SCENE 81
EXT. THE BLIND PIG—NIGHT
Tina leads the group down an insalubrious back alley covered in bins, crates, and discarded objects. She locates a set of steps leading to a basement apartment and motions them down.
The steps appear to lead to a dead end: The doorway has been bricked up. Instead, a poster of a simpering debutante in evening dress, gazing at herself in a mirror, covers the end of the walkway.
Tina and Queenie stand in front of this poster. They turn to each other and, in unison, raise their wands. As they do so, their work clothes transform into stunning flapper party dresses. Tina looks up at Newt, somewhat embarrassed by her new attire. Queenie gazes at Jacob, a cheeky smile on her face.
Tina steps toward the poster and slowly raises her hand. As she does so, the eyes of the debutante move upward, following her every move. Tina knocks slowly on the door four times.
Newt, sensing the need for a change, hastily magics himself a small bow tie. Jacob looks on, jealously.
A hatch opens: The painted eyes of the debutante whip back to reveal the gaze of a suspicious guard.
SCENE 82
INT. THE BLIND PIG—NIGHT
A seedy, low-ceilinged speakeasy for the down-and-out of New York’s magical community. Every witch and wizard criminal in New York is here, their wanted posters hanging proudly on the walls. A glimpse of GELLERT GRINDELWALD: WANTED FOR NO-MAJ SLAYINGS IN EUROPE.
A glamorous goblin jazz singer croons on a stage full of goblin musicians, smoky images wafting from her wand to illustrate her lyrics. All is dingy and shabby, an atmosphere of menacing fun.
JAZZ SINGER
The phoenix cried fat tears of pearl
When the dragon snapped up his best girl,
And the Billywig forgot to twirl
When his sweetheart left him cold,
And the unicorn done lost his horn,
And the Hippogriff feels all forlorn,
’Cause their lady loves have upped and gawn,
Or that’s what I’ve been told—
Jacob stands at the seemingly unmanned bar, waiting to be served.
JACOB
How do I get a drink in this joint?
Out of nowhere, a thin bottle of brown liquid zooms toward him. He catches it, stunned.
The head of a house-elf peers up at him from behind the bar.
HOUSE-ELF
What? Ain’t you ever seen a house-elf before?
JACOB
Oh, no, yeah, no, yeah, of course I have . . . I love house-elves.
Jacob tries to act nonchalant—he removes the cork from the bottle.
JACOB
My uncle’s a house-elf.
The house-elf—not fooled—raises himself up, leaning on the bar to stare at Jacob.
Queenie approaches. She looks downcast as she orders:
QUEENIE
Six shots of gigglewater and a lobe blaster, please.
The house-elf reluctantly shuffles off to fulfill her request. Jacob and Queenie look at each other. Jacob reaches out and takes one of the gigglewater shots.
QUEENIE
Are all No-Majs like you?
JACOB
(trying to be serious, almost seductive)
No, I’m the only one like me.
Maintaining strong eye contact with Queenie, Jacob knocks back the shot. Suddenly he emits a raucous, high-pitched giggle. Queenie laughs sweetly at his look of surprise.
ANGLE ON A HOUSE-ELF serving a drink to a giant, whose hand dwarfs the mug he is handed.
ANGLE ON NEWT AND TINA sitting at a table alone. There’s an awkward silence. Newt studies the characters in the room: Hooded and heavily scarred witches and wizards gamble magical artifacts in a game with runic dice.
TINA
(looking around)
I’ve arrested half of the people in here.
NEWT
You can tell me to mind my own business . . . but I saw something in that death potion back there. I saw you—hugging—that Second Salem boy.
TINA
His name’s Credence. His mother beats him. She beats all those kids she adopted, but she seems to hate him the most.
NEWT
(realizing)
And she was the No-Maj you attacked?
TINA
That’s how I lost my job. I went for her in front of a meeting of her crazy followers—they all had to be Obliviated. It was a big scandal.
Queenie signals from across the room:
QUEENIE
(whispers)
It’s him.
Gnarlak has emerged from the depths of the speakeasy. Smoking a cigar and smartly dressed for a goblin, he has a sly, smooth demeanor like a Mafia boss. He eyes the newcomers as he walks.
JAZZ SINGER (O.S.)
Yes, love has set the beasts astir,
The dang’rous and the meek concur,
It’s ruffled feathers, fleece, and fur,
’Cause love drives all of us wild.
Gnarlak sits himself at the end of their table, an air of confidence and dangerous control. A house-elf hastily brings him a drink.
GNARLAK
So—you’re the guy with the case full of monsters, huh?
NEWT
News travels fast. I was hoping you’d be able to tell me if there have been any sightings. Tracks. That sort of thing.
Gnarlak downs his drink. Another house-elf brings him a document to sign.
GNARLAK
You’ve got a big price on your head, Mr. Scamander. Why should I help you instead of turnin’ you in?
NEWT
I take it I’ll have to make it worth your while?
The house-elf scurries off holding the signed document.
GNARLAK
Hmm—let’s consider it a cover charge.
Newt pulls out a couple of Galleons and slides them across the table toward Gnarlak, who barely looks up.
GNARLAK
(not impressed)
Huh—MACUSA’s offerin’ more’n that.
A beat.
Newt pulls out a beautiful metal instrument and places it on the table.
GNARLAK
Lunascope? I got five.
Newt rummages in his coat pocket and pulls out a glowing, frozen ruby egg instead.
NEWT
Frozen Ashwinder egg!
GNARLAK
(finally interested)
You see—now we’re—
Gnarlak suddenly spots Pickett, who is peeking out of Newt’s pocket.
GNARLAK
—wait a minute—that’s a Bowtruckle, right?
Pickett quickly retreats and Newt puts a hand protectively over his pocket.
NEWT
No.
GNARLAK
Ah, come on, that’s a Bowtruckle—they pick locks—am I right?
NEWT
You’re not having him.
GNARLAK
Well, good luck gettin’ back alive, Mr. Scamander, what with the whole of MACUSA on your back.
Gnarlak gets up and walks away.
NEWT
(in agony)
All right.
Gnarlak, turned away from Newt, smiles viciously.
Newt extracts Pickett from his pocket. Pickett clings to Newt’s hands, madly clicking and whining.
NEWT
Pickett . . .
Newt slowly hands Pickett over to Gnarlak. Pickett reaches his little arms forward, imploring Newt to take him back. Newt cannot look at him.
GNARLAK
(regarding Pickett)
Ah yeah . . .
(to Newt)
Somethin’ invisible’s been wreakin’ havoc around Fifth Avenue. You may wanna check out Macy’s department store. Might help with what you’re looking for.
NEWT
(sotto voce)
Dougal . . .
(to Gnarlak)
Right, one last thing. There’s a Mr. Graves who works at MACUSA—I was wondering what you knew of his background.
Gnarlak stares. A sense that there is much that he could say—and that he’d rather die than say it.
GNARLAK
You ask too many questions, Mr. Scamander. That can get you killed.
ANGLE ON A HOUSE-ELF carrying a crate of bottles.
HOUSE-ELF
MACUSA ARE COMING!
The house-elf Disapparates. Other customers throughout the bar hurriedly do the same.
TINA
(getting to her feet)
You tipped them off!
Gnarlak stares at them, chuckling menacingly.
Behind Queenie, the wanted posters on the wall update to show Newt’s and Tina’s faces.
Aurors begin Apparating into the speakeasy.
Jacob, seemingly innocent, saunters up to Gnarlak.
JACOB
Sorry, Mr. Gnarlak—
Jacob punches Gnarlak straight in the face, knocking him backward. Queenie looks delighted.
JACOB
—reminds me of my foreman!
Throughout the bar, various customers are being apprehended by the Aurors.
Newt scrambles about on the floor looking for Pickett. Around him, people are running, diving away from Aurors, trying to escape the bar. Newt finally finds Pickett on a table leg, grabs him, and runs toward his group.
Jacob grabs another shot of gigglewater and knocks it back. He giggles uproariously as Newt grabs his elbow and the group Disapparates.
SCENE 83
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH—NIGHT
The long room is dimly lit by one set of lights. There’s barely any noise.
Chastity sits primly at the long table in the middle of the church. She formulaically arranges leaflets and places them in little bags.
Modesty sits opposite in a nightdress, reading a book. In the deep background, Mary Lou busies herself in her bedroom.
Modesty is the only one to register a small clunk from upstairs.
SCENE 84
INT. MODESTY’S BEDROOM—NIGHT
A bleak room. A single bed, an oil lamp, a sampler on the wall: AN ALPHABET OF SIN. Modesty’s dolls lined up on a shelf. One with a little noose around its neck, another tied to a stake.
Credence scrabbles to get underneath Modesty’s bed. He looks among the boxes and objects hidden there, then suddenly stops, staring . . .
SCENE 85
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH—NIGHT
Modesty stands at the bottom of the stairs, looking up. She slowly ascends.
SCENE 86
INT. MODESTY’S BEDROOM—NIGHT
ANGLE ON CREDENCE’S FACE UNDER THE BED—Credence has found a toy wand. He stares, unable to draw his eyes from it.
Behind him, Modesty enters.
MODESTY
Whatchoo doin’, Credence?
Credence bangs his head on the bed in his haste to get out. He emerges, dusty and scared. He is relieved to see that it is only Modesty, but she, on seeing the wand, is terrified.
CREDENCE
Where’d you get this?
MODESTY
(frightened whisper)
Give it back, Credence. It’s just a toy!
The door bangs open. Mary Lou enters. Her gaze travels from Modesty to Credence and the toy wand—she is angrier than we have ever seen her.
MARY LOU
(to Credence)
What is this?
SCENE 87
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH—NIGHT
HOLD ON CHASTITY, still filling bags with leaflets.
MARY LOU (O.S.)
Take it off!
Chastity glances up toward the landing.
SCENE 88
INT. SECOND SALEM CHURCH, UPSTAIRS LANDING—NIGHT
Mary Lou stands on the landing overlooking the main church below. Seen from below, her figure is powerful, almost deified.
Mary Lou turns back toward Credence and slowly, her face full of loathing, snaps the wand in two.
As Modesty cowers, Credence begins to remove his belt. Mary Lou holds out her hand and takes it.
CREDENCE
(pleading)
Ma . . .
MARY LOU
I am not your ma! Your mother was a wicked, unnatural woman!
Modesty forces her way between them.
MODESTY
It was mine.
MARY LOU
Modesty—
Suddenly—the belt is whipped out of Mary Lou’s hands by supernatural means and falls like a dead snake in a far corner. Mary Lou looks at her hand—it is cut and bleeding from the force of the movement.
Mary Lou is stunned—she glances between Modesty and Credence.
MARY LOU
(frightened but covering it)
What is this?
Modesty stares defiantly directly back at her. In the background we see Credence crouched down, hugging his knees and shaking.
Trying to remain composed, Mary Lou moves slowly to retrieve the belt. Before she can touch it, the belt slithers away across the floor.
Mary Lou backs away, tears of fear welling in her eyes. She turns slowly back toward the children.
As she moves, an almighty force explodes into her: A bestial, screeching, dark mass that consumes her. Her scream is bloodcurdling as the force throws her backward, striking a wooden beam, flinging her over the balcony.
Mary Lou smashes down onto the floor of the main church, her body lifeless, her face bearing the same scars seen on the face of Senator Shaw.
The Dark force flies through the church, upending the table and destroying everything in sight.