Newt and Esther have been escorted into Madam Picquery's waiting area for their meetings. Newt sits perfectly straight against the back of the chair while Esther is slouched in here. Her legs are crossed with her foot fidgeting in the air. Newts shoes tap the marble floors rhythmically with his elbows resting on the chairs arm and fingers parallel to his upper lip.
Esther unfastens her jacket to relieve her anxious sweating. His eyes shift to her for a moment.
"What?" She inquires.
A faint smile flashes between his hands.
"Stop worrying." He states, staring back at the door leading to her office.
The door the wizard fixated on begins to open and clicking of heels echo within the quiet room.
"Officer Burns. You can come in." The president speaks.
Esther tenses and jerks upwards to stand. Newt watches Esther's steps. They continued to stiffen further the closer she reached her boss. He hopes she'll be able to handle it.
Madam Picquery sits behind her ornate leather throne behind her large desks. Papers are piled neatly on it with today's newsletter placed on top of a map of American in the middle of the desk.
Esther stares at the edge of the desk, focusing on the detailed crown molding. The corner is sharp with a twisted knot beneath it and pearled buttons underneath that.
"I've ordered you to speak with me today over your actions during last night's events. I'm not pleased in the slightest with how you handled my aurors and how you explicitly went against my orders in exterminating the obscurius." She begins.
Esther hunches her shoulders and looks down at the newspaper underneath the president's hands.
"I'm sorry Madam President. I don't know what came over me. I promise to never impede a law enforcement mission. I shouldn't have been there, but Grindelwald was interfering with my department so I couldn't stand by." She mumbles.
The congresswoman nodded her head.
"What you did was unforgivable. You know apologies aren't acceptable especially for the malicious spell you used. I don't condone that source of magic, not even for the aurors, but," she pauses, "You did manage to withhold Grindelwald for some time which the aurors couldn't do. So I'm giving you this as a strict warning. Never use that spell again or I will strip you from your position. I'm giving you a week to be off government property including to perform your duties. This is not a vacation, but a punishment. You will turn in your badge and your right to be in my building." She finishes.
Esther's eyes meet with hers. She's dumbstruck by the president's gracious sentence.
"You're badge." She repeats outstretching her slender hand.
The witch fumbles through her bag that sits in her lap and hands her boss the item.
"We're done here. I'll see you in a week. Bring in Mr.Scamander, please." She instructs.
Esther boots from the chair into the lobby. Newt stands using laying eyes on her. He takes a deep breath only feet away from her.
"So, how'd it go?" He questions.
"I'm on week-long probation, but I still have my job." She sighs. "You're next though."
He nods then proceeds to her office. Esther rests in the chair waiting for him to return. She closes her eyes.
Something taps against her shoulder and she jumps in the chair. She gasps loudly jolting her awake. Newt stands in front of her shocked. She heaves and sighs slowing her breathing.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to scare you." He apologizes touching the top of her hand.
"It's alright. I startle easy." She gulps.
"I noticed." He chuckles.
His soft smile is infectious. She gazes up at him and takes his hand as he lifts her from the chair.
"So, what happened in there?" She asks following him out of the lobby.
Her hand tightens around his as they walk down the bustling hallway. She dodges wary glances from those passing.
"For starters, I got Tina's job back. She'll be happy to hear that."
Esther beams with joy as she listens to him.
"I will have to leave as soon as tomorrow though." He says.
Her smile fades realizing reality. He senses her sadness and squeezes her palm.
"It'll be just fine. Don't worry about it. My philosophy is'"-"Worrying means you suffer twice." Esther finishes his sentence.
He nods. They leave the Woolworth building into the city streets. Esther looks down at her satchel remembering her wand placed inside it.
"Newt! My wand. Remember when Madam President arrived at the station and I could no longer cast with it? I think I broke it." She says stopping to shuffle through her bag to find it. She pulls it out and examines it. Newt covers her wand with his hand.
"You shouldn't be bringing it out in public around muggles. Is there a wand store nearby?" He asks.
She ponders at his question.
"Yes. Wishes, Wands, and Wizardry. It should be open at this time." She answers.
She leads him around a corner and looks up at him.
"Would you mind? My wand isn't working so..." she suggests.
"Oh yes, of course." He replies digging into his pocket for his wand. He flicks his wand and they vanish from where they stood. The couple reappears standing across the street from a cozy cottage.
"Here." The witch says, leading the way towards it.
The overcast above them shined bright enough to see their reflections gleaming against the door of the building. A sign reading 'Wishes, Wands and Wizardry' is placed at eye level in front of the black curtain to conceal the interior. Esther opens the door of the shop. As she takes her first steps she notices a bell hasn't rung indicating their arrival. She observes the quaint and quiet wand shop then spots five figures flying at her.
Esther swings her arm behind her to grab Newt. She winces at the figures then slowly lowers her guard realizing they are essentially the store's security. With further inspection, the figures are wooden dragons made of red-colored wood. They circle them then flutter back to a shelf above the counter. She loosens her grip of the wizard and blushes from her impulsive reaction.
"How peculiar..." Newt whispers over her shoulder unbothered by her previous action.
Esther breathes slowly tensing up from the warmth of his breath prickling her neck. She continues through the store reaching the counter. She stares at the black velvet drapes covering behind the counter. Her eyes scan the desk for a bell to get assistance. The curtains move and a graceful woman approaches the counter. The witch's eyes widen with shock from the beauty of the shop keeper. The woman's platinum blond hair is tied into braids resting on her crown and waves spill over her shoulder.
"Good morning. How can I assist you today?" The shopkeep greets.
Esther delays a response as she's forgotten her trail of thought. Newt clears his throat causing the woman to look up at him. Esther snaps out of her trance.
"Morning. Hello, I-Uhm-I seemed to have broken my wand. I thought you could take a look at it?" She inquires.
The woman's icy blue eyes lay on her once more. She waits to be given the wand in question. Newt places her wand on the counter. From its appearance, there seem to be no fractures, only superficial dings, and knicks in the wood. The wood itself looks to be twisted by design similar to a Chinese Chestnut tree branches. The woman looks down at it then up at Esther, then back at the wand once more.
"Hmm... Chestnut wood," she lifts it and tries to bend it with no avail, "Hard flexibility. And... 12 and a fourth inches long. What is the core? Usually, unicorn hair pairs well with chestnut." She says examining it.
Esther nods in response.
"Yes. Unicorn hair. It stopped working. I can't cast any spells."
The woman looks at the witch. Her brows sink, calculating the cause.
"You're hairs must have died. They only do that when the owner goes against their beliefs or perhaps," she pauses, "Casting dark magic?"
Esther stares at the counter then up at Newt. She bites her lower lip.
"I-uh- I casted... I cast.," she mumbles to herself.
The shopkeep lowers her head, understanding the situation. Newt places his arm behind Esther's waist and touches her forearm.
"She was out of character." He answers for her.
The woman smiles softly.
"I understand. I will replace the unicorn's hair. I'm sure the mistreatment must have been for the sake of justice depicted by your wand's materials. Try not to upset them again. Excuse me." The keep says sliding back into the curtain with Esther's wand.
Newt peers down at Esther the moment the shopkeep left.
"Chestnut and unicorn hair, hm? You know.. That's a great combination for Magizoology, Herbology, and natural-born fliers." He explains.
A grin spreads across her cheeks. She finds his random bursts of information endearing.
"I like it when you say things like that." She replies pulling her frizzy hair behind her ear.
He takes a step back and covers his mouth to hide his flustered cheeks. Comforting silence surrounds them. Moments later the blonde emerges from the curtain and three pigmy dragons trail behind her.
"There. Your wand should work properly now." She says with a smile.
A gold dragon takes the wand and flutters its wings towards Esther to grab her wand. The green dragon hovers around shopkeep and the smallest of the bunch corrals around Newt.
"Noctis, don't be rude. Forgive him. We're still working on his manners." She giggles.
Esther's eyes widen as if smiling seeing the dragons.
"Are these Ignis loquiturs? I haven't seen one in person let alone three." She asks amazed.
The woman nods. "They are. I saved them from becoming someone's breakfast." She answers.
Newt scratches the top of Noctis's head.
"These creatures are quite inquisitive," Newt adds.
The woman gestures the little black dragon to come back to her.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" She asks.
Esther shakes her head. "No, but thank you so much for fixing my wand. How much do I owe you?" She replies.
Esther finishes her transaction while Newt takes a final look around the shop. He suspects the woman is far more than a wandmaker from all the dragons displayed throughout the building.
Esther slides her arm around his heading for the door.
"Have a great day!" Esther says before closing the door behind them.
They carry on down the streets.
"We should make our way to the Goldstein's to update them on the news." Newt remarks.
She nods then checks their surroundings. There's no one in sight. She takes out her and flicks it resulting in disapparating out of sight.
I'd like to give a huge thanks for allowing me to use her canon of Wishes, Wands, and Wizardry as well as her character Myra Kegley and her three dragons for an excerpt of my canon. If you haven't checked out her Echos and The Wandmaker series, please do so! I find a lot of inspiration from her writing.