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Theseus was at Hogwarts, as Dumbledore’s continued refusal to take a stand against Grindelwald was causing headaches for everyone at the ministry. He had drawn the short straw and was sent to try to talk some sense into his former professor.
"I believe Newt is working on finding Credence. He is much more equipped to handle the obscurial than I am. That's what Grindelwald wants."
"If my brother had actually valued his education and other people instead of being so irresponsible and only caring about his creatures, maybe everyone would be further ahead right now." Theseus answered sharply.
Dumbledore frowned. "Theseus, how much do you know about the incident that led to Newt’s expulsion?"
Theseus scoffed, "More than enough."
“Then why do you hold it against him, that he took responsibility for her actions?” Dumbledore seemed almost amused as confusion crossed Theseus's features. “Hmmm…..maybe you don’t know as much as you think.”
“What are you talking about? It’s common knowledge that my brother’s creature endangered the life of a student. He was rightfully expelled.”
Dumbledore sighed, “Well, yes, it was one of your brother’s creatures that nearly caused harm to a classmate of his. But the creature wasn’t in his care at the time. In fact, I truly believe he didn’t even realize the animal had been taken until it was too late. Newt was actually the one that stopped the creature from attacking, thus saving the girl’s life. Unfortunately that little detail got swept under the rug by the school governing board afterwards. Anyone who’s ever spent time with Newt knows he’d never harm a living soul, beast or human, unless it was absolutely necessary for survival. And, if it would come to that, he’d value the person’s life first and foremost. As it played out, your brother, being the Hufflepuff that he is, valued Leta’s future above his own. He recognized that the consequences for her would be much more devastating than any he would face.”
“He…It was Leta? He took the blame for her?” Theseus all but whispered.
“Yes. Augusta, the girl who was nearly attacked, had previously had run-ins and issues with Leta. They needed to be separated quite frequently. A week beforehand, Leta had gotten detention for hexing Augusta to vomit slugs. Poor Augusta had finally just gotten over the curse and was starting to eat again. The creature was discovered in the girl's lavatory, and then chased her out. It only went after Augusta. Newt explained that he’d never seen the creature attack another person. It only attacked its main food source…”
“Slugs,” Theseus muttered.
Dumbledore nodded solemnly. “When Newt claimed responsibility, that was enough for the board to act. They were trying to do too much damage control to look past their own noses. WE knew better. While we couldn’t overturn or appeal the suspension, we were able to get the board to grant leniency, which allowed him to keep his wand. Given the fact that his book will be required reading here at Hogwarts in the near future, I daresay Newt came out of the situation quite well in most aspects. He’s never stopped learning. In fact, as humbling as it is to admit it, I’m certain he learned MORE since the expulsion than he could have possibly learned here.”
Theseus let out a deep sigh and ran a hand over his face.
“It appears then, that I was correct…neither your brother nor your fiancé had shared this information with you.”
He shakes his head sadly. “No…Leta and I have never discussed it in great detail. She knows it's a sore spot with me. And Newt……well…I can’t honestly say I ever gave him the opportunity to tell his side of the story. I was so angry. Angry at him for wasting his life….his talent. Angry at the embarrassment and shame it brought to our family. Angry that I could be held back because of his selfish irresponsibility. I’m not sure I would have believed him anyway, even if he had tried to explain. I guess it’s no surprise that he hasn’t brought it up or talked about it. We’re not exactly close anymore.”
“And you’re engaged to Leta.”
Theseus let out a dry laugh. “Yeah……that would pose another issue…on top of everything else.”
Dumbledore’s eyes flitted to clock above the doorway of the classroom before returning to Theseus. “Do you still feel that way? Angry at him? Ashamed of him? Do you think he wasted his life? That he’s irresponsible and selfish?”
Theseus looked guilt ridden. “No. I haven’t felt that way in a long time. Not that he knows that. By the time the anger dissipated, Newt had disappeared to God knows where chasing after one creature or another. He’s doing what he was meant to do. I recognize that now…respect it even. He’s made a name for himself and is doing good in the world…just, in a different way than I could appreciate at the time. It’s always been others…me…trying to get him to fit into MY world, to be who I want him to be….worried about how his actions will affect MY goals. Selfish……no…Newt has never been the selfish one.”
Theseus looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. “Merlin’s beard…how am I going to fix this? I’ve spent years…” He bit his lip, looked down, shaking his head. “He must hate me.”
“No I don’t.” came a soft voice from the doorway.
Theseus looked up, startled to see his younger brother there, case of creatures in hand, looking directly at him. Dumbledore was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Theseus found himself to be the one to avoid eye contact.
“Newt……I……” Theseus gasped, trying to find words.
“Didn’t know.” Newt finished, stepping further into the room to stand in front of his brother. “It’s that simple, Theseus. You didn’t know. Your reaction made sense based on the information you had. No one can fault you for that.”
“How can you not? I assumed the worst of you….never gave you a chance…I..”
“Didn’t know.” Newt interrupted. “That’s how it had to be, Theseus. Otherwise it would have come back on Leta and the whole thing would have been for nothing. We both know what her home life was like. If she had gotten expelled….I at least had a chance to bounce back and be ok……even in those circumstances. Leta would have been lost - we both know that.”
Theseus nodded, still looking stubbornly at the ground.
“You weren’t wrong either." Newt continued. "I was irresponsible, keeping my creatures in the castle instead of in a safer place. I trusted the wrong person with information, and it put someone else in danger. If it wasn’t for Dumbledore, my wand could well have been broken and I would have lost everything. And regardless of the reason, my expulsion was going to affect you. I am sorry for that. I wasn’t thinking about you or Mum at the time. That’s part of the reason I disappeared so quickly afterwards, hoping it would blow over quicker if I wasn’t around.”
“Newt, those were mistakes. Nothing more. You knew that particular creature, under normal circumstances, was harmless to people and safe to keep in the dorms. Leta was your best friend, it’s only natural that you’d share your passion with her. It was HER choice to use it to hurt someone. YOU saved the other girl's life, and then protected someone who, quite frankly, didn’t deserve your loyalty. I…I practically disowned you.” Theseus’s voice wavered. “The things I said…they were inexcusable as your brother, no matter the circumstances. I knew it right after I left that night. I came back home the next day, but you were already gone. As word spread and people started talking, I justified my anger in my own head. It was easier that way. Merlin, I was such a coward…I probably wrote you a dozen letters within the first few months you were gone. I couldn’t bring myself to send a single one. And then, somehow a year had passed, and then another, with no contact either way, not that I blamed you for that.” Theseus glanced up briefly to see Newt watching him intently.
“And then New York happened." Theseus couldn’t help but chuckle. "I got all the news at once you know. Magical beasts were on the loose, causing havoc. You were sentenced to death…..but somehow avoided it, and then you damn near got yourself killed fighting the most powerful wizard alive. The thought that you could have died…without ever speaking to me again…without knowing that……that I didn’t……I didn’t mean…….” Theseus struggled for breath as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. “It terrified me, Newt. I finally came to my senses that I had to start somewhere. I knew there was damage done, and it wasn’t going to be an easy fix, but I had to do something. I couldn’t lose you…forever….without…”
“I’m here, Thees.”
Hearing his childhood nickname, Theseus, reached out and pulled Newt into a tight hug. It was only when he felt Newt stiffen against him that he recognized he had overstepped.
He was about to pull back and apologize when he felt Newt’s arms enclose around him, returning the hug. His resolve broke, and he buried his head in his brother’s shoulder, muttering apologies and releasing pent up worry and remorse.
Eventually, Theseus pulled back, starting to apologize again.
“Enough of that, now.” Newt cut him off, avoiding eye contact, which allowed Theseus to wipe his eyes and regain some of his composure.
“Are you alright? After New York?” Theseus asked.
“Yes, at least mostly…" Newt stammered. "There was far more…excitement than I had anticipated. I didn’t mean to worry you. There wasn’t exactly time to send an owl and…”
“Mostly?”
Newt’s brain caught up to what he had said, causing him to get flustered. “Well…I’m really pretty good, considering…It’s…there’s only…nothing to stress over…”
“Newt.”
He looked up and saw concern written all over his brother's face.
“There seem to be some……lasting effects……of Grindelwald’s curses," He admitted. "Just pain, mostly, and dreams. It’s fading, but…”
“You haven’t talked to anybody about what happened, have you?” Theseus asked, already guessing the answer.
Newt shook his head.
“Why don’t you come stay with me for a few days? Leta is visiting family and won’t be back until next week. I'll need to talk to her about things when she gets back, but it would give us some time, just the two of us.”
“I’d like that.” Newt answered with a shy smile. It faded quickly. “Thees, about Leta. Don’t…I don’t want the past to ruin what you have. She and I have made peace with things long ago.”
“I don’t think it will, at least that’s not my intention. But it does bother me that, for the few discussions we’ve had, she’s never owned up to anything. It’s not something that can be ignored anymore.”
Newt nodded. “I…I’m supposed to be meeting with Albus…although I think my tardiness will be forgiven. What time are you off work?”
“6:00”, Theseus responded with a grin. “Although, you may need to give me a bit to get prepared. With Leta away, I can’t say the flat is ready for visitors.”
Newt raised his eyebrows, “Well, some things never change, do they?”
Theseus couldn’t hide his amusement. “Apparently not. Does 7ish work for you? I’ll have dinner ready. I want to hear what you’ve been up to, your creatures, your book, New York…….the witch you met, Tracy?"
“Tina,” Newt responded correctly, feeling his cheeks heat up. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “7…7 will work. I…look forward to it.”
“Me too.”
Theseus clapped Newt on the shoulder and took his leave. Stepping out into the hallway, he took in a deep breath, relishing in how much lighter he felt compared to this morning (and for as long as he could remember). The first thing he was going to do when he got back to the ministry was take the rest of the week off. He still had a lot to make up for, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away.