Thanks for reading this first chapter! I've had this idea for a while, and I'm excited to finally have the time to get it written down. I'm sorry this first chapter is a little short, the chapters should lengthen as time goes on.
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Chapter One: The Young Thief
"Where is Grindelwald?"
The question left Madam Picquery's mouth, the words seeming to hang in the air before the seated witches and wizards. No one made a move to answer. They rustled uncomfortably in their chairs, purposefully avoiding eye contact with the formidable head
/of MACUSA. No one wanted to admit that they were unable to find the evil wizard after he had escaped prison just a few months ago.
"This is a nation wide issue, soon to beworldwide," Madam Picquery continued, staring down each of the Aurors. "We cannot let such a powerful wizard roam the Earth."
"If I may," anAuror spoke up, raising his hand slightly. He sporteda dark gray beard and a pair of thin rimmed glasses on his crooked nose. Madam Picquery turned to him expectantly.
"It took usmonths to find him last time," the Auror continued. "We cannot expect to find him anyfaster this time, especially since he knows we will be looking for him."
"That is no excuse," Madam Picquery hissed. "We shouldn't have let him infiltrate MACUSAthe first time."
The old Auror bowed his head, shrinking back in his seat. Madam Picquery sighed, glancing around the room. Her eyes fell on a familiar ginger-haired wizard sitting at the back, his bright blue coat standing out amongst the dark robes of the MACUSA Aurors.
/She hadn't noticed him come into the meeting.
"Newton Scamander." Her voice rang out, drawing the attention of the Mazoologist. He looked up at her, surprised.
"Yes?" He looked nervous. His fingers clutched at the handle of his ever-present suitcase, resisting the urge to run his fingersup and down the soft leather. He could remember the last time he was in this hall, about a year before. He could remember
/it vividly; the gazes of all the Aurors on him, his suitcase being taken from him, and with it, his precious creatures.
"What are you doing back in America? I hope no more creatures have managed to escape again?"
Everyone in the room turned to look at Newt. He chuckledslightly, glancing down at his suitcase before answering.
"No, Madam Picquery."
"Good." Madam Picquery stared at his suitcase for a moment, expecting creatures to burst out of it at any involuntarily shifted the case behind his legs with a foot, continuing to give Madam Picquery a nonchalant look. She just closed
her eyes for a moment, turning back to speak with the entirety of the assembly. Beside Newt, the young Auror Tina shifted with a tiny smirk. She held a rather heavy book in her hands, her fingers running across the cover subconsciously.
"I'm glad you're back," she whispered.
"Me too," Newt responded. One of the nearbyAurorsgave the two an annoyed glance. They quickly shut up.
Newt watched the rest of the meeting lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't planned on coming, but Tina had dragged him along almost immediatelyas his foot left the was back in New York after finishing his book, keeping his promise that
he would give Tina one in person. He smiled down at the book in her hands proudly.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The cover was beautiful, the title in a shining script. His name was printed below it in bold letters. He could hardly believed he had done it. The book was finished, and he was back in America. Back with
/Tina.
Finally, the meeting drew to a close. Wizards filed out of the room. A stern silence hung over them until they had completely exited. Tina was chewing her lip, her eyes narrowed. She remembered Madam Picquery's final words, "Find him. And find him soon."
"So," Newt began, relaxing as he entered the main hall of MACUSA. Tina cut him off, whirling around suddenly. Her blue coat flared out behind her as she stared at Newt.
"I have an idea," she said matter-of-factly.
Newt's eyebrows shot up. "What is it?"
"When do you have to be back to England?" Tina asked.
Newt shrugged. "There's no settimescale."
"Good." Tina trudged down the rest of the hallway and into the main foyer of the headquarters. Newt ran to catch up with her, his suitcase bouncing against his legs.
"What is your idea?" he asked breathlessly.
"I'll tell you back at my apartment." Tina's expression was stern, not giving away any of her thoughts. Newt could hardly stand to wait to hear what she was thinking. They climbed the stairs to the Goldstein's apartment, Newt barely avoiding the watchful
/eyes of the landlady. Tina turned the doorknob, letting Newt walk in before her. The apartment was warm, a fire crackling in the fireplace. It hadn't changed much since Newt had last seen it besides a couple new books in a bookcase and a jar of bright
/pink flowers on the table. He stood in the doorway for a second, unsure where to go.
"Tina!"
Queenie's familiar voice rang out. The other Goldstein sister appeared in the kitchen, her golden hair bouncing as she rang to hug her sister.
"How did the meeting go?" she asked.
"It was sort of a mixed bag," Tina answered, glancing back at Newt and waving him in. "But see who is back."
"Newt!" Queenie exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I finished my book," he said, motioning toward the novel Tina was still holding. "I said I would bring a copy in person, and here I am."
Tina smiled, sharing a soft glance with Newt. Queenie blinked, watching the silent exchange between the two before clearing her throat. Tina shook her head, going to place the book on the bookcase. The leather cover shone in the firelight.
"It looks absolutely stunning," Queenie said.
"Thank you," Newt said, grinning.
"How are your creatures?" Queenie pointed toward Newt's suitcase.
Newt held up his suitcase for a second, placing it carefully on the table. "They're doing very well. And so is Pickett, here."
At the mention of his name, the little green Bowtruckle stuck his head out of Newt's coat pocket. He seemed to recognize the two sisters, giving each a little bob of his head.
"Hello, Pickett," Queenie waved. The Bowtruckle crawled on top of Newt's shoulder, blinking at Queenie.
"What was your idea?" Newt said to Tina.
"Oh, yes." Tina shrugged her coat off, hanging it up on a hook. "Please, sit down."
Newt slid into a chair, moving his suitcase onto the ground beside it. Queenie sat across from him, resting her chin on her hands. Tiny cleared her throat, lacing her fingers delicately on the tabletop.
"Madam Picquery was talking about the need to find Grindelwald as soon as we possibly can," Tina said. "And even though it pains me to admit it, I do not think we are going to be able to find him on our own. He is an elusive and powerful wizard."
"How else would we?" Queenie broke in.
Tina took in a deep breath. "It may not be exactly… approved by MACUSA."
"Well, what else is new?" Queenie chuckled. Newt grinned a bit at her words, remembering the last adventure they had in New York.
"There's this girl. Her father used to work at MASCUSA, so she used to be around the headquarters rather often. She was quite the troublemaker and got herself expelled from Ilvermorny just a couple years ago."
Newt raised his eyebrows, leaning forward.
"Oh, I know who you're talking about," Queenie said quietly.
Newt glanced between the sisters. "What did she do to be expelled?"
Tina swallowed thickly. "She stole a dragon."
Newt's mouth fell open. "A gigantic dragon? How?"
"No one really knows," Queenie said. "We never got the dragon back. But we found her and she was expelled."
"Where is she now?" Newt asked.
"See, her father wasn't too pleased with what she had done," Tina continued. "He was not the gentlest man, especially to the girl. She ran away."
"Oh." Newt fell silent.
"I know where she might be, however," Tina said. "There is a wizarding bar where a lot of thieves and the like congregate. She might be there."
"Why would we need her help?" Newt said.
"She has a connection to Grindelwald," Tina said. She didn't continue any further, breaking off suddenly after she finished speaking. Queenie agreed silently.
"Then, should we go find her?" Newt offered.
"Do you want to get strung up in this business again?" Queenie said, smiling slightly.
"I'm here, I might as well," Newt said.
"Let's go," Tina said.
The bar was loud tonight. Louder than normal. I clutched the glass of water in front of me harder, taking a tiny sip. I winced. The water was warm and stale, sitting in my stomach uncomfortably. Unfortunately, it was the only thing I could afford. Work
/had been rather slow lately.
"Are you Elizabeth?"
"That depends. Who's asking?" I took another sip of my water, looking up languidly. I froze when I saw who it was. I let my glass drop back onto the table, clinking against the splintered wood.
"What do you want?" I growled. My stomach twisted when the two sisters from MACUSA sat across from me. They had a third person with them; a young man with a suitcase. I glanced at him briefly, returning my gaze to the two women in front of me.
"I don't want anything to do with MACUSA," I said, curling my fingers into a fist. "How did you even find me?"
"I know where most of wizarding bars are." The brown haired sister spoke. I raised my eyebrow at her, recalling her name faintly. Porpentina, a young Auror. And demoted a year ago.
"Well, that is quite the feat," I said cheekily. Tina ignored the jab.
"You're younger than I thought you'd be," the young man said. I looked back over at him. Now that I thought about it, he did look familiar.
"Newt Scamander?" I said, tilting my head. "I never thought you'd be back in New York so soon."
"How do you know my name?" he asked.
"You were wanted for quite a bit of money," I explained. "I couldn't resist looking for you."
"I heard you were quite the thief," Newt said.
"Is that all you heard?" I watched Tina dnd Queenie out of the corner of my eye, wondering if they were going to say something. They didn't.
"Yes," Newt said. "It's quite impressive, stealing a dragon. Why'd you do it?"
I sighed, looking down at my glass of water for a moment. "My father was going to train the dragon to watch over the bank vaults. He was abusing him. I couldn't just sit and let it happen."
A small smile spread across Newt's face. He looked… proud. It was quite a change from the displeased looks I got from most people.
"Anyway," Tina broke in. "We need your help."
"To do what? What would Tina, the bright young Auror, need from me?" I said, turning to stare at her. I could see a slight flash in her eyes. My words got to her, though she managed to hide it well.
"As you probably know, Grindelwald is on the loose," she said. "We need your help to find him."
At the sound of the evil wizard's name, my stomach heaved suddenly. Memories of pain and fire overtook me for a moment, flashing through my mind. I shook my head, scooting back my chair.
"No. No, find someone else to do it." I moved to stand up, turning away from the three wizards.
"Wait, Elizabeth," Queenie said, holding out her hand.
"I prefer to be called Ellie," I muttered.
"Ellie," Queenie corrected herself. "I know it would be hard."
I swallowed thickly, feeling my eyes begin to burn with tears; I couldn't tell if they were from the anger or sadness roiling through me right now. Maybe both.
"But we need your help." Queenie's voice was pleading. I felt a faint flash of panic when I remembered she was a Legilimens. I quickly shut down my mind, closing it to any outside threat. I didn't want anyone inside my head.
I sat down slowly, raising my head to meet Queenie's gaze. My gut told me to tell them no; to run away. But another harder part of me told me to stay. I breathed in slowly. I was tired of running away.
"What would I get out of this?" I said quietly.
"Whatever you wanted," Tina said. I snorted softly. They must be desperate. I made the decision then, whistling sharply. They all frowned, wondering what I was doing. A flash of red appeared at the edge of the bar. It turned into a bright bird with gold
/and maroon feathers, flying over the heads of the bar-goers. The bird landed on my shoulder, ruffling her feathers importantly.
"You have a phoenix," Newt said breathlessly. He leaned forward, staring at the bird with a wide-eyed expression. I held my chin high, allowing the phoenix to climb onto my wrist.
"I'll do it," I said.
"Perfect-" Tina started. I held up a finger, silencing her.
"But on one condition," I said sternly. Tina nodded, Queenie and Newt exchanging a quick glance. I licked my lips once before continuing. "I want to kill Grindelwald."