Chapter 4: Secondary Wands and Squibs
With no evidence to support her claims, Tina was forced to release Newt and Claire back into the streets of New York. She had insisted on taking them to the magical shopping district, which was located directly under Fifth Avenue.
"Oi don't understan' why we canny walk 'raun withoyt 'er supervision." Claire whispered to Newt as Claire led them to a subway exit that had been marked off as 'under construction'.
"I believe that she thinks we are going to try and let out more creatures." Newt whispered, slightly louder. Tina was leaving them enough space to give them the illusion of being free to go, but they knew that the moment they attempted to take off, she would reach over and grab onto them.
"I'm just doing my job, Mr. Scamander." Tina said, near tears.
"Yer job is ter 'an' oyt wan' permits." Claire said as Tina led them past the construction site and into the portal to the magical shopping district.
"Just get whatever you need. Where is your hotel?" Tina said, composing herself slightly.
"In the Lower East Side, by the Williamsburg Bridge." Newt said, taking Claire's arm and leading her away from Tina and towards the New York Magical Library. It was large enough that they could easily loose Ms. Goldstein. They were immediately separated in the bustle of the library, so Newt and Claire were able to slip out and head to both Gringotts and the local wand shop. Newt pulled some money out of his family's account, and then brought Claire to the district's wand-maker.
"Good afternoon sir. How may I be of assistance?" The man asked. He was an elderly man, probably in his nineties but as healthy as a horse.
"Good afternoon. I need a secondary wand, and would like a magical scan done on my companion." Newt said, his accent a stark contrast to the New Yorker's.
"Of course, sir. May I see your current wand?" he asked, holding out his hands. Newt passed his wand over without question, separating himself from Claire slightly so that when the wand-maker performed his scan his presence wouldn't interfere.
"Hum . . . fourteen inches, ash and lime woods with fairy bone and Mediterranean seashell as focusing mediums and a unicorn hair as a core. A very interesting combination," The wand-maker said, looking at the wand with curiosity. "Yes, I believe I have just the wand for you." The man said, handing the wand back to Newt and walking off to the back of the shop.
"Why do oi 'av ter git scann'd fer magic?" Claire asked once the man was out of earshot.
"Because Hogwarts can only accept a certain number of Muggleborns every year. There is a possibility – though infinitely small – that you are Muggleborn and simply uneducated in how to control your magic." Newt explained, examining some of the fingerprints left on his wand.
"'Ill it change anythin' if oi don't 'av magic?" Claire asked.
"Well, if anyone finds out that I told you about magic, you will be obliviated and I will go to Azkaban."
"Azkaban?"
"The wizarding prison. It is on an island in the North Sea."
"Here we are sir." The wand-maker said as he came back. He had heard the conversation, and he was absolutely shocked that this British man was allowed to be anywhere near the Irish No-Maj.
"This wand is made from hornbeam, with a Dragon heartstring core." The wand-maker explained, taking a closer look at the No-Maj woman as the wizard examined his secondary wand. He had never seen a No-Maj before, as he lived in an all-magic neighbourhood and had never found a reason to leave the magical world.
Newt felt a familiar warmth in his hand the moment he took the wand, but he didn't feel as though he had bonded with it. "I don't think this one will work." Newt said sadly, passing the wand back to the man. He looked shocked, but composed himself quickly and placed the wand in its box.
"Now, for your companion's scan, may I ask why she needs it?" The man asked.
"Can yer keep a secret?" Claire asked.
"Of course my dear; wand-makers are bound by a code of ethics very similar to that of a healer or No-Maj doctor."
"We don't know whether she has any magic or not. She was not accepted into a magical school but muggle-repelling charms don't work on her. We were at the ministry earlier and she was able to enter without setting off the muggle detection charm." Newt explained, setting the wand down next to the cash register.
"Interesting," The man said, studying Claire in a way that made her feel as though he was looking at her soul. She had absolutely no idea that it was in fact what he was doing.
"Potestatem Revelio," The wand-maker said, casting the spell at the No-Maj woman. He waited for the parchment to come out of his wand with the result. There were variations of the spell which would use coloured light to show how much power a particular person had, but when looking for magic itself, this particular scan was preferable.
Claire watched in fascination as the man performed the scan. She could see and feel the power he wielded as if the magic was being channeled through her rather than the wand.
The parchment came out of the tip of the wand-maker's wand and floated in the air above him. He placed his wand in a holster on his forearm.
"According to the scan, your mother was a squib born into the Malfoy family. Your father is a No-Maj, and for some reason, the scan shows that you are a squib rather than a No-Maj. That would be why you didn't set off the No-Maj repelling charms at MACUSA." The man said, reading the sheet of parchment. Newt looked to Claire in shock. She was related to one of the fastest influentially growing Houses in all of the United Kingdom.
"So oi'm not a muggle?"
"No, you are essentially the opposite of a Muggleborn, so we will have to be careful around Ms. Goldstein." Newt explained.
"Ms. Goldstein? Miss Tina Goldstein? The ex-auror?" The wand-maker asked. "What are you doing talking to her? She isn't an auror anymore, so you can't get in any trouble from her." The wand-maker pointed out.
"We didn't nu dat whaen she dragg'd us ter de MACUSA 'eadquarters." Claire said, grinning from ear to ear despite the conversation. She was related to someone with magic! It was enough of a tie that Newt wouldn't have to worry about the Statute of Secrecy.
"Ah, she probably got you for a 3A, thinking you were a No-Maj." Newt and Claire both nodded, not mentioning that Tina had taken them in over a different Muggle.
"Well then sir; let's get you that second wand." The wand-maker said as he took the tape out of his vest pocket and tossed it over. About half way over, the measuring tape's spells took over and it began measuring him in various places. Along his dominant arm, from shoulder to elbow, from elbow to the tip of his middle finger, from his heel to his knee, around his head and between his eyes. Both Claire and Newt wondered if the strange measurements were even required to find a wand, but after the tape finished its job, the wand-maker nodded and went off to the second floor of his shop. He once again pulled out his wand and used it to summon various wand boxes from their well-organized shelves. Newt couldn't help but compare the American wand shop to Ollivander's in London. The English shop was old, disorganized and full of dust, so Newt decided that if he ever needed to get something wand-related he would get an International Floo licence and come to Fifth Avenue.
"Let's see here, hawthorn and dragon heartstring. 10 ½ inches and reasonably supple." The wand-maker said, passing the wand over to Newt. He held it, but nothing happened. He gave it a quick wave, but all it did was hiss.
"No, not that one." The man said as he took the wand back and handed her another. "11 inches, yew with a unicorn hair." He said. This time, Newt was able to produce a couple of sparks, but the man snatched the wand back.
"No, definitely not. Try this one, 9 inches of mahogany with a dragon heartstring core."
"Don't worry son, I didn't like that chair anyways. Perhaps holly and Veela hair, 14 inches."
"We're getting closer, perhaps a dual core with Veela hair as one of the cores. Try this wand, its ash wood with a hippogriff talon and Veela hair."
"No, that won't do. I wonder . . ." The man said, wandering off again, floating all the rejected wands as well as the untried wands away from him and back up to the second floor, disappearing from sight.
"Here we are," The wand-maker said, bringing over what was probably the only dusty wand box in the whole shop.
"Rowan wood, 13 inches, reasonably supple, dual core of Veela hair and Phoenix feather. Far more sentient than my other wands, and more temperamental due to the cores. Give it a try."
Newt took the wand in his hand and felt a comforting warmth coming from the wood, being heated from the inside out. He gave it a small wave, and it cleaned the shop and repaired all the damage the other wands had caused.
"Wonderful my son, this wand has bonded with you. A good thing too, as I was worried I would never find the right wizard for that wand." The man said, leading the two foreigners over to the cash register.
"Can I get two holsters like yours?" Newt asked, pulling out his coin purse.
"Of course. Your wand and holster will be a total of 13 galleons." He handed over the money and gave both the spare wand and holster to Claire, who put them on under her pale yellow overcoat.
"Can we go back ter de library ter git sum spell books?" Claire asked as they walked around. She stood out like a sore thumb with her outfit, but she was too busy looking around to care.
"We can see what they have, but I have all of my old Hogwarts text books in my trunk, if you want to look at them" Newt said as they re-entered the library.
"We 'av ter git yer case back from Mr. Kowalski first," Claire pointed out as they made their way out of the main study area and into the maze of bookshelves.
Within walking for five minutes around the magical creatures section, Tina Goldstein found them.
"Nigh, if yer done lookin' raun, we 'av a muggle an' a case ter fend." Claire said to Tina, as though it was her who had run off. Tina glared at Claire. She knew that the woman was probably a very nice person who was just in a bad mood because of the bank chase, the MACUSA embarrassment and the general stress of being in a city as large as New York for the first time, but Tina couldn't help but dislike Miss Evans. Mr. Scamander was just plain annoying.
Tina had led the two foreigners towards the lower east side, where they claimed their hotel was. Above their heads, a small blue creature with wings like a helicopter on its head – a Billywig – was buzzing around, looking for food and company. Both Newt and Claire looked nervous, as they knew that the Billywig had to have escaped from Newt's case.
"What was that?" Tina asked suspiciously.
"Er . . . moth, I think. Big moth." Newt said. Tina didn't believe his explanation, but didn't call him out on it as they rounded a corner and saw a crowd of people gathered in front of a crumbling building. People were hurriedly shouting and police officers were evacuating the building. Newt and Claire looked at the damage done and knew exactly what had happened, the Muggle opened the case. One of the police officers was standing in the middle of the crowd, trying to interview the building's tenants. The trio tried to get into the crowd while a tipsy hobo tried to get the police officer's attention.
"Hey . . ." The police officer said, trying to calm the crowd. "Hey – quiet down – I'm trying to get a statement."
A random blonde housewife brushed herself off a bit and squared her shoulder. "I'm telling you it's a gas explosion again, and I ain't taking the kids back up there until its safe."
"Sorry ma'am –" The police officer said. "There ain't no smell of gas."
"It warn't gas – hey, officer, I seen it! – it wuzza – a gigantic – a huge hippopotto-" The drunken hobo proclaimed. Tina and Claire both looked up to the ruined building, missing Newt as he cast a simple confundus on the man and the people around him.
"-gas. It was gas." The drunken man suddenly changed his mind. The crowd once again began shouting at the police officer about a gas explosion. Tina one again caught sight of the Billywig and began studying it, trying to figure out what it was and if it was something that she should be worried about. Newt took advantage of Tina's distraction and grabbed Claire's arm, dragging her off towards the building, up the metal steps and into the ruined building. The damage seemed to be coming from one particular room, where the entire support wall had been destroyed from the inside out. Newt and Claire entered the damaged room, taking in the various footprints. Some were human and some belonged to the animals that Newt and Claire knew had escaped from the suitcase. There were broken shards of wood from furniture as well as glass. Claire could hear groaning coming from the corner of the room, so she immediately rushed to Mr. Kowalski's side. The man was lying on his back with his eyes closed and sweat forming on his brow. She examined the parts of the man that were uncovered, and found a bit on his neck. She tried to examine the red bite mark, but the man kept unconsciously batting her away.
"Mr. Scamander!" The two foreigners heard Tina yell up the stairs. Newt desperately cast a repairing charm. The damaged materials flew back together, fixing themselves just in time for Tina to enter and see nothing wrong. Newt was sitting calmly on the bed, casually closing the latches on his suitcase while Claire sat down next to the Muggle, casually examining his neck, as though he had gotten hurt during the building's destruction.
"It was open?" Tina demanded; panic making its way into her voice.
"Just a smidge," Newt said casually.
"That crazy Niffler thing's on the loose again?" Tina asked, panic taking over.
"Er – it might be –"
"Then look for it! Look!" Tina said frantically. She was about to begin searching for the Niffler under the bed when Mr. Kowalski moaned. Claire nearly groaned when she heard Tina panic even more. She dropped the case full of pastries – which Claire and Newt had forgotten about – and made her way over to Mr. Kowalski.
"His neck's bleeding, he's hurt! Wake up, Mr. No-Maj . . ." Tina said, shaking the man's shoulder. With Tina distracted, Claire and Newt both got up and made for the door, but an ear piercing scream made them whip out their wands and spin towards the source of the scream. A Murtlap had come running out from under a cabinet and latched itself onto Tina's arm. Claire tried to catch the creature by its tail, but couldn't get a grip on the creature, since Tina was flailing around trying to shake it off.
Newt couldn't decide what to do. He didn't want to dive into the scuffle, and risk hurting the Murtlap or one of the girls, but he had to do something, since it was his Murtlap.
"Petrificus totalus!" He decided, shouting the incantation to warn Claire that the spell was coming in her direction. The beam of light rushed from the tip of his wand and hit the Murtlap dead on, freezing it. Both Claire and Tina looked to her in shock. Tina's expression changed to one of annoyance. Just when she thought she had the man figured out, he went and did something unexpected – such as shooting a spell at two women trying to contain a dangerous magical creature.
"Tanks Newt," Claire said as she dropped the Murtlap in the man's case.
"Mercy Lewis, what is that?" Tina asked, rubbing her arm.
"Nothing to worry about, it's just a Murtlap." Newt said as he watched Claire turn her attention to the bite mark on Mr. Kowalski's neck. The man had opened his eyes, not that Newt or Tina noticed.
"What else have you got in there?" Tina demanded.
"You!" Mr. Kowalski yelled as he recognised Claire.
"Hello." Newt said somewhat dismissively.
"Easy mister . . ." Claire said, trailing off so he could introduce himself properly.
"Kowalski . . . Jacob," The man said, taking Tina's outstretched hand and shaking it. Newt took out his wand and pointed it at Jacob, intending to heal and Obliviate the man.
"You can't Obliviate him! We need him as a witness," Tina said, standing protectively in front of the Muggle.
"Yer mean yer nade 'im as a witness against us." Claire pointed out. Newt nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry; you just yelled at me the length of New York for not doing it in the first place." Newt added to Claire's line of thought.
"He looks hurt, he's ill." Tina said, fussing over the Muggle.
"He'll be fine, Murtlap bites aren't serious." Newt said, putting his wand away while Jacob threw up in a corner. Tina looked at Newt in disbelief.
"I'll admit that is a slightly more severe reaction than I've seen but if it was really serious – he'd have . . ." Newt said sheepishly, but Tina cut him off.
"What?"
"Well de firs' symptom wud be flames oyt av 'is anus." Claire said with a straight face. Terrified, Jacob felt the seat of his pants.
"This is balled up!" Tina said to the two foreigners.
"It'll last 48 hours at the most! I can keep him if you want me to –" Newt began, but Tina seemed fond of interrupting him.
"Oh, keep him? Mr. Scamander we don't keep them! Do you know anything about the Wizarding community in America?" Tina asked with anger laced into her voice.
"I do know a few things actually. I know you have rather backwards 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." Newt said, watching Jacob's jaw drop in shock.
"Who's gonna marry him? You're both coming with me –" Tina began, but Claire took great pleasure in cutting her off, giving her a taste of her own medicine.
"Oi don't see why we nade ter cum witcha –" Claire began as Tina tried to help Jacob to his feet.
"Help me!" Tina ordered. Newt felt obliged to help, since it was his creature that had bitten the man.
"I'm . . . I'm dreaming, right? Yeah, I'm tired. I never went to the bank. This is all just some big nightmare, right?" Jacob asked, his voice strained and panicked.
"For the both of us Mr. Kowalski," Tina said as Claire grabbed onto Newt so that they could Disapparate. Just as the world distorted itself around the travellers, Claire caught sight of the Niffler in a hole behind a picture of an elderly woman that had fallen from the wall.