Underwater ↠ Newt Scamander

1.04 | The Major Investigations Department

THE MAJOR INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT

"WHEN NO-MAJS ARE AFRAID, they attack. This could mean exposure. It could mean war." A woman's voice echoed through the large room. For such a seemingly important meeting they had a real lack of security. There was no doubt in Arethusa's mind that they were discussing something important, and from the awkward way Newt stood she figured that he thought the same.

All it took was for one person to seem them for a tense silence to fall. The man stood a little straighter and thus directing everybody else's attention towards the pair. One by one the members of the major investigations team looked them up and down. The woman was the last one to do so and she seemed more focused on Porpetina than the two she had brought along with her. "I made your position here quite clear, Miss Goldstein."

"Yes, Madam President, but I—" Porpetina tried to cut in but to no avail. The woman, now identified as the President Seraphina Piquery, cut her off with a harsh glare. She seemed to radiate authority, and that was something Arethusa couldn't help but respect.

"You are no longer an Auror," If they weren't both feeling incredibly awkward at the moment. Newt and Arethusa probably would've felt bad for the girl. Arethusa could tell they were both starting to grow restless, despite it only being around four in the afternoon. Newt would much rather be in the case with his creatures, making sure they were all okay, and Arethusa was more than desperate for a nap, or a swim at the very least.

"No, Madam President," Porpetina let out a small sigh, giving in for only a second before her face lit back up again. "But..."

"Goldstein."

"Theres been a minor incident!" She tried to explain. There was another pause and Tina's loss of words was ultimately her downfall. The president only gave her an unamused look. She seemed much more annoyed by this disturbance than anything.

"Well, this office is currently concerned with very major incidents. Get out."

"Yes, ma'am," Porpetina immediately complied. She ducked her head as she turned, pulling Newton and Arethusa along with her. While most of the team turned back to their work upon their leave, Percival Graves couldn't help but wonder what exactly the pair was up to.

With another ride in the elevator they found themselves in a change of scene. They now stood in front of a large wooden desk with the words "Wand Permit Office" hanging from the little divit in the ceiling above it. The 'office' was incredibly small, surrounded by miles and miles of empty desks. It was the very same thing Newt Scamander described to her in his nightmares.

"So, you got your wand permit? All foreigners have to have them in New York." Porpetina asked as she began to look through the files. Arethusa barely looked up at her as she watched two of the paper rights begin to fight. It was an amusing little charm and probably the only thing that kept the workers sane, even though the only one present was Porpetina.

"We made a postal application weeks ago," Newt replied.

"Scamander-- You were just in Equatorial Guinea?" She quirked an eyebrow at the man, clearly questioning where they came from. The trip to Equatorial Guinea had been a long one. If Newt had his ways they would've apparated to a nearby territory before entering as many of the countries around it hadn't established a proper apparition border. The wizarding community in Guinea was far more advanced than most others, especially when compared to it's muggle counterpart Spanish Guinea.

"I've just completed a year in the field. I'm writing a book about magical creatures."

"Like... an extermination guide?" Arethusa couldn't tell she was serious or not. Something told her that she was, but her eyes had gone wide. Surely, she didn't mean it.

"No." Newt answered immediately, shaking his head at the woman. An extermination guide was something she couldn't even comprehend. She was more connected to the creatures Newt was putting in his book, but it wasn't just based on her bias. She couldn't comprehend why people killed the creatures for the sake of getting rid of them, or even for the use of magic. They should've made a relocation guide. "A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures instead of killing them."

"Goldstein!" Arethusa jumped about three feet in the air when she heard the voice. Footsteps followe the sound of the shouting man as he marched his way towards them. Porpetina, however, ducked down and hid under the desk. "Where is she? Where is she? Goldstein!"

"Goldstein!" The second time Porpetina perked up, peeking up over the desk at the rather short  man that stood next to Arethusa. While he wasn't as tall as Newt he was still a good couple of inches taller than the girl. "Did you just butt in on the Investigative Team again?"

"Where've you been?" He got not answer from the woman as she slowly started to stand back up. He let out an exasperated sigh, something that was starting to become pretty common in their adventures. It was becoming abundantly clear that Porpetina didn't like to answer any kind of questions, so the man just sighed and turned to look at the two. "Where'd she pick you two up?"

It took a moment for Newt to register, while Arethusa simply stayed quiet. The man was being incredibly loud and seemed just as invasive as Porpetina. It only reminded her of why she chose to stay with Newt: He didn't press anything. "Us? Uh--"

"Have you been tracking them Second Salemers again?" The man questioned before Newt even got a chance to answer. It left everyone completely frazzled as he continued to fire question after question at the man.

"Of course not, sir," Porpetina looked down as she spoke. She only looked back up when another set of footsteps came walking, causing all four of them to turn and look. It was one of the men from the meeting they had walked into, one that held a certain air of familiarity she couldn't quite shake.

"Afternoon, Mr. Graves, sir!"

"Afternoon, Abernathy," The Mr. Graves greeted the small man, who she now knew as Abernathy. Graves glanced at Newt and Arethusa for a couple of seconds before turning all of his attention on Porpetina. The look on his face said it all and the woman quickly started to explain herself.

"Mr. Graves, sir, this is Mr. Scamander. He has a crazy creature in that case and it got out and caused mayhem in a bank, sir."

Graves turned to inspect Newt once more. He looked the younger Scamander up and down before his eyes fell on Arethusa. She shifted awkwardly as he stared. Eventually he seemed to figure out what we was thinking as he turned back to Porpetina. "And this is?"

"Miss Atwood, sir," The woman awkwardly responded. It was clear a majority of them were rather uncomfortable with Graves's presence. He had a weird aura around him, and Arethusa wasn't sure if she should be comforted or terrified. "Mr Scamander's accomplice."

"Lets see the little guy."

"I--" Newt immediatly tried to interject as Porpetina picked his case up off the floor, moving to a table to show it. He never got to say anything as the Mr. Graves put his hand up to silence him. He and Abernathy followed Porpetina, all of them curious to see what was in the case. She popped it open as Arethusa and Newt shared a look.

Dead silence followed. Arethusa was the first to look inside the case, her eyes widening when she saw it. She lightly smacked Newt on the arm to grab his attention. When he turned to look his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Instead of their creatures they found piles and piles of baked goods. They shared yet another look, but this time it was one of worry. "But, sir..."

"Tina..." The man let out a disappointed sigh, walking away with Abernathy following suit. Porpetina simply stared at the case below them before looking up at the bewildered pair. They had the wrong case; The creatures were gone. As soon as the two actual auror's had left the three remaining went scrambling into action, rushing to get out of the building and find the case.

- - - -

Q: Favorite Hogwarts professor of all time?

McGonagall, one hundred percent. She's a badass of a teacher and she's a badass of a woman, and I absolutely adore Maggie Smith.