Love is Patient

Chapter 15

Newt felt himself being shaken out of a restless sleep.

"Hey, it's 4:30. You should eat something before you go," Queenie said gently.

Newt yawned. He had spent most of the night putting enchantments on his case to keep it from being damaged or opened in any way. He had fallen asleep in his chair and had slept badly, having been haunted by dreams of the past and of the possible future.

He looked down at his case. What if this doesn't work? What if my creatures get hurt? 

What if Tina gets hurt?

"Newt, I'm sure there are other ways we can do this. You don't have to put your creatures in danger. I'm sure we can rescue Tina without giving them your case. You could just leave it here."

"No, Queenie, I can't. I can't risk Tina's life. If I don't do what they ask . . ." Newt shuddered. They'll kill her.  He looked up at Queenie and saw the fear in her eyes. Reaching for his case, Newt averted his gaze and stood up. He moved over to the table and set the case on the floor as he sat down. 

Queenie set a plate of food in front of Newt. He picked at it but wasn't able to eat anything. Queenie rested her hand on his shoulder and said, "Tina's going to be fine, Newt. She knows how to take care of herself."

Newt stood up suddenly and grabbed Queenie by the shoulders. "I can't let anything happen to her, even if she can take care of herself." He was shaking and tears were streaming down his face. "If anything happens -- anything . . ." Newt broke off. Why can't you tell her? It's not like she doesn't know. "Merlin's Beard. You already know why. Queenie, I love her." His grip loosened and he dropped his head. "I love Tina," he whispered. It was the first time he had ever said it out loud. 

Queenie brushed the tears off Newt's face. "I know you love her. Tina knows you love her but you need to tell her. She loves you but she's waiting for you to tell her you love her. You've known each other for over two years and you had both fallen in love with each other before you left. I know both of you are shy but, Newt, you're going to have to tell her you love her. It'll be fine." 

Newt let his hands fall to his sides. Fighting back more tears, he wiped his eyes and picked up his case. "I need to go," he mumbled as he turned to the door.

Queenie came and gave him a hug. "Bring my sister back safely," she whispered into his ear. "And don't be afraid to tell her how you feel."

Newt nodded mutely against Queenie's curls. He slipped out of the room, out of the building, across the street, and into a deserted alley where he apparated to Central Park.

Newt shivered. The bench he was sitting on was cold and damp but he didn't care. The only thing he could think about was Tina. I hope she's alright. Please, let her be alright. Don't let anything have happened to her. If anything happens to her -- if she dies . . . 

Just then a shadow fell over Newt. He looked up into the face of a young man. The man must have been handsome once but his looks had been ruined by a long scar down the left side of his face. Newt started. "You!" he spat, pulling out his wand.

"Hello, again. Now please, hand over your wand. Unless you don't want to see Miss Goldstein again."

Newt shook with rage but he handed over his wand and gripped the handle of his case. "Why do you want my case? I only have one of your Hippogriffs. You killed the rest of them."

"You destroyed my only way of making money. I just see this as a sort of payback. This is really much bigger than that was," the man sneered.

Grindelwald, Newt realized. I should have known.