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Newt Scamander strolled through the busy streets of New York, his eyes scanning the bustling city around him. He took in the vibe of the towering buildings, the people rushing about, and the energy of the urban jungle. He paused for a moment, turning in circles as if savoring the sights, before continuing on his way.

"Out of the way, folks! Coming through!" A fire truck blared as it barreled through the crowd, causing everyone to scramble aside. Newt barely flinched, his attention still fixed on the vibrant surroundings.

After a few more steps, Newt arrived at a grand set of stairs, where a crowd had gathered. A woman stood at the top, her voice carrying over the sea of people below.

"This great city sparkles with the jewels of man's invention!" she proclaimed, her voice booming through the air. The crowd seemed to hang on her every word. Newt, meanwhile, scanned the area, distracted by the buzz of the crowd and the chaos of the city.

"Movie theaters, automobiles, the wireless, electric lights!" she continued, her fervor growing.

Meanwhile, across the street, Davina noticed a man in a blue coat standing among the crowd. Something about him seemed familiar. She studied him for a moment, then recognized the brown leather case he carried—an unmistakable sign of who he was.

Newt, unaware that anyone was watching, accidentally bumped into a woman eating a hot dog, still distracted by the woman on the stairs.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," Newt apologized, flashing her an apologetic smile as he continued on, weaving through the crowd.

The woman with the hot dog glanced after him, intrigued, but quickly refocused on the speaker, who was now adding something ominous.

"But where there is light, there is shadow, my friends! Something is stalking our city, wreaking destruction and disappearing without a trace!" The woman's voice rang out with urgency.

Davina froze. The words hit her like a bolt of lightning. Destruction? The ruined building she'd heard about—it had to be what the speaker meant.

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"Join us, the Second Salemers, in our fight against this evil!" she shouted, her voice growing more impassioned.

Davina shook her head, a wry smile curling on her lips. The woman's words amused her, but she wasn't interested in joining some fringe movement.

"Sorry, doll," a voice said beside her. A man, small with dark hair, sidestepped her, carefully squeezing through the crowd.

"Just trying to get to the bank," he muttered. Davina glanced at him and immediately noticed that he was carrying a case nearly identical to the one Newt had.

The woman on the stairs continued her tirade, her voice now booming with dramatic flair. "We must stand together for the sake of our—"

She was abruptly cut off when the small man stumbled, tripping over the edge of Newt's case. In an instant, all eyes were on the two men.

Davina, still unable to see clearly, strained to catch a glimpse of what was happening. She could only hear the frantic murmurs of the crowd.

"I'm so sorry! My case," Newt stammered, trying to regain his balance.

The crowd gasped. Then, a voice Davina hadn't heard in years rang out, unmistakable.

"No harm done," Newt assured, his tone both embarrassed and eager to move on. He quickly climbed the stairs, the crowd parting before him.

The woman at the top of the stairs didn't let up. She pointed directly at Newt, her voice turning sharp. "You! Yes, you!" she shouted.

Newt looked up, startled.

"Friend, what drew you to our gathering today?" she asked, stepping down a few stairs.

"Oh, I was just passing through," Newt said awkwardly, offering a nervous smile as he tried to slip past her.

"Are you a seeker?" she pressed, her voice rising with intensity. "A seeker of truth?"

"I'm more of a chaser, really," Newt responded quickly, clearly hoping to deflect her attention.

The woman went on, her theories about witches and monsters growing more wild with each word.

Meanwhile, Davina had finally made her way through the crowd, getting closer to the stairs where Newt stood. As she did, a strange clicking sound caught her attention. She looked up, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the small brown creature perched atop the staircase.

A niffler. The shiny, thieving little creature was scurrying about, its paws diving into the homeless man's collection cup, stealing his change.

A flash of recognition hit Davina hard. She knew that creature. It had to be Newt's.

The man beside her, now catching sight of the niffler, muttered something under his breath and rushed up the stairs, seemingly aware of the creature's presence.

Davina, intrigued and eager to learn more, decided to follow. She pushed her way through the crowd, darting into the bank just behind the man in the blue coat.

Whatever had brought him here, she knew one thing for sure: she was about to find out.

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The bank was packed, its bustling crowd making it harder than ever for Newt Scamander to search for his runaway creature.

Amid the sea of people, a brunette woman caught sight of the man with the case who was being held up by an older gentleman.

Newt, meanwhile, was scanning the area desperately. His eyes darted across the crowd, seeking any sign of his mischievous Niffler.

"Can I help you, Sir?" a voice called out. An older man, smiling kindly, approached Newt.

But Newt barely heard him. His gaze was locked on a young woman in with a yellow hair bow who was weaving through the crowd, moving quickly—she was following his Niffler.

His eyes widened as he muttered, almost to himself, "No... I was just—" He trailed off, watching the woman with the coat round a corner, her face still hidden.

He snapped back to the man beside him, managing a nervous smile. "I was just waiting," he said, sitting down on a nearby bench, next to the man who had almost tripped over his case just moments before.

What Newt didn't realize was that the woman he had collided with earlier—who had been carrying a hot dog—was now watching him from behind a pillar. She eyed his suspicious behavior with growing curiosity.

The man beside him turned to face Newt, flashing him a friendly smile. "Hi," he said, clearly eager to start a conversation.

"What brings you here?" he asked, leaning in closer.

"Same as you," Newt replied distractedly, still scanning the room for any sign of his creature.

The man furrowed his brow, confused. "You're here to get a loan to open a bakery?" he asked, leaning in even closer.

"Yes," Newt muttered, his focus unwavering.

"What are the odds of that?" the man exclaimed with a chuckle, unaware that Newt wasn't really listening.

Just then, Newt spotted the Niffler. The small creature was happily digging through a handbag, collecting shiny coins. Newt's eyes widened with relief. He needed to act fast.

With a sudden jolt, he leapt up, grabbing his case in one swift motion. "Excuse me," he said, hurriedly brushing past the chatty man.

Without looking back, he sprinted toward the handbag, where the Niffler was making a mess of the woman's coins.

The man stared after him, eyes wide with surprise, as a silvery egg appeared on the bench where Newt had just been sitting. He reached out to grab it.

"Hey!" the man called after Newt. "Hey, mister!"

But Newt was already out of earshot, focused entirely on catching his creature.

"Hey, fella," the man tried again, this time picking up the egg curiously, "I think you lost your egg!"

Just as the man fumbled with the egg, a woman in a strict uniform approached him.

"Mr. Kowalski, Mr. Bingley will see you now," she said, her tone clipped and businesslike.

Mr. Kowalski glanced at the egg nervously, slipping it carefully into the pocket of his jacket. "Okay," he muttered, walking towards the door where the woman stood, still clutching the egg.

He cracked his neck nervously, attempting to calm himself, and disappeared into Mr. Bingley's office.

Meanwhile, Newt was still in hot pursuit of his Niffler, who was now hopping from one case to another, stealing whatever shiny object it could find.

Newt reached for the creature as it crawled into a handbag full of gold coins, but just as he was about to grab it, the Niffler darted out and hid under a nearby bench.

A dog barked at the creature, causing it to scurry up a golden pillar and onto the railing of the first floor.

Newt followed its movements with desperate eyes, but the Niffler had already jumped into a bag full of coins, which was being moved to the basement.

Just then, a shout pulled him from his trance.

"Hey, Mr. English Guy! I think your egg's hatching!" Mr. Kowalski called from across the room, holding the silvery egg high in the air.

Newt froze. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the elevator doors close with his Niffler inside.

Turning back to Kowalski, his nerves exploded at the chaos at hand.

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𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: second chapter today!!!

Larah :)