Of Blessings and Curses

Chapter 21

After processing my words and the silence that follows, Newt, unexpectedly, is the first to begin speaking again. 

"There's only one of our creatures still missing. Dougal, the Demiguise," 

"Dougal?" Tina chuckles, eyes filling with some sort of feeling - admiration? 

Newt grins, but nervously touches a hand to his mouth all the same, "Slight problem is that, um... he's invisible." Newt inhales sharply, sheepishness clearly marked by his inability to make direct eye contact with Tina or myself. I almost say something, but decide that Newt can handle Tina's frustration. Probably. 

Tina's previous contented determination evaporates, "Invisible?" Poor Queenie must be getting quite the variation of curse words. 

"Yes," Newt says, both matter-of-factly and apologetic. He quickly adds, "Most of the time. He does, um..." Newt gestures indistinctly, and Tina gives a tiny, frustrated sigh. 

"How do you catch something - " She begins, but I interrupt. 

"You don't." My own curse of realism and logic overtakes me, but at the same time, Newt also speaks, swiftly turning to face Tina.

"With immense difficulty." 

Tina smiles a little, but I still have no idea whether it's one of those it's-okay smiles or an I'm-going-to-murder-you-in-your-sleep smiles, "Isolt's wand, you two." She chuckles again. Must be an it's-okay smile, then. Suddenly, the light leaves her face, muscles relaxing in realization, "Gnarlak," She mutters. 

Newt blinks a few times, leaning forward, "Excuse me?" 

"Gnarlak!" Tina says with hot intensity, "He was an informant of mine when I was an Auror. He used to trade in magical creatures on the side." Perched on Newt's shoulder, Pickett looks back at me, suspicion plastered on his face. Considering that the creatures Newt and I rescue came from traders and breeders, the Bowtruckle is right to be skeptical. In the blink of an eye, I weigh our options - go to Gnarlak, who might not even know anything useful to us, and possibly risk the safety of our creatures, or look for Dougal ourselves. It will be a thousand times easier to find our Demiguise if we have a lead, but would it be an eye for an eye? What's the sacrifice? What does Gnarlak get out of the deal? What will he want? Considering his hobby, it can't be anything good. 

But Newt is blinded by his anguish and dread, and is immediately entranced by the possibility of retrieving Dougal, "He wouldn't happen to have an interest in paw prints, would he?" 

Tina smiles darkly, "He interested in anything he can sell." 

Bubble of anxiety bursting at last, I clamp onto Newt's arm, dragging him off of the ledge we are standing on - figuratively and literally. 

"Newt. Have you thought this through?" I say, mind whirring as my hands gesture. Calculated. Controlled. Calm. I repeat the three words like I would repeat my notes before an exam, "Gnarlak seems like a rather unsavory character - how far would he go to make money? You an I both know that the trading of magical creatures is never a good thing - especially for someone who is 'interesting in anything he can sell'? Even if he knows truthful and valuable information, what will he want in return? Is this an eye for an eye sort of deal?" I sigh, massaging my temples and bowing my head, "Honestly, Newt, I don't think this is a good idea..." 

Newt's mouth is a disappointed line, and his shoulders hunch forward even more than usual, so far that he almost stoops to my height, "I don't either, but what else are we going to do? Run around New York City until we find him? By that time, poor Dougal might be dead or worse." He makes a fair point. Calculated. Controlled. Calm.