Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     Newt Scamander had been through a lot the week he had come back to New York, and not to mention a roller coaster of feeling to go along with it. From the elation of coming back and seeing his friends again, to the sorrowfulness of losing his most prized item- and not to mention the feelings he just couldn't find the right words to explain- (Particularly around a certain someone) it was an eventful week. Whatever he had felt, however, didn't matter to him at the moment. He had no clue what to make of what had just happened, or what to do about it. He gently held the small form of Pickett the Bowtruckle, who he thought was gone, along with the rest of the beasts forever.

     But apparently, he had been mistaken.

     “What should we do?” Asked Tina from the other side of the floor. Newt had almost forgotten he was still on the ground.

     “We need to find the case. If the case is still safe, we have a chance,” He replied confidently.

     “How would we find it?”

     Newt pondered for a moment, Grindelwald had the case, where would he be?

     “I think I might have an idea,” He said, a plan already in mind. “How long is the office open?”

     Tina stared at him blankly.

     “Ten- but I don't see how this has anything to do with-”

     “Just trust me, I think I may know how we could track the case but I need to know where to start looking.”

     He stood up, brushing off his clothes. This time he wouldn't wait, not when it came to the possibility of rescuing the creatures. He started to the door.

     “Where you have to start looking?” Said Tina, walking up to him.

      “Er, Yes?”

     She grinned at him.

     “Mister Scamander, I think you have a fault in this plan of yours.”

     He smiled uncertainly back at her.

     “I do?”

     “Yes.”

     “How so?”

     “Because,” She smirked. “You probably think you're going by yourself, but I can assure that will not be the case this time around.”

     Newt looked at her, images from the last battle flashing in the back of his mind; the flashes of the bright light like lightning, her crumbling to the ground... no. Not again. He pushed the images back and shook his head.

      “I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot let you or anyone for that matter,” He continued walking to the door.

     “Okay... but good luck getting into that building-”

     Newt stopped in his tracks.

      “-But you know, you shouldn't have any trouble, you seem to have everything together, huh?”

     He had to admit, Tina was incredibly expert at these types of things.

     “I presume I would need your help to get me in then?”

     He heard Tina chuckle from behind him.

     “Only if you don't want to be caught.”

     He turned back around, amused.

     “What's the first thing we do?”

     “We need accomplices.”

     Newt chuckled, “lead the way.”

     She walked out in front of him and they walked down the stairs. They turned the corner and saw Queenie and Jacob at the table, who were playing a card game.

     “Hey Teenie, hey Newt, feeling better? I-” Queenie stopped after seeing the Bowtruckle in Newts hand.

     “No..” She said shaking her head in disbelief.

     “How did he-?” Jacob said, standing up.

     “Long story short, I discovered him trying to crawl into my ear. The case isn't gone, but we need to find it as soon as we can before he hurts any of the creatures,” Newt explained. Queenie and Jacob looked dumbstruck.

     “Wait, so the case isn't gone, but Grindelwald has it?”

     Newt nodded his head. “As much as I would love to talk, I-” He looked at Tina, who had given him a stink eye. He corrected himself. “-We, need to get going to MACUSA. The quicker we find what I'm looking for the less time he has to- well... it's anyone's guess.”

     “What are you guys doing at MACUSA?” Queenie asked curiously.

     “Nothing too illegal if that's what you're asking. In fact, we need your guys' help too.” Tina said. Newt smiled at her humorous behavior. She always seemed too uptight and serious, but now she seemed excited. Let alone to do something that could threaten her job and get them sent to jail. Again.

     “Oh I'm sure we wouldn't go to jail,” Queenie said, responding to his thoughts. He really had to remember she was a Legilimens.

     Tina glanced between them.

     “Queenie...” She said in a warning tone. Queenie grinned innocently back at her.

     “So uh, what are we gonna do?” Asked Jacob, rubbing his hands together.

     “Well, we're gonna...” She trailed off and looked at Newt. “Yeah, what are we gonna do?”

     “I want to look at files of sightings, evidence, anything related to Grindelwald that could give us clues on where he would be,” He said.

     Everyone was silent a moment, thinking.

     “Okay, so... How we gonna do it?” Queenie asked, smiling.

     “We'll need to do it when most people are gone,” He turned to Tina. “When would be a good time? When not many people are there?”

     Tina turned to the wall clock behind her, “It's almost noon. If we hurry, we can make it in before everyone's lunch break. Not many people work today anyway.”

     Newt almost forgot it was Sunday, he was having trouble keeping track of dates, in general, the past few days.

     “What do we do once we're in there?” Newt asked. He knew from experience that trying to do things without a plan did end up in disaster.

     “Queenie will make sure nobody is in the file room and Jacob is going to make sure nobody important walks in.”

     “So we're going into a restricted file room I gather?”

     “Yes,” Tina concluded, picking up a small purse next to her.

     “Wait, Teenie. What do I do? Just stall?”

     “Anything to ensure nobody comes near the file room. We should only be in there for a little while. What you did the last time worked well.”

     “Have you been in there before?” Newt asked.

     “I didn't find out all those things about the second Salemers by guesswork,” She replied, a sneaky smile on her face. Newt chuckled. There were certainly a lot of things he still didn't know about her.

     “We should go now though, the quicker we get in the longer we have to look,” she added.

     Newt looked down at his bedraggled clothes. He couldn't go in them.

     “Um, Tina?”

     “Yes?”

     “You wouldn't happen to have my wand anywhere would you?”

     She pointed to a spot on the counter across the room.

     “We didn't know when you wanted it, so we just kept is safe.”

     He thought for a second. He hadn't tried something in a while, he was curious to see if he could still do it. He reached his hand out to the section of counter, and just like that the wand jerked and flew right into his open palm. Yep. He still could do it.

     Tina, Queenie, and Jacob stared in awe.

     “You mean you can do magic without a wand?! That's awesome!” He exclaimed. Newt smiled shyly.

     “Well I, Uh-”

     Tina interrupted him.

     “How did you do that? Even most of my teachers couldn't do that.”

     He internally slapped himself for showing off like that, but he didn't let his frustration show.

     “In some places of my travel, certain tribes didn't use wands. I taught myself this so there wouldn't be any contention.” He explained quickly.

     “Why don't you use it all of the time?”

     He looked down to his wand in his hand.

     “I prefer traditional methods, likewise its easier to do in my opinion.”

     Tina nodded her head in understanding, but still seemed surprised. He took the opportunity to change into his usual disguise, the grey suit and blue tie along with his black hair and dark brown eyes. Queenie tilted her head to the different look.

     “Wow, Mr. Scamander. Looking very sharp.”

     “Oh- um, thank you.”

     Queenie and Tina changed their appearances as well, Queenie in her usual type of attire and Tina in a business casual outfit.

     “I think we're ready then,” Tina said, pulling on her coat. Newt nodded, they all looked to each other in confirmation, then Disapparated.

Chapter Text

     Newt walked up the steps of the Woolworth building, his stomach in knots. He hoped Tina knew what she was doing.

     “You said he lost the wand permit?” Tina said to him as they neared the top.

     “Yes, I'm afraid so.” He replied in his American accent.

     Tina turned to the man guarding the door, he nodded his head and opened the door. They walked in, the usual building morphing into the MACUSA building. Queenie was going to come in later, just so things didn't look suspicious. They walked across the open area, people going the other way towards the door. They had made it just before the lunch hour. Tina leaned in next to him.

     “If anyone asks, we're going to get another Wand Permit because you're brother-in-law lost his, okay?”

     Newt nodded his head.

     They kept walking, not daring to make eye contact with anyone. They reached the elevator, the bell boy just getting ready to leave. He looked up, scowling.

     “Goldstein? Right before lunch, on a day you have off? This better be really good.” He growled.

     “I-I-”

     “It's a Wand permit,” Newt said. “My brother-in-law needs one. He's visiting from the Netherlands.”

     Tina turned, surprised.

     “We can manage ourselves, you're welcome to go to lunch.”

     A smirk crept across the goblin's face.

     “Well ain't that generous of you?”

     He walked out of the elevator.

     “Just don't break it.”

     They got into the elevator. It was fairly large with a glass ceiling. Tina pressed the button for the basement. They started descending.

     “You looked at me oddly earlier, did I do something wrong?” Asked Newt, hoping to break the silence.

     “No, no you didn't,” Tina said quickly. “It's just, I just didn't expect you to speak up, that's all.”

     Newt smiled slightly. It was true, he rarely intervened like that.

     “Oh.”

     Tina smiled back at him. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opening, revealing a dimly lit area. They stepped out, a chilly draft greeted them.

     “Follow me.”

     Newt followed Tina through the concrete rooms, tables were in corners, papers stacked ceiling high on them, boxes everywhere.

     “It's not the cleanest down here, or the most sanitary," she said as they walked by a cluster of cobwebs on a pile of boxes.

     “Nobody ever comes down here. It's all mostly storage, you think it wouldn't kill them to clean a bit.”

     They made it to the back, it cut off to a cement wall. Newt expected it was hidden, but it didn't make much sense since everyone here was a witch or wizard. Tina pulled out her wand and muttered a spell, causing the wall to open, revealing a door.

     “How did you find this?” Newt asked, ducking his head under the low doorway.

     “That's classified.”

     Newt smiled.

     They walked across the room, filing cabinets were everywhere. It looked like a library, just no books. The room itself wasn't big, it was a cramped, dusty room. Tina stopped at a cabinet, it looked like any other one. She opened it up and rummaged through it.

     “Gaber... Gerund... Girlin... Ah, here we go!” Tina said, pulled out a yellow folder, holding it triumphantly.

     “Is that it?”

     Tina handed it to Newt. He opened it, the first thing he saw was what looked like a small plastic bag with a hair in it along with.

     He looked up at Tina.

     “They really do have everything in here, don't they?”

     Tina chuckled and took back the folder.

     “They add to this once a day, just sending paper mice to put the papers in here. They don't bother coming down to review it.”

     There was a loud POP! from behind them. They both turned and saw Queenie and Jacob, both panting heavily.

     “Pat... coming... we need to leave,” She breathed, barely getting the words out.

     “What? Where is he?” Tina asked.

     Queenie stiffened, they all heard footsteps coming from out of the room.

     “Hey! Who's in here?!?”

     They all looked around, panicking. Before anyone could react, however, Pat was already in the doorway.

     “Tina?!”

     Newt watched Tina whip around at the mention of her name.

     “What in the world are you doing in here?”

     Tina stood paralyzed. He heard a few stuttered words come out of her mouth. Newt didn't know what to say either.

     “L-listen, Pat, I can explain-”

     “Tina, why are you down here?” He repeated. There was a hint of fear in his voice if Newt didn't know any better. 

     “We just needed some information.”

     “About who?”

     There was a long pause, Tina obviously didn't want to say it.

     “Grindelwald.”

     Newt saw Pat tense like a spring, but nobody else seemed to notice.

     “What do you want to know?” Pat asked, almost cautiously. 

     “Anything we can find,” replied Tina.

     Pat looked around, then back at Tina.

     “Listen, I might know a few things but you can't tell a soul, you hear me?”

     Tina nodded. Newt looked back at Queenie and Jacob. Jacob was leaned against a cabinet while Queenie was staring at Pat intensely. He looked at her curiously, after a second she noticed Newt. She furrowed her brows, her mouth set in a straight line and shook her head. He was blocking her out.

     “I swear.”

     He motioned for them to follow him. He led them across the room to an empty shelf. He took out his wand and waved it, the cabinet sinking into the ground and an opening in place of where it had been.

     “In here, eavesdropping spells are everywhere down here.”

     They walked in, the room was dark and dusty. It didn't seem like anyone had been there in years, but it was hard to tell seemings he could see anything.

     “Lumos,” said Pat from behind him.

     The room lit, after a second of Newts eyes adjusting the room had shown itself as just an empty room with wood floors and cement walls. Nothing at all compared to the upstairs.

     “Okay, so what do you know?” Tina asked.

     “A lot of things. What do you want to know?” He replied, his tone deepening a bit. A chill went down Newt's back.

     “Would you have any idea where he is?”

     “Last he said, he was heading north.”

     Newt took a moment to process what he said. He saw Pats face turn to a devilish grin as he backed up towards the door.

     “Sorry, but we can't have people like you interfering with our plans.”

     “Look out!” Newt yelled, already knowing what Pat was about to do. He ran at him, ramming into Pat's side, knocking him over.

     Newt caught himself as Pat fell with a heavy thud on the wood floors. He pulled out his wand, pointing it at the man laying on the ground below him.

     “What are you gonna do? Kill me?” He taunted. Newt kept his position.

     Pat stared at him, grinning, an insane look in his eye.

     “I don't think so,” he said. He moved so quickly Newt barely knew what was happening until a force hit him in the back, sending him forward. His head hit the ground violently, making him go dizzy.

     “Cute attempt though.”

     Pat kneeled down next to his head, peering down at him. Newt breathed heavily, squeezing his eyes shut as the fog in his brain still tried to clear.

     Suddenly there was a flash of light, and Pat was thrown across the room, hitting the wall. Newt lifted his head up, Tina was standing across the room, gripping her wand tightly.

     “Pat always did seem off to me,” Queenie said.

     Newt stood up, brushing off his clothes. Thankfully his head didn't hurt much. Usually, he could rebound from simple hits much quicker.

     “You good?” Asked Jacob. Newt nodded his head.

     Pat lay on the ground motionless, his head lolled to the side. Newt looked closer, to his relief he was still breathing. He wouldn't of expected Tina to kill him.

     “I can't believe we were double-crossed in less than two minutes,” she said, putting her wand in her coat.

     “He was a follower.”

     “I've known him forever, I just can't believe he would do this.”

     “Hold up, if he was a follower, who's to say there ain't another on their way?” Jacob mentioned.

     “He has a point, it ain't safe here. We should leave,” Queenie said.

     Tina glanced back at the limp Pat. “What about Pat? There's no way we could turn him in without being asked about being down here.”

     “You all just go upstairs, I'll handle it,” Newt decided.

     “What about-?”

     “I'll just say I was lost,” he ran a hand through his still black hair. Tina gave him a look of disapproval.

     “I'll be fine, you can't risk getting in trouble. I'll meet you outside.”

     She crossed her arms. “Why do I feel like this won't end well?”

     Newt smiled, remembering him and her's conversation at the bakery.

     “Because you worry too much.”

     Tina chuckled and rolled her eyes.

     “Okay. Meet us outside, but if you don't show in ten minutes we're coming back.”

     He nodded his head, and with a POP! Tina, Queenie, and Jacob were gone.

…....

     “You said he was in the back, is that correct?”

     “Yes, sir.”

     “What were you doing back there?”

     Newt sat in a wood chair, not handcuffed, but still being interrogated. His mind a pool of worry wondering if it had been ten minutes yet. The interrogation was taking longer than he had thought.

     “I was lost.” He lied. “However I had managed to get down there was beyond me.”

     The man in front of him was dressed in a long black overcoat, flipping through a clipboard. Was the most unnerving was that the man was none other than Percival Graves.

     “So you were lost.” He scribbled a few notes down on his pad. “Why were you all the way in the back?”

     “I heard somebody, so I thought they could tell me what floor I was on.”

     Graves looked up from the clipboard.

     “And that's where you found him?”

     “Yes.”

     He sighed and put the clipboard down on the desk.

     “Mr. Scamander, you are definitely a better liar than I gave you credit for.”

     Newts jaw dropped.

     “How did you know?”

     “I'm an investigator, looking past disguises is my job.”

     “Did you know about Pat?”

     “Alas, I did not, but rest assured he's locked up.”

     Newt found it so weird, he had seen Graves so many times before, but it wasn't ever really him. It was Grindelwald in disguise. He never really knew him, but Grindelwald had seemed to mimic his personality fairly well.

     “Uh- Mr. Graves, you don't suppose I could be going a little early?”

     “What for?”

     “Let's just say if I'm not outside soon, things may not end up good.”

     Graves chuckled.

     “I don't see why not. If there's anything you think we should know about, don't hesitate to let us know, okay?”

     “Yes, sir.”

     Newt stood up, wasting no time to Disapparate to the alleyway. He squinted his eyes, looking for Tina, Queenie, and Jacob.

     “Newt? Is that you?”

     “Yes, it's me”

     Tina walked out from the shadows, Queenie and Jacob behind her.

     “How did it go?”

     “Pretty seamlessly. I was interrogated, but he let me go early.”

     “Really? Who was it?”

     “Graves.”

     Tina raised her eyebrows

     “He knew it was you?”

     “Yes.”

     She chuckled.

     “I'm not surprised.”

     She pulled out a folder from under her coat, “At least we have this.”

     He stared at the object, surprised.

     “I wasn't sure you had it. How did you-?”

     She grinned mischievously. “I have my ways”

     They Disapparated back to the flat, appearing right into the living room. Newt looked over at Tina, he was anxious to see what was in the folder. Every minute that went by, Grindelwald had more of a chance of doing something horrible. It was a game of cat and mouse, but with a twist. Tina carefully opened the folder in her hands, like a recovered artifact. Newt peered over her shoulder.

     “It's all old stuff,” she mumbled, sifting through the contents. Newts heart dropped a bit.

     “Wait, here's something,” she pulled out a piece of paper, it was a map, red ink dots all over it.

     “Teenie, it's a map,” Queenie said.

     “Whoa, whoa, you mean this shows where they've been seeing him?” Asked Jacob

     Tina opened the full map, it showed all of America. Red dots starting from Massachusetts cutting through New York and in various places around Michigan and Canada, but it had its fair share of dots randomly placed everywhere else.

     “Well, I think we've found a pattern.”

     Newt looked closer, he felt a pang in his chest as he saw a few dots placed throughout Arizona. Each dot had a little date next to it. The latest ones were near upper Canada, and remarkably in the great plains all at once.

     “Sort of.”

     “What in Merlin's Beard is he doing in Antarctica and Kentucky on the same day?” Newt said, frustrated.

     “This could be so much easier if the guy tried sticking to something routined”

     Newt put a hand on his chin, thinking of possible causes. What was he trying to do? Send a message? If so, to who? So far nothing they've tried concluding, fit. They had barely anything to work with. He was too unpredictable.

     “I think our best bet would be to see what he's doing in Canada,” Tina concluded, setting the map down on the table.

     “So we're just gonna chase him around America?” Asked Jacob, looking at her incredulously.

     She waited a few seconds before replying.

    “Yes. It's really the only option we have at this point. If you have any other options let me know,” she said. Jacob only half-smiled.

     “But, I got a bakery to run. I just can't drop everything and go on some wild goose chase with you guys,” he said sadly.

     “Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a blast,” he turned to Newt. “And I really want you to get your case back, but... I don't think this is an adventure I'm meant to tag along with.”

     Nobody said anything. It felt too much like when they had said goodbye the first time. It wasn't much of a goodbye this time, but Jacob not coming wouldn't feel the same. Queenie spoke all of their feelings.

     “We could work something out. It wouldn't be the same without you, we need you.”

     He smiled at her, the gloominess still visible.

     “Aw, you guys don't need me. Y'all are Witches and Wizards.”

     Everyone went silent again. Jacob awkwardly put his hands in his pockets.

     “Don't think I don't wanna, its just, not my adventure this time around.” He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. “Well, this took a depressing turn huh?” He laughed, probably trying to ease the mood.

     “We can talk more about it later,” Tina said, crossing her arms. Newt silently rejoiced.

     “I'm not really sure what we can do at this point.” She continued. “All that's left is trying to decide how we're gonna do it all. We can't Apparate that far.”

     “Floo?” Suggested Newt.

     “I don't think so, guys,” Queenie said, holding an opened newspaper in her hand.

     “I'm liking the newspaper less and less every day,” Tina said, shaking her head.

     “Floo system was messed with. It's down for who knows how long.”

      Newt stared in disbelief. Something always had to go wrong.

     “Perfect. Just perfect.” Tina scowled. “So what are we gonna do? Walk?”

      Newt examined the paper for himself. The top headline reading

       Floo System Corrupted, Travel Cut Off.

      “I have one guess on who's responsible.” He said, handing the paper back to Queenie. He looked back at Tina, her face was contorted with a mix of deep thinking and frustration.

      “You don't have to help me- if you don't want to.” He rubbed his neck. “It's no secret this has been you all more trouble, that wasn't even necessary in the first place.”

      It felt good to finally say what had been bugging him. He left out how bad he felt because it had been his fault. To his surprise, Tina laughed.

      “We're helping Newt, and that's that.”

      “Are you sure? Even after everything I've done?”

      Oh no.

      Tina's look of amusement was quickly washed away and replaced by a look of confusion.

     “What do you mean 'Everything you've done'?”

      “Nothing, I shouldn't have said anything.” He said quickly, hoping she'd let it go.

     “Yes, you should have. What did you mean? And don't say nothing because we all know something's been bothering you.”

     Newt didn't say anything. It was so strange having people be so observant of him. He couldn't count how many times people had asked him if he was okay during his stay here. Half the time he claimed he was fine when he probably wasn't. It was sort of sad, really, but he wasn't used to people caring about him.

     “Don't you dare say this was your fault.”

     “This, as in all the pain you've gone through?” Newt said, staring at the floor. Again the blasted memory of her falling on the ground in pain at the docks. The pain she didn't deserve. How many times he made her stay up without sleep, how many times he put her in harm's way, how many times he had made her cry. What her, Queenie and Jacob had gone through, was all because of him.

     “I can't handle this no more,” blurted Queenie. Newt looked up.

     “None of that was you. None! We helped you because you're our friend, we volunteered to do what it took to help you and make you feel at home.”

     He was at a loss for words, she continued.

     “We're more than happy helping you, and we'll do whatever it takes to get the case back, unharmed. Newt, we all love you, and it kills me to think you could blame yourself for any of that.” Everyone stared at her outburst. Newt ran the word over in his head. Love. Did they love him? He put the word into the back of his head, he'd think about it later.

     “Queenie what were you-?”

     “Newt, he..” Queenie glanced over at him as if asking permission to tell her.

    She's going to find out eventually He thought to her. He honestly had nothing else to lose at that point.

     “..I'll tell you later. First I'm going to start lunch.” She said, then quickly moved into the kitchen.

     He stared over to her, then felt Tina's stare on him. He glanced over and his suspicions were confirmed. She looked at him with a mix of confusion and sadness. He looked away, loathing the time to come when she would find out, but for now, he just thought for something to do to pass the time. Usually, he would take the opportunity to go into his case, but that wasn't really an option as of then, But he did have one thing.

     “I'm going to go check on Pickett real quick.” He said, just making it known, but not talking to any of them individually. After a moment of nobody seeming to register what he said, he slipped back upstairs. His refuge. He rounded the corner and was greeted by Picket, who had fallen asleep on the top of a lamp.

     “Pickett,” He whispered. “Hey, Pickett time to get up.”

     He watched as the Bowtruckle chirped and turned over like a stubborn child.

     “The one time I need you? Really?”

     No response.

     Newt laughed quietly and sat down on the bed. His brain suddenly reminded him of Queenie’s remark from earlier. He had no idea why it stuck out so much to him, it was just a word, but it held a deeper meaning. People never tell him they love him, it’s just something that never happens. He shook his head and stood back up, there were more important matters at hand, and figuring out his feelings were not one of them.

Chapter Text

They had spent nearly the whole day packing. We'll, everyone except Newt, who had situated himself at the far end of the dining table, reading the newspaper at least several times to occupy himself. Tina and Queenie had busied themselves upstairs, attempting to calculate the appropriate number of outfits for the journey. Newt had no idea how long they would be gone, it was hard to say. Grindelwald’s movements were unpredictable, and new points were popping up on the map by the hour. He knew because he had been watching said paper for hours.

“Hey, Newt?” Jacob said suddenly, awkwardly shifting into a chair at the table. Newt looked up from the paper, he realized he hadn’t even been reading it for the past minute.

“Er, Yes?”

Newt had already assumed Jacob was going to say something about not being able to go. He held his breath.

“Can you uh, tell the girls I head out to confirm my absence back at the bakery? I shouldn’t be long.”

A smile tugged at Newts lips.

“Yes, I will most certainly let them know, Mr. Kowalski.”

“Thanks bud,” Jacob said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Newt watched as Jacob carefully slipped out the door, then disappeared. His short lived happiness faded quickly as his eyes went back to the map on the table. He picked it up gingerly, already knowing there would be a new mark somewhere outrageous in the few seconds Jacob excused himself. It hadn’t changed for a while since Missouri.

This time was different though.

Point after point, every second another showed up, stretching from Washington to West Virginia. He was apparating every second. Newt followed the appearing dots across the sheet, each place more random than the next.

Then it stopped.

One more point slowly materialized. New York. Right within the city. Newt’s gut did a triple front flip. No more action. No more points. That was it. He couldn’t help but imagine Grindelwald standing outside in the street at that moment.

“Newt?” Tina rounded the corner, her eyes rounding at the look of of horror that was sure to be on Newt’s face. Perfect timing, huh?

“Tina we need to cast spells on the house, now,” Newt said, standing up. She looked at him incredulously.

“Newt, what on earth are you talking about? What’s going on?”

Newt practically sprinted to the window, nothing outside. Yet.

“It’s Grindelwald, he-he’s here, in New York, the Map went nuts and now he’s here-”

“Wait- he’s back? Here? In New York?”

Newt nodded breathlessly. It was as if all the air had been ripped out of his lungs. He was losing it faster than he was gaining it. There was no possible way he was back.

But the case was so close now..

“Newt, you need to calm down and please explain what’s happening,”

He put his head down and handed her the map, shifting his weight nervously, trying to steady his breathing. After a moment he heard Tina’s soft “Oh my god..”

“Let’s get some charms cast, we’ll look over this later.” She decided, tossing the paper unto the table.

They both spread to different parts of the house, casting protective spells that would hopefully keep Grindelwald at bay, if he did decide to drop in. After ten agonizing minutes of spell casting, they covered the whole apartment.

“Tina,” Queenie emerged from the stairs. Newt almost forgot she was there. She looked panicked. “There’s explosions down the street. Where’s Jacob?”

“Why do you ask?”

Queenie went pale. “Oh lord please don’t tell me he went back..”

“Why? Queenie what’s happening?” Tina asked, now panicked as well. Newt couldn't blame her, he was panicking too. Everything was happening way to fast for his liking.

“Those explosions were right near his bakery, Newt do you have any idea where he is or what’s going on?”

“I-I..” He knew he needed to tell them Jacob had left, but the words weren’t coming.

“Newt please!”

“He left to go tell them he would be gone, I-I was supposed to tell you but then everything happened I’m sorry-”

The words spilled out of him like a tap that he couldn’t adjust. He put his hands on his head, taking a step backwards. Everything was overwhelming him now.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated this as he stumbled backwards and out of the room, not looking back.

Tina

She watched as Newt tore out of the room, practically sobbing. She lunged after him, but was stopped by Queenie grabbing her wrist.

“Give him a minute, Teen, he’s been through a lot.”

“I need to see if he’s alright,” she protested, pulling against her sisters restraints. Queenie didn’t budge.

“He’ll be fine. He just needs some time alone, trust me.”

Tina sighed, and yielded to her sisters wishes. Something she didn’t like to do.

“I’m gonna go check and see if Jacob’s alright,” she said, quickly moving to the door. “Just wait a while, and I mean it. I know you.”

“Okay, okay. Why don’t I come?” Tina suggested.

“He might need you after while Teen. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Tina watched helplessly as her sister left, leaving her alone in the kitchen. It was dead silent. She walked over, looking again at the map, hoping there would be some new development to distract her. To her dismay there was nothing. She had to have stared at the paper for a solid 3 minutes before finally deciding to put it down. She couldn’t take it. She needed to check on Newt. She turned the corner slowly, not knowing what she would find. He didn’t have his case, so there was really no telling where he had gone. The apartment wasn’t big though, so she wouldn’t be looking long.

“Newt?” She called, already knowing the chances of her receiving any sort of response were slim.

She kept calling until she finally found him, sitting in the corner of the bedroom, his knees up to his chest. The way he looked reminded her that of a child who had just been yelled at. His head rested on his arms, facing right into the wall.

“Newt?” She said softly. He flinched slightly, but didn’t turn his head.

She walked over, slowly sinking down on the floor next to him. She gingerly put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, “I’m ruining everything.”

“Newt you haven’t ruined anything. We were distracted, I’m sure Queenie will come back with Jacob any second and it will all be alright. Just a little scare, that’s all.”

His eyes looked down, half his face was still covered by his arms. She lowered her head to his, forcing their eyes to meet.

“Listen, I know you’ve been through a lot. We’re going to get the case back, okay? It will be alright, trust me.” She said, now rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. He spoke, his voice soft, yet shaky. He turned to her, slowly. She hated seeing him like this. It only fueled her determination to get the case back.

“But what if we don’t?”

“We will Newt, we will.”

Pop!

Tina and Newt jerked their heads as Jacob and Queenie appeared, Jacob being supported by Queenies arm.

“Flying cars sure are fun!” Jacob slurred, his body weight rocking back and forth.

“He’s alright, just a little shook up from a minor Taxi incident,” Queenie reassured them, hauling the loopy Jacob out of the room.

Tina had turned to speak to Newt again when she heard a loud screech and multiple thuds as Jacob fell down the stairs. She smiled unconvincingly at Newt, attempting to hide her cringes at the noise. Thankfully she heard the faintest traces of Jacob laughing.

“See? He’s fine.”

Newt grinned slightly, which made Tina feel a lot better. She stood up, holding out her hand.

“Ready to come back downstairs, Mr. Scamander?”

Newt takes her hand and she pulls him up, almost effortlessly. Considering she was a fairly weak individual, she looked at him.

“Newt, have you been eating?”

The question seemed to have caught him by surprise.

“We'll, erm- maybe not as much but enough-”

She cut him off.

“Newt you need to eat,” She gestured to his torso, which she had just noticed was abnormally skinny. How could she have missed that? “You’re as thin and paper, and you look sick.”

“I-I’m sure it’s just-

“We’re giving you a proper meal before we go, and you can’t say otherwise.”

Newt lowered his head, defeated. “Okay,” He responded quietly.

“Good,” Tina said. “Now get some rest, you need it.”

She spun around before Newt could respond and headed down the stairs, very pleased at the won argument. Very pleased indeed.

“How’s Jacob?” She asked, seeing her sister tending to Jacob in the kitchen.

“He’s doing real good. Justa little shook up from the taxi,” She said, applying some healing cream to his face. “He’ll be fine and dandy by the time we leave.”

Tina smiled. Not because of the comment, but just at the sudden realization they were finally going somewhere. They were going to leave New York, and quite possibly travel the country! Of course, it wouldn’t be all kicks and giggles, but she was quite pleased to have a change of scenery. Something she never experiences except for at Ilvermorny. Plus, she would be getting to do it with Newt.

“Aw!” Queenie turned around, beaming. “You are really happy about that? Teen that’s absolutely prec-”

“Sh!” Tina put her hands up, nervously looking to the stairs, remembering last time. “Don’t say another word!”

Queenie grinned knowingly, then turned back to Jacob, whose arms were resting on the top of the corner. The dazed look on his face now gone.

“I bet I knew the lousy sap who hit me too,” He muttered. Queenie giggled, rubbing in the last bit of ointment on his cheek. A common trend in the Goldsteins apartment, it seemed. She smiled, then went back to the living room to finish off her packing. Of course, she would be packing plenty of books, and files (Which she conveniently borrowed from MACUSA.) Of course, she was nervous. A trip like this could last weeks to months depending on how Grindelwald decides to behave. They barely even had a plan, but with all forms of transportation (except for portkeys, whom Queenie kindly mentioned,) but those are a huge hassle sometimes, and are hard to find in the middle of forests and deserts. So they would be traveling either by foot, car or some other means. That or patting rocks and trees for weeks on end. It would be too easy for Grindelwald to sense when they used magic to move, so they would need to sneak. She shook her head, and decided to dwell upon something else. She was confident Newt would be able to come up with a plan. If not, she could most certainly take over.

Newt

The name always struck a chord in her. Especially lately, seeing him in the state he was was absolutely dreadful. The way he cried, it made her feel so helpless. He could never imagine losing her life's work all at once. All of his creatures, that he fought hard to protect. No. She sternly forced the negative thoughts away. They were going to get the case back, no matter what. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind, and if there was, it wouldn’t be valid.

She would give her life to see Newt smile, and if it comes to it, then so be it. They were getting that case back.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3- Maps and Taxis

They had spent nearly the whole day packing. Well, everyone except Newt, who had situated himself at the far end of the dining table, reading the newspaper at least several times to occupy himself. Tina and Queenie had busied themselves upstairs, attempting to calculate the appropriate number of outfits for the journey. Newt had no idea how long they would be gone, it was hard to say. Grindelwald’s movements were unpredictable, and new points were popping up on the map by the hour. He knew because he had been watching said paper for hours.

“Hey, Newt?” Jacob said suddenly, awkwardly shifting into a chair at the table. Newt looked up from the paper, he realized he hadn’t even been reading it for the past minute.

“Er, Yes?”

Newt had already assumed Jacob was going to say something about not being able to go. He held his breath.

“Can you uh, tell the girls I head out to confirm my absence back at the bakery? I shouldn’t be long.”

A smile tugged at Newts lips.

“Yes, I will most certainly let them know, Mr. Kowalski.”

“Thanks bud,” Jacob said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Newt watched as Jacob carefully slipped out the door, then disappeared. His short lived happiness faded quickly as his eyes went back to the map on the table. He picked it up gingerly, already knowing there would be a new mark somewhere outrageous in the few seconds Jacob excused himself. It hadn’t changed for a while since Missouri.

This time was different though.

Point after point, every second another showed up, stretching from Washington to West Virginia. He was apparating every second. Newt followed the appearing dots across the sheet, each place more random than the next.

Then it stopped.

One more point slowly materialized. New York. Right within the city. Newt’s gut did a triple frontflip. No more action. No more points. That was it. He couldn’t help but imagine Grindelwald standing outside in the street at that moment.

“Newt?” Tina rounded the corner, her eyes rounding at the look of of horror that was sure to be on Newt’s face. Perfect timing, huh?

“Tina we need to cast spells on the house, now,” Newt said, standing up. She looked at him incredulously.

“Newt, what on earth are you talking about? What’s going on?”

Newt practically sprinted to the window, nothing outside. Yet.

“It’s Grindelwald, he-he’s here, in New York, the Map went nuts and now he’s here-”

“Wait- he’s back? Here? In New York?”

Newt nodded breathlessly. It was as if all the air had been ripped out of his lungs. He was losing it faster than he was gaining it. There was no possible way he was back.

But the case was so close now..

“Newt, you need to calm down and please explain what’s happening,”

He put his head down and handed her the map, shifting his weight nervously, trying to steady his breathing. After a moment he heard Tina’s soft “Oh my god..”

“Let’s get some charms cast, we’ll look over this later.” She decided, tossing the paper unto the table.

They both spread to different parts of the house, casting protective spells that would hopefully keep Grindelwald at bay, if he did decide to drop in. After ten agonizing minutes of spell casting, they covered the whole apartment.

“Tina,” Queenie emerged from the stairs. Newt almost forgot she was there. She looked panicked. “There’s explosions down the street. Where’s Jacob?”

“Why do you ask?”

Queenie went pale. “Oh lord please don’t tell me he went back..”

“Why? Queenie what’s happening?” Tina asked, now panicked as well. Newt couldn't blame her, he was panicking too. Everything was happening way to fast for his liking.

“Those explosions were right near his bakery, Newt do you have any idea where he is or what’s going on?”

“I-I..” He knew he needed to tell them Jacob had left, but the words weren’t coming.

“Newt please!”

“He left to go tell them he would be gone, I-I was supposed to tell you but then everything happened I’m sorry-”

The words spilled out of him like a tap that he couldn’t adjust. He put his hands on his head, taking a step backwards. Everything was overwhelming him now.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated this as he stumbled backwards and out of the room, not looking back.

Tina

She watched as Newt tore out of the room, practically sobbing. She lunged after him, but was stopped by Queenie grabbing her wrist.

“Give him a minute, Teen, he’s been through a lot.”

“I need to see if he’s alright,” she protested, pulling against her sisters restraints. Queenie didn’t budge.

“He’ll be fine. He just needs some time alone, trust me.”

Tina sighed, and yielded to her sisters wishes. Something she didn’t like to do.

“I’m gonna go check and see if Jacob’s alright,” she said, quickly moving to the door. “Just wait a while, and I mean it. I know you.”

“Okay, okay. Why don’t I come?” Tina suggested.

“He might need you after while Teen. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Tina watched helplessly as her sister left, leaving her alone in the kitchen. It was dead silent. She walked over, looking again at the map, hoping there would be some new development to distract her. To her dismay there was nothing. She had to have stared at the paper for a solid 3 minutes before finally deciding to put it down. She couldn’t take it. She needed to check on Newt. She turned the corner slowly, not knowing what she would find. He didn’t have his case, so there was really no telling where he had gone. The apartment wasn’t big though, so she wouldn’t be looking long.

“Newt?” She called, already knowing the chances of her receiving any sort of response were slim.

She kept calling until she finally found him, sitting in the corner of the bedroom, his knees up to his chest. The way he looked reminded her that of a child who had just been yelled at. His head rested on his arms, facing right into the wall.

“Newt?” She said softly. He flinched slightly, but didn’t turn his head.

She walked over, slowly sinking down on the floor next to him. She gingerly put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, “I’m ruining everything.”

“Newt you haven’t ruined anything. We were distracted, I’m sure Queenie will come back with Jacob any second and it will all be alright. Just a little scare, that’s all.”

His eyes looked down, half his face was still covered by his arms. She lowered her head to his, forcing their eyes to meet.

“Listen, I know you’ve been through a lot. We’re going to get the case back, okay? It will be alright, trust me.” She said, now rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. He spoke, his voice soft, yet shaky. He turned to her, slowly. She hated seeing him like this. It only fueled her determination to get the case back.

“But what if we don’t?”

“We will Newt, we will.”

Pop!

Tina and Newt jerked their heads as Jacob and Queenie appeared, Jacob being supported by Queenies arm.

“Flying cars sure are fun!” Jacob slurred, his body weight rocking back and forth.

“He’s alright, just a little shook up from a minor Taxi incident,” Queenie reassured them, hauling the loopy Jacob out of the room.

Tina had turned to speak to Newt again when she heard a loud screech and multiple thuds as Jacob fell down the stairs. She smiled unconvincingly at Newt, attempting to hide her cringes at the noise. Thankfully she heard the faintest traces of Jacob laughing.

“See? He’s fine.”

Newt grinned slightly, which made Tina feel a lot better. She stood up, holding out her hand.

“Ready to come back downstairs, Mr. Scamander?”

Newt takes her hand and she pulls him up, almost effortlessly. Considering she was a fairly weak individual, she looked at him.

“Newt, have you been eating?”

The question seemed to have caught him by surprise.

“Well, erm- maybe not as much but enough-”

She cut him off.

“Newt you need to eat,” She gestured to his torso, which she had just noticed was abnormally skinny. How could she have missed that? “You’re as thin and paper, and you look sick.”

“I-I’m sure it’s just-

“We’re giving you a proper meal before we go, and you can’t say otherwise.”

Newt lowered his head, defeated. “Okay,” He responded quietly.

“Good,” Tina said. “Now get some rest, you need it.”

She spun around before Newt could respond and headed down the stairs, very pleased at the won argument. Very pleased indeed.

“How’s Jacob?” She asked, seeing her sister tending to Jacob in the kitchen.

“He’s doing real good. Justa little shook up from the taxi,” She said, applying some healing cream to his face. “He’ll be fine and dandy by the time we leave.”

Tina smiled. Not because of the comment, but just at the sudden realization they were finally going somewhere. They were going to leave New York, and quite possibly travel the country! Of course, it wouldn’t be all kicks and giggles, but she was quite pleased to have a change of scenery. Something she never experiences except for at Ilvermorny. Plus, she would be getting to do it with Newt.

“Aw!” Queenie turned around, beaming. “You are really happy about that? Teen that’s absolutely prec-”

“Sh!” Tina put her hands up, nervously looking to the stairs, remembering last time. “Don’t say another word!”

Queenie grinned knowingly, then turned back to Jacob, whose arms were resting on the top of the corner. The dazed look on his face now gone.

“I bet I knew the lousy sap who hit me too,” He muttered. Queenie giggled, rubbing in the last bit of ointment on his cheek. A common trend in the Goldsteins apartment, it seemed. Tina smiled, then went back to the living room to finish off her packing. Of course, she would be packing plenty of books, and files (Which she conveniently borrowed from MACUSA.) Of course, she was nervous. A trip like this could last weeks to months depending on how Grindelwald decides to behave. They barely even had a plan, but with all forms of transportation (except for portkeys, whom Queenie kindly mentioned,) but those are a huge hassle sometimes, and are hard to find in the middle of forests and deserts. So they would be traveling either by foot, car or some other means. That or patting rocks and trees for weeks on end. It would be too easy for Grindelwald to sense when they used magic to move, so they would need to sneak. She shook her head, and decided to dwell upon something else. She was confident Newt would be able to come up with a plan. If not, she could most certainly take over.

Newt

The name always struck a chord in her. Especially lately, seeing him in the state he was was absolutely dreadful. The way he cried, it made her feel so helpless. He could never imagine losing her life's work all at once. All of his creatures, that he fought hard to protect. No. She sternly forced the negative thoughts away. They were going to get the case back, no matter what. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind, and if there was, it wouldn’t be valid.

She would give her life to see Newt smile, and if it comes to it, then so be it. They were getting that case back.

Chapter 4- Night skies and Goodbyes

Newt tapped his finger on the windowsill anxiously, peering onto the street below. He reviewed the past days events, what could have been the hundredth time. Each time he cringed a bit harder. How could he have let himself go like that? Just when he felt he was growing more comfortable in Tina’s presence, he had to go and ruin it. Even Jacob must think exceptionally lower of Newt now after all of this; thrashing in the freezing cold harbor, screaming at the top of his lungs, sobbing into Tina’s shoulder, just crying like a baby in general. After this morning, the hadn’t had much time to think until now. As much as it killed him, and every time he tried distancing himself from it, he always came back to the same conclusion.

He shouldn’t have come back.

He caused more problems than he could count. Firstly interfering with what probably was a peaceful, and happy time, then attracting Grindelwald back. Even worse, he got Jacob nearly killed twice now, and let Tina get hurt. Now because of his recklessness, he’s forcing Tina, Queenie and Jacob to drop everything just to get his case back. He sighed, subconsciously running a hand through his hair, which was still damp from a shower Tina insisted he take. He had to laugh at her face when he jokingly insisted the harbor was plenty.

“Well what do you think Pick? Ready to get the case back?” He asked the Bowtruckle, who was now happily perched on his shoulder.

“Chirp!”

Newt smiled.

“Me too. Well, we better get a move on,” He said, standing up. “The quicker we get the case back, the less chance Grindelwald has of doing anything.”

He had about made it to the door when ne nearly ran into Tina, who had just emerged. He quickly took a step back.

“Oh, Newt, there you are. I was just coming to get you.” She said.

Newts gaze traveled past her to the bottom of the stairs, where three suitcases had been packed.

“So I guess this is it,” He said quietly. He looked up at Tina. “Tina, please don’t feel like you need to come with me for this, I-It was my fault about the case and you really don’t-”

His rambling was cut short by a sharp look from Tina. She certainly did have and effect on him.

“I’m coming with you Newt. We all are. So stop trying to convince me otherwise.”

“Even if it means being hurt again?” He replied coolly, not meeting her gaze directly. Tina raised an eyebrow.

“Is that what this is about?”

Queenies voice cut Tina off. She raised her hand.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

That was close, he thought. He wasn’t in the mood to discuss feelings anyways. He never is, come to think of it. He got downstairs and paused momentarily. The apartment was nearly empty, everything put away into cabinets and drawers, or in the suitcases, (one of which Newt expanded just a bit for extra space).

“Teenie I’m just saying, if they find out you’ve gone on a personal trip with Newt, Jacob and I- pursuing Grindelwald without you telling them, who knows what Madam Piquerry might say!”

“That’s why she isn’t going to find out.” Tina replied confidently.

“She is the president!” Queenie said, throwing her hands in the air. “She finds out everything whether you like it or not!”

“She hasn’t found out about you and Jacob.”

Queenie fell silent, looking over to Jacob.

“It’ll be fine, Queen. I’ve already handled it.”

“I still don’t feel right about this. What about the map? They probably been looking for that-”

“The map we have is a duplicate. You really think Macusa would’ve locked something like that down in their basement?”

Newt cleared his throat awkwardly, hoping to end the argument.

“I guess that means we’re ready to head out,” Queenie said. If Newt didn’t know any better, she sounded almost sad.

“Newt, I think you better hold on to this,” Tina handed him the map, which was neatly rolled up. “And he left New York around twenty minutes ago. Back up in Michigan.”

He opened the map. There weren’t as many points now, and most had turned a dull pink.

“Either he’s starting to calm down, or he’s tired.” Jacob walked strolled into the room, pulling on his jacket.

“Yeah, hopefully.” Tina said.

Newt looked down. There was no for sure what would happen. It was scary, what Grindelwald could be doing to his creatures. No, not scary, terrifying. A hand on his shoulder tore him from his musings.

“We’re getting that case back, Newt,” Tina said, smiling warmly. “Don’t worry. After all, it was you that said ‘worrying means you suffer twice.’”

Newt couldn’t help but grin a bit.

“Ready?”

He took a deep breath, then nodded.

____________________________________________________________

Grindelwald

“You are useless to me,” He snapped, throwing the man's body to the floor. “I thought I gave you on simple task, but you failed that as well.”

The man groaned, slowly picking himself up the floor. Grindelwald walked over, grabbing him by the collar.

“I am giving you this one last chance. Fail me, and I will not hesitate to kill you in the most painful way possible!” He spat, slamming Pat’s head back into the ground.

“I-I”

He held a finger up in warning. “Don’t attempt to speak. Your actions have already done that for you.”

He walked back over to the other side of the room, leaning against the wall nonchalantly as the weaker man attempted to stand. He scoffed.

“You couldn’t even rid of the Scamander man.”

“W-well it’s not like you could either..”

His head snapped up.

“You dare challenge my authority? The authority of the most powerful wizard in the world?!?” He bellowed, pointing his wand at Pat’s neck. He watched as the man cowered, curling into a fetal position. He lowered his arm.

“That man’s body was weak.” He said calmly, “And I have more important things to do than hunt down a pesky magizoologist and his clan. That is why, Pat, I have you.” He spit out the last sentence as if it were dirt.

“So-s0 what is my task?”

Grindelwald smiled, a grim, sardonic grin.

“Something even an oaf like you could understand.”

________________________________________________________

Newt

Newt walked hurriedly, his eyes focused toward the ground. They had all taken their separate ways to seem less suspicious, and agreed to meet near the docks. A place they were all more than familiar with. Initially, he had been against the idea and suggested they all walk together, but with security in the wizarding world tight, they couldn’t risk being seen together. That’s why they were meeting on the docks, it was isolated, and they would taking a portkey out of the city. One of the few they knew of in New York. Newt had changed his appearance again, but only slightly. Just enough to blend in with the fast paced, dark dressed Muggles. He wore a black trench coat, and wore regular shoes as opposed to his work boots and blue coat. He passed by a row of buildings, catching glimpses of himself in the mirrors time to time. Other times he would see the unmistakable beggar and other times groups of people huddled around a street performer.

He kept walking nonetheless, until the shadow of a person caught his eye. At first he didn’t think much of it until he realized it seemed familiar. He stopped, and looked back, hesitant to follow the individual. If it was who he thought, then he could get plenty more information. If it wasn’t, then he could use apparating as a last resort. He discreetly turned off the road, made sure nobody was watching, and slipped into the alleyway.

“Lumos,” he whispered.

He looked around. No signs. He ventured deeper in. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly light disappeared in alleys like these. He looked around, there were discarded boxes and bins, and bent metal doors leading to Merlin knows where. An eerie silence filled the air. Maybe he should turn back?

His question was answered by the sounds of metal tins falling even deeper in. He spun around, and saw the silhouette of a man scurry away. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran after. He nearly tripped multiple times, but managed to stay upright long enough to catch up with the man. The figure stopped abruptly, sending Newt stumbling past him. He fell on his knees, then quickly stood upright.

“Grindelwald certainly wasn’t mistaken when he said you were a persistent one,” the man breathed. Newt narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you?”

The man stepped out of the darkness, right into the light. Before him, stood Pat. Not the same Pat though. This Pat was covered in bruises and gashes ranging from a bust lip to a slash on his forehead. Nothing he got in their last run-in.

“Hello, Newton.” He whispered, an evil glint in his eye. “So we meet again.”

Newt stared, still panting from the pursuit. He realized just what a bad position he was in at the moment.

“Always a man of a few words, I see,” He said, reaching for his wand. Before he could, though, Newt had already disarmed him.

“Expelliarmus!”

The wand flew out of his hand, landing with a Clu-Clank! On the ominous wooden floors behind him.

“You are really going to regret that-” Pat dove down to the ground where the wand was. Newt summoned it to him and held it tightly.Then without thinking, he sprinted.

I just stole a man’s wand and am now running off with it, he thought incredulously. He purposely knocked down crates and containers behind him, guaranteeing him some time. He heard the sounds of Pat running into the obstacles with a thud and loud curse. He looked back. There was no way he could get back on the street like this, so he appareated right to the dock and away from the chaos.

He appeared quickly, which earned wide eyes and interrogations from Tina and Queenie. Before he did anything, he quickly put a hand over his pocket, to ensure picket was still there. Thankfully, he felt the little figure of Pickett tucked comfortably away.

“Newt, I thought we decided no apparating?”

“Yes, I know, but-”

“What happened? You look like you just ran!”

“Well you see-”

“Hey Newt,” Jacob said, silencing the girls. “Why do ya have two wands?”

Tina and Queenie looked at Jacob, then at the two wands firmly gripped in Newts hand. Tina was the first to speak.

“I have several questions, but I think I’d like to hear the answer to this one first.”

“Erm, well here’s the thing.. I-I might’ve ran into…. Somebody on the way here and-”

Tina cut him off again.

“Oh my god, that’s Pat’s wand…. Newt!”

“I-I have a solution for this!” He said. Without thinking, he turned and chucked the wand into the water.

“Newt?”

“Yes?”

“Wrong wand.”

He cursed silently and retrieved his wand, while Jacob and Queenie both laughed. After ensuring he had the right wand, he threw the other one, which landed in the water with a feeble Sploosh!.

“See? Uh, problem solved.” He said, holding out and empty hand. Tina rolled her eyes, laughing.

“Mr. Scamander you certainly are more of a riot than I gave you credit for,” She said. He smiled sheepishly.

“Teen, wanna help make sure I got this all right?” Queenie asked, holding what looked like a paper of some sorts. Newt decided he would ask about it later.

He took the time she was distracted to look out into the harbor. The sun was setting, and the stars were becoming visible one by one. It felt odd being back to the harbor, but also somewhat bittersweet. He must’ve been rather engrossed in his thoughts because when he saw Jacob next to him he nearly jumped out of his own skin.

“Oh, sorry for scaring you there, bud.” Jacob laughed. Newt breathed a sigh of relief after realizing it was just him.

“Everythin’ alright? I mean, I know it’s been tough losing the case and all, but you’ve been acting off the past few days,” He said.

“Oh yes, I’m fine. Just tired I suppose.”

Jacob sighed. “Newt, I know most people think I’m some sort of pushover, but I can tell when something's bothering someone.”

“It’s really nothing-”

“Newt, Jacob, I think we’re ready!” Queenie called. Jacob nudged him in the side.

“You get out of it this time.” He laughed. Saved by the Queenie yet again.

He stole a quick glance up at the sky. It was a clear evening, what was rapidly turning to night, and according to an elderly Muggle couple he overheard, unseasonably warm.
“Goodbye New York,” He heard Tina say quietly. They all put a hand on a crate, the portkey, and quickly disappeared from the city.

Chapter Text

A/N- Hey! Look. they finally have left! I was in a writing slump earlier, but after finally getting my past writing spot (where I wrote basically the whole first book and half of this) I was able to get past it. Well, happy April. I have a snow day because of a Winter storm in Michigan. Instead of now we literally got ice pellets and now it's like shoveling sugar. It’s really satisfying to feel though. Anyways, yeah, here it is. A chapter. Yay. I wrote it all in a day. *Writers rap anyone?* Lol well anyways please tell me what you guys would want in a chapter, it would be really cool to take suggestions! Don’t be a stranger, leave a comment! Okay, I think that’s it. Until next time! Also, if you see the words well and we’ll mix up, my google docs like changing well to we'll every time I write it so I try catching those. Tell me if you see any!

Edit: Lol it’s October, I’m a filthy liar. Why? Marvel took over my life for a long while. Now, as CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD rapidly approaches I’m getting super excited. I’m wondering if there’s anything that will be similar in the movie to my books, hm. Perhaps. If so, I’ll laugh. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a Pat? Also, there’s going to be plenty of editing being done, since this book spans over a LARGE amount of time. It’s been a couple years (whoa) and yeah, I’ve changed a lot in my writing style. I actually made it into AP   as a Sophomore (It’s a college class) and so yeah that’s also a lot of fun. Anywho, comment if you’re gonna see the movie! I’m going with my 8th-grade teacher and a few others and we’re going to have a great time eating out and stuff. OKAY ENOUGH RANTING, LET’S GET TO THE GOOD STUFF!

Edit 2: NOVEMBER I’M SORRY FBGFBTDHUYBVCXS. In other news, I’m seeing FBTGOG on the 15th! (A day early because our theaters apparently can do that) SO YEEHAW!

Chapter 5- Greenland Isn’t Actually That Green

     The first thing Newt saw when they appeared was the train. The first thing he heard, was an audible gasp from Queenie. People busied along, the heavy scent of smoke fogged the humid station. He looked at Tina, who unlike her sister, seemed unfazed by the sight. If anything, her mood had turned unnaturally solemn. If Newt wasn’t well, Newt he would’ve asked what’s wrong.

     “We’re really doing this, huh?” Queenie breathed. Newt nodded.

    “Ya know, I heard the countryside is really something this time of year,” Jacob said, smiling. “Couldn’t hurt enjoying it a little, right?”

    “That’s right,” Tina nudged Newt with her elbow, smiling. “I think some of us need to take our minds off things.”

    Newt smiled a bit but found it to be somewhat difficult to keep a smile. Yes, he was determined, yet another part of him knew it would be next to impossible to retrieve all of the creatures before they were spotted. It would be a chore finding them all period.

     “Newt, what did I just say?”

     “S-sorry,” Newt said quickly, laughing. The group got in a chuckle before the train whistle blew. With a deep breath, they boarded.

~~~~

    A lady with a cart came by the booth where the group sat. Newt politely declined, Tina and Jacob got small cups of coffee and Queenie got an iced water.

    “So,” Tina said, leaning back into the seat. She held her coffee carefully with both hands. “What’s the plan?”

     There was an uneasy silence as all eyes traveled to Newt, who shifted in his seat.

     “I haven’t given it much thought.”

     “Really? Was all of that staring into nothingness just static then?” Tina said. Her tone sounded bitter.

     “Well, I-”

     “Please tell me you have some sort of idea, Newt.”

    Newt looked down at the floor and sighed.

     “I don’t.”

    “Well, this is a perfect place to start, right Teen?” Queenie said smiling.

     There was some conversation after that, but Newt filtered it out. People becoming angry never resonated well with him, especially if it was directed towards him. He played with his hands and made sure he didn’t look at anyone. Especially Tina, considering she was already short with him. He heard the crackling of a map and assumed someone pulled out the Grindelwald tracker.

    “Well,” Queenie said. “Right now he’s in the Arctic, so I suppose we’ll meet him there. Newt?”

     Newt looked up slowly.

     “Did you have any creatures that were more, tundra inclined?”

    “Not many, although there are a few that could easily adapt to a colder environment,” Newt said.

     He couldn’t help but see Tina out of the corner of his eye, who was looking down at her coffee, obviously disinterested. Newt stood up.

     “I think I’m going to continue working on an agenda.”

     Queenie and Jacob gave him confused looks.

     “Alone, if you don’t mind.”

     Nobody said anything as Newt left. He traveled until he reached the very back of the train. Thankfully, there was nobody, as it was a lightly loaded trip. He situated himself at a small table and hoped nobody would find him.

...

     Newt ended up sitting at the small table for a few hours before anyone came in, except for an apologetic stewardess who “had no idea anyone was this far back on the train”. If he was completely honest, it was refreshing being alone for a while. He mostly looked at the passing scenery and occasionally chatted with Pickett. He tried not to think too much about anything, and actually reminded himself to write home once this was all over with. He saw as the scenery changed from an autumn-stained landscape to desolate, coldness. He had to wrap his coat around himself tighter than usual. Finally, the train started to slow down, and Tina appeared in the doorway.

     “There you are. I thought you kicked the bucket back here,” she chuckled. “Come on, we’re here.”

     He learned they had actually arrived in Northern Greenland, and that Grindelwald had decided to make a complete U-Turn. Of course, there were a few things they had not anticipated: the bitter cold of which they were painfully ill-prepared for, the lack of any transportation within the place itself, the fact Grindelwald was still hundreds maybe thousands of miles away, and that Greenland is MUCH bigger than they thought.

     “And I thought New York winters were bad,” Jacob shivered.

     “It’s only going to get colder from here, unfortunately,” Tina said, pulling out the map.

     They got off the train and got to a wooden depot building which looked like it may collapse at any given time. Of course, there was nobody inside.

     “This is ridiculous! Why would that lame-brain conductor just leave us here if there’s nothing? We’re basically stranded.”

     “Maybe not completely,” Newt said. “There is one Apparition-covering spell I’ve used. See, in the wild, there are certain creatures that can sense Apparition from miles away, so I learned a way to disguise any magical trace. Problem is, I don’t know if it would cover us from Macusa.”

     Tina shrugged. “It’ll have to do. We don’t have any other choice.”

     “Hey, Newt? Maybe you could Apparate me a coat while you at it?” Jacob laughed, still shivering.

     “Ah! Terribly sorry, Jacob,” Newt produced a heavy winter coat and handed it to him. “Slipped my mind.”

     “Hey, don’t sweat it,” Jacob chuckled, pulling on the jacket.

     “Alright, let’s get this over with,” Tina said. Newt nodded his head and grabbed Jacob’s arm. Together, they all Disapparated (hopefully) without a trace.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6- Nightmares Come True Too

     When they Apparated, the first thing they saw was the blinding white snow. Newt squinted his eyes, covering his face with his hand.

     “This is not what I envisioned,” He yelled over the wind. He turned around and realized he couldn’t see anyone around him.

     “Where are we? Antarctica?!” Jacob also yelled, signifying he was thankfully still there.

     Newt quickly cast a shield spell to block out the snow. All at once, the noise reduced. They all breathed a sigh of relief, but knew they weren’t out of the woods. It was still bitterly cold, and they were basically lost. Newt glanced around, trying to make some sense of where they were. For some odd reason, it felt familiar, but not enough to get them anywhere.

     “How far away is Grindelwald?” He asked.

     Tina pulled out the map and furrowed her brows.

     “We’re close.” She held out a hand and pointed into the distance. “We need to head that way.”

     In a straight line, the quartet trudged through the snow, occasionally stopping to make sure they were all still there. The half-ice pellets bounced off Newt’s coat as they walked along. Even the spell couldn’t seem to keep all the snow out. He wasn’t too sure what they would see, or when they would see it. Everything seemed to be rushed, like a dream of sorts.

     After a while, Newt realized he hadn’t heard Jacob say a word. With him being a Muggle, Newt was concerned for his safety in such an environment.

     “Jacob? Are you still with us?”

     He turned around, expecting to see his figure, but instead saw nothing. In fact, he didn’t see anybody. What? He thought to himself incredulously. They were just here!

     Newt looked around again. They couldn’t have possibly left him. Perhaps he left them by accident?

     He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. “Hello?”

     The only answer was the frantic swirls of what seemed like a never-ending storm. Newt then realized where he had seen this before. His dream. As if the magic word had been uttered, something resembling white noise pierced the air with a painful blow. Newt gasped, covering his ears but the noise didn’t lessen. He sank down to his knees, desperately trying to block out the shrill noise.

     “You shouldn’t have come, Newt.”

     A disembodied voice said, almost angelic compared to its counterpart. Newt had a good guess of who it was.

     “Grindelwald,” He said through gritted teeth. Grindelwald laughed.

     “You have a lot of nerve, showing up in a place like this,” a figure emerged, nearly as white as the snow surrounding him. “It will all have been for nothing.”

     The tip of something wooden was pressed up against Newt’s neck as Grindelwald continued.

     “All of this was for nothing.”

     Newt closed his eyes, waiting for the sure blast that would most definitely kill him, but a very different spell, by a very different person was yelled into the storm.

     “Stupefy!”

     The figure of Grindelwald vanished, becoming one with the white. A darker individual came into view. Tina. A warm hand grabbed his, pulling him to his feet, but before he could ask what had just happened, they disapparated.

…

     They appeared into a small hut. Newt subconsciously reached for Tina’s arm, nearly tipping over. Instead of shying away, Tina kept him upright.

     “Newt, we thought we lost ya!” Jacob exclaimed, clapping Newt’s shoulder. Newt smiled, still unsure of what had occurred. He can’t remember the last time he knew what was going on, come to think of it.

     “I’m sorry, I’m... I’m still confused. What just happened?”

     “You nearly lost your life just a few moments ago.”

     Another figure emerged from seemingly nowhere. An older gentleman with a dark complexion and long, grey and black hair. His face was obviously wrinkled with age, but his eyes looked like those of a young child. He held out a hand.

     “Oianek, pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Scamander. Come, we have much to discuss, starting with that little fiasco you were just in.”

     Newt looked at Tina, who gave him a smile and quick nod. He returned the shake, and silently followed the man. They passed through a curtain which revealed a larger room, complete with a stove, tapestries strewn across the fabric walls, and a couple of wooden chairs. He motioned for Newt to sit.

     “So, erm, I don’t wish to come across as rude, but how did you know my name?” Newt asked curiously. The man grinned.

     “I know many things.” His smile suddenly faded. “What you decided to do on this night was foolish, and nearly cost you your life, Mr. Scamander.”

     Newt looked down. “I know.”

     The chair creaked as Oianek leaned back.

     “I get many travelers here. Most from Nevada, believe it or not. Faulty Portkey, but we won’t get into that. You know, it’s not every day you stand face to face with the most dangerous wizard of our time.”

     “Let’s just say, I have some unfinished business.” Newt chuckled.

     “Your beasts,” Oianek said matter-of-factly. Newt nodded solemnly.

     “In this village, creatures of magic are protected. I have heard of your story, and naturally, we all decided to help you. Tell me, what have you brought your No-Maj friend for?”

     “He is a dear friend,” Newt said. Oianek nodded.

     “And the dark-haired girl, a girlfriend?”

     “Oh- heavens no,” Newt said quickly. He lowered his voice. “No.”

     Oianek nodded his head again, grinning.

     “The No-Maj and the light-haired girl are together though, correct?”

     Newt thought for a moment.

     “Sort of, it’s… complicated.”

     He laughed. “You sure are the most oddball group I’ve seen yet. Ah, reminds me of my little group when I was a boy.”

     He stood up slowly and grabbed a wooden cane that leaned against the chair.

     “That is all for now, let’s join the others, shall we?”

     As Newt followed him into the main room, he couldn’t help but wonder just what he had meant by “village”. There weren’t buildings anywhere he could see. How far did they apparate? He felt like he was missing some crucial information. As he walked back into the room, he felt Tina's curious gaze. He could only wonder what she was thinking. He hoped she didn’t hear the conversation he just had.

     “Feel free to make yourselves at home. Our house, is your house, after all.”

     “Thank you so much, Oianek,” Queenie said. “How can we ever repay you?”

     Oianek raised his cane at Newt and laughed, “Make sure this one doesn’t get himself killed.”

     “He’s made it this far,” Tina mumbled, chuckling. Newt grinned sheepishly.

     “Well, I better head over to the council meeting before they carve my name into the rock,” Oianek said. “Your rooms will be upstairs.”

     As he left, Newt got a glimpse outside, which was much different than he expected. He thought he would see more snow, but saw a bit of green. Just as he saw it, however, the entrance swung shut.

     “So, perhaps I could get a quick rundown of what just happened? I’m still horribly lost.” Newt said. Queenie laughed.

     “Sit down, honey. This might be a while.”

…

     Once the three had finished, Newt was left completely dumbfounded.

     “It was only about twenty seconds for me, how could that-?”

     Tina and Queenie shrugged their shoulders.

     “Some wacky form of time illusionment is my best guess,” Tina said, pursing her lips uncertainly. Newt sighed quietly.

     “Thank you regardless, for... well,” Newt trailed off, unsure if what happened was really true. Tina chuckled.

     “Saving your life? Yeah, you better be thankful,” She playfully punched his arm. “I’m sure Oianek already scolded you.”

     Newt nodded. Apparently, they had walked for almost a half hour before realizing Newt was missing. They spent about another calling and searching, which was when Oianek found them and took them back to the village. Somehow, he knew exactly where Newt was, and Tina went to retrieve him, just in time too. Of course, now that made the fact Grindelwald was definitely trying to kill him a factor in this whole operation.

     “So, let’s review what we know so far, shall we?” Tina asked. The group nodded in agreement.

     “Newt is being tracked by the most powerful wizard in America, he has his case and is doing who knows what. He’s already destroyed countless rural communities-”

     “Wait- I wasn’t aware of this,” Newt interjected. Tina’s eyes widened as if she had said something she wasn’t supposed to. There was an uneasy silence.

     “I didn’t want to say anything, I knew you would react well.” She said.

     “There’s something else to it, too, Newt. We didn’t want to tell you… but you deserve to know.”

     Newt knew what they were about to say, and he hated it.

     “There were beasts released-”

     “They were scared! They weren’t ready to be released, especially in the presence of other people. They would never purposely hurt anyone.” Newt exclaimed, his ears growing hot.

     “Regardless, twelve people were killed, and the paper is pointing fingers at the beasts who caused it. I’m sorry, Newt.”

     Newt leaned back and shook his head.

     “He won’t get away with this. The longer we wait, the chances of them being captured and killed grow, I can’t stand by and let this happen.”

     “Last time you said this Grindelwald had a wand pointed at your neck!

     “Yes, I understand that, but-”

     “But nothing, Newt!” Tina snapped. “I don’t know if you realize this, but you putting yourself in serious danger. If you lost your life-”

     “-It would be for them.”

     He finished. Tinas face changed, from the look of anger to hurt and disappointment. She stood up.

     “Tina-” Queenie reached out to her sister, but Tina shook her head.

     “If he wants to go, let. Obviously, I can’t stop him,” she said quietly. Queenie also stood and pursued her sister who left the room.

     “Hey, uh, listen don’t let that bug you, Newt.” Jacob smiled, distracting Newt from where the sisters had left. “She’s homesick. I suppose we all are, though.”

     Newt lightly nodded.

     “Give her some time, you know she’ll come around. She’s just worried for you, we all are.” He paused. “I know this ain’t gonna mean much coming from me, but we all care about you a ton. Nobody here wants to see you get hurt.”

     Newt looked up, at a loss for words. Jacob continued.

     “I suppose we feel the same way you do towards your creatures. We want to see you safe, ya know? If that makes any sense, I dunno. I don’t make much sense,” he laughed. Newt couldn’t help but smile at his friend.

     “Thank you, Jacob. I guess I just, really can’t wrap my around…” he grinned uncertainly and tilted his head.

     “People actually caring. Don’t even get me started, it took me a while too. Remember in the subway? This actually came to me not so long ago but I remember when you called me your friend. That really got the waterworks going.” Jacob leaned forward and smiled wistfully.

     “That’s the first time anyone really ever called me that.”

     Newt furrowed his eyebrows at the still reminiscing Jacob.

     “I’m sure that’s an exaggeration. Jacob, you’re the friendliest person I have ever met.”

     “Well I mean, yeah I’m friendly but nowadays people think your some sort of pushover trying to get something from you. Besides, you don’t really have the time to get to know people.”

     Newt nodded his head. “Yes, that is unfortunately true.”

     The two sat for a while, discussing things about themselves, the world, basically whatever came up. If Newt was honest, it was probably one of the longest conversations he had that wasn’t forced. Philosophical talks weren’t really his forte, but he quite enjoyed talking about different things. Society, the people in it; things he had only ever observed. Jacob seemed to enjoy himself too, as they laughed together. Some things Jacob had forgotten still of their last adventure, which Newt happily filled him in on. They must’ve talked for hours because once Oianek had returned, it was dark.

     “Isn’t it about past your bedtimes?” He laughed, hobbling into the room. His cane made a thlack! With every other couple of steps.

     The two stood up quickly like children who were caught listening to late night radio.

     “Terribly sorry, time must’ve escaped us,” Newt said. Oianek simply laughed again.

     “Scamander you certainly love to apologize, don’t you?”

     Newt nearly apologized again but caught himself. Jacob must’ve noticed because he snorted, which caused the two to erupt into giggles.

     “It certainly is nice having some light-hearted company,” he said, walking past them. “I’ll be out back if any of you need me.”

     “I think I’m gonna hit the sack if you don’t mind. Newt, you coming?” Jacob asked.

     “I’m not really tired at the moment,” He lied. Of course, he was just trying to avoid the sisters. “I’ll meet you up there later, though.”

     “Alright,” Jacob said. “Goodnight.”

     As Jacob walked up the old wooden stairs, which led to an upper room, Oianek appeared through the back doorway, motioning for Newt.

     “Come on out here, Newton. I would like another word with you.”

     Newt hesitated but obeyed. He carefully held up the door-flap as he walked through and was greeted by something truly remarkable on the other side. Just past the blanket of which the elder sat, the land sloped downward. At the bottom, a stormy grey lake, which reflected the night sky perfectly. Though the air was bitter, the lake wasn’t frozen, but calm. Around it, darkened pine trees carefully traced the nearly perfectly circular lake. The stars looked as though they were a part of the water, even the grey clouds which rolled past seemed to sail. Oianek patted the ground next to him as a sign to sit down.

     “An amazing sight, don’t you agree?” He asked.

     “Yes, it’s quite beautiful.” Newt couldn’t help but think of how much Oianek reminded him of Dumbledore.

     “My father used to tell me many stories of this lake,” he said, still fixated on the water in the distance. “Stories of the most amazing creatures that once roamed free.”

     “What happened to them?” Newt asked quietly. Oianek sighed.

     “They were driven out, a neighboring tribe destroyed everything we had. Killed everything they could see, including my mother and father. Ah, but I was quite young then,” He said. “But enough about me, I’m here to talk about you.”

     Newt looked at Oianek, who was no longer smiling.

     “You’re a brave soul. I can hear it,” He reached over and tapped Newt’s chest. “Kind heart too, probably the purest I’ve ever seen. You don’t seem to consider your personal safety a lot, do you?”

     “Well, I do tend to take plenty of precautionary measures when approaching creatures and such,” Newt said.

     “Alas, that is a different thing. The girl, Tina, she is so worried for you.”

     “Tina is?”

     “Oh yes, absolutely terrified. It’s no wonder she reacted the way she did when you said that.”

     He leaned over, “Which was a really dumb thing to say, by the way.”

     “I know,” he agreed quietly. Oianek sat up straight.

     “Of course, that’s what happens when you love somebody.”

     Newt stiffened at the word.

     “Well, maybe not love -”

     “Maybe not love? You two are head over heels for each other, son. Neither of you can admit it though, which I bet is driving the other two insane. Listen, we know how worried you are for those creatures, but try considering how worried everyone is for you. They’ve tried telling you, but we won’t get anywhere until you realize it for yourself.”

     Newt remained silent.

     “This, what’s happening right now, is no game. You all need to stick together, especially now. You all need each other more than you think.”

     The lake seemed to lighten a bit as the moon passed through the clouds. It cast a dull gray across the landscape, brightening up the land.

     “I don’t want to fail them. I thought, for a while, they were all gone. Now that I know they’re somewhere out there,” Newt took a breath. “Every second I wait feels like an eternity. I just need to see them again.”

     Oianek nodded in understanding. “It is true, the quicker the better. But as everyone else has said, your safety is above all else. If you were gone, all hope for your creatures vanish.”

     Newts eyes widened. He had hardly considered the possibility. If he died, all those creatures would be lost forever. Oianek stood up, grabbing his cane.

     “I appreciated our discussion, Scamander. I hope you consider some of these things.”

     Newt heard the flap close as Oianek went inside. He pulled his knees to his chest and stared into the distance, thinking.

     That’s when he came up with a brilliant idea.

Chapter Text

      Newt wrapped his collar around his face as the bitterly harsh wind threw pellets of ice at him. He was so sure it would work, so sure he could fix things. Now? He’s walking alone through a blizzard. He couldn’t help but think about how it all happened. He had gotten non-allergenic flowers, hoping to present them to Tina to make up for the things he had said. As he had gone to give them to her, however, he heard his name. So, of course, he hung around the corner and listened. Right away he knew it wasn’t good, as Tina’s voice was raised.

     “I’m just, done, Queenie. I can’t do this!” She said. Newts heart had dropped. He had anticipated the worst at that moment.

     “Teen, please don’t say that.”

     “I don’t even know why I agreed to this. It’s obvious he doesn’t care about any of us, or himself. If he wants to go by himself, let him. I just want to go home…”

     Newt had heard enough by then. He set the flowers down gently and left without a word. He never even said goodbye to Oianek in person, which gave him the initial idea to write the note he left on his bed. It read:

     Dear friends,

     I have left on my own accord in pursuit of my case. Oianek, I kindly appreciate your generosity in letting me stay here. I only regret I could not properly say goodbye. To everyone else, I ask you all to have a safe trip back to New York. as I will regrettably not be accompanying you. I would like to formally apologize for the inconvenience I may have caused and insist this will all be for the best. Thank you all for everything, and I’m sorry I could never return the favor.

                                                                                                                                                Newt

     His hand had shaken over so slightly as he wrote the note. When he was done, he gingerly placed the piece of wrinkled paper on the bed and slipped out. Now, here he was. He couldn’t help but wonder if they would look for him.

     Queenie-

     Queenie stood in silent shock as she held the frail piece of parchment in her hands. Of course, her first thoughts were about Tina. She knew for a fact Tina truly didn’t mean what she had said about not wanting to continue the journey. She debated telling her right away or working out a better plan to break it to her. When Tina entered the room with a bundle of wilting flowers she knew she no longer had a choice.

     “Queenie, what are these?” She held the slowly dying flowers in front of her. “And where is Newt? I’ve been looking for him all-”

     She cut herself off as her gaze traveled to the note. Queenie knew she recognized the handwriting. She handed Tina the note.

     “He’s gone, Teen,” She said softly.

     Tina put a hand over her mouth as her eyes scanned the paper. When she was done, a sob escaped her and she threw herself into Queenie’s arms.

     “What- what did I do? He’s gone...”

     Queenie rubbed her sisters back soothingly.

     “Shh shh, it’s alright. We won’t let him get too far.” She whispered.

     “What do you mean?” Tina asked, pulling away. Her face was wet with tears.

     “We’re gonna go after him. He ain’t doing this by himself, no matter how much he protests.”

     Suddenly Jacob entered the room, who looked up, both surprised and almost fearful at the sight of Tina crying.

     “Hey listen, I can’t find Newt nowh- ” His face fell. “What happened?” Queenie assessed his internal thoughts.

     “No, Grindelwald didn’t kidnap him,” Queenie chuckled. Jacob seemed to de-stress, but not completely.

     “Then why-?”

     “Newt’s under the impression he won’t wanna help him anymore, so he left by himself.” Queenie quickly packed her things into a pink and white suitcase using magic.

     “He overheard me saying-”

     “-Things she didn’t mean,” Queenie interjected, knowing what Tina was about to say. Tina gave her a dark look.

     “So we’re leaving right now?” Jacob asked, “I never even got to say goodbye to-”

     “Oh, that Scamander!” Oianek marched into the room, hitting his cane on the ground heavily. Jacob yelped.

     The three watched incredulously as Oianek threw open the front door flap, looking out into another incoming storm.

     “He just can’t seem to escape his own mind, I’m afraid,” he sighed, “I assume you have already found the note.”

     “You knew?” Tina asked. Oianek nodded solemnly.

     “Ay. You must find him quickly. He is in great danger”

     He motioned for the trio to come to the door. As they stepped outside, the landscape was blanketed in an unnatural darkness.

     “It’s dark, but how you know?” Tina asked, eyeing the older man suspiciously. He pointed up at the sky as a group of birds flew to the east.

     “These birds up here, still perplexes me how they do it, but before every attack of Grindelwald's, they fly away from where it will be. No matter how far.” He directed their focus to imprints in the snow, just barely covered. He waved the fresh snow away, revealing footprints going west. “Unfortunately, Newt seems to have headed the exact way they fleed from.”

     “We need to go. Now.” Tina decided, walking back inside. She put all her belongings in her bag, nearly taking out the back of Jacobs' head as they floated quickly into her open case.

     “Do ya know where he’s at? Like, right now?” Jacob asked.

     “Alas, anything I could’ve used seems to be set off by the storm. I do, however, have a good idea of where he might be…”

     Newt-

     The last thing Newt wanted to see was complete and utter destruction. He fell on his knees at the sight. The entire village had been decimated, and not long before he had arrived. The smoke still billowed from the rubble of what had been. Newt, after walking through the storm finally was able to apparate to the village in Arizona Oianek told him about. Now as he walked through the ashes, he looked for anything that may have survived. No matter how carefully he sifted, he found nothing. Not a piece larger than a pebble. No longer able to be near the site, Newt eventually apparated to a nearby area and sat down on a rock to think. Pickett carefully emerged from his pocket.

     “Hey Pick,” He smiled at the Bowtruckle who climbed on his fingers. “I envy you sometimes. I would do anything to live in a pocket,” He chuckled, but his amusement was quickly replaced by sadness.

     He could honestly say he absolutely no idea what he was doing except blindly running. Running from everyone and everything. He could hear his brother now, telling him he needed to face things instead of trying to run and hide. Until now he had never really considered that advice.

     “Newt?”

     A voice echoed through the dry landscape. Then another of the same nature. Without thinking, he sank down to the ground on the other side of the rock. He had to almost chuckle at the fact he was just thinking about not hiding. He pulled his knees to his chest and put a finger to his lips at Picket, who was madly chirping.

     “Hey? Newt? Buddy?” Jacob called out. Newt closed his eyes.

     “Newt!” Tina called out now. She sounded scared. Scared of what?

     He went to stand up when he came face to face with Queenie, who stood with her arms crossed. He inhaled sharply at her resigned expression.

     “I’m sorry- I…” he trailed off, realizing Queenies expression had softened. She knelt down.

     “It’s all so much,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what to do about this.”

     “Start by not pushing us away,” she offered, smiling. “We’re here to help you Newt.”

     “But Tina, she-”

     “She was just homesick, honey. We ain’t never been away from home before, it’s a lot for her too. She feels just horrible about it.”

     Newt hadn’t even registered how this all would be affecting Tina. He nodded and stood to his feet.

     Queenie smiled.

     “Come on, everyone’s been looking for you.”

     She led him to Tina and Jacob who greeted him warmly.

     “Jacob? You wanna help me put up the tent?” Queenie asked.

     As Jacob walked away to help Queenie with the tent, Newt and Tina faced each other in an awkward silence. Newt for once decided to break it.

     “I’m sorry, Tina. I shouldn’t have left like that,” he said. Tina smiled a bit.

     “And I’m sorry for saying those things. I didn’t mean them, I was just…”

     “Homesick.” Newt finished for her. Tina nodded.

     “I.. I also saw those flowers…” she added awkwardly. Newt his the palm of his hand on his forehead.

     “Ah, I’m so sorry, I forgot about those-” he read the look on her face. “I was... I was just trying to- you know, surprise you. That must’ve been a horrible thing to find, I’m sorry.” He finished quickly.

     “Newt, you apologize a lot, you know that?” Tina laughed.

     Thankfully, Newt has been around the block a few times with being told this. It only took him until the sixth time to not apologize a second time. As he was about to respond, he realized Tina was standing fairly close to him, closer than usual. He also noticed he was breathing very shallowly. He looked at her. It always struck him incredible how she was so beautiful, but now standing so close it made his heart pound. At the moment, he decided she ought to know.

     “Tina,” he said, looking into her eyes for just a moment. “I don’t know if people tell you this enough- which they should- you… you are very beautiful. I.. I remember actually when he first met…”

     He took a moment to gather his thoughts, seeing he was already tripping over every other word.

    “I couldn’t help but stare. I’ve never met anybody quite like you, I doubt I ever will, to be honest.” he chuckled. “I found myself calling your name quite frequently, thinking I would see you back in London, I- erm, I don’t think I ever quite managed to get you off my mind.”

     He looked back at Tina, who was smiling widely. Her eyes shimmered in the light of the sunset.

     “Newt, I-” She had started to say something when they heard Jacob yell.

     “I think they need help with that tent over there,” She laughed.

     Newt agreed, laughing, but desperately wanted to know what she was about to say. As they helped Queenie and Jacob pitch the tent, he realized it was all he thought about.

Chapter Text

     Night had approached quickly after they pitched the tent. Thankfully, Queenie had thought to bring lights, pillows, and blankets with her, which really brought a cozy feel to the camp. The tent even came with canopy, which is where they laid down the blankets and strung the lights. It was spacious too, about the size of an actual room. The four sat on the ground, all busying themselves with different things when Queenie came up with an idea.

     “You know what? I forgot about somethin’!” She jumped up and disappeared into the tent, leaving everyone befuddled.

     “How much stuff can you put in one suitcase?” Jacob asked, impressed at all the blankets and pillows Queenie had put out.

     Newt raised his eyebrows. Jacob closed his eyes and laughed.

     “Oh, right. A lot!”

     Queenie emerged with a large box, which adorned a golden horn on top with an intricate pattern etched into it.

      “Queenie! I told you to leave that at home,” Tina gasped. Queenie chuckled.

      “Oh, Teen, you know I had to bring it!”

      She sat down the player and gently set a record in it. She put the needle down, and music began to play. Tina laughed.

      “I knew you would bring this song.”

      Queenie held out her hand and pulled Tina to her feet.

      “Come on, Teen, let’s show the boys your dance moves!”

       Tina shook her head. “You know I don’t dance.”

     “Oh yes you do, now come on!” Queenie grabbed her sister's hands, and the two spun in a circle.

      Newt couldn’t help but smile as the two girls danced along to the music. Although Tina had insisted she couldn’t dance, she seemed naturally light on her feet. He and Jacob clapped along as the girls spun in circles and laughed. The merriment was momentarily halted when an owl landed on the horn of the player. Everyone stared at the barn owl, which bore a small sack and note. Newt slowly approached the owl and carefully grabbed the items. As soon as he removed them, the owl flew away.

     “What is it?” Jacob asked, standing up. Newt opened the note and read it out loud.

            Newt,

           I have heard about the case, and offer my sincerest condolences. I thought you may want something to cheer yourself up in this time. Don’t drink it all at once.

                                                                                                                          Albus Dumbledore

     Everyone stared in confusion. Newt smiled a bit.

     “'Don’t drink it all at once?'” Tina asked.

      Newt opened the small drawstring bag and pulled out a case of butterbeer, then another, and another. He smiled fondly, pulling out the last one.

     “Dumbledore works at Hogwarts, don’t he?” Queenie asked. “A professor?”

     “Yes,” Newt said, slipping the note into his pocket.

      “You’re old teacher sent you alcohol?” Tina asked in awe. Newt chuckled.

     “Not quite. You see, Butterbeer is a well-loved drink where I went to school. Hardly any alcohol in it. You can try some if you would like, plenty to go around.”

      Jacob put up a finger. “How- how did he-?”

     “Undetectable extension charm,” Newt explained. “It isn’t confined to just suitcases. Really, you can put one on anything if you want.”

     He handed the girls and Jacob a bottle, which Newt wasn’t even aware existed until now. He had only drunk butterbeer from glasses. While Queenie and Jacob eagerly opened them to taste it, Tina inspected the bottle carefully.

     “Butterscotch?”

     “Hm?” Newt hummed, taking a drink.

     “Sorry, I’m just… not a huge fan of sweets,” She said, frowning.

     “Teen, you need to try it. It’s delicious!” Queenie laughed.

     Tina looked at Queenie, Newt, then the bottle. After taking a deep breath, she took a swig. Everyone waited anxiously for a response.

     “That’s… not that bad, actually,” Tina said, surprised. Queenie and Jacob cheered.

     After having a few bottles each, they resumed playing the music and talked. No, they didn’t talk. They laughed. Jacob cracked jokes, causing everyone to erupt in fits of laughter. Newt told stories that everyone seemed genuinely interested in, Tina shared a few stories from on the job, and even Queenie shared a few. After they went around the circle once, Jacob told another story.

     “And so the guy freaks out and hurls a can of beans at the guy!” He laughed, taking another drink. “The fella next to me is all like ‘that ain’t how you throw beans! Watch this!’ and takes, ya follow? He takes an open can and just heaves that puppy across the factory. Hit this poor guy right in the head! Soon the entire place is just throwing beans!”

     Queenie laughed, leaning on her sister as she fought to catch her breath.

     “That isn’t even the best part! My boss comes in, and nobody notices, right? Somebody dumps an entire bucket of beans on him. I have never seen a human madder!”

     Newt laughed a bit, imagining some guy yelling while covered in beans. After Jacob had finished his story, it was Newt’s turn again.

     “Well, there was this one time I accidentally let another student fall out a window-”

     Newt was cut off by Queenie who laughed even harder, hitting the blanket with her hand.

     One too many Butterbeers? He asked telepathically.

     “Maybe,” She wheezed.

     Newt continued, smiling.

     “Well anyway, I had brought a Niffler into the dormitory. Just a baby, hurt his paw. I was making a splint when another boy, a rich boy from the city walked in. I gather he was intending to make trouble when he walked over with an interesting smirk on his face.”

     Newt reminisced.

     “He hadn’t made it to my table when about twenty Nifflers poured through the door, none that I had brought it either. Of course, the boy must’ve been dressed head to toe in fancy gold chains and rings. A Horrible combination, really. They all got a hold of him, and of course, he wasn’t about to let them take his chains, so he fought. Eventually, the group worked together and pulled him to a nearby window where he just sort of… fell out.”

     “What did you do?”

     Newt put his hand on his mouth in thought.

     “I finished putting the splint on the baby, then walked over to the window. He was alright, landed in a snowbank taller than him. He didn’t look so hot then, considering all I could see was a human imprint of where he went in. He, of course, blamed it on me and got me detention, but it was well worth it.”

     “He never did find those chains.” He added, smiling. Everyone laughed.

     They went around the circle a few more times, then, after nobody could think of anything else, they turned the music back on. Jacob had joined the dancing now while Newt continued to gladly watch. The night was peaceful. The sky housed a million stars, all trapped within shades of purple and some pink in a line of stars stretching across the night sky. It had cooled off a bit as opposed to the heat from earlier. Jacob suddenly appeared in front of him, offering a hand.

      “Come on buddy, a little dancing won’t kill ya.”

     “Oh, no, that’s quite alright, I-I don’t dance,” Newt said quickly.

     Jacob raised his eyebrows.

     “Really.”

     “Come on Newt,” Jacob insisted. “You’s the only one not dancing, now come on!”

     Newt sighed and grudgingly was pulled to his feet. At first, he didn’t like it, but Tina had kindly shown him some dance moves. After a while, he had gotten the hang of it. Sometimes he even twirled Tina around, laughing. Granted he fell a few times, but all in good fun. In no time, the four all danced, never seeming to catch their breath from all the laughing. Queenie put a song on that Newt knew, a seemingly popular song, Ain’t She Sweet? He danced along with Tina, humming along with the tune.

     Ain't she sweet? See her walking down that street.
     Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?
     Ain't she nice? Look her over once or twice.
     Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she nice?
     Just cast an eye in her direction, oh me oh my, ain't that perfection?
     Oh I repeat, well, don't you think that's kinda neat?
     Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?

     He smiled as Tina laughed, singing along. Queenie and Jacob were singing along as well. Although Newt didn’t sing, he gladly continued to hum. They danced and sang to a few songs before Queenie and Jacob decided they wanted to get some sleep. Newt and Tina glanced at each other.

     “Are you tired, Newt?” She asked. Newt shook his head.

     “Not really, no. You can sleep if you want, Tina.”

     Tina looked to consider it a moment, then shook her head.

     “I would rather stay out here.”

     After Queenie and Jacob went into the tent, the two settled back down on the blanket, the music still playing. Both of them had taken their shoes off, with no intention of going back out beyond canopy.  

     “It’s gorgeous out here,” Tina whispered. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

     “Really?” Newt asked. Tina nodded her head.

     “The closest thing New York has is Central Park.”

     “Look up.”

     Tina looked upward, her mouth dropping in awe. Newt smiled.

     “Oh my… it’s…” She trailed off, completely transfixed.

     “Beautiful.” He finished for her.

     The record cut out, which seemed to tear Tina from her daze. She walked over, going through the small pile of records. After a minute or so, she found one and put it in, smiling. A song played that Newt could not have expected.

     “Do you like this song?” He asked. Tina nodded her head, sitting down.

     “I love it. It’s my favorite. A bit old, but…”

     Newt smiled fondly.

     “Would you believe me if I said it was my favorite as well?”

     Tina looked at him, an expression of surprise and happiness on her face.

     “Really? I thought nobody else did. Queenie hates it, so I can’t put it on when she’s around,” Tina laughed. At that moment, Newt had another idea. He stood up, holding out his hand.

     “May… may I have this dance?” He asked. Tina smiled, taking the offer.

     He held her hands in his, swaying to the beat of the song. She leaned in close and rested her head on his shoulder as they danced. Newt smiled, making sure to pull her just a bit closer.  

     “I probably look like a mess right now,” Tina laughed.

     “I think you look perfect,” Newt whispered, only intending for himself to hear.

     Tina leaned back and looked at him, tilting her head.

     “What?” She asked, smiling. Newt stared.

     “Oh- I- erm,” He stuttered, not knowing she had heard him say that.

     Tina laughed, putting her head back onto his shoulder.

     “Newt, tonight has been absolutely wonderful,” She whispered.

     Newt nodded his head, “This may have been one the best nights of my life.”

     As the song came near to its end, Tina leaned back again, looking at Newt. Her eyes were soft but almost glowed in the pale, golden lights. He couldn’t help but look back.

     “Tina.. I…”

     He didn’t know what he was going to say, and quite frankly it didn’t matter. As he gazed into her eyes, his mind and heart ran away with him. He thought about the way the little creases in her eyes formed when she smiled, and how her eyes filled with a delight that reminded him of a million stars in a darkened sky. He thought of those little strands of hair that would fall in front of her face, and how she would sometimes just leave them.

     And her smile. Gosh… her smile. As he thought about these things, he realized just how close she was. Take a chance, he told himself. Don’t run. It that moment, he made a decision. He leaned in, taking a chance he never thought he could.

     Then, in the pale starlight, kissed her.

Chapter Text

     They say you never truly know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. Although nobody was wearing each other's shoes, it was safe to say they had walked quite a few miles.

     “It shouldn’t be too far now,” Newt said. Everyone groaned.

     “Newt, I love ya, but you said that three hours ago.” Jacob wiped his forehead with his arm.

     “I know, and I’m sorry, but I can feel it now. He’s got to be here.”

     Newt continued walking, staring at the tracks that packed down the soil.

     Newt had slept poorly the previous night, flashes of lightning plaguing his dreams until they forced him awake. He had gone outside hoping the fresh air would clear his head. When he sat down, he found more than he bargained for. In the dry dirt, tracks of what looked like the largest eagle to ever roam the earth led into the darkness. He knew what it was before he took a second breath.

     It took everything he had not to wander alone into the darkness, but he knew better. Yes, it was dangerous, but there was something else that kept him next to that tent. Tina. Newt suspected that the kiss was one of the many things that kept him awake. He wished he could stop thinking about it, but he couldn’t. With every waking breath, all his mind would allow was the memory. Her soft lips against his, the way she smiled that took his breath away. Them dancing in the soft glow of the night, wishing the night could’ve lasted forever. It was something you could only think of seeing in a movie, but there they were. Of course, he had stuttered like an imbecile afterward, so that was another factor to his insomnia, wishing he could have been calmer about it, but it could have been worse. So much worse.

    Once everyone woke up, they left promptly and followed the tracks (which would sometimes cut off as Frank flew). Though it was handy having many tracks to go by, it concerned Newt greatly. Thunderbirds aren’t creatures that walk long distances unless they’re injured. If Frank had flown, it would have only been for thirty-second intervals at the very most. Newt made these observations as he continued leading the caravan through the dry heat. Tina had called it, “The complete opposite of a New York November,” and he had to agree. Newt had taken off both of his coats due to the heat, leaving just his vest and shirt. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before, but experience can never immune you to harsh conditions.

     “Newt, maybe we should take a break,” Tina offered. Newt was about to say something when she added,

     “I think some of us really need one.”

     He stopped and looked back. He hardly registered just how miserable everyone looked. Everyone's hair stuck to their beet-red faces, Jacob even had sweat physically dripping down his. Newt looked down.

     “Sorry.”

     “You’re fine, honey,” Queenie said, fanning herself with her hand. “None of us were expecting this sort of heat.”

     Newt looked at Tina, who nodded her head as she pulled out the map again. He waited anxiously as the scanned it.

     “Says he’s still in Greenland, so we don’t have to worry about an ambush anytime soon,” she concluded. Newt breathed a sigh of relief.

     “Hey guys, am I seeing things, or is that water over there?”

     Jacob pointed into the distance. Amidst the rocky terrain, there was just a hint of bright blue. It was nearly covered by the green plantage surrounding it but was still there. Everyone regrouped their items and made their way over. As they got closer, Newt could see the water-hole in its entirety. The red-orange rock broke at a steep angle and went down nearly fifty until ending in a pool of crystal water. It was an amazing sight, considering they had been walking for miles without any containers to hold water.

     “This is nuts,” Jacob said, walking to the edge. “This water looks cleaner than tap.”

     “I-”

     Newt was cut off by the sound of Tina yelling as she ran past them, jumping off the edge. Queenie followed as well, laughing. Newt and Jacob stared as both disappeared, then entered the water with a splash.

     “Wait up!” Jacob yelled. Without asking for any sort of change of clothes, Jacob ran down and around into the water.

     Newt walked up close to the edge of the rock, peering down at the girls and now Jacob who were swimming. He sighed.

     “I thought this was a search mission, not a vacation,” he murmured to himself.

     “Come on, Newt! The water feels great!” Jacob called up to Newt, who gazed uneasily at the water below. Though they didn’t bother him a ton, Newt was never a fan of heights.

     “I… don’t swim really,” he said truthfully, backing away.

     “Newton Scamander, if you don’t get in I will push you!” Tina yelled. Newt laughed nervously.

     “That won’t be necessary.”

     “You have five seconds, or I’m coming up there!”

     Newt shook his head as Tina began counting down. As silly as it sounded, the counting was actually frightening.

     “Three, two…”

     She wouldn’t…

     “One!”

     There was a Pop! And Tina, who was still soaked appeared. Newt whipped around, only to have her grab him by the front of his shirt.

     “I gave you your chance, Mr. Scamander,” she said, nudging him slightly closer to the edge.

     “Tina, please,” Newt grabbed Tina’s forearms, now growing terrified. He had no doubt she would not hesitate to throw him off.

     Tina laughed as she forced him closer still. He glanced backward. He only had a foot between him and open air. He tried to push back, but she had him in such a way he was basically helpless.

     “Any last words?”

     Newt felt where the drop off was now, he gasped as the felt the weightlessness of air behind him. He stood rigidly, the only thing keeping him from falling was the grip Tina had on his collar. He looked into her eyes one last plea.

      “Tina, please reconsider,” he said. She laughed.

     “I have, the verdict is still the same. You can swim right?”

     “Well- yes- but-”

     “Great,” she said, then let go.

     Newt yelled as he plunged backward, freefalling. He hit the water, almost painfully. Everything became muted as he swam to the surface, slightly angry about the whole ordeal. He broke the surface.

     “Feels good, right?”

     “Yes, considering I didn’t want to swim in the first place,” Newt said, unimpressed.

     He moved his wet hair from out in front of his face.

     “Hey now, you would’a probably croaked if you went much further,” Jacob reminded him, even though had felt perfectly fine. He shrugged.

     “You’re welcome,” Tina said, now back in the water.

    He looked at her and realized he’d never seen her with her hair wet. It gave the appearance it was just slightly longer and lay flat instead of it’s more voluminous style. She splashed some water on his face and chuckled again.

     “Look! Over there!” Newt suddenly said, pointing the opposite direction.

     Tina, Queenie, and Jacob all looked in the direction where Newt had gestured. He quickly wrapped his arms around Tina, then dunked himself and her under the water. When they resurfaced, Newt laughed.

     “Scamander!” Tina exclaimed, her dark hair veiling her face. “This means war.”

     Newt wasn’t ready when Tina basically tackled him, forcing him back into the water before he had a chance to catch his breath. He had accidentally taken one underwater instead. When he resurfaced, he started coughing and gasping for air.

     “Newt? Hey, you okay?” Tina asked, suddenly concerned. Newt nodded, still hacking up his lungs.

     When he finally stopped coughing, Tina watched him as if waiting for him to say something.

     “Yes, that is definitely water.” He said. Everyone laughed as he smiled unconvincingly, his bangs covering his eyes.

     Everyone resumed cooling off. Whether that meant swimming, splashing their faces or splashing everyone else, they all seemed to have fun in the process. After a while, they made their way back onto land to dry off. While Tina, Newt, and Queenie dried off with magic, Jacob insisted he would rather air dry to stay cooler longer.

     “You sure honey?” Queenie asked, fixing her hair. “We don’t mind.”

     “Naw, that’s alright. The breeze feels nicer when you're still wet.”

    They continued on the path of tracking Frank. Newt, who still led, made sure to glance behind him more often. After walking for a while, his mind wandered back to thinking about the kiss. Completely unaware, he glanced back again and saw Queenie looking at him with a knowing smile. His face flushed as he quickly turned away.

     That’s personal, he said to Queenie internally.

     “I’m sorry, it’s just that’s all you two have been thinking about since this morning,” she said.

     “Queenie…” Tina said warningly. “We talked about this.”

     “Oh, I know Teen, but the feelings so strong… I can’t help it.”

     Newt didn’t look back as the sisters talked and instead tried to focus on something else. He stared at the tracks longer, looking for some new indication of why Frank would’ve walked such a long way. He considered it was purposefully, and that he knew perfectly well Newt was following him and was trying to lead him somewhere. It was still a possibility, actually, but he was completely oblivious as to where. As Newt pondered, a red glint caught his eye. He stopped abruptly, causing a very disgruntled Tina to run into him.

     “Newt, what are you-?”

     Newt crouched down, peering closer. He gingerly touched the red liquid with his finger and held it up, inspecting it in the sunlight.

     “What is it?” Tina walked up next to him, crouching alongside him. Newt frowned.

     “Blood. Frank’s been injured.”

     “Is that why he’s been walking? Instead of flying?” Tina asked. Newt nodded.

     “I’m afraid so,” Newt said, standing back up. “I have a feeling we’re finally catching up to him, though.”

     “What are you going to do when we find him though?” Tina stood up as well. “Since you don’t have the…”

     She trailed off. Newt pressed his lips together.

     “I don’t know,” He replied honestly. “Do whatever I can to help him.”

     “How would he have gotten hurt in the first place though?”

     Newt suddenly came to a horrible realization.

     “When I had left -before you found me- I had gone a village Oianek had told me about.”

     Newt ran a hand through his now dry hair.

     “It was completely destroyed. There was nothing left, nothing larger than a pebble. Everything was turned to dust. What if… Grindelwald had Frank play a part in it… to… destroy it against his will?”

     He looked back at Tina, whether for confirmation or consolation, he didn’t know. Her eyes fell to the ground and she knitted her brows together.

     “His first step in waging war without actually starting it,” Tina said quietly.

     “Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves,” Queenie reasoned, sounding skeptical even at her own words.

     “Grindelwald wouldn’t have taken the case unless he saw some use for it. He also wouldn’t be hunting Newt down if he could get by without it.”

     Tina put her hands in her pockets, nudging a small rock with her foot.

     “This might truly mean war,” Newt said. “And the creatures will be to blame.”

     Jacob cleared his throat awkwardly, about to say something.

     “Say there was a war, a war between, No-Majs, Muggles- whatever and Wizards,” Jacob paused. “They would win, wouldn’t they?”

     “Theoretically… yes.” Newt said.

     There was a long silence before the group decided to hit the road again. As they walked, there was little to no conversation. Everyone too engrossed in their own thoughts of what was just discussed to say anything.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10- Silent Night

     It wasn’t until a few hours later when the group could finally sit and rest. In the latter part of the evening, Oianek had sent an owl with the location of a village he presumed Frank had ended up at. When they arrived, a village elder greeted them just outside of the fairly large village.

     “Welcome, welcome weary travelers!” He exclaimed. “Come, you all look exhausted.”

     He led the desert-dried group into a more modern-style village. Small clay houses were scattered along a narrow dirt road, which cut through the barren landscape. Newt fell back, and gladly let Tina lead them. As they walked along, Newt noticed the curious stares of the village children, who played in front of the houses. Even some adults walked out onto their porches, watching the group in interest.

     Better than being stoned, Newt thought. He had talked with an unlucky wizard who found himself in a very anti-wizard community and was nearly stoned to death because of it.

     “Do not feel too intimidated by my people,” He said. “We don’t get many visitors.”

     They walked to the far edge of the village, where the elder kindly gestured for them to enter another clay house, fairly large compared to the rest. When they entered, the room automatically expanded into what looked the interior of a log home. Newt gazed around, fascinated by the set up of the room. The walls were similar to that on the outside but had a glossy look as if wet. The furniture was mostly wooden, and there were many shelves which had what looked to be artifacts.

     “You are the one who had the case, right?” He asked Newt. He nodded.

     “Yes.”

      He disappeared around the corner. After a moment, there were sounds of struggle, then he reappeared, holding a small, furry creature in his arms.

     “Please, please take him back, he’s been tearing up everything and I just can’t do anything about it,” He half laughed, half begged.

     He placed the Niffler in Newt’s hands. At first, he sniffed around, but upon seeing who he was handed to, went into a frenzy. He burrowed into Newt’s shirt, scuttling around while Newt laughed and tried grabbing him.

     “Hey! I’m happy to see you too,” he chuckled as the Niffler popped out from the front of his Shirt.

      The Niffler, after finally calming down, rested his head in the crook of Newt’s neck and put his tiny paws around him. Newt smiled, running his hand over the small creatures head.

     “Thank you so much,” Newt said to the man, who beamed.

     “No, thank you. A cute little guy, but he was buck-wild! The only one who could contain him was this guy,” he looked to the door, where Dougal emerged sheepishly.

     “Dougal,” Newt breathed.

     Dougal had now joined the group hug, running and jumping into Newt’s arms.

     “I missed you too,” Newt whispered, embracing the Demiguise and Niffler. Pickett chirped from his pocket.

     “Yeah Pick, you see who it is?” He asked the Bowtruckle who emerged from his pocket.

     “That’s great, Newt!” Tina said enthusiastically.

     Newt had nearly forgotten they were still there. He smiled, setting down the still hysteric creatures.

     “You wouldn’t happen to have a... um, Thunderbird here too by any chance?”

     “I do, I do. Not in here, of course, come, I think he’s been waiting to see you.”

     There was a wooden barn just to the back of the building, which had a gate attached to the front instead of a door. The man whistled, and as the group waited, Newt held his breath. Then, a head carefully moved over the gate, gazing at them.

    Newt walked closer, careful not to rush Frank, who seemed to be wary of the sudden action. Once he realized it was Newt, though, he perked right up. His eyes widened, and he jumped in the air slightly.

     “Hey Frank, I missed you too,” Newt chuckled as the Thunderbird nuzzled him.

     “We fixed him up best we could,” the man said, walking up beside Newt. “I’m sure you have an idea of what happened.”

     Newt looked down.

     “I was hoping it wasn’t true,” he admitted.

     Frank cawed as if confirming his fears. Newt sighed and ran a hand over his beak.

     “You didn’t mean it, Frank, you didn’t mean it,” he said softly, more telling himself than Frank.

     “Has word gotten out about it yet?” Newt asked.

     “Only to a few, thankfully. We were able to decipher it and pass along the message it was Grindelwald’s influence before there was an uproar,” he said, also stroking the bird.

     “Have there been other attacks?” Tina asked. Newt looked at the man, his face has turned somewhat grim.

     “No...” Newt whispered, reading his look. “They wouldn’t, they couldn't. My beasts would never-”

     “Ah, but they did. There’s talk back at MACUSA of an all-out hunt.”

     The word “hunt” made Newt’s chest hurt. He shook his head.

     “I won’t let that happen,” he said confidently. The man nodded his head.

     “We don’t want it as much as you do, Mr. Scamander.”

     After being brought up-to-date on Franks condition, the group went back inside and the man (who introduced himself as Aethel) showed them their individual rooms. Though Jacob seemed reservedly disappointed, Newt, as much as he appreciated his friends' company was grateful to have a room to himself. They all set their cases down in their respective rooms, nobody even bothering to unpack. After they had all met some of the village people, and talked with Aethel, Newt was anxious to be alone.

     “I would be most honored if you would all join me for dinner. I am preparing a large meal,” he said. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

     When he left the room, Newt discreetly made his way to the doorway leading upstairs. As his hand brushed the railing Tina cleared her throat.

     “Newt, you are having supper, aren’t you?” She asked, crossing her arms.

     Newt couldn’t help but smile slightly in remembrance of the last time he tried making a get-a-way back in New York, all that time ago. He looked at the back wall, not wanting to meet her most likely stern gaze.

     “I’m going to bed, actually,” he lied. “Long day.”

     He made his escape but felt a pang of guilt as he heard Tina sigh and say softly

     “Newt…”

     ….

     The smells coming from downstairs were heavenly, but Newt sought solitude over food. He instead sat on his cot, which was on a far wall next to a large window. He sketched with his knees pulled up to his chest, using the moon as a light. He was in the middle of drawing Frank when the door creaked open. He quickly set the book down, but it was only Dougal who entered the room.

     “Dougal, what have I told you about not knocking?” he said, smiling.

     He noticed in the Demiguise’s hand was a piece of white cloth, with something inside it.

     “What do you have there?” He asked, standing up.

     Upon standing his head began to spin, almost making him fall over. He reached for the bedpost, closing his eyes. He felt Dougal pull on his shirt.

     “Sorry, didn’t mean to-”

     Once his head cleared, a looked down at the Demiguise who held up a plate with bread rolls on it. Newt smiled, sitting back down slowly. He set the plate on Newt’s lap, taking one off and holding it up at him. Fully knowing Dougal wouldn’t take no for an answer, Newt accepted the offering. He took a bite as Dougal waited eagerly.

    “Thank you,” he said. Dougal nodded in confirmation, then quickly went back downstairs.

     Newt chuckled as he assumed his previous position. As he took another bite of the warm piece of bread, he realized he hadn’t eaten in a few days, which would explain his dizziness just previously. He finished the roll and carefully placed the plate on the table next to him. His attention was drawn to outside. The careful glow of the moon illuminated the room in a soft blue from the window. Outside though, the moon had no filter and projected its glow on the land below. So much that everything was visible from his window. The houses, the fences, nothing was left in the darkness.

     Newt looked back down at the journal. He smiled at first, but as uncertainty tugged at his heartstrings he felt his heart sink just in the slightest. He picked up the leather-bound book and tossed it over in his hands. He couldn’t help but fear of the neglect his creatures might be facing. Grindelwald was no doubt a harsh man, who would not hesitate to kill any creature that didn’t bow to his will. Newt knew for a fact that not all of them would. Sure, there were some that, as much as he hated to admit, were more easily influenced, but the years of trust Newt built with his creatures surely couldn’t be broke in a week. Right?

     Knock!

     Newt set the journal back down and carefully walked over to the door. He knew it was probably Dougal, as many don’t knock just once. He opened the door, and a very committed looking Dougal grabbed his hand.

     “Dougal, what are you-?” He chuckled, being led back to his bed.

     He watched, amused as the Demiguise untucked the covers, coaxing Newt down on the bed. As he sat, Dougal placed the covers on Newt’s lap, an obvious sign.

     “You want me to sleep?”

     Dougal nodded earnestly. Newt smiled.

     “Alright, but only because you told me to.”

     Satisfied, Dougal scampered back out the door. It wouldn’t be the first time Dougal has taken care of Newt, instead of the other way around. There had been several occasions where Newt, oblivious to his condition, worked from dusk until dawn with a sickeningly high fever. He had assumed Dougal knew of what was about to happen because he had led Newt to the upstairs bathroom just before he got sick.

     Newt never did make it back into the case that evening, or out of the bathroom for that matter.

     As Newt recalled the memory, he couldn’t help but smile, sinking down into the bed. Dougal would most likely check to see if he was really sleeping, so he decided to at least try and sleep.

     Amazingly, Newt fell asleep before the Demiguise had a chance.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11- The Last Straw

     All he could see was the snow.

     No.

     There only was snow.

     It had started with a flurry, which morphed into something more sinister. Terrifying, the snow swirled like a tornado, masking all the senses. The cold numbed Newt to the very core. It was heavy, like a thick wool blanket. He couldn’t hear anything. He opened his eyes, hoping to see something beyond the chaos, but there was nothing. Everything was a blinding white. There was no horizon, no sky, everything was snow. He tried to scream, for someone to help him, but couldn’t. In fact, he couldn’t move at all.

     Then he started falling again.

     As the white was replaced with bitter darkness, a voice echoed through. No, not a voice, a laugh. It seemed to belong to no-one. And as Newt fell into the darkness, as he could hear was the crooked laughter.

     “Newt!”

     There was a voice. As everything burst into light, Newt’s eyes shot open. He wanted to know who had called him, but it sounded as though it was his own mind yelling. As his hearing came back to him, static was replaced with yells, and what sounded like white noise now became clear. He tried to move his head to see what was happening, but again, his body was rigid. Instead, his eyes were condemned to stare at the ceiling, which had lights dancing over it. A spell hit the bed, and as he tumbled onto the ground he regained the ability to move.

     But not quick enough.

     As he went to stand up, a figure stood in front of him, a wand pointed at his chest. He recognized the silver eye immediately.

     “I must give you credit, Scamander, you are a lucky man. Your luck will soon run out, though.” He said with mock-empathy.

     As his eyes filled with insanity, Newt knew it was over. He curled up into a ball, waiting for the blast that would most likely kill him.

     What he heard, though, was something totally different.

     Tina yelled, something incomprehensible to him at the time. As his eyes opened, he saw Tina gripping Grindelwald’s arm, pointing his wand at the ceiling. There was another blast, and green light exploded into the ceiling, which seemed to also explode in response to the spell. He sprang up, ready to fight when Grindelwald grabbed Tina by the back of the neck, flinging her into the path of the rubble that began to fall.

     “No-!” Newt yelled, trying to catch her. A force hit him in the side, and as his vision faded, he wondered if he had ever waken up.

     …

     “You sure you don’t want anything, honey?”

      Queenie stood in the doorway of Tina’s room, tilting her head at certain Newt Scamander.

     “No, I’m alright, thank you,” he said, trying to smile politely. Queenie sighed.

     “Alright, Jacob and I will be downstairs if you need us.”

     As Queenie left, Newt found himself looking back over at Tina. When Newt had come to, Tina had still been unconscious. Though everyone did their best to convince him it wasn’t anything serious, and that she would be alright, it took him a while to calm down. He hadn’t left her bedside since. She had a gauze wrapped around the top of her head from a small lesion, and no doubt many bruises. Maybe a concussion, but nobody was sure. It had only been about 5 hours since he woke, in that time most of the damage from the attack was cleaned. Nobody else was hurt.

     To pass the time, Queenie had offered him a newspaper, but upon reading one of the main headlines he wasn’t too sure he wanted to read it.

     Remote Villages Target for Beast Attacks

     There were some older papers he found thankfully that was a bit of an easier read. He was mindlessly solving a cross-word when he heard Tina mumble something.

     “Tina?”

     He knelt next to the bed as Tina’s eyes fluttered open. Newt sighed with relief.

     “How do you feel?” He asked, resisting the urge not to start spewing a million questions at once.

     “Fine… Newt, what happened?”

     “There was another attack. Do you not remember?”

     Tina shook her head. While this concerned Newt, he realized she could’ve easily wakened up without remembrance of anything, including him.

     “You got hurt saving me,” Newt said. “If- If it wasn’t for you… he would’ve killed me.”

     Tina furrowed her brows as if trying to recall the events.

     “No, I don’t remember. Did I really do that? Or are you just trying to flatter me?” She chuckled.

     “I don’t believe I’ve lied to you yet.”

     “Yeah? Where’s your Billywig?”

     “My what?”

     “You know, your ‘big moth’”?

     Newt’s mouth dropped.

     “I-I- uh-”

     “That’s what I thought, Mr. Scamander.” She laughed. Newt groaned and hit his palm on his head.

     “How in Merlin could I have forgotten that?”

     “No worries, he didn’t get far,” Tina said, sitting up. “A seagull ate him. Don’t know who I feel worse for, the Billywig or the bird.”

     Newt laughed, imagining the fate of the bird. Billywigs are notorious for their stingers, which cause their victims to laugh unstoppably and sometimes levitate. Though the bird can already fly, a laughing seagull would be quite a sight.

     “Wow, I guess I really got pummeled,”

     Tina held out her arm with her sleeved rolled up. Various bruises spotted her arm, ranging from small, bright red ones to large purple monsters. Newt’s breath caught in his throat at the sight. He held out his hand and looked up at Tina.

     “May I?” He asked. When she nodded, he delicately held her arm, gently running his thumb over the wounds. He noticed some seemed more severe than others, which adorned green and a dark purple.

     “Tina,” he breathed. “I’m so-”

     “If you’re about to say you're sorry, don’t,” Tina said. “It was my choice, not your’s.”

     “Yes, but-”

     “Newt...” Her eyes softened and seemed to stop him right in his tracks. She sure did have a peculiar effect on him.

     “Newt, we could argue about this for years, we both know that. If you even start feeling bad about this, I will not hesitate to throw you out that window.”

     Newt laughed, knowing very well she would indeed not hesitate.

     “Okay, okay.”

     She swung her legs over the side of the bed, grimacing slightly.

     Newt was about to ask if she was alright when she cut him off.

     “I’m famished, whatever they’re cooking downstairs smells just heavenly.”

     Newt smelt faint traces of bread and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

     As Tina stood, Newt rushed over, ready to steady her on her feet. She swatted him away.

     “They’re bruises, Newt, I’m alright,” She said, trying to look serious, but failing as a smile crept across her face. “I’m not one hundred.”

     “S-sorry,” Newt said, smiling sheepishly.

     As she made her way down the stairs, Newt trailed close, just in case. Thankfully, she made it down without complications.

     “Teen!” Queenie exclaimed, wrapping a very disgruntled Tina in her arms.

     “Ow- Ow!”

     “Oh, my bad,” she smiled apologetically, pulling away.

     “How ya feeling?” Jacob asked, folding a napkin on the dining table. Tina shrugged.

     “Sore, but other than that great.”

     As they all got ready to have dinner, Newt couldn’t help but keep glancing at Tina. She sat on the far end of the table and rested her chin on her hand. She seemed despondent, which didn’t sit well with him. Any other person would go over and ask what was wrong, but Newt, being Newt, sat, silently wishing he at least some of the courage. She looked at Newt and gave him a quick smile, which hardly seemed to count as a smile. He tried to smile back, but as quick as she looked at him she had turned back the other way. Did I do something wrong? He wondered, folding his hands in his lap. He glanced over at Queenie, hoping for some sort of indicator, but she was busy laughing with Jacob.

     During dinner, Queenie, Jacob, and Aethel kept up most of the conversation. Sometimes the topic would shift to Newt or one of his creatures, but for the most part, he sat quietly. As he shifted some corn around on his plate, he noticed Tina still hadn’t said a word.

     “Was anybody else hurt? You know, when whats-his-wald showed up?” Jacob asked, spooning some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

     “Not a soul. He appeared, then was gone.”

     “I just don’t get it,” Queenie said. “He sure don’t like staying in the same place for long, even when he has a job to do.”

     Newt knew she meant Grindelwald killing him.

     “He’s a peculiar fellow, a bit mad. Not right in the head.”

     Jacob laughed.

     “He’s crazy through and through.”

     As Newt continued to listen, his attention was drawn to Tina, who was slowly getting out of her seat. She obviously didn’t want to be seen leaving. The other’s must’ve seen Newt staring, as everyone was now looking at her.

     “Teen? Where are you going?” Queenie asked. Her eyes squinted slightly, not in accusation, but in concentration.

     Tina stopped, slowly turning back toward the table.

     “Oh- um, I’m still feeling tired, so I think I might rest a bit more.”

     Newt knew well that you couldn’t keep Tina Goldstein down no matter how hard you tried. So naturally, he could tell she was bluffing. Queenie could too.

     “Alright,” she said slowly. “Well, call if you need anything.”

     Tina smiled quickly, then half-ran upstairs. Before Newt knew it, he was standing up.

     “Excuse me,” he said, pushing in his chair.

     Without any protest from the rest, he followed Tina upstairs.

     “Tina?”

     As he turned the corner to her room, he saw Tina sitting on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest. She wasn’t crying, thankfully, but she didn’t look happy either. He gently nudged the door open.

     “Tina? Are you alright?”

     She looked up, surprised.

     “Oh, yeah- I’m fine.”

     Newt walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

     “Are you lying?” He asked quietly.

     Tina sighed, resting her chin on her knees.

     “It’s… it’s nothing serious if that’s what you’re asking.”

     “I’m asking if you’re okay.”

     Tina laughed humourlessly.

     “Do you want to know about my thirteenth birthday?”

     “Pardon?” Newt asked, taken aback.

     Tina began to talk about the day she turned Thirteen. Newt expected some sort of memorable event to take place, but instead, Tina described the day in almost perfect detail. Just a normal day for her, but she managed to place the smallest details. The flowers in the vase in the window on Third Street, peonies. The weather that day, a cloudy August day, abnormally chilly from the wind. When she finished, Newt was absolutely dumbstruck.

     “How did you remember all of that?”

     “I don’t tell a lot of people, but I have a pretty good memory,” she said, smiling a bit, but her smile faded quickly. “Newt, I can’t remember anything that happened last night. Nothing, no matter how hard I think about it.”

     Newt realized what had been bothering her now.

     “You... you don’t like not being able to remember,” Newt said. She nodded.

     “Remembering things is what kept me and Queenie alive most of the time,” Tina said, picking at a thread on the knee of her pant. She continued.

     “I remember once, we were digging for food on 42nd when we thought we hit the jackpot.” She laughed. “Boxes of chocolate. They looked so good, we didn’t think twice before we started eating them. Queenie got a really bad one, we don’t know what exactly was wrong with it, but she got sick right after eating it. I ended up using the rest of my money on a payphone to get help.”

     She smiled reminiscently.

     “It was a miracle I remember the hospital's number. Queenie doesn’t remember any of what happened.”

     “I would’ve never guessed,” Newt said. “Truly.”

     “It’s not exactly something I wear on my sleeve. I guess… not being able to remember is something I’m not used to. I used to be terrified of it. I still am, in a way.”

     Tina looked over and gave Newt a lop-sided grin.

     “There, you learned something new about me.”

      Before Newt could respond, there was a loud crash from downstairs, followed by the sound of china breaking. He and Tina stood up automatically. They glanced at each other, then broke down the stairs. As they both turned the corner, they saw Jacob, who was wrestling a man’s hands behind his back, Queenie had a wand pointed at him.

     “What’s going on?” Tina exclaimed, drawing out her wand. Newt put a hand over his instinctively.

     “We have a guest, just missed dinner, bud,” Jacob grunted. Newt realized who it was.

     “We saw him trying to make a run for it,” Queenie explained, carefully stepping to the other side of Pat and Jacob.

     “He didn’t make it far.”

     Newt and Tina stepped out from the doorway cautiously. Tina waved her wand, magically restraining Pat, who stopped struggling and hung his head, breathing heavily.

     “Hello, Pat,” she said. He snickered.

     “Goldstein.”

     “Why are you here?” She asked, crossing her arms.

     Pat didn’t respond and instead stared at the floor disdainfully. Tina sighed and pulled up a chair.

     “You might want to sit down, Pat, we have a few questions for you.”

     …

     Newt watched quietly as Tina interrogated Pat. For the most part, Pat was uncooperative. That’s when she used a spell, one that would cause its victim to feel extreme pain whenever they don’t tell the truth or refrain from answering. At first, Newt was sure he would cooperate, but after three questions the only thing they got was pained screaming. Tina must’ve noticed how uncomfortable Newt had become with the whole ordeal.

     “You don’t have to stay if don’t want to, Newt,” she said. Newt shook his head.

     “I’m alright.”

     “Are you sure?”

     Newt nodded his head, fighting the pit in his stomach. He knew Tina was well trained, and that forceful interrogations were sometimes necessary. Nonetheless, the sounds Pat made as he writhed in pain made Newt feel sick. Thankfully, Pat seemed to eventually have enough.

     “Alright, alright, I’ll talk, just-just make it stop,” he whimpered. Tina nodded her head.

     “Then talk. Why are you here?”

     “I was left. I served my part for Grindelwald, when he bolted, he left me here. I’m no longer useful.”

     “What was Grindelwald's purpose for coming here?” She asked. He swallowed.

     “To kill him,” Pat looked up at Newt, who leaned against the back wall.

     “It was me that got in the way of it, he decided I wasn’t worth any more.”

     Tina looked thoughtful.

     “Pat, where is Grindelwald going?”

     “I ain’t-” Pat was cut off by his own scream.

     “Fine! Fine! He’s heading to D.C.!” He gasped. “He’s gonna release that case right in front of the white house.”

     Newt felt the color drain from his face.

     “I would hurry if I were you. He isn’t one to wait unless he has a good reason, of course.”

     Tina turned to Newt, then Queenie and Jacob.

     “Look’s like we know where we’re going.”