Chapter Text
Newt knew what he had seen.
A small bit of the Obscurus floating off and away from the ruined subway.
He had to follow it, he was too curious not to.
However, it would have seemed suspicious to the others if he just suddenly ran off to places that weren’t his suitcase, and Newt didn’t want to risk his newfound, though tenuous place of trustworthiness in the MACUSA now that he’d earned it. Nor did he want Tina or Queenie following him.
No, this was something that Newt knew he had to do on his own.
So he waited until they were both asleep before venturing out on his search to track down the tiny remainder of the Obscurus.
He was walking down his fifth street when he had to stop and admit to himself that he had no clue what he was doing.
This was New York.
Gigantic, huge New York and he was looking for a wisp of black smoke.
Even Newt, creature finder extraordinaire, had to admit that he was a little in over his head on this one.
How in Merlin’s name was he supposed to find Credence, if it even looked like Credence?
“Damn,” Newt sighed, shoulders drooping. He was footsore and tired, and had to admit defeat to himself. Credence could have gotten anywhere by now and might not even be in human form.
Especially if he was scared and hurt.
Newt Apparated back to Tina and Queenie’s apartment and flopped down onto the guest bed with another heavy sigh, discarding his coat and shoes. No sooner than he had done so, there was a quiet knock on the door and Queenie stuck her blonde head in. Newt knew from the sympathetic look on her face that she had read his mind about where he had been.
“I do wish you wouldn’t read my mind,” He said quietly, but without heat as Queenie came to sit on the other bed opposite the one that Newt was using.
“It’s kind of hard when you’re this upset,” She said. “You didn’t find him then?”
“Is your sister awake?”
“No. I was up reading and heard you come back.”
“I did not find him,” Newt said dejectedly. “New York is far too big and I’m only one person, wizard or no, trying to find someone who probably doesn’t want to be found. Or is too injured to want to be found.”
Queenie reached out to lay a gentle hand on Newt’s shoulder.
“You’ll find him,” She said firmly. “If anyone can find him, it’s you.”
With that, she rose and smiled down at him, her usual cheerful nature returned.
“You should get some sleep, sweetie. You gotta leave early in the morning, don’t you?”
Queenie left, leaving Newt alone with his thoughts. Pickett clambered up onto the bed from Newt’s discarded coat to chatter in Newt’s ear.
“I know, I don’t want to leave either,” Newt mumbled. “But that bloke in Paris is waiting for me and I can’t pass up this opportunity another time.”
Pickett chattered again, sounding angry this time.
“I want to find him too, Pickett! You think I want to just leave him here, possibly hurt, with no one to turn to? But Paris waits for no man. Hopefully it won’t take too long and then we can come back. I just hope Credence can wait that long…”
With that cheerful thought in mind, Newt spent the rest of the night just staring up at the ceiling, fully clothed and on top of the covers, too wound up and worried to even think about sleeping. Pickett found it in itself to sleep, curled up in the crook of Newt’s neck for warmth, his slight weight comforting to Newt.
The magizoologist found his thoughts wandering back to when he’d nearly had to give up Pickett to Gnarlack. Thought about how scared Pickett must have been to think that someone he’d trusted wholeheartedly had just given him up for information.
Thought about how scared Credence must have been (how scared he must currently be) when put in the same place.
Given up and used for more power.
“I’ll find you Credence,” Newt whispered into the darkness. “Trust me that I will. I won’t give up on you.”