BLACK PANTHER. ❪ Newt Scamander ❫ ✓

six

Tina, Neeki, and Newt were on a busy street on the lower east side. Tina was carrying the case, complaining, on the verge of tears about how Newt didn't Obliviate Jacob and that he humiliated her. A Billywig flew over their heads, catching Newt's horrified attention.

"What was that?" Tina asked.

"Uh - moth, I think. Big moth," Newt answered.

She didn't really believe him, but she let it go as they rounded a corner to find a crowd of people in front of a crumbling building. People were shouting and evacuating. One policeman stood in the middle, being harassed by the people of New York.

"I'm telling you it's a gas explosion again! I ain't taking the kids back up there until it's safe!" a housewife yelled at a policeman.

"Sorry, ma'am, there ain't no smell of gas."

A drunk hobo spoke up, "It wasn't gas. Hey, Officer, I seen it! It wuzza - a gigantic - a huge hippopotto -"

Newt pointed his wand at the hobo without Tina noticing. She was too occupied with the ruined statue of the building.

" - gas. It was gas," the drunk hobo finished saying.

The crowd agreed. "Gas! It was gas!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Newt grabbed Neeki's hand and ran up the stairs of the building. They walked into Jacob's room and looked around. There were broken furniture and broken glass everywhere, along with a large hole in the opposite wall. Newt crouched beside Jacob, who was lying on his back with his eyes closed. He tried to examine a small red bite on Jacob's neck, but Jacob kept batting him away.

"Mr. Scamander!" Tina shouted from downstairs.

Newt had desperately performed a Repairing Charm. The room and wall were repaired, just in time before Tina walked into the room. Newt was trying to look innocent and composed by sitting on the bed with his case on his lap. He calmly sealed the latches on his case. Neeki was sniffing Jacob again. He smelt like sweat and pain.

"It was open?" Tina incredulously asked.

"Just a smidge..."

"That crazy Niffler thing's on the loose again?" she questioned.

"Er - it might be - "

"Then look for it! Look!" she demanded.

Jacob moaned. Tina dropped Jacob's case and walked straight to the injured Jacob.

"His neck's bleeding. He's hurt! Wake up, Mr. No-Maj..."

With her back turned, Newt tried to escape, but she suddenly screamed when a Murtlap ran out from under a cabinet and clung onto her arm. Newt spun around in shock and caught the creature by the tail, then shoved it into the case.

"Mercy Lewis, what is that?" Tina asked, breathing heavily.

"Nothing to worry about. That is a Murtlap," Newt replied.

"What else have you got in there?"

Jacob opened his eyes. "You!" Jacob accused.

"Hello," Newt replied.

"Easy, Mr. - "

"Kowalski, Jacob."

Tina shook his hand. Newt raised his hand, ready to Obliviate Jacob.

"You can't Obliviate him! We need him as a witness!" Tina yelled at Newt.

Newt's eyebrows furrowed in and he put his wand away. "I'm sorry. You've just yelled at me the length of New York for not doing it in the first place."

"He's hurt! He's ill!" Tina shouted.

"He'll be fine. Murtlap bites aren't serious. Though I will admit that this is a slightly more severe reaction than I've seen, but if it was really serious - he'd have..."

"What?"

"Well, the first symptom would be flames out if his anus. It'll last forty-eight hours at most! I can keep him if you want me to - "

"Keep him? We don't keep them! Mr. Scamander, do you know anything about the wizarding community in America?" Tina asked.

He nodded. "I do know a few things actually. I know you have rather backward laws about relations with non-magic people - that you're not meant to befriend them, that you can't marry them, which seems mildly absurd to me."

Jacob was following this conversation, openmouthed. Neeki was looking back and forth between Tina and Newt. She was confused. She couldn't understand some of the words they mentioned.

Tina huffed. "Who's going to marry him? You're both coming with me - "

"I don't see why I need to come with you," Newt retorted.

Tina tried to lift the only partly conscious Jacob from the floor.

"Help me!"

Newt felt obliged to help.

"I'm - I'm dreaming, right? Yeah, I'm tired. I never went to the bank. This is all just some big nightmare, right?" Jacob asked.

"For the both of us, Mr. Kowalski," Tina answered.

"Come along, Neeki," Newt said, beckoning her over.

She walked over to him and hooked her arm with his arm, then they Disapparated with Jacob and Tina.