fur coat. His face lit up at the mention of the Erumpents, and he could have babbled about them for the rest of the day. Except Hagrid was right – his letter hadn’t mentioned specifics, but he had definitely called Aidan here for a specific reason.

For the first time, Aidan took a good look at everything around him. The sea air was fresh and salty as it swept among the tops of the waves, and seagulls rode the wind, sometimes diving to snatch fish from the sea. Aidan’s eyes sparkled with a dazzled sort of wonder as he followed the seagulls’ movements – there were no non-magical birds in Hy-Brasil, and this was only the second or third time ever where he could get a good look at them. Hagrid had started to wade into the sea, and Aidan followed without a second thought. He didn’t much care about his clothes, which were streaked with dirt and grass anyway – a simple drying spell would sort that out later. He used his staff to gently tap the surface of the water occasionally to remove swirling patches of sand or salt and see clear to the sea floor. But he was distracted by Hagrid’s assessment of the situation. “A hippocampus!” he gasped. He listened to Hagrid’s report with a sort of wide-eyed owlish look, nodding at his friend’s wisdom. Aidan squirmed in delight at the thought of getting to see such a magnificent creature. “I not bring algae,” he suddenly realized, hitting his forehead at the realization even as he stumbled over the odd-sounding word. He'd left his algae packets on Hy-Brasil, stupid! Baiting the tadfoals with food would have been easiest, but… “Use mama hippocampus sounds instead,” he decided out-loud, “and hope they hungry!” He looked at Hagrid expectantly -- this was his find, after all, and he should have the honor of first call!

@malcolm

[Deleted]

Dog cannot run on water! Hagrid couldn't help the raucous laughter that bellowed from deep within as his funny druid friend pointed out the bleeding obvious. "An' 'ere I thought ye druids 'ad extra magical powers," Malcolm slapped his hand on his knee to try and refocus himself after such fun. With how magical the ancient people from Hy-Brasil were, he truly wouldn't be surprised to find out they'd managed to have a flying dog that his friend could be as an animagus. "Yer colour and a whole lot of yer brethren," Hagrid grinned and reached to give his friend's hair a playful scruff but it was easy enough for the littler man to dodge if he so chose.

"Careful now Aidan, don't want the tide to wash ye out to sea," Malcolm joked as he glanced at the smaller man with his little staff. "Dinnae fret, lad, I have yer algae 'ere," he said as he dug deep into his pockets and pulled out an enchanted bag and threw it to him. "But ye can make weird noises if ye want!"

Just out of reach of the part-giant a hippocampus hatchling popped it's head just out of the waves to look at the strange creatures that were in calm little bay that he'd been born into. "Merlin, look there! There's one!"

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Hagrid’s laughter caught on fast and Aidan found himself breathless as he joined the half-giant. Oh man, he wished he could fly because it had definitely been a secret ambition since he was a wee little druid to fly like a griffin. And he had in fact tried to ride the griffins multiple times, although for some reason they didn’t seem to like small boys crawling all over their backs and putting grubby feet on their beautifully groomed feathers. He let Hagrid pull him in and shoved at his friend’s broad shoulders, not that he was sure that movement would be noticed at all. “At least I no sink like stone,” Aidan pointed out mischievously, bringing his staff to the surface of the salty sea so he could flick water at Hagrid in a chaotic stream.

But he was quickly distracted by the packet of algae and he hummed in excitement as he fumbled with the bag. Finally he pulled out a piece and crowed triumphantly, waving it in the air to show Hagrid. Truly his ma would be impressed that at least one of them had come so prepared, because Aidan had a horrid memory and was always leaving things at home. “Ooooh, the good algae. You not see this in Hogsmeade,” Aidan observed happily, bringing it close to his face so he could smell it and bring his eye close to examine the texture. He could already think of a murtlap or two that would go crazy for it – and maybe even let him change their bandages without squirming so much. But that was asking for a miracle, and Aidan was just thankful to be where he was – waist deep in the sea, holding a piece of high-quality algae while his eyes scanned the surface carefully for hippocampus babies.

So when Hagrid pointed the first one out, Aidan’s eyes immediately found it like he was tuned to see the cutest thing in a small radius. “Hi baby,” he cooed, wading closer at the pace of a Streeler so he wouldn’t risk startling it. He tossed one strip of algae in its direction, and then quickly followed it with another because the poor thing looked so lean. He gasped excitedly as another baby hippocampus broke the surface, tossing its mane back and staring at Aidan like it couldn’t decide if he was a really ugly fish or what. “Look at colors,” he continued in awe, eyes roving over the magical creatures like he’d never seen one in person before.

@malcolm

[Deleted]

The little rascal of a druid had sent extra water to splash at Hagrid and the part-giant was tempted to just pick the boy up and unceremoniously drop him into the sea because ... well ... it would be funny. Instead, he gave Aidan a playful grin, replying to his stone comment with "yer lucky we don't 'ave the time to test yer theory."

After Malcolm had passed the bag of algae to Aidan, the druid took a moment to appreciate the product much like he'd seen his Maman do with a good malt whiskey more than once. He was more than a little curious to see if his strange little friend was going to take a sample into his mouth - he was glad when Aidan did not. Hagrid was used to eating many a weird and wonderful thing by many other wizard's standards but he knew where the algae came from and there was no way he was going to put it into his mouth. "Don't tell Maman - 'er favourite pond is a wee bit cleaner today than yest'day," Malcolm replied conspiratorily, his voice barely audible over the waves that splashed past them.

The foal that had popped up eyed the humans with careful consideration but eagerly took up the offered algae. Malcolm began to move forwards when the second one breached the surface, though it was closer to them than the first. "I confess I 'ad 'oped to find the clutch o' eggs," Malcolm said in a low, calm voice as he put a piece of algae out for the foal. "D'ye remember 'ow many tadfoals we might need t' find?" Malcolm had a sinking feeling hippocampi might have more offspring than horses did.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan blinked stupidly at Hagrid’s joke – at least, he hoped it was a joke – and opened his mouth to think of something clever to say back. But he couldn’t quite think of anything that wouldn’t be offensive to merpeople, and anyway Aidan hadn’t exactly come for a dip in the sea! If it had been a matter of cutting class, then Aidan would be willing to beg on his knees – anything to avoid a dusty lecture from a dusty druid that hadn’t stepped foot outside the Wildwood in decades. Boudicca’s spear, even druid classes could be as dull as a rock (and could knock you out just as fast). So instead Aidan turned up his nose imperiously and decided his silence would be dignified.

At least, as dignified as one could look with grubby hands and in the middle of trying to bait horse-fish babies with algae. Still, Aidan wasn’t a complete dummy at this and he’d always been quite good at calming creatures. It was all in a sweet tone of voice and a gentle touch. He made little noises as he coaxed the hippocampi closer, and with his free hand his staff traced across the water to make the water a little more solid and a little harder for a baby to swim through if he got the strange idea to turn back. “Ma always say, hope is like grindylow. Don’t wait for it or it pull you down too.” He shrugged a little. His ma had always been the practical sort, thinking about the task at hand and managing the particulars of the family farm. She’d never been one for fanciful dreams and Aidan was liable to get a stern look if he ever started a sentence with the words ‘I wish…’

He shrugged again at Hagrid’s question, although this time more cheerfully. “First time trying,” he informed his friend with a crazy glint of curiosity in his eyes. He thought for a moment, then laughed again and guessed, “Three? Five? Eight?” But it was a serious concern, because what if one of them got left behind? That would be positively disastrous, and Aidan shivered a little at the thought. He chewed on his lip for a moment as he considered it, then decided, “You stay. I go down and look.” He had his staff, so a Bubble-Head Charm would be as easy as breathing – which was a very important thing! Without further ado, Aidan took a few clumsy steps forward and dived in.

@malcolm