J. Rowling - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The guard immediately opens the door.

A normal 1920s office atrium, people milling around and chatting.

TINA (O.S.)

Hey. By the way, we closed that guy down a year ago. We don’t allow the breeding of magical creatures in New York.

We pan around and watch Tina come through the door with Newt. As they enter, the whole entrance magically transforms from the Woolworth Building to the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA).

NEWT’S POV—They move up a wide staircase and enter the main lobby—a vast, impressive space with impossibly high vaulted ceilings.

High up—a gigantic dial with many cogs and faces emblazoned with the legend: MAGICAL EXPOSURE THREAT LEVEL. The hand on the dial points to SEVERE: UNEXPLAINED ACTIVITY. Behind it hangs an imposing portrait of a majestic-looking witch: Seraphina Picquery, MACUSA president.

Owls circulate, witches and wizards in 1920s dress are hard at work. Tina guides an impressed-looking Newt through the bustle. They pass several wizards sitting in a line, waiting to have their wands shined by a house-elf who operates a complex contraption of feathers.

Newt and Tina reach an elevator. The doors open to reveal Red, a goblin bellboy.

RED

Hey, Goldstein.

TINA

Hey, Red.

Tina pushes Newt inside.

TINA

(to Red)

Major Investigation Department.

RED

I thought you was—

TINA

Major Investigation Department! I got a Section 3A!

Red uses a long clawed stick to reach an elevator button above his head. The elevator descends.

CLOSE ON A NEWSPAPER— The New York Ghost , with the headline MAGICAL DISTURBANCES RISK WIZARDING EXPOSURE .

A group of the highest-level Aurors in the organization are gathered together in serious discussion. Among them is Graves, examining the newspaper, his face cut and bruised from last night’s encounter with the strange entity, and President Seraphina Picquery herself.

MADAM PICQUERY

The International Confederation is threatening to send a delegation. They think this is related to Grindelwald’s attacks in Europe.

GRAVES

I was there. This is a beast. No human could do what this thing is capable of, Madam President.

MADAM PICQUERY (O.S.)

Whatever it is, one thing’s clear—it must be stopped. It’s terrorizing No-Majs and when No-Majs are afraid, they attack. This could mean exposure. It could mean war.

On hearing footsteps, the group looks around to see Tina, who approaches cautiously, leading Newt.

MADAM PICQUERY

(angry but contained)

I made your position here quite clear, Miss Goldstein.

TINA

(frightened)

Yes, Madam President, but I—

MADAM PICQUERY

You are no longer an Auror.

TINA

No, Madam President, but—

MADAM PICQUERY

Goldstein.

TINA

There’s been a minor incident—

MADAM PICQUERY

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

TINA

(humiliated)

Yes, ma’am.

Tina pushes a bemused-looking Newt back toward the elevator. Graves looks after them, the only one to appear sympathetic.

The elevator descends rapidly through the long elevator shaft.

The doors open onto a cramped, airless, windowless basement room. A painful contrast to the floor above. Clearly the place where utter no-hopers work.

Tina leads Newt past a hundred typewriters clacking away unmanned with a tangle of glass pipes hanging down from the ceiling above them.

As each memo or form is completed by a typewriter, it folds itself into an origami rat, which scurries up the appropriate tube to the offices above. Two rats collide and fight, tearing each other apart.

Tina walks toward a dingy corner of the room. A sign: WAND PERMIT OFFICE.

Newt ducks under it.

The Wand Permit Office is only slightly larger than a cupboard. There are piles of unopened wand applications.

Tina stops behind a desk, removing her coat and hat. She tries to regain her lost status in front of Newt by appearing official, busying herself with papers.

TINA

So, you got your wand permit? All foreigners have to have them in New York.

NEWT

(lying)

I made a postal application weeks ago.

TINA

(now sitting on the desk, scribbles on a clipboard)

Scamander . . .

(finding him very fishy)

And you were just in Equatorial Guinea?

NEWT

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

TINA

Like—an extermination guide?

NEWT

No. A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures instead of killing them.

ABERNATHY (O.S.)

GOLDSTEIN! Where is she? Where is she? GOLDSTEIN!

Tina ducks behind her desk, which amuses Newt.

Abernathy, a pompous jobsworth, enters. He immediately realizes where Tina is hidden.

ABERNATHY

Goldstein!

Tina, looking guilty, slowly emerges from behind the desk.

ABERNATHY

Did you just butt in on the Investigative Team again?

Tina is about to defend herself, but Abernathy continues:

ABERNATHY

Where’ve you been?

TINA

(awkward)

What . . . ?

ABERNATHY

(to Newt)

Where’d she pick you up?

NEWT

Me?

Newt quickly looks at Tina, who shakes her head, her expression one of desperation. Newt stalls—a silent pact between him and Tina.