It was a full moon that night. Tina wrapped her coat tightly around herself, her breath misting in the freezing air as she hurried through Central Park, with Queenie and Jacob in her wake.

'Alohomora.'

The gate creaked open and Tina ushered her companions in, glancing nervously behind them to see if they had been seen. But it seemed no one else had been mad enough to venture into the chill of the night.

'Okay, Jacob. Which way to the ostriches?'

Jacob hesitated for a moment and looked around, getting his bearings. Then he nodded abruptly as if approving of his own navigation skills, and set off at a trot, the two girls following close behind.

The enclosure was large and open-air. It was surrounded by a fence of thick wire and furnished with sparse vegetation throughout. Half a dozen birds sat at their nests along the perimeter, asleep.

'How do we know if the Billywig's already been?' Queenie asked softly. Now that they'd stopped moving, she had started shivering, even though she was wearing a thick woollen coat. Jacob tried to take off his jacket to give to her, but she stopped him with a sharp look. 'No, you'll freeze, honey. Don't worry about me, I can always use a Warming Charm if it gets too much.'

After a quick glance around to see that they were alone, Tina drew her wand and gave it a graceful flourish, as if conducting the opening bars of an orchestral piece. 'Appare vestigium.'

A shimmer of gold rained across the enclosure. As it fell, it began to form into a dark trail of gold that whipped around haphazardly. Some of the gold powder came together to form an image: a spherical object with a long, sharp stinger and a pair of rapidly-beating wings. The Billywig.

The image of the Billywig whizzed around the enclosure and away into the night. As the remnants of the spell faded, so did the gold dust, disappearing into thin air as if it had never existed.

'So it's been already then,' Jacob observed. He was still gazing into the enclosure, as if trying to spot some tiny trace of that beautiful gold dust.

Queenie tugged on his sleeve, trying to get him to look upwards rather than straight ahead. Eventually, Jacob complied.

He almost had to pinch himself. A rather forlorn-looking ostrich was floating about twenty feet above them.

'Oh.'

Tina groaned. The paperwork was going to be a nightmare.

'Let's not think about that now, Teenie,' said Queenie. 'How do we get the Billywig to come back so we can catch it?'

The floating ostrich situation seemed to be stable, at least for the time being, so Tina figured Queenie was right to focus on the Billywig for now. She turned to Jacob. 'Any ideas?'

Jacob frowned for a moment, thinking. 'Well,' he said slowly. 'If it's attracted to large birds, I suppose we'll have to make a bit of noise to bring it over here. Amplify the signal, so to speak.'

'Amplify the signal,' Queenie repeated. 'That sounds very professional.' She flashed him an adoring look.

'Well, I dug latrines for the RATEL department during the war…uhh, Tina, you sure that's a good idea?'

Queenie spun around to follow Jacob's gaze. Tina was in the centre of the ostrich enclosure and sending sparks of all colours shooting out the end of her wand. All around her, the ostriches were beginning to rouse. None had moved yet, but they were all fixated by this sudden mysterious show of fireworks.

'Tina, be careful!' Queenie cried.

Tina waved a hand of acknowledged and called back. 'You and Jacob keep out of the enclosure.'

Queenie wasn't too pleased about this, but she knew that if she went in after her sister, Jacob would follow. And Jacob, however talented and brave and wonderful, was unarmed. Tina was an Auror, she consoled herself, as she had done so many times before. Tina would be perfectly fine.

Queenie didn't have much time to ponder the issue though, because she soon detected a flurry of thoughts just outside the zoo. A trio of No-Maj teenagers. And drunk. Not good.

'Hey guys,' she called loudly enough so Tina could hear, but not so loud as to be heard by the boys outside. 'There're a bunch of No-Maj boys thinking about breaking into the zoo. I'm gonna go head them off.'

'Thanks, Queenie,' said Tina, still trying to get a reaction out of the birds. She had now progressed to sending sparks flying towards them, and some of the ostriches were on their feet now, dancing around the sparks.

'Jacob, under no circumstances enter the enclosure,' Queenie said sternly. 'Yell for me if you need me. I won't be long.'

Jacob gave her a cheerful salute, which made her smile as she hurried away. He grinned after her, then turned his attention back to the enclosure.

A tiny flash of blue darted in through the gaps in the fence.

'There! Tina! The Billywig!' he yelled excitedly.

Tina, hearing this, scanned the space around her furiously until she, too, spotted the creature. 'Arresto momentum.' She spun around in her circle, her wand held out in front of here, parallel to the ground. A strange stillness fell across the enclosure.

The ostriches were thoroughly riled up now, stamping their feet and racing around the enclosure, but they seemed to move in slow motion, as if wading through water. The Billywig, normally too fast for the eye to follow, was now clearly visible, though still travelling rapidly enough to make it challenging to catch.

Beads of sweat formed on Tina's brow as she fought to maintain the enchantment while chasing after the Billywig. As she ran, she pulled a small wooden box from her pocket. Jacob watched from the gate of the enclosure, eyes wide in anticipation.

After what seemed like an eon, Tina trapped the tiny creature in one corner of the enclosure and snatched it up into the box. Exhausted, she slumped to the floor. The arresto momentum enchantment broke.

Jacob realised what was going to happen a split second before it did. 'Tina, that's an ostrich nest!' he yelled, but the bird was already upon her.

Her instincts honed from her Auror training, Tina threw herself to one side. The vicious toe of an angry mother ostrich missed her stomach, where the blow might have been fatal. But it caught her lower leg and tore a huge gash through the muscle. She let out a cry of agony.

Just outside the zoo, Queenie had finally reasoned, pleaded and flirted with the teenagers enough to send them on their way. It was just as well, because at that moment, Tina's piercing scream echoed through her mind with such acuity that it send her heart jolting straight into her throat. Without wasting another second, Queenie went racing back to the ostrich enclosure.

She rounded the corner, breathless, to see Jacob half-drag, half-carry her sister through the gates and into safety outside the enclosure. As they passed the gate, Tina relaxed her wand arm and the Shield Charm dissipated. Jacob seemed unharmed, if a little breathless from exertion. Tina was pale-faced and shaking, with blood gushing out from her left leg. Her left hand was clutching a tiny wooden box that was shaking violently, as if a very strong insect was trying to get out.

'What in the name of Morrigan were you thinking?' Queenie cried, not sure whom to be angry at first.

'I'm fine, Queenie,' said Tina, pulling herself into a sitting position. She leaned on the back of the enclosure, panting. 'Are you all right, Jacob?'

'Fine.'

'Queenie?'

Queenie didn't answer. She was already kneeling next to her sister, trying to see what the damage was. 'We've got Dittany and Blood-replenishing potion back at home. Oh, Teenie, you're so pale!'

'I'm fine, Queenie,' Tina repeated. She passed the Billywig to Jacob. 'Hold that, will you?'

Tina made to wave her wand over her leg, but Queenie pushed her hand away. 'I'll do it, mine are much neater,' she insisted. 'Ferula.'

True to her word, Queenie's bandages were perfect. They bound Tina's leg with just the right amount of pressure, and were the perfect length so as to not leave any bits hanging.

'Thanks, Queenie,' Tina muttered.

Queenie, still livid, didn't answer. But she decided to spare Tina for the time being and turned her fury onto Jacob. 'I told you to stay outside, Jacob! You could've been hurt!'

Jacob looked rather indignant. 'Well, what was I supposed to do? Let Tina get trampled to death by a bunch of crazy birds?'

'He's right,' Tina said weakly. 'He saved my life.'

The truth of this seemed to penetrate the aura of red that seemed to surround Queenie, and her face softened immediately. 'Of course he did. He's a hero.'

Grateful to have been let off the hook, Jacob grinned. Tina seemed to take this as a sign that she could get on with things. 'We still have to deal with the floating ostrich. Now, I'll just –'

'Absolutely not!' Queenie cried. Tina had tried to use the enclosure fence to pull herself into a standing position, but Queenie pushed her back down. 'You're hurt, Tina, we need to get you back home. MACUSA can deal with the ostrich in the morning. And don't think you're off the hook, because I've still got to have a word with you about unnecessary risks!'

Tina sighed, defeated. Admittedly, her leg was throbbing painfully and she was beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. Queenie was right.

'Can you Apparate us?' Tina's voice was so weak and so small that Queenie's expression softened once more.

'Yeah, I can. Jacob, can you help her up? I'll take you both Side-Along.'

Jacob helped Tina to her feet. She leaned against him, supporting her weight on her uninjured leg. She held onto his arm so tightly that Jacob thought he might lose circulation.

Queenie gripped Jacob's other arm, and they turned on the spot and Disapparated with a loud 'CRACK!'