Lumos Maxima ➣ Newt Scamander {1}

CHAPTER ONE

"Look it's the Statue of Liberty!" A young boy yelled tugging on his mother's dress. The mother smiled at the boy.

Ella tried to focus on the words in her newspaper, but she could feel the boat swaying beneath her feet. All around her was the sound of waves lapping against the hull and the wind tugging at her clothing. She attempted to tuck her loose strands of hair back into her braid, but they kept blowing free, making it difficult for her to concentrate on the articles surrounding her. Taking a deep breath, she put down the paper and steeled herself before standing up. Even with her oxford heels, the rocking of the boat made it difficult to stay balanced as she made her way to the side.

Ella's gray eyes darted around the ferry, taking in the sight of the symbol that told her she was almost there. She had so looked forward to this day and now it felt like a dream come true. Yet despite her excitement, Ella couldn't shake the feeling of dread that seemed to permeate the air. She nervously patted her burgundy coat, checking for her wand before finally reaching down to grab her dark leather suitcase. But as she neared the dock, the once reassuring clatter of her case suddenly sounded more menacing than ever. With one last glance around her to make sure no one was watching, Ella quickly pulled out her wand and pushed back some stray hairs before steeling herself with a deep breath and continuing on towards the exit.

"Calm down Sadie!" Ella whispered in a low voice, her fingers curling through the expanding handle of the suitcase to keep it from shaking. Tightening her grip on the bag, she peeked around the corner of the dock to get a good look at the line. A man stood on its deck waiting for the crowd. Without looking back at her own reflection in Sadie's side, Ella checked her own clothes and patted down any stray locks; she wanted to make sure she looked presentable. The line inched closer; time slowed as they drew near.

"Next," a guard called. Ella gave a shy smile and walked up, pausing as she reached the table to push some stray hairs behind her ear. The man looked up at her with a bored expression, then ran his eyes down to her feet, lingering over the tattoo on her ankle before looking back up. "Passport?" he asked coldly. She handed it over to him. After flipping through and examining every page several times, he snapped it shut, and handed it back to her.

"Welcome to New York." The man told her stiffly.

Ella flashed a bright smile and snagged her bag off the table. She carried it with her as she walked with all the others into the city. The first drops of rain fell from heavy clouds, pitter-pattering to the cobblestones, and Ella pulled the strap of her bag up over her shoulder, dodging an oncoming pedestrian. Hailing a cab, she slipped inside and told the cabbie the address of the hotel she would be staying at for the time being.

➢

Ella stared in awe at the grand entrance of the New York Hotel and Casino. She had never been anywhere like this before and it filled her with a mix of excitement and unease. Stepping out of the cab she gathered her courage to walk inside, but when the woman behind the check-in desk cheery burbled a greeting, Ella's anxiety grew.

Ella glanced around the lobby, eyes quickly scanning over the velvet-covered couches and potted ferns before turning her attention to the woman behind the counter.

"Uh yes," she said, her voice a little sharper than she intended. "I would like a room for a week please." The woman nodded, expression unreadable, and grabbed a large brass key from a row of hooks behind her. She slid it across the counter.

"Your room is on the third floor, room 243. Breakfast is served at eight if you need anything else don't hesitate to ask." Ella wrapped her fingers around the cold metal and nodded in response.

"Thank you." Said Ella as turned and walked to the elevator that took her to the third floor. The elevator stopped and she walked out and down the hall until she stopped in front of the room that was assigned to her. Slipping the key into the door Ella pushed to open it.

   It was a simple room with a bed, closet, and bathroom. Ella set down her suitcase on the bed. When she tapped her wand against it, the latches popped open. After undoing the charm against muggles, she unsnapped the locks at each side of the bag. The top lifted up and out spilled a small orange feline-looking creature that promptly curled up into a ball against the pillow.

Putting it next to the bed she looked over to see her orange-striped kneazle against the pillow, flicking its tail impatiently. Sadie could pass off as a normal cat to any muggle. But in the eye of a wizard or witch, you could tell the obvious difference. Kneazles were incredibly intelligent and looked quite different from a normal cat, with their much longer ears and big eyes. Ella stroked the animal, it purred with happiness.

Ella slowly crouched down to the suitcase, her cold fingers trembling as she unsnapped the gold clasps and opened it. The witch had cast an undetectable expansion charm on the inside of the suitcase, enlarging the space by a few feet and giving her creatures ample room to move around. She leaned in and fished out a small step ladder that she had stored in there earlier. With its help, she climbed into the suitcase.

Ella walked to the part of her case that was the private bedroom. She found a nightgown in her weathered closet and changed for the night. Climbing back out she closed the suitcase for the last time that night. Ella crawled into the bed and curled up in the sheets and fell asleep, dreaming about the magical creatures she hoped to study.

Thank you so much for reading! What did you guys think? I promise the next chapter will be much more exciting and much longer. - nat