Freckled Memories

III: The Awkward Brit

New York City, December 6th, 1923

(I know this isn't accurate to the timeline of the original movie, but we are going to go with it alright?)

The walls of the New York City bank sparkled, the sunlight reflecting its rays on the golden accents that were placed intricately within the building. Adeleline followed closely behind Tina, attempting to hide from the eyes of a certain freckled Hufflepuff boy, whom until recently, Adeleine had successfully avoided for nine years.

Tina kept her gaze on the man with the blue coat, who looked a bit stressed as he attempted to find and capture his little mole thing without causing too much of a disturbance in front of the muggles, or no-maj's as they were known in America. Unfortunately for Newt, he was doing a horrible job acting nonchalant, crouching down on the floor to check underneath one of the tables.

A teller quickly caught onto Newt and made his way to him, suspicious of his behavior inside the bank. He stood behind Newt, patiently waiting for him to get up from the floor so he could ask him if he needed help finding anything, or if he was lost.

"Hello sir, my sincere apologies, but do you happen to require assistance?" Asked the teller. Newt looked flustered, scratching his neck and pulling at his shirt, anxiety taking over his body.

"Oh-uh-no I am just here to ask for a loan." Newt quickly said. The teller raised a brow, but said nothing, as he gestured to Newt to the left and let him know he could take a seat and wait for his turn.

Seeing Newt so nervous and shy brought back so many memories for Adeleine. She slightly smiled as she saw her former best friend come up with an excuse for the way he was acting. Adeleine quickly shook her head, her lips forming into a frown as she reminded herself of her promise to never speak or see Newton Artemis Fido Scamander again. He had brought her heart so much damage and she could not easily forget what he had done to her.

But Adeleine could not ignore the fact Newt had grown up to be a handsome young lad. His hair had gotten longer, covering his eyes slightly when it fell out of place. He had grown into his facial features, a strong jaw now present on his beautiful face. His smile only became sweeter with time. He was already quite tall when they were in school, but he had grown a couple of inches more, easily towering over her petite frame. His eyes were still a beautiful hazel storm, never settling just on blue or green. His freckles still kissed his skin as they did nine years ago. Adeleine found herself swooning slightly over the bumbling man, but she immediately stopped herself from doing so and focused once more on how cruel his words had been.

"Bloody git, always knowing how to entrance me without even trying." Adeline thought.

Seeing him interact with the teller only made Adeleine see the old 6th-year Newt who had never found a creature he didn't love, always so sweet and kind with everyone, especially the fantastic beasts he came upon. Awkward, but loveable Newt, who would stay up late with her when she was upset or anxious, sneak into the kitchen to steal snacks with her, help her do homework, and made her laugh with silly jokes and puns. Newt had always known how to make her feel better but had suddenly decided their six years of friendship were no longer worth it when he met Leta Lestrange.

"Hey Adele,"

"Adeleine."

"Adeleine Elizabeth Finch!" Tina hissed, shaking Adeleine, interrupting her from her thoughts and the trip down memory lane. Adeleine looked up at Tina, nodding her head, making sure she knew she was paying attention now.

"What was that all about? Are you okay?" Tina asked concern laced in her words as she furrowed her eyebrows, placing her hand on the British woman's forehead. Adeleine immediately swatted her hand away, nodding her head, reassuring her that everything was fine. The younger Goldstein sister pouted, before turning around and focusing her attention back on the lanky, stiff man.