The food was quite good and Amina could not help but wonder when it was the last time she had such a nice home-cooked meal. She cooked herself but her skills were nothing compared to Queenie's and Newt was not the best cook either.
During the whole meal, not much was being said but the expressions of Jacob made it clear that he was enjoying it. Amina was not that hungry but she refused to let such good food go to waste and so she ate in silence.
Newt, who was sitting by her side, ate only a basic amount and he was often looking at the clock. He wanted nothing more than to leave and go find those beasts, all while trying to ignore how uncomfortable he felt in the new environment with two very social people; well at least one of them was.
Queenie was a sweetheart, smiling all the time and talking about herself and her sister. Amina made sure to stay tuned in, curious now about the two sisters and mostly about Tina. If she was going to end up being their shadow in New York, it wouldn't hurt to know a few extra things that could be used against her if the time was right.
Currently, Amina had only learnt a few basic things about them. They were orphans, having lost their parents to Dragon Pox when they were still young and looking after one another ever since, with the help of their aunt occasionally.
Tina was an Auror that had been demoted to desk duty at the Wand Permit office, working alongside her sister Queenie there.
Amina was curious as to what Tina did to end up being demoted but she did not find a way to bring up that topic, knowing she would not get a direct answer from any of the sisters. The sound of a clip made her glance down, at the space between her chair and Newt's.
There, she saw that one of the two clips of the suitcase had been moved open again. As subtly as they could, both magizoologists moved to close it before the case could open. Amina was the fastest and Newt ended up with his hand on top of hers.
Immediately, the two of them froze and exchanged a look that lasted more than a few seconds; something rare for Newt. She gave the smallest and most comforting of smiles, a part of her wishing that such eye and physical contact could happen more often and willingly.
However, she knew that it was almost impossible and so; she chose not to chase those feelings. Their friendship over the years meant a lot to her and she was not going to risk it all. Plus, based on the faint glances Newt gave Tina; she was not sure whether her dear friend had slowly started to harbour feelings for the former Auror or not.
Newt mouthed an apology and pulled his hand back, making her miss that contact already but said nothing. To ignore what happened, she focused on the only two people enjoying this little dinner; Jacob & Queenie.
The beautiful witch was reading his mind and answering all of his mental questions with a smile. Occasionally, there would be giggles from both of them and it was quite clear that they were flirting with one another; at least Queenie was.
"I am not flirting" Queenie suddenly said as she stopped talking and glanced at her hands
Newt, Tine and Amina exchanged a look as they wondered who thought of that loud enough for the younger Goldstein to hear. Their awkward and silent looks did not tell much, since it was clear that Tina did not like how her sister was getting attached to Jacob and Newt was simply in a hurry to leave and find the escaped creatures.
Eventually, Tina mastered the courage to speak up. "I am just saying, do not get too attached, he is going to have to be obliviated," she said in the most older sister tone she could, trying hard not to harm her sister's feelings. She then turned to Jacob, who started to sweat and had to wipe his face with one of the towels. "Nothing Personal"
"Oh hey, are you okay, honey?" Queenie asked as she noticed and most likely read his mind.
Amina and Newt exchanged a look and with a very subtle nod, they both stood up. "Ms Goldstein, I think Mr Kowalski could do with an early night"
"I agree," Amina said right after him. "Sleep is essential for his body to heal from the bite"
Newt gave a nod to his head. "And besides, the three of us will need to be up early tomorrow morning to find our Niffler, so..."
Queenie frowned her eyebrows and looked from Newt to her sister. "What is a Niffler?"
"Don't ask" was Tina's only reply. "Okay, you guys can bunk in here" she continued and motioned towards a guest bedroom. "Ms Fadel, I am afraid there is only the couch available"
The two friends and travelling partners exchanged a look, clearly not liking the idea. However, both knew that they would not spend their night sleeping when there were creatures out there.
Tina did not know which animals had escaped but they did and they had to find them before it was too late.
It was merely half an hour since dinner was over and Newt with Jacob had been given the guest room. Queenie was kind enough to bring a blanket for Amina and a nice pillow, trying to make her stay on the couch a little more comfortable.
"It's okay, I am good like that," she said to the blond witch, earning a smile from her.
"Of course, you are, dear," she said and then her expression changed to that of fascination and surprise. "Oh, how adventurous...I would like to sleep under the stars one day" she continued, clearly having picked up her most current thought.
Amina had merely thought of the places she had to sleep when she was travelling alone or with Newt, not often having the comfort of a bed or a couch like many others. In that moment, Queenie was fast enough to obtain a part of that information; which proved just how talented she was with her natural gift.
"Please, I do not appreciate reading my mind," Amina said, trying to be civil and using a nice approach.
"I am sorry...I didn't mean to. Sometimes, I just can't truly control it. The thoughts of everyone are always loud and I can only try to mute them but it is challenging" she confessed and immediately, the Israeli witch felt guilty. She hadn't truly thought of how that gift worked or the side effects it might have. "No need to feel bad, many don't know. I do not mind either. I mean, I practise and I am quite good at it"
Amina gave a nod and this time offered a small smile. "Thank you though. If you do not mind, I think I will try to get some rest" she said as she changed all of her thoughts in Arabic, not wanting to risk getting any ideas of her plan.
Queenie understood. "May you get a nice rest, Amina? I will see you in the morning" she said and started to walk towards the bedroom she shared with her sister.
The Israeli Witch let out a heavy sigh and lay on the couch, both hands behind her back and shows hanging mid-air. She put the blanket on to cover the fact that she was in her regular clothes and not in her sleepwear.
It was not long before Tina walked past, holding a tray with three mugs as the enchanted spoons moved clockwise and were busy staring at the liquid within. She tried her best to be friendly, clearly sharing how uncomfortable both felt with all this.
"I thought...you might want something to drink... it's cocoa" she said, trying to give a reassuring smile.
Amina extended her hand and cast a simple levitating spell to bring one of the mugs towards her, not feeling in the mood in getting her wand out at that moment. This little act of non-wand magic shocked Tina and it was to be expected.
"Thank you," the magizoologist said as she grabbed the cup and felt the nice warmth coming from the liquid inside. "Wandless magic does come useful when you are in the field" she explained after she noticed that Tina was staring at her for a moment too long.
Immediately, the American Witch felt embarrassed being caught in the act. "I mean...I should probably, check if the men want some as well" she said and started to walk towards their room.
Amina took a few sips, enjoying the sweet chocolate flavour in her mouth; always making sure that her body remained covered under the blankets. She watched as Tina went into their room before leaving to join hers.
Once she was sure that the area was clear, she left the mug on the table and tiptoed into the men's room. Upon sliding the door open, she caught a faint glimpse of Newt climbing down the stairs leading into his enchanted suitcase.
Jacob was surprised and almost gave them away but held his little yelp to a low decibel. He glanced at Amina and she shrugged her shoulders before joining Newt. Her friend moved to the side of the ladder, allowing her to pass him before he remained where he was. With only his hand visible outside, he motioned for Jacob to join them.
She climbed down first and took off her vest before hanging it on the little hook they had attached to the side. Newt passed her his blue long coat and she hung it next to hers before starting work around, checking certain things and only catching a glance at the enclosures.
The sound of something heavy falling and landing made her glance behind her, seeing Jacob having landed on his feet and was a little shocked by everything.
"May I suggest you sit down?" she said rather loudly so he could hear her.
"Gladly," the muggle said and sat down on a stool, trying to wrap his head around everything.
Usually, Amina would not like to accept anyone down there but Jacob had seen enough. Plus, he would get obliviated in the end, so what he saw wouldn't truly matter to them.
Newt lifted his sleeves and turned around, looking for his companion. "Can you pass me the-" he was interrupted by Amina, who was holding out for him a white napkin dipped in water.
"Wet napkin to clear the area and inspect the bite?" she finished for him, making him smile ever so faintly.
"Yes, thank you," he said and he took it from her before moving to Jacob. He pushed his head slightly to the side and cleaned the area from sweat and dust before inspecting the bite. "Yep, that's definitely from the Murtlap. You must be particularly susceptible" he said and started to look through the selves with the jars and potions. "See, you are a muggle and our physiologies are subtly different"
Jacob had started to get worried until a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked at the owner, none other than Amina. "Do not worry, we do know to treat you. Newt especially, he is the best there is at beast attacks on humans" she explained.
The muggle gave a nod. "What about you?" he questioned, clearly trying to distract himself as Newt grabbed a few pills and got some leaves from one of the plants.
"I am more specialized in treating wounds on beasts. Human medicine was not exactly my best spot and I do not often get injured by beasts" she explained, deciding not to go into details about her gifts.
Jacob gave a nod in understanding just as Newt approached him. He had chewed a few leaves and used them as a paste, placing them over the now clean bite. "Here, this should help with the sweating" he explained and then handed him a few pills. "And those should help with the twitching"
He didn't stay close to him and instead went to grab and work on the Swooping Evil. Amina rolled her eyes amused and moved to grab one of the few mugs they possessed before dipping it into the barrel with the clean water.
She then handed it to the muggle. "Here, it will be easier to take the pills and it should help you with the flares" she explained, offering him a small smile. She then turned to Newt. "Need any help?"
"It's almost done, thank you Amina" Newt said as he continued working.
The muggle by her side pulled her shirt faintly to draw her attention "What does he have there?"
"This is the Swooping Evil, not the friendliest of names; I know. It's quite an agile fellow and very interesting" she explained.
"Amina and I have been studying him and we are sure his venom could be quite useful if properly diluted" Newt added, exposing what he was holding. "Just to remove bad memories, you know"
Amina took two steps to the side just as Newt moved to the other side of the room. Before Jacob could question it, the British had moved the little green ball he had and tossed it towards the muggle, all while holding the other end. In seconds, the Swooping Evil had unfolded and was held inches away from the muggle's face before he got pulled back and returned to his inactive form.
Newt smiled in pride and glanced at the two of them. "Probably shouldn't let him loose in here, though" he added and Amina rolled her eyes in amusement but said no comment.
However, she did have a more natural and amused smile that he noticed. He always took pride upon himself when he saw it, for she rarely gave it to anyone but him. Always serious, one would see her beautiful smile only when she was around beasts or Newt.
He never truly understood or suspected why but he was always enjoying the sight of it. Similarly, she had a way to draw a smile from him without much of a try or pressure and he felt the most comfortable around her; knowing there would be no judgement from her side.
"Newt" Amina called him, an idea popping into her mind. "How about we take him to see Frank?" she suggested, already having started to warm up to the muggle.
On top of that, they didn't have many friends or visitors for obvious reasons. Perhaps this was the only time they could show them something, make it clear why they found the beasts so fascinating.
Jacob had proven to be a quite open-minded fellow and after he had seen so much, it wouldn't hurt to show him something more before he got obliviated.
Newt seemed to like the idea. "Why not, bring him along," he said as he opened one of the doors.
Amina extended her hand and mentally used Accio on an umbrella, summoning it to her hand. She then, passed it to Jacob while she had a toothy grin; always excited to see their latest visitor.
"Just in case you need it" she explained vaguely and moved towards the half-open door.
