Chapter Text
Newt was working in his house, tending to the demiguise, which had hurt himself. Lately, he had been overworking himself. He was worried about the situation with Grindelwald, with all that had happened. His work distracted him from the pain of loss and from the fear of the future.
Dougal looked at him with its big eyes, probably seeing something that was about to happen. While Newt finished the medication for the creature, someone knocked on the door.
Newt was a bit startled, it was almost 2 am, who could it be?
-Wait here, alright? I’m going to see who’s at the door.- said Newt to the Demiguise before leaving the dungeon he designed for all his creatures.
Once he got upstairs he opened the door and to his surprise, Albus Dumbledore himself was there with a pained expression on his face.
-Professor, hi. I wasn’t expecting you? Is something wrong?- Newt seemed a little nervous and the man smiled
-Newt, you can call me Albus. I’m not your professor anymore, haven’t been for a long time actually. And, no, nothing’s wrong. Well, many things are wrong, but nothing new nor urgent. I… I wanted to talk to you… I wanted to see you.- the older man lowered his head and his voice sounded a bit sad and desperate. Newt let him in and invited him to sit on a sofa.
-Do you want some tea, prof… Albus?- asked the younger man, shily.
-No, thank you Newt.- they both stayed in silence for a bit
-So… What did you want to talk about? You shouldn’t even be up so late at night…-
-I could say the same to you, Newt dear. I couldn’t sleep anyway. I’ve been thinking a lot lately. First in America, and then in Paris just a few months later, you took some great risks…-
-It’s not the first time: when I’ve been to Africa…-
-Newt, this is different. You faced Grindelwald, twice! I don’t know even how to begin describing what kind of monster he can be! He knows how to use people, how to twist their feelings against them. Depending on how he wants to exploit someone he can make them feel like the most powerful and important person in the world, or like the most useless and insignificant. He knows how to hurt people without using magic or violence! He could have hurt you. He could have…- Dumbledore interrupted himself and took a deep breath -Newt, dear, we’ve both lost so much… I don’t want to lose you too. You are the most important person to me. I couldn’t bare… I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.-
Newt’s mouth had fallen open. He couldn’t fully understand why his ex-professor was there, why he seemed so stressed and worried, why he seemed so sad. But there he was, on the verge of tears, looking at him with that pained and desperate expression, saying that he was the most important person to him. He? Newt Scamander? The lonely outcast with little to none social skills?
-A… Albus…- Newt felt like he couldn’t breathe. How do you respond to such an honest confession? How do you react to knowing you are the centre of someone else’s world?
-Newt, please you don’t have to say anything…- It was like the older man had read his thoughts -Just… Promise me, please promise me, you’ll be careful. I put you in danger, and I shouldn’t have. I hate myself for that, how could I have been so stupid?-
Dumbledore looked up to the roof like he was trying to avoid Newt’s gaze, or maybe holding back tears, or maybe he was talking to himself.
-Albus Dumbledore, it’s not your fault. I went to New York, I went to Paris. I decided to do those trips. You are not responsible for anything that happened. We are at war. And in wars people get hurt and people die. You can’t live like it’s your sacred duty to save everyone. No man or woman on this earth can live with that kind of weight on their shoulders. I can’t promise you I won’t ever get hurt. But I can promise you one thing: I’ll do my best to come back safe and sound to you every time if you’ll only do the same.-
Dumbledore was dumbfounded. Since when was Newt so… firm? The man felt his eyes tingle again while he sat there admiring the younger’s man face.
-Newton, I... - Albus swallowed -I promise I will.-
Newt nodded slightly walked over to Dumbledore making him stand up. He caressed his cheek with one hand and smiled tenderly.
-Now come to bed with me, Albus. I think we both need a good night of sleep.- the professor smiled and nodded, he felt shy. Newt was acting so natural. He was taking care of him like he would take care of any creature, it was truly an instinct for him. In this instance Newt was more confident than ever, he was in his environment.
The magizoologist took the professor’s hand and guided him to the bedroom. Albus smiled to himself. Newt made him feel worthy of that peace he felt while he was with him. Newt didn’t see the darkness in him, only the light, like in every creature he studied.
Newt made him feel loved and worthy of love.