Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Ma’am. Yesterday a wizard entered New York with a case. This case full of magical creatures, and—unfortunately—some have escaped.

MADAM PICQUERY

He arrived yesterday? You have known for twenty-four hours that an unregistered wizard set magical beasts loose in New York and you see fit to tell us only when a man has been killed?

TINA

Who has been killed?

MADAM PICQUERY

Where is this man?

Tina sets the case flat on the floor and thumps the lid. After a second or two, it creaks open. First Newt, then Jacob emerges, looking sheepish and nervous.

BRITISH ENVOY

Scamander?

NEWT

(closing the case)

Oh—er—hello, Minister.

MOMOLU WOTORSON

Theseus Scamander? The war hero?

BRITISH ENVOY

No, this is his little brother. And what in the name of Merlin are you doing in New York?

NEWT

I came to buy an Appaloosa Puffskein, sir.

BRITISH ENVOY

(suspicious)

Right. What are you really doing here?

MADAM PICQUERY

(to Tina, about Jacob)

Goldstein—and who is this?

TINA

This is Jacob Kowalski, Madam President, he’s a No-Maj who got bitten by one of Mr. Scamander’s creatures.

Furious reaction from the MACUSA employees and dignitaries all around.

MINISTERS

(whispers)

No-Maj? Obliviated?

Newt is absorbed in the image of Senator Shaw’s body floating around the room.

NEWT

Merlin’s beard.

MADAM YA ZHOU

You know which of your creatures was responsible, Mr. Scamander?

NEWT

No creature did this . . . Don’t pretend! You must know what that was; look at the marks . . .

ANGLE ON SENATOR SHAW’S FACE.

ANGLE ON NEWT.

NEWT

That was an Obscurus.

Mass consternation, muttering, exclamations. Graves looks alert.

MADAM PICQUERY

You go too far, Mr. Scamander. There is no Obscurial in America. Impound that case, Graves!

Graves summons the case; it lands next to him. Newt draws his wand.

NEWT

(to Graves)

No . . . Give that b—!

MADAM PICQUERY

Arrest them!

A dazzling eruption of spells hits Newt, Tina, and Jacob, all of whom are slammed to their knees. Newt’s wand flies out of his hands, caught by Graves.

Graves stands and picks up the case.

NEWT

(magically restrained)

No—no—don’t hurt those creatures—please, you don’t understand—nothing in there is dangerous, nothing!

MADAM PICQUERY

We’ll be the judges of that!

(to the Aurors now standing behind them)

Take them to the cells!

ANGLE ON GRAVES watching Tina as she, Newt, and Jacob are dragged away—

NEWT

(screaming, desperate)

Don’t hurt those creatures—there is nothing in there that is dangerous. Please don’t hurt my creatures—they are not dangerous . . . Please, they are not dangerous!

SCENE 61

INT. MACUSA CELL—DAY

Newt, Tina, and Jacob sitting, Newt with his head in his hands, still in utter despair about his creatures. Finally Tina, on the verge of tears, breaks the silence.

TINA

I am so sorry about your creatures, Mr. Scamander. I truly am.

Newt remains silent.

JACOB

(sotto voce, to Tina)

Can someone please tell me what this Obscurial—Obscurius thing is? Please?

TINA

(also sotto voce)

There hasn’t been one for centuries—

NEWT

I met one in Sudan three months ago. There used to be more of them but they still exist. Before wizards went underground, when we were still being hunted by Muggles, young wizards and witches sometimes tried to suppress their magic to avoid persecution. Instead of learning to harness or to control their powers, they developed what was called an Obscurus.

TINA

(off Jacob’s confusion)

It’s an unstable, uncontrollable Dark force that busts out and—and attacks . . . and then vanishes . . .