The New Marauder

Thirty One

As soon as Joanna stepped out of the fireplace holding Jamie's hand, after her husband and daughter, she felt the tension in the room. It wasn't the most accommodating place she had visited; however, it still felt homey, in a simplistic way. Yet she couldn't help but feel the heat of annoyance creep into her chest at the blonde woman glaring at her husband like he was the reason for all her troubles.
"Hello," Jamie said to the tan man in a wheelchair closest to him, breaking the hostility that was bound tight within the small room. "My name is James Black, what's yours?" He continued, introducing himself with his hand outstretched, knowing that the reason why they were here in the first place was because of him.
Like a rubber band snapping, all heads turned to the boy who still had his eyes on the two. "Billy Black," Billy stated, shaking the boy's hand a bit awkwardly.
Instantly, the two children looked toward their father, who let out an uncomfortable laugh while shaking his head. "No relation, unfortunately."
"Speaking of relations," a woman stepped forward with a tight smile. "Sarah Black, Billy's wife. That's Sue and Harry Clearwater, and that is Saranna Wilkinson-Swan," she continued, pointing to each person as she said their name.
"It is very nice to meet you all," Joanna said, not being able to take the hostility any longer. "I'm Joanna, but you can call me Jo. This is Juniper or June, and this is Sirius," she finished, clapping her husband a bit hard on his shoulder, letting him know to knock it off.
"Right," he mumbled, removing his gaze in favor of looking at the wall, knowing he was going to hear about it later.
"Well, we should get this show on the road, right?" Joanna asked, trying to ease the tension a bit more using a saying she had read in Jamie's pamphlet.
Letting out a breath, Anna pushed herself off the desk and took a step closer to the family. "I assume they went over the laws with you?" Anna said, speaking for the first time, shocking the married couple with her smooth voice.
"Um... uh... yes," Joanna answered. "No magic in public places—"
"You know I'm an Auror, right?" Sirius blurted out to the stern woman, feeling a wave of annoyance wash over him at being treated like a child.
"You don't say," Harry responded dryly as Sue moved over towards Anna to offer comfort.
"Let's get one thing straight," Anna said, meeting Sirius's eyes. "I don't care that you are an Auror back home, here you are a tourist and nothing more. You will obey the laws without any trouble just like any other tourist, understand?"
"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" Sirius spat back angrily.
"Captain Saranna Wilkinson, MCAUSA Department of Aurors, and Lead Investigator of the International Magic Association of Law Enforcement. But most importantly, the one who's in charge of you while you're here," Anna growled back, itching to draw her wand and show this man who exactly he is testing.
"Oh, you got the promotion? That's wonderful; we should celebrate," Sarah said excitedly, getting easily distracted by her best friend's news.
"Not the time, love," Billy whispered to his wife with a smile.
Feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on her, Sarah shrugged her shoulders without a bit of shame. "What? She's been working towards this for the longest time; she deserves it," she stated as an explanation, giving Anna a thumbs up to show her excitement.
Trying to hide her own smile, Anna rolled her eyes and moved towards the door. "Let's go; Charlie won't wait forever," she called over her shoulder, walking outside.

~*~*~*~ Hogwarts ~*~*~*~

"Ah, yes I am," Mr. Scamander replies as the room falls silent, aside from the snickers coming from Fred and George.
Instant horror washes over me as I realize what just happened. "I'm so sorry," I apologize to not only the man I have come to admire but also to Professor Kettleburn and the Headmaster. "It's just that you're... you, and you're here, and you're not usually here in this place," I stutter out, feeling my brain short-circuiting.
"I guess my feeling that Miss Black here is a big fan of your work was correct, Newt," Professor Kettleburn laughs, causing my face to heat up.
"It seems you are correct," Professor Dumbledore agrees with an easy smile. "However much I hate to break up what would have been a lovely evening full of learning, I must have a non-swear word with Professor Kettleburn."
"That's right," he agrees, nodding his head. "Yet the learning doesn't have to stop on our account. Newt, would you mind teaching our enthusiastic friends here how to finish treating our Bowtruckle guests?"
"These are the students that found them?" He asked, surprised, while turning to our professors.
"Orion did—"
"Not us," Fred and George bounce off one another, pointing at me with matching grins, taking full advantage of my embarrassment.
Feeling the heat on my cheeks grow hotter, I can't help but shout out, "Cedric helped."
"Maybe a bit, but you were the one to notice them," Cedric argues, making me groan. "Plus, you know way more about them than us."
"It's alright, Ori—"
"You don't have to be modest now—"
"Show off that big brain of yours," the twins continue to go back and forth, making me want to strangle them.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't convince this lot to actually help them by myself," I cut them off with a glare.
"It's because he had those warm gray eyes—"
"And charming smile that sparkles," they continue on, making a blush appear on Cedric's face.
"How could we say no to that?" "It matters not how they came into our care, all that does matter is that they are doing better," Professor Dumbledore steps in, putting an end to our torture, though the twinkle in his eyes pretty much said he found it amusing. "We must be on our way, Silvanus; we must be off if we wish to attend our meeting."
"Ah, correct you are," Professor Kettleburn nods tightly, looking at his pocket watch. "Newt, Tina, Jacob, I shall be back in a few hours' time; until then, enjoy yourselves," he finishes before following our Headmaster out of the door.
"I actually should go meet up with Theodore; we are set to have drinks at the Three Broomsticks," Tina said, catching our attention. "Nice to meet you, though," she nods uncomfortably to us as she leaves in a bit of a hurry.
"Theodore?"
"As in Theodore Potter?"
"Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"
"I believe so," Newt answered, looking to the Bowtruckle still on my shoulder. "May I?" he asks, pointing to Groot.
"Um, uh, sure, I mean, yeah, of course," I answer, still a little flustered, not only at the fact that Newt Scamander is talking to me but also at the fact that the woman is going to talk to my Uncle Theo. "D-do you know why she's meeting with him?" I ask, handing Groot over gently.
"No, I'm not sure," Mr. Scamander answers, giving the Bowtruckle a look-over.
"Probably something to do with that smuggler that—"
"Jacob," Newt cuts his friend off, not too kindly.
"Sorry, you're right, probably not good to mention it," he mumbles, reaching out to pet the Salamander. "What's this one?"
"Amazonian Salamander," Mr. Scamander and I say at the same time, causing me to blush yet again.
"You know your creatures," he says approvingly. "Not many people, let alone children who have yet to take the course, could point one out."
"I mean, it's pretty easy for me," I shrug, trying to act nonchalant. "I have an eidetic memory."
"Eidetic memory?" Newt repeats, looking to his friend Jacob for clarification, confusing all of us.
"She has perfect recall; anything she reads, sees, or hears she can remember perfectly," Jacob explains. "I assume a doctor diagnosed you?"
"Yeah," I mumble, confused. "How did you know that?"
He points to his chest and grins. "No-Maj or muggle," he states proudly.
"No way." "Wicked," the twins whisper in awe.
"How did you get past the enchantments?" Cedric asks, the question forming in my brain.
"I brought him here, long ago," Newt answered, not leaving any room for questions. "Now, this little fellow, he seems attached to you," he says, meeting my eyes once more.
"Um, yeah, I guess he is," I agree, keeping an eye on Groot to make sure he is okay while the boys bombard Mr. Kowalski with questions about New York and the muggle world. "I do have a question if you don't mind answering," I whisper, feeling my mind finally catch up to the excitement of meeting the coolest person ever.
"Well, depending on the question, I might be able to help you," he grins as he continues to check over Groot.
"Um, your suitcase. How were you able to climbe out of it with your friends and the Professor? I mean, Professor McGonagall is helping me on my advanced charms so far, and I have read up on the Undetectable Extension Charm, but there's not a lot of information on practical usage," I ask quietly so the boys don't overhear.
Mr. Scamander lets out a chuckle while placing Groot gently back on my shoulder. "There wouldn't be anywhere you could read about it, seeing as far as using it would be breaking many laws."
"It's illegal?" I gasp, glancing to the worn suitcase on the floor. "But how—"
"What the Ministry doesn't know won't hurt them," he smiles, taking a seat in front of me. "The reason why I use it is to help magical creatures, whether it's to help them heal until they are ready to go back to the wild or they are too injured and need a home to live out the rest of their lives in peace."
"That's so freaking cool," I whisper in awe before clearing my throat. "So the chances of learning the spell from you are..." I trail off, giving him a hopeful look.
To my surprise, he lets out a gentle laugh with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Do you have a bag or—"
"I have my satchel," I rush out while grabbing it off the table and hand it to him.
"Hmm," he hums, looking it over. "Okay, hold onto it and your friend," he says, flicking his wand at his suitcase.
"His name is Groot," I tell him, watching the worn bag float through the air until it reaches his waiting palm.
"Now, what we are doing mustn't be spoken of lightly. No one you do not trust fully is to know."
"Got it," I agree quickly.
He gives me a final nod before setting it flat against the floor, then flipping the buckles and lifting the lid, revealing an empty void that's darker than some of the nights back home. "Come on," he gestures for me to follow him as he steps inside it.
Taking a deep breath, I stand to my feet and step in after him. Turns out there were steps beneath the dark veil, and they lead straight down into a wooden shack—well, more like an old shed, a really small shed lit by a couple of lamps and is big enough for us to fit sitting on the only set of stools in front of the workbench full of tools and buckets of odd-smelling things.
"Alright, the Undetectable Extension Charm is serious magic, and teaching it to you, especially being this young, could land me into a lot of trouble if anyone were to find out."
"Then why teach me?" I ask genuinely confused. "I mean, no offense, but I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
"I won't, that's why I brought you here; no chance of being overheard," he winks playfully while placing my satchel on the bench. "To answer your other question, your Uncle Theo and his captain had helped me out of a situation a while back. And if he is still anything like he was back then, he will appreciate me teaching you as repayment."
"You've met my Anna?" I ask, not able to stop myself.
"Your Anna?"
"Well, she's been there since I was a baby; she's basically my mom," I shrug, swallowing the lump in the back of my throat. "No, she is my mom," I whisper to myself.
"That's good to hear, Saranna is a lovely woman from what I remember, was very struck at first, but after a bit, she was like a warm teddy," he muses, tapping one of the buckles with his wand, muttering an incantation, then places it off to the side and pulls a couple of weird-looking half glass bowls—more like a circular fish tank but with the opening toward the side instead of the top—forward in front of me. "We will practice on these for right now; then, if you get it, we can move on to your bag. I don't expect much tonight, but seeing as Tina has business with Mr. Potter that could take a while, we should have some time to practice. Now, to make this work, you need to visualize not only what you want your space to look like, such as the size, temperature if you want an outdoor area or something more like a small workspace like this. You need to have a clear picture of the sights, sounds, and smell; once you have that, hold onto it tightly," he instructs firmly.
"I guess this is one of those times where having an eidetic memory comes in good use," I mumble, looking to Groot, who has jumped off my shoulder and is now walking around the workbench inspecting the tools lying around.
"It is," he chuckles lightly. "Do you have a picture in mind?"
After thinking it over for a few minutes while continuing to watch Groot, I feel a smile form on my lips. "Home," I whisper, picturing the tall, thick trees of the expansive dense Reservation Forest. Sunlight that only comes once or twice a year, allowing the grounds to remain nice and soft so the green plant help fill the air with a constant misty tint, so much so that it reaches all the way down to the soft sandy beaches below the cliff side where Sam and I used to play for hours. "If anything, I want to believe him and his friends would be happy living in a place like home."
"You want to give him a home?"
"Yeah, the uh, tree we found them in, well, there's nothing really left of it. So if I can give them a safe space like you give your rescues, then that's what I'll do," I smile, reaching out and carefully rub Groot's tummy, causing him to chirp excitedly.
"You sound like myself when I was younger; any interests in Magizoology after Hogwarts?" he asks in a hopeful tone.
It's my turn to let out a small laugh. "I don't know just yet, to be honest; all I do know is that the family I came from wasn't too great, both here and in America. And before I knew how deep the horribleness went, I had hoped to be a famous professional Quidditch player, but now, I would like to be what they weren't; I would like to learn everything I can and become the best witch I can be and use my magic for good to help people and creatures alike," I finish quietly.
"Then we can start by giving Groot and the Bowtruckles you and Mr. Diggory saved a nice home," he says, nudging the bowl towards me, causing me to smile. "Alright, you got your wand? Right. Now, the incantation doesn't require any of the fancy wand-waving that normal beginner charms do. It's more in your head; okay, now I want you to close your eyes, like I said, visualize and feel the place you wish to create. And when you're ready, tap the edge of your bowl..."

~*~*~*~ Forks Police Station ~*~*~*~

Anna lets out a low grumble as she wrenches open the glass door of her husband's workplace. The car ride here from the reservation had been less than pleasant in her eyes, well, not really, just the company of one Sirius Black. Although he and Joanna had said they heard about the laws, it seemed as if Joanna was the only one of the two to understand them. Maybe it was because the fact that Joanna took the time, like their son Jamie, and read through the almost book-like pamphlet to learn about the history of MACUSA. So Anna had a feeling they knew why the laws were so strict, which made her glad they didn't fight her when she said they were driving versus Apparating into Forks, unlike her brother-in-law.
While she understood that it was a major difference from what they are used to in Britain, what really got under her skin was the fact that he kept bragging about how much better life for someone in the magical community is over there than here. It took all of her willpower to not snap at the over-egotistical man-child and point out all of the people that had died during Voldemort's reign, or how they still treat innocent creatures by either keeping them enslaved, treating them less than, or hunting and poaching them to near extinction for sport.
However, as soon as Anna sees her husband bent over a pile of messy files on his desk, her anger dissipates while the deep scowl she was holding onto fades. She never thought in a million years that she would be lucky enough to find someone like Charlie; he is one of the two people in her life that can automatically turn her day from dreadful to amazing with a simple smile.
"Hey there, handsome," she teases, leaning on the open doorframe of his office.
Without delay, Charlie looks up from his work, meeting her eyes, making her now have to fight the urge to melt on the spot. "Hello there, beautiful," he smiles widely, standing to his feet and moving closer to her until he is able to bring her into his warm, comforting embrace. "How did it go? They didn't give you too much trouble, did they?"
Burying her head into his chest, she shakes her head. "Only your obnoxious brother," she sighs, wrapping her arms around Charlie's waist. "Joanna and the kids are pleasant; Jamie asked a lot of questions, and June was quiet, but I could tell she was paying attention."
"Hmm," Charlie hums, kissing the top of his wife's head. "They will be here for a day or two, then we can live our lives in peace."
"I hope you're right," Anna whispers, pulling away just enough to give Charlie a peck on his lips, ignoring the wolf whistles from the other police officers sent their way. For a moment, Charlie tenses under her hold while she lets out a small chuckle, knowing the boys only mean well enough to tease their burly Chief. "Let them have their fun, love."
"Yeah, Charlie, let them have their fun," a raspy voice speaks up behind Anna, forcing the couple apart as the other officers in the precinct stiffen at the sight of a stranger.
"I told you to wait in the car," Anna said, gritting her teeth while glaring at her brother-in-law.
"You were taking too long, and that contraption was getting a bit cramped," he shrugs without a care, then turns to his brother, who is silently fuming. "Hello, Charlie, long time no see."
Before any of the officers or Anna could stop him, Charlie Swan marched across the building, with years of pent-up anger radiating off of him, and punched his brother in the face.