Disclaimer ~ Do not own Fantastic Beasts
Chapter Three: MACUSA And... Sweets?
The three of us apparated to a few blocks away from the bank before the stranger gently pushed us both behind the wall. I looked up at the stranger and saw that it was the hot dog woman from the group who were watching the "Witch Haters." She looked like she was both worried and mad. "Who are you two?!"
"I'm sorry?" Daddy asked, holding tightly onto his case and my hand.
"Who are you two?!" The woman repeated.
"Newt Scamander. And this is my daughter, Emma." He replied, looking down at me.
"Hello!" I waved to her.
"And you are?"
"What's that thing in your case?" The woman asked, dodging the question.
"That's my Niffler." Daddy replied before seeing a small bit of mustard on her lip, "Oh, you've got something on your-" He tried to wipe the mustard off her lip, but she moved back awkwardly.
"Why in the name of Deliverance Dane did you let that thing loose?"
"We didn't let him loose, miss. He just sees anything that's pretty and he wants to grab it. He's greedy, he can't help it." I explained.
"Well, you two still couldn't have chosen a worse time to let that thing loose. We're in the middle of a situation!" Daddy and I looked at each other in confusion; What situation? There wasn't any danger right now, expect for that muggle getting away. "I'm sorry, I have to take you both in."
"Take us where?" Daddy asked.
The woman then pulled out her ID card. "Magical Congress of the United States of America."
"So you work for MACUSA?" Daddy asked nervously.
I gasped; MACUSA was America's version of the Ministry of Magic, but with a lot more rules and not as fun. "Are you like an investigator? That's so cool!"
"Umm.. Yeah, kinda." The woman replied hesitantly before putting the card back into her coat pocket. "At least tell me you took care of the No-Maj?"
"The what?" Daddy and I asked at the same time, which is normal for us to do. But what the heck was a No-Maj?"
"The No-Maj! No magic, the non-wizard!" The woman explained in an irritated tone.
"Oh, sorry, we call them muggles." Daddy said with a laugh.
"You wiped his memory, right? The No-Maj with the case?" She asked.
"No he didn't! He hit Daddy in the head with his case and then ran off. He was a jerk." I replied with a small pout.
Daddy stared up at the woman awkwardly with a small smile. "That's basically what happened.
"I'm afraid that's a section 3A, Mr. Scamander. I'm afraid I have to take you and your daughter in." She explained.
"Take us where? To lunch?" I asked happily, but we disapparated away before I could get a reply. I swear we if we have to keep doing this, the hot dog is not gonna stay down..
We eventually arrived on Broadway street where the woman was dragging Daddy by his coat sleeve while he held onto the case with one hand and tightly onto my hand with his other one. "Come on, you two."
"So, what's your name, miss?" I asked politely, trying to make her not as uptight.
"Tina, Tina Goldstein." She replied seriously.
"That's a wonderful name, Mrs. Goldstein." I smiled up at her.
"Oh, I'm not married.." Miss Goldstein replied awkwardly.
"Oh? That's weird, neither is my daddy." I said and looked up at Daddy with a smile, who had a large blush on his face.
"Emma." He grumbled then looked back up at Miss Goldstein, trying to get out of her grip. "Sorry, but my daughter and I have things to do."
"Well, sorry, but you two will have to rearrange them." Miss Goldstein said as she guided us through the busy traffic, "What were you two doing in New York, anyway?"
"We came here to buy a birthday present." I replied, remembering what daddy told us to say in case anyone asked why we were here. We couldn't let them know about Frank. Beasts were illegal in America, after all.
"And you two couldn't have done that in London?"
"Well, there's only one breeder of Appaloosa Puffskeins in the world and he lives in New York, so no." Daddy replied, which was also a lie. There are only two breeders of Appaloosa Puffskeins!
Miss Goldstein guided us to a door where she whispered something to a guard. He then opened the door and we all walked inside. "By the way, we don't allow the breeding of magical creatures in New York. We closed that guy down a year ago."
"Oh we know. And we think it's a stupid rule." I replied with a pout.
"Emma, language." Daddy scolded at me gently.
"What? Stupid isn't a swear word." I corrected him as the three of us walked through the rather crowded magical building.
"Well, at your age, it is." Daddy replied as we continued on until we reached a golden elevator, revealing a goblin.
"Hey Goldstein." The goblin greeted.
"Hey Red." Miss Goldstein greeted back in a monotone voice before taking the three of us inside.
"Hi Mr. Goblin!" I exclaimed and waved to him, in which the goblin just awkwardly waved back at me.
"Major Investigation Department." Miss Goldstein ordered.
"I thought you was-"
"Major Investigation Department! I've got a Section 3A!"
The goblin simply shrugged and pushed a button, which caused the doors to close and the elevator to go down. I rocked back at forth as we waited to arrive at the Investigation Department. I didn't like waiting and elevator rides got really boring after a while.
Eventually, we all at the department and Miss Goldstein guided us into the room, where a bunch of people were huddled in a circle. Upon hearing us, they turned and a mature looking woman along with a gentleman in a black suit walked over to us. I recognized the woman; It was President Seraphina Picquery, the President of MACUSA. She was even more prettier in person.
"I thought I made your position here quite clear, Miss Goldstein." President Picquery said, ignoring both Daddy and I.
"Yes, Madam President, but I-"
"You are no longer an Auror." She interrupted Miss Goldstein. Wait, she lied to me! She said she was an investigator, but she wasn't! So why would she lie to me and daddy? Was that why she was so obsessed with getting us to the President? Because she figured this was a way to get her job back?
"No, Madam President, but there's been a minor incident-"
"And this office is currently concerned with major incidents." President Picquery replied, "Get out."
"Yes, ma'am." Miss Goldstein said nervous and dragged daddy and I out of the room. I looked back and waved to the gentleman in the suit. He was still watching us. I smiled and waved goodbye to him. He gave a small smile and waved back at me before we disappeared back into the elevator.
Another long elevator ride later, we arrived in the Wand Permit Office, which looked like a large basement full of many different desks that contained papers and typewriters all along them. I event saw two paper rats tearing each other apart, which made me shocked to see. Miss Goldstein walked to her desk, removing her coat and hat and got out a pen and paper. "So, Mr. Scamander, you got your wand permit? All foreigners over the age of seventeen need to have them in New York."
"I made a postal application weeks ago." Daddy said, lying again. I don't really know why daddy has to lie so much around other people. It was never good to tell a lie, at least that's what he told me. So why was it okay for him to lie?
"And you and Emma were just in Equatorial Guinea?" To this day, I still have no idea what that means.
"I've just completed a year in the field. I'm writing a book about magical creatures." Daddy explained proudly. I smiled, knowing about the book. He said that I could draw pictures of the creatures in his book if I wanted to, which I really did.
"Like an extermination guide?" Miss Goldstein asked.
I was shocked at what I just heard. "No. A guide to help people understand why we should be helping these creatures instead of killing them." Daddy replied, just as annoyed with the question as I was.
"It's more like a guidebook of what the creature is and what it can do. And how we can help them." I added before we all heard a voice.
"Goldstein! Where is she?! GOLDSTEIN!" We then saw Miss Goldstein run behind her desk to hide, which made me giggle and made Daddy chuckle slightly. A man, Mr. Abernathy, entered and looked at us before looking at the desk. "She's hiding, isn't she?"
"Yes." I replied with a small giggle.
"Goldstein." Mr. Abernathy said again before Miss Goldstein finally emerged from behind her desk, sort of glaring at me for revealing her location, "Did you just butt in on the Investigative Team again? Where have you been?"
"What...?" Miss Goldstein asked.
"Where did she pick you two up?" Mr. Abernathy asked to daddy and I.
"Oh, she picked us-" I was about to tell before daddy cleared his throat rather loudly, shaking his head no. I then looked over at Miss Goldstein, who was also shaking her head no. I guess that they didn't want me to tell him where she found us, as it would get her in even more trouble.
Mr. Abernathy turned back to Miss Goldstein, clearly angry with the lack of answers he was getting. "Have you been tracking those Second Salemers again?" Second Salemers? Oh, that's what those witch hating people called themselves? That's kind of a stupid name.
"Of course not." Miss Goldstein replied innocently, though she was clearly lying. She was such a terrible liar.
Mr. Abernathy was about to reply before he saw the same gentleman who waved at me in the investigation room. "Afternoon, Mr. Graves, sir!" He said nervously.
"Afternoon, Abernathy." Mr. Graves replied as he looked down at me again. "Hello."
"Hello there." I replied to him with a smile. I could feel Daddy holding my hand even tighter. I don't know why, but daddy always got very overprotective when I talked to random strangers. He didn't need to though, I could handle myself. I'm a Scamander, after all.
"Mr. Graves, this is Mr. Scamander and his daughter, Emma. Mr. Scamander has a crazy creature in that case and it got out and cased mayhem in a bank." Miss Goldstein said quickly and eagerly. Now she decided to throw us under the bus? We saved her butt from getting in trouble, the least she could do was save ours.
"Well, let's have a look at this little guy." Mr. Graves replied.
I looked up at daddy, only to see him look rather nervously and panicked. I could tell that he was scared for all of us getting in trouble. "It's okay, daddy." I said comfortingly as Miss Goldstein placed daddy's case on the table.
"I hope so." Daddy replied as we all surrounded the case. Daddy then unlatched the locks and opened the lid, only to reveal...
The inside of the case was full of nothing but pastries.
Daddy and I gasped at the sight and looked at each other in horror. This wasn't our case. This must have been the Muggle man's case, the one who was going to open a bakery. He had our case and we had his!
"Tina..." Mr. Graves mumbled in disappointment before he walked off.
"We have to go." Daddy said rather quickly, closing the case and grabbing my hand.
"Bye Mr. Abernathy, bye Miss Goldstein!" I called to them as daddy and I ran into the elevator.
"Hey, come back here!" Miss Goldstein yelled as she ran after us, running into the elevator with us before it closed.
As much as I was worried about the case and all my animal siblings that were inside, I couldn't help but feel rather excited too. Finally, my first real adventure had finally begun!
And that's the end of it folks, well, for chapter three at least! Thanks to those who viewed, faved, and followed! I'll see you all for chapter four, bye bye!