Ella
═══━━━───• Part 2 — Their First Nightmare •───━━━═══
◈ 6 December 1926 – Day ◈
Tina Goldstein knew there was something up as soon as she saw the man in the old blue overcoat walk into the bank. She walked down the side street, looking for that man. He picked up his case and tried to pass her, but Tina hurriedly grabbed his elbow and Disapparated into an alleyway.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I'm sorry?" The man asked.
"Who are you?"
"Newt Scamander. And you are?"
"What's that thing in your case?" Tina said.
"That's my Niffler. Er, you've got something on your—" Scamander started, but was cut off by Tina.
"Why in the name of Deliverance Dane did you let that thing loose? And what's with the mist?"
"I didn't mean to—he's incorrigible, you see, anything shiny, he's all over the place—the mist isn't me—" Scamander stumbled over his sentences.
"You didn't mean to?"
"No."
"You could not have chosen a worse time to let that creature loose! We're in the middle of a situation here! I'm taking you in." Tina said.
"You're taking me where?"
Tina dug out her official ID card, showing Scamander. "Magical Congress of the United States of America."
"So, you work for MACUSA? What are you, some kind of investigator?"
Tina hesitated, then replied, "Uh-huh. Can you please tell me you took care of the No-Maj?"
"The what?"
"The No-Maj! The No-Magic, the non-wizard!"
"Oh, sorry we call them Muggles."
"You wiped his memory, right? The No-Maj with the case?"
"Um..."
"That's a Section 3A, Mr. Scamander. I'm taking you in." Tina shook her head, appalled.
"Wait, Miss Goldstein!"
•┈┈┈•• ◈ ••┈┈┈•
To be shocked was an understatement. Elladora Octavia Black had never imagined the potion worked. It was one of her own creations, and it changed people's appearance according to the place and time they were in. She found herself kneeling in an alleyway filled with grey mist, in an older version of the Hogwarts Uniform, one that she had seen in A History of Magic, donning a pair of blue robes and a tartan skirt, along with a yellow tie. Although the potion worked and her clothes changed, she didn't have any spare and the clothes were still battle-worn from fighting with Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Dried blood and dirt streaked her whitish blonde hair, which had long fallen from her braid.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that Minerva loved tartan, but she blinked them away and took a deep breath. Where am I? Is this New York? Yes, it is. Now, where do I find Tina Goldstein and Newt Scamander — it's this period of time, right? Wait, what is that sand? Where's my time-turner?
The floor in front of her had a small splatter of sand, and smudges of it dusted her skirt. Elladora reached up to her neck to feel her time-turner necklace, but all she could feel was a golden chain and broken glass. Ow— so now not only her precious time-turner shattered, her neck was scraped and hands were cut. Oh, dear.
Elladora stood up, feeling for her wand. Ah, there it is. She flicked it and a glass vial appeared, gleaming in the mist. She pointed her wand at the small mound of sand and guided them into the vial, corking it tightly, leaving bloody fingerprints behind. I could mend the glass later, but the Sands of Time is rare.
She lightly brushed her skirt but regretting her action as blood now smeared on it, and looked around. Somewhere afar, police sirens sounded. Wasn't this the alleyway Tina Goldstein and Newt Scamander first met? When she took him into the MACUSA?
She immediately started sprinting towards the other end of the alley.
"Wait, Miss Goldstein!" Elladora knew she looked a mess, especially that beside Tina Goldstein stood Newt Scamander, her role model, but she didn't care.
"Have you ever heard of a time-turner?"
She was met with a blank yet sympathetic and incredulous stare, with the latter directed from Goldstein.
Elladora sighed. So the time-turner hadn't been invented. "I had an accident with...a magical device and I need a place to stay for a while. Do you know of any?"
Goldstein shook her head. "How do you know my name? Unless you have a passport to prove your identity, you have nowhere to stay. And what happened to you? You're all...bloodied up."
Elladora cursed under her breath. Why did I not do research before I left? "Will you be able to help me? And don't ask me what happened."
Goldstein sighed. "Alright. You can come with me to headquarters first, I'll lead you to my place after I take care of this guy. I'm taking you in, Mr. Scamander."
Scamander seemed to snap out of his trance, and spoke up. "Take me where?"
But Goldstein had already taken the two by the arm and Disapparated.
•┈┈┈•• ◈ ••┈┈┈•
"Come on." Goldstein chivvied, dragging the reluctant Magizoologist by his coat sleeve, with Elladora hurrying silently beside her.
"Er—sorry, but I do have things to do, actually." Scamander said.
"Well, you'll have to rearrange them!" Goldstein said, forcefully guiding Scamander through the busy New York City traffic. "What are you doing in New York anyway?"
"I came to buy a birthday present." Scamander said.
"Couldn't you have done that in London?"
"Not unless you want to buy a specific kind of magical animal." Elladora piped up.
Scamander looked slightly surprised at Elladora. "Yes. There's only one breeder of Appaloosa Puffskeins in the world and he lives in New York, so no, I couldn't have done this in London."
They hurried along Broadway towards an ornately carved yet incredibly tall skyscraper on the corner of the street, which Elladora saw that it was the Woolworth Building at closer proximity.
"I got a Section 3A." Goldstein said, and the cloaked guard at the door promptly opened the door to let them through.
They entered the building and Elladora was not surprised when all that could be seen was a normal 1920 office atrium, with people jostling through the crowd and chatting.
"By the way, Mr. Scamander, we closed that guy down a year ago. We don't allow the breeding of magical creatures in New York."
They came through another door and the entrance magically transforms into the Magical Congress of the United States — MACUSA.
Up the wide staircase they went, entering the main lobby with a high-vaulted ceiling. There was a gigantic dial with countless cogs and faces emblazoned with Magical Exposure Threat Level. The current hand on the dial was pointing to Severe: Unexplained Activity. Behind that, a large portrait of the MACUSA president, Seraphina Picquery was hung on the wall.
Owls, witches and wizards in 1920s dress alike are bustling about at work, and Tina guided the other two through the crowd. The curious thing was that there were several wizards sitting in a line, waiting to...have their wands shined by a house-elf? How did the house-elves get better employment here 70 years ago? Elladora wondered as they walked towards an elevator. It really was a shame that these traditions were different from England.
The elevator doors opened, and a goblin bellboy stood. "Hey, Goldstein."
"Hey, Red." Goldstein greeted, pushing Scamander inside, with Elladora following. "Major Investigation Department."
"I thought you were—"
"Major Investigation Department! I got a Section 3A." Goldstein said firmly. Elladora's lips twitched slightly in amusement as the goblin used a long clawed stick to poke the elevator button above his head, and the elevator descended.
•┈┈┈•• ◈ ••┈┈┈•
With her superb animagi hearing, Elladora could hear the discussion inside the investigation department. She didn't know everything that had happened here, but she did roughly know the details of the first capture of Grindelwald and all. Thank God for getting an Outstanding in my History of Magic N.E.W.T.s. Elladora had always loved reading about the past. Her fellow housemates never reached out to her or tried to befriend her —they thought she was strange. Her family hated her and her holidays were always torturous ever since her big brother Regulus died. Sirius had left when she was 1, so she didn't know him very well.
Elladora missed her brothers. She missed Minerva. She missed her pet phoenix, Minerva, named after her mentor. It was gifted to her by Aberforth Dumbledore, her professor's brother when he found her lying motionless on the doorstep of the Hog's Head, with blood pooling around her.
"The International Confederation is threatening to send a delegation. They think this is related to Grindelwald's attacks in Europe." Elladora heard a woman say. Was that President Seraphina Picquery?
"I was there. This is a beast, no human could do what this thing is capable of, Madam President." This was Graves, impersonated to be Grindelwald, wasn't he?
Elladora knew she could whip out her wand and immediately kill Grindelwald, but she also knew perfectly well that if she did, she would also be a criminal. I cannot change history. Fate must play out. All I can do is to prevent death, injuries and betrayal.
"Whatever it is, one thing's clear—it must be stopped. It's terrorizing NoMajs and when No-Majs are afraid, they attack. This could mean exposure. It could mean war." Madam Picquery said.
They approached the room and the investigation team looked around. We must be a sight to see. Elladora thought. One former auror who bugged in on their discussion, one magizoologist who broke the law, and one fresh graduate of Hogwarts who had blood and dirt all over her clothes.
"I made your position here quite clear, Miss Goldstein." said Madam Picquery.
"Yes, Madam President, but I—" Goldstein started.
"You are no longer an Auror."
"No, Madam President, but—"
"Goldstein."
"There's been a minor incident—" Goldstein said, but her voice was wavering slightly.
"Well, this office is currently concerned with very major incidents. Get out." Madam Picquery sighed.
"Yes, ma'am." Goldstein replied, and Elladora could see that she was humiliated.
Elladora hurried a bemused-looking Scamander back towards the elevator after Goldstein, and upon looking back, Graves was looking at them and was the only one to appear sympathetic.
Elladora hid a shudder. Grindelwald and sympathetic don't go together.
The elevator descended rapidly down the long shaft, and the doors opened onto a very cramped, airless and windowless basement. Goldstein led Elladora and Scamander last hundreds of typewriters and tangled up glass pipes hanging down from the ceiling above. As each memo or form was completed by a typewriter, it folded itself into an origami rat, which scurried up the appropriate glass tube to multiple offices above. Elladora let out a soft giggle as she saw two paper rats collide and fight, tearing each other apart, attracting Scamander's attention.
Scamander turned his head to look at Elladora, and Elladora promptly put her hands on his shoulder and pushed him down a few inches as they passed under a sign reading 'Wand Permit Office'.
"Watch your head, Mr. Scamander." Elladora laughed.
Scamander smiled awkwardly.
The Wand Permit Office was only a tad larger than Harry's cupboard at Privet Drive, Elladora recalled. Piles of unopened wand applications cluttered the desk. Goldstein stopped behind a desk, removed her coat and hat, then busied herself with the papers. "So, you two got your wand permit? All foreigners have to have them in New York."
"I made a postal application weeks ago." Scamander said. Elladora could sense that he was lying from the fidgeting hands.
"I...arrived in New York by accident, so I don't have a permit." Elladora said.
Goldstein was now sitting on the desk, scribbling on a clipboard. "Scamander...and you were just in Equatorial Guinea?"
"I've just completed a year in the field. I'm writing a book about magical creatures." Scamander said.
"Like—an extermination guide?" Goldstein said.
"What?!" Elladora gasped. I thought Scamander was writing the Fantastic Beasts book? It's not an extermination guide!
"No." Scamander said, to which Elladora exhaled. "A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures instead of killing them."
"GOLDSTEIN!" came a shout behind them. Elladora turned to see a dignified man striding towards them. "Where is she? Where is she? GOLDSTEIN!"
The man stopped behind Goldstein's desk, and Elladora could see that he knew where Goldstein was hidden. "Goldstein!"
Tina Goldstein emerged from behind the desk, looking guiltily at the man.
"Did you just butt in on the Investigative Team again?" The man said. I think that is Abernathy. "Where've you been?"
"What...?" said Goldstein awkwardly.
"Where'd she pick you two up?" Abernathy asked Scamander and Elladora.
The two looked at Goldstein and she shook her head, a tiny movement all but them could see, and Elladora and Scamander said nothing, stalling.
"Have you been tracking them Second Salemers again?" Abernathy sighed, agitated with the lack of information.
"Of course not, sir." Goldstein said.
Footsteps were to be heard, and Elladora whirled around, unconsciously grabbing Scamander's arm. It was Graves.
"Afternoon, Mr. Graves, sir!" Abernathy exclaimed.
"Afternoon, ah—Abernathy." Graves said.
Goldstein, eager to have her case heard, stepped forward. "Mr. Graves, sir, this is Mr. Scamander—he has a crazy creature in that case and it got out and caused mayhem in a bank, sir."
"Let's see the little guy." Graves said, and Elladora panicked, clutching Scamander's arm even tighter.
Scamander tried to say something, but Graves — I hate you, Grindelwald! — dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Goldstein theatrically placed the brown and battered case onto a table and threw open the lid.
She ought to look triumphant or happy. Elladora thought, but Goldstein's looking...aghast?
Elladora approached the case, her hand still wrapped around Scamander's, and her mouth opened, and she quickly smothered a strangled gasp with a hand.
The case was full of pastries.
Scamander looked horrified, but Graves looked confused, then smirked. Goldstein's made another mistake. "Tina..." he reprimanded, and walked away.
The three of them stared at each other.
"Now, what do we do?" Elladora asked, voicing their thoughts.
•┈┈┈•• ◈ ••┈┈┈•
"I can't believe that you didn't Obliviate that man! If there's an inquiry, I'm finished!" Goldstein ranted, on the verge of tears. Elladora hurried alongside the two, easily keeping up — she was tall for her age.
"So why would you be finished? I'm the one that's—" Scamander broke off.
"I'm not supposed to go near the Second Salemers!" Goldstein said.
There was a sudden buzzing noise, and Elladora looked up, just to see a sparkling blue...Billywig?
"What was that?" Goldstein questioned, staring after the creature. Elladora turned to see Scamander with a horrified expression. "Er—moth, I think."
"Big moth." Elladora supplied, but Goldstein still looked dubious at that explanation.
They rounded a corner only to find a crowd, gathered in front of a crumbling building. The people surrounding were shouting, others were evacuating hurriedly, and there was a policeman standing at the centre of the crowd. The three moved around the outskirts of the mob, and at the back, a tipsy hobo was trying to attract the policeman's attention. "Hey...hey—quiet down—I'm trying to get a statement..."
"...I'm telling you it's a gas explosion again, I ain't taking the kids back up there until it's safe." A housewife cried.
"Sorry, ma'am–there ain't no smell of gas." THe policeman said.
Then a drunk Hobo came lumbering up. "It warn't gas–hey, officer, I seen it!--it wuzza–a gigantic–a huge hippopotto–"
Just as Goldstin looked up at the ruined building, Elladora and Scamander both slid their wands from their sleeves and flicked it at the hobo.
"--gas. It was gas." The hobo finished.
"Gas...it was gas!" The crowd shouted, agreeing. Goldstein again got distracted by the Billywig as Elladora quickly casted a illusion spell that she herself invented – it only worked on that person. Scamander, taking advantage of this distraction, ran up the metal steps and into the ruined tenement building, with Elladora hot on his heels.
The pair entered a room and paused, staring: The room was completely destroyed. Footprints, broken furniture and shattered glass were everywhere. There was a massive hole in the opposite wall, and Elladora could tell that there was something huge that blasted its way out. There was a man groaning in the corner.
Elladora stepped back.
She blinked once.
Twice.
She gasped.
Thrice.
Her vision swam, and in mere seconds she was back at Hogwarts.
TW #1: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF MINOR CHARACTER DEATH/BAD MEMORIES
"Hello, Minister!" Percy bellowed, sending a jinx at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"
"You're joking, Perce!" shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of a Grey curse Elladora sent out. "Thanks, Via dear!"
"Don't call me that!" Elladora shook her head, but smiled all the same.
"Miss? Miss!" Someone was calling her, from afar, but she couldn't leave – she was trapped.
Thicknesse fell to the ground next to the cursed Death Eater, turning into some curious form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with glee.
"You actually are joking, Perce...I don't think I've heard you joke since you were–"
The air exploded – the corridor was blown apart. There was a terrible cry – one that expressed agony of a kind neither flame nor curse could cause. Elladora, furious, slashed her wand sharply through the air, killing 5 Death Eaters in one go.
"Fred!" She screamed as she saw the blob of ginger hair lying motionless under the rubble. "No! Fred! Freddie!"
•┈┈┈•• ◈ ••┈┈┈•
Newt Scamander was never good at comforting people, let alone a traumatised girl. As soon as he heard the strangled gasp that sounded behind him, all he could feel was worry. What caused the girl to panic? Was it the ruins? He quickly waved his wand and repaired the room and the wall, then scooped up the trembling girl and sat on the bed, calmly sealing the latches on his case.
"Miss? Miss!" He said, alarmed as the girl whose name he still didn't know screamed out.
The girl screamed again, and the sound was heart-breaking. Newt never heard anything like this. It was like someone had died. He was clueless, and the only thing he could do was to wrap an arm around the shaking huddle of dark blue robes and a Slytherin scarf.
•┈┈┈•• ◈ ••┈┈┈•
Elladora jolted upright, panting, with tears streaming down her cheeks. She found herself not in the ruined corridor, but wrapped in a warm, blue coat.
"Fred..." She sobbed, hands squeezing the source of the warmth hard.
"Um, Miss?"
"Black." Elladora sniffed, wiping a blood-covered hand across her eyes, but cursed as more blood and dirt smeared her face, looking slightly embarrassed. "I am Elladora Octavia Black."
"Are you alright, Miss Black?" Scamander asked cautiously.
Elladora took out her wand and tried her best to remove the grime on her hand, but failed. "Salazar." She cursed, and Scamander conjured a handkerchief for her. "Thanks, Mr. Scamander."
"Call me Newt."
"Then I am Elladora." Elladora smiled as she did some simple wandless magic, casting a glamour charm on her slightly red eyes and wetted the handkerchief a little. "Forget about me, I'm fine. Was your case open?"
That was said at the same time as Goldstein, who just rushed into the room. "It was open?"
Newt nodded sheepishly. "Just a smidge..."
"That crazy Niffler thing's on the loose again?" Goldstein sighed.
"Er–it might be–" Newt said.
"Then look for it! Look!" said Goldstein, and Elladora stuck a hand out, trying to summon Newt's Niffler.
"Ah, Newt, your Niffler's nowhere near us." She sighed. "Wait, what was that?"
The man at the corner moaned, and Goldstein dropped the case she was holding and made straight for the injured. "His neck's bleeding, he's hurt! Wake up, Mr. No-Maj..."
Newt and Elladora quietly tried to shuffle to and out of the door as Goldstein's back was turned, but quickly spun around as Goldstein gave a guttural scream of fear. Newt reached out a hand and caught the creature by the tail, and Elladora clicked the case open as Newt dropped the Murtlap in.
"Helga, Newt, what else do you keep in there?" Elladora sighed, exasperated. "More medicinal-usage creatures?"
"Mercy Lewis, what is that?" Goldstein said, horrified.
"Nothing to worry about, That is a Murtlap." Newt said, and Elladora shook her head. Typical. Just like Hagrid.
"You!" came a voice behind Goldstein. It was the No-Maj. Was he Jacob?
"Hello." replied Newt.
"Easy, Mr.–" Goldstein warned as the muggle man made to get up.
"Kowalski...Jacob..." He muttered and Goldstein took his hand to shake it, but Newt raised his wand.
Kowalski recoiled in fear, clutching at Tina, who moved protectively in front of him. "You can't Obliviate him! We need him as a witness."
"Now." added Elladora. "Originally I don't think we do, but in this case..."
"I'm sorry–you've just yelled at me the length of New York for not doing it in the first place..." Newt mumbled.
"He's hurt!" Goldstein protested. "He looks ill!"
"He'll be fine." Newt said, putting his wand away, "Murtlap bites aren't serious."
But Kowalski retched into the corner, and Goldstein stared at Newt in disbelief.
"Now that is a more severe reaction I've ever seen in all the years of learning under the Matron of Hogwarts." Elladora admitted, "but if it was really serious, he'd have..."
"What" questioned Goldstein.
"Well, the first symptom would be flames out of his anus–" Newt supplied, and terrified, Kowalski felt the seat of his pants.
"This is all balled up!" Goldstein cried.
"It'll last forty-eight hours at most! I can keep him if you want me to–" Elladora stifled a laugh at Newt's statement.
"Oh, keep him? We don't keep them! Mr. Scamander, do you know anything about the wizarding community in America?" Goldstein said.
Newt nodded his head. "I do know a few things, actually. I know you have rather backward laws about relations with non-magic people. That you're not meant to befriend them, that you can't marry them, which seems mildly absurd to me."
Kowalski was open-mouthed. Elladora couldn't blame him – it was hard to take all of this in.
"Who's going to marry him now? You three are coming with me–"
"I don't see why I need to come with you–" Newt started, but trailed off as Elladora pulled his sleeve a little and looked pleadingly at him.
Goldstein tried to lift the only partly conscious Kowalski from the floor, but failed. "Did you learn about the Gravitas Penna charm?" Elladora sighed, swishing her wand at Kowalski.
"The what?" Goldstein asked incredulously. "And what did you do to Mr. Kowalski?"
"Gravitas Penna is the feather-light charm." Newt explained. "So now it's easier to lift him."
"I'm...I'm dreaming, right? Yeah...I'm tired, I never went to the bank. This is all just some big nightmare, right?"
"For the both of us, Mr. Kowalski." Goldstein sighed, and they Disapparated into the day.
Good grief. One trapped, some escaped.