Otherworldly ❦ Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them [hiatus]

Chapter Three: Who Is Grindelwald?

The table grew quiet, all unaware of the girl's presence until now. Tina and Newt looked at each other, while Queenie took matters into her own hands and stood up, a bright smile on her face. "Why, look at you all nice and clean! It looks like the pajamas did fit after all. I knew they would!" She walked over to Lucy, placing a hand on her arm. "Now, why don't we get some food in you? You must be real hungry after such a busy day!" Queenie sat Lucy into the seat next to Newt before bustling into the kitchen to pour soup into Lucy's bowl. All the while, Newt and Tina stayed quietly, seemingly very interested in their own bowls of soup. Both had an awkward energy surrounding them, something Lucy couldn't help but notice. In lieu of this, again, she piped up:

"Who is Grindelwald?"

Queenie set down Lucy's bowl carefully as Tina set her spoon down with force, clearly frustrated. "He's no one, Lucy. You shouldn't worry about things that don't pertain to you." Tina said, placing her right hand on her forehead. She looked at Newt, obviously flustered. "You could've given me a bit of warning," Tina muttered under her breath, eyes darting toward Lucy. She pretended not to notice, instead swirling her spoon around a carrot in her soup. Queenie looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to eat. The soup was a murky brown color, thick and giving off a nice aroma. Heat radiated off the bowl, and Lucy couldn't help the watering in her mouth. Peas, green beans, lentils, and carrots filled the bowl. It was classic vegetable soup. Lucy smelled it, inhaling the scent before taking her first bite. It tasted as good as it smelled. She rejoiced in it; she wasn't used to hot foods.

"I'd no idea my niffler escaped, it wasn't my fault," Newt refuted, equally as quiet. "Believe me, I don't consider this situation very desirable either. I believed you could fix it, so we brought her to you. Don't think I did this in bad spirit."

"Bad spirit," Tina scoffed, her voice a normal tone. She finished her soup and brought her bowl to the sink. "Of course you didn't mean for this to happen, Newt, but it did, and you have to live up to it." Tina sighed, her hands on her hips. Lucy didn't look at them, shame filling her. Queenie sighed, quite loudly, to signal her distress. "I'm sorry," Tina said, feeling guilty for hurting the young girl's feelings. "You're not a bother. It's just, here in New York we have strict rules about non-magic folk discovering the wizarding world. It's different where Newt's from," Tina explained, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy, although she felt like a bother, was comforted by Tina's sentiment. Whatever obliviation was, she was sure it was safe. "When you're all done eating, I can set up a room for you," Tina said gently. Lucy nodded and returned to her bowl. The three adults retreated to the sitting room, their voices low. Lucy couldn't make out anything they said, and she figured it was better that way. After all, her entire situation was a bit odd. She didn't understand the world of adults as it was, let alone magical adults. On that note, a fire was lit in the fireplace, warming the apartment. Lucy finished her bowl and brought it to the sink before Queenie appeared before her.

"No, no, it's okay. I got that for you. You go with Tina to settle down for bed, it's gettin' real late." Lucy shrugged and handed the bowl to Queenie, Tina behind her. Tina nodded her head to the left, signaling for Lucy to follow her. The passed the sitting room, where Newt sat by his lonesome against the couch, case in front of him. She wondered what was inside it.

"Here's where you can bunk for the night," Tina said as they stood in front of an oak door. "It's not much, but it's warm." She pushed the door open to reveal a plain room with a bed shoved in the left corner, it's brown duvet cover sticking out against the white wallpaper. Adjacent was a desk, a pen and writing paper on top of it with a wooden, lanky chair. A lamp lit up in the right corner, dousing the room in a warm glow. Lucy felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

"It's wonderful," She said with fascination in her eyes. Lucy hadn't slept in a real bed in a long, long time, especially not a comfortable one and definitely not a warm one. She took a few steps in the room, her hand tracing the duvet cover in wonder. It felt wonderful against her skin. "Thank you."