Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald by J. K. Rowling Read Free Book Online

students.
    GRYFFINDOR GIRL 1
    (screams)
    Professor McGonagall! LESTRANGE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!
    M C GONAGALL (O.S.)
    Lestrange, stop running! LESTRANGE! Disobedient children. Stop! Shame on the House of Slytherin. One hundred points! Two hundred! Get back here, right now! Stop! Stop it! Stop
it! You stop it! Get back here!
    GRYFFINDOR GIRL 1
    Miss, it was Lestrange. She’s horrible—
    McGONAGALL silences the girl.
    ANGLE ON LETA, sprinting around a corner.
    She wrenches open a side door and plunges inside.

    SCENE 68
    INT. HOGWARTS CUPBOARD—SEVENTEEN YEARS PREVIOUSLY—MORNING
    13-YEAR-OLD LETA slams the door and stands there, ear against it. She hears running, distant shouts. Then a sound behind her makes her jump and turn around.
    13-YEAR-OLD NEWT is already in occupation of the cupboard. He has hidden a couple of tanks here, one containing tadpoles, another Streelers. A lined cardboard box serves as
a nest for the raven chick he is cradling in his hand. It wears a splint on its broken leg. NEWT and LETA stare at each other.
    13-YEAR-OLD LETA
    Scamander . . . why aren’t you packing?
    13-YEAR-OLD NEWT
    I’m not going home.
    13-YEAR-OLD LETA
    Why not?
    13-YEAR-OLD NEWT
    (of the raven)
    He needs me. It was hurt.
    LETA takes in the tanks, then the ugly little bird, to which NEWT now feeds an earthworm.
    13-YEAR-OLD LETA
    What is that?
    13-YEAR-OLD NEWT
    A raven chick.
    She is mildly intrigued now.
    13-YEAR-OLD LETA
    The raven’s my family’s emblem.
    She watches him stroking the bird’s head. As he places the chick gently in her hands, she seems to see him plainly for the first time.
    DISSOLVE TO:

    SCENE 69
    INT. DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS CLASS—FOURTEEN YEARS PREVIOUSLY—DAY
    It is Boggart time. DUMBLEDORE supervises the line of teenagers advancing to try their luck.
“Riddikulus”—“Riddikulus”
—gusts of
hilarity as a shark becomes a flotation device, a zombie’s head turns into a pumpkin, a vampire turns into a buck-toothed rabbit.
    DUMBLEDORE
    All right, Newt. Be brave.
    16-YEAR-OLD NEWT moves to the front of the queue. The Boggart turns into a Ministry desk.
    DUMBLEDORE
    Mmm, that’s an unusual one. So Mr. Scamander fears what more than anything else in the world?
    16-YEAR-OLD NEWT
    Having to work in an office, sir.
    The class roars with laughter.
    DUMBLEDORE
    Go ahead, Newt.
    16-YEAR-OLD NEWT
    Riddikulus!
    NEWT turns the desk into a gamboling wooden dragon and moves aside.
    DUMBLEDORE
    Well done. Good job.
    It is 16-YEAR-OLD LETA’S turn, but she doesn’t move. She is terrified.
    DUMBLEDORE
    (kind, to LETA)
    Leta, it’s only a Boggart, it can’t hurt you. Everyone’s scared of something.
    A group of girls stands together, enjoying her fear.
    GRYFFINDOR GIRL 1
    I’ve been looking forward to this.
    LETA steps forward. The Boggart transforms and at once, all laughter is extinguished. Green light is reflected on every horrified face.
    We see a shadow, with a tiny human hand. LETA lets out a sob and runs from the room.

    SCENE 70
    EXT. HOGWARTS LAKE, BOWTRUCKLE ISLAND—FOURTEEN YEARS PREVIOUSLY—EVENING
    NEWT finds LETA sitting by the lake, tearstained, eyes swollen. They look at each other.
    16-YEAR-OLD LETA
    I don’t want to talk about it!
    He holds out his hand and she lets him pull her up. He leads her past a few trees until they reach the one where Bowtruckles are climbing and fighting and playing. They
freeze at the humans’ approach but relax when they recognize NEWT. He holds out a finger. One of them jumps on.
    16-YEAR-OLD NEWT
    They know me, or they’d hide. They only nest in trees with wand-quality wood, did you know that?
    (beat)
    And they have very complex social lives. If you watch them for long enough, you realize . . .
    He trails off. She is watching him, not the Bowtruckles. NEWT reaches across to her, the Bowtruckle standing on his wrist. His hand grazes hers.
    DUMBLEDORE (V.O.)
    Hello, Leta.
    DISSOLVE TO:

    SCENE 71
    INT. EMPTY HOGWARTS CLASSROOM—AFTERNOON
    LETA