𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔲𝔰

Eleven

When Jacob fell into the suitcase, he couldn't believe his eyes. Yes, he'd seen a lot of strange things today, but how is this leather suitcase bigger on the inside? 

He found himself in a shack. The shelves were stacked with plants, papers, bottles, cupboards, and other old junk. 

I was looking around, fascinated by how much had changed. I couldn't wait to see what he'd down with the rest of the case. "Oh!" I forgot I'd thrown Thomas down here. Where was he?

Jacob was too busy trying to comprehend that he was inside of a suitcase to notice that Newt had made a pulp using an herb and some other ingredients and pressed it onto his would on his neck. Jacob cringed at the moist sensation.

"Ew..." He muttered, but let the man do his work. 

"Stay still," Newt said quietly, diligently spreading the pulp around the murtlap bite. 

"Hey, um, Ms. Garner?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, you can call me Eve." I replied to the muggle, still looking around the shack for Thomas. 

"Eve, um... did you know Tina before?" He asked. When he first met these wizards he could tell Newt and I were already familiar. But he could also feel the tension between Tina and I. 

I stopped in her tracks and straightened herself. Even Newt stopped his work on Jacob to listen.

"She and I used to be partners in the law enforcement division. We were aurors." I recounted. "Tina was always the one who would jump into situations without thinking it over.

"She got herself into some trouble with...certain muggles...I didn't stop her. And Madame Picquery took away our titles as aurors. I blamed it on her, even though what she did was actually the right thing." I trailed off. I never admitted it to her, but I knew it was never her fault. Those Second Salemers deserved what she did to them. 

The shack was awkwardly quiet for a moment, so I changed the subject.

"Hey, Newt, have you seen my c----" I was yanked backwards by my hair. 

"OW!" "Pickett, what're you doing?!" Newt leapt forward and pulled a familiar green bowtruckle out of my hair.

"Wait, PICKETT?!" I whirled around and saw my old friend trying to free himself from Newt's hands. He chirped at me and jumped onto my shirt. I laughed and attempted to hug him without killing him.

"I missed you so much!" Newt smiled at our reunion. Pickett climbed on top of my head as he used to and stationed himself there. 

"I can't believe yo---" I am interrupted once more as a certain giant wampus cat tackled me to the ground. 

Jacob and Newt screamed. Newt pulled out his wand and Jacob fell back on his butt.

"Agh, THOMAS! GET OFF!" I shoved him off of me, pulling out my own wand. He growled, eyeing my head. 

"Stop! It's just Pickett! He's my friend!" Thomas's eyes drooped and he whimpered. Pickett blew a raspberry at him. 

"Th-Thomas?" Newt asked. "This is a wampus cat! A class 5X beast!" 

"Yes, I raised him." I explained, quickly transfiguring back into an orange tabby.

The two men stared at me before letting it go, enough of the strange happenings of the day already. I was introducing Pickett to Thomas as Newt gave a bucket of meat to Jacob. After he gave a lecture about swooping evils (and effectively scaring the muggle with one) he opened the door to the shack and we walked outside.

Thomas, fascinated by the exterior of the shack, ran off. We faced a wide desert terrain, I felt rainwater splash on my face. Looking around, I saw not much had changed since I had expanded it years ago.

I saw Newt standing upon some rocks ahead of us, trying to coax down a...thunderbird? It landed in front of him and he stroked its head.

"Oh, thank Paracelsus, if you'd have gotten out, that would've been quite catastrophic." I smiled at the way Newt admired the beautiful bird.

Newt continued, "See, this is the real reason I came to America. To  bring Frank home." 

Before I could stop him, Jacob walked forward. Frank flapped his wings, intimidated by him.

"No, sorry, stay there." Newt said. "He's a wee bit sensitive to strangers." Newt explained how he was trafficked, just like Thomas. Frank was the real reason why Newt was here, so he could be freed back in his home: Arizona.

The three of us wandered around the case. Pickett climbed back into Newt's pocket as he was giving us a tour. Newt had in fact added more ecosystems. I saw mooncalves, graphorns, a family of tiny bowtruckles (Pickett refused to rejoin them, clinging to my hair), and occamies. I shivered, thinking back to the past I had with them.

Newt saw how wary I was to approach them, so we moved on. 

"Newt, this is so great. I underestimated how far your fascination in magical beasts would take you." I walked with him through some bamboo trees.

"Yes, I always thought of you. You inspired me to rescue and nurture these creatures." I blushed and smiled. Newt went to help Jacob feed the mooncalves and I watched. They were so adorable!

Suddenly, I felt a draft of cold arm. I shivered, rubbing my hands together and turned to see another ecosystem. It was bleak, covered in snow and dead plants. I entered it, wanting to see what lived here.

I turned around and my eyes widened.

I gasped, stepping back and away from it.

It was an obscurus.