oblivioni traditæ

Solitarius

Newt shut the door behind him, turning to look at the three other people in the hall. Harper was the first to speak.

"Does she really think it's 1925?" he asked, looking at Queenie.

She nodded. Gallagher glanced at her notes. 

"It certainly seems that way," she said. "The good news is that there is no indication of this being a magical case."

"How is that good?" Harper demanded.

Newt spoke up. "If it was magical, if she had been Obliviated or had her memory wiped with some other form of magic, there would be no hope. Her memories would be gone permanently. But since it's not magical . . ." He glanced at Gallagher. "Do you really think there might be some chance of her memories returning?"

Gallagher studied her clipboard again, her expression remaining unchanged. "It's difficult to say. I don't want to give you any false hopes but I believe it may be possible. I'll be prescribing two potions that she'll need to take. 

"One will take care of the physical injury on her head. It was the only injury I was hesitant to heal magically because I didn't know if her memory had been damaged. Now that I know it is, I think it's best if we let it heal naturally. I'll also be giving you ointment that will be put in the wound when you change the bandages. You'll need to change them twice a day.

"The second potion may not do much but it should help heal the brain damage and stimulate the part that houses her memories. It won't be able to restore her memories, nothing we can do will do that for her, but it may increase the chances of her memories returning."

"Miss Gallagher, how are we going to explain everything to her?" Queenie demanded. She was standing with her shoulders hunched slightly. Her hands were both over her belly, nervously fidgeting with a button on her dress. "So much has changed in the last three years."

Gallagher frowned slightly. "I think it's best not to tell her everything at once. Some things are unavoidable, yes, but others can be held back until Miss Goldstein is more stable. She is still injured and I'm afraid that too much new and surprising information at once might be unhealthy, dangerous even. The stress of being asked to believe so much information at once may even cause her to lose some of the memories she still has."

Queenie frowned slightly, hugging herself tightly.

"For example, information about the current state of affairs with Grindelwald will probably not do too much damage but I don't believe it needs to be discussed immediately. While it's a big problem now, it wasn't such a big thing in 1925 and she probably won't think too much about it. But if she does ask about it, I think you could explain, as long as you don't explain her involvement.

"On the other hand, I believe it may be best if you don't explain the extent of relationships she formed during these last three years," Gallager explained, looking pointedly at Newt. "I'm sorry, Mr. Scamander, but she has no idea who you are. I think it may be best simply to introduce yourself as her friend and give her the freedom to rebuild your relationship as she pleases."

Newt nodded, raising a hand to wipe his eyes. He had known this, of course, but hearing it voiced out loud just reinforced his doubts and fears.

Just then, someone approached them. Newt looked up and started. It was President Picquery.

"Madam President!" Harper exclaimed. "What are you doing down here?"

"I came to check on Miss Goldstein," she said. Her emotionless expression dissolved into a worried frown. When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a softer tone. "I've known Tina for many years. I've known her since she started working for MACUSA. She was always one of the best Aurors and I sincerely regretted having had to fire her. However, she had nearly broken the Statute of Secrecy and had to face the consequences.