ATLAS || N. SCAMANDER

{eighteen}

NEWT'S CASE
INSIDE

Jacob walks into the case, holding Dougal's hand. Atlas trails behind them, taking extra care of where she steps due to the Occamy in the glass flask in her hands. "Here they come," Atlas can hear Newt from Dougal's nest. "Happy to be home?" Jacob asks Dougal. "Bet you're exhausted, buddy. Come on - there you go - that's right." Atlas smiles as he slightly mothers the creature. The smile drops off her face as she thinks of these lost memories after this is all over. Jacob would have to be Obliviated after this, no matter what.

Atlas lets the Occamy crawl onto her hand. "Hello, you're home now." Newt watches her with a smile as she takes care of the baby Occamy.

"Ouch!" Newt exclaims from where he stood behind Atlas. She whips around, looking at him with concern. She giggles as Newt pulls an angry Pickett from his pocket. At some point during that fiasco, he must've slipped off her shoulder and into his pocket. "Right," Newt starts to make an excuse. "I think we need to talk. See, I wouldn't have let him keep you, Picket. Pick, I would rather chop off my hand than get rid of you. After everything you have done for me - now come on." Atlas walks over and holds out her hand. Pickett scurries over to her hand and sulks.

"Pick, we've talked about sulking before, haven't we. Scurrying over to Atlas doesn't mean I don't know if you're sulking or not." They've started to gravitate over to Frank's area. "Pickett, come on, give me a smile. Pickett, give me a-"

Pickett crawls off Atlas's hand and up her head, blowing a raspberry at Newt from there. "All right, now, that is beneath you." Newt snatches Pickett off Atlas's head and puts him on his shoulder. He starts busying himself with various buckets of feed, Atlas bending down to help. "Don't worry, Newt. He'll come around." Newt grumbles before handing Atlas a knife.

"Hey, Newt. Who is she?" Queenie breaks the atmosphere the three - including Pickett - have created. "That's," Newt looks up and then back down. "That's no one."

Atlas takes a look at the photo, immediately recognizing the face in the frame. "You kept a photo of her?"

"Leta Lestrange? I've heard of that family. Aren't they kinda - you know?" Queenie asks, reading both their minds to gather whatever she could about their relationship to the woman. "Please don't read my mind," Newt spits. Atlas looks away, hurt resounding in her heart. She knew of their relationship in school, but she didn't think he'd keep her photo after what she had done to him.

"Sorry," Newt says, this time more angry and embarrassed. "I asked you not to."

"I know, I'm sorry, I can't help it. People are easiest to read when they're hurting," Queenie sends a look of pity to Atlas.

"I'm not hurting. Anyway, it was a long time ago."

"That was a real close friendship you had at school."

"Yes, well, neither of us really fitted in at school, so we-" Newt tries to deflect Queenie by seeming dismissive. "-became real close. For years," Queenie finishes his sentence. "She was a taker and Newt was a giver," Atlas explains quietly from her place across from Newt.

She was about to continue but chose not to as Tina walks in. "What are you three talking about?"

"School," Atlas interjects, saving the three from having to explain. "Comparing Ilvermorny to Hogwarts."

"Did you say school? Is the school in America Ilvermorny or Hogwarts?" Jacob inquires.

"Ilvermorny! It's only the best wizard school in the whole world!" Queenie picks up on Jacob's question. Atlas scoffs, "We bed to differ!"

"I think you'll find the best wizarding school in the world is Hogwarts!" Newt backs her up.

"Hogwash!" Queenie insults.

Atlas is about to bite back with an insult of her own, but a loud crack of thunder along with Frank rising into the air alerts them of danger. "Danger. He senses danger."

Atlas drops her knife and it clatters onto the board, the sound of wood and metal hitting wood resounding in her ears.

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on a friday, just as scheduled
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