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“C’mon Newt, don’t be a coward !”
Newt stood at the edge of the cliff, staring at the void in front of him, fearfully watching as the violent waves crashed down on the cold hard rock. There must have been about twenty feet between him and the ocean. He felt incredibly small in the face of nature’s wrath. The water was ink dark; there was no way of knowing what was beneath. He knew that at certain spots, they were dangerous pointy rocks. It wasn’t a particularly sunny day — the wind was blowing in his ears, almost drowning out his brother’s voice and his friends’ laughter. The clouds tainted what should have been a beautiful azure summer sky. He looked downwards, drawn towards the emptiness beneath him, but scared to fall. A shower of dislodged pieces of granite cascaded down the precipice as he took a shaky step back. When Theseus had said that they were going for a walk, this was not what he had imagined. But again, he hadn’t thought that David and Jim would be here as well. Mrs. Scamander had forced her younger son to get out of the house, thinking he was spending too much time indoors. He had obliged to please his mother, but his heart wasn’t in it.
Newt and Theseus didn’t particularly get along, especially lately, when their age gap seemed impossible to overcome - for both of them, spending time together was a burden. The tousled-haired boy didn’t much like his brother’s friends whom he thought rude and violent — they seemed to manipulate Theseus into doing dangerous deeds. What could he do anyway? They had all met at the edge of Dorset’s woods for a game which consisted of jumping off a cliff. So far, the older boys had not managed to do it, and they wanted to force him into being a ‘man’ as they said.
Newt didn’t want to be a man. Not the way they described it. Once more, their perceptions diverged. They thought it meant being brave enough to overcome any obstacles and dangers. He, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to be the perfect gentleman and strike others with his politeness. He wanted to bring good into this world, but not by strenght. He was not a hero. He was not brave. He was just Newt Scamander, a boy whose world evolved around the misunderstood.
“Theseus — I can’t.” The young boy whispered, turning to his brother, hoping he would understand.
Irritated, the older boy took a step towards him and grabbed him by the collar. Newt closed his eyes, expecting to get slapped or thrown over the precipice without a warning. Theseus hadn’t always been like this: violent, reckless. He once had been a loving and careful brother, but the people he had met had changed him. Newt could understand; their father was putting a lot of pressure on his oldest’s shoulders. After all, Theseus Scamander was the only normal son. Newt, on the other hand, was the black sheep of the family, interested by creatures rather than the world around him. He didn’t care about politics. Theseus was only trying to find himself — and their relationship had suffered from it. Newt waited for the blow. But none of that happened, and his brother laid him down gently. He was not a monster — just lost. Yet, there was such anger on his face — he who used to be the sweetest, gentlest older brother.
“Don’t make me regret bringing you.” He only spat, pushing him closer to the edge.
Newt winced. He had never wanted to be a part of all of this. He would have gladly remained home if he had had the choice.
He had never agreed to their stupid game. Why would they even find it funny?
He didn’t want to do this. He was not strong enough. He was not his brother.
All he had ever wanted was to stay home and read more about the magical creatures he could encounter in the wizarding world. He didn’t care about Theseus and his friends. Didn’t care about going out. He had only followed to please his mother and now, he was in danger.
How could Theseus not see this? What if there were rocks underneath? His brother was supposed to be older, wiser and strong enough to stand up for himself — and yet, he was letting these fools dictate what he needed to do.
“They are too many waves. I don’t know how to swim !” Newt screamed, begging.
Something flashed in Theseus’ eyes. Perhaps it was pity. Or shame. His mouth opened, and closed. Instead, his friend, Jim, a tall boy with brown hair stepped closer. His mouth was twisted with cruelty and in his cold grey eyes, there was nothing. At Hogwarts, he had been sorted into Slytherin. How he and Theseus had managed to get along was still a mystery to the family.
“Are you a wizard or not ?” Jim spat.
Newt bent down over the cliff to get one last look at the inky surface. He was a wizard indeed, but was only about to begin his first year at Hogwarts. He had no wand, no magic of his own, no way to defend himself or keep the worst from happening. Before he could turn back to the group and voice his definite refusal, he felt a pair of hands pushing him towards the void.
Newt fell down, his clothes flying around him. He screamed, and hear someone else yell as well. It was already too late. His body hit the water violently, and all the air seemed to escape his lungs. Suddenly, panic filled his entire body as he tried to swim to the surface. His movements were erratic, weak. The boy was a poor swimmer and wasted a lot of energy trying to get to the surface. Once out in the cold air, he breathed in and tried to find a place where he would be safe. The cliff was stiff, there was no cave where he could find refuge and the shore was too far away for him to reach. He opened his mouth to cry for help before he was hit by a strong wave, sending him underwater once more. Newt opened his eyes — the salt stungt, the cold petrified his limbs. He couldn’t see anything; no rocks, no seaweed, just an immense pool of darkness. He felt small and weak. A speck on the surface of this sad, sad earth. He knew he was going to drown. The tousled-haired boy fought anyway to survive, breathing with difficulty, trying to call for help but lacking the air to do so.
Another wave.
The water had invaded his mouth, his throat, his lungs. It burnt.
He didn’t give up.
Another gulp of air, perhaps the last.
This time, the current sent him to the rocky facade of the cliff.
His head hit the granite.
He let go.
Porpentina and Queenie Goldstein never swam with the rest of the flock — while the others liked to remain deep in the ocean, they enjoyed to travel around and observe the beauty of the sea. They were different, and it was perhaps the reason why other mermaids didn’t accept them among their group. They were young girls fighting to survive — they were lazy cowards hiding at the bottom of the ocean. Ever since their parents had died, they had never been able to connect with their fellow mermaids and preferred to remain on their own, counting on each other. Tina was seven at that time, and Queenie only six. They were playing near the cliff — where they knew they would be safe from humans, hoping to find food for the night. Queenie’s golden tail matched her beautiful long wavy hair, and she always swam with such grace and playfulness. Other merpeople liked to observe her for she was the most beautiful of them all — despite her youth. Tina, on the other hand, with her pale blue tail and short brown bob never attracted stares — people were indifferent to her charms, thinking she was too serious. But as long as the sisters were together, they knew nothing could happen to them. They were playing on that cloudy day of August, when they saw, close to the cliff, a dark shadow entering the water violently. They thought of another item humans liked to throw into the water — items that the youngest liked to collect. Queenie, curious of nature, had swam closer to take a look at this disturbance in their big ocean. Tina, less convinced, trying to avoid any kind of trouble, had followed her, grumbling.
It was not an object. Not another bicycle or lost jewelry. It was a young boy, trying his best to grasp some air, thrashing in the water. Too far to distinguish anything but his clothing, Queenie tried to swim closer, but her sister held her arm. They never approached humans — and if the flock had been anywhere near them, they would have insisted that he be left to drown..
“He is drowning.” Queenie whispered, agitation visible on her, trying to explain her actions.
The young girl tried to wrestle herself from her sister’s steady grip — it was of no use. It was Tina’s job to protect her little sister — that was the task her parents had left her. Humans were dangerous and she could not let her get captured once more. What if it was a ruse to get them to come closer ? What if this boy was ill-intentioned and wanted their scales ?
“No he is not.” She spat.
But he was. There was no doubt.
The boy was struggling to keep his head above the water, his movements were getting slow and erratic, as if he was losing all his strength. He was not screaming, nor crying — just fighting to stay alive. It was a lost battle — the power of nature was stronger than him and soon enough, he would be swallowed by the water. There was nothing she could do for him — perhaps they should just swim away and pretend none of this had ever happened. And yet, Tina remained there, eyes fixed on the boy who had managed to grasp another gulp of air, miraculously.
“Are you not going to do something ?” Queenie asked, panicked, as the boy got swallowed by another wave.
Tina huffed in annoyance. Had she forgotten already ? Had she forgotten that they had almost killed her ? And now, she wanted this boy to breathe. He shouldn’t have jumped off the cliff in the first place. He shouldn’t have tried to be brave. He had brought it upon himself, and he probably deserved whatever was happening to him. And if not — then he would pay. He would pay for everything humans had done to her people. For every drop of mermaid blood spilled. For every life lost.
“Queenie — Humans killed our parents and now you want to save them?”
Tina’s voice broke as tears filled her beautiful dark eyes. She turned away, not willing to let her sister know how affected she still was, after all these years. She had promised herself that she would remain strong in front of Queenie, and she had done her best to hold on to that. Yet, the brunette remembered swimming by the bay with her parents and her little sister, playing hide and seek not so long ago. They were laughing, happily swimming around discovering the wildlife. Queenie had thought it funny to hide beneath a fisherman’s boat, the darkness of the hull hiding her from sight. She remembered the fisherman capturing Queenie, imprisoning her in a net and their parents fighting to set her free. Alas, another net had been thrown while they were saving their youngest; they had gotten captured and brought to the land.
The girls had screamed, that day. They had tried to find them, in vain.
The sisters hadn’t seen them since, but couldn’t doubt what had happened. Mermaids were a particularly high prize around the world. Their scales were expensive and particularly used in dark potions, or so they had been told all their lives.
Humans had taken their parents. Their everything.
Ever since that day, when she had witnessed her parents taken away from her, Porpentina Goldstein had loathed humans and sworn never to help them. She would have drowned them if she had had the heart, but she was not cruel like them .
“He is just a boy. Look at him. He is innocent!”
Tina observed the young boy whose face was once more under the water. It was true — he didn’t look dangerous. But he was human. And that alone was enough reason to stay away. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. She watched, as hypnotized as the boy’s perfect limbs tried to escape the waves.
“Why don’t you do something ?”
Queenie’s head lowered in defeat, and Tina admired her sister’s courage and lack of resentment. Perhaps she had been too young when their parents had been taken away, perhaps she didn’t remember them as clearly as she did. It would probably explain her behavior. If she had been able to, the golden haired mermaid would have done the job herself, that was certain. But in the state she was in, it was in vain.
“He is too heavy for me.”
At that moment, another wave sent the poor boy against the rocks of the cliff. His body went limp as he made no move to try to reach the surface. He was too exhausted to fight, probably even unconscious. She stared at his features, swimming closer. He was about her age, perhaps a few years older, and his face was covered in freckles. She touched them lightly, having never observed a human this close. Tiny bubbles escaped his open mouth. He looked just like her — but he was different. He was dangerous, she tried to convince herself.
But Queenie was right. He was only a young boy whose eyes had not looked upon murder and cruelty. He was just a boy — an innocent one who had jumped off a cliff. Had he been pushed ?
“Fine.” She growled.
She was doing this for her sister ; not that boy. She didn’t care about him. For all she knew, he was the spawn of those who had murdered her loved ones. At least, that’s what she tried to convince herself as she approached him slowly. Carefully, she seized the boy by his armpits and began to lift him towards the surface. His face rested on her shoulder, lolling at the will of the current. He was not heavy — or light. He was the perfect weight for her to lift. His hair caressed her chin as she ascended towards the surface and the warmth of his skin overwhelmed her. Underwater she was used to cold streams and this was a feeling she had never experienced before. She hadn’t held anyone in years, not even her little sister — not since — the tragedy. Unwillingly, she found herself bringing the boy closer, securing him between her arms.
Tina emerged from the water, carrying the boy who was still unconscious. He didn’t take a breath, he simply remained feeble. She swam the fastest so she could to bring him to the shore, hoping that his heart was still beating inside of his chest, hoping to be the one to see him breathe. Tina had always been known to be fast, breaking the waves with her tail. She had never ventured beyond the surface ever since her parents had been captured and killed — she had forgotten how the outside world looked like. How pretty everything was. She watched the trees blown by the wind, and the birds flying in circles above the sea, trying to get a nip of a fish. She caught sight of houses and remembered asking her parents what it was like, to have feet, to be human. She had always wondered what sound a fire made when it was lit, how warm it was. She had always asked herself how the sand would feel between her toes. Tina smiled — when she was younger, she and Queenie had always been curious about this world that was forbidden to them. Years later, the curiosity was still anchored in her heart — despite the fear and resentment.
She dropped the boy on the sand, and wriggled her way to his side, now exposed to the cool air. It burnt and ached; she knew she couldn’t survive long without water. And yet she remained by his side, this innocent boy sent to die in her ocean, and found herself pulling a few locks of hair away from his face. She whispered a song to him, one her parents had taught her when she was only a baby, a sweet melody about a seaman scouting the oceans hoping to find a treasure: the mermaid he had fallen in love with. Her lullaby seemed to awaken him. Within seconds, the young man coughed water out of his lungs and opened his eyes to her. He had magnificent green eyes that reminded her of the sea whenever there was a storm. He smiled softly, and so did she.
Right now it didn’t matter that she had a tail, and he had legs.
Newt had regained consciousness on the shore, having no idea how he had gotten there. All he remembered was the pain from being thrown onto the granite cliff. The first gasp of air had been incredibly painful to his water-filled lungs and his head was pounding. He was cold and shivering. All he remembered was being rushed near the rocks and falling — again and forever.
Yet, when he opened his eyes, he saw her. This young girl, bending over him, her hand on his forehead, studying him carefully. He thought she was a dream — she was beautiful, her short wet hair gracefully forming curls at the contact of the air. Her features were soft, caring. He smiled at her, and she returned it.
He had never seen such a beautiful creature before and remained mesmerized. His mouth opened quite a few times, but no sound managed to get past his throat.
Newt wanted to thank her for rescuing him. Without her, he would have been lying dead at the bottom of the ocean.
He wanted to ask her who she was, and how to repay her for this debt.
He never got time for a voice came from the ocean.
“Tina ! Tina, we have to go !”
It was a young girl’s voice, but when Newt tried to get a sight of the girl, she was already gone, leaving nothing but a couple of circles in the water. One second of inattention and the brunette had already made her way back to the sea — and at that moment he noticed her tail.
A mermaid.
How could he have missed that ?
Newt had read about them — as he had read about many other creatures in the wizarding world, but he knew how dangerous they could be. Charming sailors to jump into the water and drown them afterwards was what they did. He had never thought he would ever be able to encounter one of them, and here she was — this Tina, saving him from certain death. Who would have thought that mermaids would save humans when they so intensely resented them ?
The brunette jumped into the water. Her tail was blue — his favorite color.
He released a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding and shivered, dumbfounded, eyes remaining stuck on the sea line. He expected her to be long gone by now — that beautiful girl whose warm and wet touch he could still feel on his forehead.
Newt fell back into the sand, and closed his eyes. It felt almost too good to be true. It felt like a dream — perhaps heaven.
Everything was cold.
“Newt ! Newt !” Echoed from behind.
It was his mother’s voice, but two sets of footsteps were running towards him. Soon, a very sheepish looking Theseus, abandoned by his friends, and their angry mother came into view — as Newt tried his hardest to keep his eyelids open. He scraped his head and noticed that he was now bleeding; the ice cold water had stopped his concussion. Mrs. Scamander lifted him from the ground and wrapped him in a warm blanket, pressing her hand on his wound. Feeling weak and shaken, Newt let his mind drift into unconsciousness, rocked by the sound of the waves, the memory of Tina and his mother’s voice scolding at his older brother.
“Theseus, you are grounded. What an irresponsible boy ! You could have gotten your brother killed !”
Newt had caught a cold from his adventure in the abyss and hadn’t been able to leave his bed for about a week. His fever was incredibly high, and he was unable to move much. His mother had been by his side most of the time, taking care of him after almost losing him, bringing him soup every day to keep him warm. Mr. Scamander, angry at his first born, had punished the oldest. Theseus had made an appearance once or twice, probably out of guilt : he had also promised that he would never see his friends again, that this game was dangerous. Otherwise, nothing had changed.
And yet so much.
During this time of recovery, the young boy had thought a lot about what had happened to him. About the girl who had rescued him. He could still feel her grasp whenever he closed his eyes, and her voice, melodic. Her eyes — dark brown orbs filled with lights haunted his nights. She was very beautiful — and so young. He couldn’t stop thinking about her…which had brought him back to where it had all started.
At the edge of the cliff.
Wrapped neatly in a warm blanket, fighting not to shiver too much from the cold, he smiled at the inky water beneath him. He remembered the feeling of falling for what seemed like forever. He remembered the water filling his mouth, throat and lungs. He smiled. He remembered her, first and foremost. He thought about how he had not had the chance to thank her properly, a mistake he intended to correct right away. From the pocket of his coat, he pulled out a necklace that he had inherited from his grandmother: a beautiful golden locket.
When his fever had broken, he had performed a little magic trick of his own, enchanting the jewel to hold a message recorded from his own voice. His finger traced the plain, yet beautiful golden surface, and his eyes focused on the waves once more.
“This is for you, Tina. Wherever you are. Thank you for saving my life. I do hope we can meet again someday…”
He threw the locket into the ocean and watched the golden jewel disappear from his sight — hoping she would find his gift.
“Where did you get it from ?”
Queenie’s question took Tina by surprise, and for a moment, she wondered what her sister was talking about. She quirked an eyebrow before looking at the supplies she had brought back. She had only left their cave to get some food for the two of them — something that would last them for a couple of days. It was her daily duty and she couldn’t understand what was so different this time. Her hand travelled dreamily to her neck, where a beautiful golden locket was now hanging. She caressed the metal longingly, biting her lip. Finally realizing what her sister had meant, Tina blushed profusely and did her best to keep her hands busy so that her little sister wouldn’t notice the state she was in. Of course, she would have noticed the locket.
“I found it.” She simply answered, trying to remain as natural as ever.
It was the truth — at least part of it. She had indeed found it at the bottom of the ocean, abandoned by its owner. What she would never admit was that she had been waiting by the surface, hoping for the boy she had rescued to come. She knew he would. For some reason, fate had brought her back to where she had first found him, near the cliff. She had heard his voice, despite the wind. She had seen his hands letting go of the gift he had meant to give her. And Tina had taken it.
Queenie’s eyebrow raised, but she said nothing. Her sister was no fool — of course she would know. Just like she knew that the reason she was leaving to get food so often, and for so long, was not merely to nourish them. For days now, Porpentina had been spying on the outside world — the surface, trying to see that boy she had rescued — trying to see Newt. She would hide behind a rock, near the shore where she had left him, and wait. She had once caught a glance of him, walking with his family. He leaned on the arm of a woman — a beautiful one — his mother. Tina had cried that day, wishing she had legs to accompany him and mend him. He seemed weak, pale — she would have given her scales to cure him. Damn her condition.
When she had rescued that boy, Tina had bonded with him — with a human, the very species she had always promised herself she would loathe. His innocence had touched her soul — he hadn’t deserved to die. And so, here she was, yearning for a simple sight of him. Hoping something would bring him back to her. Anything.
Queenie giggled — which brought her back to reality. The brunette shook her head and cleared her thoughts. She couldn’t help it : he was haunting her.
“Does it open ?” The blonde haired mermaid asked, her fingers drawn towards the golden jewel.
Tina’s hand immediately shot to the locket, protecting it from her sister’s curious grasp. She lied, and it was wrong. But just this once, she wanted to have something for herself. Just this once, she wanted to have something that belonged to her, and her only, she who had always shared everything with her little sister. Queenie took a step back, and smiled.
“No, it’s just — locked.”
Tina changed the subject right after. She didn’t want to admit what she was feeling out loud, that pull she had felt towards that boy as soon as she had approached him. It was too soon, too fresh — way too improbable. Her of all people — bonding with a human…
They didn’t mention the locket again that night, and both went to sleep on the seaweed bed they had arranged for themselves. Tina was sleeping on the highest rock, near the ceiling which was opened and let the moonlight shine into the cave. Eyes fixed on the waves, dancing above, she observed the vastness of the sea, and the way the stars were spotting the dark water. She waited for Queenie to fall asleep before opening the locket, eager to discover once more what it hid. She hadn’t had the courage to, yet, excited and perhaps afraid. Her fingers trembled as she pulled the two golden ovals apart. In doing so, she unleashed a firework of light, and a beautiful voice, singing to her. The song she had sung him when she thought she was unconscious. She smiled, and closed her eyes.
Sweet, sweet sailor put your mind at ease,
You’ve travelled the world, across the sea,
Oh, sailor, remember the stories,
Of the mermaid that sprung you free.
“Newt.” She whispered, holding the locket closer to her heart.
And Tina let her mind wonder, imagining meeting him again.
Imagining holding his hand for good. Touching his face one more time.
She imagined his broad smile.
It didn’t seem so impossible after all, she thought.
If only she had legs.