The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Moonstone Ceiling

The Moonstone Ceiling

Mr. Patra's Observatory was incredible, even for a magical space. Remus could barely believe his eyes as they walked through lush plants that grew up from the ground. The ceiling was bewitched to mimic the sky outside, Mr. Patra said, the same as it was at Hogwarts School. Mr. Patra had what seemed like miles and miles of gardens with all sorts of fantastic creatures, mostly small creatures, peeking from 'round leaves and flower petals at them. Loads of bowtruckles fluttered about after Mr. Patra, and there was a bird with colourful wings that flew over and landed upon his shoulder. Mr. Patra stroked the bird's feathers as he walked.

"Do you have any larger beasts, Mr. Patra, or are they all small?" Sirius looked at one of the bowtruckles that was tugging at a wooden button on the observatory keeper's drab robes.

"Never underestimate a creature by its size," Newt Scamander said, smirking at Sirius, his eyes twinkling. "You just never do know the power it may possess. Many do not realize that even the smallest beings can possess great power."

"Well said Um Newt," said Mr. Patra, using the Arabic formality. He smiled at Sirius. "I do, however, have much bigger creatures, if you'd like to see?"

Sirius glanced at Remus, grinned, then nodded heartily.

"Well then, come along," Mr. Patra said.

At the far side of the observatory from the doorway in which they'd come, Mr. Patra sent the bird on his shoulder off to flying, and he ushered the lot of them into a glass elevator cart. Remus closed his eyes, feeling a bit woozy as the cart shot up from the ground, the gardens stretching below them as they went on through the ceiling and into another level of the observatory.

"This one's all my jungle beasts," said Mr. Patra, and the doors opened and their ears were filled with the sounds of shrieking calls, like monkeys but not quite, and long snakes drooped and hung from trees with large, waxy leaves that were heavy with condensation. There was one creature with a long tail and claws with a tired sort of smile and a wide grin that Sirius pointed to and whispered to Remus, "Look at that, Moony! Don't you reckon that it looks rather a lot like James looked when he was high?" He snickered, "Blimey, I wish I had a camera..."

Remus grinned.

They saw a good many interesting creatures on that level, including a creature called a Snorocosax, which was a sort of magical elephant that could play music from its trunk like a saxophone.

The next level up was a wide desert area surrounded with wide dunes and lush trees - at the far side was cluster of straw that had been bundled together to create a sort of messy nest, dotted with large rocks, set beside a wide pond of standing water... At first neither Sirius nor Remus could see what lived in the habitat, until suddenly a dragon swept over their heads, flying with wide wings, his long green tail flowing out behind him, a smaller dragon flying in his immediate shadow. A baby dragon!

Sirius's eyes widened, "Merlin's bloody beard!!!" he cried, "Would you look at that?! Look at that, Rey! Just look!" Sirius was jumping up and down and pointing in excitement. "Blimey!"

Remus laughed, "Bloody hell, I see it Sirius, I'm not blind."

"BUT LOOK AT IT MOONY!!"

"That's a Green Welsh," said Newt Scamander, "Very, uh, lovely dragons. The welsh."

"You know your dragons, sir," Mr. Patra said.

Mr. Scamander nodded, "Yes, yes, oh yes. I spent a good many years categorizing them."