Unlikely Companions

Chapter 3 Mathilda Burke

Down in the magical suitcase, Mathilda began to stir awake. She remembered, very vaguely, Queenie's smile and a nice gentleman who had carried her to safety before everything had faded to black.

With a hand over her temple, she attempted to raise her torso, and found herself feeling utterly dizzy. She leaned back down, slowly.

She was sitting on an old but comfortable couch, wearing what was still the standard outfit for all female prisoners of MACUSA – a dull and simple gray dress – when she noticed that her wand was nowhere in sight. Worried, she attempted to get up despite the dizziness, so she could find Queenie, or that man who seemed oddly familiar, but a voice stopped her.

"If you get up, you'll feel worse."

Mathilda looked around, startled. She was alone, she couldn't see anyone else. Maybe all those months in jail had driven her mad.

"He'll come back. He always does."

She nodded, convinced that her consciousness was playing a game on her. Softly, she laid down again, and quickly fell asleep once more.

Outside of the small wooden cabin, the man to whom the voice belonged, sighed. He would care for her, he promised himself, because he could feel that she was as damaged as he was.

---

Newt came down a few hours later, carrying a cauldron of warm soup in his hand. He magically produced a bowl with his wand, and gave it to the young man outside the cabin.

"I've brought dinner for both," he said. "How is she?"

"Asleep," the other man replied. "She woke up a while back, but seemed very confused."

"It's only natural," Newt said. "I had to stun her to bring her here."

"Is she dangerous?"

Newt's eyes rose, and met the younger man's stare. He was still trying to form an opinion on her, and would be waiting to have a good conversation with her once she had recovered. The Goldstein sisters, although respectable in his eyes, seemed cautious around her.

"No," he said. "I don't think so."

"Then why did you have to stun her?"

"We broke her out of jail."

"She was in prison? What was her crime?"

"There was no crime," Newt said. "Just a mistake."

The young man nodded, unconvinced.

"Am I to care for her?" he said, hopeful.

"For now, since she's weak, yes. But, I'm bringing her wand, and once she recovers completely, she'll be able to care for herself."

"When will that be?" he asked, slightly disappointed.

"I expect tomorrow, or maybe the day after."

"Will she stay for long?"

"That's a question that I cannot answer, not right now. She's hiding, just as much as you are, and down here, you're undetectable."

The young man nodded again, and fixated his eyes on the plate of food in front of him. It was the end of their conversation.

Newt, who was still working on understanding the man's behavior, shrugged and walked inside the cabin. He had a young woman to feed.

---

When Mathilda's eyes opened again, she realized she was no longer alone.

"Hello!" A man said from above her. "Come on, I'll help you sit down."