#post-cog

Tina had received a permit from MACUSA to remain and work in London and consult with Theseus’ team at the Ministry. Tina reported directly to Theseus regarding all matters directly tied to Grindelwald, Queenie, and Credence. By mid-December, there had been no new information. Tina threw herself into her work. Between searching for answers and spending time with Newt, she had little time to think of that September day when her life had changed for the worse.

One night just before the holidays, she pushed open the front door to Newt’s flat and shivered, letting the deep winter chill melt away from her clothes and her body. With a flick of her wand, her Auror coat flew to dry by the roaring fire in Newt’s cozy living room. Tina smiled when she saw the Niffler sniffing about in the hallway; the creature stopped and looked up to her, quickly scampering toward her in an excited greeting. “Hello you,” she cooed, taking the creature into her arms. “Where’s your mummy, hmm?”

Newt smiled warmly from the kitchen doorway, gazing at Tina with nothing but affection and admiration. He was reminded of the morning after Père Lachaise, when he and his companions had gathered at the fountain and Tina had so lovingly cradled the injured creature in her arms, as she would a small child.

Newt cleared his throat gently so as not to startle Tina, “I believe I was summoned?”

She smiled instantly when she heard his voice and approached him before placing a small peck on his cheek in greeting. She felt herself glowing from the inside out and reached a hand to her lips, where his warm skin had left a pleasant sensation.

Up until this point, Newt and Tina’s relationship had been less physical and more emotional. Though their relationship progressed quickly, they had explored other aspects on their own terms. Newt relished the feeling of Tina’s hand in his when they apparated to the Ministry together. Sometimes, they held on for just a bit longer than necessary. Tina would always greet Newt with a kiss on the cheek and he would affectionately push her hair away from her face, just as he’d done at the docks in New York. Yes, the physical aspect of their relationship was progressing nicely, but at times, they both wondered what it would be like to start something more; this was made difficult by the secrecy of their relationship. Their displays of affection were always private, and rarely public, so neither Jacob, Theseus, nor anyone else at the Ministry was aware of the true nature of their relationship.

“Hello there,” Tina greeted, placing the Niffler into Newt’s outstretched arms. “This fella was here to greet me when I got home.”

Home. Newt and Tina had been occupying the same space for weeks and yet he still shivered slightly whenever she referred to his flat as ‘home’. He’d never get tired of hearing that word on her lips.

“So I see…” he smirked, ushering the furry creature down the stairs toward his basement menagerie.

Tina noticed a gleam in Newt’s eyes that indicated that mischief was afoot. She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her foot impatiently. “Alright, Mister Scamander, out with it,” Newt felt a ripple of pleasure work its way down his spine when she addressed him by his surname in that commanding tone of voice.

Newt smiled shyly and threw his hands up, feigning innocence. Tina knew better. “I haven’t the foggiest-”

“Don’t you ‘I haven’t the foggiest’ me, you know exactly what I’m talking about. What are you not telling me?” She demanded to know, taking a step closer.

Newt sighed and pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his pocket, “We’ve received an invitation,” he informed her.

“Mercy Lewis, an invitation to what?”

“Read it,” he implored, handing the parchment to her.

Tina murmured quietly as she read the invitation aloud, “Mr. Newton Artemis Fido (she quirked an eyebrow at him as she read his full name...they’d talk about that later) Scamander and Miss Porpentina Esther Goldstein...presence requested...formal attire...a New Year’s ball?!”

Newt simply nodded as Tina rolled the parchment and handed it back to him. “So the ministry is throwing a party and we’re all required to attend, is this what I’m gathering?”

He once again nodded in affirmation.

“Does this happen frequently?” Tina asked, referring to the invitation.

“More often than I’d like,” Newt responded through gritted teeth.

“I suppose I’ll need to find a dress for this occasion then…”

Briefly lost in the image of Tina in a glimmering ball gown, Newt simply smiled and nodded in response.

She once again narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, laughing gently. “Come on Mister Scamander. Let’s see if we can scrounge up some dinner, shall we?”

***

The days followed quickly and the holidays passed in the blink of an eye. Newt and Tina secretly couldn’t wait for the last day of the year, as this would be their first official public event together. Though, for the sake of convenience, the couple had agreed to keep their interactions to a minimum so as not to arouse the suspicion of their coworkers and friends.

The night of the event, Newt dressed at Theseus’ house so that Tina could get ready and arrive on her own. With assistance from Jacob and his older brother, Newt dressed in a slim-fitting tuxedo and slicked back his unruly auburn locks. While giving his appearance a once-over in the mirror, Theseus came up behind Newt and clapped his hands down onto Newt’s shoulders. “She’s gonna love it mate,” Theseus said with a wink.

Newt turned to his brother, “What do you mean she…?”

“Don’t overthink it Newt, just trust me.”

Newt shook his head and the brothers turned to Jacob. “Alright youse guys, have lots of fun okay? I’ll just be sittin’ here, by myself, not enjoyin’ the festivities or nothin’.”

Newt matter-of-factly addressed their friend: “Jacob, did you really think you weren’t invited?”

The No-Maj nodded.

“You’re our guest Jacob, of course you’re invited,” Theseus chimed in. With that, the Scamander brothers outfitted their friend in a finely-tailored suit and the three men apparated to the Ministry.

***

At the same time, Tina was seated in her room at Newt’s apartment, wishing that Queenie was there to help her get ready. She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. With a wordless spell, she charmed the dress hanging before her to make its way over her head and down her lean body. Once the dress was in place, she tied the back, smoothed it out, and applied the finishing touches: a hairpiece, rouge, and dark lipstick. When she was finally pleased with her appearance, Tina apparated away, eagerly anticipating the moment when she would see her beau.

Tina gasped as she entered the Ministry, which had been transfigured into a stunning ballroom filled with chandeliers, candles, and beautifully dressed witches and wizards of all shapes and sizes. The Auror took in the sights, the sounds, and the smells as she sauntered through the crowd, in search of one man in particular. She smiled when she saw him from a distance. He was turned away from her, but she could clearly make out the forms of the older Scamander brother and Jacob facing her direction. When Jacob’s eyes settled on Tina, his jaw dropped open in surprise, while Theseus jabbed him in the ribs.

Tina approached the group of men and made her presence known to Newt by clearing her throat. “Evening gentlemen,” she paused, smiling affectionately at the three men in front of her.

It felt like an eternity before Newt finally turned around to face her. The look on his face was worth every galleon she’d spent on the dress...and more. The magizoologist looked at her with stunned silence while his companions greeted Tina and slowly moved away from the couple. Newt was nursing a glass of red wine but nearly dropped it upon seeing the love of his life. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and whisk her away from this place, away from the prying eyes of the other men in the room.

Newt would be lying if he said he hadn’t looked Tina up and down, but look at her he did. He worked his way from her hair, which was neatly coiffed with a red headband that matched her dress. Her eyes were dark and smoky and her lips were stained the darkest of reds; she was vixen-like. He then fully appreciated the dress she wore. It was fiery crimson in color and tied around her neck. Newt couldn’t believe that a simple set of strings was the only thing holding the dress to her long, lean body. It clung in all the right places, accentuating her breasts, her hips, and her exquisite legs. The dress fell low, low, low on her back and drew his attention to other parts of her anatomy that he’d not yet had the pleasure of being introduced to. Finally, the slinky number draped to the floor and skimmed over a pair of matching T-strap heels that only made Tina’s legs appear longer and more elegant. She was a masterpiece.

The Auror blushed profusely and her gaze fell to the floor in anticipation of Newt’s reaction. For a brief moment, she felt self-conscious, unsure if she should have taken things this far. After all, they’d been building up to more intense interactions, but never anything like this. Her head snapped back up when she heard Newt clear his throat several times before he could articulate his thoughts. “Tina you...you look...I can’t…bugger…”. Upon realizing what he’d said, Newt quickly covered his tracks so as to avoid trouble. “No Tina, that wasn’t directed at you...it was me...I...Merlin, Tina, you look stunning.”

Tina stepped closer, boldly placing a hand on his chest and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek in greeting. She whispered in his ear as she did so, her breath warm against his skin, “You don’t look so bad yourself.” Upon pulling away from him, Tina noted the lopsided grin and the pink blush that overtook his cheeks, causing his freckles to pop more than usual. Tina turned to walk away, but Newt quickly grabbed her hand and whispered to her, “I know we agreed to minimal public interactions tonight, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep my hands off of you so long as you’re near me.”

“Shall we put that theory to the test Mister Scamander?” Tina asked coyly.

“What do you mean?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Well, I suppose I could just -”. Tina was cut off by an unexpected voice from behind her.

“‘Scuse me, Miss Tina. I was wondering if I might be able to ask you for a dance?” A polished young man from the Auror department requested.

‘There was music playing? Bloody hell’, thought Newt. He had been so focused on Tina and her grand entrance, that he hadn’t even noticed the dancing that was taking place. Tina looked to Newt, eyes wide and questioning, waiting for him to make his move. Did he take charge and claim his lover? Or did he let the night slip away from them, with her in the arms of another man?

Newt broke eye contact with Tina and turned toward the gentleman. “I apologize, but Miss Goldstein is otherwise occupied this evening,” he stated matter-of-factly, as he gently slid his arm around her waist possessively, making sure to avoid contact with her bare skin. He firmly grasped her opposite hip and pulled her closer to him. Tina stared at him in awed surprise.

“So sorry Mister Scamander, I didn’t know,” the young man apologized, taking a step back from the couple.

“That’s quite alright...neither did I,” he responded as he turned to look at his love.

The young man faded back into the crowd without a second thought from Tina and Newt.

“Newt,” Tina whispered, “What about…”

“Shhh,” Newt responded, cutting her off. He moved a step closer, his arm still around her waist. His opposite hand reached up to gently cup her cheek. “I don’t want to hide anymore Tina. You’re not a prize to be won, but Merlin’s beard, I want to be the only man that gets the pleasure of dancing with you tonight. Especially when you look like...this…”

Tina smiled, and whispered back, “I don’t want to hide either...you’re the only one whose arms I want to be in tonight. Especially when you look like this…” she giggled, reaching up to run a hand over his gelled hair.

With that, Newt placed a hand on her lower back and guided her to the dance floor. Tina stood up straight and shivered when she felt his warm hand pressed against her bare skin. Other parts of her became keenly aware of the contact between them. Just like that, they danced, drank, and laughed the night away together, without a care in the world.

The end of the evening quickly approached and the countdown began. Just before all the muggle church bells clanged at midnight to usher in the new year, Tina led Newt to a quiet corner and apparated them to the front porch of Newt’s flat.

“Home,” she whispered as the bells sounded their last note, cheers of happy people rang out in the distance, and colorful lights filled the sky. There, in front of the space they shared, the couple had their very first (and certainly not their last) kiss. Newt leaned in and pecked Tina gently on the lips and pulled away to gauge her reaction. Tina’s eyes had grown dark and wanting as her arms wound their way around Newt’s neck and she pulled him back in for a longer, more passionate kiss.

Newt responded in kind and followed her lead. Ever the gentleman, he stopped and started again when she did. This went on for quite some time before Tina broke away breathlessly and murmured, “That was…”

Newt smiled and responded, “Wasn’t it?”, recalling a similar moment that had occurred not so long ago.

Tina laughed gently and leaned her forehead against his, letting her eyes fall closed. She felt the vibration in his chest as he spoke in a low rumble, “Happy New Year, my love.”

She kissed him gently and smiled as she did. As she pulled away, she responded, “Happy New Year, Newt.” He kissed her forehead in response.

“Now for the love of Mercy, will you PLEASE get me out of this dress, Mister Scamander?”

“I think that can be arranged, Miss Goldstein,” Newt said with a smile.

With that, he scooped her up, dress and all. He carried her to his bed, where they spent the rest of the evening getting lost in each other in the best possible way.

Say my name and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off

It doesn’t shock her. Newt explained they had all lost someone in Paris, were all were hurting when she had inquired about everyone’s dark countenance last night. Jacob seemed to be no different from any other in the group of people. Like she had with the others, the assistant tried to be kind, and help them in any way she knew how without asking too much. Afraid to make their pain worse.

“Good morning.” She replies, trying to give him a genuine smile, before finding she has no excuse to stay there and crosses into the kitchen. “I’m going to make tea, would you like some?”

Politely he shakes his head no with a half-hearted but well-meaning smile in return and moves to stand and make his way to the bathroom off to the side. That’s when she notices a reddish-brown wound on his arms under the ripped sleeve of his shirt. Or, with a closer look, it is clearly a burn. Tina, the woman Newt fancied, had a bad scald on her hands the night before, and Newt himself mentioned needing to mend his burned jacket. But did no one look to heal this man in the group?

“You’re arm, are you okay?” Bunty asks.

The man then looks at the wound she drew attention to. Moving it even looks sore as she watches him while putting a kettle of water on the stove.

“Oh, It’s nothing.” He attempts to assure her.

“Please. Let me heal it? No sense in letting it hurt. Only takes a few seconds, a spell, and it will be almost like it never happened.” Bunty insists, pulling her wand out of a conveniently large pocket.

Looking at the wound, and at her worried expression, Jacob determines it is for the best to let her take care of the wound. It had not been the most serious or severe injury and thus had been ignored in place of everyone else who had been hurt. But it was still painful, and likely dirty at this point and Newts assistant, Bunty, if he remembered correctly, seemed willing to help. Which he was thankful for, as Jacob realizes the longer he is awake, the more throbbing begins.

Sitting down, he offers his arm as Bunty meets him in the middle. Taking a good look in silence, she leads him to the kitchen table and gets to work using some warm water, a cloth, and her wand. Slowly cleaning the wound without saying anything right away. Until Bunty decided to say something first.

“Nasty little burn. Must have been horrible, what caused it.” She says. “Newt hasn’t told me much...just that it was a massacre.”

Jacob nods. Grimacing when she starts to clean it enough for the tender skin to scream at her clothed touch. Quickly, she employs her wand to soothe most of the pain as she continues to work on cleaning it. When he can speak, Jacob barely can get the words out above a whisper. “Yeah...I didn’t expect to see people die when we went to Paris. Or to see her-”

Jacob pauses to stop tears from welling up or his voice from cracking. The image of Queenie walking through sapphire flames as he calls out to her as desperately as he could. If only he’d been more understanding? Could things have been different? It could be the guilt, but the man couldn’t stop thinking if he hadn’t said what he did, his Queenie could be with them now. Logic told him there were much deeper reasons Queenie did what she did, but it still felt to him like it was his doing.

“Did someone you know join him? Grindelwald, I mean.” She asks. “Newt- he mentioned that some people left with that madman, and you all had to find them.” Jacob saw her concern and couldn’t help but be warmed. Everyone was mourning Leta or Credence. Tina, the only one who shed a tear for Queenie confided in Newt exclusively at the moment.

“Yes. My fiancée, Queenie. She...sided with him.”

Bunty stops cleaning as she thinks of a response. Now using her wand and plenty of healing charms.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Some people, they don’t turn out to be who we expect. And they can end up hurting us.” She says. “But it is not your fault. Queenie made her choice, and you shouldn’t blame yourself.” Bunty ends on a hunch that, for whatever reason, he thought it was on him that this woman, Queenie, joined Grindelwald’s ranks.

He looks at her in the eyes and finds warmth and understanding there. There is a distinct feeling she comes from a place of knowing loss like this, or something similar. For a moment, he wishes, for the first but not the last time that Queenie’s memories wouldn’t hurt him so that maybe he could explore the rush of happiness and comfort he gets from her words. Jacob manages to somewhat genuinely smile back as a sort of thanks to her.

Bunty knows he can’t understand the way her own heart shattered last night when she came face to face with the woman Newt had carried around the photo of. The one she had seen him spend hours and hours writing to. Or the way she finally had to give up hope of the man she looked up to returning her feelings. But she hopes he can know what she’s been telling herself since; it will be fine, and life goes on without them.

“Your burn should be completely healed in a day or two.” She says. Wrapping his arm in a clean bandage before quickly mending the white shirt over it.

“What is it?” Newt asked, turning his head to watch her. She met his eyes, their curious, green depths so close to her own.

“Us,” Tina said, simply. She looked out over the expanse of the habitat in front of them. She had noticed that it was his favorite and that he tended to come here often after feeding rounds to drink his cup of tea. She looked back at him, a little nervousness creeping into her voice. “This is so awkward and it doesn’t need to be. We are being silly.”

“Oh,” Newt replied, a look of hurt flashing across his face as he slowly looked down at the nearly empty cup that he had rested on his knee, “I, um...I have heard that before. I’m so sorry, Tina…”

“No! No, not...not you,” she explained, one hand lifting to softly rest on his shoulder, “Us.” He glanced at her, the fringe hanging over his forehead was allowing him to hide from her. She didn’t like that. He didn’t need to hide from her, not ever. “You like me…”

“Yes.” A whisper.

“And I like you.” Newt looked at her squarely, his hopeful expression reminiscent of the one she had seen briefly two weeks ago when they had last spoken of their feelings. “I just...I don’t know what to do next. I’ve never done any of this before.” Tina’s voice trailed off as her nerves took over her brief surge of boldness. “I just needed you to know. You don’t have to be unsure.”

Newt smiled timidly as he replied. “I am not very experienced either. I haven’t...I hoped that you would, that is to say…” He took a deep breath, then turned to set his mug on the wall behind him. He turned toward Tina again and took one of her hands in his own. His hand was warm and solid, the work-worn skin a contrast to her own. “Sorry. I want this...us...if you do. I just don’t want to mess it up.” He glanced down at their hands, his thumb whispering lightly over the skin on the back of her hand. “I know I’m not, you know…..very-”

“You’re wonderful,” Tina interrupted. She knew where his thoughts were going. The world had been just as unkind to Newt as it had been to her. He smiled and looked down, shaking his head. She squeezed his hand gently before emphasizing once more. “You are. We may not have spent all that much time together yet, but I know that you are one of the most interesting and kind people I have ever met.”

“Thank you, Tina.” Newt’s gaze traveled up to her own once more. He was still smiling. “I do want to do all of this right. I’m honestly not quite sure how to pursue someone who already knows that I am, well, very keen on them.” He chuckled lightly, leaning toward her slightly.

“You have done well so far.”

“Oh,” he blushed as he looked down to where his fingers were still brushing lightly over the back of her hand, “um, thank you.”

There was a pause in their conversation. Both looked out over the expanse of green land before them while Tina sipped at her tea. Setting it down beside her, she turned to look at Newt with determination.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“What? I don’t…” Newt looked at Tina, his puzzlement evident in the way he turned his head and the lowering of his brows.

“About you,” Tina said, clarifying. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

“Oh. Um, okay. What would you like to know?” Newt seemed confused by the request and Tina realized that he had probably not come across someone who wanted to know about him before. At least not in quite a while.

“I just want to know you better.” Tina felt a little foolish, like she was playing a game, but she was determined to push this thing between them, whatever it was, forward. They had both admitted to being attracted to each other, they had spent months writing and pining after each other. Now they had the opportunity to talk and she didn’t want to waste the time they had, however long it might be. “I figured we know most of the big things about each other, but I want… I don’t know. I guess I want to know you. Does that make sense?” Tina felt her face flush with heat and she looked down, purposefully looking away from Newt. She felt him squeeze her hand lightly where it still rested between them.

“It does.” She looked up at him and found him smiling at her. “But only if you tell me about you as well.”

“Okay.” Tina linked her fingers through his where their hands rested on the cool stone between them. Newt’s smile widened as he watched her.

“I’m not sure where to begin…”

Tina looked out at the expanse before them. “Um….alright. How about this?” Tina asked as she pointed straight ahead. “Why do you like this spot so much? You spend a lot of time here.”

“Oh. It’s designed to look like my parent’s pastureland back home. It’s where I grew up, or….at least it’s supposed to look that way.”

Tina’s eyes widened slightly. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” he replied. “I loved growing up there. It was peaceful. Plenty of room to explore and hunt for creatures.” Tina watched as he looked ahead at the green pastureland and then back toward her. “There were some sparse woodland areas and we were close to the sea. It had a little bit of everything.”

“It sounds like a wonderful place to grow up.”

“It was. I had a very quiet childhood, which was very nice in some respects. It was a bit more interesting when Theseus would come home for the summer holiday, but...I spent most of my time just running around the countryside.”

Tina smiled and her heart warmed as she thought of a young Newt exploring the beaches and trees, looking for small creatures to study and nurse back to health. She could imagine hippogriffs flying above him, grazing, playing. It was a childhood that was very different from her own, though, she realized, probably a great deal more lonesome.

“Your turn,” Newt said, pulling Tina from her thoughts.

“Um…” Tina thought for a moment before deciding what she would share. “I don’t miss New York, but I miss my apartment.”

“Just your apartment?” Newt asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I like the city, but I think a city is a city. I liked Paris and I like London for many of the same reasons I liked New York. It wasn’t the city itself that made it feel like home, it was where I lived.” Newt nodded as he listened, realization crossing his features. “That apartment is where I made memories. It was home.”

“Will you go back if you are given the choice?” Tina could hear the nervousness in Newt’s voice as he asked, and she realized that there was hidden meaning in the question. She had been thinking about her answer for days.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Not yet. There’s nothing for me there right now.”

“Except your apartment,” Newt quipped. Tina smiled.

“Except the apartment.” A beat passed before she continued. “I’ll probably have to give it up now. There’s no reason I should be paying for two places to live. I’ll have to find a place to live here while I work with your brother.”

“We’ll find you a flat, it shouldn’t take long.” Tina felt Newt slide his thumb along the heel of her palm, the work-worn skin a contrast to her own.

Tina smiled as she looked up into Newt’s eyes, they were far more relaxed now that they had been talking for a while. As if he knew what she was thinking, his green eyes flicked down to meet hers and the corners of his mouth rose in a small, acknowledging smile. “Your turn.”

“I don’t like apples.”

“How do you not like apples?” Tina asked with a laugh.

Newt shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ll eat them if it’s all that is available, and I like them in pies, but raw apples are just...they are grainy. I don’t like them.”

“Ahh.” Tina smiled. “Well, I hate peas. Always have.”

“Good to know,” Newt said with a chuckle.

“They’re mushy and very...green.” Tina scrunched her face, a look which, though intended to be silly, caught Newt off-guard. It was very cute, and he couldn’t help but smile at her look of mock displeasure.

“Hmm...my turn.” Newt thought for a moment and then smiled as he thought of something. “I have, surprisingly, only broken three bones in my lifetime.” Tina raised an eyebrow in surprise but didn’t speak, inviting Newt to continue. “I fell out of a tree when I was six and shattered a bone in my arm. My mother fixed it, of course, but I required Skelegrow because she couldn’t get it to set correctly.” Newt shuddered absently, “I can still feel it when I think about it. It was a terrible experience. Breaking bones is actually a great fear of mine now.”

“What were the other two?” Tina asked, turning to face him and closing much of the distance that remained between them.

“Um, the second was during the War. I was training a dragon, working from a broom, and she got me with her tail. I was lucky that I only broke a rib that time. I had a wicked concussion, but that was the extent of it.” Newt smiled, amused, and said “The third was about a year ago, just before I met you. I was in Congo and observing a Tebo from a distance, but I missed another that had snuck up behind me, invisible. Naturally, it came after me.”

“Naturally…” Tina remarked.

“Got me in the shoulder before I was able to grab my wand and apparate out of there. I was able to heal my arm myself, thankfully. It wasn’t a bad break. More of an inconvenience because the herd of Tebo all disappeared and I wasn’t able to find them again.”

Of course, Newt would be more concerned about not observing creatures than a broken bone, Tina thought with a grin. She shook her head at him with a smirk. He shrugged in response, reading the expression on her face, and both began to giggle softly.

“What was your favorite place you saw on your travels?” Tina asked, but Newt put up a single finger to stop her.

“Ahh, not yet. You first. It’s your turn.”

“Oh, um…” Tina thought for a moment. “I don’t know how to swim.”

“Truly?” Newt asked in surprise.

“Nope,” Tina responded. “My Papa always wanted to teach me, but he never got the chance. From then on, it just wasn’t important. I never learned.”

Newt looked down at her, his eyes showing understanding and empathy, not pity as she had expected. She was grateful for that, and that he didn’t linger on the subject of her parents.

“America.”

“What?” Tina asked, confused.

“My favorite place I went on my travels. America.”

“Oh…”

“You see,” Newt said softly, “I think New Zealand and Morocco are beautiful, the history of China was fascinating, and nothing could beat the food in Thailand…” Newt turned his head so that he faced her fully, his face inches from her own, “but the ten days I spent in New York were the best ten days of my entire trip.” His eyes were watching her, steady and unfaltering.

Tina felt her cheeks flush in realization as he finished his statement. Newt, though he seemed a man of few words at first, was bold when he wanted to be. She knew what he was trying to say, and she smiled widely at the implication. “Well,” she said softly, matching his tone, “I must admit that I enjoyed your stay in New York far more than I ever thought possible.”

Blinking slowly, Newt grinned at her words. These moments were new between them, and each time they openly spoke of their budding relationship he felt something in his chest flutter. If he wasn’t so aware of the anatomy of the human body, he would say that his heart was jumping for joy. The analogy he had read so many times finally made sense, though. It did feel that way, it seemed.

Reaching up with his free hand, Newt cupped Tina’s cheek and swiped his thumb along her jaw lightly. “You’re beautiful, Tina.”

They were very close together now. Closer than they had been in this context, and Tina could feel his breath on her cheek. “It’s not your turn,” she whispered.

Newt chuckled softly, his fingers pushing her hair back and away from her face. “That’s not a secret. It doesn’t count. You should know that already.” Tina smiled widely, and she felt her cheeks flush. It wasn’t often that she received compliments like that, and she could tell that Newt wasn’t just saying the words because that was what he was supposed to say. No man who compared her eyes to the eyes of a salamander cared about what society deemed a compliment of necessity. She knew that he meant it, and that made her feel more cared for than she had ever felt.

She lifted her free hand up and looped it lightly over his shoulder. Her fingers danced along the seam of his shirt as she contemplated her next move. She wanted this. Him. Her head told her that things were too complicated right now and that they should be moving more slowly, but her heart was done waiting. They had told each other that they wanted to pursue this. Tina knew that he was just as attracted to her as she was to him. She watched her fingers on his shoulder for a moment as she decided, then in a moment of decision she ran her fingers further until her arm was wrapped around his neck, her fingertips brushing the soft hairs at his hairline.

Newt closed his eyes at the contact and Tina felt like her stomach was doing somersaults in her abdomen. “It’s my turn,” she said softly. Newt hummed in response, then opened his eyes to watch her. The look on his face was one she had not seen before. His eyes were steadily looking at her now, something that she knew he found hard to do, and she couldn’t tell if he was afraid, overjoyed, or excited. His eyes were bright in the low light and she squeezed his hand lightly. “I wanted you to kiss me when you left New York.”

There. It was out in the open now. Newt’s eyes closed again, but this time a grin stretched across his face. “And I wanted to kiss you,” he whispered, running his thumb along her cheek again, “I just couldn’t yet. Not until I knew…”

“I know.” Tina did know. She hadn’t approached the subject before he left because it had only been a few days. She didn’t know if it would be reciprocated, and she had been scared of rejection. Of scaring Newt away.

She felt him take a deep breath, shuddering slightly as he let it out slowly. He was nervous, tense, and she could see that he was just as tightly wound as she was right now. The fingers on the hand that held hers, now resting on his knee, interlaced with hers. “I still want to,” he stated. He looked at her, somewhat nervously, through the curls that fell across his forehead.

“I want you to.”

Her whispered phrase was all that it took. The nervous tension melted away slowly as Newt considered her. The hand on her cheek threaded through her hair and rested lightly on the back of her head. She mimicked his actions, running her fingers further into his own hair and leaning forward, ever so slightly. He leaned forward, their noses brushing as he paused for a moment to check that his advances were met with approval. Tina closed her eyes, the tip of her tongue darting out to lick her lips, and that was all he needed. He leaned in and Tina felt herself sinking into the kiss.

It wasn’t passionate or long, but it was perfect. Newt tilted his head and his lips slid across hers, the angle allowing them to be closer. Tina hummed lightly, involuntarily, at the contact and she felt Newt smile. With one last short kiss, Newt pulled away slowly. His eyes opened and Tina felt her face stretching into a happy smile.

“You are wonderful,” she said, running her fingers through his soft curls. “That was wonderful.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Newt replied. “I think I’d like to do that again sometime if you would permit it.”

Tina laughed softly, grinning at him. “You can kiss me whenever you want to, you know.”

“Noted,” Newt said, his gaze darting from her eyes to her lips and back. He grinned, then slowly leaned in again.

Newt climbed the ladder of his old, beaten case, a stack of yellowed correspondence in hand. He was nearly half-way through cleaning it out after decades of research. It was time to move on, pass the case onto the next generation. His son and grandson would be taking over his work soon, though Newt felt a bittersweet clench in his chest whenever he thought about it. He was proud that they had created something wonderful between them. He worked for over eighty years to make the world better for creatures, to educate other wizards about them. He had seen protective orders, ordinances, and treaties written in dozens of countries around the world to improve their living conditions. He was proud of the work he had done. His son had continued at his side and branched off into herbology and potion testing, trying to find alternative ingredients for common potions that would not harm creatures.

Now his grandson, Rolf, had expressed interest in taking on the family business. He was currently traveling, studying creatures, plants, and whatever he fancied at the moment. He called himself a Naturalist because he was fascinated by all things in nature and yearned for the discovery of new things. Newt saw a lot of himself in his grandson. It was when he wrote to let them know that he had met a wonderful girl who he would be bringing home to meet them soon, and that he thought she might be the one, that Tina said it might be time to pass on the case.

Newt knew she was right. There were few things that Tina wasn’t right about, come to think of it, but it was still difficult to think of his case being in the care of another, even if that person was Rolf.

Newt pushed himself up and over the lip of his case, recalling how he used to run up the rickety ladder and out with ease. How fit and young he had been at thirty, though he never realized it. Time had been kind to Newt and Tina, but their bodies were not what they used to be. Years of hard work, injuries, and physical labor had seen to that.

“What do you have there?” Tina asked as she stirred the soup on the stove with her wand, her keen eyes trailing down the page of an old, stained cookbook. She glanced up at her husband as he emerged into their kitchen and placed the pile of parchment onto the table. The light from the window over their large farmhouse sink made her still-dark hair shine. Gray streaked through the soft locks that were currently pulled back away from her face into a plait that hung loosely over her shoulder. Newt still found that there were moments when she would still take his breath away, even seventy-seven years after their first meeting. He was a lucky man.

“Letters mostly,” he replied, his fingers flipping through a few of the pages on the top of the file. “I haven’t seen them in years, most are from the thirties, I’d say.” He sat down with a small grunt and leaned on his elbow, sorting the papers into piles. Tina finished adding ingredients to their dinner and joined him at the table, picking up the top piece of parchment off the pile.

“Oh, Thes,” she said with a sad smile, tracing his name with her fingertip. Newt looked up and nodded, his eyes flashing back to the paper before him.

“I know. I think most of the people these letters are from are dead now. It’s…”

“It’s hard to get old,” Tina said, finishing his thought. Newt nodded, his eyes not leaving the parchment in front of him as he read. They had both lost so much over the years, so many people that they loved and cared about, but they had lived a good life together and he wouldn’t give up the family they had created to change anything in their past. It was still heartbreaking to think that neither of their siblings had lived to see their niece or nephew grow up, even though it had been more than half a century since they had been put to rest.

“Who is that one from?” Tina asked, pulling a faded, lavender envelope from the stack.

“Mr. Worme.” Newt flipped the letter over and read the few lines on the back before placing it gently onto a pile. “It was congratulating me on my seventh edition and updating me on its progress and publication.”

“Oh, goodness. That must have been in thirty-six? Thirty-seven??”

“Thirty-five,” Newt corrected her with a smile, pulling another envelope from the pile. “They all sort of run together. I can’t keep track of the dates myself.”

Tina flipped the unopened envelope in her hand over and she stilled, her eyes growing wide. Newt noticed her change of mood immediately.

“What is it, Love?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he pulled the envelope from her fingers gently. He flipped it over to see the writing on the front. “Is that…?”

“Queenie.” Tina’s eyes were wide and tears were brimming in their chocolatey depths. Her sister had been a tough topic for years. Tina, though she knew that Queenie had made her own tough choices all those years ago, still carried guilt with her. She still blamed herself for driving her little sister into Grindelwald’s circle, and later, for not being able to save her when she tried to run from it. Her death stung, far more than watching Theseus fall in the final battle, far more than the peaceful death that Jacob had seen at the age of 90 a few years back. Hers had been the hardest by far.

Taking the envelope back, she stared at it for a few more moments. “It’s not opened...and it’s addressed to you.”

Newt shook his head, confused. “I don’t remember that one at all. I would have remembered if she had tried to contact me, it would have stood out. It happened so infrequently that…” Newt stood and walked around the table, lowering himself into the chair at his wife’s side. “Do you want to open it?”

“I- I think so,” Tina mumbled, her gathered tears breaking through her lashes and cascading down her cheek, “I...no. You open it. It’s addressed to you.”

“It’s for you, though. You know it is.” Newt’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder, his fingers passing lightly over her upper back in a practiced motion. “Do you want me to read it to you?”

With a sniff and a nod, Tina passed the letter over to Newt who opened the wax seal carefully and pulled out a letter on matching stationary. He watched as Tina pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes before leaning on the table and watching out the window, listening. Unfolding the letter, Newt looked at the familiar handwriting with a pang of sadness and something akin to a long-held frustration and anger. He cleared his throat and began to read.

February 12, 1934

My dear Newt,

I know that you will be surprised to hear from me. You may not want to, and if that is the case, then I understand. I have done things that make me ashamed beyond explanation, and for that, I am truly sorry. I left Teenie, and I can never go back to the way things were. I did that, and I have regretted it ever since. I thought that what I was doing was right, but over time I have realized that Gellert was not truthful or forthcoming with his goals. Thank you for being the family for her that I could not be. Thank you for loving her the way that she deserves to be loved.

I heard the news of your first child in the Daily Prophet. Congratulations. I am so happy and proud of you both. You will be wonderful parents, she is a lucky little girl. I wish that I was able to meet her, but I fear that it might never happen now. Please give her a kiss from her Auntie Queenie with love.

I am leaving Nurmengard tomorrow. I know that there are several Aurors on watch and correspondence is being checked. I do not know if Tina’s correspondence is among those, they keep any information about Tina a secret from me, even now. I didn’t want to take a chance and have this letter be intercepted. I figured sending a letter by no-maj post to you would be safest.

Please, tell her how sorry I am. I made these choices and I take full blame for my actions. She has been my everything since we were children, and she will continue to be my everything until the day I die. Tell her that I love her. She deserves nothing but the best in life, and that is all I hope for her. Tell her that I would be by her side right now if I could do this all over again. I’m not sure if I will make it to England or not, that is where I am trying to go. If I do, I will be in contact again. If I do not, please forgive me for what I have done. Not only here with Gellert, but to you both. Especially to Tina. I know my sister, and I know that she has probably tried to take responsibility for what happened in Paris. Don’t let her live her life thinking that she was responsible, Newt. She wasn’t. It was my choice that led me here.

I hope that I can tell her these things in person soon. Please be watching for an owl from me in the coming weeks. If the worst should happen, I am sure that you will hear through the Ministry. I am running, not because I am scared, but because I know that Gellert Grindelwald is a manipulator and a liar. I cannot stand with him any longer. I know that I will face prison time when I arrive in England, but I will do what I can to help the resistance working against him.

I am sending love to you both, and I hope that you will allow me to see you soon. I will be in touch. Please also share these sentiments with Jacob as I have no address for him. I don’t know where he is and I will probably never see him again, but I only wish him happiness. I hope he can forgive me someday.

All my love and devotion, always,

Queenie

A pause followed Newt’s reading, interrupted only by Tina’s choked sobs as she clutched her handkerchief to her face. Newt stared at the letter in his hand, the other resting along Tina’s back and trying to soothe her with a light touch. He realized that he was also crying as tears began to blur the words before him. Clearing his throat, he removed his glasses and used his shirt sleeve to dab at his eyes.

Tina sighed and looked up at Newt, her eyes were red and tears still streamed down her face. He set the letter on the table and thumbed the tears away from her slightly-wrinkled face, cupping her cheek lightly as he had done thousands of times before. She leaned into the touch and then her face buried itself into his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his waist. She seemed to be calming now as she took deep, steadying breaths.

“She never made it,” Tina mumbled into Newt’s shoulder, her despair heavy in her voice. Newt closed his eyes and held her close.

“I know.” He shook his head as he laid the letter down and wrapped his other arm around Tina, surrounding her. She continued to cry into his shoulder, her sobs and hiccuping breaths growing farther apart as she calmed. She took deep breaths and Newt played with the wisps of hair that had escaped their confines at the nape of her neck. “I can’t believe you found that letter. I never knew it existed.”

“I know,” she responded, pulling away from him and wiping the remnants of her tears away with her handkerchief. “She sent it by muggle post, it probably got mixed in with the fan mail. The purple envelope saw to that.” They both laughed, softly and awkwardly in the solemn moment, as they thought back on the piles of fan mail that had arrived over the years from witches of all ages and walks of life. Thankfully, it had tapered off after a couple of decades and they were left in peace with only scholarly letters of interest scattered here and there.

“Thank Merlin I never get rid of anything…” Tina snorted and shook her head, dabbing at her eyes once more. She inhaled deeply through her nose and then released her breath through her mouth, her face downcast as she twisted the cloth in her hands absently. “How are you, Love?” Newt asked softly.

“I’m… okay,” Tina whispered without looking up. “Surprised, sad, angry… happy to hear from her… I don’t really know how I feel right now.”

Newt nodded, picking the letter up and looking at it again. “That’s completely understandable. It’s a lot to take in after so long. I wish we had seen it sooner.”

“I wish Jacob had seen it,” Tina continued, and Newt hummed in agreement.

“He forgave her long ago.”

“I know he did. He was so… good.” Tina said with a wistful smile, her eyes closing at the wash of memories. “He deserved closure too, though.”

“Do you feel that this was closure, then?” Newt asked carefully.

“I- kind of? Maybe a little.” Tina said, her voice hoarse after her burst of emotions. “I’m glad to have it. I’m… I’m glad that she ran for the right reasons. I wish, so much, that she would have made it to England. She could have been…”

“She would have been a part of our family again, even if she would have been in prison. She always was in a way.” Newt watched as Tina’s dark eyes rose to meet his, they were bloodshot, and tears still threatened to fall, but they were still as bright as they had ever been. “I always considered her family, even if she was never here.”

“I know you did. You never had to, but you did.” Tina leaned forward and hugged Newt properly. “Thank you.”

“I love you,” he whispered into her hair, and he felt her arms tighten around his back.

“I love you, too.”

Tina pulled away and used the heel of her hand to brush an escaped tear from her cheek. She lightly, gently grabbed the letter and envelope from the table. Folding the letter carefully, she slid it back into its home and tucked it carefully into the pocket of her long, woolen sweater.

“I’m going for a walk,” Tina said, standing slowly from her chair. “I need a bit of fresh air, I think.”

“Right,” Newt agreed. “Do you want company?” He knew the answer already, but he wanted to make sure she was okay after the shock she had just received.

“I don’t think so,” she said, a small forced smile crossing her face, “I think I need a bit of time alone to think.” Newt nodded and Tina bent down to place a light kiss on the top of his head. “Keep an eye on dinner for me?” she asked as she made her way to the door.

“Of course, I’ll take care of things here.” With a nod, Tina slipped through the door and began to walk up the path. Through the window, Newt watched as she paused to pull the lavender letter from her sweater pocket and pull the letter out. She continued walking toward the pasture, her eyes trained on her sister’s final words. He smiled at the sight, thankful that Queenie had been able to pay her sister one final visit with her words from the past, even if it had come years later than intended.

Within the windows sat the people who meant most to her in the world. Her sister, the only family she truly had left. Her thoughts were the easiest to read after years of practice. Even at this distance, she could hear her clearly without trying. She was happy, content...in love. It wasn’t hard to see why.

Newt adored her. He sat to her left, his right arm draped casually across the back of her chair. His thoughts were swirling quickly, bouncing from one idea to the next in the rapid fashion she was used to hearing from him. What surprised her was how her sister’s name was intertwined with every thought he had. She smiled sadly as she read him. He adored her sister, and she was happy for them. Her chest tightened as she heard a stray thought filter through his mind.

Ring...engagement...love...wedding...Tina…

He would ask her soon. She knew it would happen eventually. Between his letters and his disappointment after finding Tina was not with her when she brought Jacob to London, she knew he cared. She knew her sister cared as well, she had listened to her growing feelings for months before feeling the heartbreak that had been caused by a ridiculous magazine article. She was glad they had worked things out, that they made each other happy. She needed Tina to be happy, and she knew she would be if she had him at her side.

The man across the table was someone she hadn’t seen before. He seemed familiar somehow, but she knew she had never met him. This must be Theseus. He had to be Newt’s brother, they shared enough features and similarities. He was family at least, Queenie could tell that much. She struggled with his thoughts. They were hard to grasp, quiet and flowing, protected. The accent didn’t help. She didn’t know him and had a hard time grasping his lines of thought at this distance. He had a kind aura, though. He sipped a glass of red wine then laughed at something that had been said, his solid hand coming up to clap the shoulder of the man at his left.

Jacob.

Her hands clenching, Queenie felt tears gathering on her lashes, one slowly falling down her pink cheek. Jacob. He had been her everything. Was her everything. She had tried so hard to make it work and had still lost him. She had walked through fire for him and he refused to follow. He called her crazy, but she was only crazy for him. He just couldn’t see it, how much he meant to her. How much love they could have together if he would only give things a chance. Now… Queenie was lost, forgotten as this new family met together for a warm Christmas dinner while she, Queenie, sat alone and freezing on the cement step of an abandoned townhouse. Tears flowed freely now as Queenie tried to hold back her sobs. They couldn’t hear her, it would be disastrous. She couldn’t be found, if they knew…

Gulping breaths of cold air, Queenie willed herself to calm down. She wasn’t sure why she came here. She couldn’t see them, couldn’t go to them. They wouldn’t forgive her anyway, especially now that she had kept her secret from them for so long. She had to continue the fight for what was right. She had to right the wrongs of her Government, she had to be free to live a life with Jacob, safely. She needed to finish what she had started, make them see that it was the only way to be truly free. With him, with their children someday. Gellert had promised her freedom and happiness, and she had to trust him now.

The group laughed deeply at something Tina had said and Queenie saw Newt slide his arm around her shoulders, squeezing affectionately. Jacob held up a glad of wine, grinning happily and saying something to the group before raising his crystal goblet in salute before drinking the last of the red liquid in a single gulp. He was smiling, laughing...and he was not thinking of Queenie. Hadn’t thought of her once since she had arrived. Tina had, briefly, but Jacob hadn’t.

Queenie’s eyes squeezed shut, tears splashing onto her cheeks and running down, down, down before dripping from her jaw. Why had she come, she wondered. It seemed like a good idea when she had snuck out of headquarters an hour ago. She just hadn’t thought that they would have forgotten her so quickly, that they would be happy without her there.

Had she expected them to be mourning her, the loss of her presence? Had she believed that their lives would stop without her there? She supposed that the idea didn’t make sense. Their lives would go on, grow, evolve...but she felt like she was in limbo, between one chapter and another, unmoving. She knew what her next chapter would be now, and she knew that she would have to face it alone. The thought made her sick to her stomach and she muffled the sobs that came, willing her emotions to wait until she was in the safety of her room.