#fbatcog

You and Theseus nodded and you all went back upstairs to begin packing up to leave.

While walking past you, Newt had accidentally brushed your hand against his own and he felt you jump, “I’m terribly sorry. I hadn’t meant to do that. I especially hadn’t meant to startle you.” He nervously looked to the ground as he rambled out an apology, which you found to be adorable.

“No, no, you didn’t startle me. I’m sorry, the reaction I had was quite odd I suppose.” You nervously laughed.

“Merlin’s beard, this is going to be one long mission.” Theseus laughed lightly and shook his head at the painfully awkward duo.

Once you had all finished packing, you apparated to your destination. When you all had to hold hands to do so, Newt looked at you in question, making sure it was okay so he didn’t startle you again. You laughed and gave him the ok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you arrived at your destination, Newt was immediately looking for any sign of the mournful looking bird. You could tell how important this was to him. He already was starting to seem a bit frantic and you had only just started searching.

You searched for hours, not finding a single sign of the Augurey. Newt was visibly stressed.

“Hey,” you carefully walked over to him, approaching his side from behind and slowly placing your hand on his shoulder as a comforting gesture, “it was only the first location. We’ll find him, alright?” You gave him a warm smile and he sent a small smile and a nod back.

“Maybe your love for creatures isn’t the only reason the ministry sent you.” Theseus patted you on the back, throwing you off.

“What does that mean?” To be honest, you weren’t sure how much you liked Newt’s older brother.

“Not even our mother could convince him things would be alright that quickly.”

You blushed, “I’m sure he agreed just to make me leave him alone.”

“You give him too much credit. He may be smart in some ways, but he’s not so clever when it comes to human interaction. Maybe you two just have the same energy.” He smiled but you couldn’t tell if that was meant to be a compliment or not. He walked away before you could ask anymore questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After much convincing from both you and Thesues, Newt agreed on finding a place to rest for a day while you came up with where you’d go next.

After dinner, both brothers went to their shared room in the small hotel while you stayed seated on the couch. Newt walked over to grab his case and ask when you were heading to bed.

“Newt!” You hadn’t meant to sound so urgent.

He jumped slightly at the sudden urgency of his name coming from you, “yes, Y/N?”

“Sorry,’ you muttered, “would you actually mind leaving the case in here? I promise I won’t let anyone loose, I just…” you trailed off, not wanting to give your embarrassing reasoning.

“Oh, uh, I suppose I can. But, may I ask why?”

You quickly came up with an excuse and smiled, “I just want to check and make sure everyone is alright one more time.”

Newt may not be the best people person, but he did not believe you for a second. Yet he trusted you already somehow. He nodded before adding, “goodnight, Y/N. Please get some rest.”

You smiled in return, “goodnight Newt.”

“Let me get this straight, you let someone who is essentially a stranger keep the case with her?” Theseus asked purely in shock.

Newt nodded and scratched the back of his head.

“Are you sick? Did she put some sort of literal spell on you?”

Newt laughed softy, “no, I’m not sick and I don’t believe she used a spell.”

“So you fancy her then?” He wriggled his eyebrows and Newt turned red, which really was too easy to do.

“No, I just trust that she cares for those creatures and has no ill intentions.” He answered, looking at the ground. He really was a terrible liar.

“I’d still check in a couple hours.”

And he did. He went to the main room to see you weren’t there. But the case was. He went inside to make sure everything was alright. What he wasn’t expecting to see was you, asleep in the grass with a Mooncalf also asleep in your arms. As he got closer he realized you were surrounded by the Mooncalfs, who were all asleep. He smiles to himself while also having a million and one questions. He figured they could wait till morning. However, Newt being Newt, knocked a bucket over when he turned around too fast. He startled the Mooncalfs, which in turn startled you.

“Oh Merlin,” he mumbled, “I’m so sorry Y/N. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I didn’t mean to wake you, unfortunately I am quite clumsy, however and I-”

You cut him off laughing, “it’s alright Newt. Truly. I think they're the ones who need to be apologized to.” You pointed to the adorable creatures squinting at Newt.

“I’m deeply sorry. You know I would never purposefully disrupt your sleep.” He was sincerely apologizing to them which only made you laugh harder.

After he felt satisfied with his apology to the big-eyed creatures, he turned back to you, “might I ask how you managed to fall asleep with a bunch of Mooncalfs?”

You sighed, “I came down here because I’m terribly afraid of thunderstorms to be quite honest. And not only do creatures help me feel better, but the environment is quite safe and controlled in here.”

Newt bit back the small smile that was threatening to show. He thought it was possibly just as cute as the creatures who had just been resting all around you. Was Theseus right? He shook the thought away before asking another question, “do you happen to know why exactly they’re so drawn to you?”

“My mother used to raise them when I was young. Maybe they can sense that I have experience? Or they like my energy? Or maybe I simply remind them of you a bit.”

Newt tilted his head sightly in confusion.

“Sorry, it was a comment your brother made to me a couple of days ago. He said something along the lines of us having the same energy.” You nervously laughed again. Newt realized that he much preferred your genuine laugh.

“Well, it’s quite late. You can stay in here if you’d like. Or if you prefer to sleep on an actual bed and use a pillow instead of a rock, you’re welcome to take one of them out of the case, just as long as you lock your door. Or, of course, you could possibly talk Theseus into sleeping on the couch in your room. He really is much more caring than it seems. I suppose I could even-”

“I’ll just stay in here. Thank you though Newt. From the bottom of my heart.” There was that genuine laugh again. The one that was starting to give him butterflies in his stomach.

“Alright then. Goodnight, again.” He smiled and wished a goodnight to the Mooncalf that was back in your arms again as well.

“Goodnight Newt. Again.” You smiled widely.

The next morning, Theseus gave you a weird smile, but you decided to ignore it. Until after breakfast when Newt left the room for a moment and he hugged you. You stood, frozen in shock and confusion.

“He most certainly fancies you. You better be careful with him or you’ll have me to deal with.” He somehow sweetly threatened you slightly?

Newt walked in and didn’t even blink at the sight, “sorry. He’s a bit of a hugger and knows no boundaries really.”

You laughed at that before comparing him to an otter, then it was Newt’s turn to laugh and Theseus’ to turn red for once.

Upon further discussion, the three of you decided to follow the weather to Tennessee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After almost giving up five hours into your search for the Augurey, you spotted some quite odd ‘blades of grass’ sticking up behind a rock. You looked for Newt or even Theseus but you weren’t quite sure where they wandered off to. You slowly walked towards the rock, hoping and praying to any and all gods that you could come up with a plan. Without the case you had no clue how to catch the creature, but you had to figure something out. You couldn’t lose it.

You grabbed a handful of bugs and slowly walked around the rock and towards the sneaky creature. It looked up immediately. But, to your surprise, it didn’t try to fly or even run away. You held out the hand with the bugs in it. You hated the feeling of bugs crawling in your hand, but it really was the lesser of two evils in this case scenario. It quickly snatched some of the insects out of your hand, but you could tell it was also mindful not to accidentally bite you in the process.

You looked up to see a surprised Newt standing directly behind the creature with his case open. You looked at the remaining critters in your hand, then looked back at the case. Newt nodded. You quickly threw them into the case and the Augurey bolted in after them. Newt hurriedly closed the case and locked it back up. He looked back up at you with wide eyes.

“How did you know it would take those insects from you? How did you know it’d trust you?”

“I didn’t. I guess I just hoped it did.” You laughed as you visibly relaxed.

Newt laughed too as Theseus came over and asked what he had missed.

“Are you two sure you can’t just communicate with them at this point? I’m personally not convinced you can’t.”

“I’m certainly questioning her.” Newt pointed to you, making you laugh.

You and Theseus approached the maternity wing in St. Mungo's, eager to see your firstborn grandchild.

Your oldest son, y/s/n, led to you his wife's room, eager for you to meet his baby. Or rather, babies.

It was a shock to both you and Theseus when y/s/n had chosen to elope with his wife instead of have a traditional wedding. It was even more of a shock when three years later, they shared they were expecting a baby. Who was due in two and a half months.

Although Theseus was initially upset that they kept the pregnancy from the two of you for so long, you managed to calm him down with biscuits and tea, reminding him that they were grown adults who made their own decisions.

So when Theseus walked in and laid eyes on his grandchildren, a bit and a girl, he couldn't hold back the tears.

"They're going to be just as strong as their mum and dad, aren't they?" He cooed as he took his granddaughter into his arms, rocking her gently back and forth while you cradled your grandson.

Your son's wife, s/w/n, smiled as she watched the two of you with them, "They favor the two of you quite a bit, don't they? Then again, y/s/n is a pretty even mix of the both of you. Or at least I think so. Which is why we've decided to incorporate you guys into their names."

Theseus shot his head up, "I don't understand..."

"My parents died when I was very young, and you guys practically raised me when I was a child. Without you guys, I wouldn't have met this fool," She teased, looking up at your oldest son, then back at the twins, "Guys, this is y/gs/n Theseus Scamander and y/gd/n y/n Scamander."

Your heart melted upon hearing their names, and you smiled down at the twins, "Oh, s/w/n... You've made my whole year."

Theseus tried to control his tears, but it was useless, "I'm honored, truly. Thank you."

They nodded and you all enjoyed it the silence for a moment until the door burst open, your second born son and daughter bursting in wearing large grins.

Y/e/s/n glared at them, "Quiet down you two, they're asleep."

Y/d/n's jaw dropped, "They?"

As your children started rambling about the secrecy of the pregnancy, you rest your head against Theseus's shoulder.

"Darling, I think it's my turn to confess." You said in a hushed tone as he met your gaze, "I just fell in love all over again."

“You’re so excited about this, aren’t you?” Tina giggled as she followed behind Newt. They ambled up the formerly dusty path, their strides uneven as they dodged large puddles left over from the recent rain storm. The air was warm and sticky, the storm had finally moved on making way for sunshine to peek through the patchy clouds above. Newt turned his head to look back at her and flashed a toothy grin toward Tina. She couldn’t help but smile back at him as he reached back to take her hand. His enthusiasm was contagious.

“Come on,” he said as he squeezed her hand lightly.

They neared the barn, the whitewashed wood towering above them and casting them in shadow. Newt grabbed the worn, metal handle on the door and pulled hard. It slid open with a screech and cooler air smelling of straw and dust surrounded them. Goosebumps trickled up Tina’s arms in response as Newt maneuvered a large stone with his foot so that it held the door open.

He glanced over at her and their eyes met. He looked younger here, the familiar surroundings of his childhood home stripped away some of the weight he seemed to always be carrying. The expectations of the outside world didn’t apply here. He stood taller, he smiled more. Tina could see why. His childhood had been lonely, but it must have been spectacular and very different from hers.

She had never seen a hippogriff in person. For all of the interactions he had with them throughout his life, Newt never kept them in his case or his menagerie. He had told her that he had only come across one wild hippogriff in need of specialized care throughout his travels, but had been taken to his mother. Tina could see why. The barn and the vast, lush property on the Scamander estate were the perfect places for any creature to thrive.

Newt dropped Tina’s hand and bent over to retrieve a dented, silver bucket full of various dead rodents. She must have had a disgusted look on her face because Newt laughed as he looked up at her. "You get used to it after a while."

"I'm not sure I could ever get used to handling dead rats on the regular.” She glanced down at the bucket and back up to Newt, “I'm a New Yorker… I see them and I do my best to avoid them."

"There are ferrets in here as well," he said with a joking grin. Tina made a face and stuck her tongue out in mock disgust resulting in a round of laughter from Newt.

“Here,” he said, gesturing to the stall next to the door, “this is Whitewing, the hippogriff I rescued in Cornwall.”

She glided forward slowly, her eyes never leaving the eyes of the majestic beast. Once she had made eye contact, she was enthralled. “Whitewing,” she whispered, both in greeting and as a statement of awe. Newt smiled as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. She had rarely seen a beast of this size, and even more rarely this close.

The creature began to ruffle her feathers in agitation, her talons clicking against the flagstone as she stamped her feet. Tina was too close. Newt, in an instant, placed himself between the two, his body a shield in front of Tina. He reached back and gripped firmly to keep her in place, finding only her forearm. It would do.

“Whoa, whoa, now. Easy…” he said clearly as he bowed deeply. “Easy, girl. You’re alright.” His eyes were open and his gaze was locked with Whitewing’s. He felt Tina stiffen beneath his fingertips, her body was rigid and still. He knew, somehow, that her eyes were just as focused on Whitewing as his own. She had read the book, and though she had never seen a hippogriff, Newt knew that she knew the basics and that eye contact was critical. A small part of him would celebrate the fact that his book had taught basic creature safety and respect later, that his book had done what was intended after all. First, he had to ensure that they both remained safe.

Whitewing hesitated, then bent at the knee into a deep bow. Newt sighed in relief and squeezed Tina’s arm lightly. “Good. Good, so now you bow to her, Tina. Just so…” he trailed off as he stepped aside and allowed Tina to present herself.

“Like this?” she asked, her voice just barely betraying her by shaking slightly. She bent forward at the waist.

“Yes,” Newt replied, his hand sliding up her arm to rest on her shoulder. “Just like that, a little more, now look up and make eye contact.” Tina followed his directions as she waited for the creature to decide if she was worthy, if she could step closer.

It was several moments before Tina whispered to Newt. “What if she doesn’t bow? She’s not bowing.”

“She will,” he said confidently. “She knows you’re with me.” He smiled just slightly to himself. It was still new, they had only declared their togetherness days ago, but it felt like he would always be proud when he referenced it. She had said yes and he was still a bit giddy.

Whitewing bowed and Tina sighed, relaxing just slightly. Newt felt himself relaxing just a bit as well. He knew she would be safe, but the urge to protect Tina, even though he knew her to be quite capable around the creatures, was surprisingly strong. He reached down and grasped her hand, his fingers twisting between her own.