Why Him?
If you had told Rachel Emmerson that she would find a child crying in the dark night of autumn on a weekday, she would have laughed in your face, then leave you behind muttering 'loony' the whole way home.
Yet, here she was, staring at the crying child from across the road.
She looked all over to see if anyone had left the child behind, and who could possible be her guardian? She assumed it was a girl; what kind of boy would have that much hair?
"Hello?" She called to the child, hoping they could hear them.
The child continued to cry into the pavement. Rachel sighed then, on impulse, ran across the road to reach the child.
"Are you alright?" She calmly asked, then mentally slapped themselves. There was a child alone at night, weeping into the ground; of course they were alright.
Sitting down next to them, Rachel lowered her voice. "Do you know where your parents are, sweetie?"
The small child let out a louder wince at the mention of their parents. Rachel tried her best to calm the shaking one. "Settle down, I won't hurt you. What's your name?"
It came as a surprise to her when the child whispered. "Y/N."
Rachel nodded calmly. "Y/N okay, good, good, my name is Rachel. Now, do you know what your parents names are?"
Y/N's eyes met hers, and they looked up with a look of puzzlement. "Mama?"
The adult nodded rapidly. "Yes, your mama. What's her name?"
The child's breath shook. "Mama?!"
Rachel's heart began racing as the child's voice rose. "Her name, Y/N, I need her name."
"Mama! Mama!" The child screamed at the top of their lungs, more tears rushing down their face. They instantly embraced the adult next to them. Rachel flinched in response, but soon pulled the sobbing child into her arms, doing her very best to comfort them.
The child's sobbing continued for what seemed like ages, until they spoke again. "Newt,"
Rachel pulled her head back from the top of Y/N's head, and looked down to them. "What?"
"Eilis," they whispered.
"Is that your mama, Y/N?" BRachel asked, still holding them
Y/N winced, but kept talking. "Not mama,"
"Who is she, then?" She asked again.
"Bakery,"
Rachel sighed. "You aren't making any sense, who is Eilis?"
"Has bakery."
She scowled in frustration, but her face soon lightened. She gathered the child's face in her hands, and looked them straight in the eye. "I know who you're talking about. You've been a big help, thank you."
Without another word, Rachel helped Y/N up off the ground, and held their hand the whole walk to the bakery.
"Newt," Y/N whispered again.
Rachel glanced down at the shivering child. "Who is that?"
"Newt," They only responded.
"Is that your father?"
"Newt,"
Rachel groaned. "But who is he?"
"Newt,"
Biting her tongue, Rachel tried one last time. "I need you to tell me who he is, Y/N. I can't hep you if you don't."
Y/N stopped for a slight moment, then finally looked above them to Rachel. "I want Newt."
Rachel sighed, then quickened her pace. In almost no time, she was banging on the door to the closed bakery. After trying for countless minutes, Rachel sat on the stoop with her head in her hands, groaning in frustration.
Then, a familiar voice complaining under her breath made the two turn their heads back to the door.
"I just want one night where no one is coming to my door, asking for handouts. I swear by lord's name if-." Eilis paused when she brought her face to look through the glass door; revealing the little child that worked for her, and a strange adult.
Eilis quickly opened the door, only for Y/N to immediately embrace her. The woman, threw one arm around the child, drawing circles into their back as they sobbed loudly.
"I found them on the sidewalk, crying until they couldn't anymore." Rachel said before Eilis could ask what happened.
Her mouth twitched as she still held the door open. "Well, thank you kindly."
She nodded, but did not leave. "Little one kept asking for a Newt. They wouldn't tell me who he was though. You have a nice night, ma'am."
She could only nod as the door closed, and they walked away. Eilis turned her attention back to the sobbing child. Because of their height, it was easy for Eilis to pick the child up in her arms, and set them on one of the tables.
"What happened?" She whispered, combing her fingers through Y/N's hair.
"Mummy," They whispered, more tears flowing.
Eilis continued to brush their hear, but pulled away. "Where's mummy?"
Y/N only stared at her, and their jaw shook. "Where's Newt?"
The Irish woman shook her head. "He's probably sleeping, Y/N. What happened to mummy?"
"I want Newt!" They screamed, surprising themselves of their tone.
Eilis flinched at the child's voice, but shushed them. "Okay, okay. I'll-I'll find him, and then I'll bring him here." She stepped away from Y/N, then slipped on her shoes and walked to the door. Before pulling it open, she turned back to the child.
"Hide in the kitchen, and don't make a sound. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Nodding slowly, Y/N leaped off the table, and stumbled into the kitchen, firmly closing the door behind them. Sighing, Eilis rushed out the front door, and looked all around her.
Sighing in slight relief, she brought her wand out of her back pocket. Holding it up in front of her face, she whispered. "Merlin, give me strength."
Before disappearing into thin air.
...
Ruby Hudson was simply dusting the small lobby, if you could even call it that, when the bell on the door quietly 'tinged'. The older woman gazed up from the table she was dusting, and smiled. There was a young woman standing tall at the front desk.
"Oh hello there sweetie." She greeted, setting her feather duster down. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm not accepting anyone for tonight. I'm afraid we've run out of room."
The woman shook her head, but returned the smile. "No, I'm not looking for a room; I'm simply looking for a friend. His name is Newt Scamander, do you happen to know him?"
Ms. Hudson softly grinned at the name. "Ah, Newton. A very gentle man, so quiet. I never expected him to be the type to have a lady friend."
She rubbed the back of her neck. "Actually, I am not. I've just come to see him because of an emergency."
The older woman's face fell. "Oh dearie, has something bad happened?"
Shaking her head, she walked closer. "I just need to find him, please."
"Oh, of course! His room is just right of the stairs when you go up; 221A I believe." Ruby told, increasingly becoming more worried.
She smiled then approached the stairs, before turning to the old woman. "Thank you very much ma'am. My name is Eilis."
Not waiting for a response, Eilis ran up the stairs, and gazed over every room number until she found the one Newt must have been in. She raised her fist, and knocked on the door gently.
No response.
She sighed quite loudly, and tried again. "Mister Scamander?" She called, pressing her ear against the wood door. She swore under her breath as there was complete silence.
Looking from side to side once again, she slowly pulled out her wand when the coast was clear. She pointed the tip to the knob.
"Alohomora," She whispered. With a click, the knob was magically unlocked. Grinning to herself, Eilis pushed the door open.
The room was surprisingly dull; a kitchen, a small dining table, a radio placed on a table in the corner, and a few doors leading to what must have been a small bedroom and bathroom. What more could a muggle possibly need?
But, what instantly attracted the Irish woman, was the case resting on the carpeted floor in the middle of the room.
Knowing for a fact that Mister Scamander was in there, she marched up to the suitcase, and gave it three, hard knocks. Waiting for a minute or two, she was almost relieved to see the case open, then see him walk out of it hesitantly.
"Newt," Eilis whispered.
She was behind him the whole ordeal, so you can only imagine how high he nearly jumped into the air when he heard her voice. Thankfully, he quickly calmed himself as he recognized the kind face.
"Ms. McNeil?" He asked, obviously puzzled. "What in Merlin's beard are-?"
"I need your help," She stopped him.
His eyes furrowed in more confusion. "But-but why? What could you possibly need at this hour?"
Eilis pursed her lips. "Do you remember Y/N?"
...
The small child hugged their legs to their chest as they smushed themselves between the flour and bag of cocoa beans on the bottom shelf of the pantry. All Ms. Eilis had told them was to hide in the kitchen and not make a sound.
But why? Why did they have to keep quiet? Was it because someone would find them and take them away from Eilis and Newt? Or would they kill them just like they had done to....?
Y/N slapped a hand over their mouth as a sob almost escaped when the kitchen door flew open. They shut their eyes tight as footsteps quietly walked around the kitchen tiles.
"Y/N, Newt's here. Come on out," Eilis gentle voice called for them.
They snapped their eyes open at his name, and crawled out from under the shelf, and onto their feet. Newt and Eilis jumped at the sound of the pantry doors flying open; only to see Y/N standing on their feet, still crying like there was no tomorrow.
Newt's face softened at their tears, and he set his case down. "Y/N? What happened-?"
Before he could finish, the child flew to him and wrapped their arms around his waist, crying into him. He stiffened at the touch; for the longest time, he could not remember when another person had ever hugged, none the less a child.
...... That was not completely true.
Still, Newt carefully placed his hands on both of their shoulders, and held them their; letting them cry. After what seemed like ages, Y/N pulled away, but still held onto him. Finally free, Newt kneeled down to the child's height, still holding one of their shoulders.
"Y/N, what is it? What's the matter?" He whispered, awaiting their answer.
The child hiccupped, and struggled to look him in the eye. "Mama-mama, she-she's....gone."
Eilis gasped as the child whispered the last word, and she covered her mouth as she leaned against the counter for support.
Newt continued to look at the child, then finally spoke. "Well, I guess we'll have to find her then, won't we?" He attempted a smile.
"No," Y/N hissed, staring directly in his eyes. "she's dead, and she's never coming back!" They screamed as they finally accepted the truth; the horrible, heartbreaking truth.
The magizoologist's breath shook as the child's outburst only grew, and Eilis had to run and embrace them in her arms to muffle the painful screams coming from the child.
As she was clutching Y/N close to her now tear soaked nightgown, Eilis turned sharply to the man frozen at the scene in front of him.
"Get the ministry,"
Newt squinted his eyes at her, almost unable to speak. Until he finally whispered. "I-I-I don't see how that would-."
"Now," The woman growled, gazing into his eyes like a monster waiting to attack.
Newt stumbled back at the tone Eilis had acquired. But, he soon picked up his case, and rushed out the front door before apparating.
...
"Y/N?"
The child slowly turned their head to see the same man sitting across from them in the small room. He said his name was mister Samuel, was it? Y/N decided it was.
But, it still doesn't make sense to them why Newt and Eilis needed to bring them all the way there, and not to the police.
He still smiled at them. "Can you tell me again what you saw when you got home?"
Y/N grunted as they sat on the chair with their legs up to their chest. They looked back at him. "Are you a bobby?" They slurred in their drowsiness.
He only chuckled like it was a game between the two. "No, no I am not. But, I work with a very special kind of them, where you tell me what you saw, and I tell them."
They only hummed in response, and their eyes drifted again.
"Can you tell me how you found your mother? If it makes you too uncomfortable, then you do not have to." Samuel asked.
The child mumbled. "Uncomferble?"
He forced a smile on his face. "Yes, it means if you don't want to talk, and you feel sad or scared."
They scowled, as they thought. Soon, Y/N opened their mouth, and began speaking in a quiet voice. "She wasn't there when I went inside. I looked everywhere, but she was nowhere. I tried to open the door to the bathroom, but it wouldn't go. I pushed so hard, that I thought the door would come off. Then..."
The man noticed, and spoke up. "It's alright, it's alright."
"She was so cold." They whispered, more tears flowing down. "I tried so hard to wake her up, but she didn't. I ran so fast."
Y/N had not even known that he gave them a box of tissues before they heard him speak again. But this time, causing them to flinch at how close his voice was.
"Were their any markings on her? Like cuts or dark spots?" Samuel asked softly, afraid of raising his voice to more than a whisper.
The child's jaw quivered as they relived memories that happened not even a few hours ago. They shook their head. "I-I don't know."
He sighed quietly, and shook his head. "Y/N, think back to what happened. Imagine yourself there again, and see-."
"I don't want to!" They shouted, looking directly at him. Quickly calming down, they quieted themselves. "I wouldn't lie about this."
The man nodded, and rested a hand on the arm of the chair. "I know you wouldn't, Y/N. Just stay here, and I'll be right back."
They didn't nod or do anything in acknowledgment, as he stood up and turned to walk out the door. Just as his hand gripped the handle-.
"She was cold. I didn't see anything else."
He smiled, but didn't look at them. "Thank you, Y/N. You have been a big help to us."
They didn't even look up as he left the room.
When the door was closed all the way, Samuel sighed as he turned to look at several faces in the room before him.
He pursed his lips before speaking. "They were in shock the whole way through; from entering the house, to right now. They could barely tell me what they saw, I'm not blaming the kid though." A chorus of sighs seemed to fill the room after the man finished.
Pursing his lips, he turned to a woman with her hair pinned up. "Have they found the body yet?"
She sighed, shaking her head. "We couldn't find anything. It's almost as if Miss L/N disappeared off the face of the earth."
"Grace,"
The woman turned to see Eilis slightly scowling at her. "I'm sorry?" She asked.
"Her name was Grace. Grace L/N." Eilis commented.
She nodded. "Yes, Grace L/N. When we arrived, it seemed that nothing was out of the ordinary. Even when we entered the bathroom, there was barely anything for us to gather."
Again, only looks of shame were visible in the room; all except Newt, who was just standing silently in the corner, almost in his own world.
"How are they?" He finally spoke up since he had just arrived. All eyes faced him, and Newt couldn't help but to shrink at all of the gazes.
Samuel, who had just spoken, coughed. "They seem to be extremely exhausted, and in just a minor shock. But, there is something that boggles me," he paused, gathering attention from everyone. "Mr. Scamander, Ms. McNeil, why did you exactly bring a muggle child to the Ministry of Magic?"
Newt only stood in still at the question, not knowing at all how to answer. Thankfully, Eilis cut in as she could easily sense him becoming uncomfortable.
"In my book, the L/N's always were a peculiar family to me; especially Y/N."
The woman spoke up. "I suppose that every looney in London deserves to know the wizarding world then?"
Eilis scowled. "You did not let me finish, Abigail." She spoke her name in almost disgust before continuing. "Besides the family being on my radar for quite a while, the crime itself seems off for it potentially being the murder of a muggle woman."
Abigail sighed. "No one has said it was a murder. It's quite possible she died of natural causes; heart failure most likely."
"But isn't it just a pinch odd how a mother dies maybe a few minutes before her child arrives home, and she is already cold as ice?"
Silence consumed the room as soon as Eilis had finished. The man who had spoken to the child just then, opened his mouth, and spoke. "I beg your pardon Miss McNeil, but what makes you think Miss L/N died just before her child arrived?"
Eilis crossed her arms. "If the body had been lifeless for half an hour, then their would be a pool of blood at the bottom."
"How in the world do you know all of this?" Abigail questioned, trying her best to keep her voice calm.
She shrugged. "My uncle was a doctor."
Still, Abigail shook her head. "If the child can't even remember if there were markings-."
"Then I'm sure she would remember a puddle of blood in front of her," Eilis scowled.
The two women only glared at each other in bitter silence you could cut with a knife. Finally, Samuel spoke up.
"Whether or not it was a murder, or Grace L/N died before Y/N arrived home, what matters is that we have a small child in the other room, completely alone with no guardian."
Everyone in the room became less tense, and the two women stopped glaring at each other. Abigail turned to Samuel. "Their mother must have left something to tell us who the child will go to."
Eilis looked back at them. "She had told me long ago, that if anything were to happen to her, that I would be in he care of Y/N."
Samuel cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is there any written document of this?
The Irish woman shrugged. "Grace was never much of a book smart woman, but perhaps if you look around the house, then you might find something."
Abigail sighed. "For now, we'll have to keep the child in custody and-."
"Y/N is an extremely self-destructive child as is. Take them away from a familiar person with almost no one else in the word, the consequences would be horrible." Eilis frowned at the thoughts.
Samuel and Abigail only stared at the woman, then to each other. After a few moments of silence, they both nodded. Abigail turned to her. "For now, Y/N L/N will be in your care until, or if, we find a document from their mother that says otherwise."
A smile perked in the corner of Eilis' mouth, but soon dropped. "I have forgotten to mention, that my parents had not only left me, bless their souls, but have also left their debts. I would need to work overtime to even dream about paying them off."
Samuel let out a long sigh. "Fine then, it seems you are not fit to tend to a child-."
"I place Y/N L/N in the care of Newt Scamander."
All eyes trailed to the man hiding in the corner of the room for the past hour, wishing he had been anywhere but there. His face fell at all the attention, as he carefully picked up his case, and treaded to the front of the room, and looked directly at Eilis McNeil.
"Excuse me?"