Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...Continued.

12: Presentation

QUEENIE
Queenie woke with a start, across from Tina, who was breathing hard. It was hours before the presentation, and was still dark. She checked the clock out of the corner if her eye.
"It's four in the morning, Teen," Queenie said sleepily, stretching and looking over at her sister, who was covering her face. Queenie read her mind and felt disappointed for her. "Oh, Tina....well, that just makes another good thing to look forward to once he comes over here, doesn't it?"
"I guess," Tina sighed wistfully. "And it wouldn't have been real, anyway. Good night, Queenie. Thanks..."
"No problem, Teen," Queenie yawned. She rolled over, trying her best to ignore Tina's thoughts as she tried her hardest to fall back to sleep. They were so close to touching... but, was it better this way, because they were so far away in real life? Maybe it was one of those things you had to be there to experience in the right way.
Queenie forced her thoughts onto the presentation, but it only made it harder for her to fall back to sleep. Finally, she just used a relaxing charm on herself and Tina; they needed all the rest they could get before tomorrow. After casting it on a silently restless Tina, Queenie put her wand tip to her own temple and said "Tellus," before instantly drifting into a dreamless sleep.

"Queenie, it's time to get up," Tina said suddenly. She was already dressed and had made breakfast in the kitchen for both of them. As Queenie rose, she immediately saw how tired Tina looked.
"Did you sleep at all after I cast that relaxing charm?" She asked.
"I did, but I woke up a couple hours earlier than usual," Tina said as she pulled her necklace out of the jewelry box and clasped it around her neck. "I made breakfast, for a change."
"Thanks, Teen," Queenie yawned, getting up and getting dressed.
"You're welcome," said Tina distractedly as she left. She was going over the presentation in her head, correcting words here and there and imagining Madam Picquery's reactions to certain parts of it.
They ate a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs and Disapparated for work, hurriedly entering the building, Tina grasping the large notepad they had prepared the presentation on. Technically, their appointment wasn't scheduled until 7:00 A.M., so they were an hour early. They looked at each other. Tina was very nervous.
"Gimme the presentation, Teen, and go down to the Auror office. I'll be in the Wand Permit office, as usual, if you need me. We'll meet outside Picquery's office at six forty-five, all right?" Queenie said.
"Right, yeah," Tina said, passing the note pad to Queenie with a professional expression on her face. She walked off without another word, going over the presentation in her head, and repeating the words over and over in her head "This is everything to Queenie."
Queenie sighed. Yes, it did mean a lot to her. But she had a feeling that Tina was taking it - along with some other things - too seriously. Queenie didn't want her sister to psyce herself out over the presentation, or Newt, or her job, or anything. However, Tina wasn't a relaxed person; she overthought things, as Queenie knew all too well.
"Queenie!" Came a voice from behind her.
"Good morning, Mr. Abernathy," Queenie said, putting on her usual sugared smile absentmindedly. "How are you?"
"Oh, good, good, I'm good," Abernathy had some creepy thoughts about the way she looked, and made himself stop thinking about it before said. "How about you?"
"I'm fine," Queenie lied, as most of us do when asked that question. "Anyway, I have a presentation to give with Tina later. We have an appointment with Madam Picquery."
"Oh, all right," Abernathy said. "How's Tina doing as an Auror?"
"Great." Queenie saw a flicker of doubt wave over his mind. Why would they repromote her after all she did to the NSPS? She didn't have what it took to be an Auror; shw couldn't even do her job at the wand permit office.
She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming, "AND HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT THEY LOOKED FOR IN AURORS, CREEP?"
But she held her tongue. That was a big part of being a Legillimens.
Instead, her smile went from sugared to acidic as she walked a bit faster. "Well, I'll see you later, Mr. Abernathy."
"Bye, then," he said, sounding mildly disappointed.
Queenie sped to the office, furiously wondering why people were so horrible. They were creepy and doubtful and vintictive. Sometimes the thing that she regretted most about life was becoming a person that was condemned to see the dark thoughts of others's minds, the person those who knew her wouldn't trust themselves to be around for fear of leaking their most precious secrets. It was enough to make her want to reverse her powers; but you can't do that. Besides, as horrible as it was...being a Legillimens had its uses.
<><><>LATER, OUTSIDE MADAM PICQUERY'S OFFICE<><><>
"I knew you'd be right on time, Teen!" Queenie breathed a sigh of relief as Tina came around the corner, a serious, hardened look covering her face.
"Yes," she said, her expression softening almist unnoticably. "Now, do you have the board?"
"Right here," Queenie held it up. "Ready?"
"Ready," Tina said confidently. She rapped her knuckles on the door.
"Come in," came the president's voice.
The sisters gave each other a look that said This is it, good luck before they walked briskly into the large office, closing the door behind them.
"Good morning, Goldsteins," Picquery said distantly as she scribbled something on a pad of paper.
"Good morning, Madam President," Queenie said smoothly. "We've prepared a presentation for you."
"A presentation?" Picquery looked up from her notes.
"Yes, ma'am," Tina said. "We asked a friend of ours and he said it would be a great way to prove our point."
"Well, I hope he was right," Picquery said. "Please, begin." She leaned wearily back in her desk chair and watched expectantly. Tina cleared her throat and gathered her composure, and Queenie straightened and opened the presentation.
"Well, ma'am, we'd like to propose a new law," Queenie said.
"A law that will allow maritial and paternal relationships between people of No-maj and wizard backgrounds," Tina said evenly.
Queenie momentarily saw the panic in the president's mind, and a thought "Here we go again; just what the Minister was telling me to consider." But she remembered that Queenie was a registered Legillimens, so she blocked her mind and nodded for them to continue.
"As we see here," Queenie indicated the presentation's first page. "This graph depicts the No-maj suspicion of the existance of magic from 1850 to today." She pointed to a line graph; it started low, gradually climbed upward, and suddenly, dropped drastically in the year 1926.
"I see," the President said, knitting her fingers together in front of her face. "If a No-maj and a wizard are in a relationship, what do you suppose would happen?"
"We believe that now is the best time for this law to be put into action," Tina said. "The No-majs think magic is proposterous since the fall of the New Salemers, so the probability of a breach of the International Statute of Secrecy is very low, as depicted here. So, even if the No-maj says something, there are little chances anyone would believe him or her."
"Little chances are still chances, Goldstein," Picquery pointed out tartly.
"Chances that we can afford to take, Madam President, at the time being. Love, whether maritial or paternal, shouldn't be bound to origins." Queenie said. Tina panicked mentally for a second, but the President began to consider.
"In truth, ladies, this is a matter I was recently discussing with the British Minister of Magic. He wishes me to propose the exact same law to the Congress, so that it may be passed. But you forget," she put a hand on her cheek wearily. "That I can't pass laws myself. I can only send them to Congress and hope for the best."
"We know, Madam President," Tina said, desperation leaking through her professional demeanor. "But it's definitely worth a shot, isn't it?"
"Personally," Picquery said, her voice softening. "I believe this law should be passed. Since the fall of the New Salemers, I've hoped for a better relationship with the No-maj government and public. I've talked to the No-maj President, and he feels the same way. But...it isn't for me, or him, to decide. That's the Congress's decision, ladies."
"Yes, ma'am," Queenie said, a small ray of hope in her heart. "We understand. Thank you for your time."
"Goldsteins!" The President said as they turned to walk out. "Wait. I'll send the Bill to Congress tonight. It may take a while for them to decide, but they've all known it was coming. So who knows? There may be news sooner than expected."
"Thank you, Madam President," Tina sighed in relief. "We'll keep an eye on the news."
Queenie couldn't speak as they walked out. She was relieved beyond words; the President agreed with them. However, as Picquery had pointed out, this was ultimately a decision for Congress to decide.
Meaning Queenie might have to wait for weeks to know whether or not she was allowed to love who she wanted to.
Okay. I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out, but you know. (Generic excuse involving Writer's Block). I'll probably be writing a bit more from now on. Thanks for all the love and support😗
-Luna Page