Legerdemain

Bluebox345

A/N: Hey guys! I have also written other stories for Avengers, Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy and Torchwood, if any are interested. I picture Lila Cromwell to look a bit like Ashley Johnson from Blindspot. Her 'theme song', for fun, is Event Horizon in the album Hits, Vol. 1 by Hi-Finesse.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, JK Rowling does. This disclaimer extends throughout the entire story (which is a given). I only own my OC's and plot twists that aren't in the movie.

Important Inf: - is a scene change. 'Italics' is magic. 'Bold' is writing.

Summary: Lila Cromwell, now Mr. Bingly's personal secretary, has had her happy memories returned by discovering Pickett in her pocket. Over the course of the year, she took care of Picket and planned to return him to Newt when she could get a break from work. This process is quickened when she learns that Grindelwald escaped.

Updates: This story will update every first Saturday of each month. This 'book' will consist of 11 chapters.

Prologue

1927, New York

The thunderstorm raged on as Grindelwald sat stiffly on a chair in the middle of his cell. His hands were resting on his knees and he didn't move as a fly buzzed in from the grated ceiling and eventually made its way toward him. He didn't even get close as the fly was zapped from the force field surrounding him. The fly fell to the ground, dead.

A low trill sounded next to him and a magical creature called a Chupacabra came around the side of his chair as the viewing port of the door opened to reveal a man's face. A chupacabra is a spiny, six-legged, lizard-like blood-sucking beast that is native to the Americas. The man stared at him as the creature, almost frog like, stuck his tongue out and swallowed another fly.

President Piquery walked next to an elderly gentleman down the cell block hallway. Aurors were stationed at specific increments down their path for security, "You'll be glad to be rid of him, I expect." Stated Rudolph Spielman. Spielman was incharge of Grindelwald's extraction from MACUSA to Europe as he was the Head of Incarceration at the International Confederation of Wizards. He looked forward to be incharge of Grindelwald's care as some of his extended family got caught in one of his attacks in Europe. They didn't make it. He wanted Grindelwald to pay and MACUSA wasn't doing their job, just locking him in a cell. He deserved punishment.

"We'd be more than happy to keep him here in custody." The President of MACUSA replied.

"Six months are enough." Spielman shot back with a slight growl in his throat, "It's time for him to answer for his crimes in Europe." They neared the end of the cell block where Grindelwald's cell was. The man in front of the door closed the viewing port and turned around. It was Mr. Abernathy.

"President Picquery." Abernathy stated as the two walked up, "Mr. Spielman, Sir. Prisoner is secured and ready to travel."

Spielman and Piquery opened two viewing ports to look their gazes upon the restrained mass murdering criminal, "You've thrown everything at him, I see."

"It was necessary. He's extremely powerful. We've had to change his guard three times. He's very persuasive. So, we removed his tongue." Mr. Spielman and Piquery glanced at each other before sliding the view ports closed.

Five minutes later, a highly trained team of Aurors escored Grindelwald through the prison. Grindelwald's cell was so deep that they were now only just going by the rest of the prisoners. The other prisoners were banging on their cells and shouting at him, "Grindelwald! Grindelwald! Grindelwald!"

Grindelwald himself was levitated through the pathway, his body imobile.

"Grindelwald!"

"Grindelwald!"

The elevator brought the Auror team to the very top of the building where the carriage awaited. Thunder rumbled outside and rain poured heavily down in buckets, "The wizarding community worldwide owes you a great debt, Madam President." Mr. Spielman stated as they walked alongside the carriage.

They stopped in front of the open door, "Do not underestimate him." Piquery warned.

Mr. Abernathy walked up to the pair, "Mr. Spielman, we found his wand hidden away." He handed Spielman a locked suitcase that presumably had Grindelwald's wand.

"Abernathy." Madam Piquery stated, as if there was something he wasn't saying.

He sighed and held out a chain necklace with a pendant at the end of the chain. Piquery sighed as Spielman stepped into the carriage, closed and locked the door. Two Aurors were hanging onto the back and two were up at the front driver's side. The Aurors put their goggles on and the Auror on the front right hand side whipped the Thestrals and the carriage flew out of the top floor of MACUSA and into the night air.

A team of four Aurors flew on brooms behind the carriage.

Abernathy made his way toward the edge of the tower and lowered his wand, which looked suspiciously like the Elder Wand. He watched the carriage fly away for a bit then appeared beneath the carriage, hanging on to the bottom.

Inside the carriage, Grindelwald sat opposite Spielman while two Aurors sat on opposite sides of Spielman, pointing their wands at Grindelwald. Spielman held the necklace in his hand, the pendant slowly dangling in his grasp, "No more silver tongue. Hmm?" He snatched his hand closed around the pendant, taunting the mass murderer with a feral grin across his face.

Suddenly Grindelwald's face twisted. He leaned forward then back, his face twisting and turning into someone else…. Abernathy. Spielman reeled back in shock. What the hell was going on?

Down below the carriage, Grinelwald's face appeared. It was a trick. And everything was going according to plan.

Grinelwald apperated on top of the carriage and cast a spell, causing snakes to throw the driver from the carriage as well as another spell to throw the Auror next to the driver into the air as well. Then he flung him backwards towards the Aurors on the brooms, in order to distract them. Inside the carriage, wands turned on their masters and disintegrated with a blue light. Having taken care of the Aurors on the back of the carriage while this was happening, Grindelwald's head appears in the rear view window, startling everyone in the carriage.

Spielman realizes his mistake and opens up the suitcase that was supposed to cary Grindelwald's wand. The Chupacabra from inside the cell coos up at him and then leaps onto Spielman and climbing up his chest. He throws the creature off of him, stands up and bangs his fist on the ceiling. Abernathy yells and throws himself at Spielman, causing Spielman to drop the pendant, which presumably holds Grindelwalds tongue.

Abernathy leans down and picks the pendent up with his mouth as Grindelwald is now the one incontrol of the carriage. Abernathy straightens up, still grappling with the other Aurors. He bites Spielmans arm and is pushed up against the right door's window. Grindelwald makes a hard turn down and under the bridge, causing one of the Aurors on brooms to collide with one of the support foundations.

Racing across the water, Grindelwald leans over and touches his wand to the water, resulting in water filling up inside the carriage. After a minute, Grindelwald brings the carriage back into the air.

Inside the carriage, Abernathy catched the pendent with his mouth.

Outside, Grindelwald waves his wand around, causing lightning strikes to appear from the already raging thunderstorm, trying to strike at the three Aurors still on his tail.

The lightning strikes do their jobs well and all three Aurors are struck, their brooms breaking in half and falling. Grindelwald unlocks the door to the carriage through water pressure. The remaining Auroros fly out of the carriage and fall, disappearing into the storm. Grindelwald stood opposite of Abernathy and took the pendant from his mouth, "You have joined a noble cause, my friend."

He turned around and looked at the Chupacabra that was still attacking Speilman. He picked it up, "I know. I know. I know, Antonio." He hugged him against his shoulders and drew him back, "So needy." Then he tossed him out the open door.

He turned and brought Spielman to the door and attempted to throw him out of it, but Speilman resisted and grabbed his arm. Grindelwald stared and pulled back his arm, then pushed out again. Spielman fell, screaming from the carriage.

As Speilman fell, he spotted his wand falling ahead of him. He managed to catch it and halt his fall, right above the water. It held him aloft for a couple of seconds then plunged him into the cold river below. As he treaded the icy water, he watched the carriage, and Grindelwald, fly into the distance. Grindelwald had escaped. He had failed.

Lila Cromwell walked besides, and a couple steps behind, Mr. Bingley as they walked from the counting room back to his office. Lila had become Mr. Bingly's personal secretary after Mrs. Davis left for maternity leave. Mr. Bingly had fired Mrs. Davis soon after and had Lila take over her position. Lila had argued against Mrs. Davis's firing, telling him that she could take over her duties until she was ready to come back, but Mr. Bingly was stubborn.

"You're three o'clock just called to cancel, so you have an hour break between meeting Mr. Richard and The O'Connell's."

"Brilliant. You can take that time to organize the Manson files and book that restaurant for tonight."

"Yes, Sir." Lila replied, mentaily storing that information for later. It was only an hour after the bank had opened and already the day had been crazy. A knock at the door to Mr. Bingly's office drew her out of her reprieve and the door opened to reveal a stone faced Tina Goldstein and a nervously wringing her hands, standing next to her sister, was Queenie.

Lila froze. For a moment she thought that MACUSA had found out that she still had memories of magic, but as they didn't immediately attack her, she relaxed. She stepped forward, "What's going on?"

"Ms. Cromwell, I did hope that we would meet again under different circumstances, but it seems the world isn't forgiving."

Mr. Bingly stood up from his chair, "Who are you? If you don't explain your presence, you will be removed from the building."

Tina straightened, "I happen to be from the police." She quickly flashed him a badge, "I'm afraid that last night the leader of the gang that had previously kidnapped Ms. Cromwell and Mr. Kowalski after breaking into your vault has escaped from prison."

Lila paled and took a couple steps back. After discovering Pickett still in her pocket, her happy memories returned. She had gone over to Jacob's to compare notes, as he was in those memories as well. And then one day he had brought home Queenie from the bakery. She filled in the missing memories.

"Oh God."

Tina stepped forward toward Mr. Bingley, "If it's alright, I would like to take Ms. Cromwell into protective custody."

Mr. Bingly had paled the moment he had learned that the leader of the gang responsible for losing the bank customers had escaped, "Yes," he waved his hand, "Of course. Take her. And I would like a police presence outside of the bank. For protection." After word had gotten out that a gang had broken into their high security vault at the bank and had kidnapped an employee and a patron, people had begun to remove their bank accounts and switch to another bank. It was one of the topics that Mr. Bingly frequently ranted to her about.

Luckily, Mr. Bingly has not fired her because of it. In fact, she suspected that he was told specifically not to fire her because of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Tina nodded, "I will transfer your request." She turned to Lila, "Get your things, lets go."

Lila Cromwell packed one of her bags with two changes of clothes, her bathroom supplies and a book for light reading. In his spot in her bedroom, she heard Pickett coo. She sighed and remembered how her happy memories had returned. She had gotten home from the police station and had put her hands in her pockets. Pickett had moved, startling her as she drew her hand out and saw him dangling from his grip on her finger.

She had been so startled that she had knocked down her chair she was sitting on in shock. It only took a week for the happy memories of the adventures she had to return to her. Noticing that Jacob Kowalski, her next door neighbor, was in most of them, she resolved to ask him about it. It took her awhile to get Jacob alone, as he was running full steam ahead with his bakery and was very busy.

When she did confront Jacob, it was a month after he had opened up his bakery and she noticed that the creatures he was baking into bread was from the magical world, more specifically, the ones that she had seen in Newt's suitcase. It appeared that Jacob remembered on his own. Then, one night, Jacob banged on her door and brought in a woman named Queenie. It was one of the two girls from her memories. Queenie had gone to explain the missing, unhappy memories and had warned the two of them never to draw attention to themselves by the magical world.

That startled Kowalski as his entire business resulted in making bread replicas out of magical creatures. Queenie reassured Jacob that as long as she helped him stay under the radar, he was safe. She had asked if it was possible to return Pickett to Newt. She had replied that even though he was in England, Aurors were watching him constantly, according to her sister. If a No-Maj, who they thought had her memory was wiped, suddenly showed up with a magical creature that was Newts, well, they would both be in big trouble.

Lila had explained this all to Pickett who was very depressed for the next couple of months. Slowly, but surely, with Quennies help, he came out of his shell. Quennie had Tina look up in MACUSA's library how to care for a Bowtruckle and helped Lila learn how to do it.

Caring for Pickett had been one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences she had, and she had cared for many of her father's animals on her family's farm. She adored Pickett and, once he got over his depression from losing Newt, he was super playful. She would come home from work at the bank, make dinner for the both of them, and then play with Pickett for an hour and then go to sleep.

It was a routine that she loathed to break, even if it was to run from Grindelwald. She looked at Pickett's tree in the corner of her room. Pickett was hanging from a branch and cooing at her. He wanted to know why she was home so early.

Lila winced. She crossed the room and bent down to Pickett's level, "Pickett, something's happened. Something bad."

Pickett cooed.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She held out her hand and Pickett clambered onto it. She stood up and brought Pickett to her eye level, "You know when Newt first came to New York and ended up facing that bad man?" Pickett cooed again, "Yes. That man was a piece of shit." She laughed but became serious again, "Well, he escaped from his guard last night as they were transferring him to England. Because his last threat before being incarcerated was directed at me, Tina and Queenie are going to move me someplace safe."

Pickett's grip tightened on her finger. Without saying anything, Lila knew what he meant, "Oh, Pickett. I'm not going to leave you. Don't worry."

Tina walked into her room, "Ready?"

Lila sighed and looked around her room. She had a feeling she wouldn't be seeing she wouldn't be back her for awhile. She walked over to her bed, closed and locked her case. She put Pickett in her pocket. She looked at Tina, who over the past year, had quickly become one of her best friends, "Ready."

Over the past two months, Lila had been moved to Tina and Queenie's apartment. She couldn't go outside or to work. She understood why, a death threat by Grindelwald was nothing to scoff at. But, Lila was going stir crazy being kept in the apartment. She was grateful for Pickett, who made sure to keep her sane, but even then, she felt like bashing her head into the wall.

It was past nine o'clock when Tina finally came home. Quennie was staying over at Jacob's for the night, so they had the apartment all to themselves. Tina walked into the apartment, closed the door, and locked it with a couple of spells, and began the nightly magical protection casting. After she was done, she turned around with a look on her face.

Puzzled at why Tina was acting so strange, Lila asked, "What?"

Her response was to throw a journal, called Spellbound, angrily onto the kitchen table. It flipped open magically to the page that Tina wanted it to. It was a magical journal as there was moving pictures. Normally that would impress Lila, but not tonight. The person in the moving picture had caught her attention. It was Newt. He was dressed all fancy and talking to a woman with dark hair in a pretty dress.

Lila recognized the women from a picture back in Newt's case of magical creatures. The headline ran: Newt Scamander with his fiancee Leta Lestrange, brother Theseus and unknown women.

Lila stared at the photograph, her heart going cold. She felt silly and angry at the same time. Of course Newt wouldn't fall for a No-Maj. She thought back to the conversation in the case. It was clear that they had more history, having gone to a magical school together.

"When was this taken?" She asked, her voice hollow.

"Over the weekend." Tina replied, "Apparently it was a very big to-do over in England. Are you-"

Lila snapped, "Am I what? Okay?!" She seethed, "I thought-" she sighed and sagged into one of the kitchen chairs, "I'm stupid. I should have known."

Tina sat down in a chair diagonally, at the head of the table, from Lila, "Lila, listen to me. Having a crush isn't stupid. Your feelings are your own and it's what makes you human. Is Newt an ass? Probably, but it doesn't make you stupid. Making you wait and finding out this way makes Newt stupid."

"I thought we had something. He let me believe- How can I compete with someone who has more history with him and is actually magical?! If I even interact with Newt the Auror's will go nuts." At this point, tears glistened in her eyes.

"Honey, it's alright. Here's the deal. I'll go get a pint of ice cream from the store and we can have a girls night. How about that?"

Lila sniffed, "Alright. Can it be chocolate flavored? It's my favorite."

Tina gave a tight smile, still angry in her defense, "That's fine with me."