The Magizoologist and the Baker

Tom watched the two men approach the giant eagle creature. He called him Frank. Frank the Thunderbird. Tom could see that it was called that because when it flapped its wings, the air above its exhibit boomed like thunder and it rained a little. It turned out this wizard was British and he had come from the United Kingdom to drop off this creature in Arizona where it belonged; this wizard was a kind caretaker of magical creatures.

He watched as he walked over to the desert exhibit of his new friend's parents and observed them. They were called Graphorns and it turned out they were the last family on the planet or Graphorns would have gone extinct forever.

"Wait a minute. Where is your little one?" the wizard turned around to look.

Tom's Graphorn friend grunted. He saw his face turn in his direction. He ducked and hid behind the wagon shuffling backwards to find a hiding place unintentionally making a lot of noise.

"Who's there?" Newt Scamander pulled out his wand, walking slowly towards the little Graphorn to make sure it was all right. "How did you get in here?" he petted the baby. "Are you all right? He didn't hurt you did he?"

The Graphorn shook its head and it pulled Newt by the hand with his tentacles towards where Tom had crept away. Newt saw his head just barely behind the leaves.

"Newt!" the other guy from the bank came running over. Tom became more scared.

"Jacob…I think he's just a kid," Newt said. He walked carefully around the patch of bushes and saw Tom huddling a few feet away.

"Please don't hurt me," he begged, trying not to show fear.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Newt answered back gently

"Neither am I," the other guy from the bank said. "Wait a minute. I know you. You're that kid from that society at the bank,"

Tom nodded nervously. "I hate them. And I hate how that woman has said horrible things. Please don't hurt me,"

"Why would we wanna hurt you?"

"You trapped me in this case,"

"We didn't mean to trap you inside," Newt consulted.

"So you didn't notice me falling into it?"

"Regrettably no. Sorry kid," Newt offered a hand.

Tom didn't want to take it.

"It's all right,"

Tom could see he was just as kind to him as he was to all those creatures. He clasped his hand and he pulled him up. "Thanks,"

"What's your name?"

"I'm Tom,"

"I'm Newt Scamander. And this is Jacob Kowalski,"

"Hey kid," Jacob waved.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I was just looking around at this cool case. Are you a wizard Mr Scamander,"

"Yes," Newt said.

"I knew that magic wasn't all bad. Are these all your magical creatures?"

"They are,"

The baby Graphorn pondered over and it sucked on Tom's hands with its tentacles whilst he stroked it.

"He seems to like you," Newt said admirably. He cocked his head when he saw a green stick head poking out of its pocket. "Is that one of my Bowtruckles?"

"OH my," Tom gently fished him out. "I wasn't gonna steal him. He just wanted to hop on my coat for a bit. I'll give him back to you," he offered the Bowtruckle but Newt could see the little green man liked him.

"You can hold onto him longer if you'd like," he said.

Tom was surprised by such a kind offer. "Thanks. I promise you Mr Scamander I haven't harmed any of your creatures. I'm more scared of them than they are of me,"

"Are you a Muggle?" Newt asked.

"Muggle?" Tom asked.

"A non-magic folk,"

"Possibly. I had wizard parents but I've never displayed any magical talent,"

"How old are you?"

"I'll be ten in a few months,"

"Your magic may yet reveal itself,"

"So you're adopted?" Jacob asked.

Pursing his lips, Tom nodded.

"If that woman in the society hates magic why did she take you in?" Jacob asked.

"She doesn't know my parents were wizards. And I hate her. She's so mean to me. She did this to me," he pointed to his bad eye.

"Oh my," Newt breathed. "Come into my shed, Tom. I think I might have something that can heal it," He noticed that Tom didn't want to move.

"Don't be a shy kid. He'll heal you in no time. I got bitten by his rat-octopus creature," Jacob pointed to a rodent bite mark on his neck. "Don't worry. He'll heal you in no time,"

The little Graphorn pulled Tom gently by the hand again and he followed Newt into his shed.

"You just sit down here…" Newt showed him a seat.

Tom sat down and Newt went scavenging through some jars and pots on his shelves. "Here it is," he found a jar of yellow liquid with tentacles in it. Tom grimaced.

"These are Murtlurp tentacles. Good for wounds," Newt poured some into a metal cauldron and he knelt in front of Tom. "Now…this will sting…but it will heal you. Your eye will get better, I promise,"

Tom closed his eyes gently. He felt Newt's wet stuck fingers spreading the substance over his black eye. He cringed feeling it sting but like Newt said it would do the trick.

"There. All done. Now open your eyes very slowly,"

Tom did as he instructed and when he opened his eyes to the light, he saw Newt's small smile.

"Should disappear in a few hours,"

"Thank you, Mr Scamander," Tom said. "My eye's feeling better already. How can I repay you?"

"Don't suppose you could help Jacob could you with feeding some of the creatures?"

"Sure. Then afterwards, can you take me back to New York central square? It's where I live with the society,"

"Why would you want to go back there?" Newt dreaded for the poor boy to continue living with that awful woman who had given him that hideous eye wound.

"Because my adopted brother and sister will be worried about me. And I can't leave any of them behind. That woman may be so horrible but I'd never forgive myself if I just left my siblings, especially my brother Credence. I'm all he has. She hurts him the most out of all of us,"

Newt pursed his lips. He didn't want to leave that poor boy with magical blood under the care of that woman but he could understand now why he didn't want to leave society. "Okay. I'll take you back. But once I recover my magical creatures who have escaped, I'll come back and check on you,"

"Thank you," Tom answered gratefully. "Do you think you could tell me more about your creatures, please? This is the closest I'll have got to see what the magical world is like,"

"Of course," Newt said. "Come on. I'll show you," he guided the boy out of the shed.

"What exactly is this creature?" Tom asked lifting the little stick man off his coat.

"That is a Bowtruckle. They love to sit on trees made of wand wood. This one here is Bob,"

"Bobo? Mm. Cool name," Tom complimented. He noticed the little Bowtruckle on Newt's shoulder. "I remember you. Who's that?"

"This is Pickett. Come on. Best we take them back to their brothers," Newt led Tom over to the tree exhibit for the little Bowtruckles. "Come on," he tried to lift Pickett to join the other little guys but he tugged to his finger like glue. "Pickett, they won't bully you I promise," But Pickett remained stuck to him. "Now that is why these fellas accuse me of favouritism,"

"Don't suppose you wanna go back there do you?" Tom asked Bobo.

Bobo shook his head.

"Guess you're stuck with me for a bit,"

A loud chorus of shrieks came from a round nest, the nest of purple-indigo snake creatures with wings that Tom had tried to befriend. "Who are these little guys?"

'They're Occamy's," Newt said.

"I remember them," Jacob said.

"Here. This is your one," Newt lifted the youngest one for him to hole. The baker tried to pet but it instantly tried to nip at his fingertips.

"Don't pet them. They learn to defend themselves at an early age. Their shells are made of silver, so their nests get ransacked by hunters all the time,"

"That's awful," Tom sympathised.

"Jacob, could you feed the moon calves please?" Newt requested, holding up a bucket.

"Sure," Jacob took it and he walked over to an exhibit where there were otter-like creatures with webbed feet, tall necklaces and large blue eyes that almost covered the tops of their heads.

"They're cute," Tom cooed.

"Now Tom, whilst you were in that case, any chance you might have seen what creatures escaped?"

Tom thought for a second. "There was this giant rhino-like creature with a giant head that glowed, a swinging monkey-thing with long hair that turned invisible, that rodent tentacle creature…."

"Already caught that one. That was the Murtlurp," Newt notified.

"And there was the little fly creature with wings on his head and a black mole creature,"

"Of course. Teddy's always trying to get out. Trying to get anything that shines,"

"Wasn't that the creature that was stealing from the vault?" Tom asked.

Newt nodded. "He's always causing trouble,"

"So Mr Scamander…."

"Please call me Newt,"

"Are you a collector of magical creatures?"

"I'm a Magizoologist. I rescue the magical creature and I educate my fellow wizards about why they're important and why they need our protection. I'm also writing a book called Fantastic Beasts and where to find them,"

'Wow," Tom awed.

"Here. Take this bottle," Newt handed him a bottle of what looked like milk. "Let me do the rest," he walked over to a floating squid-like creature and rocked it gently. It opened its mouth and Tom nervously put the bottle into its mouth and it sucked on it.

As he fed it, he became less afraid. "He's a cute fella,"

"Poor guy lost his parents to fisherman," Newt said sadly.

Tom pressed his lips together sadly. "That's so awful. I know how that feels," Newt looked at him sympathetically. He wanted to ask but something held him back. "Are there any other Magizoologist like you Newt?"

"No," Newt shook his head. "I'm the only one. I have some helpers though back home in England. It's magical creatures I socialise with more than other wizards. Even my own family," the last part he said a little dejectedly.

"Why?" Tom asked without thinking. "Sorry I asked,"

"It's okay Tom. It's just….my mother was a caretaker of Hippogriffens. My father worked at the Ministry. My older brother Theseus works there as the head of the Auror department. He doesn't regard my career as a great success,"

"What's the Auror department?" Tom asked.

"They're the department who hunt dark wizards," Newt asked.

As he clarified the department, Tom felt his mind bouncing back to the flash of green he had seen that night nearly four years ago. He wanted to confess his trauma to the kind wizard but they were talking about his problems.

"I think Magizoology is cool," Tom comforted. "You do what you want. That's just your brother's problem,"

Newt smiled, comforted by his warm words. "You're a really sweet boy Tom. Don't let anyone tell you any different,"

An earnest bond was already forming between them. Tom had never met anyone more kind than Newt Scamander. For the first in a few years, he had never more close to anyone who was like him, like his parents. He was about to speak again when he heard a distant but audible echo coming from an icy habitant behind a series of curtains. Jacob was entering inside.

Instantly Newt set down the creature and dashed off after him. Tom followed. Inside the habitat, he saw a floating bubble containing a small but powerful mass of black energy in mid-air.

"What's the matter with this?" Jacob tried to touch it but Newt stopped him.

"Step back," he ordered.

Jacob obeyed without hesitation.

"What is that thing?" Tom could feel it in his heart, that there was something dark about that force.

"That is an Obscurial," by the way Newt talked, it was not such a thing to tamper with or try to control. "Now come on. We need to get going. We've got to find the others before they get hurt. Right now, they're currently in alien terrain surrounded by millions of the most dangerous creatures on the planet,"

Jacob looked confused.

"Would that be humans?" asked Tom.

"Yes. Do any of now were like a medium-sized creature that likes broad opens plains, trees, water holes, that kind of thing?"

"In New York City?" Jacob asked awkwardly.

"What about Central Park?" offered Tom. "I can take you there,"

"But what about your brother? Don't you want to go back to him?" Newt asked. "He must be worried about you,"

"I do want to. But you need to get to Central Park. And you two have been so kind to me that I want to help,"

"Before we do this, what about the Goldstein sisters? Don't you think it's kind of a double-cross? They took us in, made us cocoa…"

"Who are you talking about?" Tom asked.

Newt looked at him. "After you fell in the case, I was taken by the eldest Tina Goldstein to MACUSA," the two stared at him confusedly. "It's the wizard governing ministry of America. She then took the two of us to her flat and that's where the case is now, where we are right now,"

"Couldn't you just ask them?" Tom asked.

"Because I can't risk my creatures can't be caught again and Tina might try to give us into MACUSA once we finish the job. And besides Jacob…they'll obliviate you,"

"'Obliviate'?" Tom repeated. "What does that mean?"

"It means when he wakes up, all memory of magic, the case and all of us will be forgotten," Newt explained.

"I won't remember any of this?" Jacob asked sadly.

Newt sadly nodded.

"Are you going to do that to me?" Tom asked, a little petrified.

"No. I won't," Newt shook his head. "I could never take those memories away from you,"

"But you're going to do the same to Jacob?"

"It's the law of the wizarding world. Any Muggle who sees us perform magic has to have their memories erased. It's how we keep ourselves safe,"

Tom tried to speak again but Jacob spoke up for him. "It's okay. If that's what has to be done, then it's what has to be done. At least you can keep them. You a sweet lad. You deserve to remember all this after what you've been through. And your parents were wizards and you love magic. You shouldn't have that taken from you,"

"Neither should you. You're a good man Jacob. Magic or no magic,"

"I'm beginning to like this kid a lot," he said to Newt. "Now, let's head out and get your creatures,"

"After we go to Central Park, will you take me back?" Tom reminded Newt again softly.

"Of course, I will," Newt promised. "Now, I should wrap you up in something warm. It's been snowy outside this evening," he popped inside the shed and pulled out a long blue coat. He tapped it with his wand and it shrunk a bit. "Try this one,"

Tom pulled it on. "It fits perfectly. Thank Mr Scamander. I mean Newt,"

"You're welcome,"

"Let's go," Jacob said.

Together the three males climbed up the ladder and out of the case. Newt gently closed it and held it up. "Be very quiet you two," together they sneaked out of the bedroom, through the hallway and out of the flat. Once they left the building, Tom served as their guide and led them toward Central Park. In his head, he prayed that Credence and Modesty had made it through the day. But he also feared for what punishment Mary Lou intended for him the moment he returned.

And that's how Tom meets Jacob and Newt. Please let me know what you thought. Don't you all just love the connection he's forming with them, especially Newt who will become his father? Feel free to send over reviews and ideas if you'd like. See you all soon.