Chapter 1- Chaos on the First Day
Lila Cromwell didn't know what was happening. One moment she was comforting Mr. Kowalski on failing to get a loan because Mr. Bingley was having a bad morning, and the next she was flung toward a man and then disappeared and reappeared in a different part of the bank, were the general public shouldn't be… and neither should she.
"What just happened?" Mr. Kowalski stuttered out.
Lila rested her back against the wall of the staircase they were currently in, 'Oh misery me, what was happening? How did she get from the main bank entrance to this staircase?' she thought, on the verge of panicking. Out loud she stated in what she hoped was a steady tone, "I would like to know that answer as well. If you're trying to steal from the bank, I don't know anything. I'm just a secretary. Today's my first day." She winced to herself as her voice went up an octave at 'day.'
Part of the egg cracked open in Mr. Kowalski's hand and the stranger put the stick clenched in his mouth and grabbed the egg from him in a motherly manner as the blue bird, chirped. "Shh." The stranger walked slowly down the stairs as the bird kept chirping.
Mr. Kowalski stammered after him and Lila turned to the bank client, "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you?" She asked. There was only one explanation that Lila could think of for what was happening... the bank was being robbed. The robber was using her and this bank patron to do it. 'This... this didn't normally happen on first day's, did it? Perhaps it was Mr. Bingly's idea of testing her.'
"Y-yeah, m'fine." The two stared at each other before quickly following after the stranger. "But, excuse me?" Mr. Kowalski questioned. Mr Kowalski looked to the left to see were he came from and saw Mr. Bingley staring straight at him. He sat heavily down on the stairs, pulling Lila down with him, "I was over there, came over..." He whispered, trying to make sense of what just happened. "I was over there…."
Lila was having an inner argument with herself. One of the arguments was for her to run away and sound the alarm. The other was to investigate what this stranger was doing. The investigative trait won. Lila grabbed Mr. Kowalski's arm, "Come on. Let's see what he's up to. If he's robbing the bank, this is the strangest robbery I've ever seen. Granted I've only been here a day, but most of the time, from the stories I've heard robbers just take out a gun. He didn't do that."
The two got up from the steps and walked cautiously to the stranger who had his brown suitcase open and looked as if he was coxing the bird inside it. The egg shell was on the floor next to the suitcase. "In you go." He whispered.
"Hello?" Mr. Kowalski asked cautiously, Lila stood next to him. She did notice that Mr. Kowalski stepped forward a bit, effectively putting some cover in front of Lila. Lila sighed at his gentlemanly act, being too shocked and scared to protest.
"No." The stranger said, probably toward the bird, "Everyone settle down."
"Oh." Lila whispered, staring at the large bank vault, shaking her head. She had known the staircase had lead down into the vault, but to see the gigantic vault for the first time, especially when she wasn't supposed too, made her panic, "Cussadang we shouldn't be down here."
"Stay." The stranger continued. It sounded like he had more than one bird. 'Was he some sort of animal trafficker?' "Dougal, don't make me come in there. Don't make me come down there."
Lila looked at the vault, startled as some sort of creature slipped through the sealed vault. She backed up slowly.
"No. Absolutely not." The stranger took his wand out of his mouth, pointed it at the bank vault, and stated, "Alohmora." Slowly but surely, the bank vault opened up.
"You are robbing it!" Shouted Lila. 'This wasn't happening.' Lila thought to herself, 'This couldn't be happening on her first day. It was her first day! Things like this didn't happen on first days.'
The stranger turned around just in time as Mr. Bingley appeared behind them, "Oh, so you're going to steal the money, huh?"
Lila looked around with wide eyes, "Mr. Bingley, it's not my fault." She stammered, frightened. She was so getting canned for this if she didn't explain properly.
But before Lila could explain Mr. Bingley turned his head toward her, moving his eyes up and down her small form, "Ah, Ms. Cromwell... You're fired."
Lila's mouth dropped open, she hadn't done anything to support the man that was trying to rob the bank, "Sir, please. I need this job. It's my first day, I need the money." Lila winced as that came out. The excuse 'I need the money' was probably the most terrible one she could come up with at the present considering he was accusing her of robbing the bank.
"Then you shouldn't have helped criminals." Mr. Bingley snapped and pressed the alarm sound which sounded throughout the bank.
Suddenly the stranger turned around, pointed his stick at Mr. Bingley and said clearly, "Petrificus Totalus." Mr. Bingley's body straightened stiff and fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Mr. Bingley!" Mr. Kowalski and Lila exclaimed. Lila rushed over to her boss and checked his pulse. 'Still alive then.' A sound of the door opening alerted her to the fact that the robbers were getting what they wanted.
She stood up and marched over to the stranger and Mr. Kowalski, placing a hand on the stranger's right arm, "Sir, stop, please." She shook her head, "Don't rob the bank."
The stranger set down his suitcase, completely ignoring her, and rushed into the vault to see a creature in one of the drawers with gold bars, necklaces and money apparently sticking out of him. She sighed in annoyance as the apparent bank robber completely brushed her off. The stranger sighed and said, "Really?" He grabbed him, turned the strange animal upside down and shook it. Gold bars, money and jewelry came pouring out seemingly of nowhere onto the bank vault floor. "No. Don't play that."
Lila and Mr. Kowalski glanced at each other, mostly to assure one another that this was actually happening and not some nightmare. Lila heard footsteps approaching. Guards… finally. "Help!" She yelled, "Down here!" At that, she finally got recognition from the stranger but it was more of an annoyed look.
"Oh no." Mr. Kowalski alerted the stranger who rushed back outside the vault with the creature. "No no no. Don't shoot. Don't shoot!" The three guards spread out, covering the only exit when the stranger grabbed Mr. Kowalski and Lila and they disappeared from the bank and reappeared outside the bank.
Oh, Lila was getting a massive headache from whatever witchcraft, or more likely, drugs, the stranger was doing.
"Right." The stranger stated, "For the last time, you pilfering pest, paws off what doesn't belong to you."
The man struggled to close the suitcase while a man outside the front of the bank shouted, "Someone's robbing the bank!"
"Awfully sorry about that." The stranger stated, still crouching in front of his brown suitcase while Mr. Kowalski and Lila breathed heavily against the wall, on the verge of a mental break down, away from prying eyes of the street.
Mr. Kowalski looked around the corner at the commotion and back at the stranger, "What the hell was that?" He pointed at the suitcase.
"Nothing that need concern you. Now, unfortunately you've seen far too much." Mr. Kowalski leaned back against the wall when the stranger pulled him forward and dusted off his shoulders, seemingly to straighten his clothing out, "If you wouldn't mind, just stand right there, you as well, Miss."
"What are you going to do?" Lila asked in a small voice. Oh how she had made a huge mistake coming to the big city.
"This will be over in a jiffy."
Mr. Kowalski nodded and picked up his suitcase, swinging it and hitting the stranger in the head, knocking him over. He grabbed Lila's hand and said, "Come on!" The two ran toward the street and away from the man who had just ruined their lives. They both stopped sharply at the street, where the police presence was the strongest. They walked as calmly as they could and disappeared into the crowd.
Back in the alleyway next to the bank, the stranger was rubbing the back of his head in pain and staring off in the direction that Ms. Cromwell and Mr. Kowalski had ran, "Bugger."
A woman with a determined look marched up to him and the stranger sighed and rested against the wall that Mr. Kowalski had just rested moments before. He collected himself, grabbed the last brown suitcase and walked fast, trying to follow the two. The woman grabbed a hold of the stranger and disappeared from the alleyway to reappear in an abandoned doorway, out of sight of the bank.
The woman pushed the stranger against the brick indented doorway, "Who are you?"
"I'm sorry." The stranger avoided the question.
"Who are you?" The woman repeated.
Finally the stranger answered, "Newt Scamander. And you are?"
"What's that thing in your case?" The woman asked out of breath.
"That's my Niffler. Say, you've got something on your-"
The woman pulled back as Newt moved his hand close to her face. It seemed like it was mustard, "Why in the name of Deliverance Dane did you let that thing loose?"
Newt sighed, "I didn't mean too. He's incorrigible, you see. Anything shiny and he's all over-"
"You didn't mean too?" The woman cut him off.
"No."
The woman stared at him in exasperation, "You could not have chosen a worse time to let that creature loose. We're in the middle of a situation here." She stared at him a moment before making up her mind. "I'm taking you in."
"Taking me in where?" Newt asked.
The woman pulled out an identification card and said, "Magical Congress of the United States of America."
"So you work for M.A.C.U.S.A. What are you, some kind of investigator?"
The woman seemed to nod before straightening up. "At least tell me you took care of the two No-Majs."
Newt looked up at the woman, confused. "The what?"
"The No-Majs." The woman sighed, "No-Magic. The non-wizard and non-witch!"
"Oh." Newt breathed out. "We call them muggles."
"You wiped their memory, right?"
"The No-Maj with the case and the girl?"
Newt looked down, "Um."
The woman sighed, "Oh. That's a Section 3-A Mr. Scamander. I'm taking you in." They disappeared from the hidden doorway.
The woman took Newt Scamander to Woolworth Building and one of the earliest skyscrapers built. It also happened to be the Government building for M.A.C.U.S.A. They appeared in a back alleyway near the building and the woman grabbed Newt's arm and pulled him towards the building. "Come on."
"Sorry, but I do actually have things to do." Newt said, trying to get out of this. He wasn't stupid, he had seen that Newspaper stating that there still was a magical beasts ban in the United States. And that was where he currently was.
"Well," The woman scoffed, "You'll have to rearrange them. What are you doing in New York anyway?"
"I came to buy a birthday present."
"Couldn't you have done that in London?" The woman asked, looking at Newt with a weird expression.
"No, there's only one breeder of Appaloosa Puffskeins in the world and he lives in New York. So, no."
They stopped at the regular door entrance where there was a guard. The woman went up to the guard and stated, "I got a Section 3-A." The guard nodded and opened the door. "Hey." The woman said to Newt. "By the way, we don't allow the breeding of magical creatures in New York. We closed that guy down a year ago."
The two walked into the government building and up the staircase. A big clock was hovering above the open entrance-way area. It was a threat reader which was currently on Unexplained Activity. Windows from the outside shown in, illuminating the building. Black floors made a square around the center with banisters blocking off seemingly never ending drop. Two magical elevators were on either side of the whole while the threat reader hung in the middle over it. On the far back wall was what looked like the 'front desk' area.
Newt looked above to see that the magical skyscraper stretched into the clouds and had a ceiling like that of Hogwarts in the Great Hall. Around there were men reading the magical newspaper on benches while house elf's cleaned their wands.
The woman dragged Newt over to the elevator where a house elf operated it. "Hey Goldstein." the house elf stated.
Ms. Goldstein responded in the same tone, "Hey Red." She pushed Newt in the elevator in front of her and she followed, leaning her back up against the elevator and cleared her throat, "Major Investigation Department."
"I thought you was-"
Ms. Goldstein cut him off, looking down at him, "Major." Then paused for emphasis, "Investigation Department. I got a Section 3-A."
With a wand the house elf hit a button, the elevator door closed and they began their decent down.
A newspaper on a desk read: MAGICAL DISTURBANCE RISK WIZARDING EXPOSURE.
"The International Confederation is threatening to send a delegation." President Seraphina Picquery of M.A.C.U.S.A. stated to her team. "They think this is related to one of Grindelwalds attacks in Europe."
The same man who was at the collapsed apartment earlier stated, "I was there." His hands flat on the desk and leaning over. He shook his head, "This is a beast. No human could do what this thing is capable of, Madam President."
President Picquery looked around at the four people gathered with her, "Whatever it is, one thing is clear. It must be stopped. Its terrorizing No-Majs. And when the No-Majs are afraid, they attack. This could mean exposure. It could mean war."
The private meeting was interrupted by Ms. Goldstein pulling a defeated looking Newt Scamander into the room. Both the President and the man who was leaning on the desk got up to go closer to them, "I made your position here quite clear, Ms. Goldstein."
Ms. Goldstein sighed, "Yes, Madam President. But I-"
The President interrupted her, "You're no longer an Auror."
"No. Madam President. But-"
"Goldstein." The President interrupted again.
"There's been a minor-" Ms. Goldstein tried to say what happened at the bank but was interrupted yet again.
"This office is currently concerned with very major incidents. Get out."
Ms. Goldstein pressed her lip, humiliated. "Yes Ma'am." She grabbed Newt by the arm and quickly left the room.
They took the elevator down more flights and darkly lit room with typewriters working on their own and a floating stack of papers by each desk. A sign hung above a desk that stated Wand Permit Office. Ms. Goldstein took off her coat and put it on her chair. Newt ducked under the sign to stand in front of her desk.
"So, you got your wand permit?" Goldstein asked, determined to get this guy on something. "All foreigners have to have them in New York."
Newt looked around, "I made a postal application weeks ago." He picked up his suitcase while Ms. Goldstein sat on the edge of her desk with a quill and notebook.
"Mr. Scamander…." Ms. Goldstein muttered to herself as she wrote the name down. She looked up at him, "And you were just in Equatorial Guinea?"
Newt nodded, "And I've just completed a year in the fields. I'm writing a book about magical creatures."
Ms. Goldstein looked at Newt, confused, "Like an extermination guide?"
Newt sighed, annoyed at the ignorance of people, "A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures instead of killing them."
"Goldstein?" A man's voice asked. At the sound of his voice, Goldstein panicked and hid behind the desk. "Where is she? Goldstein?" It was a young man who appeared to be her supervisor. "Goldstein?" Ms. Goldstein slowly stood up from her hiding place. "Did you just but in on the investigative team again?" Not saying anything, Ms. Goldstein straightened up and put the quill and notebook on the desk. "Where have you been?"
"What?"
The man sighed, turned to Newt and asked, "Where'd she pick you up?"
"Me?" Newt asked as Ms. Goldstein quickly shook her head.
"Have you been tracking them Second Salemers again?" Ms. Goldstein's supervisor asked.
"Of course not sir." Ms. Goldstein shook her head, completely lying.
Footsteps sounded and the man that was at the collapsed building and the private meeting stepped into view. "Mr. Graves, Sir." Goldsteins supervisor stated.
"Afternoon, Abernathy." Mr. Graves said. He stopped a bit from the desk and folded his hands behind his back.
Ms. Goldstein stepped forward to explain her earlier actions, her hands clasped in front of her, "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."
"Lets see the little guy." Mr. Graves said. Ms. Goldstein smiled and grabbed the suitcase from Newt before he could do anything and left him stammering.
Ms. Goldstein set the case on a bench and opened it up to reveil… pastries. Both Newt and Goldstein looked at each other, knowing what this meant. It meant that Mr. Kowalski had the other case… and was in great danger.
Mr. Graves sighed and walked away, "Tina."
Lila Cromwell and Mr. Kowalski hadn't let go of each other's hands since the bank, still in shock. Both were looking around the streets for the strange man who had burst into their lives, but no one had seemingly followed them. Everyone around them was walking around like it was a normal day when they had such a strange one.
"So," Mr. Kowalski asked, looking at Lila. "First day on the job at that bank?"
Lila sighed. "First and last, probably. I messed up. I had just moved here from the country too. I was so excited for this new job. For the city life, you know?" Lila sighed
"Yeah." Mr. Kowalski answered. "Do you need me to walk you back to your apartment?"
"Apartment." Lila breathed out. "My coat and purse are back at that bank. That includes my apartment key. I can't go back in there. I'm canned and they'll probably arrest me for attempted robbery."
"Oh." Mr. Kowalski stated, "I'm sorry 'bout that. Gettin' you canned. You can stay with me." As soon as Mr. Kowalski said that, he scrunched his face, as if he was astonished that he had the courage to ask that.
Lila noticed but didn't say anything, "Thank you, Mr. Kowalski."
They rounded the corner and Mr. Kowalski pointed to a building, "That's where I live."
Lila's eyes widened, "That's were my apartment is!"
Mr. Kowalski looked at her, "Coincidence?"
Lila let out a humph, "I wouldn't put it past that stranger to do something like that. Probably orchestrated the entire thing. You needed money for the bakery and I just moved here from the country side, wanting to prove myself to the boss. Perfect to blame, motive and all that."
After they had gotten into Mr. Kowalski's apartment, he set his brown case on his bead and made a pot of tea. "Would you like tea Ms. Cromwell?"
"Yes please. Oh, in all the commotion I didn't tell you my first name. I'm Lila. Lila Cromwell." She held out her hand for Mr. Kowalski to shake.
He took it and said, "Well, that is something I didn't do either. The name's Jacob."
Lila nodded her head, "Nice to meet you..., Jacob."
After the tea was finished in silence, the two still processing everything that had happened, Jacob Kowalski sat on his kitchen chair and stared at a picture of an elderly lady, "I'm sorry Grandma." Lila kept silent through this as Jacob put his head in his hands. She felt as if she was interrupting something private if she were to offer comfort. Lila instead used this time to think. 'The police will have our names by now. Probably our addresses. We will need to be out of here soon if they didn't want to get arrested and thrown into the slammer for something they didn't do.'
Suddenly they heard a sound of a latch on the suitcase unlatching. Looking at each other, Jacob slowly went over to the bed and sat at the end while moving to open the case. Lila stood over by the far wall, being cautious. After a day like today, she needed to be.
Jacob leaned in to unlatch the other when it unlatched by itself. A strange growling slash screeching sound came from inside it and Lila breathed out an, "Oh no." Jacob got out of the bed and pressed himself against the wall that the window was on. The growling stopped and Jacob inched forward.
Suddenly the suitcase burst open and an ugly unknown creature leaped out at Jacob, who caught the creature. "What the-" Jacob started before the creature growled and started to bite at him. Lila screamed in shock as another unseen creature seemed to burst from the case and hit the ceiling which caused part of it to come collapsing down onto Jacobs bed, shattering the light bulb and crashing out the window, shattering that too.
Lila screamed again as everything seemed to shatter and she crouched down to protect her head. Lila blinked and thought back to when Jacob stumbled into the strangers case outside the bank before they took off running. "You switched the cases!" She gasped as the creature began to attack Jacob. Jacob fell into his dresser which moved by the impact. A large crunch sounded as a line broke through the wall next to the window. She didn't know what was in the case but she did know that it must be no good if it caused this much damage if it opened.
Jacob's picture of his grandmother fell off the wall to reveal a whole as the crack got larger and larger to eventually reveal the outside.
Lila and Jacob glanced at each other as Lila stood up to look at the massive amount of damage done to the tiny apartment. Lila began to sway and she stumbled and put a hand out on the doorway beam that was supposed to be separating the living room/kitchen from Jacob's bedroom. Now it was just doorway beam and a pile of rubble that used to be the wall. Jacob was looking around in horror at what happened to his apartment. Lila swayed, unsteady, but slowly made her way towards Jacob in order to help him up. She stumbled over wall plaster and couldn't catch herself in time to stop herself from falling. 'Misery me.' was Lila's last thoughts as she hit her head on the corner of Jacob's dresser and blacked out.
A/N: Remember to leave a comment below and I'll answer your questions [well, most of them. Not the ones pertaining to future plot. Those are top secret :D] at the bottom of each chapter!
Reviews:
Guest (1-3, whom I'm assuming is the same person from how they seemed to connect): First, thank you for reviewing. I always take constructive criticism into account with my writing and I appreciate any that will help make the story better. Second, I will, however, point out that the first chapter was only the prologue. It's where I introduce the characters and test the waters, so to speak. The character's thoughts will be more provident throughout succeeding chapters and she will be speaking her mind more in the future. Right now, she is, shocked (understandably so) and her entire world view is changing which takes her not really speaking that much into account (just like Jacob did in the beginning of the movie). Lastly, Lila will defiantly be more active throughout the story.
musicluver246: Thank you! Hope you continue to like it. :)
Morgan (Guest): Thanks!
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