Literarycreature

"You wanted to help Teen, you wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose."

"But I'm responsible for almost destroying all of it," Tina said, remorseful "Plus getting him killed. I'm not sure he wants me around."

"I feel so sorry for what I did."

"I don’t think he holds any grudge against you," Queenie pointed. A little smile played on her lips before continuing "I would even go as far as saying he likes you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Queenie chuckled and shook her head, shooting her sister a knowing look.

Tina frowned, but didn't have the heart to scold her. Queenie had just smiled for the first time that morning.

"If making some fun of her older sister helps her cheer up, I'm more than willing to put up with it."

Queenie's expression softened. "I'll be fine Teenie. Really."

"I wish there was something I could do for you."

"I know Teen" she managed a tearful smile, turning to put her empty cup in the sink. She appeared to gain quick control over her emotions, for when she spoke again her voice had turned from sad, to playful "And I also know you're trying to change the subject. We were talking about you speaking to Newt, remember?"

"I was not trying to do anything." Tina protested "And I'm still not convinced it's a good idea."

"I tell you what we'll do," Queenie said, conspiratorial "I'll prepare a nice cup of tea, and you can take it downstairs. It's the perfect excuse to go see him and apologize."

Tina sighed, knowing Queenie was right: She should go.

"Alright."

-----------------------

With the cup of tea levitating by her side, Tina descended the narrow stairs into the case. The small shed was silent, the desk covered in papers, but some vials and bandages could be seen on top of them as if used in haste. Newt was nowhere to be seen.

The door leading to the habitats was slightly open.

"Mr. Scamander?" Tina called softly.

Assuming he was somewhere far from the shed, Tina didn't think looking for him outside on her own would be a very wise choice. She had been there just once, and she was not as familiar with the magical beasts as to feel safe. The only option was waiting for him.

Careful not to spill the tea on anything important, Tina placed the cup on the desk, over a few sketches. She recognized the little green creature on one of the pages: A bowltruckle, just like the one Newt carried in his pocket.

"Pickett," she remembered absentmindedly.

Her gaze landed on some more sketches decorating the wall over the desk. She couldn't recognize most of the creatures, but she quickly found a niffler, drawn in soft charcoal lines. The artist was quite skilled at capturing every detail in the paper. The beauty of the work made her want to take a closer look.

Tina was leaning over the desk when a noise coming from the door made her turn. Apart from the door now completely open, no one, human or creature, could be seen. But she could feel something watching her.

"Mr. Scamander?" she called again, voice a little shaky.

The wooden floor creaked. Now on full alert, Tina's hand went to her wand pocket, wondering if a protective spell would work. The last thing she needed at the moment was hurting one of the creatures.

Suddenly, she saw a flash of something dark running towards her. Tina retreated until her back hit the stairs, feeling something clinging to her right leg.

She stayed still, expecting to feel fangs or at least claws sinking into her skin. But to her surprise, the thing stuck to her ankle, tugging on her trouser hem.

Tina looked down and sighed in relief: It was just the niffler.

The creature seemed keen on having her attention, and Tina was taken aback by the fact that he wasn't scared of her.

"Mmm... Hi?" she said, still recovering from the fright.

Tina knelt on the floor slowly, leaning down to watch the creature from up close. Seeing his chance, the niffler climbed onto her lap and stretched his paws to reach for the locket hanging from her neck. The witch caught him just in time and took the paw off the piece gently. The creature's insistence made her laugh.

"You can't have this one," she smiled "I'm sorry, but I can't give it to you."

"Tina? What are you doing down here?"

Newt's voice made her jump. Tina made to stand up, but with the niffler on her lap, she just managed to stumble ungracefully and land back down on the floor. From there, he stared at the man standing in front of her, not knowing what to do with herself.

Newt didn't appear to be upset to find her in his territory. He just seemed surprised and maybe a little curious. Tina was about to open her mouth and try to explain her presence there when Newt cut her short.

"Absolutely not."

It took her a few seconds to realize that he was not speaking to her, but the niffler. He caught it and lifted it from Tina's knees.

"You give it back right now," he ordered.

Tina watched in silence as the creature struggled to escape Newt's hands, but the man managed to take something away from the rebellious paws. Only when he gestured for her to take it did she notice it was a chain. Her hand went to her neck, shocked to find the locket was no longer there. The niffler must have taken advantage of her moment of confusion.

"I'm sorry. He is always causing trouble, you see."

Tina gave him a weak smile and stood up, her face red with embarrassment. She took the locket from his hand, cursing herself for being so clumsy. The niffler, still in Newt's arms, stretched his body trying to take it again. His huff of utter disappointment tore a quiet laugh from both of them.

When she took her eyes from the furry troublemaker, she found Newt staring at her. He immediately looked away, hiding again behind his fringe. Tina's gaze turned to the floor as well, uncomfortable.

"I just... I thought you would like some tea," she said in a rush, stepping back and gesturing to the cup.

"Oh...I," he stammered, awkward as ever "That sounds... lovely, thank you."

Leaving the niffler on the floor again, he approached the desk and took the cup.

"It's very kind of you," he added as if feeling he was not being agreeable enough. He was still avoiding her eyes when he took a sip of his tea.

"It's no trouble at all. Queenie prepared it." she noticed Pickett observing her from Newt's shirt pocket, as if trying to figure her out. It made her even more nervous.

"And I was also wondering if you are alright," Tina ventured again "Graves... Grindelwald... I don't know what spell he used on you, but we keep some healing potions and dittany in the apartment if you need anything..."

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. Just some burns. I have the right ointment for that," leaving the cup aside, he took the vials on the desk and put them into one of the drawers "I keep myself quite stocked of that kind of thing. Some creatures can be a handful when they are scared or hurt, and I have taken a hit more than once."

"Of course, I should have realized. I'm glad it's not serious."

He gave her a half-smile, and keep tidying the shed. His bowtie was undone, his sleeves up; he was in his most relaxed state. Still, her presence made him uneasy somehow. Maybe the best thing to be done was apologizing and letting him be.

"Mr. Scamander, I..." Tina struggled, not knowing where to start "Well..."

His gaze turned to her, sensing her discomfort. "Is there anything else you wanna tell me?" He asked gently. This time, he even met her eye for a few seconds. He looked kind, and it gave Tina enough confidence to speak.

"Yes," she admitted "I would like... I wanted to apologize."

"What for?" Newt asked, clueless.

Tina looked down. Where to start? "I took you to MACUSA. You almost die because of me."

She felt Newt's eyes on her, dreading the few seconds of silence before he spoke again.

"It's alright," he answered softly "I know you meant no harm."

"No, of course I did not but..." she still didn’t dare meet his eyes "What I did almost get us both killed. And the case... All the creatures..." her voice broke.

And then she did look at him, eyes full of regret. "I didn't want to hurt them, I swear. I thought it was the right thing to do, so nobody else would get injured. Had I know you have all of this down here... It's beautiful, and I could have destroyed it. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Tina faced away from him, trying to calm down. She didn’t want to make a scene in front of him. She was being ridiculous.

Before she could run away, a careful hand was placed over her arm.

"Tina," something in the way he said her name made her look up. Now Newt was making eye contact with her "I know you did it with the best intention. And I know I was not exactly cooperative. I didn't tell you I had more creatures because I thought you wouldn't understand. I shouldn't have lied. Or omitted information. I'm sorry too."

Newt didn't blame her. He didn't hate her.

"You also saved my life," she murmured, keeping her eyes on his "Back at the execution cell. Even after what I did."

"I couldn't just leave you, you were there because of me after all."

"No, it was my fault we..."

"You arrested me as soon as I set a foot in New York," Newt interrupted "and they accused you of abetting me. I rather thought I was the one dragging you to your death. You were just doing what you thought was safest. I can understand that, I don't blame you Tina."

She knew he meant it, he looked sincere. And he kept calling her by her first name with such familiarity. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Thank you," she whispered, moved "For everything."

"There's nothing to thank me for." he offered her a quiet smile that she returned without thinking.

The next moment Tina heard a curious chirp and saw Pickett's small body moving from Newt's pocket to his shoulder.

"Hi Pick," he greeted.

Tina didn't understand the creature, but she could swear that he was telling Newt something about her, because all of the sudden he remembered his hand was still in her arm, and took it away, blushing.

Pickett moved across Newt's arm to get to the desk, and stepped on his sketch. From there, he started chirping again, trying to catch Tina's attention.

"I think he wants to show you his picture," Newt explained, amused "He is rather vain for a bowltruckle."

Tina smiled and came closer to the desk again. The creature watched her expectantly: It was clear he was waiting for her to give her opinion.

"It's a good likeness," Tina admitted, addressing Pickett. It was strange, but it seemed like the right thing to do "But if you ask me, I think you are much more handsome in person."

Pickett chirped happily, pleased by the compliment. Tina searched for Newt's face and found approval.

"You're going to brag about it with the others, don't you?" he sighed, addressing the bowltruckle in fond exasperation. Pickett's enthusiastic chirp sounded like an affirmation.

"Did you do these yourself?" Tina asked shyly, pointing at the sketches "I was watching them before the niffler found me."

"Ah... Yes. I usually... It's useful," he answered while Pickett climbed over his shoulder again "To study them."

"They are excellent. I don't know most of the creatures, but your sketches of the ones I've seen until now are very realistic."

The compliment was unexpected to him, judging by the way her words startled him. His ears turned a light shade of pink, and he murmured a quiet "Thanks"

"I learned some," she continued, eager to prove herself to him "I know the niffler, the occamy, the demiguise," Tina pointed at each sketch as she spoke "And what was the name of this one? With the nasty bite?"

"The murtlap."

"Right. And I also caught a glimpse of this one when I was here earlier," she added, pointing at a sketch that showed a creature with big eyes "Looks friendly. I don't think you mentioned it."

"That's a mooncalf," Newt explained "Mooncalves are friendly. They only emerge from their burrows at the full moon."

Tina observed how he didn't stutter or hide away this time. Intrigued, she decided to encourage him a little further.

"Do they?"

"Yes, mooncalves perform these very complex dances in isolated areas in the moonlight," he continued, shifting from shy to confident "They often leave geometric patterns on the fields. Muggles make up all kinds of crazy stories about it."

"How do you know all that?" Tina asked impressed.

"I learned by observation, during my trips. But I still haven't figured out what the dances mean," he sounded disappointed "I believe it could be a mating ritual, but I can't tell for sure."

"So, you found the mooncalf during your trip?"

"There are more of them here in the case. I could show you if you want."

Tina stared at him in surprise. Was he inviting her into the case?

"I mean... You don't have to," mistaking his expression, Newt immediately retreated, looking down "You must be tired, and not at all interested in..."

"No, I'd like to see them," Tina said quickly. Her own eagerness made her feel self-conscious. "That is, if I'm not interrupting you," she added in a calmer tone.

He blinked, her enthusiasm catching him unawares. But he looked pleased. "You wouldn't be interrupting at all. I still have some creatures to tend to, but I can do it on the way."

Tina’s face broke into a smile "I'd love to see the mooncalves, then."

Her part in the search the next morning, was quite small indeed: She had taken Newt to Jacob's street and they had managed to find the right building. It could have been easier for them to just apparate to the apartment in question, but they didn't want to cause another commotion nor give the baker the fright of his life again. Luckily for them, Tina knew the neighborhood and could apparate the both of them far enough to not raise any suspicions. They placed themselves across the street.

A little after six o'clock, they saw Jacob's figure cross the building door. He stopped to exchange a few words with two women that were passing by, and shake hands briefly with an old man who was sitting on the doorsteps before going his way. As he walked away, Tina saw how his affable smile disappeared, and his face fell. He looked tired and discouraged. She supposed a canning factory would crush people’s spirits as hard as the wand permit office, and couldn’t help but sympathize with him even more. 

Newt and Tina parted ways not long after, and she hurried to pick up something for breakfast on her way to work. It would be better to be early. 

The morning was relatively quiet, with more paperwork to be completed, informs to be delivered and files to be read. The head of the department had instructed her to find a connection between Grindelwald’s whereabouts in the past year, and his knowledge of an obscurus’ existence in America. The main concern was that he may try to do it again. The man had been gathering quite a lot of support in Europe, and it was urgent to know if there were more people involved in his infiltration of MACUSA, and how exactly did he plan to use the obscurus. 

Nobody seemed remotely suspicious of the possibility of Credence surviving, but Newt’s comment the day before kept running through Tina’s mind. It presented a dilemma for her. 

There was a high chance, if Credence was alive, that notifying the authorities would put the boy’s life in danger. But if she hid it from her superiors there was also a high chance of being kicked out of the department again. 

Tina knew that, despite her recent success, her job was still in thin air. One more reckless action and nobody would care if she had helped capture Grindelwald. 

It would be prudent to keep her mouth shut for the time being. Once she was cleared for field work again, which was bound to happen shortly if MACUSA wanted her to handle the case, it wouldn’t be difficult to do some discreet inquiries on the side. If she found proof of Credence's survival, she would see about talking to someone about it. 

------------------

Tina skipped lunch to get home and feed the creatures. She had insisted upon it, and Newt had prepared her a list with instructions, that she intended to follow dutifully. 

The first one on the list was the erumpent, which was easy enough. The bowltruckles proved to be more of a challenge, not because they were particularly hard to feed, but because Pickett wanted to accompany her around and refused to go back to the tree. After a five-minute argument, Tina accepted her defeat and allowed the bowltruckle into her pocket until she had to go back to work. 

She sighed. As much as Queenie had teased her for the past week, she had never seriously stopped to consider what this closeness with Newt meant.  

It was the first time she was inside the case without Newt, and she could see why he enjoyed spending time there on his own: It was the most peaceful place.

It was going to be hard to get used to her apartment without the case again. It was going to be hard to adapt to Newt’s absence. 

She didn’t try to deny she had become fond of him. It was the extent of that fondness that was beginning to worry her.  

She had never felt so comfortable with a man, or any person for that matter. He had managed to earn her trust, to make her share many of her most personal experiences in record time. The only person she had ever been close to was Queenie, but this was a different thing.

Tina walked past the graphorns without stopping, as Newt had requested her not to go near them on her own, and went for the niffler’s burrow. She pet the little head, distractedly keeping her locket away from the paws, still deep in thought. 

She had brushed Queenie’s comments aside, thinking it was a part of her usual sense of humor. It seemed she was speaking from an honest observation. That, and whatever she could see inside of Newt’s head. For some reason, letting the legilimens tell her a thing or two on the subject had never been more tempting. 

If there was something that Tina had always wanted, was to have things under control. All her life she had struggled to keep her emotions in check and be the rational adult she needed to be to survive. The emotions that were taking hold of her lately, she did not understand them, and that was unnerving. It shouldn’t matter to her what Newt thought. Still, she couldn’t help but care. 

A movement of her wand summoned the bucket of pellets for the mooncalves.

She had to think. She had to break her feelings down into smaller pieces and understand them before anything. 

What was it that she liked about Newt? 

He was intelligent, observant, and cultured. Shy sometimes, though he was becoming less so in her presence. He had a sense of humor. 

Maybe what had left a permanent impression on her was his kindness. He had proven to be a loyal friend in the short time they’d known each other. 

Tina had learned to take care of herself and her sister quite young, used to not having another soul to rely on in times of trouble. Newt had come to her help, even when he didn’t have to, asking for nothing in return. 

He had saved her from death, and helped her get her career back, but it was more than that. He had offered his friendship, shared his space and his work, brought back some sort of equilibrium into her life. After all that, how could he not be special to her?

A young mooncalf slid closer to her, gently urging her to distribute the rest of the food. She rushed to comply.

Well, there was nothing out of normal with all that. People could be special to other people without moving into romantic territory. Admiring someone didn’t necessarily mean being attracted to them on any other level.

She did find him handsome though, but that couldn’t be held against her; he was. Though perhaps not the kind of "handsome" women in the office would be obsessed over. He had nice eyes, and his smile was sweet. The freckles smattered all over his face gave him a boyish appearance; she liked it. His hands were rough and full of callouses, a product of his work, but also extremely gentle. And there was also these particular feeling that took hold of her every time their eyes met or their hands touched. 

Tina bit her lip. That couldn’t be normal. 

What if Queenie was right? 

And if it was the case, what did it mean for her? What did it mean for Newt? What would Newt think of her if he knew? The idea alone made her squirm. She would probably die of shame. 

Queenie’s outbursts hinted that she believed Newt had a similar regard for her. A few times Tina herself had even thought… But it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. 

Queenie may read minds, but she didn’t understand Newt the way Tina did. He was just too good, and his preference for her was merely the recognition of a kindred spirit. When he observed her, he was most probably moved by a purely scientific curiosity. 

She had to search for evidence. Be alert, mistrust herself, and examine her own feelings and thoughts when he was around. Pay attention to his behavior. That was the best way to come to a conclusion. 

She was an investigator, after all, she surely could handle that.

With that determination, Tina headed back to the shed, wishing she could stay some more. Only when she was climbing up the ladder did she remember Pickett was still in her coat.

“Pick, I have to go now,” she said, reaching for her pocket. “I’ll take you back to the tree, alright?”

The creature held to her fingers, emitting mournful chirps.

“We said until I was done with the feedings, that was the deal. Besides, Newt will be back soon. And I’ll come to see you later.” 

Those words were far from making Pickett come to his senses; the next chirp was even more dramatic.

“Fine, you can stay in the shed if you want, that’s all. I can’t take you.”

There were some more protests, but Tina finally managed to place the grumpy bowltruckle over one of the shelves.

The mysterious girl had some flowers placed over her dark hair. Her factions were proportioned and graceful, and her smile was attractive. 

It was then that her eyes fell on the picture. Of course she had seen it before, but she had never paid much mind to it.

The girl in the picture reminded her of Queenie a little bit. Not because they had some physical similarity; mostly because both of them irradiated confidence and grace. 

For the first time, she wondered about the beautiful stranger. Who was she? What was her picture doing there? What did she mean to Newt?

“What does it matter to me?”

She had a sense of her inferiority. It was not a new; she had grown up with Queenie. She had always been conscious she was not “the beauty” in any place she had ever been. It hadn’t bothered her that much until that moment.

She left for work feeling slightly dejected. 

Looking at the picture, she felt upset she wasn't as pretty as that girl, that her smile wasn't bolder, that her features were so imperfect, and her presence was so irrelevant.

And not for the first time, she wished for some of Queenie's confidence. 

Hi there! This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I wanted to post a little something for the NewtinaMoments event, and I don't have enough time to finish the whole thing. I'm already late for that!

I have my last exam next week, so hopefully, I'll have time to work on my two unfinished stories during the summer.

“Tina, what's wrong?” he asked softly. 

“Oh, it's nothing,” she answered, voice strained. “A bad night, that's all.”

He knew it would be prudent to let her be, but he just couldn't. She had that headache the day before, what if she was ill? He pushed a little more. “Did you receive any bad news today? Are you feeling unwell?”

“It's...” Tina sent a nervous look to the bedroom door and gulped. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before emitting any sound. When she finally spoke, it was in a murmur. “It's about Queenie.”

“What happened to her?” Newt slid into the chair across from her, his concern growing.  

She hesitated. It was like she wanted to tell him, but thought she should not. “We talked last night. About Jacob.” 

“Oh.” 

“I woke up in the middle of the night and she wasn't in bed. She was crying on the sofa." Tina explained. "She didn't want to disturb me. I bet she has been doing that all these days.”

“I knew she was sad, it's just...I didn't think it had affected her that much. I thought this was just something of the moment, that it would pass, but after last night..." her voice was beginning to break. "She cared so much about Jacob, she told me so. I suppose I should have known how serious she was about him. She is so sad.”

“And you?” 

“What?” the question startled her, and she eyed him with suspicion. She had been behaving like that since the day before. Jumpy, defensive for a reason he couldn't fathom, and much quieter. There were times of the day when she seemed to forget it and became cheerful again, but some invisible trigger always made her troubled again. And it was odd because since her reinstatement she had been more affectionate towards him as if deciding she could trust him.

Tina had talked about her concern for Queenie, but he hadn't observed anything in the legilimens attitude that could cause that impact the day before.

“Are you alright?” he clarified.

“Me?" she blinked, confused by the question. "Well, I'm...I feel so... " she took a deep breath before continuing. “It breaks me not being capable of protecting the ones I love. I can't see a solution. Jacob doesn't remember her, or any of us. Even if the situation was different, I couldn't encourage this. It would be dangerous for both of them. But I can't expect Queenie to get over this soon. I haven't seen her cry so much since she was little.”

Her coffee must have grown cold long ago, for the cup was still full, but Tina wasn't drinking it. She seemed to have forgotten she even had it in her hands. 

“I've been too wrapped up over my job and with...” she bit her lip, stopping herself at the last minute, and leaving the sentence incomplete. “I should have paid more attention to her.”

She looked about to cry, and he felt distressed at not being able to prevent it. One of her hands had separated from the cup and was resting on the table. He had the strange impulse to take it between his and hold it.

For most creatures touching was soothing, they used it for reassurance, but in cases when they found themselves in a vulnerable state, it could make them react harshly, retract, attack even. What would Tina do? It was not a time to experiment. Still, the hand was right there, so close. He could just reach for it if he dared. 

Tina produced a small hiccup and brought him back to his senses. No, he should not touch her. Tina was going through a delicate time, doing that would probably startle her again.

“Don't say that, it's not your fault,” he muttered at last. “You've had this on your mind all week; Queenie wasn't ready to talk yet. There's not much you could do about it.” 

Tina discreetly wiped a tear. “I don't know...”

They stayed in silence, Tina trying to recover composure, and Newt trying to find a way to help her feel better. “I wish I could tell you something useful.” 

“That's what I said to Queenie. Maybe there's nothing useful to be said.” she shrugged, sadly. “I don't know what else I can do for her. And I can't miss work today; she shouldn't either. Her shift starts at nine, so I'm letting her sleep a bit more.”

“I'll keep an eye on her until she goes to work, don't you worry,” he promised, sounding more sure than he felt. If he couldn't help Tina, he doubted he would be of more use to Queenie. But he would try his best for his friends. “I'll try to think of something to cheer her up. I can't assure you I will come out with anything of course...”

Tina's eyes shone with unshed tears, but she smiled at him. “You’re so good.”

It seemed that somehow he had managed to say the right thing. He wondered at his good luck.

“Thank you for listening, Newt.”

They stared at each other for a moment, Tina's expression one of undeniable fondness. He carefully saved it in his memory. He wanted to say something else. "You can count on me." or "I'm here whenever you need to talk." But as it was the rule these days, it was not long before she cast her eyes away from him, and her smile faltered. 

“I should go wake Queenie,” One of her hands went to fix her hair, and as she stood up he got to see her flushed face. She was nervous, self-conscious. Ashamed, even. Why, though? Did she regret sharing her problems with him? Had his gaze become too insistent and was making her uncomfortable? He watched her fidgeting with her cup, her hands unable to decide whether to leave it on the table or carry it.

“No need, I'm awake already.” 

Queenie had appeared by the door frame without being noticed.

Tina went to her side immediately. “How are you feeling? I thought it would be better for you to get some rest, that's why I didn't call you earlier.”

“Speaking of getting some rest, you look like you stayed awake all night.” the legillimens commented, her hand touching Tina's pale cheek. “Don't worry about me, Teen. I'll be fine, I promise. I feel a lot better now that I'd let it all out.” 

The statement didn't convince her sister, who remained anxious. 

“I'm telling you the truth.” she insisted. “Now, go wash your face. You shouldn't be late on your first day back.”

To Newt's surprise, Tina didn't insist and did as she was told. Once she was out of his sight, his attention focused on Queenie. In some way, he understood her. As much as he treasured the sisters' friendship, he also felt Jacob's loss. And unlike Tina, he had come to know the baker quite well. 

“I know you do,” Queenie said. “That's alright sweetheart, I'll be fine.”

Tina came back, announcing she was off to work, still looking unsettled. Queenie fixed her coat lapels and gave her a hug, wishing her good luck. He wanted to do the same, but she marched to the door with a quick “Bye.”, barely sparing him another glance. 

He felt confused and slightly hurt. She had smiled at him, said he had been of help, and a minute later she wouldn't look at him. What had he missed? Was she mad at him?

“She's not mad at you, quite the opposite.”

Newt turned to find Queenie staring at him in concentration, taking in all the work his mind was doing, no doubt. 

“Quite the opposite?”

“She's had a tough year,” she explained, sitting in the place Tina had occupied minutes before, and handing him a cup of tea. “And she's not used to people being like that with her.”

“Being how?” he asked, disoriented.

“Well, supportive. Caring,” she continued, her tone placid. “Teen is far more reserved than you imagine. It might be hard to believe because she speaks so much to you. Everything has been getting worse for her for the past months, losing her job and all. Now she has her promotion, and she's made friends with you. She's getting used to the changes; making peace with lots of things. She's got so much on her mind.”

Queenie’s gaze was intent, as if she was trying to suggest something. He didn't get it. 

“I should go get changed. What I'm saying is... you're doing nothing wrong. She thinks the world of you.” she added. “Just have some patience. And drink your tea, it'll get cold.” 

With that, Queenie got up, leaving him even more confused. 

-------------------

Dear Theseus,

I apologize for my delay in answering your last letter, but I'm sure you're aware by now that my trip to New York ended up being much more eventful than expected, and my attention has been elsewhere. 

Looking at the paper, Newt thought it was quite alright. It had taken him half an hour to come up with a good beginning for his letter: He didn't want Theseus to believe he felt as if he owed him an explanation, but he didn't want to be impolite either. As annoying as it was to have his brother trying to meddle in his life from time to time, he knew Theseus had good intentions. He kept going. 

I'm staying with some friends. One of them is an auror, she has helped me to get all the right permissions for some creatures I brought with me and oriented me as to MACUSA's investigation. Her name is Tina, she's quite bright…

There he made a stop. He shouldn’t get carried away with that. Spilling all those details would invite Theseus to ask questions, and he wasn't sure he wanted to go through that. His friendship with Tina was far too personal to share with his brother. No, he better kept it quiet. He crossed out all that last paragraph and started it again.

I've reprogrammed my journey back to England, in hopes to collaborate with MACUSA's investigation. Nothing to worry about, I'm staying with some friends (and out of trouble) until then. 

Newt

That was much better. Contented with his work, he opened one of the desk drawers in search of an envelope, to leave the missive ready to be sent. That would placate Theseus until he got back, in a couple of days.

The thought of leaving had started to make him anxious. Nothing prevented him from coming back to New York in the future. Of course, MACUSA considering him a menace could be a problem, but the real question was: Would the sisters want to see him again? Would Tina receive him in such a warm way?

He felt a light weight on his leg, and became aware of a pair of misty eyes on him. 

“Dougal.”

The demiguise climbed onto the desk, and let his caretaker pet him. He had fed him half and hour ago, but the creature seemed to perceive whenever he needed support.

“I wish you could talk,” Newt murmured, more to himself than to Dougal. “You could tell me if you see another trip to America in my future. Or some news from Tina.”

He could always come up with an excuse innocent enough to keep in touch. Friends wrote each other letters, didn't they? And Tina had said on more than one occasion that she was his friend. Following that logic, perhaps it would be acceptable for them to correspond. But how was that arranged? Should he suggest it? Ask for her permission to write to her once in a while? Should he write without further ado and pray for her to answer? 

His trips had given him freedom, and he delighted in that. It meant no social ties, no commitments or obligations to be placed upon him. He adored this kind of life, far from the crowded Ministry desks. But he didn't want to sever ties this time. How did someone express their wish to be part of another person's life?

In any case, his most immediate concern was his current situation with Tina. While Queenie had assured him she wasn't mad at him, she seemed to be hinting at something else; something he hadn't caught on. 

He was convinced by now that the legilimens wouldn't hesitate to tell him anything to his face if necessary, especially if she thought he was at fault. The most possible reason for her to be so cryptic must be Tina's privacy.

Queenie didn't only know things about Tina; she also knew things about him. Newt had noticed her teasing smiles every time she caught him staring at her older sister, or thinking about her, which happened with increasing frequency. Not that he could help it; she was one of the most complex and fascinating creatures he had ever met. Observing her, noticing every small detail about her was becoming second nature to him. He was learning to tell, just by looking at the twist of her brows, or the curve of her lips how she was feeling, if she was happy, or amused, or worried, or irritated. He knew how she liked her coffee, the things that made her laugh, and the ones that scared her. 

Maybe Tina had become aware of that too, be it by her sister or by her own observation, and it was the reason for her trouble. Yes, it had to be that. She had no doubt interpreted his stares the wrong way. Or even worse, she had interpreted them correctly, and she didn't know how to get rid of the unwanted attention. She wasn't mad, but she was embarrassed? Was that what Queenie had meant? Was she trying to prevent him from any further embarrassment?

The truth was, he didn't even know what he could do about it, or what was it that he wanted from Tina. Her friendship. Her company, her regard, her admiration. Her full attention. In which plain of the human conventions would that place them? What would be correct for a person to do in that situation?

Even if Tina hadn't noticed this “admiration” already, she would certainly do in time. She was too smart not to. And that placed him in a very awkward position.

He wished he had someone to get advice from. Jacob would know what to do, he thought while caressing Dougal's fur. He seemed to understand people (and women) quite well, and he wouldn't laugh at his awkwardness. If only he had him around, he could ask.

What would Jacob do?

--------------------

Tina appeared downstairs earlier than expected, in a more placid mood, but silent and thoughtful. Newt was busy feeding the occamies. Instead of rolling up her sleeves and lending a hand, she sat by the nest and answered his questions about her day, commenting in passing that Queenie had gone out shopping with some of the office girls.

“She is in better spirits then.”

Tina shrugged. “Or at least she's making an effort.”

The niffler appeared out of nowhere and found his way onto the witch's lap. While her body seemed to relax a little bit as she petted the creature, her expression kept restless. She wanted to talk about something. He would have liked to ask, but he was decided to not give her any reasons to be uncomfortable. If he had overstepped, if he had upset her by being too informal, he would be more careful. Fortunately, his curiosity wouldn’t be left unsatisfied for long.

“I don't understand Queenie,” Tina spat out all of the sudden, sounding rather guilty. She seemed to be in need to confide this to someone. “I mean... She knew Jacob for such a short time. She talks as if she could see her entire life with him, but they barely got to spend any time together. I know Queenie can see more of people than I ever could, even without her legilimency, but still.”

“Well, I suppose sometimes when people go through a lot together they form an attachment, regardless of the time they've spent in each other’s company.” Newt reflected. As soon as he said it, he realized it may appear he was talking about the two of them. After all, they'd known each other for a week. He couldn't be trusted to hold a normal conversation.

“That's true, I guess.” Tina agreed calmly, gaze still fixed on a distant spot in front of her. Either she didn’t connect the comment to them, or she chose not to understand it. “I didn't get to know him. It's strange, given he's so important to my sister. He looked like a good man, though. Queenie says he has a beautiful mind, and that's a big compliment considering all the things she has to hear from guys on daily bases.”

“He is a good man,” Newt agreed, relieved by the change of topic. “Jacob wanted to open a bakery. Pastries make people happy, he said. He's working at a canning factory and he despises it. He was in the bank to get a loan, and was rejected because he had no collateral to offer.”

“That explains the case full of pastries.” she half-smiled. “He and Queen could have been a good match indeed.”

“I think so. I observed them when we had dinner together. They are the sort of people who everybody likes.” he said, recalling the situation. It seemed like it had been a lifetime ago. “It always sparks a scientific interest within me, because I don't know how to do it.”

“Me neither.” she chuckled. Then she got serious again. “I suppose I could check on him once in a while. Jacob. See if he needs anything. I just don't want to encourage Queenie to do the same.”

“Do you think she'll try to go see him?”

“She might.”

“As long as they don't interact it wouldn't be a problem, would it?”

“Newt, she cannot!” she exclaimed, her gaze becoming hard and reproachful. For a second he could see the cross, bossy woman that had arrested him a week ago. His eyes must have expressed that because she immediately looked regretful. “I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. You're trying to help. I'm sorry.”

“It's fine. All these American laws are still not making sense to me.”

“You can be sent to jail for fraternizing with no-majs. We could both lose our jobs. And then, what would we do?” Tina sighed, the thought alone seeming too terrifying to dwell much on it. “We can't afford that, it's out of the question. But it's not just that...”

“Jacob doesn't remember her; he doesn't remember Queenie even exists. She's aware of that, I know, but it's not the same as seeing it with her own eyes. Imagine what it would feel like. I don't want her to suffer more than necessary.”

“It’s not in your hands to prevent her from feeling unhappy right now,” Newt interjected. “The only thing you can do is be supportive, as you've been doing.”

“I know, I…” she muttered, frustrated. “If only there was a way of giving her some sort of closure, to assure her that Jacob will be fine.”

“We may be able to make that possible.” 

“How?”

“I've been giving it some thought. I can provide the collateral for Jacob's bakery.”

“You're thinking about giving him money?" she asked, pondering his solution. "I have some notion of the no-maj currency, but how do we know how much he needs?”

“Not money, I'm rather short of that myself," Newt confessed. "I happen to know what could work as collateral.” He leaned forward and took an occamy eggshell from the nest. “These are pure silver. I don’t think the bank will reject them, though they may be curious about their origin.”

Tina looked impressed. “That's... quite smart. And very generous of you.”

Her approval made him blush. “Jacob is my friend. He was of so much help to me, if there's something I can do for him in return, I have to do it.”

“I think it's a remarkable initiative. But how do you get the occamy eggshells to Jacob?”

“I have an idea.” he confided. “I'll need your help.”

“Count on me.” she nodded, eager.

“And we have to tell Queenie.”

There she hesitated.

“She's gonna know anyway. My occlumency is still terrible.” he reasoned. “Besides, I think she has the right to decide whether she wants to be involved or not.”

“Alright.” she agreed, reluctant. He could tell she didn't like it at all. “We'll talk to Queenie, then.”

“It's the best we can do,” he said, making to stand up. “Shall we see if she's back? We can settle this now.“

“Wait.” Tina blurted, gesturing with her arm to stop him from leaving. “I want to hear all about that plan of yours, but first...” she put a strand of hair behind her ear, tense once again. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“About Jacob?”

“No, about you” she admitted. “I believe it may be too personal, so you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

Newt couldn't help a slight panic. He couldn't imagine what could be so personal for her to be so hesitant to ask.

“It's about Credence. About the obscurus.” she started. “The department has assigned me to tie the loose ends given my... involvement in the case.”

“That's good news. You're the right person to do it, no doubt.”

Despite the crudeness of the topic, a small smile graced her lips at his comment. “I've been thinking...If Grindelwald wanted Credence as a weapon, wouldn't it be possible for him to find another child with the same capacity? I don't believe he was interested in Credence particularly. What I mean is, if there's a chance of that happening and I have to interfere, I need to know more. I need to be prepared to take the right course of action.”

Now he knew where she was going. “You want me to tell you about my experience with obscurus.”

She nodded. “When you told Jacob and me about it, it seemed to be a difficult topic. I understand if you don't want to talk about it.”

“It's difficult. That little girl... it was heartbreaking.” he stammered. “I'm no expert on the subject, by any means, but I can share my limited knowledge if it's of any use. You know what causes it, and what it can do. Going from there, what do you want to know?”

“When you talked about the girl you met in Sudan, you said you tried to save her. How?”

Newt took his time to meditate on his answer. When he spoke, he did it slowly, minding his words. “There's a spell. It's complicated to perform and requires the host to be in a particular state for it to work. The obscurus ends up consuming the host. When you try to extract it...it fights. It was one of the most terrifying things I've ever witnessed. The force is too powerful for an adult wizard to control, imagine what it can do to a child.”

He stood up, and walk a few steps away. “She was dying. I befriended her, and offer to try and cure her, but it was too late. I don't know, maybe I couldn't have made it work either way. I don't believe I'll ever forget it, or stop wondering if there was something else I could have done for her.”

“Don't say that, you tried your best. At least, she knew that someone cared.” she comforted him. “But I get how you feel, I’ve been thinking the same about Credence. If I could have done something else.”

“I'm afraid when it comes to Credence I can't tell you much more of what you already know. To be honest I'm quite in the dark myself. I've never seen anything like it. Credence possessing some sort of control over that power, surviving this long with it... it's unbelievable.”

“I didn't expect you to have an answer,” she assured him. “Every piece of information could be important. Thank you for telling me all that.”

Newt nodded. He had never told that story before and remembering it sadden him.

“I wish I had realized before. It didn’t occur to me that we could be dealing with an obscurus.” Tina murmured, staring at the niffler again. “If only had I known, I may have prevented Credence's death.”

“If he died.”

Tina looked up at him in shock. “What do you mean?” she asked, disbelieving. “Newt you were there, you saw it. That's not...”

“Why not?” he retorted. “We saw the kind of wreckage it created in the city. A bunch of aurors is not likely to match that force.”

“You're implying he may have survived?” she wanted to be sure she had understood. 

“I can't assure that. But it's at least, possible.”

Newt contemplated Tina trying to digest all the new information, and knew he had given the witch something else to be worried about. 

“I guess I have a lot of work ahead of me.” was her only comment.

The first page was empty, except for the title “Field notes” in the middle, and Newt's initials at the bottom. His handwriting was at the same time neat and messy: The letters looked as if made by an unstable hand, but it was completely legible. She leaned closer to the pages; it smelled like an old book, with a slight fragrance of plants and herbs, and summer. Like Newt, she realized.

Smiling, she turned the page and took out a strand of paper folded in two. Opening it, she discovered a list titled “Possible classification.”

XXXXX Known wizard killer/impossible to train or domesticate XXXX Dangerous/requires specialist knowledge/skilled wizard may handle XXX Competent wizard should cope XX Harmless/may be domesticated X Boring

At the bottom of the paper, Newt had written, “Add to final draft.”

Leaving the paper aside, Tina faced the first creature of the notebook: The bowltruckle.

“The Bowtruckle is a tree-guardian creature found mainly in the west of England, southern Germany, and certain Scandinavian forests. Its height of a maximum of eight inches makes it difficult to spot, and possesses long and sharp fingers. Its primary food are insects. This creature only inhabits trees with wand quality wood. Despite being shy and quiet in nature, any threat to its home will result in an attack.”

The text was accompanied by a detailed sketch of the creature, that pointed out the body parts, and added a few additional facts. Tina noticed XX scribbled next to the illustration identifying the bowltruckle as a harmless creature. A small note at the bottom of the page read “Pickett thinks he should receive at least XXX. I admit he can be vicious when mad or threatened.”

Tina chuckled and turned the page, to find a bigger sketch, and a list of what she supposed were Newt’s observations while studying them: Entries monitoring the behavior and interactions of the species, preferred food, and timetables.

Some pages later, she found something she was looking forward to: Dragons. Tina reached for her cup of coffee and snuggled comfortably into the couch.

She lost track of time.

Newt had collected a huge amount of information, so much that when she reached the sixth creature, Tina was wondering whether it wouldn't be enough for three or four books. It was evident some decisions needed to be made regarding the amount of content. She noticed he had made a summary of each creature's data, probably thinking just the same. The numerous colors of the ink filling the pages let her know it had been going through corrections and additions for a long time. To make it even more charming, she found lots of funny annotations such as “Lettuce gave Bessie a tummy ache.”, “The niffler must have dinner before eight.” or “Ukrainian ironbellies are gentle with their babies.”

It was Newt in his purest state, poured all over the pages, as jumbled, and smart, and amusing, and curious, and nerve-wracking as he was in person, but also as confident and unrestrained as he was only in private. There was a sense of intimacy in reading him, in being the one chosen to be part of his world this way. It produced an unknown tickling sensation in her stomach; one that pleased and alarmed her in equal measure.

It was a while later that the sound of the case latches interrupted her reading.

The case, which had been placed in front of the sofa for the night, opened and Newt's messy hair came in sight, facing away from her. Tina observed, amused, how he looked around, trying to figure if they were already awake.

“Morning, Newt.”

The man jumped, startled. At seeing her, he smiled. “I didn't see you there. I thought you'd still be sleeping.”

“I'm an early riser,” she said. “Queenie's still asleep. What time is it, by the way?”

“Quarter to eight.”

“Oh,” she detected the nervous twitch in Newt's face when his eyes caught the notebook in her lap. “I think I got entertained. Do you want breakfast?”

“I came up to see if you were awake,” he admitted. “In case you wanted to come for the morning rounds.” his hopeful look was enough to make her forget all about food.

“I'd loved to join you.” Tina stood up and left the notebook in a drawer. “Just let me put on my shoes. I'll be there in a minute.”

Newt nodded and disappeared downstairs. She refrained her silly giggle until he was out of sight.

He was getting comfortable to the point of requesting her company. Last night she had agreed to wash the dishes by hand to talk to him some more, suspecting he would have asked for it directly had he dared. This small concession would cost her two or three days of teasing from Queenie, but it had been worth it.

Newt was in an excellent mood that morning, and so was she. There was a new warmth, a new understanding between them. The next hour was dedicated to the creatures, and conversation flew freer than ever. Tina completed the form she had brought from MACUSA the day before as they dealt with the feedings. It was hard to pay attention to official business while being so caught up in her surroundings, but being now familiar with most of the case inhabitants, she handled the situation without much inconvenience.

Eventually, Tina announced she was going to check on Queenie and Newt offered to make breakfast, ignoring her protests that he was the guest. He insisted, promising with total seriousness that he wouldn’t burn her place down. Chuckling, the witch allowed him to start cooking while she awakened her sister.

Tina opened the bedroom door and used her wand to draw the curtains.

“Queenie?” she called. “It's past nine, wake up.”

The only answer she obtained from her sister was a yawn.

“Newt and I finished the morning rounds. He's preparing breakfast, we should go help.”

Queenie's sleepy face surged from under the covers. “He gave you his book?”

“Oh, so for the gossip you're awake.”

“He's been thinking about his book and you a lot, but I couldn't catch the connection,” she commented, arranging her curls to keep them out of her eyes. Queenie always looked perfect, even when she just woke up.

The legilimens smiled at her sister's compliment. “You're so sweet, Teen. But we still have to talk about what happened yesterday.”

“What about it?” Tina said, coming to sit at the foot of Queenie's bed. “You knew all along, that's what had Newt so anxious. He was not sure you would keep your mouth shut.”

“That's unfair, I promised him." she protested, raizing her wand to summon her pink robe. "But oh, wasn't it hard!”

Tina rolled her eyes. “You've been plaguing him, I can tell.”

“And you stayed in the case that late? Alone and unchaperoned?” Queenie interrupted, with a theatrical gasp. “If I didn't know you two, I could imagine all sorts of things.”

“Queenie!” she exclaimed, her cheeks turning red. “How dare you suggest...?”

“I'm just kidding. You two are much too shy to ever raize my suspicion.”

With a wave of Tina's wand, her pillow flew over the room to hit Queenie's head, but not fast enough to prevent her sister’s burst of laughter.

“If you ever repeat that to Newt I swear I'll strangle you.”

The threat only seemed to encourage her. “He's such a tender soul. You have no idea how his mind gets when you’re around…”

“Queenie, I already told you I don’t want to know,” she exclaimed again, shaking her head scandalized. “I will cast a silencing charm if you...”

“And you, Auror Goldstein.” the other pointed at her accusatorily. “You have a crush on him.”

“No, I do not! Stop making up stories.”

“You've been enchanted by him ever since you invited him to stay here. If he needed something to win you over completely, helping you get your job back did the trick.”

“Newt would be incapable of planning it like that.” she asserted, careful to sidestep all the previous affirmations.

“That I know.” Queenie agreed. “The truth is he has no clue of what he's done. His intentions were disinterested. Bonus points for him.”

“Why can’t you leave the both of us alone?”

“Don't be mad at me. I saw how emotional you were yesterday.”

“Well, of course, I was moved,” she admitted, fidgeting with the sheets. “It was so nice of him to think of me at that time. He gets embarrassed every time I thank him.”

“I don’t understand why are you so fixated on this.”

“I couldn't help but feel excited about it,” Queenie told her, reaching for her hand. “For you, Teen.”

Tina stared at her, puzzled. What did she mean?

“You never have time for friends.” her sister remarked. “I know you've met people who didn't get you while growing up, and you never feel like you can be yourself around anyone but me.” she squeezed Tina’s hand lovingly, trying to make her understand the full meaning of what she was saying. “But Teenie, he sees you. He gets you. And you get him too.”

“It's a very close bond you two have formed these past days. It makes me so happy because I know how difficult it is for you. And after getting to know Newt, I can tell he is the same.” she continued. “I'll stop teasing you, but I don't want to hear you talking as if it was not important.”

Queenie seemed to be making an effort to swallow down a lump in her throat. Tina had an idea of what she was thinking about: A close bond she had formed, but lost. It disarmed her faster than any amount of teasing could. She wished, once more, that Queenie would talk to her about it. Before she could find the right words, her sister had changed the subject.

“Now, tell me everything about the book.”

Tina put a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly self-conscious. She didn’t trust herself to speak about the topic anymore. “He asked me to read his book,” she said, her voice so low it was almost not audible.

“He chose you to read it first. That’s wonderful.”

“He said he values my opinion and would like to know what I think of it,” Tina mumbled fast, staring at their joined hands. “I wanted to be helpful, so I accepted.”

“It made you feel so special.”

“Well...yes. Newt's very private, but his work is the most important for him. It means he trusts me.”

“Of course he trusts you, sweetie. You knew that already.”

The memories of the moment, of Newt’s eyes searching for hers, his trembling lips as he forced himself to ask the question, crowded her mind without warning. Their sheer intensity left her perplexed, and as she read the same emotion on Queenie’s face, she had the urge to run away.

“I need to go check on…” she babbled, jumping from the bed. “I should…”

“Go help Newt.” Queenie agreed, taking in her troubled interior. “I'll get dressed and join you in a jiffy.”

Tina walked out of the room feeling unsettled, Queenie's words echoing in her head. Newt was standing where she had left him, frying pan in hand. He pointed at it with his wand, murmuring a spell she didn't understand. Another subtle movement and three plates abandoned the pantry and landed swiftly on the counter. He looked quite at ease in the kitchen as if it was something he did often; as casual in her home, as he was inside the case. His sleeves were up, and some stains could be seen on his vest. He turned his head to the bedroom door, and his eyes found her.

“Tina, there you are.” Newt smiled warmly. “The eggs are almost ready, and I prepared more coffee as well.”

He placed the cup in her usual place at the table, as inviting her to sit. “I added just one spoonful of sugar on yours.”

The correct answer was “Thank you”, but her mouth produced a question instead. “How do you know how I drink my coffee?”

“I’ve been here for almost a week, and you always use the same amount of sugar,” he explained, innocent. “I noticed. Pickett said he thinks he saw you adding two, but I was sure you preferred just one. Is Queenie coming?”

It was a small detail. Very small in fact. But all of the sudden, it dawn on her how much she was going to miss having him around. She was going to miss the random facts about magical creatures, his disdain for rules, his voice, and his accent. But most of all, his company. Coming home from work to have an adventure in the suitcase. Talking to him, being listened to. Being the recipient of all these gestures, no matter how little, that showed he cared about her. The thought of all those things being taken away from her in a few days produced an unexpected ache in her chest.

“Tina?”

“Queenie is on her way.” she stammered, cheeks coloring.

“Are you feeling well?” he asked, his peaceful expression being replaced by one of concern.

“Yes, I'm great,” she replied too fast, trying to produce a smirk. Judging by her interlocutor's reaction, it wasn’t a success. The truth was, she wasn’t so sure she was great. “Why do you ask?”

“You look a little flushed. Allow me.” Newt came closer and carefully put his hand on her forehead, rendering her all but paralyzed. The hand was rough and callous, but so gentle. It felt so warm against her skin, and Tina found herself confused between leaning into his touch and pushing him away. She didn’t dare meet his eyes, fearing hers would give away too much.

“No, you’re not feverish.” he decided after a long moment, taking her hand away and examining her face. “Are you tired?”

“I am. Tired, I mean.” Tina heard herself mumbling. “Yes, I’m tired.”

“Something smells good in here.” Queenie's cheerful voice startled Tina, earning her another worried look from Newt. “Teenie is not feeling well?” she asked, picking the information from the magizoologist head. “What’s wrong Teen?”

Tina was beyond embarrassed at being the center of attention. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, what was that had her behaving like a fool. She had to invent an excuse right away. “It’s just a headache.”

“Maybe you’ll feel better after eating,” Newt suggested, busying himself with breakfast again. “Sit down, and I’ll bring you a plate.”

“Newt’s right Teen, sit for a bit,” Queenie took her hand and guided her to the table, with a look that demanded answers.

“I don’t know what came over me, but please stay out of my mind for a while. Just…Please Queen.”

To her relief, her sister responded with a sympathetic nod.

-------------------------

Breakfast was an awkward affair: Tina was trying hard to act normal and pretend she wasn’t avoiding Newt’s eyes, knowing very well that his attention was focused on her, and that Queenie was receiving a mix of chaotic thoughts from both.

She had volunteered to help with the cleaning chores down in the case earlier, but given the circumstances, Newt didn’t want to hear about her making any unnecessary effort. Even when she assured him that she felt fine, he was adamant on her being well-rested for the next day.

If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t want to spend time with Newt at the moment. At least until she had figured out what was happening inside her head. But the alternative was staying in the apartment with her mind raging and a curious legilimens.

“I can take a book and sit somewhere downstairs for a while?” she ended up suggesting. “I don’t want to be indoors all day.”

So she found a warm and secluded spot in the thunderbird enclosure and carried the notebook there. At some point, the niffler had discovered her hiding place and came to curl by her side. She had a strong suspicion he had been sent to keep her company. Tina scratched the creature's head as she read, letting the prose ease her worries away. She didn't want to think about what Queenie had told her, or about Newt’s departure. It was easier and much more fun to learn about magical beasts and push everything else aside.

By the time Newt appeared again, she had regained control over her emotions. She accompanied him in the feeding rounds, as usual, doing only the lighter work.

He didn't seem to have registered anything strange in her behavior that morning or suspect that he had influenced it, which eased her anxiety. A little. A traitorous part of her subconscious kept replaying the sensation of a calloused hand on her forehead.

-------------------------

She could feel the dark liquid bubbling under her feet. The chair she was standing on has started to burn; the smell of it was nauseating. Darkness was surrounding her from every side, and there was no escape.

Then she heard Credence's screams. She was no longer the victim, but a witness. Credence was in the chair, and she wanted to help him, but for some reason, she was rooted to the spot. She could do nothing but watch the black potion consume the boy, as he called for her in desperation.

The anguish was enough to shake Tina awake.

It was not the first time the memory of the death potion visited her at night, but the experience had never felt so vivid. She dried her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her trembling hands, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. It couldn’t have been long since she had gone to bed, right after dinner. Everything was quiet, but her instincts alerted her: Something was wrong. A quick look was enough to see Queenie's bed was empty. Tina got up and, making as little noise as possible, opened the door and headed to the living room.

Queenie was curled on the sofa, with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, crying. She noticed Tina's presence at once and tried to wipe her eyes.

“Queen?” Tina hurried towards her sister, alarmed. “Queenie, what's wrong?”

“Did I wake you?”

“No, you didn't. I had a nightmare.”

Queenie read her mind, catching some bits of the dream, and emitted a horrified gasp. “That's awful. I'm sorry Teenie.”

“It doesn't matter now,” she blurted, sitting by her side. “You were crying.”

“I was,” she said, sweetly. “But it's fine.”

“No, it's not. You're crying because of Jacob.”

Queenie let out a small sob at hearing Jacob’s name. The baker’s presence had been hanging between them all week, but Tina had not dared mention it. “I wanted to give you space, but it's been days and you don't talk to me. You keep pretending you're as usual.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean to push you away. You’ve been dealing with problems of your own, I didn’t want you to feel responsible for this too.”

“Don't be sorry,” she said, frustrated. “I just... I'm concerned Queenie. You've never kept anything to yourself like this. You're hurting. Please, let me help you.”

Queenie sighed and produced the saddest smile Tina had ever seen. “We both learned young that losing people you love is painful. I'm letting myself grieve what I've lost, there’s not much else to be done.”

“How do you know it's love?”

The thought escaped her mind unbidden, and Queenie stiffened. It was something she had been going over for days but didn't mean to share with her sister.

“I didn't mean it like that, I was just wondering because…” she stuttered, hoping it didn’t sound like a reproach. “You barely knew him. How can you tell?”

The legilimens bit her lip, as her eyes scanned the room, not offended, but rather looking for a way to explain things. A moment later, she spoke up. “Remember the story about when mum and dad met?”

The question caught Tina unawares. “Yes, I do.”

“Dad said that he fell in love with mum the minute he saw her. He looked at her, and he just knew she was the one.”

Of course, their parents would come up. Queenie's ideal of love. Tina had repeated the story, told to her by her father, more times than she could remember over the years. As a child, she had wondered many times about how that worked. Knowing the right person at a simple glance sounded difficult, but she supposed she would understand when she grew up. As an adult, the idea sounded even more impossible to her.

“So...Just like that?”

“No.” her sister admitted with a chuckle. “It was different for me. You know that I can’t help but catch people’s thoughts, even if it means listening to things I’d rather ignore.”

“I know Queen.”

“But his thoughts...” she sighed, tearing up. “They were so kind, so clean. When he saw me he thought I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He didn't... Most guys would fill my mind with the most lustful things. But his admiration was so sincere. He meant that, I know he did. Even when he found out about my legilimency he believed it was a gift, even though sometimes it’s most of a curse. He didn’t judge me, he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. If anything, he found me even more magical because of it.”

“His mind was beautiful.” she sobbed. “But it was not just that. There was this kind of... strange affinity. I can't describe it. It was as suddenly becoming aware of something you didn't know you were missing.”

Tina pulled her into a hug, hiding her own sob into the golden hair. The sight of her Queenie bearing so much sadness broke her heart. But she knew the pain she felt for her sister was mingling inside her with some that was her own. She didn’t have the courage to take a closer look and try to separate both. It was unexplainable, disconcerting, but very real.

“He was the right man for me Teen. We could have been perfect for each other.”

“I'm so sorry, Queen.” Tina stroked her hair, doing her best to calm her. “I wish I could offer at least a piece of advice. I’m afraid I’m useless in this situation.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Queenie muttered, holding her even tighter. “Listening is helpful. Hugs are alright as well.”

“But they won't spare you the pain.”

“You can't protect me from everything. I'm no longer a little girl.”

“You will always be my little girl,” Tina said, pulling back and brushing her sister’s tears away. “I will always do everything in my hands to take care of you. I promise we’ll get through this. The two of us, as we always do.”

Queenie managed a tearful smile. “I know. We'll always have each other.”

It was a while before her crying subsided. Tina held her when she needed, murmured all the supporting words she could muster, and prepared her a cup of cocoa Queenie dutifully drank, before taking her to bed.

After their parents' death, Queenie had been plagued with nightmares for months. She would wake up screaming, calling for her mama. There were nights she was afraid of falling asleep. When the terrors came to interrupt her rest, the child would crawl into Tina’s bed, and let her older sister’s warm embrace lull her back to sleep.

So both women lay in bed together again, finding in each other’s presence the same comfort they had all those years ago. Queenie hid her face in Tina’s neck, just as she used to do when she was little, and drifted off, exhausted by crying.

Tina, on the other hand, was restless. Only when she was sure that Queenie was asleep did she indulge in replaying the memory of falling safely into Newt's arms, of his smile, of their conversations. Affinity, Queenie had said.

She stayed awake, wondering.

“Do you think Pickery will do something?”

“She might. It's been two days, we have to be patient,” Queenie said, optimistic. “Don't worry hon, Teen will be fine. She is used to it.”

“She shouldn't be treated like that.”

“You did everything in your hands to change things, now you have to wait. We should keep ourselves busy.”

Newt was doing his best to follow the legilimens’ advice. So he sat on his desk, to stick to a task of the most annoying kind, but which will surely keep him busy: Trying to write to his brother. He had promised himself that he would answer Theseus's letter as soon as he arrived in New York, but the circumstances had made him forget all about it. He knew that Theseus would be aware of his wanderings by now, but writing back would be the polite thing to do.

He centered his gaze on the page in front of him, having no idea what to say. Every time he had to write to his brother, he had the feeling he was addressing a stranger.

Dear Theseus…

Pickett came out of his pocket and stood on his hand.

“I don't know what to tell Theseus, Pick. Any ideas?”

The creature emitted a chirp.

“Tina is still at work. I don't think she'll come today.”

Pickett made a questioning sound.

“Yes, I was hoping for her company, but I'll invite her for tomorrow,” he promised, distracted. “I want to finish this before she arrives.”

What could he tell Theseus? Should he talk about his new friends? About Tina? He didn't feel like it. Whatever he said, his brother would probably think the worst. He could handle him not approving of his life choices, but he wouldn't stand him thinking anything bad about his friends. It was best to explain things in person when he was back. A short note telling him he was in one piece and going back to London the next week would do. The only thing he had to do was compose it.

Dear Theseus…

He sighed, dropping his quill in surrender. The activity required a level of concentration he didn't have at the moment. He better went to the kitchen and asked Queenie if she needed help with dinner. Making sure Pickett was back into his pocket, he headed upstairs.

As soon as he opened the lid, he could hear Queenie's excited voice.

“Oh, Teen! I told you so!”

Tina was back already. He stepped out of the case, impatient to see her, and found the sisters hugging in front of the closed apartment door, laughing and jumping. Queenie was the first to notice him.

“Newt, you're just in time!” she exclaimed, delighted.

“What's going on?”

“Tell him Teen!” she urged her sister, pushing her closer to him.

“Tina, what's...?”

Tina smiled at him. She had smiled at him many times during his visit, but never like that.

“Madame Piquery called me to her office,” she informed him, lips trembling. “She wants me back in Major Investigation. I’m going to be an auror again, Newt.”

He couldn’t contain his own smile from appearing, not when she looked so happy. “That's…wonderful news, Tina.”

“And I'm going to be part of the senior team, no less. I'm being promoted.” she laughed, disbelieving. “I've dreamed of that job ever since I was twelve.”

“My congratulations,” he said, sincerely. “It’s nothing short of what you deserve.”

Tina kept smiling, but she was scrutinizing his face like was expecting something. The intensity of her eyes was almost overwhelming. She bit her lip, striving to find the right words for what she wanted to say.

“Madame President said you put in a good word for me.” she breathed out, at last, sounding exhilarated.

Newt's face fell. “Did she?” he started to get nervous. “I hope you do not take it as meddling on my part. I wanted to... I was trying...”

Before he could explain himself, Tina stretched her arm and took his hand in hers.

“This means the world to me. It's the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me,” she stuttered. “I... I don't know how to thank you.”

Her eyes were alive with emotion. As much as he struggled with eye contact he could not stop staring at them. She did have beautiful eyes. Right now she was beaming. He had made her smile like that. And there they were those tingles taking hold of his hand again, but they were even more intense now.

“That's adorable.” Queenie's dreamy voice took him out of his reverie.

He felt his face heating up. “Queenie, please don't read my mind.”

“Please don't tell her that. I didn't mean it. I mean, I did. But not like that, I...”

“Queenie leave him alone.” Tina scolded, letting go of his hand. She had blushed too. “We’ve talked about this.”

“I'm sorry, but in my defense, that thought was kind of loud.” she pointed out with a smirk.

Tina sighed and shot Newt an apologetic look. Luckily for him, Queenie decided to change the topic.

“What are we doing to celebrate? I have to cook something special.”

“There's no need for that, I don't want to...” Tina started.

“Teen you were reinstated, it’s the best piece of news we’ve had in months and we are celebrating.” Queenie got scandalized. “Go change, I'll start dinner. It’s an order.”

Tina rolled her eyes; half annoyed, half amused. She threw her hands up, signaling her defeat, and disappeared into her bedroom.

Satisfied, Queenie turned round. Newt averted his gaze, face still flaming.

“You won't tell her that, will you?”

“I won't.” she giggled. “But you could, Teenie wouldn't mind.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I don't see why you're so ashamed, you were thinking nice things about her.”

“Please Queenie.”

“You're a sweetheart,” she declared, fixing his tie affectionately. “Would you be so good as to set the table? I’ll make the best promotion dinner for Teenie.”

------------------------

Queenie's dinner was as wonderful as expected; she was decided to prepare something nice for her sister and spared no resources. Newt remembered a bottle of fire whisky he kept in his case and insisted on opening it to toast for his friend’s success.

The reunion was cheerful. Tina's happiness was contagious, and both Queenie and Newt reveled in that. The three of them drank and ate without care, encouraged by the thought that none of them had to work the next day.

It was past midnight when Queenie announced she was off to bed, leaving Newt and Tina to deal with the dishes.

“We could do it muggle way,” Newt suggested, keen on getting at least twenty more minutes with her. “I need some activity after the drinks.”

The pretext was lame, and he knew that. To his surprise, Tina accepted without questioning. A slight glint in her eyes made him almost entirely sure that she had understood his intention, and she was willing to stay a little longer.

Tina laughed as he told her the niffler's new mischief, waiting for Newt to pass her the clean utensils so she could dry them. Pickett walked up and down the table, chirping once in a while to participate in the humans’ conversation. They talked about nothing in particular, entertained enough to not mind the monotony of the chore. The kitchen was spotless way too fast for Newt’s liking.

“Do you want a cup of cocoa?” Tina offered, sending the knives and forks into one of the kitchen cabinets with her wand. “I like to drink some before bed.”

“I'd like that,” he agreed, eagerly. “We could sit outside the shed if you want. For fresh air.”

“Good idea.”

She started to heat the milk. As she looked for chocolate in the pantry, Newt fetched the cups, intent of being helpful.

“Speaking of your suitcase, Madame president left me in charge of it,” Tina commented, keeping an eye on the preparation. “So no more trips to MACUSA for you. I can check it right here.”

“That's good news,” he smirked. “Your colleagues will be relieved. They don't enjoy the task much.”

And it meant he had an excuse to see her.

“They don't. Patterson has been telling a story about one of your beasts attacking him. He said that the creature was all over him and you didn't even flinch.”

“I held the niffler and gave him back his watch,” he recalled, clueless. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“Oh, but the guy is traumatized.” she giggled, filling both cups with the warm drink. “And now that I’m acquainted with the niffler, that's quite funny.”

Delighting in the small incident, they climbed downstairs. Newt sat on the shed’s steps, and Tina took a seat right by his side. The steps weren’t that wide; she was so close that their sides brushed slightly when one of them moved. At first, he was worried that it would make Tina uncomfortable, but as minutes passed and she didn’t complain or tried to move away, he let himself relax. Having her near was pleasant.

Most of the creatures were asleep, so the surroundings were quiet. Tina was sipping her cocoa in silence, gaze lost in the picture in front of her, her expression peaceful. He wondered what she was thinking. He didn’t have to wait long to find out: Without turning, Tina spoke up.

“Thank you for what you did,” she said as if continuing a conversation. The sudden change of topic would have been abrupt, hadn’t her voice been so gentle. “For talking to Pickery.”

“I bet the president was going to reinstate you one way or another,” Newt ventured, downplaying his importance in the subject. “What happened will bring some attention over you in MACUSA. It was ridiculous to keep you working with wand permits after that. It seemed to me someone had to remind her of that.”

“Why didn't you say anything about it?”

“The president didn't assure me she was giving you your job back.” was his prompt excuse. “I was waiting for her to say something to you.”

“But if Madame Pickery hadn't mentioned it, would you have told me you were involved in it?” Tina raized her eyebrows quizzically.

Newt gulped. She didn’t look mad or offended, but her questions sounded a bit like a reclaim. A gentle one, but a reclaim nonetheless. “You were gonna know one way or another because Queenie knew. She made it clear that if I didn't take credit for it, she was gonna make me.”

“So, you wouldn’t have.”

“I did nothing that important, really,” he shrugged, self-conscious. “My participation in this was tiny, it would be too pretentious to make as if it was all my doing.”

“But you had the intention to help, even though you didn’t have to,” she reminded him. “For once I don't mind Queenie being so nosy, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to thank you.”

“She promised she wouldn't say a word until we had news,” Newt explained, eyes fixed in his shoe. “But the subject was on my mind, sometimes when you were around. A few times I could swear she was about to tell you. My occlumency is not great, and I can't shut her out.”

Tina's expression turned serious.

“Queenie likes to joke around, but don’t let her bother you,” she insisted, worried. “She has to keep it to herself at work, but at home, she let's loose.”

“I didn't mean it like that. Queenie is very kind.”

“But the mind-reading can get too much sometimes. I know, I'm her usual target.” Tina interjected. “I’m telling you because I noticed you looked uncomfortable yesterday. And earlier today, when I came back from work.”

Newt opened his mouth to explain, but closed it again. What was he going to say to her? That Queenie had discovered him thinking about her many times? How would Tina react if she knew that? He wasn't even sure what to make of those thoughts, that kept popping into his head unannounced.

“You don't have to explain.” she cut him before he had decided on the most convenient course of action. “You're entitled to your privacy. What you think is none of my business, nor Queenie’s. She can’t help it, but it’s not an excuse to tease you every five minutes.”

“If it helps, you should know she doesn't tell personal things she sees to others, not even me,” Tina continued. “Unless she thinks it's necessary for some reason. So far, she has only told me that your thoughts are nice. Most people’s thoughts usually aren’t, so if Queenie believes that, it speaks volumes of you.”

The certainty of being liked by the sisters meant a lot to Newt, and Tina being the one acknowledging it made it more meaningful.

“Anyways, I...” Tina murmured, staring at her cup again. “Just know that I appreciate what you've done and that I won't forget it.”

“That's what friends do. They help each other out when they can,” he answered. On second thought, he realized he didn’t know exactly what friendship among humans entailed. “Right?” he added, uncertain.

“Yes, that’s what friends do,” she repeated. “You’re right.”

They stayed in companionable silence for a while, contented to remain in each other presence. Newt risked a glance at Tina’s cup, noticing that, just like his, it was empty. To his relief, she didn’t make any move to leave.

“Apart from stopping the niffler from being beaten by a bunch of furious occamies, what else did you do today?” she asked in a low voice.

“The usual chores. And I worked on some notes for my book.”

“How is that going?”

“Well, I suppose.” he shrugged. “I also tried to write a letter to my brother. That part didn’t go that well.”

“During the trial, they said that your brother was involved in the last war? I knew I had heard the name Scamander somewhere; I believe Mr.Graves was acquainted with him.”

“That’s possible.” Newt nodded. “Theseus is head of the Auror Office back in England.”

Tina looked impressed. “Wow. That's like every auror dream job,” she commented. “You dislike the Ministry and the aurors, but your brother is head of a department?”

“I don’t dislike aurors.” he protested. Tina sent him a disbelieving glance. “Not all of them anyway.”

She chuckled. “Thanks Morrigan.”

“I’m aware it sounds strange, for an auror to be related to me.”

“Hey, I’m no one to judge. You’ve seen me and Queenie, we’re not at all alike,” she grinned, sympathetic. “I’m curious because you haven’t talked about him.”

“Well, the truth is we don't get on much. He's the model Ministry official, devoted to the government, always playing by the rule book, and I’m…You know.” he made a vague gesture to himself. “And of course, he finds me a bit unorthodox.”

“I guess I can understand that.”

“It's not just that. To be fair, I'm some years younger than him, we haven't had the chance to share much, and we have almost nothing in common. It's not like you and Queenie. I've been observing you two, and it called my attention how close you are. It's never been like that with Theseus and me.”

“I can't imagine not being close with Queenie at all. I have no idea what I would do without her.” she sounded a little alarmed by the thought. “But our situation is different, we only had one another growing up, we had to stick together.”

“I can’t imagine being close to my brother, honestly. I'm not even sure how to talk to him.”

“You don’t see each other? When you’re not traveling, I mean?”

“The last time I saw him was more than a year ago, in a family dinner,” he confessed. “Dreadful occasion that was. In his defense, I must admit he writes to me, makes an effort to be in touch. But every time we meet is the same: He sits and tells me all the things I’m doing wrong. It can go from my coat looking too shabby, to insisting that I’m almost thirty and I need a real job. Like my father, they are very much alike. That’s why I avoid family reunions at all costs.”

“You and your father don’t get on either.”

“Not at all. Our relationship has always been complicated, but it got ruined forever after I was expelled from school.” Newt managed a grimace. “Theseus is the successful son, while I’m the disappointment of the family.”

“It’s not as if having a top position on the government was a requirement to be successful.” Tina protested, indignant. “You have another kind of career. I mean, you’ve traveled the world to specialize in a field that hasn’t been much explored until now. You’re writing a book. That’s remarkable. How is that a disappointment?”

Her utter outrage felt like a balm, and his eyes watered slightly. What did it matter everybody else’s opinion, his schoolmates, his coworkers, his family? Why would he care when someone as wonderful as Tina believed he was doing something worth it, important even? Newt inhaled, composing himself before speaking again.

“It’s not just that. Theseus has all the qualities most people consider sensible: He’s outgoing, knows how to move on social gatherings and everybody finds him agreeable. I’m too inept for that kind of thing. And working with beasts most wizards consider dangerous hasn’t done me any favors. Most people believe I’m a lunatic.” he told her. “I’ve never minded my brother being the golden boy, to be honest. I wouldn't know what to do with all the attention he receives anyways. But sometimes it makes me feel...”

“... Invisible?”

“Yes.”

“I do feel like that with Queen most days.”

Newt stared at her in wonder. “You’re the one with the big career.”

“But Queenie has always been better with people. Even when she was little, she had this way of charming everyone around her. She is beautiful and charismatic and sociable. I’m too cold and standoffish to be considered good company, and I give too much importance to my work. Almost every person I’ve ever met prefers Queenie to me. My career is the only thing I have.”

Tina referred to the subject with a resignation that was hard to witness. She was beautiful and charismatic. Not to mention intelligent, kind, and compassionate. Why would she think so little of herself? He wished he dared to tell her that. He did not, of course. He settled for something safe.

“I don’t think you’re cold. Or standoffish.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “I don’t think you’re a lunatic.”

“Thanks.”

Tina’s shy grin gave him some courage, and he decided to say something he had been thinking about for days now.

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?” she lifted her eyes from her mug to look at him, waiting.

Newt looked down. “Actually, it's... A favor,” he murmured. “It seems wrong to ask for anything but...”

“Newt,” she interrupted. “You helped me get my job back. And that’s just today, you’ve done many other things for me this week. If there's anything I can do for you, I'll be more than happy to.”

“It's not as if you have to...” Newt fumbled, embarrassed. “I don’t want to put it like I’m expecting you to pay back…”

“It’s not that, but I’d like to do something to show you I’m grateful.”

Seeing he was about to argue, she hurried to change her approach. “Ok, I won’t do it to repay you,” she promised. “I’ll do it because I want to help you. That’s what friends do, remember? They help each other out.”

“Yes, well…”

“And I’m your friend.”

“You are, but…”

“Then tell me what it is about.” Without being unkind, her tone left no room for discussion. “Please?”

Newt recognized the lost battle. He had started speaking, it was too late to step back. Tina was waiting for him.

“As you know, I’ve been working on my book for a while.” he started, careful with his words. “I send information to my publisher on regular basis, so he can see the progress. We’ve been trying to come up with the best structure, to make it more accessible to all readers, from someone who has some knowledge of magical beasts, to someone who has never heard of them. The text, the pictures, the order…”

Tina nodded, attention focused on him.

“I haven’t shown my work to anybody else,” he told her, his eyes meeting hers. “I was wondering if you could take a look at it? Tell me what you think?”

“You want me to read your book?” It seemed that whatever request she was expecting, it was not that. But it mustn’t had been unpleasant, because her face lit up.

“Just a few pages would do,” he assured, hurriedly. “I know you like to read, I noticed because you had many books, and Queenie also mentioned it in passing once or twice, so I thought maybe you would be…” he stammered. "If you don’t have the time, don't feel obligated to. You must be busy, starting work tomorrow and all.”

“I'd love to read it, Newt!”

“Really?”

“Of course,” she exclaimed, looking excited. “I confess I've been wanting to read it. I didn't think you'd want to share it.”

“I'd like to share it with you,” he declared, sheepishly. “I value your opinion.”

Tina looked endeared by his words, and gifted him another of her special smiles. “Thank you.”

“Again, if you’re busy…”

“Don’t worry about it.” she dismissed his concern with ease. “I’ll make myself some time.”

Nodding awkwardly, Newt stood up and went to one of his desk drawers, to take out a worn-out leather diary. Tina followed, and stood behind him, prying from over his shoulder. He had to swallow down sudden nerves.

“Here,” he said, turning around. “I’m still working on it. This is a draft, so you’ll find field notes and an assortment of loose papers. It’s far from ready.”

Tina left her cup on the desk, next to Newt’s, and took the notebook from his hands. He was rendered a little breathless. He trusted Tina, and it was not the first time he had left his work in her hands. But this was not in a life-threatening situation, it wasn’t necessary by any means. He wanted to.

Newt had invested so much time and effort, put so much of himself into those pages, that the thought of people reading, judging it, was scary. Tina reading it was scary. It was important for him that she liked it. What if she found it terrible, a waste of time?

No, Tina wouldn’t think that. Tina didn’t think his work was a waste, or that he was a failure. She had said so. She was smart, and her observations would no doubt help him make the book better. It was the right choice.

“Is it ok?” Tina was watching him in earnest. “Have you changed your mind?”

Newt shook his head. “It’s like I told you, I’ve never let anyone see it. It’s difficult.”

“I understand. Thank you for trusting me with this.”

“I have a lot to improve, I’m aware of that. I…” his voice trailed off slightly. “It's not perfect yet.”

“Let's make a deal,” she proposed, taking in his anxiety. “I'll start reading your book, but I won't speak of it until I'm finished. Then we can sit together and discuss it. Would that be alright?”

“That’ll be…Yes, we can do that.”

“I can't wait to read it.”

You can also find this chapter in AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/36348679/chapters/90620767

Her good mood decreased when Abernathy came to receive her. He accompanied Tina to her desk, to tell her he expected she had enjoyed her brief “vacation”, but that there was a lot to do.

The desk was crowded with stacks of papers so high they were unstable. Not willing to give her boss the triumph of seeing her upset, she maintained her most neutral expression as she sat down, making as if she didn't mind being there for a month putting all that in order. Even though people in the office usually took advantage of her efficiency to make her do extra tasks, she had never faced such a lot.

He had done it on purpose, of course. When Queenie or some of the other employees were ill or took the day off, he made sure somebody else handled their paperwork. But he couldn't do that for Tina, who had never taken a day off ever since she started working in the Wand Permit Office. Instead, he had let a week's worth of paperwork accumulate on her desk.

The week of freedom had done little to prepare Tina for the harsh disappointment of being back to her old life. If anything, it was making the experience more bitter. For the past days, she had taken part in an investigation. Less than ten hours ago she was walking around Newt’s case, tending to magical creatures.

For a moment, she had let herself believe that things were falling into place. That her life could be, not only bearable, but something to be excited about. She had felt more herself than she had in a very long time.

But the fantasy had to come to an end: She was still a Wand Permit Office employee, and Newt was leaving on Thursday. She had to wake up and face reality again.

“Back to normal, Goldstein.”

Resigned, she got to work. She was lucky to be so good in her modest desk job, for it was what prevented Abernathy from sending her to serve coffee or clean the bathrooms. It wasn't great, but it could be worse. Tina always reminded herself of that.

Queenie dropped by around ten, bringing a very welcomed cup of coffee for her.

“How's it going?”

“What do you think?” she answered, crossly. “I'm sure that the last half of this pile here was supposed to go to Ruby. But if I say something, Abernathy will say I'm lazy, or whatever. Maybe Newt has some creature we could feed this idiot to.”

“If he doesn't, he'll go find one for you,” Queenie giggled. She sat on the edge of her sister's desk and leaned in with purpose. “Are you going to see him in his case again this afternoon?”

“I don't know,” she said, absent-minded, still concentrated on the paper in front of her eyes. “I have to finish all of this, or I'm not going anywhere for the next month.”

“He's gonna be waiting for you.”

Tina raized her eyes and found the legilimens suggestive look. “Oh, stop it, Queenie,” she exclaimed.

“He likes you. And I know you like him.” Queenie accused her.

“Of course I like him, he's nice,” she told her, matter-of-factly. “Why would I not like him?”

“I mean like like.”

“How old are you, twelve?”

“C'mon, I know you noticed as well.”

“What?”

“That he stares at you all the time.”

Of course, Tina had. She had caught him staring several times during the past days, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. But Queenie was putting it under a light too exaggerated to her liking.

“It's not like that. I think that's the way Newt is,” she justified. “He's trying to figure me out. Studying me, as he would do with a creature. It doesn't mean anything.”

“Teen, I have to break it to you: Men don't stare at women they don't like,” Queenie said, in the tone someone would use to explain a fact to an obstinate child.

“Newt’s not like most men, Queen.”

“I know, but you can see his change of attitude.” the other insisted. “When we met him he hardly talk at all, and he wouldn't make eye contact. In a matter of days, he talks to you every chance he has and looks at you like you're the only thing that exists in the room.”

The statement made Tina's cheeks burn. It wasn't as much as that, was it?

“Yes, it is.”

“That's not fair, he talks to you a lot.” Tina tried to fight back, weakly.

“Yes, but when you're around he doesn't pay attention to anything else,” Queenie remarked. “And he thinks such nice things about you.”

“I don't want to know Queenie!” she blurted in a scandalized whisper, looking around in fear of someone in the office hearing that. “And you shouldn't be telling me. He's your friend, why wouldn't you let him keep his privacy?”

“Teenie, even if I couldn't hear him, it's obvious. Anybody could tell by looking at him.”

Tina remembered Newt's uneasy expression when Queenie had come into the case the day before. Had she said something to him?

“I was just making conversation, Teenie.”

“Queenie don't you dare teasing Newt about it,” she said, serious. “I know you're kidding, but he is shy. If you insinuate something like that he is capable of staying in his case for the rest of his trip.”

“He won't, trust me,” Queenie dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “And I didn't imply anything about you, just so you know. I barely told him that you had loved the first visit to his case a lot... “

“You what?”

“... because he needed reassurance.” she completed, unbothered by her sister's horrified expression. “He was under the impression you had put up with him out of kindness.”

“I said I had liked it, and I thanked him for showing me around. Why would he think that?”

“But you were so formal with him the first few days,” Queenie reminded her. “Now that you have loosened up a bit I think he understood you go visit him because you want to. See, I said nothing wrong.”

“Still, I don't like you talking with him about me,” Tina shrugged, uncomfortable. “I know you mean well, but sometimes you are...”

“I'm what?”

“Too indiscreet.”

“Tina, you're as obvious as he is,” Queenie laughed. “I love teasing you, but seriously: You're enjoying his visit a lot, and we both know I'm right.”

“No, you're not,” she replied, stubbornly. “You have a big imagination.”

The legilimens rolled her eyes. “If you say so.”

“You have to admit that your tries to set me up with men have always been fruitless,” Tina pointed out, already bored of the conversation. “Give up, I'm a lost cause. But please, don't meddle into this friendship I've managed to make.”

“You’re not a lost cause. You haven’t found someone you could fall in love with yet.” her sister told her gently. “You have so much to give Teen, don’t hold yourself back.”

Tina shook her head. “Why are we even talking about this?”

“Of course, in this case, the man in question comes with a package deal.” Queenie continued, ignoring her. “When I imagined the perfect suitor for you, it never occurred to me that you could end up being the mother of a ton of magical creatures.”

The ridiculousness of the statement tore a chuckle out of her sister.

“Queenie, listen to what you're saying.”

“What if it ended up being true?” she ventured with a mocking smirk. “Oh, I could tell this story to your kids.”

“You're a seer as well now?” Tina giggled. “What kids? You should be a novelist. See the story you're making up out of scratch.”

“What's so funny?” Abernathy appeared at the side of her desk, interrupting the women's conversation

“It's nothing, sir,” Tina said immediately, her laugh dying.

“It must be something interesting, seeing as is keeping you from doing your work,” he remarked with a smile that pretended to be kind. “You shouldn't be entertaining your sister.”

“Me?” she asked, taken aback. She had barely looked up from her paperwork in the last two hours, and it was all too clear that it was Queenie who had come to talk to her, and not the other way round. But of course, she couldn't say that. “I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again.”

“Oh, Mr. Abernathy, it's my fault.” Queenie interfered with her most disarming smile. “I needed to remind my sister of a commitment she has this afternoon. She's so focused on the work that she forgets about things like that sometimes.”

“There's no stopping you, is it?”

“I see. What a pity she has so much paperwork to finish today,” he answered, delighting at the thought of ruining her plans. “Let's hope she manages to get it done in time to keep her commitment. Or otherwise, that it's nothing that can't be postponed.”

Queenie kept smiling, and Tina didn't miss how her boss' eyes traveled up and down her body. Anger and indignation welled up inside her.

“Damn idiot.”

“Anyways, I have coffee to serve,” Queenie grinned, hearing her sister, and thinking of a way to take Abernathy away from her as soon as possible. “Would you like a cup Mr. Abernathy? I'll make it extra special for you.”

Unable to do anything else, the man followed the witch’s graceful figure down the corridor.

It took Tina ten minutes to concentrate again. It was always the same: Queenie got out of it by batting her eyelashes, while she was probably going to be stuck there until dinner time. But she wouldn't want the kind of attention men lavished on her sister in a million years. Queenie deserved so much better than those disgusting looks.

Tina's quill moved over the paper, filling form after form in quick succession, with the skill of a person who has been doing the same for years. She lingered on a few reports that needed more careful development and tidied them up in neat piles.

Queenie left a hot dog on her desk before heading home, with an apologetic glance. Tina ate it without tasting it, and kept working.

After lunchtime, she had gotten to the simple tasks, like filling forms and sealing documents. It was the most methodical part of the job, and the one she had come to like best, for it left her mind free to wonder.

Away from Queenie's curiosity, she allowed herself to think about the day before, the best of that crazy week so far.

She had been anxious about going inside the case again. What if she was disturbing her guest? What if he didn’t want her there every day, and she was imposing? But Newt had put her at ease from the beginning. He was surprised but pleased to see her.

It was clear to her that the man wasn’t very good with social interactions, but then, she wasn’t either. He was trying to talk more, which she found endearing.

The conversation had been wonderful. Even though she possessed a very spirited and active mind, Tina had always been one to speak little. Losing her parents so young had made her reserved and cautious with the ones surrounding her. It was difficult for her to form attachments with people.

Trusting someone enough to have a meaningful conversation was new. She had always placed her trust in Queenie, but her sister had almost full access to her mind, whether Tina wanted it or not. Over the years, she had gotten more and more used to not talking, growing permanently silent.

Newt couldn't look inside her head, or fish for long-gone memories. She had wanted to share her thoughts with him, of her own free will. It was strange that she could have that kind of relationship with a person she hadn’t known for long, but it felt natural.

He had shared a lot too. For his way of speaking, she got he wasn’t used to that either.

Tina knew her sister had a point when she said Newt’s attention was on her. Not that he got on bad with Queenie; she rather thought he enjoyed spending time with both of them at dinner. But for some reason, she seemed to be his favorite. She couldn't deny that having someone who preferred her over her sister was flattering.

She felt his eyes on her constantly, following her every movement. Not like men stared at her at the office, like she was a nuisance. Not like men stared at Queenie. He looked at her with a mix of admiration and wonder. It made her nervous, but it was far from unpleasant.

Not that she believed for a minute in Queenie's theory that he was interested in her in any way that wasn't friendly. But the fact that her sister kept insisting on it was curious. Had she seen something inside his head? What did it mean that he thought nice things about her?

She was almost sure he had come to appreciate her company, otherwise, he wouldn't have invited her to come into the case whenever she wanted. Tina got a warm feeling every time she thought about it. Newt wasn’t one to care about social conventions, so if he had invited her, it must be because he wanted her there.

It made sense. Their conversation about their respective school days had made her realize how similar they were. He was a lonely person, just in the same way she was. It was only natural for them to feel drawn to each other, without it necessarily having to mean anything else. Queenie was too romantic, she decided.

Maybe if she hurried, she could still be home in time to help him finish the feeding rounds. Even if she didn’t manage to, the next day was Sunday, so she could spend the whole afternoon in the case.

“Goldstein.”

Abernathy’s irritating voice cut her happy thoughts. The man was coming through the corridor towards her, urgency in his step. What had she done now?

“I’m almost done with the forms from Wednesday, sir.” Tina started. “I’ll have the others…”

“Never mind that now,” he interrupted. “You’re required at Madame President’s office.”

That couldn’t be good. The witch swallowed. “What is it about, sir?

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough, don’t keep the president waiting.” he demanded, impatient.

Tina made her way to the top floor with the feeling her stomach was twisted in knots. She had no idea what time it was, but for the light on the hall, it might have been mid-afternoon. It was hard not to lose the track of time while being trapped in a cellar all day. She was aware of other employees watching her in the elevator, but she had no energy to care.

What did the president want with her? Had she found something incorrect in one of her reports? Had she decided to fire her, now that she had gotten what she needed from her? If Abernathy was pleased, it had to be bad news.

Pickery’s secretary indicated her the president was waiting, so after a second of hesitation, she entered the room.

The president’s office looked as she remembered it. Tina had been there only once, with the motive of her demotion. She tried very hard not to think about it.

Pickery was sitting at her desk, a file in her hands, and an untouched cup of coffee by her side. “Goldstein.” she greeted her. “Take a seat.”

“Yes, madame President,” Tina mumbled.

“I’ve been reading all of your reports today. I have them here.”

“Is there something wrong with them, ma’am?” she asked, worried.

“No, not at all. You did a good job,” the president must have noticed the uncertainty in Tina’s eyes because she added. “You’re not in trouble, Goldstein. I've made a decision that concerns you today, and I wanted to communicate it to you personally.”

A little tension eased from the young shoulders. “Oh.”

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll go straight to the point. Your assistance, along with Mr. Scamander's, was key in Grindelwald's capture. You have also contributed to the case with valuable information.” Pickery began, leaning on the desk. “I have to admit that you were on the right path when you spotted that young boy. I ignore what was the thing that draught you to him, but your instincts were right. You did well.”

“Thank you, ma'am.” The president was recognizing that she had been wrong. It wasn’t a direct apology, but Tina wasn’t expecting one, so it was good enough.

“All things considered, I believe your intervention deserves a reward.” she made a pause, for effect. “The Investigative Team could do with more people like you right now.”

Tina’s eyes shot wide open. “Madame President?”

“I hope you'll consider it.”

“You want me to go back to my old position?” she inquired, needing to hear it plainly.

“No, I want you to be part of the senior team.” Pickery clarified. “Grindelwald's capture is part of the solution, but he has several followers, and the situation with the obscurial is concerning. MACUSA needs someone to follow that from up close.”

“I can't believe...” Tina was overwhelmed. “I don't know what to say.”

“You can say that you'll be here on Monday, first thing in the morning, ready to start.”

“Yes, of course, I will.”

“I want to be clear, Goldstein: I'm giving you a second chance.” the president warned her. “I won't give you another.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Tina agreed, making to stand up. “Thank you so much.”

“One more thing before you go. I'm aware Mr. Scamander is staying with you and your sister.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

If the president thought it improper for two single women to give shelter to a man with a magical suitcase, she didn't say it. Tina decided not to get in the particulars unless she was asked to.

“I think it'll be a very convenient solution for everyone if you could be the one to keep an eye on his suitcase,” Pickery indicated. “I'll like the daily examinations to be your responsibility for the rest of his stay in New York. You will report on that to Mr. Kleeman.”

“I can do that, ma’am.” She couldn’t believe her good luck. Not only was she being promoted, but also given the chance to spend more time in the case. More time with Newt. She hoped her cheerfulness wasn’t too obvious to Pickery.

“Perfect. That would be all, then,” she said, checking her clock. “I suggest you go clear your desk before going home. You will be assigned a place in Major Investigation on Monday.”

Tina stood up, bursting with excitement. She had to get home, tell Queenie and Newt.

“I won't disappoint you madame president.” she promised, “I'm so grateful for the opportunity.”

“I hope so,” Tina saw the president hesitating for a moment before speaking up again. “You must know Goldstein, there was someone that came directly to me to advocate for you.”

“For me?” her brow furrowed in confusion. “Who?”

“Mr. Scamander.”

Tina was shocked. “He... Did he?”

“He took the chance to give me his opinion on the subject during our short reunion on Thursday. He was quite eloquent, I must say.” she continued, observing her employee’s reaction. “I take you were not aware of that.”

“No, indeed ma’am…I was not.” Tina stammered.

“I found his interest surprising myself, but he is a peculiar man after all.” the president concluded. “Now, go get your things, Goldstein. And send me Natalie on your way out, would you?”

----------------------------

Weeks later, Tina would remember the hour that followed that meeting as a blur. She had a faint recollection of giving the news to Abernathy and of clearing her desk, but her mind was far away from MACUSA.

It was getting dark by the time she left the Woolworth Building and headed home. As she usually did when she needed to think, she took the long way to her apartment. The night air would help her to clear her head. She was happy but restless; she wasn’t sure how to react.

He hadn’t mentioned it. But doing something nice and not taking credit for it sounded like the kind of thing Newt would do. It also explained why Queenie keep saying that he liked her: She knew about it. Newt was uncomfortable with Queenie because he was aware of that. Had her sister confronted him? Had he requested her to keep the secret? That was likely. Otherwise, Queenie would have spilled it the second she found out.

Newt having this attention with her showed so much kindness, and care; a real wish to see her well. That he had taken the time and the work to talk to the president for her benefit was more than she could have ever expected from him. She felt seen, and the novelty of it made her feel off-balanced.

Curiosity was consuming her. What had he said to the president? She knew she would never dare to ask him. Asking Queenie would be like betraying Newt’s confidence, so she couldn’t do that either. Would he prefer to keep it a secret? What would he say if she stepped up and thanked him? If she gave him a hug?

Tina blushed at the thought. No, that would be too much. It would make him uncomfortable. And it was another thing she would never dare to do. But she wanted to show him that she was grateful somehow. She decided she’ll let him know she was aware of his actions, and let him say about the subject as little or as much as he preferred.

Mrs.Esposito was taking out the trash when she arrived, so Tina didn’t get to reach the middle of the stairs before being directed some questions about her day, much to her impatience. Today, she expressed her concern about Tina coming home so late.

The landlady was a good woman, though cranky and sometimes nosy. She imparted a strict vigilance in both her tenants, even though they had never given any trouble.

Mrs. Esposito didn't approve of young unmarried girls being called on by men, especially if unchaperoned. She had established a set of rules that Tina had never had a reason to break before. She knew the lady was trying to look out for her and Queenie, but her mistrust had irritated her more than once. Did she believe she had a line of suitors eager to pay her visits? Who the hell did Mrs. Esposito suppose she was gonna bring?

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would be smuggling a man inside the apartment daily. Or that she'd be so happy to do so.

She endured Mrs.Esposito for a few more minutes. As soon as she felt it was polite to say her sister must be waiting for her, she escaped upstairs.

When she opened the apartment door Queenie was already waiting for her, a radiant smile on her face. Tina ran straight into her open arms, nearly hysterical in her happiness.

Hi! This chapter was supposed to be half about Tina, half about Newt. As I didn't have time to finish it today, please accept this shorter-than-usual just Tina chapter. I'll post the rest as soon as I'm done with it. Besides, I watched the new trailer yesterday and I'm feeling really underwhelmed, so I think a little Tina is the appropiate thing to cheer up right now. I just uploaded it on AO3 as well https://archiveofourown.org/works/36348679/chapters/90620767

Like the previous morning, he had breakfast with Tina and Queenie, and then the three of them apparated to MACUSA premises together. Tina had lingered before getting into the elevator to instruct him on how to get past Mrs.Esposito, since they wouldn’t be there to let him in, and wish him a good day.

The same two aurors he had met the day before followed him inside the case, both as terrified as the last time. The niffler attempting to steal one of the men’s pocket watch didn’t help. The auror tried to maintain composure, but he was jumpy for the rest of the “examination”. Half an hour later, Newt was free to go, to everyone’s relief.

After coming back to the apartment, he got straight into the suitcase, ready to spend some quality time with his creatures. The past days had been busy, and there were plenty of things that needed to be done.

The day went by quietly; he did his usual rounds, feeding the creatures and cleaning the enclosures, making only a short pause to eat some lunch. It looked like things were going back to normal for him. Except for the fact that he kept checking on the clock with peculiar obsessiveness. He wondered if Tina would come downstairs after work. Probably not. She was bound to be kept working late again, and she would be too tired when she came back. But he could still see her for dinner, and he was looking forward to it.

She had promised Pickett she would visit him soon, so she was planning on coming again. He was eager to show her around some more, and also anxious to hear about the outcomes of his meeting with Pickery. Had the president made a decision yet? Had she talked to Tina about it?

Newt finished all his chores faster than he had anticipated and decided to use the time to reorganize his supplies and his shed. He was running low on certain potions and ingredients, and some shelves needed to be cleaned. He got into the activity for what appeared to be a long time, but when he threw a look at the clock again, dinner time was still hours away.

Impatient, he sat down to work on his book. Most of the information he had collected was documented in his journal, but he had many sketches and notes laying around and he had to sort through them, something he never got the time to do. He remembered Tina had liked his sketches.

What would she think of his book? Would she like it? She must be an avid reader, since she was the owner of the majority of the books in the small apartment, as far as he could tell. The volumes he had seen were on charms or defensive spells, some novels, and he had also noticed one on occlumency. Judging by that, he concluded she was interested in a variety of topics, so she might enjoy learning some more about magical creatures.

He managed to revise and classify a decent amount of the papers, but the long sessions of desk work always left him a headache. To vary the occupation, he started to prepare the creatures’ meals, despite the evening rounds not being for another hour. He laid all the buckets in a line a few meters away from the shed, and started to fill them in the usual order: Every creature had a ration according to the species, weight, and condition; so the task required some concentration. He was so absorbed in it, he didn’t hear a pair of careful feet walking downstairs until the guest made herself notice.

“Newt?”

The man raized her head, startled, and found Tina shyly staring at him from the door of the shed.

“Tina, you’re home already.” he grinned at her, feeling a strange nervousness taking hold of him. Tina stood where she was, as though waiting for his permission to step into his world. She had come after all. He had to say something, be welcoming. “I imagined you wouldn’t be here for at least two more hours. I’m glad they didn’t keep you working so late again.”

His smile and his words seemed to encourage her, for she came closer. “I knocked, but I guessed you wouldn't be in the shed, so I let myself in,” she explained, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. He had perceived she tended to do that when she was nervous or self-conscious. “I hope I'm not bothering you.” she added, looking anxious at the thought.

“Of course you don’t bother me, quite the opposite…” he replied in a rush, almost letting the bucket fall in his haste of making it clear. He managed to straighten it in the last second, but a good amount of pellets fell in all directions, making him blush. Newt wished, not for the first time, to be able to behave like a normal human being. “What I mean is that you are welcome to come here whenever you like.”

He realized that his words had surprised her. He was surprised himself, but as soon as he said it he knew he meant it: He wouldn’t mind at all if she came more often. In fact, he would like it.

Tina rewarded him with a big smile. “I'll keep that in mind then,” she said softly, sending the pellets back to the bucket with an effortless flick of her wand. Her gaze traveled through the line of buckets before turning to him once more. “I was promised bowltruckles yesterday, but I see you're busy now. May I help you with something?”

“I was preparing things for the feeding rounds, but it's early. We can pay a visit to the bowltruckles now if you want,” he told her, wiping his hand with a cloth. “Pickett, Tina’s here.”

The bowltruckle's head popped out of his pocket, chirping in delight at seeing the woman. Newt extended his arm, gesturing for Tina to take him.

“Hi, Pick.” she greeted, taking him from Newt’s hand and brushing his fingers in the process. It was a mere moment, but the contact produced an unknown tingling sensation on his hand that lingered even after she took hers away. It felt soft, just as demiguise fur would. Had it happened the last (and only) time he had touched her hand? He wasn’t sure. He had the sudden urge to observe it from up close, trace it with his fingers, and discover where those tingles had come from, see if it happened again. The pale hand was now holding Pickett, oblivious to its magical effect. The bowltruckle was sitting on it, having a chat with Tina.

“You've made quite an impression on him,” Newt commented, hiding his hand behind his back, clueless as to what to do with it.

“He's made an impression on me as well,” she declared fondly, showing the creature to the pocket of her light coat. “I came prepared today, and I have enough room for you. Do you want to stay in my coat for a bit?”

Pickett was happy to comply.

“Shall we…? The tree?”

“I’d like that.”

Newt guided her through the habitats, just like her first visit. That day she had been in a permanent state of alert, unnerved by the alien environment. This time she seemed to be more at ease, excited even. Her eyes wandered around, curious, and brighter than he had ever seen them.

“Queenie may come for a bit later,” Tina said suddenly. “She wanted to finish the dress she was sewing. I hope she does come, it might cheer her up.”

“She’s been sad because of Jacob, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, she…Did she say something to you?” she inquired, anxious.

“She mentioned Jacob yesterday. It was accidental, and for a moment she was…” he didn’t know how to explain it. “But before I could say anything she just…went back to being happy again, as nothing had happened.”

Tina sighed. “She’s been doing that a lot. Queenie’s not like that, she’s usually very open with her feelings,” she continued. “She hasn’t talked to me either, and I’m getting worried.”

“She might need some time. I’m sure she’ll open up when she’s ready.”

“I guess.” For a second he thought she was going to tell him something else, but she bit her lip and stayed silent. Somehow he knew that his words hadn’t been of any use. He sensed that Tina’s concern run deeper than she was letting through, but she didn’t wish to share it. He wished to help her, but he was aware giving advice wasn’t his strong suit. So even if Tina confided him her troubles, he wouldn’t know what to tell her. What he could offer was some distraction and comfort in his world, and that he was decided to provide. He made up his mind to make sure Tina had a good time while she was there.

The bowltruckles’ tree was bursting with activity, pairs of green limbs moving around, climbing, and playing among themselves. A waterfall of chirps welcomed them into the space.

“Hello.” Newt extended his arms and the six bowltruckles climbed up. “I brought a visitor today. This is Tina.”

The small heads turned to examine her, emitting chirps of curiosity. Tina, who had stayed behind him, moved closer.

“You want to go say hi?”

Before the creatures could move, Pickett climbed out of Tina's pocket to stand protectively on her shoulder, chirping in distress.

“Pickett, Tina can have as many friends as she wants. She’s not only yours.” Newt scolded. “What did we say about getting jealous?”

“That’s right Pick, I want to meet everyone,” she told him, with her most gentle voice. “Can you introduce me? Please?”

Pickett didn’t like it one bit, but at Tina’s insistence, he addressed the other bowltruckles, inviting them to join in. Two of the creatures moved through Newt’s arm and climbed onto Tina’s. She kept her arm stretched, afraid to move and make them fall.

“Hi, there.” she smiled. “Who are these two?”

“The taller one is Marlow, the other is Poppy.”

Encouraged by them, the others went to watch this new human from up close. Tina tried to stay immobile as they walked over her shoulders and head, played hide and seek in her hair and dip inside her pockets and her collar. She observed with interest the way they interacted with each other. Newt admired her tact to get Pickett to engage with the others.

“I think Tom got caught in my hair. Won’t you help him Pick?”

“There’s room for two in my pocket, you can go play there if you like. Pickett can show you the way.”

“I’m sure Pickett would like to join the game, right?”

As serious and reserved as he had come to know her, she was now smiling openly. He thought, once more, that she looked adorable like that, comfortable and free.

“There’s one at the back of my head that’s tickling me and I can’t move.” she sniggered, addressing Newt. “Help.”

“Oh, yes sorry.” he stepped up and produced a squealing bowltruckle out of Tina’s hair. It was silky and had a faint smell of lavenders that was very pleasant. He could understand why the bowltruckles liked it. “Very funny, mister.” he admonished, pulling Titus over his own shoulder.

“I should be starting with the feedings.” he communicated her, apologetic. “But you can stay here with them if you want.”

He caught the disappointment in her expression, and he felt disoriented. What had he said now? He revised his behavior of the last fifteen minutes and he came up with nothing. Maybe she preferred to go back upstairs, or didn’t want to remain in the case alone with the creatures?

“You don’t have to stay.” he blurted out, earning a confused look from the woman. “No, that’s not…what I mean is that you are welcomed to stay, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” he finished with a hopeless stutter.

Tina bit her lip, looking hesitant. “Actually… I was wondering if I could go with you?”

“To… do the feeding rounds?”

“I would like to meet the rest of the creatures,” she explained, uncertain, as to if expecting him to refuse. “I promise I won’t slow you down.” she quickly added. “I can even help if you tell me how. And if it’s not too much trouble for you, of course.”

“Not at all, you can come to help me if you wish,” he reassured her, “Or watch. Whatever you prefer. I thought you would be too tired, so I didn’t…”

“I’m not tired at all,” she said immediately.

“Then I’d appreciate the help,” he repeated, joyful. He hadn’t dared to invite her, but she had asked for it herself. That was good. "Everybody, back to the tree."

Various disappointed chirps were heard, to Tina's amusement.

“Why don't you stay Pick?” she suggested, with an innocent tone that was very convincing. “We’ll do the feedings and we come back for you later.” To Newt’s amazement, the bowltruckle accepted.

“What do we have to do first, Newt?”

“I usually start with the erumpent, she's the one who gets more impatient,” he informed her. “From there we could do the augurey, the knarls, and the graphorns. And we go from there.”

“Sounds good.”

----------------------------

An hour later they had gone through most of the creatures, and Tina's enthusiasm hadn't dampened in the least. She had left her coat in the shed’s rack, rolled up her sleeves, and showed herself ready to work.

She listened carefully to all his indications, following them with more skill than he had expected from her. Tina was still wary of some of the case’s inhabitants, but she wasn’t scared anymore. She spoke little, focused on the tasks at hand; every time she opened her mouth was to ask questions. Newt had never invited people into the case, any less had a person help him before, but her presence didn't feel invasive or uncomfortable.

He spoke about every creature's habits and meals, instructing her on how to take care of them. Her questions got him to talk about his travels, something he had never discussed with anyone before. He gave a quick account of his last year in the field, telling her various stories of his adventures and findings in distant places. He discovered another thing about Tina: She was a good listener. And it felt good, more than good, to have someone interested in what he could do. Someone who didn’t judge or underestimated his work.

Newt was in the middle of his trip to Egypt when he realized he was talking too much. Tina was standing by the occamies’ nest, contemplating one of the creatures curling around her arm, and apparently unbothered by his rambling. But Newt’s objective was to make her talk more, not focus all of the attention on himself. He had complained on numerous occasions about the condescending and self-absorbed ministry officials, all too busy talking about themselves to pay attention to anyone else. And first chance he got, he was behaving in the same disregarding way.

Tina sent him a puzzled look when he interrupted the story. “What's wrong?” she asked, taking in his flushed face.

“I was...I'm talking too much, am I not? I’m terribly sorry, I'm afraid I get carried away sometimes.” he apologized, embarrassed. “I must be boring you.”

“I don't find it boring at all,” she assured him, looking concerned. “What makes you believe that? Was it something I said?”

“No, that’s not what I…” he was making it even worse. Newt took a breath and tried to concentrate on what he wanted to say. “I know I can get annoying when I start to speak about magical creatures, I’ve been told on several occasions. I wanted to be sure I was not importunating you with my talk.”

“You’re not annoying,” she promised. “I've never been out of New York, except to go to school. And I’ve never met someone who had traveled like you; your stories sound pretty fascinating to me.”

Fascinating. She found his stories fascinating. It was so pleasing to hear her say so. “Just for school? You never had to travel for work?”

“Not really. I remember I went to Washington for a conference when I was a trainee, but I saw nothing of the city. My job was always here.” she told him, getting the occamy back to the nest. “I was never assigned to cases that involved international cooperation, those were for the more experienced aurors. I always imagined I would have the chance one day, but…” she interrupted the phrase with a sigh. “So I only know New York and Massachusetts.”

“Is that where Ilvermorny is?”

“Yes. At the top of Mount Greylock,” she said. “It's a great school. I know Europeans have a very high opinion of Hogwarts.”

“Because Hogwarts is the best school,” he replied with a cheeky smile, while he fed the hungry creatures some more insects.

“How could you know? You've never been to Ilvermorny.” she retorted. “Hogwarts is in Scotland, right?”

“It is. The school grounds are wonderful, especially in spring. There's a forest, but students are not allowed to go. Forbidden forest, we called it. It’s full of magical creatures; centaurs, unicorns.”

“I’m sure the word forbidden wasn’t enough to discourage you.” she chuckled. “You were interested in magical creatures since your childhood, then?”

“It's the one thing I've ever been good at,” Newt affirmed. “And you guessed correctly, I couldn’t stay away from the forest. I got detention tons of times for going there to do research. Most of the students thought I was weird. I had just one friend, so I spent a lot of time on my own.”

He had no idea why he was telling her about that. He hadn’t talked about school in at least a decade, and he barely thought of it anymore. Newt was halfway expecting a look of pity, or a comment trying to minimize the situation, but she surprised him once more. Tina listened with a serious expression, but in her eyes, there was nothing but sympathy.

“I was the weird one at school as well,” she confessed with a grimace. “I took my education very seriously. Our parents left us very little money, and we didn't have anybody else to turn to. I had Queenie to look out for, and I was aware that as soon as school was over I would have to find a way to keep a roof over our heads. I needed to make an effort if I intended to sustain us both.”

“That sounds like a lot of pressure for a kid,” he commented, more to himself than to her. Queenie had mentioned they had lost their parents being young, but he had never stopped to consider what that must have meant for Tina, being the elder sister.

“I suppose it was, but I always knew what I wanted: A spot at the MACUSA auror training program. They only accepted people with perfect grades, and there were almost no women, so I studied very hard. My classmates thought I was distant and boring. They didn’t dare bully me that much because I was in the dueling club and I had a reputation.” she added with a proud smirk. “There was always Queenie, but she had friends of her own. She was so popular in school. All the boys wanted to date her, all the girls wanted to be her, people loved her. I didn’t want her to relinquish that just because her sister was incompetent when it came to interacting with other kids. I spent a lot of time hiding in the library.”

“The library is a good hiding spot, isn't it?” he agreed. “I had other places because the librarian didn't allow creatures. But that’s not unusual in libraries, I guess.”

He remembered vividly the afternoons when he would set his refuge in one of the school's many unused classrooms, nursing magical and non-magical animals back to health, and taking notes on their habits and preferences. Leta would join him sometimes.

He hadn’t revisited those memories in a long time. In the beginning, because they had come to be too bitter, and he was not willing to indulge in self-pity. Leta's company was welcomed at the time but left him feeling drained after a while. Queenie was right about her being a taker, but he had never been capable of hating her for it. Leta was hurting, and time had made him realize her pain was one he could not cure. Years had gone by, and the memories had become something distant, not fitting in his busy everyday life. But he had kept her picture, the last object that tied him to the only human friend he had ever known.

He imagined he was back in one of those dusty classrooms, a young Tina sitting by his side with a book in her hands. Both of them studying hard to follow their dreams, but keeping each other company. Perhaps Tina and Leta would have understood each other as well, for they both knew what it was like to be without the support of a loving family. It would have been nice to meet her back then.

“What's on your mind?”

“I was just thinking it's such a pity we went to school on different sides of the world." his comment sounded out of nowhere. He tried to clarify. “We could have been friends. You know, be the weird kids together.”

His reasoning brought a flick of some unidentifiable emotion to her eyes, but it was gone before he had managed to catalog it. She pursed her lips, in thought.

“Well, I don't know. Back then, I didn't associate with troublemakers,” she declared, playfully turning up her nose at him. “You would have corrupted me.”

Newt chuckled at the unexpected answer. “Or you would have brought some sense into me, who knows? To be fair you get in trouble pretty well without my help, though.”

“How dare you?” she chorted, magicking away some specks of dirt in her white shirt. “And I doubt I'd be capable of getting some sense into you even now that we're adults.”

“I was slightly more docile as a kid, the possibility was there.”

“But even if we had been in the same school we may have not known each other.” she reasoned. “We are some years apart, I think?”

“Hadn’t thought of that. I'm twenty-nine.”

“I'm twenty-five.”

“So when you started school I was around fifteen or sixteen,” he said thoughtfully. “Yes, maybe the age difference would have been a problem.”

“Maybe,” she muttered, a smile on her face. “Shall we move on to the next enclosure? How many creatures do we have left?”

“Not many. Let's go feed Dougal first, I haven't seen him since morning. Then we have to take care of the niffler and the mooncalves and we're done.”

Tina nodded and started to pick the buckets. He didn’t know what impressed him the most: Her energy to work and deal with the creatures, or her willpower to put up with him alone for so long. Not only was she comfortable, but also eager to keep the conversation going.

“Tell me more about Hogwarts,” she asked while they were walking. “How is it like? Some things in Ilvermorny were based in that school of yours, I believe.”

“Well, there are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin; named after the four founders. Students are selected depending on their qualities and aptitudes, and each house is represented by an animal.”

“Which house were you in?”

“Hufflepuff. It values hard work, patience, and loyalty. What are Ilvermorny houses like?”

“They are named after magical creatures: Pukwudgie, Horned Serpent, Wampus, and Thunderbird.”

“I didn’t know that. How come America has a ban over magical creatures, but they named their school houses after them?”

“Things were not always like this,” she explained. “The founder was Irish. She grew up hearing about Hogwarts, but could never attend herself. The school was named after her parent's house. She, her husband, and her two sons each picked their favorite magical creature for the houses, and each one of them represents a part of the wizard. I was a thunderbird. It represents the soul, it’s said to be the house of adventurers.”

A thunderbird. A creature known by being intelligent, brave and noble. It sounded like Tina.

Before he could get carried away by those thoughts, he identified a presence close to his leg.

“Dougal.” he murmured. “We've got you dinner. Show yourself please.”

The creature materialized a few steps from Newt, his expressive eyes focused on Tina, questioning.

“You remember Tina, right?”

In all answer, Dougal approached the witch and gestured for her to take his hand. Tina did, careful not to startle him.

“He did this thing with his eyes again,” she whispered to him, frozen in place. “Do you think he saw something about me? About my future?”

“That's possible,” he whispered back. “But whatever he saw, it can be bad if he's reacting like that.”

Tina sat down on a rock, and Dougal followed her, making himself comfortable by her side. She offered him her hand full of insects and watched fascinated as the demiguise picked one at a time, and brought them to his mouth with a slow movement.

“This will take a while,” he moved to stand near the rock, hoping they could speak some more. “He likes to savor his food.”

His closeness made Tina snap out of her trance. “You were telling me about Hogwarts.”

“I would like to hear more about Ilvermorny as well, if you don’t mind” he requested. “How are you selected for the houses?”

“There are four statues, one for each creature. We stand in front of them and wait for one to react. If you are selected by more than one statue you can choose where to go. The thunderbird statue moves its wings when it wants a student. How do you get selected in Hogwarts?”

“We have a sorting hat, it…”

“A hat?” she interrupted, incredulous. “You're selected by a hat?”

“At the beginning, each founder selected the kids they considered worthy and took them as students. At some point, they decided to enchant the hat together, to make sure future students would be divided according to their personal preferences after their deaths.” he narrated, enthusiastic. “Every year, during the opening banquet, first years sit on a stool, and the hat is placed on their heads. It knows where to send them in a matter of minutes. Then he announces it to the whole school and they can go sit with the rest of their house. But the hat’s desition is irrevocable, it doesn’t give anyone the chance to choose.”

“You have to admit our statues are more impressive.”

“An intelligent hat is pretty impressive.” he protested. “I bet the founder of Ilvermorny didn’t think of that.”

Tina rolled her eyes good-naturedly, watching the creature finishing his food. “Sure, whatever you say. Was it tasty Dougal?”

The demiguise held her gaze for a moment and then pointed his finger to the side of the rock. Both Newt and Tina followed his indication, but it was him who spotted what the Dougal had found first: Something black, curled like a ball.

“What are you doing there? You’re not trying to steal Tina’s locket again, are you?”

Seeing himself discovered, the niffler came out of hiding and gave a squeak. He approached Tina, sniffling her calf.

“I was wondering if I would see you.” Tina smiled. "I have a gift for you.”

She reached into her shirt pocket and took out a golden earring, shaped like a flower, with tiny pearls in the center. She came down from the rock, sitting next to the niffler, and offered the small ornament to him.

He immediately grabbed it and hid it into his pouch, as if waiting for her to change her mind. When he understood the woman had no intention of reclaiming it back, he approached her again, nuzzling her fingers. She caressed the creature's shiny black fur, under Newt's enchanted stare.

“You didn't have to...”

“Oh, it's fine. Queenie lost the other one weeks ago, so I asked her if the niffler could have it,” she replied. “Figured it would be the most infallible method to make friends with this one.”

The niffler must have heard her, for he climbed onto her lap, and curled against her shirt. He had never done such a thing before.

“I would say it did work.”

“The first time I came down here he wasn’t scared of me either,” Tina told him, scratching the niffler’s stomach, and he changed his position to allow her. “I thought it was rather odd because I was a total stranger to him.”

“Animals have good instincts. He knows you’re good, so he trusts you Tina.”

Tina’s hair was a little disheveled, her shirt, despite her best efforts, was stained, and her shoes were covered in dust. Her eyes were wide opened, as full of wonder as a child’s would be, while she petted the creature on her lap. It was a lovely picture. At that very moment, she looked lovely.

“Newt? Teenie?” Queenie’s voice made them both jump.

“Queenie,” Tina exclaimed, lifting the niffler into her arms so she could get up. “We’re here!”

A minute later, the younger Goldstein’s blonde curls came in sight. “There you are! And what do we have here?” she gestured to the niffler in her sister’s arm.

“He liked your earring a lot, so now I have a friend,” Tina answered, happy. “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“Did you have trouble finding us?” Newt asked. “I should have asked Dougal to stay in the shed to show you the way, I’m sorry I didn’t think of it.”

“It wasn’t a problem, I followed your thoughts,” she commented, nonchalantly. “You’re loud.”

“I…Am I?” he stuttered. Did that mean she had heard what she was thinking about Tina?

Queenie’s smile suggested just that. “Oh, don’t you worry about it, honey! You know, I’ve found shy people’s minds are usually the loudest. Teenie is pretty loud too. Besides, your thoughts are always so nice…”

“Queen, I don’t think he wants to share the workings of his mind right now.” Tina interrupted, staring severely at her. “We’re not done with the feedings.”

“Tina was helping me with the creatures,” Newt mumbled, self-conscious. “We were about to go for the mooncalves. Would you like to join us?”

“Sure.”

“Can I bring the niffler?” Tina asked. “I believe he’s dozing off. I don’t have the heart to put him down.”

“You can. I have to warn you, though: There’s a chance he’s feigning sleep to steal from you.”

You can also find this chapter in AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/36348679/chapters/92471428

“I’ll be careful, I promise.” she laughed, scratching the furry head. “Let’s go then. You’re gonna love it, Queenie!”

Hi! I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update. I've had this chapter completely written and waiting for edition for two weeks, but no time to sit down and do it. The good news is I have chapter 5 halfway written, so let's hope I can post it sooner.

By the way, the last two chapters were centered on Newt, but we're going back to Tina next time.

He liked Tina and Queenie. They were both keen on making him feel comfortable, including him in their conversation and asking questions about his creatures and his case. Having people show interest in his work was a novelty to Newt, but that didn't mean it was unwelcomed.

Queenie sometimes made him uneasy with her mind-reading abilities, but she was so bubbly and charming that he couldn't be upset over it. She talked to him as freely as if he was an old acquaintance, never getting impatient by his awkwardness. And her food was delicious.

Tina, on the other hand, was more difficult to read. Since her visit to the case, she looked at him with newfound respect, but while she was very kind and welcoming, she was not as doting as Queenie. Her manners were far more reserved than her younger sister's, her attention to him more formal.

But what he had taken as condescension in their first meeting, now he had a strong suspicion it was mostly shyness and the habit of not sitting well with people. He could relate to that. The genuine interest she revealed with her questions and the speed at which she absorbed the information made him aware she was curious and intelligent. By the end of the first day of his visit, Newt was intrigued by her.

It was obvious that the sisters' bond was strong, despite them not being at all alike. He noted that Tina was very protective of Queenie, and she was mindful of how her thoughts affected her. Even though she scolded the legilimens for reading her mind, Newt realized she appreciated the closeness it brought with it. Queenie looked up to Tina but also tended to mother her, making sure she ate enough food or reprimanding her for working too much.

When Newt stepped into the living room that morning, he wasn't surprised to see Tina already sitting in front of her breakfast. She looked as if she had not slept; her face was pale, and she had dark circles around her eyes. Still, she smiled at him as he sat down, and pushed the plate of toast towards him.

“We're in for a long day, I'm afraid. You better have something in your stomach,” she advised. He observed she wasn't eating much herself. She seemed to be making a big effort to swallow her coffee.

“Newt's right. You have to eat as well.” Queenie intervened, coming from the bedroom. She also grinned at Newt in greeting. “I'll bring you some tea, honey.”

“Don't read his mind.” Tina reproached her.

“Sorry Newt, I do it out of habit.”

“It's alright,” Newt murmured, sitting down.

“I'm not pestering him.” Queenie protested, staring at her sister.

“Don't read mine either.”

“There’s nothing I can do, it’s like you’re screaming at me,” she retorted, passing Newt his cup of tea and falling in the seat next to him.

Tina sighed. “I know, I'm sorry Queen, I'm insufferable this morning.”

“You're nervous, but it's all gonna be good. Try to eat, would you?”

Newt drank his tea in silence, watching Tina discreetly. She took some toast from the plate and started to eat it in tiny bites, just to please her sister, her gaze fixed on the opposite wall. She stayed like that for the next ten minutes, without saying much. Queenie made some efforts to make conversation, but in vain. Then Tina happened to glance at her guest and caught him staring.

Newt looked away, blushing. “I...We can be going if you want.” he stammered. “I'm done with my tea, and I don’t have an appetite either.”

“Yes, that would be for the best. I can't sit still, and I don’t want to give Queenie a headache.” Tina said, standing up and reaching for her coat and hat.

“Oh, I'm fine. I'll see you later.” Queenie came over and gave her a light hug. “Good luck to you too Newt.”

“Thanks.”

Tina walked downstairs first, to make sure Mrs. Esposito wasn't around and gestured for Newt to follow her. They managed to get through the front door, and into the cold December air, without being noticed.

“I was thinking…Maybe we can walk for a few minutes?” Newt suggested, eyeing Tina’s colorless face. “Take some air.”

“Not a bad idea, I could do with some air. And it’s early.” Tina accepted. “The next apparition point is about ten blocks away. We can walk there.”

Tina remained silent for the first half of the trip, lost in thought. He remembered how smiling and talkative she had been the day before in the case. Right now, all her features revealed tension.

As worried as he was about her state, he took the unique opportunity to study her without impediments. Her features were soft but had character. Her lips were pink and thin; they showed more when she smiled. He liked it when she smiled. Her eyes were cast away from him, but he hadn't failed to notice the color and the expression the previous day. Dark, fierce, but also very warm and with a permanent hint of sadness. They reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Her hair was short and a little messy, now hidden by her hat. American fashion, perhaps? He didn't know a thing about hairstyles, but the way it framed her face was suiting.

She was pretty, objectively speaking, wasn't she? Newt wondered. And yet, she carried herself as if she wasn't aware of it.

It wasn't common for him to pay so much attention to humans. They were far too complicated for his understanding and much less interesting than magical beasts could be. But there was something mysterious about Tina, that picked his interest.

“Tina.”

The woman turned to him, startled. She seemed to have forgotten he was there.

“It's going to be fine. The creatures escaping was my fault, I'm telling them the truth,” he promised. “You won't be in trouble.”

She managed a faint smile. “You're very kind. But I don't want you to get in trouble either.” she observed him with curiosity “Aren't you scared of the consequences of what happened? I believe that given the circumstances MACUSA will go easy on you, but won't you have problems with your Ministry once you're back in England?”

“I've been a nuisance to the Ministry ever since I started working there, I'm used to it,” he told her, without giving it much importance. “Besides, worrying means you suffer twice.”

This time around she giggled and shook her head. Making her laugh gave him a strange satisfaction. “That's my philosophy.”

“Why doesn't it surprise me?”

“Well, there are certain things that can't be helped. Why take such pains with them?”

“And getting in trouble with the authorities is one of those inevitable things, I take?”

“Apparently it is for me.”

“And government officials don't impress you much either, as far as I’ve seen.”

“I don't have much regard for people who think the law is over humanity. So I don't care if they approve of me.”

“Laws are made to protect people,” Tina stated her tone one of seriousness.

“Yes, but most of the time those same laws are used to oppress the more vulnerable ones. It’s not unusual for people of power to ignore those who need them.”

Newt had a brief moment of panic taking in Tina's frown, but when she spoke, her voice had no edge. “I'm not saying laws can't be used to cause harm or to chase personal interests. But there are people with good intentions, that can use the law to make the world a better place.” she lit up as she spoke, her voice suddenly full of purpose. He wished he could listen to her talking for a while. “That's why I wanted to be an auror, I think the law can make a difference for the reality of many.”

His attentive stare must have inhibited her because she fixed her hat nervously. Her face was flushed by the exercise and the discussion. “The apparition point is right there.”

Newt followed her into a discreet alley and offered the witch his arm bashfully. “Whenever you’re ready.”

With her cheeks a little pink, Tina held on to him, taking the lead. A second later, they were no longer there.

--------------------------

Despite the commotion of the past days, MACUSA’s lobby was back to its normal rhythm. Newt became aware of some people staring at him and Tina as they walked by, but the woman just ignored them.

“We still got over half an hour, let's get your wand permit first,” she suggested, getting him into the elevator. “Abernathy doesn't come in until eight, if we hurry we can avoid him.”

“It had seemed to me you weren’t fond of him the other day,” Newt commented, remembering how she had practically thrown herself behind her desk to hide from him.

“That’s an understatement. He’s the typical mediocre guy, that thinks he is going to climb up ranks by being a toady with the superiors. He loves to believe he has authority, so he takes every opportunity to boss me around in front of the other employees ever since I was demoted.” Tina said spitefully. “He has made my job here a nightmare. And he’s constantly salivating over Queenie, it’s disgusting.”

As Tina had predicted, the offending individual wasn’t in sight. The whole office was quite empty, as he could see when they walked through the place to Tina’s desk.

“Take a seat.” with a flick of her wand, the papers covering the desk tidied themselves, and made enough room for them both. “This won’t take long, I'm gonna ask you some questions. You know, name, country, a wand description.”

Opening one of the desk drawers, she took out the form, back to her business-like self. “Alright, let's start with full name.”

“Newton Artemis Fido Scamander.”

If she found his name amusing, she didn't let it show. Tina wrote it down carefully, muttering every word under her breath.

“That's why I go by Newt.” he clarified.

“My full name is Porpentina,” she confessed with a grimace. “I'm in no position to judge you. Now, residence?”

Tina asked and wrote every piece of information in her small and neat handwriting. He observed her pale and delicate hand holding the quill. It was soft as well, he knew that much from those few minutes that hand has been in his. Her other hand came up to her face once in a while, to remove a rebel strand of hair that kept falling out of place.

“That would be all,” she declared fifteen minutes later, sealing the document. “Congratulations, you're here legally now.”

“I am. At least until the president kicks me out, what is bound to happen in about twenty minutes.”

“I’m sure it won’t be as bad as that.” she sounded more hopeful than convinced. “Let’s get going.”

The Investigation Department was buzzing with activity, aurors, and secretaries running around carrying paperwork, and organizing task forces to check the no-maj neighborhoods.

As soon as they step out of the elevator they were accosted by a stern-looking man in a black suit.

“We were waiting for you two,” he said as only greeting. “Goldstein, you go with Avery, I'll be there soon. We have questions for you.”

Tina gulped. “Yes, Mr.Kleeman.” Newt could tell she was intimidated but determined to keep her ground. She stayed where she was. “What about Mr. Scamander, sir?”

“The president wants to speak to him right away.”

Tina glanced at Newt, concern evident, but nodded and headed in Avery’s direction as commanded. As she walked away, she turned to him again and muttered the words “Good luck.”

“Follow me, Mr. Scamander,” Kleeman ordered, watching his suitcase in suspicion.

The president's office was on the top floor of the Woolworth Building. Pickery sat behind a magnificent carved-wood desk, concentrated in a pile of reports. She stood up to receive the magizoologist.

“Mr. Scamander.”

“Madame President.”

“Please, take a seat. I see you brought your suitcase with you.”

“Yes. I’ve reinforced the protective spells to make sure there won't be any other incident.” Newt assured her. “Miss Goldstein was as kind as to check on it, and suggest more protective measures, just to be on the safe side.”

Fixing the latches would require some careful revision, so he had settled for a string, and strengthened it with every charm he could think of. Instructed by Tina, he had also confectioned a list of all the creatures living in the case. She had advised him to show himself as cooperative as possible; that way he would have the chance to negotiate. Newt took the list out of his coat pocket and handed it to the president.

“These are all the creatures that came to New York inside my case. I'm willing to let someone in to corroborate that the information I'm presenting is veridic, but I'll be more comfortable if I could be present to prevent any problem.”

“That'd be useful; we'll take care of your suitcase later,” she told him, taking the list and leaving it aside. “I called you to my office because I wanted to discuss a few things regarding yesterday's events.”

“We have strict policies when it comes to magical creatures, Mr. Scamander. Compromising the National Statute of Secrecy is a major infraction, one that is severely punished. Under normal circumstances, I would impound that case and you would be deported with effect immediate.” Her tone was so severe, Newt didn’t dare say a word. “But I can’t ignore your participation in the capture of Grindelwald. I also can't ignore that it was your intervention that contained the exposure of the magical world. We owe you a great debt.”

“The British Ministry has been informed of the whole situation, but we're not presenting charges against you.”

Newt blinked. That was more than he expected. “Thank you, Madame President.”

“Provided, of course, that you collaborate with the investigation.”

“Certainly.”

“And about that thunderbird you brought… As I've said before, we have strict policies, but I’ve become aware that some changes need to be made. I'm intending to promote a protective order on thunderbirds.”

His eyes widened. “You would do that?”

“Yes, Mr. Scamander. But for that, I have one condition.”

She waited for the man to nod, before continuing. “It has come to my knowledge that you're currently writing a book on magical creatures. MACUSA’s goodwill can only go so far; wizards going sightseeing or looking for those creatures are a danger to the Statute of Secrecy, and I can't encourage that.” she paused. “I would want the American beasts not to be included in that book of yours.”

Newt thought about it for a moment. He didn't like the idea of leaving any creature out of the book. He had devoted hours to investigation and wanted it to be as complete as possible. But it would be for a good cause, and he could see that Pickery was acting in good faith.

“I understand Madame President.” He said after a minute. “I agree to your condition. You have no idea how much good you’d be doing. I appreciate it.”

“I'm glad.” she offered him a polite smile. “Now, if you had no further question, I think the Investigative Team needs your testimony.”

Newt nodded. He was about to stand up when he had a sudden idea.

“Actually Madame President, there’s a subject I'd like to bring to your attention, if I may.”

“Of course.”

“It's about Miss Goldstein.”

The president seemed surprised but made a gesture to indicate she was listening.

“You see Madame President, she didn't receive fair treatment.” he blurted. “She arrested me as soon as the first creature escaped but nobody paid attention to her. When she brought me in again she was accused of betrayal and almost murdered by Grindelwald. As far as I know, she lost her job for trying to stop an injustice.”

“Miss Goldstein broke the Statute of Secrecy by attacking a no-maj…”

“Excuse me, Madame.” he interrupted. “But had she been allowed to help Credence, maybe Grindelwald wouldn't have been able to manipulate him, and many deaths could have been avoided.”

The truth of that couldn't be denied, and Pickery pressed her lips together.

“Miss Goldstein told me today that she became an auror because she believed that law can protect people, that making a difference is possible.” Newt continued, emboldened. “In all honesty, I don't have the highest idea of aurors as a whole, but knowing she risked the career she worked so hard for to protect someone who needed her... It makes me believe too. Many aurors could learn a thing or two from Miss Goldstein's compassion and courage.”

“Where are going with this, Mr. Scamander?” the president asked impatiently.

“I was hoping you would consider reappointing Miss Goldstein as an auror.” Newt concluded. “She is wasted in the Wand Permit Office. You have a witch of proved potential, sealing passports Madame President.”

It was evident that Pickery would have loved to kick him out, judging by the cold stare he was giving him. Not that Newt minded; he had said what needed to be said.

“I will consider it, Mr.Scamander.” the president answered at last. “Now, unless you have more…suggestions, I have some other business to attend to.”

“Of course Madame President. Thank you for your time.”

----------------------------

Walking up the stairs as quietly as he could manage, Newt made her way to the apartment. Only then did he take off the disillusionment charm he had cast out of precaution and knock on the door. Queenie opened so fast he was sure she had heard him coming. She hurried him inside, making sure the landlady hadn't become aware of the guest's presence.

“How did it go? How come Teenie did not come with you?”

“She was still needed. But we were interrogated separately, I only saw her for a moment.” Newt explained. “She looked more relaxed than this morning.”

“I'm glad.” Queenie was relieved. “And what about you?”

“It came out alright after all.”

The day had gone between long hours of interrogation and the revision of his suitcase. That last part, though being the one he was more apprehensive about, proved to be more entertaining than he has expected. The two young aurors assigned to do the job were terrified by the beasts, and would not come close enough to get a proper look. Newt doubted those two would have been able to tell an erumpent from an occamy anyways. He had caught a glimpse of Tina, immerse in a discussion with Mr.Kleeman and two other men, but he didn’t have the chance to talk to her.

“That's good to hear,” Queenie walked back to the table, where she was occupied with the mending of some clothes. “You must be hungry. Did you stop for lunch at all?”

“No, there was no time for that. But before anything I should tend to my creatures, I'm afraid I'm quite late for feedings.”

“Go ahead. Teen may be back for when you're done and we can get have some tea together.”

But when Newt finished the feeding rounds, about an hour later, there was still no sign of Tina. Queenie was already busy preparing dinner.

“Do you think they'll keep her for much longer?” he asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

“I don't know. But it would not be the first time she works till late.”

“May I help you with dinner?” he offered.

“Oh, there's no need honey,” she smiled at him. “I can handle it on my own.”

“I'd like to. I'm not that bad in the kitchen, I could be of some use.”

“If you insist, you can chop the onions,” she passed him a knife with a smirk.

Newt observed the progress of the meal. “Are we doing it muggle way?”

“Mugg...oh, you mean without magic!” she exclaimed. “Yes, I thought it would be a good distraction while I waited for Tina.”

Queenie added some vegetables to the cooking pot. “So, tell me about your day at MACUSA. You said it went well?”

“Yes, it was not as bad as I expected. I did as Tina said last night, and I think I gave a good enough impression.” Newt started, as he chopped with careful movements. “The president said they wouldn't present charges.”

“You had a meeting with the president?”

As hard as he tried to conceal the content of the short interview, he couldn't help but let the memories of it cross his mind. It took Queenie a few seconds to snatch the whole story out of his head, and she gasped in shock, dinner forgotten.

“Don't read my mind.”

The woman was exhilarated. “Your thoughts are going too fast, and the accent makes it harder, I can't get all... Please, tell me everything about it.”

Newt sighed. He knew it was a matter of time before she found out; his occlumency skills were not amazing. “I just... I had a word with the president regarding Tina's situation.”

His confession and his recalling of the moment provided Queenie with even more information. She was in awe. “You called her brave and compassionate. You told the president she was a role model. And you meant it.”

“Well, yes I...”

“Oh, Newt! I can't believe you did that!” Queenie was moved. “Wait until Teenie knows about it, she is going to be...”

“Don't tell her.”

“But why not?”

“Pickery didn't agree to give her job back, she said she would consider it. I wouldn't want to raise her expectations beforehand. Besides...” Newt was unsure how to explain it. “I'm not sure she will appreciate my intromission.”

“Of course, she will! I know Teen can be headstrong sometimes, but she loves her job more than anything.” Queenie assured him. But the man’s alarmed expression convinced her to back off. “Alright, I won't tell her…yet. But if she does get her job back I'll make sure she knows you got a hand in this.”

“Sounds like a fair deal.” Newt agreed.

"Thanks, Newt," she said heartily.

“You don't have to...”

“Yes, I do,” Queenie cut him off. “You know, I'm concerned about Teen. She's always worried about something: About me, about her job, about money.”

She stirred the stew as she talked. “I understand being an auror means a lot to her but...” Queenie sighed. “She is young! I would like her to have fun once in a while, to meet people, to make some friends. Ever since her demotion, she has been even more hectic than usual. If it wasn't for my legilimency I wouldn't even know what she is feeling, because she doesn't talk about it.”

“She talked a little yesterday,” Newt told her, trying to make a useful contribution to the topic. “She said she was worried that being involved in all this Grindelwald affair would put her in an even worse position in MACUSA...”

“You made my Tina talk?” Queenie interrupted, impressed.

“I... We were chatting about other things and the topic sort of came up,” he explained, blushing. “That's why I saw fit to say something to Pickery. I don't know much about MACUSA's policies, but Tina seemed to believe she was going to be punished when she did nothing wrong. The president humiliated her even though she was on the right trail all the time. The least she could do is reconsider Tina’s demotion.”

“I'm sure the president loved it when you put her on the spot like that.”

“I tried her patience very much. I just hope I didn’t make it worse for Tina.” It hadn’t occurred to him until that moment that his actions could go in her prejudice. “What if I’ve harmed her by opening my mouth?”

“Hey, don’t worry. You did it with the best intention, and you had good arguments.” Queenie soothed him. “The president has her issues, but she’s a fair person.”

Neither of them spoke for a while. Newt felt more distressed by the second. What if the president took her anger with him out on Tina? What if he had ruined her only chance of getting her career back after all she had done for him? Tina had helped him to find his creatures and to handle MACUSA. She had received him in her home, been kind to him, and even made the effort to spend time in his case and learn about his beasts.

“You know, Teenie liked it.”

Queenie's words brought him back to reality, but he wasn't sure what she was talking about. “Excuse me?”

“When you invited her into the case yesterday. She really liked it.”

“Did she?”

“Yes. She wouldn't stop talking about it.”

“Oh.” Newt felt a slight warmth spreading through his body. She had liked it! A person had liked his case and his creatures!

“Don't say that. I liked it too. And Jacob, he…” Queenie stopped, biting her lip. She had not mentioned Jacob to him since they had parted, but he suspected that her insistence on cooking without magic had something to do with that.

“I miss him too.”

“I know,” she murmured. But she shook her head and put on her cheerful mask again before he could try to comfort her. Which was lucky, because he wouldn’t have known what to say to make her feel better. “Anyways, I'm glad you and Tina are getting on. Teen is not one to have many friends. I don't get why; she can be a little intense sometimes, but she is a loving person once you get to know her. Maybe the problem is that she doesn't let people get close enough to see that.”

“I'm not very good at making friends either. Human friends, I mean.”

“You two have a lot in common.”

“Yes, I suppose we do in some way.” Now that he was thinking about it, he realized she was right. That must be the reason he was so comfortable around Tina.

He raised his eyes, and saw Queenie was smirking in a particular way, looking at him as if she knew something he didn't. He was about to inquire on the subject when the woman's expression changed.

“Tina is coming.”

Newt hurried to the window and saw Tina's figure reaching for the building's door.

“Can you hear things from that far?”

“Usually no. But Tina's thoughts are so familiar, I could distinguish them in a crowd of thousands.”

A minute later, they heard slow steps coming upstairs. The lock squeaked, and the witch in question appeared at the doorframe, looking exhausted. And also surprised to find both Newt and Queenie hovering over her.

“How did it go?” Newt beat Queenie to ask.

“Well enough, I think,” she yawned as she got out of her coat. “They interrogated me for hours. Kleeman needed all the information I could give him about Credence and his background; he’ll be in charge of the department for now. There’s an operation underway to find Mr.Graves, but Morrigan knows what Grindelwald has done with him.”

Without saying a word, Queenie came over to her, taking her arm and conducting her to a chair.

“I’m required to hand in a detailed report about the event tomorrow.”

“Never mind that now Teen. First, you need to eat.” she interrupted, putting the plate of stew in front of her.

“This smells great Queen,” she commented, accepting the plate. “What about you Newt? How did it go with Madame Pickery? Kleeman said they were not presenting charges against you.”

“No, indeed. It went well,” he muttered, avoiding Queenie's gaze. “Pickery said she would consider putting a protective order on Thunderbirds.”

“A protective order?” Tina was astounded.

“Yes, I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t,” he confessed. “Let me help you with that, Queenie.”

“That’s great news,” she exclaimed, following his movements as he carried the missing plates to the table. “I was hoping Madame Pickery would make an exception for your creatures, but I didn’t expect this from her. I’m so glad. And this stew tastes like heaven, you outdid yourself this time Queen.”

“Thanks, Teenie. Newt assisted me in the making.”

“You barely let me do anything.” Newt protested. “The credit is all yours.”

He perceived that Tina approved of his initiative. She took a few more spoonfuls from her plate, then turned to Newt again. “By the way, how's everybody in the case today?”

He felt pleased. Queenie was telling him the truth, then. “They are all quite well. The erumpent's leg is much better, and the niffler hasn't stolen anything.”

“That’s good.”

“I've been having some difficulties with Pickett though. He refuses to go back to his tree.”

An offended chirp came out of Newt's pocket. The bowltruckle took his head out and addressed Newt, furious.

“We agreed that you were going back to the tree as soon as I was done with the feeding rounds, but when I tried to leave you there, you made scene again.” Newt scolded him, but the creature kept talking back. “He says it’s a lie, and that I'm making him look bad in front of you.” He translated for Tina and Queenie.

Pickett climbed out of his pocket and landed over the table. He came closer to Tina and continued chirping, his arms pointing accusatorily at his caretaker.

“I don't understand him much, but I think he is complaining about you.” she sniggered.

She spread her hand, hesitant, but Pickett climbed up right away. Newt didn't miss the amazement on Queenie's face at seeing her sister’s handling of the situation.

Tina held her hand close to her eyes to take in the tiny features. The bowltruckle changed his tone to a questioning one.

“What is he saying now?”

“He wants to know if he can stay with you because he can't stand me right now,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“I don't mind Pick, but I'm afraid I don't have pockets,” Tina told him, charmed by the request.

Pickett understood, for he moved across her arm and sat on her shoulder. From there, he blew a raspberry at Newt, making both Tina and Queenie laugh out loud.

“A beautiful display of your good manners. Then I'm the one who makes you look bad.”

Tina straightened her back so the bowltruckle could be comfortable, and kept eating dinner.

“Why doesn't he like his tree?” Queenie asked, observing Pickett.

“He has a complicated relationship with the other bowltruckles. He can be picky with food and with sharing his space, and the others are not very accommodating,” he explained. “It's my fault, I've spoiled him too much.”

“Do you have more bowltruckles?” Tina inquired.

“Yes, Titus, Finn, Poppy, Marlow, and Tom,” he answered, delighting in her interest. “I can show them to you tomorrow if you want.” the words left his mouth without permission.

“That would be nice,” Tina accepted immediately. “I'd like to meet Pickett's friends.”

From his shoulder, Pickett let out another sound of distaste.

“They are not your friends? And is the term 'fellow bowltruckles' acceptable?”

She looked adorable talking to Pickett, and he rejoiced at another chance to have Tina over in his case. She'd like the bowltruckles, and he could show her the diricawls too. Or they could visit the rescued occamy.

He was already pondering the different possibilities when his eyes stumbled with Queenie's amused smile and he felt color rise to his cheeks.

“I mean, I can show both of you,” he added in a rush. “You're invited as well, Queenie.”

“Sure Newt,” Queenie teased.

"You said earlier that it was good we get on well. I thought...Is it not alright?”

His confusion made the legilimens laugh. “I’m messing with you, of course it’s fine. You two could use a friend.”

Newt thanked Merlin that Pickett was holding all of Tina's attention, because the exchange went unnoticed by her. Watching the bowltruckle playing with her hair, he decided there was nothing he wanted more than to be her friend.