𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔲𝔰

Eight

"I'm sorry, but I do have things to do, actually." Newt was currently being dragged by the arm by Tina throughout the busy streets of New York.  I followed behind as fast as I could.

"Well, you'll just have to rearrange them!" 

"Well, you'll just have to rearrange them!" I mocked her in a high-pitched voice, and she turned around and glared at me. I shot her my own glare, daring her to continue.  She just rolled her eyes and ignored me.

"What're you doing in New York anyway?" Tina asked Newt. 

"I came to buy a birthday present." Newt said quietly, I knew he was lying.

"Couldn't you have done that in London?" Tina exasperated. We had finally arrived at the magical headquarters of the United States.  Newt was still mumbling about something but I had tuned him out, focused on trying to get us out of the mess that Tina caught us in.

"Hey, Reg!" I greeted the guard at the front. Hopefully if I were nice to Reg, I think that was his name, he would ease up on us a bit. "How was yo---" "I've got a section 3A." Tina interrupted. The guard stepped out of the way and Tina pushed the doors of the building open. 

We were whisked up the grand staircase and I glanced at Newt, who was gaping at how literally magical the interior was. 

I smiled at him. "To be honest, I find the Ministry even more beautiful." I thought aloud. 

Newt grins and opens his mouth to reply when Tina dragged us off to the elevators.

"Hello Goldstein," the bell boy (or bell-goblin,  I suppose) greeted as we walked in, "Garner." I nodded at him politely. 

"Hey, Red," Tina responded shortly, "Major Investigation Department." 

"Wait," The goblin hesitated, "I thought you was-" "Major Investigation Department! I've got a section 3A!" My eyes widened at her tone of voice. The goblin raised his little staff and pressed the elevator button.

When the doors opened up, we stood before the investigation department.  Madam Picqery, the president of MACUSA, and several other of my officer comrades were stood in the large room, presumably having a small meeting before we interrupted. "I made your position here quite clear, Miss Goldstein." Madam Picquery replied just as she saw Tina emerge from the elevator. "And Miss Garner, I have been looking for you all morning. We have an issue with----" Tina cut into our conversation.

 "Yes, Madam President, but I wanted to speak to you about..." Tina trailed off under the hard glare of Madam Picquery. "You are no longer an Auror, Miss Goldstein." She said calmly. 

"No, Madam President, but-"

 "Goldstein." 

"Theres been a minor incident-"

"Well, this office is currently concerned with very major incidents. So get out." The president said with finality. 

"Yes, ma'am." With that, Tina, Newt and I left the room. I couldn't help but feel bad for Tina and how I acted to her before. I caught Tina's humiliated expression as we walked into what I realized was the wand permit office.

"So, you got your wand permit? All foreigners have to have them in New York." Tina flipped through some paperwork on her desk with a distracted look on her face.

"I made a postal application weeks ago." 

"Scamander..." Tina said the name slowly, getting used to it. "And you were just in Equatorial Guinea?" He nodded and continued, "I've just completed a year in the field. I'm writing a book about magical creatures." 

"Like... an extermination guide?" Newt and I both gawked at her. She knew my passion of magical creatures! "Why would you extermina---"

"No. A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures instead of killing them." Newt quickly intervened before I was able to begin my rant. He was about to continue when an angry voice exclaimed "Goldstein!" 

Tina quickly ducked under her desk. I saw Abernathy, one of the other law enforcement wizards on my team, storm in. "Where is she? Where is she? Goldstein! Goldstein!" He looked around frantically. Tina finally chose to rise from beneath her desk. 

"Did you just butt in on the Investigative Team again?" Tina was about to answer when he interrupted. "Where've you been?" Abernathy looked around, his eyes landing on Newt and I.

"Oh, hello, Eve. -What? Where'd she pick you up?" He asked, referring to Newt.

 "Me?" Newt pointed to himself. I tried to defend him, "Sir, there was just a minor accident at the bank an---" 

"The bank?!" Abernathy whirled back around to face Tina, who flinched. 

"Have you been tracking them Second Salemers again?"

"Of course not, sir." "No, she wasn't." Tina and I said at the same time. I was surprised that I was so quick to defend her, and it looked like she was too. Suddenly, I saw my boss, Mr. Graves, had walked in. Abernathy looked alert.

"Afternoon, Mr. Graves, sir!" He announced loudly. 

"Afternoon, Abernathy." Mr. Graves nodded at him. Tina took this opportunity to finally speak, "Mr. Graves, sir, this is Mr. Scamander. He has a crazy creature in that case and it got out and caused mayhem in a bank, sir." She pointed at Newt and his case accusingly.

"Let's see the little guy." Mr. Graves waved at her to open the case. Tina looked very smug as she set the leather case on the desk.

"Wait, Mr. Graves," "Hush, Miss Garner." I swallowed my words an tapped my foot on the ground anxiously.

Tina flipped the locks on the side of the suitcase open and lifted the lid, only to find that.....