A cold breeze swept the loose strands of Marigold's hair away from her face. She hugged her arms around her body, trying and failing to warm herself up as she followed the trail of expensive goods and the tiny paw prints through the lightly coated snow streets. Lady Marigold knew she should have turned on her heel to retrieve her coat but she wasn't ready to face Leopold's fury yet nor did she want to lose sight of the beast that had managed to get a head start on her.

Store after store, Marigold peered through the windows in hopes of catching the Niffler but to her misfortune she always seemed to just miss the pesky beast that sought out anything with a sparkle.

Marigold's final day in New York had gone sideways. Her entire schedule had been forgotten from the moment she had stepped into the bank, her necklace had been stolen by a peculiar animal that had tracked her down hours later only to steal her jewellery again, and not to mention, August Wentworth had seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving his sister with the beast that was her future husband.

Marigold was worried about her brother. Lady Marigold knew August was capable of looking after himself and he had a tendency to get lost in the beauty of cities but something about his disappearance felt wrong, especially since Marigold also knew that her brother would never intentionally leave her alone with Leopold.

Passing a Solicitors office that had been established during the war and a Gallo and Dove store, Marigold spotted the Niffler perched upon a car, twisting the silver mascot sculpture off the bonnet. A trail of valuable and stolen items that laid amongst the street connected the beast to S.J Bernstein Watches store that appeared to be missing more than a few ticking wrist and pocket watches. Lady Marigold passed the store after she crossed the street, her cheeks were reddened, her breath was visible from the mid November air and every stride she took was quiet and quick.

Her eyes never left the beast, not even as it tore the sculpture from the car bonnet and scurried toward the Voclain and Co jewellery store that faced a perfume store that Marigold had visited with her brother and fiance during their second week – Leopold had hoped, as he had when he bought Lady Marigold a fur coat, that a bottle of perfume would sweeten their relationship. It hadn't. Marigold's love could not be bought.

Marigold's right foot stumbled over her left and with her eyes locked on the beast ahead as it squeezed under the door of the jewellery store, Lady Marigold crouched behind the sculpture-less car. Chasing the Niffler, as she had done since it arrived in her hotel room and snatched her necklace for a second time, was not working in Marigold's favour.

With cold fingers pressed against the steel body of the car, Marigold peeked over the bonnet. She watched as the Niffler clambered up onto the shelves that were decorated in diamonds that shone like stars in the night sky. It moved swiftly, snatching necklaces, rings and earrings, all of which surprisingly fit into its stomach pouch.

"So did you get your loan?".

With brown eyes that never left the beast, Marigold's attention was caught by the familiar British voice that carried in the wind to her red tipped ears. Lady Marigold couldn't have been mistaken, the only Englishman she had encountered during her time in America that were neither her brother or fiance was Newt Scamander, the rather odd man who was the owner of the Niffler that had led Marigold through the streets of New York.

Marigold's eyes flickered away from the Niffler and towards the street she had just crossed to see Newt – his strange suitcase in hand – with the American man from the bank, turning the corner as they conversated with one another.

Lady Marigold's brows furrowed. It was only that late morning that Marigold had witnessed Newt being smacked over the head by the same man before he disappeared into a crowd of unruly passersby.

"No," The American man scoffed. His dream of owning a bakery was once again crushed, "I ain't got no collateral," He explained to Newt, "Stayed in the army too long, apparently. I don't know," The man shook his head lightly.

"You fought in the war?" Newt questioned.

"Of course I fought in the war. Everyone fought in the war," He stated. August had wanted to fight in the war like most men in their twenties but their father refused to allow it. "You didn't fight in the war?" He asked Newt.

"I worked mostly with dragons-" Dragons. Marigold could not tell if the Englishman was telling the truth or simply telling a harmless tale but after the bizarre events that had occurred in the bank, Marigold leaned more to believing him than disbelieving. "Ukrainian Ironbellies. Eastern front," Newt's voice drowned off into a whisper as he spotted Marigold.

Mr Scamander tilted his head and a small smile, barely noticeable to the woman as she stood up with slightly widened eyes – she'd been caught – curled at the corners of his lips.

Marigold laced her hands behind her back. Her gaze softened as it shifted between the two men who stopped a few feet from her, "Hello, Mr Scamander... and," Marigold tried to recall if she had been properly introduced to the American man she had met at the bank but she could not remember a name.

"Jacob Kowalski," The man pressed his hand against his chest as he introduced himself.

Marigold smiled with a gentle nod, "Good Evening, Mr Kowalski. Lovely weather, yes?".

Jacob stared blankly at the woman ahead of him while Newt followed the trail of gold and silver. 'Lovely' was not how he'd describe the cold sweep of wind that cast a blanket of white snow over New York.

"He found you," A look of amazement shone in Newt's light eyes and he turned to look at Lady Marigold as she stepped around the sculpture-less black car. "Astonishing," Newt mumbled under his breath.

A hand lightly touched Marigold's arm and her gaze met Mr Kowalski's. A hint of concern crossed his features, "You don't happen to have a spare coat in that case, do you?" Jacob spoke to Newt as he gestured to Mr Scamander's case.

Newt's eyes darted from Jacob to Marigold and then back to Jacob. He did have a spare coat, he always kept another incase of an emergency. Jacob nodded his head towards Marigold as inconspicuously as he could and his dark curls moved against his forehead.

The Englishman took note of Lady Marigold's flushed cheeks and blue tinted lips. He also noticed that she no longer wore the thick fur coat that had hugged her warmly that morning when the sun was up, providing heat to the chilled city.

"In there?" Marigold pointed at the suitcase in disbelief – she didn't believe it was large enough to hold a coat – and a light chuckle spilled from her lips but as Marigold's gaze caught Newt's, her laughter died in her throat. Marigold recalled that Newt had stuffed the Niffler into the same suitcase earlier that day.

Newt dropped his stare from Marigold's. He placed his suitcase on the floor by his feet and opened it as he pulled a stick from his blue coat pocket and crouched in front of the case.

"That's a wand," Jacob raised his brows, excited to share some of his new knowledge with someone, even if that someone was awfully confused by Newt Scamander's existence. Jacob looked over his left shoulder and then his right. Marigold copied him, unsure as to who or what the man was looking for. "It's magic," Jacob held in his delighted laughter as he leaned into Marigold's side.

Magic.

Lady Marigold's brows furrowed deeply and she glanced at Newt. The Englishman spoke softly and pointed the stick – or wand as Jacob had just informed Marigold – into his suitcase.

Magic.

"He's a wizard," Jacob whispered, his smile only growing larger as a coat, a shade or two lighter than the one Newt wore flew up out of the suitcase and hovered beside him.

There was definitely something different about Newt Scamander and it intrigued the Wentworth girl. Marigold had never heard the word wizard, not to her recollection at least but she had read about witches, witchcraft and the crimes that were committed during the Salem Witch Trials long before Marigold was born. However, Newt was no character from a fictional book or a piece of history that many believed to be untrue, Newt was real without a doubt.

The blue trench coat floated towards Marigold and she hesitantly grabbed it with both hands, holding it at an arm's length. It was warm, comforting and not at all scratchy which Marigold had expected it to have been.

Newt offered Marigold a smile, one so tender it melted her apprehension. Marigold returned the smile and she slid her arms into the sleeves. The coat would have perfectly fit August, he was roughly the same height and build as Mr Scamander, however it hung loosely on his younger sister.

"Now," Newt turned away from Marigold as he picked up his suitcase, "Where did that pilfering pest get to?" Newt wondered.

Fastening the brown buttons on the trench coat, Marigold glanced at the Voclain and Co jewellery store. She couldn't be certain that the Niffler hadn't managed to sneak out of a back door or even exited the store under her nose but Lady Marigold thought it was best if they looked before Newt came up with some plan or used his 'magic' to conjure his animal back to him.

"Voclain and Co," Newt looked over his shoulder and Marigold nodded her head to the jewellery store ahead of them, "Your Niffler is looking for a pair of earrings to match my necklace".

Jacob laughed, amused by the thought and by the events that had led him to Marigold's side.

Newt fixed his gaze on the store. It was clear that his Niffler had stepped its paws into the store, drawers laid open, cases were discarded on the floor missing jewellery and stands stood bare. But the Niffler was not as easily noticed as Newt walked towards the large window.

Marigold followed after Newt and joined him at his side as he peered through the glass. Neither of them could see the beast that was staring straight at them, frozen like a statue with two necklaces hung on its arm. The Niffler wobbled on its back legs and the jewels sparkled in the moonlight.

"Mr Scamander," Marigold spoke in a whisper as her eyes never left the beast.

Newt tilted his head and he hummed, acknowledging the Wentworth woman beside him as the necklaces slipped off the Nifflers arm and fell into a silver puddle on the shelf. The beast slowly faced Newt and the man raised his brows in disbelief.

However, as Marigold wondered just exactly how Newt would get the Niffler out of the locked store, the pesky beast scurried away from the window, snatching the necklace it had dropped again.

Newt wasted not a second. He sat his suitcase on the floor, pointed his wand at the glass and said, "Fenestra". The glass shattered at their feet and the Englishman jumped into the Voclain and Co store. Lady Marigold inhaled a sharp breath and her heeled shoes crunched in the shards of glass as she took a step towards the store.

Marigold extended her arm out in front of her and even as her hand passed through the large glass-less window pane she still couldn't quite believe it and neither could Jacob who began looking over his shoulders as Marigold watched Newt search a set of drawers for the beast. Lady Marigold was certain that he was breaking at least a couple of laws.

"Mr Kowalski," Marigold couldn't tear her eyes from the man in the store. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" Lady Marigold spoke quietly.

"I wish we were," Jacob whispered.

The Niffler scampered onto Newt's shoulders as it ran out of the drawer. The beast jumped onto the glass cabinet beside Newt, plucking another diamond necklace from a stand before it leaped onto the chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

Newt clambered up onto the drawer, knocking over the empty stands and the glass cabinet as he grabbed on to the chandelier.

The chandelier began to spin, the thieving beast chittered and Newt clung onto the light.

Marigold winced as Newt accidentally knocked over the glass cabinet with his legs. The crash of the cabinet echoed down the long street, Marigold covered her mouth with her hand silencing her shocked gasp and Jacob mumbled a string of panicked words under his breath, all of which were lost in the chaos that the Englishman and his pet were causing.

Jacob looked over his shoulders again, the street was clear beside a single man dressed in all black who only glanced in their direction as he crossed the snow frosted pavement.

"Mr Scamander, please be careful-" Marigold's warning for Newt to be careful was interrupted by the chandelier falling from the ceiling with an even louder crash as the glass broke into fragments around the man and beast. "Oh my," Lady Marigold staggered back from the window with wide eyes that never blinked. "Mr Scamander, are you alright?".

"I'm quite alright, Lady Marigold," Newt bolted to his feet as he responded to the woman outside of the store with the scampering Niffler still in his sights. Jewels that were yet to be stolen were knocked to the ground as Newt climbed up the cabinets in tow of his Niffler.

Marigold and Jacob's attention was pulled away from the scene inside the store as a terrifying roar – that came from Newt's suitcase – met their ears. Marigold looked between the case and the dark haired curly man who stared at her with worry in his equally dark eyes.

"What is that?" Marigold spoke in a whisper. Marigold thought that even if Jacob knew what it was, she believed she'd have no prior knowledge of the creature.

Jacob stepped toward the case slowly and he clicked the clasp back into place, trapping whatever it was inside the suitcase, "It's definitely not a Niffler," Jacob replied.

i don't even know how long it's been since i updated flower press and i can't promise that updates will be regular just yet because i've been working on my neville fic (and other fics) but i wanted to get this chapter out.