The Darkness Within

•Chapter 8 - Murtlap•

"I can't believe you didn't obliviate that man!" Tina expelled. "If theres an inquiry, I'm finished!"

"Why would you be finished? I'm the one that's-"

"I'm not supposed to go near the Second Salemers!" Tina indulged. Lily suddenly spotted a billywigs, flying above them. Unfourtunetly, billywigs weren't common at all in America, which meant.. Newt's case had been opened. She looked at Newt, who had the same worried expression on his face. "What was that?" Tina asked when she finally noticed the creature.

"Er.. moth, I think," Mr. Scamander lied. He obviously didn't want Tina to know the truth about his case, nor that it had been opened. "Big moth." 

The three of them ended up walking into a big crowd, where people were apparently worried and angry about a supposed gas explosion. Lily took a look at the building, and she immediatly knew the gas was not at fault.

"-It wasnt gas, Officer, I seen it!" A muggle started. Newt gave Lily a worried look, and then approached the man, to make sure he wasn't going to spill any information. "It wuzza... a gigantic... a huge hippopotto.... gas! Gas!"

Newt left the two girls on the spot, running towards the destroyed building. Lily saw him and followed him close behind.

As soon as they entered the building and ran up the stairs, when they got inside the room that supposedly had been the use of the gas leak, Newt ran to his case, who was closed but not locked, and immediatly locked it, sitting on the bed and holding it on his legs. Lily cast a spell and reconstructed the building with only a flicker of her wand.

She then spotted Mr. Kowalski, who was mumbling some incoherent things while laying on the floor. He was bleeding, so Lily crouched herself over him to examine the injury.

"You have murtlaps?" She asked Newt. "Really? I've never seen one." Suddenly, Tina appeared through the door. She had finally noticed they were missing.

"Mr. Scamander," Tina said, out of breath. "Was it open?" She asked when she saw the case sitting on Newt's legs. Mr. Scamander made sure it was locked up again.

"Just a smidge..." he said weakly. Tina sighed, exasperated.

"That crazy Niffler things on the loose again?" Tina asked him. When Newt didn't answer, Lily went to look at him, she caught Newt staring at her for a minute before looking away and blushing when she did.

"It might be, yes," Newt ended up by telling her. Tina finally noticed how Mr. Kowalski was down on the ground.

"Then look for it!" She yelled at the two, as if Lily had any blame. "Look," she approached Mr. Kowalski. "His neck's bleeding, he's hurt!" She proceeded to gently slap Mr. Kowalski on the arm. "Wake up, Mr. No-Maj. Mercy Lewis, what is that?"

"Its a murtlap, not being to worry about," Newt said, a bit too fast.

"Most of the time," Lillian added to his answer. Tina frowned.

"What else have you got in there?"