Raven Book 1 (Fantastic beasts)

The No Maj

There were footsteps coming up the stairs. Were they muggles? Were they wizards? I stayed still and quiet under the bed. Maybe they would go way. Maybe they would think no one was here and leave.

"Mr Scamander! Mr Scamander!" a woman was yelling. That was Newt's last name. Sure enough he came running into the room. I saw his shoes as he looked around and began repairing the room. I heard metal twisting just outside. Bricks finding their places. The air got easier to breath as the dust went back into the wall. The bed un-bowed and I wasn't pinned to the floor anymore. But the woman came running in so I stayed still.

"It was open?" she asked. Her shoes were worn but not worn like Newts. Hers were worn like Dumbledore's, where they had been cleaned and polished not scratched up and chewed on.

"Just a smidge," Newt said quickly. He was now sat on the bed and I heard the click on him closing the case. "That crazy Nuffler thing's on the lose again?" she asked. Her voice sounded funny. Funny like the muggle's was. The same funny too. Maybe everyone in New York spoke funny.

"Might be," Newt said.

"Then look for it!" she insisted. She crouched down and began leaning over the muggle in the corner. She had a blue grey coat on short black hair and a hat. "His neck's bleeding," she began to panic and shake him. "Wake up Mr no-maj!" Was that his name? No-maj? Did she know him? It was a very weird name.

A murtlap jumped out from behind the muggle and she screamed. Newt quickly moved from the bed and caught it by the tail and stuffed it back into the case. "Mercy Lewis, what is that?" she yelled.

"Nothing to worry about," Newt said calmly shutting the case. "That is a murtlap."

"What else have you got in there?," she asked. I don't know why she asked, it was obvious some of the creatures had gotten out since Newt had last been inside.

It didn't matter anyway, before Newt could answer the muggle sat up. He looked around at everyone for a moment but then his eyes stayed on Newt. "You," he said pointing to where I was hiding. "The kid-"

"Easy, Mr-" she interrupted as he tried to get to his feet. "Kawalski, Jacob" he said not sounding or looking very well. So that was his name. Why'd she call him No-Maj then? Newt was quick to find me under the bed. He smiled and held out a hand. I crawled out from under the bed and clung on to Newt.

The woman had seen me now. She left the muggle looking very sick and looked at me. "How long has she been here," she asked. I clung on tighter to Newt. "The whole time," Newt said. "It's ok, Tina didn't mean to scare you."

"Hey, do you want to see something cool?" she said in that tone people used when talking to children. She took out her wand and pointed it at me. I screamed and shifted and hissed.

I bared my sharp teeth, raised my black wings and dug my claws into Newts coat. The dragon's way of tell people to stay away or something bad will happen.

Tina screamed and began to flick her wand. Newt was quick to block the spell. "Hey! Hey! She's with me!" he said loudly. I shifted and didn't let go of Newt's coat which I luckily hadn't ripped. Tina didn't put her wand away but Newt ignored her and whispered in my ear. "What did we say eh?" he said bushing away a few tears of shock from my eyes. "Dragons don't belong in cities," I said slowly. "She scared me."

"I know," Newt hugged me. "I know."

"You have a shapeshifter?" Tina said finally calming down enough to talk. "Why do you have a shapeshifter?"

"She means no harm, just lacks a little control." Newt said as he let me go and stood up. I hung around his legs as he raised his wand and pointed it at the muggle.