Chapter 4
Newt had successfully built an enclosure for Frank. It was based on the geographical terrain of Arizona. Frank seemed to be pretty content with his new home in Newt’s briefcase. Remus had slept for a whole day after his stunt in Egypt. Newt had let him sleep in the suitcase while he had built the thunderbird habitat. Soon enough, Remus could do basic first year spells.
Now, they were on another ocean liner on its way to New York City. Newt had planned everything out. Once arriving at New York, they would have to take a portkey to Arizona. This time around, Remus wasn’t as nervous as he was before. In fact, Newt thought that he was actually quite excited. His eyes shined with wonder the entire time.
Before the ship docked, Newt had to make sure Dougal wouldn’t make fuss during customs again.
“Dougal…” Newt reprimanded. “Settle down now.”
“Dougal the demiguise.” Remus listed proudly. His confidence left as soon as it came and he hesitated soon after. “…Right?” He added in a small voice.
Newt smiled at Remus as Dougal thumped on the case again. “That’s correct Remus.”
Remus’ face brightened up and Newt felt proud of himself at cheering him up.
Once the ship had landed, Remus and Newt made their way down the gangplank and towards customs. Everything seemed to be in order until the lock on his briefcase flicked open.
Newt internally sighed. “M-must get that fixed.”
He handed over he case again with muggle worthy on. The look the customs officer was not unlike the one in Egypt had given them. He felt Remus shrink against him. The man looked at them and the items in his case again before deciding that they had not brought anything illegal in.
“Welcome to New York.”
“T-thank you.” Newt hurried away and Remus waved again.
Remus seemed to like New York much better than Egypt. He turned his head and stared at everything he found interesting. Which was everything. Newt had to admit himself that New York was pretty impressive. As they walked past what seemed to be a bank, Newt heard snippets of an organization or rally.
“This great city sparkles with the jewels of man’s invention! Movie theatre’s, automobiles…”
Remus tugged on his sleeve. Newt could tell he wanted to go listen, Remus didn’t have much knowledge on muggle things and Newt knew that Remus loved to learn about new things. Newt was intrigued as well. They both made their way towards the crowd to listen.
“…The wireless, electric lights—all dazzle and bewitch us!”
The two of them pushed through the crowd. Newt accidentally bumped into a woman wearing a periwinkle trench coat with the collar turned up. He noticed she was eating a hotdog.
“Oh…so sorry.” He apologized.
“But where there is light there is shadow, friend. Something is stalking our city, wreaking destruction and then disappearing without a trace.” The woman at the front carried on. Newt’s brow furrowed for a moment. His train of thought was disrupted by portly man tripping over his case. Remus moved out of the way for the man to pick himself off the floor. Newt helped haul him up.
“I’m so sorry - my case…”
The man waved him off. “No harm done.”
Newt watched his back as the man continued to push his way through the crowds to get to the bank.
“You, friends! What drew you to our meeting today?”
Newt blinked. He realized that everyone was watching him and Remus. Remus hid himself behind Newt, peeking out slightly.
“Oh… we were just passing.” Newt shifted uncomfortably under everyones gaze.
“Are you a seeker? A seeker of truth?” There was something about this woman that made Newt feel unnerved. Her eyes held a steely glint that seemed to bore right into him.
“I’m more of a chaser really.” Newt responded. The woman seemed discouraged by his answer. Her eye locked onto Remus who was still hiding behind him.
“And you!” She pointed at Remus. Remus trembled. The woman made her way down the steps and pulled Remus towards her. “My poor child! You have been marked!” She wailed gesturing at his scars. Remus squirmed in her grip and Newt felt a sense of protectiveness overcome him. He pulled Remus back, glaring at her.
The woman paid them no more attention. She had raised her voice and started another long speech. “Hear my words and heed my warnings and laugh if you dare: Witches live among us! We have to fight together for the sake of our children - She pointed at Remus again - for the sake of tomorrow!”
Remus pulled at Newts sleeve again. “Mr. Scamander…” He whispered. “The niffler…”
New looked down at his case and realized it had been opened. He then frantically looked around before spotting Teddy shoving the coins from a beggars hat into his pouch. Bugger.
“What do you say my friend?” The woman addressed him again. Newt was barely paying attention to her. He watched the niffler run into the bank.
“Excuse me.” Newt ignored her and grabbed Remus by the hand and pulled him towards the bank.
******
The bank was larger than he had expected. He looked around for any sign of his niffler. Remus helped him look. He almost didn’t see the man walking towards him.
“Can I help you, sir?” He asked.
“No, I was…just… just waiting.” He pulled Remus towards a bench near the side and took a seat next to the man who had bumped into his case earlier. The man apparently recognized him.
“Hi. What brings you here?” He asked nervously.
“Same as you.” Newt replied absentmindedly. He strained his neck looking for anything suspicious.
“You’re here to get a loan to open up a bakery?”
“Yes.”
“What are the odds of that? Well, may the best man win, I guess.” He shrugged. Remus giggled at that. He looked at the man shyly. The man gave him a smile in return.
“Excuse me.” Newt had spotted the riffler. The little bugger was stealing coins from someones bag. Newt rushed off leaving Remus behind. Unbeknownst to him, the occamy egg he was keeping in his pocket had rolled out.
“Hey, mister… Hey, mister!” The man yelled but Newt was too preoccupied to hear. He picked up the egg and looked at it. The man turned towards Remus. “You related to that guy?”
But before Remus could respond, a secretary came out of an office calling the mans name.
“Mr. Kowalski, Mr. Bingley will see you now.”
Mr. Kowalski let out a nervous sound and pocketed the egg unconsciously. “Okay… okay.”
“Mr. Kollal - Kowow- ask- ki -“ Remus tried to get his attention to tell him that the egg was theirs.
Mr. Kowalski didn’t seem to hear and walked off with the secretary towards the office.
“B-but.” Remus whispered. He looked around wildly for Newt.
Newt was watching the niffler steal a lady’s shoe buckle and he slowly tried to approach it. The niffler seemed to notice him and he scurried away. Newt sighed. He ran across the room bumping into several people.
“Sorry - so sorry…excuse me - Sorry.”
Newt straightened up and watched, helpless as Teddy jumped from bag to bag, stealing shining things. The niffler disappeared again and Newt walked through the lines desperately. A bank was the worst place to lose a niffler.
Suddenly he heard coins scattering on the floor. He turned around to see the paws of the niffler, under a bench, scrambling them up. He rushed over and dived under the bench. The niffler darted away again and Newt watches it leap over the bank counter screen and onto a trolley going down to the vaults.
“Hey, My English guy! I think your egg is hatching!” Newt looked over at who was calling him. He saw the man from earlier holding his occamy egg. He realized that Remus was missing too. He looked around hurriedly for him before spotting him rushing towards the man who had called him. He looked back at the trolley as it was being pushed into an elevator. Newt made a split second decision. He pointed his wand at the guy and Remus. The two of them were both pulled towards him. He quickly apparated to the other side of the counter screen on some stairs.
Remus watched as Newt took the egg from Jacob as it hatched. A small occamy wriggled its way out. The three of them made their way down the stairs. Jacob seemed to be in denial. Newt quickly opened his case and carefully placed the newborn occamy inside.
“In you hop…” Newt whispered. He caught sight of something silver. He rolled his eyes, amused.
“No. Everyone settle down - stay. Dougal, don’t make me come in there…”
“There!” Remus pointed at a vault. Newt looked up to see the niffler squeezing itself through the door. Newt took out his wand again.
“Absolutely not… Alohamora.”
The vault doors unlocked and Newt pulled it open. There were some footsteps behind him.
“Oh, so you’re gonna steal the money, huh?” It was another, rather bald, man. Newt paid him no attention. The man hit a button on the side of the wall and alarms began to ring.
“Petrificus Totalus.” He muttered under his breath. He was busy looking for the niffler. The man’s limbs locked together and he fell down.
“Mr. Bingley!”
Newt spotted Teddy laying on an open deposit box. The niffler stared at him defiantly as he shoved another gold bar into its already bulging pouch. Newt let out an exasperated sigh.
“Really?”
He grabbed the niffler and turned it upside down while shaking it. A plethora of precious items fell out of its pouch onto the ground. The niffler sniffed as it tried to resist him. Newt grinned and began to tickle him. More footsteps of several armed guards drew closer.
Remus ducked behind Newt.
“Oh no… no … Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot!” The man raised his hands up in surrender.
Newt glanced at them and quickly reached out to apparate them outside. Once outside, Newt wrestled Teddy back into the case. Sirens rang behind them.
“For the last time, you pilfering pest - paws off what doesn’t belong to you!” Newt closed his case and looked at the man. Remus stared at him too.
“I’m awfully sorry about that.” Newt apologized. The guy snorted.
“What the hell was that?”
“Nothing that need concern you. Now unfortunately you have seen far too much, so if you wouldn’t mind—if you just stand there—this will be over in a jiffy.”
Newt turned around to find his wand. The man grabbed his case and swung it at Newt.
“Sorry -“ Newt held his throbbing head. The guy ran away as quick as he could. Remus looked at him for a moment. Suddenly he realized something.
“Mr. Scamander! He took the wrong case!”
“Bugger!” Newt groaned. Now there was a muggle who hadn’t been obliviated with his case full of possibly illegal creatures running around in New York.
Newt sighed. “I guess we’ll have to go get it back.”
He took Remus’ hand and the two of them walked down the pavement. Newt tried to appear to be nonchalant. The woman with the hotdog was walking towards them with a glare. As they passed her, she grabbed them and disapparated.
******
The three of them appeared in a small narrow alleyway. She looked at them with an incredulous look.
“Who are you?” She demanded.
“I’m sorry?” Newt avoided her gaze.
“Who are you?!” She repeated again. Remus hid himself behind Newt again. The woman scared him.
“Newt Scamander. And you are?”
The woman ignored his question. “What’s that thing in your case?”
“A niffler!” Remus piped up. He watched as the woman rounded on him. He shrank. “Sorry.” He whispered. Newt placed his arm in front of him protectively, shielding him from the lady. Newt observed her for a moment.
“Er, you’ve got something on your - “ He pointed to her lip where some of the mustard from her hotdog was.
“Why in the name of Deliverance Dane did you let that thing loose?” She nearly shrieked.
“I didn’t mean to - he’s incorrigible, you see, anything shiny, he’s all over the place - “ Newt stammered as he tried to explain everything to her. She seemed like she wasn’t listening to what he was saying.
“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 in.”
“You’re taking me where?”
“Magical congress of the United States of America.” She whipped out an official ID card. Her name was printed at the top. Porpentina Esther Goldstein.
“So, you work for MACUSA? What are, some kind of investigator?” Newt tried to diffuse the tension. He couldn’t afford to be taken in by a country’s ministry again after the last incident with the kelpie.
“Uh-huh.” She glared at them again. “Please tell me you took care of the No-Maj?”
“The what?"
“The No-Maj! No-Magic! The non-wizard!” Newt almost snorted at the creativity of the name. He could tell Remus felt the same. Porpentina looked like she had swallowed something nasty.
“Oh, sorry, we call them Muggles.”
“You wiped his memory, right? The No-Maj with the case?” Porpentina looked frantically at him. Newt felt guilt pool in him. He scratched his neck.
“Um…”
“That’s a section 3A, Mr. Scamander. I’m taking you in.”
“W-wait? What about Remus?" Newt demanded before she took the two of them by the arm again and disapperated.