Special thanks to my beta loves
CHAPTER ONE
A pair of lanky legs hung over the side of a tattered cot, toes twitching slightly as a gorgeous young blonde tickled them with a feather. Under scruffy chestnut hair a pair of blue eyes lazily stirred beneath their lids unaffected by the teasing.
"Oh honey, we don't have time for this. Rennervate." huffed an impatient Queenie Goldstein.
"Ms. Goldstein! I, uh, um," Newt Scamander stammered out as he clasped his bed sheets up to offer modesty. "What are you doing - wait, how did you find me?"
"I've got friends everywhere, honey. Us girls love a good gossip. 'Sides, what kind of sister would I be if I let Tina lose out on a catch like you?" Queenie smiled as her curls bounced with her words. Newt blushed as he remembered the by-the-books and courageous brunette he met while in New York.
"As much as I appreciate the compliment, I must ask to what it is I owe the pleasure of your company." Newt had thrown on some slacks and a button down shirt then started to break down his cot. He flicked his wand and his shoes laced themselves.
"Is this everything you have, honey?" Queenie asked and she gestured towards Newt's brown leather case as he packed his cot away.
"Er, yes. Ms. Goldstein how did you come to be in France?" Newt pressed on as Queenie took a handkerchief and a pocketwatch out of her handbag.
"I can tell you're getting a bit peeved, sweetie, but I can answer in," Queenie looked at the watch and opened her handkerchief to reveal a rusty thimble, "three," she grabbed Newt's hand and he picked up his case, "two-"
"Is that a-" Newt failed to finish because, at that moment, Queenie touched the thimble to their joined hands and, with a bellowing WHOOSH and a loud CRACK, the two disappeared into thin air.
oOoOoOo
Newt tumbled out of the air holding his case above his head as he fell backwards, skidding to a stop. Queenie gracefully stepped down into the alley with hardly a ripple to her hemline and held her hand out to her friend. Newt graciously accepted her help and Queenie lightly pulled the man to his feet.
"Merlin's beard! I wish you gave me time to pay those nice muggles for letting me use their barn last night. I was tracking a herd of hippogriffs and ended up far in the countryside. How did you come across an international portkey?" Newt asked as he pressed an ear to the side of his case. Pleased by a lack of distressing noises, he turned his eyes up to meet the blonde's.
"Oh honey, I'm sure you have loads of questions and I would love to answer them but I have a train to catch back home. This is the address you gotta go to. Welcome to Maine, Mr. Scamander." Queenie gave Newt a scrap of paper and a light peck to his cheek in parting. "It was really good to see you, sweetie." With one last friendly smile, Queenie disappeared into thin air.
"Well," Newt let out a sigh, "this has definitely been a strange morning." The traveler poked his head around the corner and looked both ways for signs of other people, seeing no one around. He hurried to the back of the alley, opened his case and stepped down into it. The lid snapped shut leaving the alley empty once again.
Newt reached the bottom of the ladder, turned around, and was face to face with a large pair of eyes and a small furry body."Thinking about me again are we, Dougal?" Newt affectionately reached towards the demiguise, a being possessing precognitive sight, and the creature leaned forward to receive a few strokes between the eyes. "Come on now, Dougal, let's go check on the others." The magizoologist held an arm out and Dougal crawled along stopping to perch on his back.
Newt stepped through the doorway which opened up into a massive room filled with magical creatures running, flying, and even swimming around the huge space. "Mummy's here, did everyone have a safe trip?" Newt called out as a nundu nuzzled into his hand.
The leopard-like beast bounded away as Newt came up to a creature that looked oddly like a platypus. "How are you this morning, my little niffler?" The creature began to sniff with curiosity while Newt dug in the pocket of his cloak."Here we go. Some muggle money for you today. At least some use can come of it." Newt scratched under the niffler's bill as the creature furiously stuffed the coins into his pouch and set off to check on his other charges.
As a magizoologist, Newt Scamander came in contact with a vast array of magical creatures. Ranging in size from billywigs to graphorns, varying degrees of danger, and some hunted to near extinction for potions ingredients or simply out of fear, Newt felt it was his duty to be the voice for the misunderstood. Newt, himself, was often misunderstood.
"Here you go, Dougal. Thank you for greeting me this odd morning." Newt knelt down to let the demiguise off of his back. As he reached the ladder, Newt turned around to call out "Mummy will be back later. Be good everybody!" and the man emerged once again in the alley.
