Thorns and Roses ❦ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ❦ Newtina

Chapter Three

Darkness enveloped the room, yet Tina lay awake. The only light came through the curtains; a full moon shone bright in the sky, marking how late it was. Tina knew she should've been asleep hours before, but the stress of work and the excitement she felt because Newt was in New York kept her mind racing. Queenie shifted in the bed next to Tina's and groaned quietly, unconscious. She'd fallen asleep hours ago after having a short conversation with Tina about Newt being back and how he'd come when she needed him most. Tina had spent most of that conversation pretending she didn't understand what her younger sister meant, but that didn't matter to Queenie. Tina closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come to her.  Her mind raced, and all she could think of was Newt. With a sigh, she slowly peeled back the covers and tip toed across the bedroom. The bedroom door opened with a creak, and she winced as Queenie stirred. Trying not to make a sound, Tina side stepped out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. "Lumos," She whispered, and suddenly the tip of her wand glowed and filled the kitchen with light. She tip-toed toward the chestnut counters, trying to think of anything that could soothe her. Then she remembered her mother, preparing her a cup of hot milk after she'd had a bad dream when she was just a young girl. Tina smiled to herself. Her hands were outstretched to grab the ingredients for a cup of hot milk when she noticed a light coming out of Newt's case, slightly cracked open, in the drawing room. He must not be able to sleep either. Against her better judgement, she prepared her own drink and attempted to prepare chamomile tea for Newt. She wasn't very good at making tea. Newt called the way Americans made it a "watered down leaf substance." Tina didn't quite understand what this meant, but could tell from his facial expression it wasn't good. She'd spent hours at the no-maj library trying to figure out the recipe for the perfect cup of tea. She'd made it for herself, but found she literally could not stand the taste of tea and thrown up. Queenie, however, told her it was just how most British people liked it. That lifted Tina's spirits and gave her high hopes that Newt would like it. Tina carefully stirred Newt's cup, making her way to the drawing room.

Tina placed the steaming mugs on the coffee table, and reached down to open Newt's case. Warm light filled the area surrounding her immediately, and as she looked down at the ladder that led down to Newt's shed, she contemplated how to bring the two mugs down with her. Suddenly she remembered an enchantment. "Wingardium Leviosa," Tina whispered, waving her wand to to the right and down. The mugs lifted, and they followed her down the ladder. She stored her wand back in the waistline of her trousers and grabbed the floating mugs. Newt's workplace was a mess. Nearly everything was covered by paper- the workbench, the floor, a pin board... he was clearly preparing his second version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Tina stepped around the papers, careful not to trod on them lest she ruin a carefully sculpted page. She pushed open the door with her shoulder blade, and automatically artificial sunlight heated her face. The sky was tinted orange with streaks of pink and gold, and a magically enhanced sun was setting into the horizon. Tina glanced around the area, but Newt was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a whoosh of air and a heavy weight on her foot caused Tina to jump in the air, splashing some hot milk on her night shirt in the process. "Agh!" She cried, looking down at the wet mark spreading on her front. Tina's gaze dropped to the ground, breathing heavy with wide eyes, only to find the niffler staring up at her with a greedy gleam in his eye, his paws reaching to subtly get a galleon she must've stepped on. "Oh," Tina sighed. "Only you, pesky thing." She leaned on her haunches, placed the mugs down and picked up the fluffy creature, bringing him up so she could face him. "Trying to get that coin now, are we? Well, you got me wet in the process." Tina chuckled to herself. Taking out her wand, she cast the hot air charm to dry herself off. "Have you seen Newt?"

The niffler buried itself into the crevice of her arm, and shifted to the right. She assumed that would be the way. Careful not to spill anymore liquid, she picked up the mugs and stood back up. Strolling across vines, leaves, and sticks, Tina made her way through the case. It wasn't an easy task, carrying a half full mug, a full mug, and a 20 pound creature, but Tina managed. Soon, the sky became a beautiful mixture of pink and purple colors. She smiled to herself, looking up at the masterpiece. Tina would never get sick of the case and all its wonders. She stopped next to the bowtruckles, letting one climb atop her shoulder, and stared up at the sky. Tina never thought of Bewt as an artist, but she knew a sunset like this could only be carefully crafted by one. A twig snapped behind her, and she turned around to see Newt feeding the newest batch of baby occamies. Tina smiled to herself, watching as he got immersed in his work. That was something she'd always admired about Newt. His passion for magical creatures and their caring for.