Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tina was not having a good day. She hadn’t had a good day in months, really, but this day was just that little more dreadful.

It started in the morning, when she woke up and had to run to the bathroom to throw up. Granted, she felt better after it, but that didn’t change the fact that she felt thoroughly exhausted. Queenie suggested she’d take a day off, but Tina couldn’t do that.

So she went to work, where she skipped her usual coffee in fear of getting sick again. The black tea they stocked tasted like tar on her tongue, but she made it drinkable by adding an indecent amount of sugar.

When she made it to her desk, Graves was already there. He was usually there, most mornings, ever since he came back to work and Tina had been reinstated as an Auror. While she was very glad for both of those things, that morning Graves tasked her with doing some research for a low-level case they had. She didn’t mind research, but it was a terribly boring subject.

Still, she did it. She spent the entire day between her desk and the Archive or Library, reading, taking notes, writing a report that could have easily been submitted as a paper, if she were still in school.

Grindelwald had escaped their custody four months ago and they had no leads on him. It was terribly frustrating.

The sting of the lack of letters on her desk hurt every day, but for some reason, it was worse at that moment.

Queenie brought her lunch, some toast and crackers which, thankfully, didn’t upset her stomach. She also let Tina know when she left work, but of course Tina stayed back.

It took another two hours for her to finish her report, and just as she cracked her bones and started thinking longingly about her bed, Graves appeared by her desk.

‘Oh, good, you’re still here.’

Tina sighed. ‘I just finished the report for you, sir.’

‘Forget about it.’, he waved a hand. ‘President Picquery is waiting for us.’

Her eyes grew wide at that, even as her feet started moving, following Graves down the hallway to the elevator.

‘I don’t know why.’, he said next. ‘I guess we’ll find out soon.’

They were silent for a while, but once they got on the elevator, Graves finally took a good look at her, and he frowned.

‘Are you alright?’

Tina startled, but only slightly. He was a good man, Graves, and in the past few months of working together, she got to know him, a little. The real him, not Grindelwald in a mask. So she knew that he was rough in his demeanor, a strong man, but a caring one, too.

So Tina smiled at him. ‘Tired, sir. I had a bit of a rough start this morning.’

He nodded and gently grabbed her elbow. ‘I’m sorry to prolong your day, but it’s probably important, if Picquery called for us at such a late hour.’

She took a deep breath and strengthened her back.

‘Atta girl.’, Graves said under his breath, smirking slightly.

Tina couldn’t help but smile back.

///

She faltered really badly when she got into Picquery’s office, because the President was not the only person in there. Her heart dropped to the floor.

Leta Lestrange was wearing bright red and clinging to the arm of a man. Tina had never met this man, but it took barely a second to realize that he was Newt’s brother.

When she managed to pick up her heart, Picquery was already making introductions.

‘This is Theseus Scamander, Head Auror for the Ministry of Magic, and his fianc ée , Leta Lestrange.’

Tina’s heart dropped again, but only Graves realized it, throwing her a fleeting look.

She recovered, smiled politely even in her obvious confusion.

‘Grindelwald is in Europe’, Picquery said without any finesse, ‘and Mister Scamander is in charge of the investigation.’

‘You’re the one who interacted with him the most, Miss Goldstein.’, Theseus said in a surprisingly gravelly voice. ‘If you are willing, I would like to pick your brain about it. As part of my investigation, of course.’

That… sounded weird, to Tina’s ears. That last sentence, there was something off about it. She didn’t mention it, and it didn’t take long for Picquery to politely throw them out of her office. Once in the hallway, Theseus asked if there was a pub they could meet up at after they checked into their hotel, to talk in a more casual manner.

Tina bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. She felt oddly detached from what this meeting meant.

‘We don’t have… pubs in America, Mister Scamander.’, Graves said slowly.

‘We have speakeasies, and they’re illegal.’, Tina supplied gently.

‘And quite frankly’, Graves pulled a face, ‘you’d be skinned alive as soon as you step foot into a magical speakeasy.’

It was clear that neither Theseus nor Leta understood this. With a deep sigh, Tina ended up saying something she was sure she will regret later.

‘Why don’t you all come over for a late dinner? It’s highly unprofessional’, she winced at Graves, ‘I know, but we’ll be able to talk freely and while our home isn’t much, my sister is a very good cook.’

‘She doesn’t have enough clearance.’

Tina winced after Graves said it, but he smirked, a little.

‘I was joking, Goldstein. Dinner sounds lovely.’

She quickly gave her address and they settled on meeting an hour from then, and she didn’t waste any more time, Apparating as close to her building as she could.

It took ten full minutes to convince Mrs. Esposito that while there will be men in the apartment, one of them was engaged and the other was her direct superior, so there was no chance of anything uncouth happening. Mrs. Esposito relented, eventually, and promised to stay out of the way.

Queenie took one long look at Tina, her eyes growing wider with every passed second, and then, in a very lowered voice, said that they needed more potatoes.

She was a saviour, because she took charge of cooking and tidying up, as Tina took a hot bath and spent an alarming amount of minutes fretting in front of her dresser. In the end she wore a pair of her work pants and a more casual shirt, but she only felt good about it when Graves came in not wearing a full suit, but a loose shirt with no vest.

///

The first thing Tina noticed when she opened the door was that Leta was wearing a dark blue dress that looked very similar to one that Queenie owned. The second thing she saw was a bit of red sand on the knees of Theseus’ pants.

The third thing she noticed took her breath away, because it was Newt’s suitcase.

‘Oh no.’, Queenie’s distressed voice came from behind Tina. ‘What happened to Newt?’

Theseus’ head snapped to her. ‘Why would you ask me that?’

‘There’s no way he would have given you his creatures if everything was alright.’

Theseus didn’t deny it, looking down at the case in his hand and tightening his fist around the handle.

‘While that is one of the reasons for our presence in New York’, Leta said gently, ‘it can wait until after dinner. I must admit I’m famished.’

That sprung everyone into movement, Tina letting them inside of the apartment, Queenie setting the table, Graves helping Theseus with the case.

Tina took a deep breath before putting a polite smile on her face. She asked the guests to call her Tina, they weren’t at work, and she did her very best to act like a good host.

///

They spent dinner talking about work, specifically about the differences between the Ministry of Magic and MACUSA. It was an interesting topic to Tina, and she listened avidly to everything Theseus had to say, but she still noticed that Leta had nothing to add to the conversation.

She only spoke once, and it was to ask Tina and Queenie how they met Newt. Neither of them said anything, for a while.

‘Tina arrested him.’, Graves supplied around a smile. ‘Twice.’

Leta and Theseus’ faces were quite funny, but not enough to prompt Tina to start talking. So Queenie took over the story, managing to make it sound like Jacob had a much smaller part than he actually did, probably for Graves’ sake.

At the end of it, Theseus was frowining and Leta was smiling.

‘That does sound terribly like Newt.’, she admitted.

‘Does it?’, her fianc é shook his head. ‘Because fighting a vicious wizard head on does not sound like my brother, at all.’

Queenie tutted loudly, making every head turn to her. ‘It’s just that Newt didn’t… he wasn’t fighting Grindelwald, he was trying to save Credence. A hurt, misjudged young boy. Doesn’t that sound exactly like something Newt would do?’

Leta and Theseus shared a loaded look.

‘I’ll make you some tea.’, Queenie got up from the table. ‘And us some coffee.’

With a deep breath, Tina turned to Theseus. ‘What happened to Newt?’

Their eyes met, and she didn’t like the emotions she saw flashing in his eyes.

‘Tina’, he sighed. ‘I don’t actually know, but I think Grindelwald is involved.’

///

Theseus really was in New York as part of his investigation, the search for Grindelwald. As far as his Minister and Picquery knew, he was to meet with Aurors Graves and Goldstein and interrogate them about everything they knew about the dark wizard.

That was not the only reason he was there, though.

‘My relationship with my younger brother has never been an exceptionally good one, but it has always been… civil.’ His hand was in Leta’s, as he spoke, but he didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

‘Throughout his travels, he always sent me letters, at least twice a month. Sometimes it was a page filled with useless details about some rare animal and doodles in the corner, other times it was just two words: still alive.’

Dread pulled at Tina’s stomach, cold and harsh, she felt like she was going to throw up again.

‘In the past four months, there have been no more doodles. And as of two months ago, there have been no more letters and I woke up with the case in my living room. I’m beyond worried.’

In the silence that followed, Tina managed to look up at her sister, who was already watching her with tears in her eyes.

‘I told you’, Queenie whispered gently, ‘there had to be a good reason for him to stop writing.’

Graves was evidently surprised by this, as was Leta. Theseus wasn’t, instead he had a sort of pleading look in his eyes.

‘So he has been in contact with you?’

Tina nodded, trying to find her words.

‘I wasn’t sure’, Theseus said gently, ‘but he has mentioned your name several times in his letters, which is something that hasn’t happened since…’, his eyes moved to Leta.

‘Since our school years.’, she finished the thought.

Tina took a deep breath and tried her best to stop her hands from shaking, holding them tightly together under the table. Queenie wordlessly handed her a cup of hot coffee, thus giving her something to focus on.

‘Newt and I have been writing since he left New York. A few times a week if he was in London, a lot less if he was traveling. His letters stopped a week after Grindelwald escaped.’

Theseus nodded. ‘Last I heard of him, he was in Morocco.’

Tina shook her head. ‘He went to Paris, after that. In his last letter, he said he found something, but... I don’t know what. He didn’t say.’

‘May I… I know it’s personal, Tina, but may we see this last letter?’

It was personal, terribly so. It was the most emotional letter Newt had ever sent her. But he was Theseus’ brother, and she could see the concern in the man’s eyes. If Newt was missing, they had to find him, and maybe she had missed something. So she nodded and with a quick Accio , she handed Theseus the letter.

She knew it by heart, but she still listened to Theseus read it out loud. It felt… very wrong.

Dear Tina,

I am writing to you from a boat I have been stuck on the past few days. In just a few hours it shall port in Marseille and from then on, I shall be off to Paris.

France is a country you would like, I think. Paris has the animated, crowded feeling of New York that you unexplainably enjoy, while the smaller towns in the countryside, they have the calmness and beauty that you crave. There’s also the good wine, fine food and delicious pastries. I really do think you’d enjoy it, and I have to admit I wish you’d be here to experience it.

Do you ever get tired of me writing that? Because I’m sure I have written it in every country I have been to since New York. Can you blame me? I don’t think you can, our adventure has been quite extraordinary. While the work Dumbledore has me doing is exciting and important, I can’t help but think it would be even better with you by my side.

Terribly sorry, Tina, I always get sentimental while I’m at sea. The loneliness feels stronger here.

‘But you’re not alone!’, you’re probably thinking, and you are right. Dougal is sitting on a chair next to mine, one hand curled around my arm. The niffler (which I most definitely will not name neither Butch, nor Cassidy, but I appreciate your input) is playing with my second best cufflinks by my feet, Pickett has my right wrist in a vicious grip (excuse the poor penmanship, it is all his fault) and the mooncalves are trying to grab my attention by performing a complicated dance.

You are right, dear Tina, I am not alone. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss my friends. And I miss you the most in moments like this one, when my case is calm (as can be) and settled (by our usual standards), and Dougal longs for a hug from Jacob, the niffler longs for Queenie’s shiny earrings, Pickett longs for a nap on your shoulder, and I long for all of it.

I wish I could be able to visit you sooner. I’d be in New York tomorrow, if I could. But I have found something in Paris, something that is far more important than my loneliness, or the promise I had made.

I’m terribly sorry about it, but my book will be published in the upcoming week. I am a horrible man, for breaking your trust and my promise, but I will not be able to give it to you in person. You will receive it, expect a delivery on your desk, but I can’t be there.

I wish I could, my dear Tina. My heart yearns it something horrible. But what I’m to do in Paris, it is far greater than you or I, than any creature that walks this earth, that any thought or feeling to exist, no matter how strong.

Please, don’t think you are not important to me. That is as far from the truth as I am from you. You will understand, one day, why it had to be this way. One day, I shall be able to tell you everything, if you’ll be inclined to listen. I hope you will.

I hope we will see eachother soon. I hope you will still smile at me.

Pickett asked who I was writing to, and as soon as I said your name, he waved his hands and made noises that sound like a child’s kiss. I think it means he sends his love.

In the past minutes, Dougal has been gently running his fingers over the pages I have already written. I think it means he misses you.

As always, I find myself feeling the same things as my creatures are. They’ve always been better at expressing it.

Be well, my dear friend. Stay safe.

Yours,
Newt

There was a sketch near his signature, a doodle, as Theseus called it, of Newt’s hand, holding a quill, with Pickett wrapped tightly around his wrist. The bowtruckle had his lips pursed, like in a kiss, and Newt’s fingers had small bite marks on them.

Tina felt like crying, but she didn’t.

Leta was looking at her with shock clearly written on her face, Graves was looking at her in understanding, and Theseus was looking at her with incredulity.

‘I never thought Newt was capable of so much…’, he didn’t finish that thought.

‘You were the only one, dear.’, Leta smiled, a little, before straightening her shoulders. ‘Whatever he found in Paris, it’s Dumbledore’s doing.’

‘I know he is a teacher at your school’, Graves started, ‘but what does he have to do with Newt? Or Grindelwald, for that matter?’

Theseus frowned, deeply. ‘Everyone knows-’

‘Not here, we don’t.’, Queenie interrupted.

‘We know Newt was expelled from school and that Dumbledore argued against it.’, Tina said, remembering Newt’s file.

Theseus nodded. ‘Newt was Dumbledore’s favorite. Everyone else in school thought my brother was odd and… not up to par with our last name. Dumbledore saw something else in him, and their relationship continued in an amicable manner after Newt left Hogwarts.’

Queenie was glaring at Leta, and Tina was trying her damn hardest not to do the same. The woman took it in stride, very pointedly grabbing a hold of her fianc é ’s hand, again.

‘And as for Dumbledore and Grindelwald’, Theseus went on, ‘I know they were friends, in their younger years. And I know that something horrible happened, something nobody really knows, but it has shattered their relationship and sent them on two very different paths.’

‘So it’s safe to say that Dumbledore would not act against the person who used to be his friend.’, Graves used a voice that Tina knew well from their debriefs.

Theseus nodded. ‘I think so. And I think he trusts my brother enough to send him after Grindelwald.’

‘And the idiot didn’t even hesitate before doing whatever Dumbledore said.’ Leta’s voice was just on the wrong side of harsh.

‘We don’t use those type of words in this house, Miss Lestrange.’, Tina said gruffly. ‘Especially in relation to people who have saved us before.’

She knew what happened with Leta and Newt in school. He had told her, briefly in one of his letters, that she was his only friend so he felt complied to take the fall for her, and that it was the last he had heard of her. Which brought another question to mind.

‘Does he know about…’, Queenie asked before Tina could, pointing between Leta and Theseus.

He was the one to nod. ‘Rest assured, he wasn’t heartbroken. Just scared that I will get my heart broken.’

Leta took this easily, smiling fondly at him and pushing their shoulders together. There was love in her eyes, but Tina couldn’t help but think about why Newt didn’t tell her.

‘As riveting as this is’, Graves deadpanned, ‘we have bigger issues at hand.’

‘Yes.’, Theseus squared his shoulders. ‘It’s clear that the next step is to talk to Dumbledore. If you would be inclined to help me, I will be in your debt.’

‘You want them to go with you to London, maybe Paris.’, Queenie said in the silence that followed.

‘That won’t be possible.’, Graves sighed. ‘As much as we’d want to, we can’t both leave, Picquery wouldn’t allow it.’

‘Then you go.’, Tina was quick to say. ‘We can handle things for a couple of days.’

‘You could’, he tilted his head at her, ‘but in the event Grindelwald resurfaces, things would be far more troublesome.’

She agreed with him, unfortunately.

‘So you’ll go.’, Graves shocked her. He raised an eyebrow. ‘You know Mister Scamander, and you know Grindelwald. Picquery will argue against it, but she’s more likely to let an Auror go, than the Head of Security. And she wants relationships with the Ministry to be held strongly, in times like these.’

Tina’s eyes turned to Queenie, who was already nodding. ‘Go, I’ll be fine. I’ll go stay with someone else while you’re gone.’

Jacob, she meant Jacob. It made Tina feel slightly better.

‘It’s settled then.’, Graves said strongly. ‘I’ll arrange a Portkey for the three of you, probably tomorrow evening.’

With a few strong nods, the night was over.

Tina wanted desperately to go inside of the suitcase, but she didn’t fight the strength to ask Theseus for it. He was polite as he left, thanking them for their hospitality and their will to help, and he held Leta’s hand through everything.

After they Apparated away, Graves lingered, politely asked for another cup of coffee.

‘I think it’s time for us to be honest with each other’, his eyes skipped from Tina to Queenie, before landing on the younger sister.

‘I know you’re a Legilimens, and I know that Jacob Kowalski remembers what happened.’

The world rushed from underneath Tina’s feet, and she tightly grabbed her sister’s hand, as Queenie started talking.

‘Stop.’, Graves smiled gently at her. ‘I’m not gonna rat you out. As Tina said, we’re not at work here.’ He tilted his head. ‘If you think it’s worth it, putting yourself in such danger, then this Kowalski has to be something else.’

‘He is, Mister Graves.’, Queenie sniffed. ‘He really is.’

‘Your secrets are safe with me.’, the man promised. ‘Just be careful, Queenie. Don’t get sloppy, cause not everyone at work is as understanding as I am.’

Queenie nodded, thanking him from the bottom of her heart.

Then Graves turned to Tina. ‘I worry that your feelings for the younger Mister Scamander are going to cloud your judgement.’

Her first instinct was to deny it. But in that moment, she trusted Graves. She trusted him with Queenie’s safety, and she trusted him with this.

‘They won’t cloud my judgement, but they will provide motivation.’

Graves hummed. ‘Motivation to do what?’

‘Find Newt.’, she said quickly. ‘Hex Grindelwald to the Moon and back.’

The man smirked at that, seemingly proud. He got up from the table.

‘Don’t bother coming into work tomorrow, Tina. Rest, pack, prepare.’

‘I’ll make sure she does.’, Queenie smiled. ‘I have the day off anyway.’

‘Thank you for dinner, it was pretty darn good.’, Graves grinned at her.

‘You’re welcome here anytime, Mister Graves.’, was Queenie’s prompt response. ‘You’re far nicer than everyone gives you credit for.’

‘Best not to start that rumor’, he chuckled. ‘I have a reputation to maintain.’

He turned to Tina, again. ‘I’ll send an owl after I arrange the Portkey. Don’t get stupid, stay safe, and go find your fella.’

‘He's not my-’

Graves cut her off with a snort, making her cheeks instantly turn red. He winked at her before he Apparated away.

Tina turned to Queenie, a mess of emotions running through her heart, a jumble of thoughts running through her head.

‘Let’s pack.’, Queenie said gently. ‘We might need to sow some hoods on your jackets.’

Oh, the English rain. Tina was not looking forward to that, but she was more than willing to suffer through it for Newt.

///

Tina did not close one eye that night. Instead, she read Newt’s letters, all of them, twice. And when sleep still didn’t come to her, she picked up her favorite spellbook and went through it quickly.

Queenie woke up and fussed over her, but she also made her breakfast and helped her pack a bag. It was only after that was done, that Tina fell asleep.

She slept for a few hours, without any nightmares or dreams, thankfully enough, and Queenie woke her up with enough time to eat a sandwich and take a bath before she had to leave.

‘I’ll be sleeping at Jacob’s’, Queenie said with tears in her eyes, ‘so you either write to me at the office, or you send an owl there.’

Tina nodded, hoping she won’t spend enough time in Europe to account for letters.

‘I hope so too’, Queenie said, ‘but just in case. I hope you find him quickly.’

Tina couldn’t really answer that, the need to start crying overlapping everything. So she didn’t say anything, opting for hugging her sister tightly. She took Queenie’s whisper of ‘Stay safe.’ with a shiver, but a strong nod.

Without another word, she Apparated away.

///

Traveling by Portkey across the ocean was truly horrible, and had they not landed somewhere outside, Tina was sure she would have thrown up. But they were outside, and the fresh air helped. Theseus whispered a Lumos and the fact that both he and Lena were looking a little pale, it made Tina feel slightly better.

It was already night in England, close to 10 o’clock, so Tina couldn’t see much around her. She saw some small lights, in the distance, but not enough to distinguish what they were.

That was the direction they headed towards, and when Tina was able to make out the outline of the ridiculously large mansion, she understood that they were on the Scamander estate, where Newt and Theseus grew up.

She tried to get herself out of the situation, Tina did argue that she had no problem with renting a room at the Leaky Cauldron (Newt had mentioned it before). Theseus wouldn’t have it, saying that Newt would hex him if he found out he let Tina sleep there and Leta gently added that the house was ridiculously large for just two people, anyway.

So Tina went, looking curiously around the surprisingly luxurious house, picturing a boy with Newt’s eyes and hair running around, trekking mud from the hippogriff stables. Her heart hurt, so she excused herself early in the night, blaming it on time zone sickness. Both of her hosts saw right through her, but let her be.

///

She fell asleep quickly, even though she felt very out of place in the room, but Tina had a restless sleep, filled with nightmares. She didn’t remember them, exactly, but she remembered Newt screaming her name.

Which is why she almost hexed the house elf that woke her up in the morning. It was late, the elf said, almost 10 AM, and ‘Master Theseus and his Missus are waiting for you with breakfast’.

Tina got dressed quickly and all but started crying when she saw that there was coffee waiting for her on the table. They were quiet while they ate, but both Lena and Theseus were throwing her questioning looks.

So once she finished eating, she poured herself another cup of coffee, and asked them, point blank, what they wanted to know.

Theseus tried to say something, but thought better of it and closed his mouth with a snap, so Leta took over.

‘It’s just that Newt has never… in all the time I’ve known him -’

‘And all the time I’ve known him’, Theseus interrupted, ‘which is fairly longer.’

‘He’s never shown this much interest in a woman.’, Leta said gently.

‘Never.’, Theseus nodded.

Despite her blush and the way her heart started beating faster, Tina didn’t back down.

‘How would you know?’, she asked him, before turning to Leta. ‘Would you? Did you even see how he cared for you?’

Leta looked away, clearly ashamed, so Tina turned to look back at Theseus. There was regret in his eyes, but more than that, there was confusion.

Tina shrugged. ‘I don’t know why Newt… I don’t even know exactly how he… feels.’ Her voice shook too much, but she pushed through. ‘You just met me, you don’t know me very well, you’re worried about your brother, I know. But what you’re asking… it doesn’t matter now. Newt’s my friend and catching Grindelwald is my job. You can trust me to do both.’

‘This was never a question of trust.’, Theseus smiled, a little. ‘I was just curious of what you saw in my socially awkward baby brother that loves dangerous animals.’

Tina rolled her eyes. ‘Speaking of…’, she bit her lip. ‘Did you feed the animals this morning?’

Leta grinned, shoving at Theseus’ elbow. ‘Told you!’, she all but sang, gleefully.

Theseus was smiling, too. ‘She figured you’d want to check up on them, so I waited.’

Tina got up very quickly.

///

Dougal was waiting for them in the shed, and he wasted no time in demanding a hug from Tina. She picked him up, settled him on her hip.

‘You miss him, huh?’, she asked softly.

Dougal nodded, pushing his head to her shoulder.

‘All the animals, they’re very… subdued.’, Theseus said. ‘Even the niffler’s behaving himself.’

Tina sighed, making her way through the space, ignoring Theseus as he fed the animals, ignored the way how this place had been a happy one, for her, but now it brought her pain. And longing, so much longing.

Her feet led her to the occamy nest, where the animals were unnaturally still. ‘They miss their mommy.’

‘Mommy?’, Theseus snorted, coming to her side.

She turned to him with a small smile. ‘His word, not mine.’

‘No, no, it fits. It definitely fits.’, he kept on snickering.

‘Where’s Pickett?’, she asked next.

Theseus led the way, over to Frank’s enclosure. It still looked like a desert, even if it had been months since the thunderbird has been in the case. That is where Pickett made a little nest for himself, out of small branches and a few leaves.

‘I’ve tried to get him back to his tree, but he wouldn’t have it.’

Tina felt tears pricking at her eyes, especially when Dougal got himself out of her hold, and sat down next to Pickett’s nest, easily picking him up in his furry hands.

The bowtruckle was making noises that were very distressed, and they broke Tina’s heart, really they did. She wiped away at her face, as she felt Theseus putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Dougal extended his hands, presenting Pickett like a prise to her. She knelt in front of the animals, moved to pet the bowtruckle. He was quicker, jumping on her hand, holding on strongly. She didn’t need to speak his language to understand what he meant.

‘I can’t take you with me, Pickett. It might be dangerous and -’

He interrupted her with a series of very annoyed chirps, and a strong shaking of his head.

‘Pickett’, Tina sighed, ‘he’ll never forgive me if something happens to you.’

Dougal’s eyes flashed then, a bright blue that let them know he was seeing probabilities. After his eyes turned back to normal, he made a soft cooing sound and then grabbed the hand Tina had Pickett in, pushing it, gently, to her chest.

‘Well you gotta take him now.’, Theseus said. Tina couldn’t see him, but she knew he was smirking.

‘Alright, Pickett, you’re coming. But you will behave!’, she tried her best to be stern.

The bowtruckle nodded fiercely.

‘Speaking of, Professor Dumbledore is waiting for us before lunch.’

She nodded, straightening up and placing Pickett in her breast pocket, extending a hand to Dougal. ‘Where are we meeting him?’

‘Hogwarts, of course.’

Tina yelped, she couldn’t help herself. Theseus laughed very loudly.

///

Leta didn’t join them. She didn’t say why, and Tina didn’t ask.

///

Theseus Apparated them on a stone bridge that led to the castle. It was a giant castle, in the middle of nowhere, and it completely took Tina’s breath away. She stopped walking, looking up at the castle with big eyes.

‘Yeah.’, Theseus whispered by her side. ‘It does that. Wait till you see the inside.’

That got Tina moving.

There was a woman waiting for them at the gates, who didn’t introduce herself as much as pulled them hurriedly inside.

‘Professor Dumbledore is just finishing up a class. You still remember the way to his office, don’t you, Mister Scamander?’

She didn’t wait for an answer before rushing away.

Theseus thought this was normal behaviour, so with a gentle hand on her elbow, he guided Tina through the castle.

It was… so very different from Ilvermorny. The portraits on the walls talked, the staircases moved, the four houses were in a competition and the hourglasses kept points. The only reason why Tina did not scream when faced with a poltergeist was because Newt had talked, in one of his letters, about Nearly Headless Nick.

She thought about Newt after that, about how he felt when he had to roam these halls. About all the riddles he had to decipher to get into the Hufflepuff common room, about the hours he spent hidden in the Forbidden Forest, flying on the Quidditch field.

‘Were you in Hufflepuff?’

Theseus turned to look at her, not really masking his surprise. ‘No, all the Scamander's have been Ravenclaws. Until Newt, that is.’

Of course he had been the first one to be different. In more than one way, it seemed. She knew it couldn’t have been easy for him, but Tina still smiled.

They didn’t wait too long for Dumbledore, who was quick to open his office and usher them inside.

Tina was vaguely aware of him and Theseus shaking hands, but she couldn’t really take her eyes away from a corner of the office, where a gold perch stood, and the most beautiful creature she had ever seen was sleeping on it. Its feathers were bright red, speckled with gold to match its beak.

‘Is that a phoenix?’

It was only when her question was met with silence that she realized how rude she was being.

‘I’m so sorry, Professor.’, she looked to him. ‘I just…’

When she didn’t go on, Dumbledore raised an amused eyebrow.

‘Professor, this is Miss Tina Goldstein, an Auror with MACUSA.’, Theseus introduced her. ‘Quite evidently, she’s also a friend of my brother’s.’

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Goldstein.’, he politely shook her hand. ‘And to answer your question, yes, that is a phoenix. His name is Fawkes and he was a recent gift from Newt.’

‘Of course it was.’, Theseus grumbled. ‘There have only been a handful of domesticated phoenix birds in England’s history, so of course my brother would gift one to you.’

That amused Dumbledore terribly. He went behind his desk and asked them to sit down in front of it, and with a swift twirl of his wand, a tray with tea and biscuits appeared.

‘While I am very glad to see you, Theseus’, the professor smiled, ‘I assume you’re here on business, and because of Miss Goldstein’s presence, I assume that business is Grindelwald.’

‘Yes and no.’, Theseus said slowly. ‘Newt is missing, unless you have been in contact with him the past two months.’

Dumbledore pursed his lips, but shook his head.

‘Last we heard from him, he was in Paris working on something for you.’, Theseus tone was harsh. ‘His letters stopped when Grindelwald escaped and I woke up with the case in my living room. So yes, professor, this is about him. I won’t disrespect you by asking about your relationship with Grindelwald, I’ve read enough in the Daily Prophet. But no, this isn’t really about Grindelwald. My priority is finding my brother.’

It took a few moments, of the two men glaring at each other, before Dumbledore turned to look at Tina with a very hesitant expression.

She swallowed before she spoke. ‘Catching Grindelwald is my job, Professor. But Newt is my friend.’

Dumbledore blinked, twice. Then he frowned at her. ‘Newt doesn’t usually have those.’

An angry chirp could be heard from Tina’s breast pocket, Pickett peeking out just long enough to stick his tongue out at a very surprised Dumbledore.

‘He has now.’, Tina smiled. ‘And we all want to get him back. So if you know anything that might help us find him, please start talking knowing that whatever information you give us will not leave this room.’

Dumbledore sighed, deeply. ‘After what happened in New York, it seems like Grindelwald is in search of Obscurials. I caught talk of one in Paris, and I caught rumors of Grindelwald heading there.’

Tina drowned her tea, wishing there was something stronger in the cup.

‘Do you know where in Paris?’

Dumbledore took a deep breath, refilled her tea cup, and started talking about a circus of oddities.

///

Theseus took the long way around to the castle entrance, just so Tina could sneak a peek at the Great Hall. The ceiling truly was something magnificent and she spent the rest of the walk thinking about how would that charm work.

‘I need to sent an owl to the Ministry, arrange for a Portkey to Paris.’, Theseus was thinking out loud. ‘I could Apparate myself, but bringing you along would drain me too much. It shouldn’t be a problem, but the sooner we can leave will probably be tomorrow morning.’

Tina sighed.

‘I don’t like it either’, Theseus amended, ‘but at least we have something to go on. Something more than just knowing that Newt’s missing.’

She nodded, pulling her jacket closer to her body. It was a little chilly outside, the Scottish wind harsh against her skin.

‘I need a drink.’, she mumbled, feeling only mildly embarrassed about it.

‘Me too.’, Theseus snorted. ‘Leta will still be out, so I won’t feel bad for stopping at the Three Broomsticks.’

‘That’s in… Hogsmeade, right?’

Theseus smirked and nodded. ‘We could go to Diagon Alley as well, if you’d prefer.’

She couldn’t control her excited reaction. It made Theseus laugh under his breath, a surprisingly soft sound.

He grabbed her elbow. ‘You’re quite cute, Miss Goldstein.’

Tina glared. ‘Shut up, Scamander!’

The last thing she heard before they Apparated was Theseus’ ungraceful snort.

///

Diagon Alley was a fairytale. They didn’t linger for too long, but it was enough for Tina’s heart to soar with wonder.

Theseus sent an owl to the Ministry, then hurried her along to a small pub where Tina had her first butterbear. He also got her a coffee to go, which was nice. Their next stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where Tina got some Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, and they both got some French currency.

After that, he asked what sort of shops she was interested in. Without hesitation, she asked to go to Flourish & Blotts. Theseus rolled his eyes, but did take her to the bookshop. That was the only place where Tina lingered, next to the display of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them .

‘He doesn’t know it yet’, Theseus whispered, ‘but I’m confident the book will make it on the mandatory read list next term.’

Tina felt immense pride. ‘That was his goal with this book, wasn’t it? To change how the community regards magical creatures?’

‘Quite.’, Theseus hummed. ‘I can’t believe the bastard actually did it.’

Tina was surprised by the curse word, not because she was unaccustomed with men cursing in her presence, but because it was Theseus who had said it. Him and Newt both, they were so… proper. Raised in a certain way, a polite way that spoke of high society, a way that Tina was terribly unfamiliar with. But in that moment, she realized that even for Theseus, it was a facade, it was something that he had to do. It also became clear that he was getting comfortable around Tina, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

So she asked him to point her in the spellbooks direction, and maybe magical law.

Tina left the shop with six books, Theseus with an exasperated, but resigned expression.

They also stopped at a small stall that sold various trinkets, where Tina took less than three minutes to select a bracelet and a pendant to get Queenie.

‘Leta should be home by now.’, Theseus said with a little hesitation.

‘We can go, yes.’, Tina nodded. ‘You should spend some time with her until we leave tomorrow.’

With a grateful nod, he took her elbow and together, they Apparated close to his home.

///

Leta had been out arranging various things for the wedding, apparently. Tina felt disgusted, at first, that Newt was missing and she was babbling on about flowers and bands, but then she realized she had been shopping today, so she really couldn’t judge.

Newt was missing, but life went on, and Leta believed that they were going to find him, sooner rather than later, considering their wedding was three months away.

They were all around the table, having a late lunch, but once Leta stopped talking about the wedding, her expression turned from excited to something fond, as she regarded Tina.

‘You don’t like me.’, she said with confidence.

Tina hesitated only a second. ‘I don’t know you, Miss Lestrange. And what I do know, yes, those few bits I don’t like.’

‘Newt’s okay with it, you know.’, Theseus said gently. ‘With Leta and I getting married. I know what you’re thinking, that he only said so because he didn’t want to hurt me, but I know my brother. He’s a terrible liar.’

That much was true, Newt really was a horrible liar.

‘I hope that’s true.’, she truthfully told Theseus. ‘I do hope you two love each other, strongly and truthfully for a long, long time.’ She turned towards Leta. ‘And I hope Newt really is alright with it.’

‘He hasn’t told you, has he?’, Leta frowned. ‘About our engagement?’

Tina shook her head.

‘And that’s why you’re still on the fence about me. Because Newt hasn’t told you.’

‘Oh, he told her what happened at Hogwarts.’, Theseus said confidently.

‘Yes.’, Tina admitted. ‘But nothing else.’

Leta just looked at her, for a long while. Tina had no idea what she was looking for. In the end, the other woman smiled, a little, and leaned back in her chair.

‘I’m sure Newt has his reasons. And knowing him, it’s probably a series of really bad, emotional and embarrassing reasons.’

She sounded very amused and fond, and it made Theseus chuckle. Whatever Tina wanted to say was interrupted by an owl at the window. Theseus excused himself to write a reply, saying it was work related, but not Newt related. So Tina and Leta were left alone.

The other woman was watching Tina with an interest in her eyes, but she didn’t think it was… evil.

‘What?’, Tina asked.

Leta smiled. ‘Since Theseus and I got engaged, I only met Newt once. The three of us had dinner, and it was all perfectly civil. He was awkward, though, as you’d expect.’

Tina nodded at that, picturing it clearly.

‘But’, Leta went on, ‘he mentioned you and your sister, once. Theseus said that Newt smiled like that only when he talked about his creatures.’

Tina felt something squeezing around her heart because, once again, she could pictured it clearly. The glint in his eyes, the smile on his lips.

‘Queenie says that we’re both weird’, she found herself saying, ‘but different kinds of weird. So we found each other to complete the full circle of weirdness.’

Leta chuckled at that. ‘I think your sister is right. Newt and I were both weird, in school, but we were similar types of weird.’

Tina shook her head. ‘I don’t even know if-’

‘Yes you do.’, the other woman cut her off. ‘You know how Newt feels, you see it clearly in every letter he sends you. What I don’t know… is weather or not you feel the same.’

Around her blush, Tina forced herself to look into Leta’s eyes.

‘I’m on another continent, working behind my government’s back, ready to act against the greatest dark wizard our world has ever seen, just to get Newt back. What do you think?’

Slowly, Leta smiled. ‘I think I like you, Miss Goldstein.’

Tina laughed, feeling tired of all a sudden.

When Theseus came back into the room a few minutes later, he found both of the women giggling uncontrollably, watching Pickett taking a bath in Tina’s cup of tea.

Tina spent the rest of the day in the case, except for dinner, which she spent trying to convince her two hosts that Ilvermorny was far better than Hogwash.

Chapter Text

Tina was getting really tired of getting her breath caught by various things in England. But, to be fair, stepping into a cramped telephone box with Theseus and stepping out into the vast atrium of the Ministry of Magic felt like a good enough reason to stop breathing for a while.

Theseus strung her around quickly, though. First, he gave his secretary the letter Tina had written to Queenie the night before. It was a long one, and she had written that they were going to Paris, next, but not any other details regarding their investigation. Theseus thought it best, just in case the letter got, somehow, intercepted.

Still, they also visited one of the Aurors in his command, someone called Black whom Theseus trusted the most. The bulky man listened to his boss explain the real reason why they were going to Paris, he didn’t sketch any sort of expression, but once Theseus was done, Black promptly told them they were ‘bloody bonkers’, promised to alert the Minister if he didn’t hear from them in a week, and calmly went back to his paperwork.

The Portkey experience wasn’t as bad from London to Paris as it was from the States to England, but it still wasn’t pleasant. Tina felt steady on her feet, though, so she was very much present as Theseus checked them into a hotel. It wasn’t anything as fancy as the house he lived in, but it was clean and the receptionist was a house elf, so it was clearly a magic spot.

‘Now what?’, Tina asked as they were on the hallway, with the doors to their rooms opened.

‘Now we leave our luggage, take a potty break and then we go look for a circus.’

Tina pulled a face, because potty break sounded very wrong to her ears. Still, she did as he said.

///

Was it weird, casually strolling through Paris with Theseus by her side? Yes, yes it was, terribly weird. She felt comfortable, though, surprisingly enough. Tina had only known him for a few days, but she didn’t mind when their shoulders bumped together, when he guided her down the street with a hand on her back.

They didn’t have a destination in mind, and honestly, Tina had no idea where she was. She didn’t have a map of the city, but Theseus seemed to know his way around. He argued that they needed to head towards more populated places.

Once again, Tina lost her breath when they rounded a corner into a square and she saw the Eiffel Tower.

‘Yes!’, Theseus said, overly excited. He grabbed Tina’s elbow and dragged her to a corner of the square.

Prying her eyes away from the metal structure, she saw what made Theseus excited. It was a poster, bright red and gold, advertising Le Cirque Arcanus: musée des curiosités vivantes.

‘Museum of…’, Tina frowned.

‘Living curiosities.’, Theseus finished. He checked around him for other people, and when he saw that there were few, he pulled out his wand and whispered Revelio .

The poster came to life then, the colors bleeding into one another and the words dancing on the page, changing shape.

Expérimenter la magie dans une monde non-magique!

‘Experience magic in a non-magic world.’, Theseus explained.

‘Yeah, I got that.’, Tina nodded. ‘Look, is that a place?’

He nodded, reading the fine print at the bottom of the poster. ‘Place du Tertre, that’s at the base of Sacre-Coeur. In Montmartre.’

‘So you know where it is.’, Tina tried to clarify.

‘Yes, yes I do.’, Theseus turned to look at her, grinning wildly. ‘The Circus opens its gates only after sundown, so we have some time to lose.’

She sighed, because she didn’t like not doing anything in the middle of a kidnapping situation, but he was right.

‘Let’s get some wine in you.’, Theseus kept on grinning, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

‘No.’, she didn’t hesitate. ‘Coffee. Maybe chocolate pastries.’

‘Newt likes those.’, he snorted, letting go of her after he made sure she was following.

‘Hey, Theseus.’, her hesitating voice made him stop and look into her eyes. ‘What are the odds of us finding… Newt’s body?’

‘Lower than zero’, was his prompt response, paired with his fingers gently wrapping around hers.

He Apparated them back to his hotel room, wasting no time in casting a Muffliato around the room, before leveling her with a look.

‘There’s something I didn’t tell you yet, about Dumbledore and Grindelwald.’

She raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s not something well known, it hasn’t come to surface in the journalistic investigation, but I have heard it from a source, a woman who lived close to the house Dumbledore grew up in. At that time, Grindelwald was visiting a relative on the same street.’

‘Is this about their falling out?’

Theseus nodded. ‘Dumbledore had a sister and everyone knew she was sick. She didn’t go to Hogwarts when she turned 11 and nobody ever saw her.’

He threw her a loaded look, which made Tina understand.

‘You think she was an Obscurus?’

‘I think so, yes.’, he said sadly. ‘There’s no proof, but it would make a lot of sense. And because of his tight friendship with Dumbledore, Grindelwald knew Ariana, as well. He was there when she died. Nobody knows how she died, but it was the moment they took their separate ways.’

‘He wanted…’, Tina’s voice shook, so she took a deep, calming breath. ‘When he was interrogating Newt about the Obscurus in his case, he wanted to know if, in the state that it was in, if it was useless.’

‘Useless?’

In that moment, saying that single word, Theseus sounded exactly like Newt did. Incredulous and angry, remaining calm but ready to lash out.

‘He’s not looking for these kids just to study them.’, Tina said slowly. ‘He wants to use their power.’

‘That’s painfully clear, now.’, he rubbed at his face. ‘And my brother wants to protect them.’

‘I really hope he wasn’t stupid about it.’, she said in a shaky voice.

Theseus snorted. ‘Well he is missing, so I think it’s safe to say he’s been stupid.’

‘That’s not helping, you know.’, Tina said after a beat.

He nodded, grabbing her hand again. ‘Maybe coffee will.’

///

When they made it to the Circus, Tina was on high alert.

The people around her were a mix of no-majs and magic folk, and it was a situation she was not accustomed to. They both kept their eyes wide open as they made their way around the circus, and at first sight, there was nothing out of the ordinary (expect for all the real magic on display), there was no sight of Newt.

But then Tina saw something, in the corner of her eye, and she felt someone watching her. Turning around, she froze, because Credence was standing right in front of her. His eyes were desperate and he was holding a bag of toffees.

He said something in French, but Tina didn’t understand it. She opened her mouth, but Credence shook his head slightly. Theseus swiftly bought the bag of toffees from him, and he left quickly, not looking back.

‘What?’, was all she managed to whisper.

‘Let’s find a nice calm place to enjoy these sweets, hm?’ He grabbed her elbow and moved her along, until they found a bench hidden between some stalls.

There was a note inside of the toffee bag. Please leave now. I’ll help you find him. , with an address and an hour, very late in the night.

‘So who was that?’, Theseus asked, completely unperturbed.

She turned to him with evident shock. ‘Credence.’

His eyes grew very wide. ‘Oh, Merlin’s beard.’

Tina felt like crying.

///

They went back to the hotel, where Tina buried herself under several blankets and ate all the toffees. She may have cried the entire time. Pickett set camp on her shoulder.

She might have fallen asleep at some point, but she couldn’t be sure.

///

They waited on the deserted street for half an hour before Credence showed up. But he did show up, and he was there, with different hair and clothes that weren’t all black, not really meeting her eyes.

She couldn’t help it, Tina touched his cheek, just to make sure he was really there.

He tensed at first, but then he relaxed and they locked eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’

Tina shook her head. ‘Are you alright?’

‘I’m better.’, he said quickly. ‘I learned to control it, I don’t-’

‘But are you alright?’, she insisted, drawing her hand back. ‘Have you been staying with the circus? What, do you…’, she shook her head.

‘I work for them.’, Credence said after a beat. ‘They give me food and a bed, and money sometimes. And I do what they want. Sometimes, I have to use my… magic, but I didn’t hurt anyone, I swear I didn’t.’

Tina nodded at that, feeling her knees shake. Theseus took over, he introduced himself, even shook Credence’s hand.

‘You said you’ll help us. Help us with what?’

Credence’s eyes moved to Tina. ‘The guys who run the circus, they have him. Your friend? The kind one, with the blue coat.’

‘He’s my little brother, Credence.’, Theseus said softly. ‘If you can help us in any way, help us get him back, I’ll…’, he faltered.

‘We can protect you.’, Tina said strongly. ‘We can take you with us-’

Credence shook his head, taking a step back. ‘They killed me before, they’re going to do it again.’

‘MACUSA did.’, Theseus said strongly. ‘The Ministry of Magic won’t.’

The young man frowned at that, so Theseus explained about the magical ministry in England and about how his power was called an Obscurus, and while it was classified as a magical beast, the Ministry was a lot more lax than its American counterpart.

‘I killed people, Mister Scamander.’, Credence looked down. ‘There can’t be forgiveness for that.’

‘There can, and there will.’, Theseus said strongly, forcing Credence to look at him. ‘First of all, I am in charge of all arrests and I won’t issue such an order. Secondly, the Minister owes me a lot, considering he did not believe me when I told him Newt got himself involved with Grindelwald, again.’

‘That’s…’, he turned to Tina. ‘That’s who Mister Graves really was, right?’

She nodded. ‘Grindelwald is a horrible wizard and he’s hurt a lot of people. He’s going to hurt a lot more, and we think… we think he’s looking for Obscurials.’

Credence’s eyes grew wide. ‘He’s coming tomorrow, I heard the bosses talk about it. He’s coming for your brother.’

Tina’s eyes met Theseus, and her determination and anger were mirrored in his. He took over the operation.

‘Credence, you’re not safe here anymore. You’re coming with us and I promise you, we’ll keep you safe.’

It took a second, but Credence nodded.

Then Theseus turned to Tina. ‘You two go back to the hotel. I’ll go fetch my team and inform Graves as quickly as I can, and then Credence will tell us where they’re keeping Newt. We’re getting him back tonight, before Grindelwald gets here.’

‘I’ll come.’, Credence said in a low voice. ‘You could use my powers.’

‘No.’, both Theseus and Tina said, but she was the one to go on. ‘Nobody is ever using you again, do you hear me?’

Tears appeared in his eyes, but Credence did nod.

‘You’re not coming either, by the way.’, Theseus threw her a look. ‘No, you’re not, Tina, someone competent needs to stay with Credence and you’re the only one he trusts. Also.’ He smirked, playfully grabbing her shoulder. ‘My brother will actually kill me if anything happened to you, so you’re staying behind on this one.’

‘I hate this.’, she said, her voice breaking.

Credence hesitantly grabbed her hand, and with one more nod, Theseus was gone.  

///

Once they got back to the hotel, Tina made coffee. She tidied up her room, a little, ignoring the way Credence was watching her in awe. But once she was done with that and Theseus still hadn’t returned, she was beside herself.

‘He’s alright, you know.’, Credence told her. ‘Your friend.’

‘Newt.’, she breathed out, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed. ‘His name is Newt.’

‘He’s asleep. They’ve been keeping him asleep, so that when he wakes up, he’ll feel horrible. Men usually answer the questions they’re asked when they feel horrible.’

A distressed sound came from Tina’s breast pocket, startling Credence.

‘It’s alright’, she soothed him, reaching and grabbing the bowtruckle. ‘This is Pickett, he’s Newt’s friend.’

Credence’s eyes were very wide. ‘What… what is he?’

‘A bowtruckle.’

‘He’s an animal?’

Tina nodded, grabbing a red book off the nightstand. She showed Credence the title and the writer’s name, before flicking through it, settling on the bowtruckle chapter.

Credence didn’t get to read much before Theseus came back. They made their way to the hotel lobby, which was now filled with Aurors.

‘We’re in charge of getting Newt back.’, Theseus said in an authoritative voice. ‘Credence is our source of information, and he is in our protection. Don’t make me say it again. After we rescue my brother, we will be joined by an American delegation that will help us deal with Grindelwald.’

Of course, all eyes moved to Tina, then.

‘Miss Goldstein will be staying behind and securing Credence.’

A couple of the Aurors snorted, their opinion on working women clear.

Theseus raised an eyebrow. ‘Not because she isn’t capable of fighting Grindelwald, she has done that before, but because she is more than capable of protecting Credence, which I’m not so sure you lot could pull off. So tuck your pricks away and focus on you job, alright?’

His little speech was met with utter silence.

Tina huffed. ‘You should tuck your prick away too, Mister Scamander. I can handle sexism on my own.’

From her shoulder, Pickett started clapping against the silence in the space.

‘So do I tell you where Newt is, now?’, Credence said in a lowered voice.

And with that, they started planning.

///

After everyone left, Tina paced. Round and round around her room, pausing only to nervously have a sip of water every now and then. Credence was sitting on the bed, reading Newt’s book with Pickett sleeping on his knee.

When someone Apparated into the room, Tina screamed. She recognized Auror Black, but he didn’t matter. Newt was unconscious, held up by the other man, looking horribly mangled.

Wordlessly, the three of them laid him down on the bed.

‘I’ll get a Healer.’, Black grunted, disappearing a moment later.

Newt looked horrible. His clothes were dirty and torn apart, there were nasty wounds on his wrists, probably from chains. There were bruises on his face and body, cuts with dried blood around them. He had lost weight and his skin had a sickly blue tint to it.

Tina barely had time to brush the matted hair away from his forehead before Black and another man Apparated. Black went back to the fight, and the Healer quickly tended to Newt.

For a few long minutes, the only sounds heard in the room were Pickett’s pitiful sighs and the distinct pop of spells coming out of the Healer’s wand.

‘Do you have any idea what spells were used?’, he asked in a harsh English.

Credence said three spells that Tina didn’t recognize, but the Healer did.

‘He’ll be fine.’, he finally said, looking up to Tina. ‘Once he wakes up, the recovery process will be torture, unless you get your hands on a bezoar.’

‘We have one.’, Tina said quickly, knowing she saw a jar of them in Newt’s shed.

‘Good. Give him that when he wakes up. He’ll fall right back asleep, for a long time, I think, but he’ll be fine once he comes back again. Be careful with food, his stomach has to get used to it again. Start with crackers and water, move up to soups and tea, then mashed vegetables and in a week, a week and a half, normal food. Gradually. No Apparition for two weeks, Floo after three days, at least.’

Tina nodded, unable to take her eyes away from Newt.

‘I have to go back, there’s more wounded coming.’

‘Thank you.’, Credence said, before the Healer left.

Tina was frozen in place, really, tears streaming liberly down her face.

Credence came by her side, gently grabbing her arm.

‘I’ll wash him up, can you find some clean clothes?’

Numb, she nodded and went to Theseus’ room, where Newt’s case lay in a corner. Clothes and bezoar, she kept repeating in her mind.

Clothes and bezoar.

Clothes and bezoar.

Maybe Dougal.

///

By the time Theseus came back with Graves, the sun was shining bright and Newt was clean, no traces of dirt or blood, wrapped up in blankets on Tina’s bed.

Credence all but hid behind her when he saw Graves, but the man was quick to introduce himself, talking in a soft voice and assuring Credence that MACUSA had no involvement in his case, it was all in the hands of the Ministry now.

Graves also hugged Tina, which was awkward but not unwelcome.

‘He got away, didn’t he?’, Tina asked the two men.

‘Didn’t even show up.’, Theseus shook his head. ‘Someone must have warned him. But we got the circus bosses, they had a very large number of illegal substances and dark artifacts. French Aurors are handling their imprisonment.’

‘At least we got Mister Scamander back.’, Graves sighed.

‘Yes.’, Tina agreed. ‘Yes, you did.’

She told Theseus what the Healer adviced, and Graves was quick to say she could stay with the Scamander's for another week, promising to let Queenie know as soon as he got back to America.

Tina was very surprised by this.

‘Theseus and I have been talking.’, Graves told her. ‘There is an idea, but you ain’t hearing it till you come back home.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

Graves nodded, looking to Credence, briefly, before addressing Theseus. ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with, Mister Scamander. On or off the books.’

The men shook hands, Graves smiled at Credence, winked at Tina, and disappeared with a pop.

‘He seems nice.’, Credence whispered.

‘He is.’, Tina said quickly.

‘I owe him quite a bit.’, Theseus said.

‘You and me both.’, she nodded.

‘I owe you quite a lot, too.’

‘You don’t.’, Tina pushed Newt’s hair away from his face. ‘You really don’t.’

///

Newt woke up four hours later, howling in pain. His eyes barely opened, not enough to realize he wasn’t imprisoned anymore, and he trashed on the bed, so roughly that Credence and Theseus had to hold him down as Tina shoved the bezoar down his throat.

He calmed down after that, falling asleep almost immediately, but Tina still felt the need to grab a hold of his hand.

‘Does your sister give you this much trouble?’, Theseus asked her, a teasing glint in his eyes.

‘That depends on whether or not you can keep a secret.’

Theseus promised he will, looking intrigued, so Tina briefly told him the story about Queenie and Jacob’s relationship. He didn’t understand, and neither did Credence, so she explained about how American wizards weren’t allowed to interact with no-majs.

Both of the men looked quite angry when she was done

‘I need a drink.’, Theseus sighed. ‘Or a nap.’

Tina told him to go to sleep, she knew she will spend the night looking after Newt. Surprisingly enough, Theseus relented, and took Credence with him.

///

Credence came back an hour later, shily asking if he could keep reading Fantastic Beasts . Tina transfigurated a pillow into an armchair and asked him to read outloud.

///

That was how they spent the next two days.

Theseus was in and out, sometimes going to the French Ministry, sometimes to London. He always brought back food, and he always looked a lot more tired than he left.

Credence read the book, and then a book called History of Magic , that Newt had in his shed. Sometimes, Tina slept in Theseus’ room, where they added another bed. Other times, Credence took it. The rest of the time they spent together, by Newt’s side, Credence reading out loud and asking Tina questions about magic, her answering as best as she could, with Newt’s hand in hers.

Leta came by, once. She didn’t stay long, but she was polite towards Tina and she was kind with Credence.

On the second evening, Tina took him inside the case. Theseus was busy and the animals had to be fed.

There was wonder in Credence’s eyes, of course there was, and she couldn’t help but think if she looked the same the first time she stepped down into the case. She probably did.

‘I didn’t know magic could be so beautiful.’, he whispered as he stared at the Fwooper.

In that moment, Tina vowed to do everything in her power to make sure Credence will have a good life. She didn’t know how much she will be able to do, but he had to learn what magic really was, the beauty in it, not just the destruction.

///

On day three, Theseus all but ordered Tina and Credence to go out. She didn’t feel like it, but both of the men argued that she should.

So Tina followed Credence out, but she made sure to grumble about it a sufficient amount.

He took her to the Louvre which, once again, made her breath catch. Credence started telling her about the castle’s history, and at her surprised look, he blushed and admitted that with the money he got from the circus, he bought cheap books.

They decided not to go in, but walk around a nearby park.

Credence was very talkative, has been getting more and more comfortable around her in the past days, and she was very glad for it. So she told him about growing up in a magical family, about taking care of Queenie when their parents died, about deciding to become an Auror and how much she fought for it.

Then she told him the real story of what happened when Newt came to New York, which made his mood drop, so she quickly changed tracks and started talking about the animals in the case.

That was a long conversation that they both enjoyed, and it was still ongoing as they made it back to the hotel. However, it died down instantly when they saw that Newt was awake, sitting up in bed.

Tina didn’t know who was more surprised, her and Credence or Newt himself.

After a very long moment of staring at them with his jaw dropped, Newt turned to his brother with a very sour expression.

‘Oh, you bastard!’

Theseus snickered. ‘I knew there was something I forgot to tell you.’  

Tina’s feet were moving before she could process what was happening. Her knees hit the floor, next to the bed, so she was able to wrap her arms around Newt, push her face into the crook of his neck.

Absently, she was aware of Credence and Theseus leaving the room. More importantly, she was aware of Newt letting out a slow, controlled breath. After that, he brought a single hand up, gently pressing his fingers to the back of her head.

‘You’re really here?’, he whispered.

Tina could only nod, trying her hardest not to start sobbing.

‘Was that Credence?’

Again, she nodded.

Newt’s voice grew stronger. ‘I’m going to kill Theseus.’

‘Later.’, Tina said, managing to climb onto the edge of the bed without actually letting go of Newt.  

He took a deep breath, and pushed their cheeks together. ‘Later.’, he agreed.

///

After Tina felt strong enough to let go of Newt and his brother and Credence came back into the room, they caught up.

Theseus spoke of what he and Tina had been doing in the past few days. Newt smiled fondly through it, especially when his brother grumbled about waiting on Tina in Flourish and Blotts, but when Theseus mentioned Leta, Newt paled. He looked to Tina with a very frightened expression.

‘Yes, little brother’, Theseus snorted, ‘you have missed a few things.’

Newt was still staring at Tina, in fear by the looks of it.

‘She’s… nice.’, she said diplomatically. ‘I didn't get to know her very well, but it is clear she loves your brother.’

‘Quite.’, Theseus was amused. ‘She’s very happy we got you back safely and you know her’, she grinned at Newt, ‘she’ll smother you once we get back home.’

Newt groaned, falling back against the pillows.

In the silence that followed, Credence made his way closer to the bed, sitting down on the floor and hesitantly meeting Newt’s eyes.

‘Did you come to Paris for me?’

Newt’s expression instantly softened.

‘Yes.’ Theseus straightened his back. ‘I think it’s time you told us what you’ve been up to since your last letter to Tina.’

The tips of Newt’s ears and his nose turned red, and Theseus adopted a very smug expression.

Tina delicately cleared her throat. ‘So, Paris?’

‘Yes, Paris.’, Newt sighed. ‘In these past months, Dumbledore kept sending me information. Rumors and whispers about potential Obscurials all around the world. Most of the leads turned out to be bogus.’

‘Except for me.’, Credence said.

‘Yes.’, Newt nodded. ‘While before there were rumors, Dumbledore was certain I’ll find an Obscurus in Paris. And if he was so sure, it was safe to assume that Grindelwald would know, too.’

‘So you came to Paris to try and save Credence.’, Theseus said.

‘But how did you know I needed saving?’, Credence frowned.

‘I didn’t.’, Newt admitted. ‘Honestly, Credence, I just wished to see you. To see that you’re alive. You made it quite difficult.’

‘The bosses knew what I was, they didn’t like letting me out in the open much.’, Credence turned to Tina. ‘The fact that I was out there when you came to the circus was a very big coincidence.’

‘So you found Credence?’, Theseus asked his brother.

Newt shook his head. ‘I didn’t get a chance to. The first night I went to the circus, I got jumped. It was only when they started… interrogating me, that I learned that Grindelwald has warned them about me.’

‘I tried to help you.’, Credence said in a small voice. ‘When I realized who you were, I tried to -’

‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’, Newt said, kindly. ‘You helped when the time was right.’

‘So Grindelwald fears you.’, Theseus said with a far away look in his eye.

‘No, definitely not.’, Newt was quick to shake his head. ‘But he knew I was doing the same thing he was: tracking down Obscurials.’

He turned to his brother. ‘The circus bosses know a lot about what Grindelwald plans on doing next.’

‘I’ll make sure the French authorities get it out of them.’

‘I know a lot, too.’, Newt looked away. ‘They kept talking around me, thinking I was asleep.’

‘You weren’t?’, Tina gasped.

‘The spells they used didn’t put me to sleep, just rendered me unresponsive. I heard everything.’

Newt had been tortured, for weeks, and he spoke about it casually, with a slight shrug, as Tina’s heart broke.

‘The Minister is going to want a debrief as soon as possible.’, Theseus said gravely. ‘Mister Graves should be there, as well.’

‘The Healer said it was safe for Newt to Floo after three days.’

Theseus got up. ‘Tomorrow, then. I’ll arrange everything and’, he smiled, ‘let Leta know she’s gonna have a full house.’

Tina looked to Credence then, and so did Theseus, the man going as far as putting a hand on Credence’s shoulder.

‘You’re coming home with us. Ever been to England?’

‘No, but -’

‘Good, you’ll like it. We have over 1000 books in the library and our house elf does quite a good cup of coffee.’

He left the room before Credence could argue.

‘Don’t worry’, Newt said softly, ‘after I get my strength back, I’ll help you settle down in a less dreadful manner.’

‘But-’

‘We promised we’ll help, Credence.’, Tina said softly. ‘Stop arguing against it.’

It took awhile, but Credence did nod, his eyes shiny.

‘Is it feeding time yet?’, he asked, an excited glint in his eyes.

Newt all but jumped out of the bed, making Tina laugh.

///

Even though he was still on a diet of crackers and sugarless tea, Newt was feeling a lot better the next day. He was craving sunshine, so after arguing with Theseus for half an hour, they walked to the Ministry building.

The closer they got, the more Credence shut down, his demeanor turning back to what Tina knew he was like in New York: afraid. She wasn’t the only one who noticed this, because Newt got close to Credence and, very smugly, asked him what he thought of the case.

That did the job, Credence started talking with an excited glint in his eyes. By the time they got to the Ministry, he didn’t seem afraid, anymore, just a little apprehensive. And he was trying to help Newt pick a name for the niffler. Unsuccessfully, much to Tina and Theseus’ amusement.

///

Surprisingly enough, Credence was more intrigued than afraid of the Floo fire. It took them straight to the living room of the Scamander mansion, where Leta was waiting.

She shamelessly kissed Theseus straight on the lips, then she hugged Newt gently before not so gently slapping the back of his head and threatened a lot more if he ever disappeared again. She told Tina that she could have the same room, and that Credence got the one next to it.

Leta spoke gently to Credence, but not in a condescending way. She had brought him clothes, apparently, and she made sure he understood that he was welcomed in their home, that he could roam free and if he ever needed anything, he just had to ask.

Tina really didn’t think Leta had any ill intent, by this point, and she was starting to believe she wasn’t a bad person. But Newt still seemed surprised by the kindness she displayed towards Credence, so Tina held her final judgement open.

Lunch was a subdued affair, mostly because Newt could only eat soup and crackers, and nobody else felt like eating much more than soup and sandwiches. It was a joint effort, but they managed to wrangle Newt into taking a nap afterwards, and Tina surprised herself by falling asleep on a couch in the library, with Credence reading on the floor next to her.

///

The afternoon found Tina and the Scamander brothers in the Minister’s office, a rather imposing older man, joined by Graves. It was a long debrief, and Newt did most of the talking. Needless to say, nobody liked hearing what Grindelwald’s plans were, tracking down Obscurials and finding a way to harness their power.

‘In light of these events’, the Minister started, ‘President Picquery and I think it’s best to start a joint task force. A few other ministries have agreed to it, but it’s an unspoken agreement that the majority of workload will be divided between us and MACUSA.’

That was a very good idea, Tina thought, already thinking of which of her coworkers were likely to be a part of it.

‘You and I will lead our end of it.’, Graves said, gently touching Tina’s elbow.

She startled, badly, looking at him with wide eyes.

‘It will be a big change, should you accept it.’, he went on. ‘Both of us will probably have to make frequent visits to this side of the ocean, but you have my word that I’ll keep an eye on your sister when you’re gone.’

Tina still didn’t find any words.

Graves huffed, a little aggravated. ‘This is a promotion, Goldstein, and you deserve it.’

‘I know I do.’, she gulped, blushing. ‘I mean, thank you, Mister Graves.’

‘Now that that’s settled’, the Minister drawled out, ‘there still remains the issue of Credence Barebone. I don’t wish to imprison him or any of the like.’

‘There’s no need for it, Minister.’, Theseus said evenly. ‘He seems to be perfectly in control of his powers in his day to day life, but maybe a little more training is needed.’

‘Yes.’, the Minister agreed. ‘To be frank, he is something completely new, the first documented Obscurial to reach adult years. While I feel compassion for his case, I am not comfortable with letting him roam around without supervision.’

‘About that, Minister’, Newt said hesitantly, ‘I might have an idea.’

‘That’s always alarming, Mister Scamander.’, the older man deadpanned. ‘But please, tell us.’

‘After the success of my book, my superior wants me to continue traveling. Not just for my book, but do research for the Beast Division.’

‘Yes, I know.’, the Minister nodded. ‘I did, despite my instinct, approve it.’

Newt hesitated, again. ‘Both my superior and my publisher think it best if I found an assistant, of sorts.’

There was silence in the room for a long moment.

‘You want’, the Minister said very slowly, ‘to take an Obscurus with you to travel the world, and for the Ministry to pay for it.’

Theseus groaned, covering his face with a hand. ‘Will there ever be a moment when you won’t embarrass me, brother mine?’

Newt punched his shoulder, without looking away from the Minister. ‘I was informed that the costs will be split between the Ministry and Obscurus Books .’

‘That’s not my main concern, Mister Scamander.’, the Minister said tightly.

‘You did just say that Credence needs a babysitter.’, Graves pointed out. ‘And Mister Scamander’, he pointed to Theseus, ‘said that he needs a teacher. This way, he’d get both.’

‘And he’ll be good at it.’, Newt went on. ‘He loves the animals, sir, and he wants to learn more about them. He wants to learn everything. Really, it’s quite refreshing.’

‘Miss Goldstein’, the Minister leveled her with a look, ‘what do you think?’

It did not take long for her to formulate an answer.

‘I think that Credence has been tortured and used, and that Mister Scamander would never do that to him. And I know that Credence likes Newt, that’s important, in this case.’

The Minister sighed, deeply. ‘What about when you’re not traveling?’

‘He can stay with me and-’, Theseus tried, but Newt cut him off.

‘No, you’re getting married and you’re insufferable. I can find Credence a place to stay, the flat underneath mine in currently unoccupied.’

Tina bit on her tongue to keep from saying something, because she knew that Newt had brought the building he was living in, his apartment, the one underneath him, and the muggle coffee shop at the ground floor.

‘He just has to agree to it.’, Newt said with a little force, daring anyone to argue.

‘He will.’, Tina found herself saying, believing it. ‘He really do loves those animals.’

Newt grinned at her and finally, the Minister agreed to the arrangement, making Tina sigh deeply in relief.

///

Graves joined them for dinner at the Scamander manner, but Newt pulled Credence away into the library, and they stayed there for a long while. But when they came back, Newt was smiling fondly and Credence was looking very excited.

He went straight to Tina’s side, grabbing her arm. ‘Am I dead? Is this Heaven?’

Newt Scamander sure felt like Heaven, at times. She didn’t say that out loud, though. Instead, Tina smiled.

‘It’s not Heaven, Credence, but it is magic.’

Newt laughed really loudly at that.

///

Dinner was a nice, comfortable affair, but throughout it, every time Tina turned to look at Graves, he was already watching her. Not in a bad way, not even a terribly curious one, but in a way that made her think she was being analized. He didn’t say anything, though, didn’t ask her anything out of the norm.

When the food was all eaten, Graves politely asked Theseus is he could go outside for a smoke, and then he not so politely ordered Tina to join him.

He still didn’t say anything, as they went out in the garden and he lit up a cigarette. He just kept watching her.

‘What, sir?’, she sighed. ‘You’ve been giving me looks all night.’

‘Not just you, Goldstein.’, Graves smiled, a little. ‘I’ve been giving Mister Scamander the same looks.’

She blinked. ‘Which Scamander?’

He snorted. ‘Your one.’

‘He’s not -’

‘Stop.’, he waved a hand. ‘Don’t insult my intelligence, or my sense of observation.’

Her cheeks burned horribly.

‘Tina.’, he said gently. ‘I’m not judging, not at all. Despite my heartless exterior…’, he shook his head and looked away from her. ‘You are an amazing woman and I have grown fond of you, I’ll even go as far as to call you my friend. I want to see you happy.’

‘Mister Graves…’, her voice shook, a little, and she wasn’t able to go on.

‘I think the awkward magizoologist is going to make you very happy. You shouldn’t doubt that he cares for you as much as you care for him.’

‘I really hope so.’, she managed to whisper.

Graves rolled his eyes, good naturally.

‘The reason why I’ve started this incredibly awkward conversation-’

‘Oh, there’s a reason?’

He glared, somewhat mildly. ‘I don’t want you to accept this promotion just based on the opportunity to see Newt more often.’

She opened her mouth to argue, but he didn’t let her.

‘As I said before, you do deserve this promotion. You’re one helluva Auror and a damn good investigator, but this is not going to be an easy job, and it will be dangerous, hands down. Don’t go down this path just for a set of pretty blue eyes.’

‘Sir’, Tina didn’t hesitate, ‘you’re right, visiting England is a bonus, but I want to catch Grindelwald. He’s hurt so many innocent people and I want to stop him from hurting anyone else.’

‘Good.’, Graves nodded. ‘Let’s do that together, shall we?’

She smiled at him, feeling very overwhelmed.

Graves snuffed out his cigarette, hugged her briefly, and they went back inside, ignoring the looks everyone was giving them.

///

Tina had a scheduled Portkey back to New York the next day and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She tried to sleep, but it was not happening.

She didn’t want to go. It wasn’t a possibility, to stay in England, keep on living in close quarters with Newt and Credence, but Tina wished she could. She wished that she didn’t have to say goodbye to Newt, again, and the thought of it was keeping her up.

So she made her way to the library, set on picking up a book and reading until exhaustion took over. Tina didn’t do that, because the case was in the middle of the room, wide open. Of course, she went down.

Newt was sitting down in the sand of Frank’s enclosure, next to where Pickett had made his nest. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of striped pajamas, the niffler was sleeping in his lap and Pickett was sleeping on the niffler’s chest. The whole scene was incredibly adorable.

‘Can’t sleep?’, he asked in a lowered voice, not quite a whisper.

‘I’m leaving tomorrow, it feels like sleep would be wasted time. What’s your excuse?’

He smiled. ‘I missed my creatures.’

‘They’ve missed you too.’

‘Yes, Theseus told me that they’ve behaved while I was gone. I can’t imagine it.’

She snickered at that, understanding Newt completely.

‘I’m glad to have met Mister Graves.’, he said next, looking away and fidgeting. ‘He seems like… like a good man.’

‘He is.’, Tina agreed. ‘I like him a lot more than the other one.’

‘And he likes, it seems like he likes you too.’

It took a moment for her to realize what was wrong with Newt’s tone. She felt like screaming at him for even thinking it, but the truth was, they never really discussed it. They never talked about their feelings for each other. There was his last letter, and there have been letters in which she had said too much, but they never discussed it face to face.

Maybe it was time they did. So Tina squared her shoulders and gathered all the courage she could find.

‘Newt’, she said gently, ‘don’t be jealous.’

His eyes grew very wide, and his fidgeting stopped. Slowly, he lifted his eyes, first to her shoulder, then meeting hers.

‘There’s no need for it.’, she went on. ‘Absolutely no need.’

‘I’m sorry.’, he said in a rush. ‘I’m sorry for not being there to give you the book, and I’m sorry for that letter, and I’m sorry for not writing you afterwards and-’

‘I am curious about that.’, she admitted. ‘Why did you stop writing?’

He looked away from her, again, but he did answer. ‘I feared that I have revealed too much in my last letter, and that I… I needed your permission to keep writing.’

She understood what he thought, but she didn’t understand why he would think it. Did Newt not know? Did he really think she only viewed him as a friend?

‘Did you really think I wouldn’t…’

‘Yes.’, he nodded when she didn’t go on. ‘I thought there was a high possibility that you would be… uncomfortable with what - with everything I’ve said and that you’d wish to distance yourself from me.’

Graves was absolutely right, Tina realized in that moment. Newt cared for her just as much as she cared for him, because the pain in his words was real and the tremor in his fingers was also real.

Without doubting herself, Tina wrapped her arms around one of his, careful not to disturb the sleeping creatures or the cuts that were still healing on Newt’s wrists. She pushed her cheek to his shoulder, ignored the way his entire body stiffened as she made herself comfortable.

‘Sometimes, you’re a real doofus, Newt Scamander. A lovable one, but a doofus nonetheless.’

Ten full seconds passed before he said something.

‘So, does that mean that-’

‘I wrote back to you the day after I got that letter.’, Tina smiled. ‘It was a long one, too, eight pages. I wrote to you about this interesting charm I discovered at work, and about Queenie’s engagement-’

‘What?’, he startled.

‘And I wrote about how I really want to see Paris with you, how I want you to show me all your favorite places and if you weren’t working, I probably would have joined you for a few days.’

Again, he startled, almost sliding the niffler off his legs in the process. The creature didn’t wake.

Tina closed her eyes, knowing that Newt was fully staring at her, but unable to meet his eyes as she admitted to one last thing.

‘I wrote about how strongly I longed for the warmth of all the souls in this case, from the niffler to the dung beetles, but most of all, I longed for their caretaker.’

Newt, once again, didn’t say anything for a long time.

‘Did you mean Dougal?’, he whispered.

Incredulous, Tina lifted her head to properly look at him. He really did think she meant Dougal.

‘I meant you, Newt.’, she said slowly, fearing he had some sort of brain damage from his recent imprisonment.

He didn’t say anything, looking terribly surprised.

‘I have been missing you from the moment you got on that ship.’, Tina said in a rush, needing him to understand, wanting him to stop doubting himself. ‘When you stopped writing, my soul hurt and when Theseus said you were missing, my heart broke in a million pieces.’

‘Oh.’, he breathed out, his cheeks as red as hers probably were.

Despite how much that took out of her, Tina chuckled. She also rested her head back on Newt’s shoulder.

‘I go back to New York tomorrow, so you better get back into the habit of writing me.’

‘Oh course.’, he said quickly. ‘It will be my pleasure.’

She smiled at that, against his soft pajamas.

‘Tina’, he said after a while. ‘I am very confused. You mentioned Queenie’s engagement?’

With a chuckle, she got him up to date. And then they kept on talking, on and on and on, until Credence came and told them they were late for breakfast.

///

When it was time for her to leave, there was a storm outside, pouring rain that reminded her of the moment they all said goodbye to Jacob. It felt worse than that.

Leta was polite, and so was Thedeus, but he went as far as hugging her. Credence was hesitant, but he did promise to write to her. They all made themselves scarce and left Tina alone with Newt.

She felt like crying, but she swallowed down her tears as best as she could and smiled at Newt.

‘I’d really like to see you sometime without chaos looming over.’

He smiled at her, very softly, as softly as he did in the New York port. But, unlike last year, this time Newt took a tiny step towards her, and he wrapped his fingers tightly around hers.

‘I promise I’ll make it happen, Tina. And I promise this is a promise I will keep.’

She had to let go of his hand in order to hug him. Newt didn’t mind, he was quick to wrap his arms around her back and push their cheeks together.

‘I’ll write.’, he whispered. ‘And I’ll stop being a doofus.’

‘You better. On both accounts.’

Newt kissed the top of her head before letting go.

‘Thank you for helping Theseus find me. I don’t think I’ve said it before.’

‘Thank you for helping Credence.’, she countered. ‘I-’

‘You’ll miss the Portkey if you don’t go now!’, Theseus yelled from somewhere awfully close, like the hallway.

‘Bugger off!’, his brother responded in the same manner, before he told Tina, in a lot softer voice, that she really did need to go.

‘I’ll see you soon.’, he added. ‘I’ll hug you again soon.’

Judging by the red on his cheeks and the way he flinched, he probably didn’t want to say that out loud.

The last thing Tina told Newt before disappearing in a flash of green flames was a cheeky ‘You better.’

///

When she got to work the next day, there was a letter already waiting for her.

Dear Tina,

You’ve only been gone for an hour and I already miss you.

Theseus just handed me a glass of bourbon. He smirked at me, an all knowing, “I told you so” type of smirk that I’ve hated when we were growing up. I still do.

I hope you made it home safely.

Yours,
Newt

PS. Pickett is currently sleeping in my hair. I don’t know which of you is to blame for this, but I am annoyed.

Chapter Text

Over the next weeks, some things got back to normal and some things changed.

Tina went back to work, but now she had an office next to Graves’ with a door connecting them, and a big part of their daily workload included reviewing international reports about Grindelwald and suggesting further inquiries.

While Queenie still lived with her, she spent a couple of nights a week at Jacob’s. There was another big change regarding Tina’s sister, and it was all Graves’ doing.

Somehow, the man convinced Pickery to turn a blind eye, and they created a loophole. If any muggle or non-American wizard asked, Queenie could say she was engaged, soon to be married. If any MACUSA agent asked, she was undercover, making sure that the No-Maj involved in the Grindelwald business last year wasn’t going to remember anything important, even if he was showing some signs, have you seen his bakery?

It was absolutely incredible, and Tina felt like she owed Graves an arm and a leg, maybe a part of her soul. He wouldn’t have it, of course, he just cheekily reminded Queenie to send an invitation his way, when the time of the wedding came.

Newt returned to writing her letters, but they were more frequent now. He was still in London, so he wrote to her every other day, and he now ended some of his letters with Until we hug again .

Credence wrote to Tina, too. So she knew that he had moved into the apartment downstairs of Newt’s, that he felt terribly out of place but was trying to get used to it. Newt was a big help with that, apparently, taking the other man into all the Diagon Alley shops and buying everything Credence needed to make the place a home.

At first, Credence felt that he didn’t deserve all those nice things. And then Newt started putting him at work in the case, giving him books, teaching him about all the animals of the magic world, but about the world itself, too. He had, apparently, took out all of his school books and was getting Credence through them.

After that, the kid stopped arguing about all the money Newt spend on him, thinking of it as payment, until his job got set up.

Tina laughed at every one of Credence’s letters, because she could picture the two of them perfectly, arguing by the occamy’s nest or in the middle of a furniture shop. But she knew that this association was a good thing for both of them. Newt was a good teacher to Credence, and Newt needed Credence’s help with his work. And, more importantly, neither of them were alone, anymore. Even if they didn’t say it, Tina knew they were glad for it. So was she, really.

///

Two months after she had returned from London, Tina was surprised to get a letter from Leta Lestrange on her desk.

Miss Goldstein,

I apologize for the lateness of this message, but it has come to my attention that both the Scamander brothers are idiots and have not yet invited you to the wedding.

Please consider this your official invitation, and please extend it to Queenie and Jacob.

As you know, he will have no issues attending a wizarding event, and both Theseus and I are excited to meet him, and to see Queenie again.

So please say you’ll come, all of you! The wedding is taking place at our home, on the 19th of March, but you can arrive whenever you wish. We already call the room you occupied during your last stay yours. Would Queenie and Jacob mind sharing a room?

Oh, please say you’ll come, all of you! We would all be very glad (Newt most of all).

I anxiously await your response,
Leta (still) Lestrange

PS. Newt is a surprisingly good dancer.

Graves came through the connecting door just as she was finishing reading. He had a similar letter in hand, clearly.

‘I think I can convince Picquery to give us that Friday off. Maybe Monday.’

Tina didn’t really hesitate. ‘Queenie too?’

‘Obviously. Would you answer in my name as well, please? I have way too much paperwork.’

She nodded, and made her way to her sister. Queenie all but screamed in excitement, and rushed out on a very early lunch break, clearly on her way to tell Jacob.

///

Newt had missed a letter. He usually, like clockwork, wrote a letter the day after he got one from Tina, and he missed a day. She knew, logically, that something might have come up at work or with his creatures, or maybe Leta had asked his help for something regarding the wedding, but that didn’t stop her from being concerned.

So when there was a knock on her office door just before she was set to leave for the day, she was grumpy when she yelled at the person to enter.

It was gone the next second, when she saw Newt and Credence making their way inside.

Tina yelped in surprise, but she didn’t waste time, getting off of her chair and rushing to the men, hugging both of them hastily.

‘What are you doing here? Is everything alright?’

‘We’re here to get an Appaloosa Puffskein.’, Credence said with excitement. ‘There’s only one breeder in the world, and he’s in New York.’

Newt was smiling, looking at the floor. Tina was finding it very difficult to not start giggling hysterically.

‘We don’t allow the breeding of magical creatures in New York.’, she said gently, remembering in how much of a different situation they were the last time she said the words to Newt. ‘We closed that guy down two years ago.’

‘Oh, did you?’, Newt sounded very not remorseful. ‘I didn’t know that.’

‘Yeah, you did.’, Tina whispered.

It made Newt finally look up, something so very playful in his eyes.

‘Did you…’, Credence whispered, and when she turned to look at him, Tina saw that his eyes were skipping rapidly between Newt and her, a confused frown on his face. And then it disappeared. ‘Of course you did.’

‘If there isn’t any looming chaos’, Newt told Tina, ‘we’d like to take you out to dinner.’

‘I’ll do you one better.’, Tina grinned, going to her desk and writing a short note to Queenie, letting her know that she will be bringing two more people around for dinner and asking her to make sure Jacob will be there.

After sending it, she aimed her wand at the door connecting her office to Graves’. The door opened, but Tina didn’t bother actually going in, she just raised her voice.

‘You done yet, Mister Graves?’

He answered in the same manner. ‘Gimme five more minutes, Goldstein, or get in here and help with this report!’

She wordlessly closed the door, ignoring the way he cursed.

‘You two seem pretty chummy.’, Credence said with wide eyes. It was clear Newt was thinking the same thing, even if he didn’t say anything.

‘Yeah, we work together a lot these days.’, Tina tilted her head. ‘You tend to get close to someone when you end up at 4AM after a mission, covered in mud, breaking into Jacob’s bakery and eating yesterday’s unsold pastries. Or when you’ve been stuck inside of a meeting for the past hours and my brain is turned to mashed potatoes so I run after him when he’s smoking just so I can get some air.’

‘You’re working a lot, huh?’, Credence’s lips turned down.

‘You’ve gotten close, then?’, Newt spoke over him. ‘Closer?’

He had the same tone of voice he had the last time they were in his case. He was jealous, again. Tina sighed and punched his shoulder.

‘Don’t be a doofus, Newt.’

It took a moment, but he did look up at her, seeming apologetic.

‘Theseus told me that your Aurors work in pairs, usually. They have partners, right?’

Newt nodded, and so did Credence.

‘Well, Graves and I are the only ones in MACUSA who come close to that. So that brought us closer, yeah.’ She smiled, a little. ‘There’s also the fact that Queenie and I kind of adopted Graves as our older brother.’

‘You did what now?’, Credence’s voice was too high.

‘He comes to dinner once a week.’, Tina giggled. ‘Sometimes, Queenie gets him lunch, cause he forgets. He’s fallen asleep on our couch a few times, after nastier missions. Jacobs gives him free pastries every time he goes round the bakery. And after everything he did for Queenie and Jacob, it’s the least we could do, really.’ She shrugged. ‘He’s a good friend.’

‘It’s good to know someone has your back.’, Credence said gently in the silence that followed.

Newt nodded at that, some pressure lifting off his shoulders.

Before he got to say anything, the connecting door opened and Graves stepped through, still putting on his coat.

‘There better be coffee, Tina. I’m gonna kill someone if there’s not coffee.’

‘I’d kill for a cup of American coffee, too.’, Credence admitted, making Graves look up, startled.

‘Are you here because of an Apocalypse or the next?’

‘No, Mister Graves.’, Newt shook his head. ‘We’re here for dinner with some friends.’

It took a moment, but Graves did grin. ‘What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go, I’m starving!’

///

‘Queenie, we’re home!’, Tina yelled as soon as she got inside of the apartment, letting the men in after her.

First, she heard a squeal of delight coming from a corner of the house, then she saw a flurry of pink, Queenie all but running to Newt, wrapping her arms around him.

Newt startled, for a moment, but he did return the hug, chuckling against Queenie’s curls. Tina only then realized that they haven’t seen each other in over a year. Credence wordlessly took Newt’s case from him. It made Tina smile wildly.

‘Hey’, a gruff voice said, ‘that’s my future wife you’re clinging to!’

Newt gently but quickly pushed Queenie away, confidently making his way to Jacob and hugging the other man strongly. He said something to Jacob, something that made Jacob strengthen his hold on Newt, but Tina didn’t catch the words.

Queenie was hugging Credence, saying she was glad to finally meet him. Graves was already sitting at the table, munching on one of Jacob’s nifflers.

Tina, for the first time in a long while, felt whole.

///

Most of dinner was spent listening to Credence talk. He sounded like a child in a candy store, talking about all the things he had learned in the past months, ever since he moved in with Newt and started working with him, in the case but at the Ministry, too.

They all listened attentively, but Jacob was the most interested, clearly.

‘You know what we did yesterday?’, Credence said at one point, his eyes sparkling. ‘We flew!’

‘No.’, Jacob’s eyes grew wide.

‘Yeah, we totally did. On brooms! Newt taught me how to play Quidditch!’

As Credence explained the game to Jacob, Tina had a flash of a memory, the first time she saw Newt.

‘Oh, Newt.’, she turned to him. ‘Were you a Chaser?’

He blinked, surprised. ‘I was actually, in school. We won the cup two of the years.’

‘Oh, man.’, Jacob shook his head. ‘You’re totally gonna have to show me that next month.’

Both Newt and Credence frowned at that.

Tina pursed her lips. She hadn’t told them that they were going to be there for Leta and Theseus’ wedding. It was childish, really, but she had hoped that Newt would ask her to join him. But he hadn’t, so here they were.

‘You’re coming to the wedding.’, Credence got it first.

‘We sure are, buddy.’, Jacob grinned. ‘I’ve never been to England! Or a wizarding wedding, for that matter.’

‘We’re all coming.’, Tina added.

‘Yeah, Miss Lestrange was kind enough to invite me too.’, Graves shrugged.

Newt seemed a little put out by this, even as Credence started getting even more excited, with Queenie and Jacob joining him.

Tina only understood when, after dinner, Graves went out on the balcony for a smoke and Newt, for reasons unknown, joined him.

‘He wanted to invite you to the wedding, you know.’, Credence told her around a smile. ‘He was stressing over it.’

She couldn’t help but huff irritably. ‘He’s insufferable, at times.’

Credence threw her a look. ‘Wouldn’t be half as fun if he weren’t. Still, give him some points, will you? He did just arrange a nonexistent mission to America just so he could see you.’

Tina did smile at that. And blushed furiously, considering the look both Credence and Jacob were giving her.

///

It didn’t take long to convince Newt and Credence to spend the night, not after Queenie left with Jacob.

Of course, as soon as everyone left, they went down to the case. Credence was right at home, him and Newt working like a well oiled machine as they tended the animals. Tina took a step back, meaning that she sat down in Frank’s enclosure and quickly found herself with a lap filled with a sleeping niffler.

By the time the men finished feeding everyone, Credence was yawning, so Tina was quick to send him to bed. Newt said they were going to be right behind him, but he sat down next to her and made himself comfortable.

They were in the same place they sat in the last time they were in the case, but the niffler was sleeping in her lap now.

Newt eyed the animal. ‘I’m feeling a little jealous, to be honest. A pretty girl comes along and suddenly I’m not a good enough pillow?’

Tina blushed hard, and so did he, but only after a moment, when he seemed to realize what he said. Their eyes met, for a brief second, before they both looked away.

‘Credence seems like he’s doing alright.’, Tina changed the subject. ‘Is he really?’

‘Yes, quite.’, Newt nodded, gratefully. ‘I really think he’s getting comfortable. In the flat and in here, even in the Ministry. He’s a bit of a celebrity, you see.’

Tina raised an eyebrow at that.

‘Everybody knows he is an Obscurus. It’s… it’s not a bad thing, they’re just curious. It gets a little overwhelming for Credence, at times, but he can handle it. And other times, people get even more impressed that I’ve managed to find a person who can stand me.’ Newt shrugged, unperturbed.

‘You’ve done much more than that.’, Tina bumped their shoulder together. ‘Not only did you save Credence’s life, but you also gave him a life.’

Newt looked down, clearly uncomfortable with the praise.

‘If I’m completely honest’, he said in a whisper, ‘I think I needed the help as well.’

‘Oh, definitely.’, Tina smiled. ‘But, if I’m being completely honest, I’m more glad about the fact that neither of you are alone anymore.’

He rolled his eyes at that. ‘That’s what Theseus keeps saying.’

She giggled at that, but Newt grew quite serious, fleetingly looking at her.

‘Speaking of, I’m terribly glad you’re coming to the wedding.’

Tina started smiling.

‘In fact’, he went on, ‘I was going to…’

‘Yes?’

Their eyes met. Hers were amused, his were hesitant.

‘I was going to ask you myself.’

‘Well’, Tina smiled brighter, ‘you can still ask me. To go with you, if you’d like.’

Newt nodded, quickly. ‘Yes, I’d like that very much.’

He looked away for a little while, taking a few deep breaths. His voice didn’t waver and he looked right at her.

‘Miss Goldstein, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to my brother’s wedding?’

Tina laughed, softly, fondly. ‘You’re ridiculous.’

Newt didn’t take it in a bad way, he knew she wasn’t making fun of him.

‘I am being polite.’, he pointed out, a little gruffly.

She laughed a little harder. ‘Well in that case, Mister Scamander, it will be my absolute pleasure.’

‘Good, yes, good, thank you.’ He looked down at her lap. ‘Could I possibly have my niffler back, now? I fear he’s been faking sleep and has stolen your necklace.’

Of course, the niffler moved to run away then, but Newt caught it, and sure enough, Tina’s necklace was in its pouch.

‘Oh, you nuisance.’, Tina sighed at the animal. ‘You’re lucky you’re so cute.’

The niffler sniffed disdainfully, making both Tina and Newt laugh. They didn’t really stop smiling, not even after they went to sleep.

///

In the morning, they had a long breakfast together, after feeding the animals. Tina was late for work (Graves didn’t comment on it, just smirked obnoxiously), but Newt and Credence made it just in time for their Portkey back to London.

It was easier, saying goodbye this time, mainly because they knew they were going to see each other again in less than a month. That, and maybe the fact that nothing terrible happened during the visit. Still, the hugs were more than welcomed, and Tina didn’t even mind the weird look the Floo attendant was giving her.

///

Dress shopping was something that Tina needed to actually do, apparently. That’s what Queenie said, anyway, so the sisters spent a few evenings and weekend days visiting their usual shops. When that didn’t hold any results, they changed tactics and went to no-maj shops.

Queenie found a dress first, of course, that would only need a minimum amount of further work, but a few days later, Tina saw a dress that she couldn’t step away from. That never happened to her, but she liked that dress, surprisingly so. So, after she negotiated with Queenie the altercations they were going to make, Tina brought the dress.

And new shoes. And a matching purse, hair band, gloves and a lipstick.

She felt exhausted when she got home, but that didn’t stop her from writing to Newt, it was her day to write.

Dear Newt,

I’m so tired. Queenie and I have spent the last few days shopping. Dress shopping for the wedding, the horror!!! But we both finally found something that we like, I’m glad that’s over.

My feet hurt, if I don’t go into a no-maj shop for the next year it would be too soon, I need someone to rub my back and honestly, I would very much like a cuddle from Dougal right about now.

And we have yet to decide what gift we’re going to buy the newlyweds. It’s moments like these when we really remember that we’re sisters.

On another note, in regard to your last letter. Your last couple of letters, actually.

I noticed that you never once mentioned the wedding, and I am 80% sure that Leta does have you, somehow, involved in the preparations. I find myself wondering why you don’t speak of it.

We never discussed this, really, I didn’t find the nerve to ask you about it when we’ve seen each other. Theseus told me some things, but I’d much rather go on your word than his.

How are you really feeling about this wedding? You don’t have to answer if you’re not comfortable, I promise I won’t mind.

I’ll see you in nine days.

Yours,
Tina

///

The next letter Tina got was written on Hogwarts stationary.

Dear Tina,

I feel your pain. Over the past two months I have tried on 17 suits and dress robes, until Theseus came to the conclusion that my suit will have to be tailored. I don’t know how I managed not to hex him.

You are right, Leta is involving me in the preparations a fair amount. I don’t mind it.

And to answer your question, I feel perfectly fine about Theseus marrying her. If you will ask me next time you see me, I promise I will explain more at length.

I apologize for this short letter, but Credence and I have been asked to deal with a virus that took over the Hogwarts owlery. It’s not anything fatal, but the animals do need a lot of care, right now. Professor Dumbledore sends his regards, you made quite an impression with him.

I cannot wait to hug you in 7 days.

Yours,
Newt

PS. Pickett let it slip that you let him sleep in your hair. I don’t know how yet, but I shall retaliate.

On the other side of the paper, Credence had written his own short note.

Hogwarts is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I’m sad I didn’t get to experience it as a child should, but I’ve never had this much fun in my life. We’re going to visit the centaurus now, Bye!

Just a week before she saw them again, Tina had to wait just one more week. She already felt excitement cruising through her veins.

///

As it came to happen, Tina and Graves had to attend a meeting in London, the Thursday before the wedding. All four of them used a Portkey to get to the Ministry, but they spared a few minutes to take Queenie and Jacob to Diagon Alley.

The meeting was boring and incredibly frustrating, because there was no new information on Grindelwald, just the same rumors, and yet it still took three hours to get through everything.

By the time they made it to the Scamander mansion, Tina was ready to kick back and just relax until Monday evening, when they were set to go back to the States.

///

Theseus opened the door, and he looked… in a state. Newt, arriving a few moments later, he looked worse. Credence was wordlessly sitting half way up on the stairs to the next level.

‘Where’s Leta?’, Tina asked, slowly.

‘She’s by the hippogriff stables.’, Theseus said with wide eyes.

‘Those are empty.’, Tina pointed out. ‘Why is she there?’

‘You see, she’s, uh, I mean-’, Theseus tried.

‘She’s in the middle of, well, how should I put it?’, Newt failed next.

‘She’s having a nervous fit.’, Credence supplied. ‘It’s bad.’

‘It’s probably just nerves.’, Queenie said to Theseus. ‘Why aren’t you with her?’

‘She yelled at me to leave her alone!’, his voice was too high. ‘Threw a boot at me.’

‘I fear this might need a woman’s touch.’, Newt said with hope in his voice. ‘Maybe even two women?’

Tina and Queenie both rolled their eyes, but after they ordered the men to handle their luggage and make some coffee, they made their way to the stables.

Leta was, indeed, having some sort of a fit. She was sitting down in the middle of the field, her dress was already ruined by mud, she was missing one shoe and she was crying.

At least she didn’t throw her other shoe at them.

Tina let Queenie handle the situation, she was far better suited for this situation.

Once Leta started talking, she didn’t stop for a long while. She spoke of all the things she was nervous about, and really, most of them were valid concerns. What if she and Theseus weren’t really that compatible? What if they fell out of love? What if the darkness around the Lestrange name will follow her? What if she won’t be able to give Theseus what he wants? What if Theseus won’t be able to give Leta what she wants? What if Theseus didn’t really forgive her for what she did to Newt? What if Newt didn’t? What if the next time a Lestrange goes crazy Theseus will get embarrassed? What if Leta will be the next Lestrange to go crazy? What if they’re going to be bad parents? What if they won’t be able to have children?

It was a lot, really. Tina new, a little, that this union was somewhat controversial, but she had not realized just how much.

Queenie was looking wide eyed, clearly not knowing what she could possibly say to all that. Leta was still crying.

Tina took a deep breath and knelt next to Leta, forcing the other woman to look at her.

‘Do you love Theseus?’, she asked directly.

Leta glared, very strongly, hate sparkling clearly in her eyes. ‘Yes, I love Theseus. There is no doubt about that, there never was and never will.’

Tina smiled, a little, because the strength in Leta’s voice was as real as her tears.

‘And does Theseus love you?’, Queenie asked gently.

Leta’s glare went away, replaced by love, pure and unaltered. She didn’t answer with words, but she did nod.

‘Then you have nothing to worry about.’, Tina said it like it was the easiest thing in the world, and it made Leta turn to look at her, somewhat incredulous.  

‘Really.’, Tina went on confidently. ‘Everything is going to be alright because you love each other and you’re willing to deal will all of what you just said… together.’

It took a few moments, but Leta did sigh deeply, and her shoulders relaxed.

‘I’m so sorry.’, she said next. ‘I’m a mess.’

‘Don’t worry, honey.’, Queenie helped her up. ‘Everyone gets jitters before they get married.’

Leta pulled a face. ‘Not everyone rolls around in mud.’

‘Nothing a warm bath can’t fix.’, Tina started heading back to the house.

The other women followed. She and Queenie helped Leta step out of the soiled clothes and ran her a bath.

When they made it back into the living room, Theseus was standing up, drinking whiskey without having bothered with a glass, Newt and Credence looking at him in concern. At least Graves and Jacob had found glasses.

‘Just pre wedding jitters.’, Queenie assured Theseus. ‘She’s fine.’

‘She’s having a bath.’, Tina added. ‘You should probably join her.’

Graves choked on his drink and Theseus’ eyes grew very wide.

‘That’s very presumptuous of you, Miss Goldstein.’, he managed to say on the third try.

Tina just blinked at him. Then she looked to Queenie, who was smirking and shamelessly staring at Theseus, clearly reading his mind. She nodded, giggling.

‘Just go be with her, you idiot.’, Tina rolled her eyes.

Theseus jumped on the soles of his feet, his ears and cheeks turning very red, but he did all but run upstairs, taking the whisky bottle with him.

Eyes roaming around the room, Tina saw that Graves was trying really hard not to laugh, Jacob was snickering under his breath alongside Queenie, Newt was beet red, kind of pointedly staring at the floor and Credence had his eyes narrowed at her.

‘What’s it like, working in a male-predominant field?’

She just raised an eyebrow at him.

‘She wipes the floor with us’, Graves smirked, ‘and we just keep coming back for more.’

Tina huffed and went to the kitchen in search of coffee. Thankfully, someone had brewed a fresh pot.

///

That evening, everyone had too much butterbeer and elf wine, but it was an enjoyable evening. Still, when Tina finally hit the bed, she was more than ready for sleep to take over.

She yawned, settled into the plush pillows under her head, and startled when she heard something. It sounded like a knock on the door, but she couldn’t be sure. But then it came again, stronger and unmistakable.

Tina groaned, but got up and opened the door. Newt was standing in the hallway, looking like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He was barefoot, wearing pajamas, with his wand in his breast pocket and Pickett standing on the top of his head.

‘Sorry.’, Newt whispered. ‘I have a question. May I come in?’

She opened the door and let him in, watching as he almost steadily made his way to the bed, sitting at the edge of it. Newt wasn’t fully drunk, probably, but he was clearly a little intoxicated. So was Tina, really, considering the flash of want she felt in her belly when she saw him settling on her bed.

It was not that bad, though, she could handle having a conversation with him. A nice, innocent conversation in the middle of the night, in their pajamas, behind closed door. Tina could handle it, no problem.

She took a deep breath as she sat down next to him, making sure not to touch him. ‘You said you had a question?’

Newt nodded, not looking at her.

‘I don’t understand why you helped Leta today.’

Tina blinked at that, surprised.

‘Or why you’re so close to my brother. He says you bonded in the time you spent looking for me, but I can’t imagine it, not really. You’re very different types of people. And Leta, all you know about her is from me and I can’t imagine you forming a good opinion based on what I’ve said.’

Tina liked this Newt, not just because he spoke freely, but because he looked a lot more relaxed. She smiled and did her best to gather her thoughts.

‘You are right about Theseus and I, we are very different people. But we do share some things.’

Newt pulled a face, an adorable scrunch up of his nose and eyebrows. Clearly, he didn’t believe her.

‘The Auror thing, for once.’, Tina went on. ‘A sense of justice.’

He shrugged at that. ‘It doesn’t feel like enough.’

‘We both care for you.’, the alcohol in her blood made her not hesitate in saying it. ‘Does that feel like enough?’

It took a couple of awkward moments for Newt to look up at her, blush evident on his cheeks. But he did nod.

‘As for Leta’, Tina went on, ‘because of my job, I’m very good at reading people. I believe that she loves your brother, truly and real. And if you and him both forgave her, then I have no right not to do the same.’

Newt took a slow breath in. ‘You’re too kind.’, he whispered, very lowly.

Tina snorted. ‘I’m really not, but thank you. Is it my turn to ask a question? Because I recall you owing me an explanation.’

He straightened his back, but didn’t say anything for a long while. He got up, made his way to the table in the corner where he poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher there. Newt drank it all before slowly making his way back to Tina’s side.

‘I really am fine with Leta and Theseus marrying. As you said, she loves him and he loves her and I would never get between that. Nor do I wish to.’

‘Don’t you?’, Tina inquired when he didn’t go on.

Newt shook his head. ‘I really don’t.’ He took a deep breath, meeting her eyes. ‘I’ve told you before, that I have changed.’

She nodded at that, because she remembered that conversation, in vivid detail.

He looked away. ‘Leta and I, we’re not the same people we were at Hogwarts. We grew up, and we’re very different, now. I…’, he ran a hand over his face, speaking very slowly afterwards.

‘I held onto her picture and the memory of our Hogwarts days because I was longing for something that… I was a dufus.’, he smiled, a little. ‘And it took me far too long to realize that I was longing for something that had done me more wrong than good. I was holding onto something that was never going to come back.’

He chuckled, looking at Tina, briefly.

‘When I finally realized it, with your help and Queenie’s, I embraced the change. So when Theseus told me the story of him and Leta, when he told me all of it…’

Newt looked at her, something very intense in his eyes.

‘I didn’t want to go back to anything that was before. Not with Leta and not with Theseus. I wanted everything to be… new. Changed.’

‘And did that happen?’, Tina asked softly. ‘Is this, everything’, she waved a finger around the room, ‘is it new?’

‘Yes.’, he nodded, smiling and looking down. ‘It’s new, and it’s good.’

‘Then why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I didn’t think you would have understood, had I put it in writing. I had to tell you face to face.’

While she agreed with that, she still felt a sting.

‘I’m not gonna lie, Newt. The way I found out about Leta and Theseus, it wasn’t pretty.’

‘And I am truly sorry about it.’, he said, heartfully. Hesitating for a second, he gently took one of Tina’s hands in his, working up the courage to meet her eyes.

‘You have my word, Tina, that there will be no more surprises from me.’

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at that, making him chuckle, a little self deprecating.

‘What I meant is that this has been the only secret I have kept from you. No more from now on.’

He smiled a little, before releasing her hand. He looked down to it, gently running a single finger over Tina’s wrist. It made her shiver, a pleasant feeling.

‘One more thing.’, Newt swallowed. ‘It’s important.’

She nodded, urging him on.

‘In your letter, you said you didn’t find the nerve to ask me about Leta. Please don’t do that again. I want to…’, he took a deep breath and met her eyes. ‘I want to be an open book to you. Don’t ever feel like you can’t ask me something, tell me something. There’s no need for that.’

Tina was feeling a lot of wonderful things, deep inside her chest. She smiled at Newt, wildly, and in a fit of courage, leaned her head on her shoulder.

‘In that case, may I ask something of you?’

‘Anything.’, he didn’t hesitate.

She smiled. ‘Would you please go to bed? I’m so tired.’

He got off the bed in an instant, immediately started babbling apologies.

‘It’s alright.’, she got under the covers. ‘I just had one too many butterbeers. This was nice.’

After shuffling on his feet for a moment, Newt came to her bedside and gently tucked her in. He waved his wand and shut the lights before giving her a very innocent kiss on the crown of her head.

‘Sleep well, Tina. There are a lot of last minutes things to do tomorrow, and I have a feeling Leta will take advantage of everyone with a wand.’

‘It’ll be fun.’, she smiled. ‘Good night.’

Newt left with another fleeting smile. Tina fell asleep terribly quick.

///

The next day was chaos.

There were a lot of things left to do, and Leta was somewhat politely screaming orders left and right. They all took it in stride and did as they were told. Even Graves, surprisingly enough.

Jacob and Credence were lost in the kitchen, baking all day. Apparently Leta wanted a lot of pastries, even though she had to convince Jacob to shape them in a more classic way rather than various fantastic beasts. He agreed, but put his foot down on making the cake vanilla flavored. Chocolate will be far better received by the guests, apparently.

Everything went over Tina’s head, really. She did as she was asked, cleaned the silverware and helped set up the tent, put extension charm over extension charm to have it fit the hundreds of people expected. She transfigured bits of wood into chairs, she made the various purple flowers glitter in the lights, she made sure every table seat had the right name on it, and so on, and so on, and she did everything while looking at Newt from the corner of her eyes.

When she awoke that morning, something had changed, inside of her. She cared for Newt deeply, that had not changed overnight. But after what he had said, it made Tina think that there was more to the two of them, more than just caring for each other.

She saw it in Newt’s eyes, the possibility of something more. Something real, a future together. Tina saw that it was what he wanted, and whereas before she was too afraid to even entertain the possibility of something real, now she craved it.

Somehow. Somewhere, everywhere. A future with Newt.

It made her insides feel warm, and every time their eyes met that day, across a table or across a field, they both couldn’t help but smile at each other.

///

They stopped in time for a late dinner, where they all got together for the first time that day, and enjoyed a giant plate of sandwiches and a couple of Jacob’s pastries. They were all pretty exhausted, that much was clear, but everything was set up for the next day.

Leta very politely asked Tina and Queenie to help her get ready, saying that her parents were only coming to the wedding because of their social status. Of course, they both were quick to agree.

Once again, Tina was ready to fall asleep immediately, but there was a knock on her door. It was Newt, smiling softly.

‘Would you accept a sleeping companion tonight?’

‘Excuse me?’, her voice was too high.

‘I meant Pickett.’, Newt said after a beat, clearly not realising what he had said sounded like. ‘He’s been missing you.’

Tina got her heart back in check, and extended a hand, smiling when Newt lifted a very sleepy Pickett from his head and placed him, gently, into her hold. The little bowtruckle kissed the tip of her index finger.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’, Newt said softly. ‘Be nice, Pickett.’

The bowtruckle didn’t answer, already asleep in Tina’s hold.

Newt moved to leave, but she stopped him.

‘Make sure the niffler doesn’t escape tomorrow, will you?’

‘Oh, the case will be safely locked away under various charms and protective spells, some of them of dubious nature. Nobody will be escaping tomorrow.’

‘I’ll sleep better tonight, knowing that.’, Tina smiled.

He smiled too. ‘I do hope you sleep well tonight, tomorrow is going to be one hell of a party.’

There was something very playful in Newt’s eyes, and it made Tina feel unnaturally excited about the next day. There were butterflies in her belly when she fell asleep, Picket snoring softly next to her ear.

///

Tina got woken up way too early the next morning, but at least it was Queenie that did it, with a plate of too strong coffee and too sweet scones. They ate in bed, chatting away, Queenie teasing Tina about Newt, especially after she heard about the conversations they’ve had these past days.

‘All the boys are in the library.’, Queenie went on to saying. ‘Theseus is freaking out, apparently he didn’t take it well when he realized he won’t be seeing Leta today until the moment. Everyone is working hard on keeping him sane until the time comes. Speaking of, we should get dressed in something comfy and get going, I’m sure we’ll have our work cut off with Leta.’

Tina snorted. ‘She’s gorgeous, won’t need much help in that regard.’

‘No’, Queenie agreed, ‘but she’ll be freaking out more than Theseus.’

She was right, of course, so they both spent the next hours keeping Leta in check. They helped her get dressed and ready, and she looked absolutely gorgeous.

But when there were only two hours left until the ceremony, Leta didn’t look like she was going to let them go get ready themselves. Newt came in and saved that disaster, politely asking if he could have a word in private with Leta.

Tina barely heard him, because all of her focus was set on the beautiful suit he was wearing, and how well it looked on him. It was a black suit with a white shirt, perfectly adequate with the fashion of the times and the elegance of the event. But the vest he was wearing, it was black, with a pattern on it. Swirly shapes, intricately intertwined with one another, the somewhat muted teal color still stark against the black.

‘You look great, sweetie.’, Queenie swiftly told Newt, grabbing Tina’s hand and pulling her away. ‘Now, keep an eye on your sister-in-law, will you? Us gals have to get ready too.’

Tina only started breathing again when they were in her room, behind locked doors.

‘Yes, he does look good.’, Queenie giggled, having read her mind. ‘Try not to jump him in front of everyone.’

Oddly enough, Tina was certain she was going to have issues with accomplishing that.

Chapter Text

Tina spared a few moments to look at herself in the mirror.

The dress she wore, it was sleeveless and with a lower neckline that she would usually wear, stopping above her knees but having fringes in a triangle pattern that made it seem longer. It was black, but all over it there were sparkles set in a pattern that helped emphasise the curves of her body. Around the chest and waist, Tina had changed the color of the sparkly beads, from black to a bright teal blue. She had done this before she saw what Newt was wearing, but she liked the fact that they matched. 

Tina liked how she looked. Her hair was pinned back from her face with a sparkly black and teal hairband, her fringe was perfectly in place, the makeup around her eyes was dark, but not as dark as the red on her lips. Her shoes were almost comfortable, but in the last moment she decided to forgo the long gloves.

She felt good, surprisingly so, so she confidently made her way to the garden, where most of the seats were already filled for the ceremony. Theseus and Newt were standing in front of everyone, waiting for the bride to be.

She made her way down the aisle to the third row where her friends had saved her a seat. Newt had his back to the assembly, so Theseus saw her first. He smiled, a little, quickly turning it into a smirk, before he told Newt something that made him turn around quickly.

Tina felt everything under her skin burn when his eyes laid on her, because Newt looked at her. Slowly, his eyes moved, down her body and up again, lingering on everything. He didn’t look like he was breathing, and there was fire in his eyes, as hot as she felt it under her skin. They locked eyes and the fire turned incredibly pleasant.

Feeling oddly confident, Tina winked at him before she took her seat, between Queenie and Graves. She looked away from Newt, trusting he will stop staring at her.

He did, but only after Theseus called his name a few times.

///

The ceremony was beautiful. Not too long and not too over the top, even considering the kind of guests that were in attendance, celebrities of the moment that Tina didn’t really know of, and everyone important in the Ministry of Magic, starting with the Minister himself and ending with the entire Auror force.

Leta was a vision a beauty and Theseus was thoroughly enamored. They were adorable to watch. Queenie cried.

When the officiant pronounced them married, and Leta and Theseus shared their first kiss as a married couple, everyone started screaming . Yelling loudly, clapping like maniacs. It was then that Tina realized that a British wedding was going to be very different than an American one. At the two weddings Tina attended back home, everyone was very subdued and proper. Clearly, this was not the case.

Over the crowd, Tina met Newt’s eyes. He was grinning wildly, clapping and cheering, with Pickett doing the same on his head. Her heart soared something terribly and she embraced the feeling.

///

All of the Americans shared a table, along with Newt. But during the first hours of the party, he only sat down for 10 minutes, during which he shoved food in his mouth and apologized for having social duties to attend. He spent the rest of the time shaking hands with Ministry officials, awkwardly greeting an odd assortment of people who Tina thought were school colleagues, and the best thing, Newt danced with various older ladies. He explained, that they were friends of his mother’s and that he and Theseus usually divided the dancing between them, but not tonight.

Tina was enjoying herself. The drinks were good, the food was delicious, her friends and family were laughing along side her.

People were dancing, still acting somewhat manically, especially the younger folk. Queenie and Jacob were on and off the dance floor, getting a lot of curious looks because the way Americans danced was a little different than how the Brits did it. It wasn’t a bad thing, though, the looks weren’t judgemental or hate-filled, they were just curious.

Graves left, at one point, saying he had a couple of hands to shake. She was left with Credence, but he was swept away too, by a young woman Tina knew was part of the Minister’s organisational staff.

Just as she started feeling awkward for sitting all alone at the table, Dumbledore came to her side. He politely asked to sit down, which of course Tina agreed to. They talked easily, about this and that, mundane stuff, Dumbledore swiftly conducting the conversation, at first.

‘So did you teach Theseus as well?’, she politely asked.

Dumbledore nodded, tapping his glass and filling it back with more elf wine. ‘He was a good student, but not over the norm at transfigurations, I’ll admit.’

‘I have no doubt about that.’, Tina nodded. ‘But what was he like as a teenager?’

The older man smirked. ‘Knowing what you know about Theseus now, he was average. He had a few good friends, got along with everyone else, but he certainly wasn’t as popular as he is now.’

‘That’s surprising.’

Dumbledore snorted, a little. ‘Well you did meet him after a large portion of his life.’

‘It must be nice’, Tina smiled, ‘being here, seeing Theseus settling down into married life after you have been part of his formative years.’

He smiled at that, his whole demeanor turning to something softer. ‘It is nice, Miss Goldstein, you are right. The choice of bride was surprising’, he threw her a knowing look, ‘but not unwelcome, I think.’

‘No, I don’t think so.’, she agreed.

‘I was surprised to receive an invitation, honestly. As large as this event is on the social scale, I didn’t think Leta would want me here.’

Tina felt a little awkward discussing this, but she knew how much regard Newt had for Dumbledore, how much respect and trust there was between them. So she spoke her mind.

‘You know I haven’t known Leta before all this, but from what I gathered and what I have seen, I really do think she has changed. She’s not the same person people think she is. There’s no doubt in my mind that she truly loves Theseus and with all the rest, she is trying.’

Dumbledore smiled at her, softly, and then it turned into a smirk, a flash of something playful appearing in his eyes.

‘I like you, Miss Goldstein. I’m terribly glad Newt found you.’

‘Thank you, sir.’, she blushed. ‘But-’

‘I’ve always been fond of Newt Scamander. I felt a sort of kinship with him, when he was at school. It has been a delight to see him evolve into the man he is today, see our peers showing him the respect he deserves. But I will admit, I’ve always been afraid of Newt’s proclivity to being alone, knowing it was not what he needed.’

Tina had no idea what to say to that. Her cheeks were burning.

‘Don’t give up on him, will you?’, Dumbledore had lowered his voice. ‘When Newt cares about someone, he cares with everything he has. If you can find it in yourself to move past his quirks, you could be very good for eachother.’

She wanted the earth to swallow her whole, and she knew the blush on her cheeks reached alarming levels. But Tina didn’t want to make a complete fool out of herself. So she met Dumbledore’s eyes, smiling slightly.

‘Newt did warn me, that you tend to meddle into businesses that don’t concern you.’

It took a beat, but Dumbledore threw his head back and laughed very loudly, so she figured he wasn’t upset.

He didn’t say anything else too embarrassing, because the next course of the meal appeared on the table. Dumbledore politely took his leave, but asked Tina to save him a dance.

Newt all but collapsed in the chair at Tina’s side, tapping his glass and saying a breathless coffee . He never drank coffee.

‘Desperate times, desperate measures.’, he explained upon seeing her look of disbelief. ‘I need a twelve hour nap and the party hasn’t even reached the half point mark. But at least I’m done with all obligations.’

He then took one of Jacob’s pastries, that were always set on the table, and shoved all of it inside of his mouth.

Rude, but endearing.

///

After they finished eating, Tina found herself on the dance floor. Credence was the one to take her there first, but she hadn’t managed to return to the table afterwards.

She danced with everyone. Credence, Jacob, Graves, Theseus, Dumbledore, a few other guys she knew from the Ministry. At one point, she danced with Queenie and Leta at the same time, somehow.

Lastly, Tina danced with Newt.

They were both awkward, at first, and Tina was acutely aware that most of the people in the tent were looking at them. Clearly, Newt dancing with a woman his age was not a normal occurrence.

‘Did I ever tell you about the time when professor Dumbledore caught me in the owlery?’

Tina frowned at him. ‘I thought you said he was the one to call you to take care of the sick owls.’

‘He did’, Newt smiled, ‘but the instance I was talking about happened in my third year.’

They both relaxed, as Newt told his story. By the end of it, five songs have passed and they were comfortably moving around, acting like they were still dancing, when instead they were too busy laughing.

The next food course appeared on the tables, so they stopped dancing and went back to their friends. It was only when Tina sat down that she realized that he hadn’t let go of her hand.

///

After the food was done, nobody went to dance anymore. Instead, they all sat down at the table, talked and laughed and drank, ignoring the world around them.

But after quite a lengthy time, a house elf appeared by Newt’s side and told him it was time for the cake.

‘Right.’, he got up. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I’m expected to make a speech.’

‘Did you manage to write it?’, Credence asked.

‘I most definitely did not.’, Newt smiled innocently at him.

Credence looked alarmed, but Newt didn’t. He confidently made his way to the table where the newlyweds were sitting at. He kissed the top of Leta’s head, clapped his brother’s shoulder. Newt took a deep breath and produced a glass of champagne, making one appear in front of everyone, as well, thus grabbing their attention.

‘If I could have your attention, please, I won’t take but a few moments. My older brother got married today and, as tradition has it, I am to make a speech.’

A pause, Newt looking down. ‘As most of you know, I’m not good with speeches, so please bare with me.’

A few chuckles were heard around the tent, the Minister the loudest. When Newt spoke, he looked quickly around the room, eyes not settling on anyone. He also shuffled on his feet, tapped his fingers against the glass he was holding, but he did speak loudly.

‘It’s not like I could refuse to speak today.’, Newt went on. ‘Nor did I wish to. It’s only once in a lifetime your brother gets married, and thank you to each and every one of you for joining us on this tremendous occasion.’

He took a deep breath. ‘I know it is common for best men to talk about their relationship with the bride and groom, to tell embarrassing stories and get a laugh out of it. I’m not going to be doing that because I’m sure you read all about it in the Prophet.’

More laughs, all around. Theseus was looking a little worried.

‘In fact, I shall ask of you to forget everything you have read or heard over the years. Because the two people who got married today in front of you, they are not Leta Lestrange and Theseus Scamander anymore.’

Newt smiled, a little.

‘From this day on, Leta and Theseus aren’t just two people anymore. They are a whole now, they are something new, and I don’t know about you, but I am personally quite excited to see it.’

He turned to smile at them. ‘Brother, sister-in-law.’, he said it very softly. ‘You are starting the most exciting adventure of your life.’

A pause again, paired with a smirk. ‘And that’s saying something, coming from me.’

Everyone in the tent laughed, even as Theseus rubbed at his forehead, faking annoyance.

‘Words cannot express how happy I am that you two have found each other.’, Newt gently went on. ‘And how happy I am that I will be able to witness your great adventure.’

He raised his glass. ‘To Leta and Theseus Scamander!’

In sync with his words, the cake appeared in the middle of the dance floor. It was a glorious sight, seven tiers of chocolate cake with a cascade of berries covered in lavender dust on its sides. Jacob really had outdone himself.

Turning away from the cake, Tina saw that Newt had his brother in a tight embrace. He was saying something, Theseus was nodding along and Leta, hearing it all, had tears in her eyes.

They all looked incredibly happy, and it made Tina feel the same.

///

The party started dying down around 1AM, but it took another two hours for everyone to leave. By that point, Tina was asleep on her feet, but so was everyone else, so they went to bed.

Of course, just as soon as she got the pajama on, there was a knock on the door. She knew it was Newt before she opened it.

‘I just wanted to wish you good night.’, he smiled softly. ‘And thank you for being here.’

Tina opened her mouth to answer, but she yawned instead.

He frowned. ‘You’re tired, I’m sorry. I’ll let you-’

She grabbed his wrist to stop him from leaving. It might have been all the things she had drunk, it might have been the dancing and the glittery flowers, it might have been the fun they all had, or the jealousy she felt buried inside of her at the sight of Leta and Theseus so in love. It might have been all of that or none of it.

‘Do you want to come in and tell me a bedside story?’, she sweetly asked Newt, whose eyes grew very wide.

‘Wha-what sort of story?’

‘Anything.’, Tina shrugged. ‘You can tell me about another time you got in trouble at school, for example.’

It took a few moments of Newt just starting at her, blinking slowly, but he did eventually nod. Tina went straight to bed, got under the covers on one side of it. He was slower, and he had left the door open, but he did sit himself down on the bed, above the covers.

Newt shut the lights and started talking, very gently, getting more comfortable over time.

Tina fell asleep to the sound of Newt fondly speaking about meeting the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest.

///

She woke up to the very distinct sound of her sister giggling. It took a moment to realize the state she was in. Curled up in the middle of the bed, Newt still above the covers, her face pushed to his shoulder, one of his arms thrown over her waist. Pickett sleeping on her head.

The door wide open.

‘I won’t tell anyone.’, Queenie winked at her, before going out of the room and closing the door behind her.

That sound woke Newt up, and it took a few moments of him shuffling adorably before he froze and jumped out of bed, face red and stammering apologies.

Tina loved him, very much.

She assured him he shouldn’t worry about it, and that she’d meet him downstairs for breakfast. In his haste to leave, Newt forgot Pickett.

‘Your best friend is very ridiculous.’, she told the bowtruckle.

Pickett nodded strongly.

///

The day after the wedding started closer to lunch that breakfast, with leftover pastries and cake. Everyone was tired, everyone was drinking coffee, Newt included. Queenie and Jacob left to explore London, but nobody else felt like doing anything that day, so they spent most of it in the garden or the library, together or among themselves.

Newt kept by Tina’s side in the library, and she kept by his side when it was time to tend to the creatures. If anybody noticed, nobody said anything.

They met up again for a late dinner, and they didn’t get up from the table until it was time to go to the Ministry for the scheduled Portkey. There were tight hugs all around, promises to write and visit.

Tina would have felt the longing she always felt when she had to say goodbye to Newt, had he not told her yesterday that the Minister had granted him the highest travelings rights available. He promised to come to New York more often, not as often as he would have liked, but he vowed to come visit her.

He said it when everyone was around to hear, and even though Tina was blushing furiously, she couldn’t help but feel giddy, especially when she noticed that all of their friends were all but beaming at them.

///

Life went on, back in New York. Things went back to normal, Queenie spent most nights at Jacob’s, Graves always waited for Tina in the mornings with a hot cup of coffee, Newt and her went back to their normal letter writing schedules, Credence sending a letter every now and then.

There was longing, in Tina’s heart, but it didn’t feel as sad or desperate as before.

///

Six weeks after the wedding, Newt knocked at her office door come lunch time, explaining that he had hitched a Portkey with a delegation that had a meeting with MACUSA officials, so he only had two hours. He was without case and without Pickett, and that felt very weird, to Tina, but it didn’t stop her from taking Newt to her favorite hot dog cart and spending those two hours on a bench in Central Park.

He and Credence were set to leave on a mission the next week, to Australia. They were to spend a few days looking after a dragon. It was a baby, apparently, that had lost both of its parents to hunters.

Newt was very excited, not just because of the dragon, but because he was set on researching a few other animals native to Australia while there.

He was very apologetic, explaining that he will probably not manage to write to her. Tina didn’t mind it, really. This was Newt at his happiest, traveling the world and tending to creatures in need. For the first time, he will have Credence with him, and it will make it a whole new experience.

‘Stop apologizing.’, she told Newt. ‘This is your job, this is what you love, there’s no way anyone on this earth will ever get between you and that. But you have to promise me you’ll stay safe and when you get back home, you’ll tell me all about it.’

‘I can do that.’, he nodded, smiling. ‘That could definitely be arranged.’

They didn’t hug before he left, because there were various Aurors and personnel in the Portkey office, but Newt did tell her, in a lowered voice, that he will miss her more than any written words could explain.

It was enough, for that moment.

///

Two and some weeks had passed with no word from Newt, but Tina wasn’t really worried. She knew this was going to happen, he will be busy caring for the baby dragon, and he will worry and spare no time for sleep, there was no way he will write to her.

But she held onto the promise he had made, that he will tell her everything when he got back. Tina dreamed, in moments of weakness, that he will come to New York to tell the tale.

On that boring Thursday evening, Tina was postponing going home, knowing that Queenie was already at Jacob’s. She may have been daydreaming at her desk, thinking about taking Newt to the Central Park Zoo for a real, daylight visit. Graves burst into her office and destroyed every good thought that she had.

‘Newt found an Obscurus in Australia. The Minister and Picquery want us there. You have’, he checked his pocket watch, ‘40 minutes to pack and meet me in the Portkey office.’

‘Futz.’, she breathed out.

Graves leveled her with a look. ‘Hurry up.’

Tina nodded once and Apparated away. She packed in a haze, but had managed to keep her wits about her and take all of her more comfortable clothes, knowing that the dragon Newt was looking after lived in a mountain valley.

Queenie was waiting for her at the Portkey office, and they shared a long hug before Graves took Tina away.

///

They landed in a house that looked old. Newt was waiting for them, and he looked worse for wear. He had a nasty looking bruise under one eye and it looked like he hadn’t slept in a month.

Tina ran to his side. ‘Are you alright?’

She touched the bruise and he flinched, before gently prying her hand away. ‘It’s nothing, Missy just got a bit too rough during play time.’

‘Missy?’, Graves asked.

‘The dragon we were here to tend for. She’s alright, we released her a few days ago.’

‘What do you know about the Obscurus?’, Graves asked, all business.

Newt looked to the floor. ‘Her name is Louise and she’s seven. She had a bad life, lost her parents when she was a baby, been thrown in over a dozen muggle houses since then. She’s not… stable. Credence has been trying to teach her, but it’s not…’

He looked up at Tina with glassy eyes. ‘I didn’t want you to witness this.’ He looked to Graves. ‘Even though I didn’t tell him, the Minister must have realized that there’s no… hope. You’re here for containment.’

‘Where are we?’, Graves went on. ‘Are you keeping her in a city, is-’

Newt shook his head. ‘We are in Perth, at the local magical law enforcement offices. They don’t want anything to do with this, they wanted to kill her. We took her, about 60 km out of the city. There’s a forest, secluded. No people in sight.’

Graves nodded, and grabbed Newt’s arm. ‘Let’s go.’

Fighting back tears, Tina grabbed Newt’s fingers, and they Apparated away.

///

There was a clearing in the woods, a run down tent pitched up. Louise was running outside, happily screeching, with Credence keeping an eye on her.

She was a beautiful child, with long dark hair and rosy cheeks. She was shy, as Newt introduced them, but she smiled and politely shook Tina and Graves’ hands.

It was early in the morning in Australia, so they had breakfast together. Afterwards, Credence and Louise retired to the other side of the clearing. Tina couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could imagine that Credence was trying to make her understand how to control her power.

It was not working. Every now and then, the earth beneath her feet would shake lightly. Other times, the temperature dropped significantly. Sometimes, Louise would scream, too angry, like a child should never be, and Tina could see black specks of power, that were familiar to her.

Her heart was breaking, but she did her best to stay strong.

For days, Tina was as strong as she could. She went through the days as it was expected of her: she kept watch on Louise, she only slept when it was her turn, she helped make meals and feed Newt’s animals.

She was friendly with the child, as understanding as she could be. Tina tried her very best to not grow attached to Louise, to spare herself of that pain. It didn’t work. Not one bit.

///

On the fifth day, Tina went to sleep after lunch. They all slept in Newt’s shed, one at a time, she had gotten surprisingly used to the rickety cot. Dougal only cuddled her, though, she knew for a fact that the demiguise did not show that much attention to any of the men.

Dougal woke her up, oddly violent, shaking her shoulder. After he stopped, Tina realized she was still shaking.

‘It’s just Louise.’, she breathed out. ‘She does this when she’s upset.’

The animal shook his head, then he got out of bed and grabbed her hand and started pulling. He wanted her to go up, clearly, and Tina hesitated, until she realized that the entire shed was shaking. That was not normal, Louise’s fits weren’t usually so strong and long.

Tina shoved her feet into a pair of sturdy hiking boots and grabbed her wand, not bothering changing out of pajamas before making her way up the ladder.

Chaos met her on the surface. Things were flying everywhere, bits of the tent, clothes, books, leaves, dirt, pieces of trees. Someone was screaming, someone else was laughing.

It took her a moment to realize what was happening.

In a corner of the clearing, Louise was screaming, black fighting to encompass her, and Credence was trying, unsuccessfully, to calm her down. On the other side, Newt and Graves were facing Grindelwald.

She stared for a moment. The bastard was laughing, keeping up with the two wizards effortlessly. Much as he did in a subway station in New York, his wand movements were fluid and he did not have any issues paring all the spells that came at him.

Tina turned around, watched as Credence was begging Louise to take control of her power. As much as it hurt, it was clear that there was no way he was going to do it. Absently, she was aware of the fact that Louise looked very different now, than how Credence had looked in New York.

It didn’t matter.

Louise was going to burst. Credence was going to take most of the heat of it, maybe he could handle it, maybe not, Tina couldn’t be sure. But Newt and Graves had their backs turned to the Obscurus, they will get hit and shield Grindelwald from everything.

That wouldn’t do.

Without hesitation, Tina ran to Newt and Graves’ side, getting between them, throwing the most powerful spells she could at Grindelwald. Of course, it didn’t make any difference. Even battling three strong wizards, he held his own. Still laughing, very condescending.

Tina knew, that beyond the fact that they could all get hurt, there was something more important at play here. Grindelwald had come for Louise, and if he couldn’t get her alive, he will do anything to get her power. He knew how to do it now, Tina didn’t doubt it, he had seen the Obscurus Newt had kept in his case.

They had to stop that from happening, that was the most important thing at the moment. If they could somehow manage it and save themselves, it would be good. If they could apprehend Grindelwald, that would be perfect.

A plan started forming in Tina’s mind, and it was the only thing she could think of.

With a deep breath, she changed tactics. She wasn’t trying to disarm Grindelwald anymore, instead she was now trying to push him away, literally distance him from Louise. Newt was the first one to understand it, and he didn’t ask, he just went along with it.

Graves still tried to disarm Grindelwald for a few more moments, but he switched tactics, too. Together, the three of them were managing to push the wizard back. Step by step, slowly and not at all easily, he was moving further away from Louise.

He stopped laughing, his disturbing differently colored eyes pinning Tina down.

‘What are you doing, you stupid witch?’

She didn’t answer. Instead, she listened to the sounds behind her. Louise still screamed, but at one point, she started begging Credence to run.

That’s when Tina warned Newt and Graves that she was going to stop.

‘What are you doing?’, Newt looked at her briefly, evidently scared.

‘Trust me.’ With that, she turned her back to Grindelwald, trusting that the two men will shield her, and trusting that they were going to keep fighting the wizard.

They did, so she yelled Credence’s name. He turned to look at her, and she didn’t yell, but clearly formed the words ‘Come here’. He clearly didn’t want to do it, but right then, Louise’ eyes turned completely black, and her body stopped moving.

Credence ran to their side. He was crying, but when Tina told him to help the men against Grindelwald, he didn’t hesitate, standing by Newt’s other side.

‘Stop this!’, Grindelwald yelled after a while. ‘Don’t be stupid!’

Whatever Credence was doing, it was clearly working against Grindelwald. She felt Newt’s hand grab the back of her shirt. He tugged at it, so Tina took a step back, keeping her body in line with theirs.

It did not take long after for Louise to go. It was absolutely horrible to watch, the pain on her face and the gruesome scream that tore out of her throat, the tornado of darkness that swam around her, sucking the light and life out of everything around her.

‘I’m sorry.’, Tina whispered, even if Louise wasn’t looking at her.

Maybe the right thing she should have done was to kill the child, spare her of this pain. But Tina knew she wasn’t strong enough for that.

So when she saw that the darkness surrounding Louise started pulsing, Tina raised her wand and channeled all of her power into forming a shield, between the darkness, and herself and the men.

It took a lot out of her. The hand wrapped around the wand started burning, unnaturally so. Tina screamed, but she didn’t stop shielding them. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t, she didn’t.

Louise disappeared in a bright flash of light, but darkness overtook Tina.

///

She woke up in the cot, in Newt’s case. Dougal was curled around her, with his head on her stomach, Pickett was making distressed sounds on her chest and Newt was kneeling next to the bed, a hand wrapped around hers and the other gently running through her hair.

‘How are you feeling?’

Tina shook her head. ‘He got away, didn’t he?’

Newt nodded, something angry in his eyes. ‘At least he didn’t take what he came here for. Good thinking, what you did there. Graves was impressed.’

‘Louise?’, her voice broke.

He looked away, shaking his head. ‘There was nothing we could do.’

She started crying, then, finally letting out all that she had kept inside these past days. Newt told the animals to go away, which they did without any protest. Without thought, she turned onto her side to face him.

Newt said her name very gently, before he wrapped his arms around her as best as he could in the weird position. He pushed their cheeks together and just held her as she cried. Tina grabbed a hold of his shirt.

Once upon a time, she would have hated showing such weakness in front of a man. Now, Tina knew the only way she was ever going to get up from the cot will be with Newt’s help.

‘This is why I didn’t want you here, my dear.’, he whispered. ‘Your heart is too large for such darkness.’

‘And yours isn’t?’, she couldn’t help but ask, already knowing the answer.

Newt didn’t say anything else, he just held her for a long while, until she could breathe again.

///

Graves had arranged for an emergency Portkey, so the made it back to the Ministry quickly. Theseus was waiting for them in front of the Minister’s office. His eyes moved quickly over everyone before zeroing in on Tina’s wrist.

‘You’re hurt.’, he frowned.

It didn't hurt too bad, at that moment. Someone, probably Newt, had carefully bandaged her wrist and hand.

‘It can wait.’

‘The Minister wants us all here for the debrief.’, Newt said. ‘I’ll take Tina to St. Mungo’s afterwards.’

Theseus didn’t like it, but he did nod, knocking on the Minister’s office door.

It was a long, long debrief. The only things that kept Tina going were the strong tea and the self replenishing plate of scones. And the fact that Newt’s knee was constantly touching hers.

She spoke when it was expected of her, didn’t let out anything from her report. She kept attention to what everyone else said, interrupting when it was needed.

But Tina didn’t feel good. She felt like she was going to collapse in exhaustion. Her hand burned, not too hard, but constantly. The blast had knocked her unconscious for close to an hour, maybe she had a concussion? Maybe that was why the room was spinning and she felt like throwing up?

She reached for her mug of tea.

‘Miss Goldstein’, the Minister said in an oddly alarmed voice, ‘you’re bleeding.’

Looking at her hand, Tina realized that she was, in fact, bleeding through the bandages. She didn’t grab her mug, because she felt a new wave of nausea. There were hands around her shoulders, keeping her upright.

‘Minister’, she heard Newt say, ‘we’ll be using your fireplace.’

Tina couldn’t focus on what else was said. She knew Newt was the one lifting her from the chair and she had to struggle real hard to put one foot in front of the other.

‘We can’t go together.’, he said at one point. She opened her eyes, not knowing when she had closed them. She was in the fireplace, with a pile of green ash in her hand.

‘I’ll be right behind you.’, Newt put a hand on her face, forcing her to try and focus on him. ‘You have to say Saint Mungo’s Hospital. Can you do that for me, Tina?’

She did say it, three times in a row, trying her hardest to make it sound clearer. She managed to say it clear once again, letting go of the ash in the process.

The green flames that enveloped her didn’t hurt and she managed to make it to the other side, a too bright room. Tina took a step forward and fell. Newt was there, somehow, picking her up and yelling for help.

She came back to it when she was placed on a bed. Tina threw up on the floor, managing to avoid all the people around her.

The absolutely terrified look on Newt’s face was the last thing Tina saw before she passed out.

///

This time around, Tina woke up in a hospital bed. It was night, judging by the low light in the room, there were three other empty beds and Newt was sleeping, fully clothed, in the fourth one. She didn’t want to wake him, so she took stock of her body. Her hand didn’t hurt, exactly, but the muscles felt sore. Upon further inspection, the skin was bright purple.

She made a surprised sound, and Newt was by her side in an instant.

‘How are you feeling?’

Tina slowly wiggled the fingers of her right hand, happy that she was able to. ‘It doesn’t hurt, it’s just a little sore. And very purple.’

Newt let out a deep breath. ‘Trust me when I tell you that’s a very good outcome.’

‘What happened?’

He lowered his voice, after checking there was nobody listening in the doorway. ‘The shield you conjured was incredibly strong, and so was the… Obscurus you were fighting against. You wand couldn’t take it.’

‘Really?’, Tina frowned, deeply. ‘It never failed me before.’

‘You haven’t faced something quite as powerful before.’

She had to give him that. ‘And my wand failing, it made me feel so sick?’

‘Worst reaction the healers have ever seen. But you’ll be fine.’, he smiled. ‘The purple will disappear in a day or two, and the soreness should be gone by morning.’

‘Good.’, she nodded. ‘Newt? Go home and sleep.’

‘No.’, he said easily, around a smile. ‘They’re going to release you tomorrow, but you won’t be able to Portkey for another day or two.’

Tina groaned. ‘Pickquery will love that.’

‘Mister Graves went back to New York’, Newt tilted his head, ‘after the healers assured us you were going to be alright. I’m sure he can handle Madam President.’

‘Does Queenie know?’

‘Yes.’, Newt smiled. ‘Graves promised he’ll go and tell her everything personally, and he also promised to stop her from visiting.’

‘Good.’, Tina breathed out in relief. ‘She hates hospitals, too many bad thoughts in them.’

He started running his fingers through her hair, and it felt absolutely delightful. Her eyes closed on their own volition.

‘I would suggest you get a new wand.’, Newt whispered. ‘Something more powerful.’

‘I got the most forceful wand America has to offer.’, Tina felt sleep pulling her away from him.

Still, she heard him say something about Ollivander.

Chapter Text

Tina was allowed to leave in the morning, and Newt took her to his place. Over the next two days, both he and Credence fussed over her. It was ridiculous and downright annoying, but she loved them for it.

Before her Portkey back home was scheduled, Newt joined her in Diagon Alley, where they went into Ollivander’s wand shop.

The old man behind the counter grinned widely at Newt.

‘Mister Ollivander, this is Auror Tina Goldstein.’

‘Nice to meet you, sir.’

Ollivander’s eyebrows shot up. ‘An American, how quaint.’

There was a crash from the side of the shop, and a young man appeared, clearly Ollivander’s son.

‘May I see your wand, miss?’

‘You’ll have to excuse Garrick.’, the older man sighed. ‘He has shown quite an interest in American wands, recently.’

The kid looked terribly excited, and Tina couldn’t deny him. But the second he held her wand, he frowned.

‘Oh, Merlin, what did you do to it? It’s all… wrong.’

‘It’s why we’re here, actually.’, Newt took over when Tina wasn’t able to say anything. ‘The wand has never given Miss Goldstein any issues, but we have recently encountered something very powerful, we’re not at liberty to speak about it.’

‘Of course you’re not.’, Garrick snorted. ‘Did it screw you over, too, or just the wand?’

‘It did a number on me.’, Tina nodded. ‘I don’t wish for that to happen again. This wand was supposed to be very powerful.’

‘Quintana made, right?’, Garrick was still inspecting it. ‘White River Monster spine.’

‘Really?’, Newt was clearly intrigued.

‘Yes.’, Tina nodded, a little surprised. ‘Good guess.’

‘Not a guess.’, Garrick smirked. ‘It’s not for nothing we have been making the best wands in the world for the past 2000 and some years.’

Tina just blinked.

‘Let’s find you a wand, shall we?’, the older Ollivander took over.

He made Tina try a couple of wands, but as soon as she tried the simplest of spells, something would spark, explode or catch fire.

‘Maybe my hand isn’t totally healed, yet.’, she mussed.

‘Are you daring, Miss Goldstein?’, Garrick grinned at her.

‘She is.’, Newt didn’t hesitate.

Garrick got her a wand. It was sleek, simple, similar with the one she had, if not a little shorter. It only had one ornate detail, the handle had small striations on it and a small protruding band at the very end of it, that looked like a tree branch.

As soon as she grabbed it, Tina felt a shiver run down her back.

‘Rowan wood, which matches perfectly your vocation, a little shorter than what you’re used to, but thus easier to handle in combat. It’s usually paired with clear-headed and pure-hearted wizards, Miss Goldstein.’

As Garrick talked, Tina felt compelled to try a spell. It was easy, so easy, like taking a breath of fresh air. The wood felt light in her hands, and there were no sparks. The wand worked perfectly.

‘Why did you ask if I was daring?’, Tina looked up at Garrick.

He smiled. ‘Last year, Mister Scamander here was kind enough to donate a couple of thunderbird tail feathers. As you know, the American maker Wolfe uses them, but we haven’t used them that much here.’

Tina turned to Newt, eyes wide. ‘Frank?’

‘He shed a few during the healing process.’, he shrugged, like it didn’t matter.

‘From what I have read’, Garrick went on, ‘thunderbirds can sense dangers.’

He was looking at Newt, who was quick to nod.

‘It appears so do wands that have a thunderbird tail feather core. They can sense danger and alert the wielder, it is rumored that they may even cast curses on their own. I think it is a very suitable choice for an Auror with little self preservation instinct.’

‘You’re being terribly rude, Garrick.’, his father slapped his shoulder.

‘I’m not! She fought Grindelwald in New York! She’s a woman Auror! Of course she needs all the extra protection she can get. And-’, he turned towards Tina, ‘it fits, doesn’t it? Feels like a good match?’

She had to admit that was true, making the younger man grin.

‘One last thing, Miss Goldstein. Do you know what the main difference between American and English wands is?’

Tina shook her head.

‘The lore.’, Garrick smiled. ‘Here, the wand chooses the wizard.’

She didn’t really understand it, but based on the fact that neither Mister Ollivander nor Newt argued, she didn’t say anything. Instead, Tina did another spell. She wordlessly transfigured the empty box the wand came in, into a red rose that glittered pink, and back to normal.

‘I’ll take it.’, she didn’t hesitate anymore.

As Ollivander rung her up, Newt told her that Frank would be happy to know he’ll help keep her safe. Tina wasn’t sure about that wand chooses the wizard business, but she could get behind Frank choosing to keep her safe.

///

There were a lot of people in the London Portkey office, and they were all staring at her and Newt. He wasn’t a fan of it, in fact, he seemed quite annoyed by it.

‘I’ll see you soon.’, he said strongly, before faltering. ‘I don’t think I can spend much time away from you anymore.’

If she were a more courageous person, Tina would have kissed him then. She wished to, very, very badly, but there were too many people around and she still doubted that it was something Newt really wanted.

So Tina didn’t kiss him. Instead, she hugged him and promised to write as soon as she made it home. She also told Newt that she will wait, however long it took.

She wasn’t just talking about his next visit, and by the look in his eyes, Newt understood it.

///

In the months that followed, Grindelwald became more active in Europe. He was still searching for Obscurials, but as far as they knew, he was unsuccessful.

Still, the increase in his activity meant an equal increase in MACUSA and the Ministry’s workload. It also involved a lot of back-and-forth between London and New York. Tina and Graves took turns in going to London every other week, Theseus or some other Ministry official came to New York in between.

Between all this, Tina saw Newt at least once a week. She always scheduled her Portkeys back to New York later than was needed, and Newt hitched rides whenever he could. There were exceptions, of course, weeks in which he and Credence were roaming the world in search of fantastic beasts, but Tina knew he will make it up to her on the next visit. He always did, bringing with him tales of his adventures.

Sometimes in New York, they had dinner with Queenie and Jacob, maybe Graves. Sometimes in London, they had dinner with Leta, Theseus and Credence.

Most of the time, Tina and Newt spent a few hours together in their respective cities, taking the other one to their favorite places. Sometimes, they spent their entire time together in Newt’s case.  

One of her fellow MACUSA Aurors asked what it was like dating Newt Scamander. She stared at the woman for a long while. It was lovely, absolutely lovely, but they weren’t actually dating. That word had never been said.

Sure, they were very comfortable around one another. She wrapped her arms around his when they were walking down the street, when he had to guide her he always did it with a hand on her lower back. He pushed her hair back, sometimes, and she didn’t think twice about wiping the occasional dirt off his face.

They never held hands. They only hugged when it was time for hellos or goodbyes. They never kissed.

They weren’t dating. But sometimes, the time they did spend together, it did feel a lot like dates.

She told the woman who asked that it was none of her business and made sure to not mention the incident to Newt. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

Whatever it was between them, Tina wanted it to run its course. She didn’t care how slow it was, as long as Newt was comfortable, and as long as he was by her side.

///

Madam Picquery yelled at Tina and Graves to take a week off. She did this very publically, and she did have a point, neither of them have taken any vacation days in the 9 months they started working on the joint task force, the last break Tina had was when Newt was kidnapped. They weren’t really in any position to refuse.

That didn’t mean that Tina had any idea what to do during a vacation. It was a Monday morning, and, sure, she overslept, read a novel or two, wrote a long letter to Newt complaining that she had no idea what to do with herself. But she spent the rest of the day absolutely bored, until it was time to make her way to Jacob’s place for dinner.

///

Dear Tina,

My door is always open for you. Really, you just have to tap your wand against it and say Alohomora. The security charms will allow you in.

And if you happen to find yourself in London, Credence and I have a meeting with Missy on Thursday and Friday.

Would you like to join us?

Please say yes.

Yours, Newt.

It took Tina a few moments to remember that Missy was the Australian dragon the men recently took care of. It took her less than that to start packing.

///

Tuesday, she made her way through the Ministry in the opposite direction everyone else was going. It was the time most people finished their work day, but she knew she will find Newt in his office.

Sure enough, the office door was fully open and Newt was sitting at his desk, between two alarmingly high piles of papers and folders. He looked like he was in hell, angry turndown of his lips and deep frown between his brows.

Tina loved this man an alarming amount. It was in moments like these, when she truly realized it. When she saw him, but he didn’t see her. When he was immersed into something, unaware of the world around him. When she felt the need to run her hands through his soft hair, make a smile appear on his lips, dare to make a blush color his cheeks.

All the anxiousness in his expression melted away when he saw her, replaced with a giant grin.

‘I will never get used to seeing you here.’

She chuckled at that. ‘Where’s Credence?’

‘Shopping for supplies.’, Newt frowned. ‘We’re meeting him back home.’

‘Any chance Theseus is still at work? I have a letter for him.’

His frown deepened. ‘No, but we can stop by his office? He’ll find it in the morning.’

Finally, Tina grinned and pulled out a letter from her coat pocket, extending it to Newt.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a piece of parchment inviting him to the marriage of one Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski.

‘Merlin’s beard.’, Newt breathed out, staring at the parchment in his hand. ‘It’s really happening.’

Tina laughed, knowing exactly how he felt. ‘It’s unbelievable, but real. You’ll be there, right?’

His head snapped up to hers. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

‘Good.’, she snickered. ‘I have an invitation for Theseus and Leta, too. And Credence.’

They left it on Theseus’ desk, alongside a letter explaining that it wasn’t going to be a grand wedding, just the signing of documents at City Hall and a homemade dinner at Jacob’s bakery.

Credence was incredibly excited, saying he didn’t think he’d get another use for the suit he got for the last wedding. She explained that it wasn’t really like that, some dress up was needed, because it was Queenie, but Tina wasn’t going to be wearing a dress.

‘Too bad.’, Newt pouted. Clearly, he didn’t mean to say it out loud, because he blushed immediately and didn’t meet her eyes.

Tina shared a look with Credence. She may have been blushing, but that didn’t stop her from glaring at the younger man's very lewd smirk.

///

She felt very comfortable in Newt’s apartment, by now. He had a guest bedroom that she always used, so much so that during other visits, she had brought things to leave there. A blanket, a robe, a set of fluffy towels. There was a lipstick on the nightstand, and a hand cream. A box of pads in the drawer. Slippers by the bed, a fiction novel forgotten on the pillow.

Tina probably should have found it weird, but she didn’t. Nobody could ever claim that her relationship with Newt was normal.

So she had no issues with hanging out alone in his apartment when he was at work. But Tina didn’t do that, because she knew boredom will grab a hold of her again. Instead, she went out into Muggle London.

Mostly, she just walked around, head held high watching the buildings, watching the muggles who milled around her, busy, all of them looking so busy. That, at least, felt like New York.

Surprisingly enough, she did stumble upon a few shops that caught her interest. A bookstore, of course, a clothes shop, surprisingly enough, and she spent an alarming amount of time in a home and kitchen shop. She got a coffee maker for Newt’s place, a proper kettle for hers. A few small pieces for Queenie, knowing they will make their way straight to Jacob’s place. She had found a small ceramic elephant that she planned to use at work as a paperweight, and a metal tin with cute owls painted on it that will be used to keep her coffee in Newt’s kitchen.

By the time she made it back to his apartment, she was late and he was already half way through to making dinner.

‘Productive day, was it?’, he seemed surprised by the amount of bags Tina was carrying.

She wordlessly pulled out the coffee maker, took it out of its box and found a place for it on the kitchen counter, near his kettle. She then poured the coffee she got in the owl tin, and he just watched her, intently but without saying anything.

‘I got a kettle for back home, too, but you’re gonna have to bring your own tea, I didn’t know what to buy. And I got other… things. I’ll admit I might have gone a little crazy.’

Newt chuckled softly. ‘When is the last time you went crazy? Bout time you did, I should think.’

His eyes moved to the coffee tin. ‘That’s very cute.’

‘I thought so, too.’, she smiled, moving to his side and inspecting what he was cooking. Fresh vegetables, it seemed, with a weird looking cheese on the side, that he was frying in butter. There were also little sausages ready to fry. It looked good and it made her stomach rumble.

‘Set the table, please?’

Tina nodded, going straight for the cupboard in which he kept his mismatched plates. After she finished setting the table, Newt was watching her more than the meal he was making.

‘What?’, she blushed.

‘No, nothing.’, he shook his head, embarrassed.

Tina bit back the instinct to insist on it.

///

They left on Thursday morning with a Portkey from the Ministry. The attendant handling it knew Tina by name.

On the way there, Newt and Credence explained that Missy, the dragon, was an Antipodean Opaleye. She had grown, by that point, and the Australian officials weren’t fit to take care of her anymore. Thankfully, there was a dragon sanctuary in Romania (Tina’s jaw dropped at that, making Newt chuckle), but it was a long journey from Australia. Newt and Credence were asked to ensure the dragon was properly ready for it.

Tina eyed the suitcase, making Credence snort.

‘Yes, well.’, Newt bristled, a little. ‘Missy will travel on a muggle ship, to start with, and it’s not like she could be contained in a crate.’

‘Not a normal crate, anyway.’, Tina mused.

‘Exactly.’, he nodded. ‘But a crate with a sufficient amount of extension charms and terrain alterations, it will be fine.’

‘Newt’, Tina said slowly, ‘just how many extension charms does your suitcase have?’

‘Lots.’, he blinked. ‘Lots and lots.’

Exasperated, she just shook her head.

///

Missy was a glorious wonder. Her scales looked like pearls, light shimmering in the sun. Her eyes did not have pupils, but they were multicoloured, in all the colors available in the world. She was breathtaking.

She still had some growing to do, she hadn’t hit maturity yet, but she was still towering over Newt. Not unlike a child or puppy, she wrapped her long wings around him and nosed at his chest.

‘What if she blows fire?’, Tina couldn’t help but be anxious.

‘There’s a charm against that.’, Credence was quick to say. ‘Hopefully Newt remembered to cast it this time.’

She facepalmed. ‘How he survived thus far is a mystery.’

Credence snorted, not arguing it.

///

After Newt checked the dragon and deemed Missy to be healthy, he started working on the crate. It was an unsuspecting thing, large but not large enough to fit a dragon, made out of wood. It didn’t stay like that for too long.

As Tina and Credence watched in awe, Newt cast spell after spell, charm after charm, some of which she didn’t even know. It took a few hours, but by the end of it, they were faced with a brilliant example of spellmanship. The inside of the crate was impossibly large, recreating a valley where Missy will be more than comfortable in.

Tina knew he was a powerful wizard, but Newt was incredibly underrated. By his design, she assumed, and she understood it. If people were to find out just how much strength Newt held in his wand, he wouldn’t be a magizoologist anymore.

She was glad he was, because the sight of Newt playing with a dragon was the highlight of her month.

///

They slept in a barn that night, which was the most luxurious lodging the forest had to offer, but Tina didn’t mind it. It was a nice evening nonetheless, spent listening to Newt and Credence discussing dragons. They spent the next day with Missy, playing more than anything else, and after she was safely looked away in her crate and on her way to Romania, they used another Portkey to London, just in time to go straight to bed.

Her Portkey back to the States was scheduled on Sunday, so Tina spent the day before that with Newt. He took her to the British museum, which was something she hadn’t gotten the chance to see before. The exhibit and the building was lovely, but it was even more lovely spending an entire day out, just her and Newt.

They had dinner at a muggle restaurant, which was nice, and they saw a picture afterwards, a talking one, which was terribly exciting. After that, they spent a few hours on the couch in Newt’s living room, just talking and drinking their tea and coffee.

She didn’t want to go to bed, and she didn’t want to leave in the morning. Tina wanted to stay, to spend more time with Newt, to spend all the time with Newt. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible.

///

They saw each other again three weeks later, for the wedding. It was a very different experience from the last wedding they attended.

Queenie looked beautiful, but her white dress wasn’t really a bridal one. It was alright, because nobody was too dressed up. Instead, they were all excited and smiling wildly as Queenie and Jacob signed their names.

Afterwards, they went to Jacob’s bakery. It was closed for the day, the blinds pulled down, a dining table fit for them all set right in the middle of it. It seemed like nobody ever stopped smiling.

From Leta and Theseus, the newlyweds got a plate set, gold plated. It kind of matched the set of gold goblets Newt and Credence got them. Graves got them a car, which was so ridiculous, it made Queenie hug him for ten minutes straight.

But then the blonde turned to her sister, expectantly. ‘Nothing from you?’

Tina smiled. ‘I put Ma’s old jewelry box on your vanity already.’

Queenie instantly started crying, trying to refuse. Tina didn’t let her speak.

‘That’, she grinned, ‘and the promise to babysit any nephews or nieces may come my way.’

That stopped Queenie’s tears, and they all went back to laughter.

///

At the end of the night, Newt and Credence wordlessly went back with Tina to her apartment. The younger man disappeared in the case, insisting he’ll take care of the animals and sleep in the shed. Honestly, he all but ran down, before either of them got to argue.

So Tina and Newt, after changing into their pajamas, were free to spent a few more hours on the couch, catching up properly, with spoken words, not written.

Like she had told him to do the last time she was in London, Newt had brought a few boxes of his favorite tea. And he admitted that he went back to the kitchen shop Tina found, and got the entire collection of animal printed tins for his kitchen.

‘Oh, I’m gonna miss you tomorrow.’, Tina said between her laughs.

When she noticed the way Newt was looking at her, she thought that maybe she shouldn’t have said that out loud. He looked … torn.

‘Please know’, he made a point to look into her eyes, ‘beyond all else, beyond anything and everything that will happen, please know, Tina, that there’s not a day that passes without me missing you.’

Overwhelmed, she went to bed soon after, but not before hugging Newt.

///

The next week, Newt came to visit twice for lunch. The week after that, twice for lunch and once for dinner. The week after that, he spent a night and brought her lunch three other days. The week after that, he only came once, but he spent the rest of the week in Africa. The week after that, he stayed in New York for three nights.

The week after that, Grindelwald attacked the Ministry of Magic, killing five Aurors and fifteen other employees.

For the next two weeks, she got regular letters from Newt, but she didn’t see him.

///

Picquery had never been in Tina’s office, but she was there now, calling Graves in too. It was clear that she had something big to say, and that he knew it.

‘Grindelwald’s attacks in Europe are multiplying with each passing week and you two have been the only ones to actually make a dent in his proceedings.’

Tina didn’t feel like it, but it was somewhat true. They stopped him from grabbing the Obscurial in Australia and since then, they have pinpointed two of his hideouts in Europe.

‘He has no interest in America, as of yet’, Picquery went on, ‘but I don’t feel safe when he’s still on the loose.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I can’t spare Mister Graves, but I think your strengths could be used to their full extent away from New York.’

‘Excuse me?’, Tina breathed out shakily.

‘The Minister and I think you could help a lot more from London. You’d still have to come to New York at times, I’m sure of it, but your base of operations will be in Britain, alongside Theseus Scamander.’

‘This ain’t an order.’, Graves pointed out.

Picquery nodded. ‘I can’t force you to move to another continent, nor do I wish to. It’s a decision you have to make.’

‘May I think about it?’, Tina found her brain.

‘Of course.’, the President smiled at her. ‘It’s not an easy to make decision, I know. You have a month to reach a verdict and please understand that this isn’t a convenient way for me to wash my hands of you.’

Tina startled at that.

‘You have proven yourself to be a very good investigator, Miss Goldstein.’, Picquery spoke slowly. ‘I don’t want to let you go, but you’re powerful enough to make a difference in the fight against Grindelwald. I can’t afford to force you to stay here.’

‘I’ll think about it.’, Tina took a deep breath.

Picquery left without another word, but Graves lingered.

‘Don’t rush into this. It would be a big change, on more than one front. You have a month, so think about it properly.’

‘I will.’, Tina promised.

She’ll do that as soon as she got her heartbeat back to normal.

///

She didn’t mention it to Newt. Even though they saw each other a couple of times a week, even though they wrote every day, Tina didn’t tell him anything about it.

She told Queenie and Jacob, after a week.

‘You haven’t decided yet?’, Queenie asked.

‘How could I possibly decide? It’s such a big decision, and it involves so many things.’

‘Like what?’, Jacob asked.

‘I like London fine, but I haven’t spent more than five consecutive days in it. The Ministry, it’s…’, Tina shook her head. ‘They’re more lax with their laws for wizards, but they’re still in the middle ages when it comes to women working side by side men. I’d have to work a whole lot to make all the men respect me.’

‘But-’, Queenie tried to interrupt. She didn’t manage it.

‘And then there’s the fact that I’d be right in the middle of it. This war against Grindelwald, I’ll be right in the middle of it, and it’s dangerous, it’s gonna be a lot more dangerous than my job here. And, what’s troubling me the most about this whole thing’, she took a shaky breath, looking at her sister, ‘I don’t want to leave you.’

Queenie was quick to hug her, and Tina managed, somehow, to not break down into a sobbing mess.

‘Hey’, Jacob gently grabbed a hold of Tina’s hand, ‘your sister’s in good hands, you know. I mean, she can take care of herself, but went she can’t, I’ll be here.’

‘Plus’, Queenie let go of her, ‘you’ll still have all them fancy credential that let you use a Portkey whenever, right? You can come and visit as often as you want.’

‘You’ll always be welcomed here.’, Jacob nodded. ‘The door’s never closed for family, even if the couch might be a bit lumpy.’

That got Tina to chuckle.

‘All the other things’, Queenie went on gently, ‘they’re valid concerns, yes, and you do have to think if you’re ready for all of that. But you forgot to mention a few other things.’

‘Like what?’, Tina asked.

‘Like a certain magizoologist and his creatures.’

All week, Tina had been trying not to think about it, about what would moving to London mean for her and Newt. She knew it would influence her decision too strongly, and she didn’t want that.

‘It was inevitable.’, her sister pointed out, ‘and it’s more than alright to take Newt into consideration, because beyond all the work stuff, you gotta do what’s best for you, Teenie, what’s gonna make you the happiest.’

Tina knew that, but still, it was nice to hear it.

///

Days, weeks went on, and Tina thought every day. Days when she had dinner with Queenie and Jacob, when she spent the night in the city with Graves, tracking some bad guy down, days when Newt surprised her with his presence, days when she missed him.

She was unable to reach a decision. She made a decision twelve times a day and changed her mind thirteen times over.

Tina had a meeting scheduled with Picquery the next day, and she knew she wasn’t going to sleep. She left the office knowing she will be up all night, thinking and overthinking everything, stressing over it and probably making the final decision after she knocked on Picquery’s office.

That plan got thrown out the window, because Newt was waiting for her outside of her building.

‘I brought dinner.’, he patted his case. ‘If you don’t have any other plans, of course.’

‘No, of course not.’

They went up to the apartment, but had dinner in the case. Newt was prepared, over prepared, really. He had brought back food from her favorite muggle place in London, some chocolate cake from a bakery he just discovered, and a couple of butterbeers.

There was a small table set in Frank’s enclosure. It was surprising, especially once Tina saw the lit candles and the small vase of fresh flowers, but she still loved it and made sure to let Newt know.

He acted weird during dinner, though. There were times when he stubbornly did not look at her, but other times he stared at her with no shame. There were moments where, even if he did listen to whatever Tina was saying, it seemed like his mind was in another place entirely. He seemed nervous, at times, while other times he seemed to be incredibly happy to have dinner with her. He barely ate.

There was also another thing that was particularly disturbing: the animals. Tina still saw them, in the corner of her eyes. It was like they were keeping their distance, but still watching them, like something was keeping them away, but didn’t dwindle their interest. Usually, if Tina was in the case, she was surrounded by various creatures. Dougal, mostly, but other ones would come say hello. Even the niffler wanted a cuddle every now and then. But now he kept his distance from them.

‘Did you ever name your niffler?’, she asked, just as he said ‘My mother wasn’t a fan of luxury.’

He never really spoke of his parents. She knew they died not too long before she met Newt, but that was it. All thoughts of animals flew far away from her head.

‘She wasn’t?’

‘No.’, he looked down at his plate. ‘My father was the one who grew up in money and had it, but it wasn’t the reason why she married him.’

He didn’t look at Tina as he spoke, and he still looked nervous, jittery, but he spoke calmly.

‘Neither of them were very sentimental people, but they did love each other, and after Theseus and I grew up and left our nest, they did miss us, Mother especially.’

‘I’m sure they both loved you.’

He smiled, briefly meeting her eyes before looking away again. With a quick flick of his wand, the empty plates and cutlery disappeared from the table, and their goblets were once again filled with butterbeer.

Newt took a long drink, before placing both of his hands on the table. Fidgeting.

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’, she asked gently.

‘Nothing.’, he looked at her. ‘Nothing’s wrong.’

‘Then why are you so nervous?’

Newt kept looking at her for a few moments, before he looked back down at his hands, effectively ignoring the question.

‘After my parents died, I didn’t want to go back to living in their house. Theseus did, and I had no issue with it. However’, Newt swallowed, ‘he wanted to start new, as much as possible. He repainted and changed all the furniture, and together, we got rid of most of our parents’ personal items. We kept the books’, he smiled, ‘and a few other things.’

‘What did you keep?’, Tina asked gently when Newt didn’t go on.

He shook his head, as if repelling a thought.

‘I mentioned that Mother wasn’t a fan of luxury.’, he went back to where he started. ‘She accepted it because it was expected of her, she got used to it. But she didn’t… splurge, unnecessarily. My father, however, did splurge. Twice for my mother and any time for Theseus and I.’

Tina had no idea where this conversation was going, but she had no intention to stop it, even if she saw, clearly, that his nerves were getting worse and worse.

‘The first thing Father brought my Mother was the engagement ring, which she had kept till the end. It now sits on Leta’s finger, quite beautifully, I think.’

‘It’s lovely.’, Tina breathed out, because it was a beautiful ring, and because it was twice as beautiful now that she knew its history.

‘The second thing was a pair of earrings. I’ve never seen her wear any other jewelry, par from the engagement ring, the wedding ring and the earrings.’

‘Where are their wedding rings now?’, Tina asked softly.

‘Gringotts vault.’, Newt shrugged it off. ‘You should have asked about the earrings.’

She chuckled. ‘Alright, then. What about the earrings?’

He looked up and didn’t look away. ‘They were quite simple, you see. A tiny diamond set in gold, nothing else.’

Newt hesitated, so Tina smiled as supportingly as she could.

‘Did you get to keep the earrings? If Theseus kept the engagement ring, did you keep them?’

He smiled, albeit shakily. And then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. It was small, covered in gold fabric, and he placed it in the center of the table, keeping a single finger on it.

Newt looked at Tina expectedly, but she didn’t know what she was supposed to say. She didn’t really understand what he was playing at.

With a nod and a deep breath, he opened the box, revealing the jewelry inside.

It wasn’t a pair of earrings, but one single ring that took Tina’s breath away. There were two diamonds, placed with a small distance apart, but between them and all around the ring, there were small, irregular pieces of something else. She thought they were seashells, at first, but then Tina noticed how the light of the candles reflected on them, and she realized they were dragon scales, probably from a Antipodean Opaleye dragon called Missy.

The ring was beautiful, simple but elegant, set in white gold. It looked like an engagement ring.

Looking up, she saw that Newt had not looked away from her. He swallowed thickly, wetting his lips. When he spoke, his voice was very low.

‘I had it made after Australia, after you got hurt.’

That was months ago.

As if reading her mind, Newt smiled, a little self deprecating. ‘I don’t know what I was waiting for. I was scared, I still am scared, but I’ve… I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.’

Slowly, he reached for her hand, which was limp on the table. He gently wrapped their fingers together.

‘Theseus let it slip, that tomorrow you have to decide if you’re to move to London or stay in New York. I don’t want to pressure you in any way, but know that should you chose to come to London, then…’, he took a deep breath, and smiled shakily. ‘You can have a home there, with me. Either way, whatever you decide... I can’t stay away from you, my dear. Not anymore.’

That was the moment when Tina couldn’t control her tears anymore, and she was finally able to move, so she gripped his hand tightly.

‘You haven’t said it!’

It sounded desperate even to her own ears, but it made Newt smile. He met her eyes, with so much love in them, and he bent his body forward. There was still a table between them, and a shiny ring, but neither were able to look away from each other.

‘Miss Goldstein’, Newt said slowly, ‘will you please do me the honor of marrying me? I can’t imagine a happier day in my life.’

She chuckled, still smiling with tears running down her face. ‘You know, Mister Scamander, it’s customary to court a woman before asking her to marry you.’

Newt shrugged gently, looking away for a brief moment. ‘Isn’t that what I’ve been doing in the past year? Even before that?’

Tina laughed, feeling like she was about to explode. She suddenly pulled her hand away from his hold and got up from the chair, making it crash to the ground. It didn’t matter, not even if Newt was looking at her with wide, fearful eyes.

‘Get up!’, she ordered.

He didn’t.

‘Newt, get up and put the ring on my finger.’

That got him moving, albeit slowly. He gently took the ring from the box and stepped in front of her. He looked at her, still hesitating, but Tina nodded wildly and went as far as putting her left hand out.

Gently, so very gently, Newt held her hand and slid the ring on her finger. It fit, it was beautiful and Tina had never felt that much love in her heart.

‘I love you so much.’, she said out loud. ‘So much, Newt, I didn’t think it possible.’

He was surprised, but he also smiled and held her hand tightly.

‘As do I, Tina. As do I.’

She kissed him then, unable to hold herself back. She was still crying, and Newt was too startled to respond in any way. But as far as first kisses went, shared seconds after a marriage proposal, it was damn perfect.

Tina stopped the kiss, in order to take a deep breath, but she didn’t move away from Newt.

‘Yes, I’ll marry you.’, she said against his cheek. ‘I’ll marry you in London and I’ll stay by your side in any and every part of the world.’

Newt was the one to kiss her then, letting go of her hand in order to gently grab her cheeks and it was the best feeling in the world. She hadn’t lied to him, Tina had never thought it was possible to love someone as much as she loved him, to feel so much happiness inside her chest, so much excitement and want.

But there was no other way, for the two of them. There was no way their story would have led into another place, a world where they weren’t in love. Tina did not accept any other alternative, except for her and Newt, bound together.

He stopped the kiss too early for her taste.

‘I’m sorry.’, Newt kissed her cheek. ‘But Jacob and Leta are upstairs, keeping Queenie and Theseus from rushing down here and ruining everything.’

‘You told them?’

‘I asked Queenie for your hand a few days ago. Everything…’, he blinked, ‘escalated from there.’

‘I love you.’, she kissed him again, quickly. ‘And the creatures?’

‘I’ve had a very, very long conversation with them.’, he seemed exasperated. ‘And, ultimately, I put up a few perimeter spells.’

Tina kissed him again, had meant for it to be quick, but then her hands were around his neck and his were on her waist and they did, eventually, make their way back into her apartment. She had stopped crying by that time, which was a good thing, because Queenie was almost sobbing and Theseus looked like he was trying very hard not to.

///

In the morning, Tina looked dreadful. She had not slept a minute that night, spent it drinking and eating with her family, instead.

Still, she knocked strongly on Picquery’s office, not at all surprised to see Graves was there already.

‘Have you made a decision, Miss Goldstein?’, the President asked without beating around the bush.

‘I haven’t, but something happened last night that made it so I had no decision to make.’

Both of the other wizards frowned deeply.

‘What happened?’, Graves was clearly concerned.

She smiled and pulled out her left hand from her pocket, going as far as extending it in front of her.

It took a moment.

‘Congratulations.’, Picquery said, sounding sincere and not at all surprised.

‘Are those dragon scales?’, Graves sounded bleak.

‘They’re only illegal to sell and buy.’, Tina was quick to say. ‘He got this from the dragon in Australia, you remember? He got permission from the local authorities and from Missy.’

‘He got permission from the dragon.’, Graves mumbled. ‘Of course he did.’

‘At least he was decent enough to include some diamonds.’, Picquery smirked.

‘Family heirlooms.’, she couldn’t keep herself from saying.

‘I have to have a conversation with the Minister.’, the President said. ‘We thought this was going to be a temporary exchange until Grindelwald is caught, but he’s going to have to employ you, now.’

‘Will that be a problem?’, Tina frowned.

Picquery snorted, very unlady like. ‘Doubt it, considering he’s been praying for someone to handle Newt for years. Or so I’m told.’

Tina couldn’t answer that in a way that was polite, so she didn’t.

‘I’ll order a Portkey for next week.’, Picquery said next. ‘Is that enough to get your affairs in order?’

She wordlessly nodded.

‘And I take it Mister Scamander shall be leaving with you?’

‘No, he left already. He had a small trip planned.’

‘Damn.’, Graves said monotonically. ‘I was hoping to threaten him before he makes an honest woman out of you.’

Tina snorted. ‘I think Jacob got that covered already.’

It was only after she said it that Tina remembered Picquery didn’t know the truth. Except, judging by the way she was looking at her, the President knew everything.

She winked at Tina. ‘Your family is safe here, you have my word on that. Now please leave, I have another meeting scheduled.’

In the hallway, Graves gave her a big hug and still threatened Newt, trusting she will deliver the message.

///

Tina’s Portkey to the Ministry of Magic was on an unassuming Tuesday. She had all of her things packet into a bag with lots and lots of extension charms on it, she still had tears in her eyes from saying goodbye to Queenie and Jacob and, later on, Graves, but she was happy and excited.

‘Ah, Miss Goldstein.’, the Portkey attendant greeted her. ‘I hear congratulations are in order.’

‘Yes, thank you.’, she smiled. ‘I’m excited to start working in the Ministry.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘I meant about snatching everyone’s favorite magizoologist.’

‘Oh.’, she blushed. ‘Yes, thank you for that as well, you’re very kind.’

‘And he’s very late.’, the man chuckled, just as Newt slid into the office.

Literally, his shoes slid on the shiny floor, he had clearly ran there.

‘I’m so sorry.’, he was panting, a little. ‘The niffler managed to eat something that made him sick, I’ve been up all night.’

‘Oh no.’, she breathed out. ‘Is he okay?’

‘Yes, he will be. He’s currently exaggerating in hopes of receiving more cuddles.’

‘Well good thing I’m here, then.’, Tina smiled. ‘Also, you really need to come up with a name for him.’

Newt shook his head, exasperated. ‘I think I’ll pass that responsibility onto you. You know, it’s still very weird seeing you in the Ministry, even knowing that you’re not… away anymore.’

She grinned. ‘I’m sure you’ll get used to it.’

‘I’m sure I will.’, he smiled, grabbing her hand and kissing it sweetly, kissing her cheek as well.

‘You’re so cute.’, the Portkey attendant deadpanned. ‘You’re also in the way of the next convoy.’

Blushing furiously, they got out of there fast. Newt grabbed her hand in the middle of the atrium, completely ignoring the looks they got, ignoring everything and everyone in favor of smiling at Tina, whispering his love and excitement only for her ears to hear.