Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...Continued.

5: Home Sweet Home

NEWT
After two more days of travelling by ship, Newt finally got back to Britain. Excitment overwhelmed him at the sight of his country. Home sweet home.
The book was finished.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...perfect title. He was itching to go to the Ministry and hand it in for editing and publishing. That would most likely all take a month before they could send copies to Flourish an Blott's. First thing's first; get off the boat.
It took a while, but he made it to an alleyway in Southhampton, where he Apparated to his home near Ottery St. Catchpole. It was a small cottage on the countryside, with nothing but grass and hills on every side, with a vegetable garden and a pear tree right next to it.
"Alohomora," Newt said, walking inside.
There were three rooms, no more, no less. The walls were thick and sturdy stucco, painted a plain white both inside and out. The bedroom was small and cozy, with a quilted twin size bed and a heavy oak dresser with a matching desk across from it. Then there was a small bathroom right across from the bedroom. The kitchen and living room merged, with a small wooden table with one chair in between them. A single cushioned rocking chair sat in front of the fireplace, across from an overstuffed loveseat. To a guest it might have looked lonely, but to Newt it was home.
Newt put his coat on the rack and made his way to the kitchen, where he fixed a dinner of pea soup. The smell was intoxicating, but just as he went to pour himself a bowl an owl knocked on the window with his little scaly foot. Newt let him in, took the letter tied to his leg, fed him some meat, and let him rest on the kitchen counter.
Dear Mr. Scamander,
I apologize for my lack of writing to you lately. I have been very busy at Hogwarts, and I hear you have been just as busy in other countries, writing a book about magical creatures for the Ministry of Magic. Whenever this book is published, I will personally buy a copy from Flourish and Blotts, remembering with a warm heart that I taught the author myself.
Now, the matter that I wrote about. I've read that Grindelwald has been captured in America, and that you helped. (Consider yourself lucky; the amount of trouble you got in that night wouldn't have been forgiven as easily if you had not helped in such a great way.) Congratualations, Newt; but know that they might not be able to keep him imprisoned forever. Grindelwald is a mad man, and he is capable of far more than impersonation of a MACUSA official. I'd advise you to be careful, and tell any American friends you might have made to keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
P.S.: The owl's name is Acellu, just so you know.
Suddenly the pea soup didn't seem so appitizing. The thought of Grindelwald escaping again was bone-chilling, considering what almost happened already. Hopefully he stayed in prison. Hopefully the dementors kept him crazier than usual. Wait- did they have dementors in America? Newt would have to ask Tina in the letter he was about to write. He went to his desk, Acellu looking at him questioningly through his bedroom door. He wrote a letter filling the whole page, signed it, sealed it in an envelope, and set it aside. Then, he wrote a letter to Dumbledore.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Thank you for the warning. I have already written a letter to my American friends, telling of your worries. To think of Grindelwald breaking out of prison again...
As for my book, it is finished and all I need to do now is take it to be edited. I am touched that you will always remember me as a student, even though I didn't graduate Hogwarts.
Sincerely,
Newt Scamander
He tied the letter to Acellu's ankle and watched as he flew away through the evening sky, a speck of grey amonst the pink and orange of the setting sun.
Newt sent off the other letter with one of his owls, Festus, and finally ate dinner. Then he fed his creatures dinner before taking a shower. It felt good to finally be home after such a long week. It was amazing to be taking a shower in his own bathroom, just before sleeping in his own bed. The mere thought made him relax.
When he climbed beneath the quilt, he fell asleep almost instantly.
In his dream, he was walking across the grassy hills that surrounded his house. He was making his way toward the cottage when the ground fell away, and he sprouted wings like a hippogriff's, flying to the cottage that was now floating in the middle of a cloudy sky. When he reached the door, the wings dissolved and the ground came back onto the scene. Newt shrugged and opened the door, wearing a crisp Muggle suit and a Santa hat he hadn't been wearing a moment before, with a badger walking around his ankles like a fond cat.
"How did I get here?" A very confused voice asked, as a woman materialized in front of the fireplace.
"What?" Newt asked her. "What do you mean?"
"My powers have never been this strong before...I don't understand...?"Queenie said, looking around nervously, and making sure all uer body had materialized.
"I-I don't know either..." Newt said, all the dreaminess from his dream vanquishing. His suit changed to his pajamas and the sun turned to the moon, night turning to day in a snap. The badger vanished, which disappointed Newt a bit.
"Maybe it's you," Queenie said. She wasn't nearly as nonchalant as a few nights before. "Maybe there's some sort of connection neither of us are aware of."
"I don't have any idea," Newt said unhelpfully. "I'm just as clueless as you."
"Well, the point is, I'm here. I see you got back to England? Is this your house?" Queenie asked tiredly, taking a seat at the table.
"Yes," Newt said weakly. "This is the main room. There's the bathroom. Bedroom."
"It's cozy!" Queenie said, regaining her composure and starting to become herself again. "I didn't know you lived in such a rustic style cottage. I like it!"
"Good to hear," Newt said, stretching across the loveseat. "How're things in America? Should I even bother writing any more letters if you can do this?"
"You wrote letters?" Queenie smiled. "Already?"
"Well, yes. I got a letter from my old Transfiguration teacher warning about Grindelwald. He said if I knew anyone in America that I should warn them. So, just a while ago, before I fell asleep, I sent off a letter," Newt explained, remembering after he had finished that Queenie could've read his mind.
"He's the one that stood up for you while you were in school?" Queenie said. He nodded. "Albus Dumbledore. Hm. Do you mind if I redecorate? Or just decorate in general. Because, let's face it, Newt; it's boring in here."
"Oh, all right," Newt said, annoyed. "Do your worst."
"Yes!" She said, pulling out her wand and changing the scene completely. The windows were suddenly covered with thin yellow curtains, and there was a soft black rug in front of the fire. A decorative plaque with a coat of arms materialized on the mantle, a badger posing on it. The corner was lit by a fancy lamp, and the table had a yellow tablecloth. Suddenly, Newt realized that Queenie was decorating his house with a Hufflepuff theme.
"So, what do you think?" She asked happily, tucking her wand away.
"Hufflepuff. This is like my old commonroom in a way..." He gazed around. "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" She said. "I'm about to have to wake up, though, so I'll see you later, hopefully."
"You're leaving?" Newt asked.
"Yeah," Queenie said, stretching. "Your dream was pretty interesting, though. I mean, really, a Santa hat?" She laughed as she faded away, nothing in her place but a better view through the window behind her.