Jacob Kowalski

Jacob Kowalski was a good-natured No-Maj factory worker in 1920s New York whose dream was to own a bakery.

He fought for America in World War One (WFT).

In 1926 Jacob went to a bank in New York City to get a loan for a proposed bakery based on recipes he learned from his Grandma. While waiting to meet with the bank manager, he met Newt Scamander, who was searching for his lost Niffler. As they interacted, their similar suitcases became switched so that Newt ended up with a case full of pastries, while Jacob walked away with a box full of dangerous magical creatures (WFT).  Ex-Auror Tina Goldstein saw them at the bank and became suspicious, ending up later with Newt at Jacob’s apartment where he had been bitten by a Murtlap. Due to his injuries, Tina took Jacob home to keep under observation overnight along with Newt, who was still missing several creatures that had escaped from his case.

Jacob was allowed to visit the menagerie inside Newt’s case, as well as MACUSA headquarters in the Woolworth Building due to his involvement in the missing fantastic beasts. While amazed at what he saw in the magical world, Jacob took everything in stride and was soon good friends with Newt Scamander, who couldn’t bring himself to Obliviate his companion.

When Jacob met Tina’s sister Queenie he was quite smitten — he enjoyed her cooking and did not mind that she could read his mind using Legillimency. They carried on a sweet romance in spite of the fact that Jacob was a No-Maj and forbidden by MACUSA laws to be friends with a witch.  After the attack on New York by an Obscurus, however, Jacob agreed to erase his memories like the rest of the No-Majs by standing in the Thunderbird rain containing venom from the Swooping Evil (WFT).

Newt managed to secretly help Jacob by giving him a suitcase full of silver Occamy eggs to finance his bakery, and Queenie visited his establishment where he sold cookies shaped like some of the beasts he helped to recapture such as the Erumpent, the Occamy, and the Demiguise (WFT).

The memory modification apparently did not last as Jacob and Queenie became a couple again. While Jacob did not want to marry Queenie due to the ramifications of breaking the Wizarding law regarding marriages to non-wizard folk, Queenie was adamant that they do marry and bewitched Jacob to make him change his mind. While visiting Newt Scamander the spell was revealed and after a fight the pair parted. While Jacob went adventuring with Newt, Queenie fell under the spell of Gellert Grindelwald and left Jacob behind. (CG)