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Imagine: Newt introduces Tina to Leta Lestrange. Thank you so much for 2.2k reads on this story! School has started up again and I've been EXTREMELY busy, so I apologize for not updating/writing as much as I did in the summertime. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Comments and votes are super duper appreciated. Alternative Title: Count Mistakes
Briefcase in hand, Tina walked down the roads of London. She was new to the city, however excitement contained her. She was finally going to see Newt again, and instead of him residing in her home, she'd be residing in his. Tina would never admit to it, but she secretly hoped Newt didn't live with a sibling, like she did with Queenie. Her brisk steps echoed on the pavement, and a bell jingled as she opened the door to the bookstore, planning on perusing the stacks of books before continuing her walk to his apartment. Rows and rows of shelves were filled with books, and the store carried a heavy aroma of fresh parchment and ink. A few people buzzed about, hasty but quiet. Tina smiled to herself when she saw a bright red, leather bound book on display in the middle of the shop. It was none other than Newt's debut manuscript, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. There was a clever sign the shape of a pointing hand that read 'First years this way! Collect your copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, and get a second textbook for three Knuts!' Tina had hoped Newt would remember his promise to deliver her her own copy in person, but as the months passed she grew weary. It was a surprise he was even inviting her to stay with him, though Tina guessed it was only polite of him to do so. After all, she was stationed to go to Paris, but there had been a rising issue with noncompliant aurors in London so Tina was forced to make a pitstop.
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She was admiring the book he had written, but her intention was just to flip through the pages and marvel at the carefully crafted illustrations. He'd been watching her ever since she'd walked in, stealing quick glances at her before looking away hastily, returning to the novel he was reading. The words seemed jumbled up and didn't make sense to him- all he could think about was the girl in the white and blue dress that carried herself with apt confidence, yet seemed small in the grand scheme of things. A smile crept on his face when he saw her stop at the display with his book, her delicate hands flipping through the pages with adept gracefulness. He pushed back in his chair, carefully stuffing a pencil to mark his page. Doggy earring the pages was always an option, but he preferred not to "deface the work of geniuses." Newt stood up and walked toward Tina, who was still quietly examining the book.
"I see you've found my book," he said behind her, his tone amused. Tina jumped, nearly dropping the copy she was holding, but when she turned around she was relieved and a bit elated to find Newt standing in front of her. Newt... he looked just as he did in the photographs she'd seen of him in The New York Ghost, though entirely different than when she'd met him. His hair was longer, yet still messy, he donned a grey coat in place of his older, blue one, yet his posture remained the same. His collar was turned up instead of down, and Tina couldn't help but be reminded of how she used to wear her old coat, before she switched to the leather one she wore now. He smiled at her, his eyes shining like the stars in his case. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you in New York, it's been considered a hassle to get me all the way over there..." She felt a pang in her chest. Was Newt saying it was a hassle to visit her, that she was a hassle? Perhaps Newt was different from what she thought... No. She mustn't think like that, he only saw her as a friend anyway. And she only saw him as a friend, right? Tina wasn't one to delve into romantic affairs, especially not ones of her own. Nor the ones of her friends. But as she considered this, she couldn't help but let her mind slip to the Scamander/Lestrange engagement she'd heard about in the office, and suddenly she felt very, very sullen. Of course... Leta Lestrange, the girl whose picture he carried. Queenie had told Tina all about her. Short, dark-skinned, and far more beautiful than Tina could ever attempt to be (Queenie hadn't said that, but Tina believed it to be true anyway). Perhaps their encounter on the docks was less than Tina had thought it was. It was no wonder Newt had fallen in love with Leta; though her family history was a dark one, she was breathtakingly beautiful on the inside and out. Just the woman Newt liked. Just the woman Newt deserved.
