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

Chapter Ten

"Thank you," Tina remarked to the owl that had swept its way through the window into her inn room the ministry had provided her with. She was in London, the bright sun reflecting through her window. She had received yet another letter from MACUSA concerning her assignment to track down Credence. Tina had been traveling throughout Europe for nearly three months, working alongside aurors in all countries and of all nationalities. Credence, it seemed, had disappeared without a trace. There were occasional outbursts throughout the continent that were blamed on the actions of an obscurial, but by the time anyone arrived at the sight of the commotion there was no trace of anything amiss. It was as if Credence was imaginary, his existence merely fictional. However, the magical authorities were well aware of Grindelwald's plan to integrate the young man into his dastardly plans: they were certain he was already under the capture of Grindelwald, preparing to be used as a martyr against the aurors. It was that that frightened them the most. Nobody knew the extent that a magical being such as an obscurus could go, let alone an obscurial that had managed to survive twenty-one years. This type of magic was unheard of, unexplored, and very, very dangerous if not handled properly. Or if provided to the wrong hands, in which Credence had been. The only person who knew this type of magic was Albus Dumbledore, yet when questioned by the Ministry he feigned lack of knowledge as means of protecting not only himself, but his muse, Newt Scamander, as well. Dumbledore himself couldn't defeat Grindelwald, and although he had the power to defeat an obscurial, he wasn't willing- nor was he ready- to put himself in a position where he faced grave danger. Instead, the man decided to assign his former student to the task. Though unspoken, there was something that stopped him from ever laying harm to Grindelwald, something that had yet to be uncovered. It was only a matter of time before his secret was to be revealed.

Tina, however, did not busy herself in such conspiracies. She was on assignment by MACUSA, and her only focus was on safely locating the boy and removing him from the tight grip of evil. There was a small part of her, though she refused to acknowledge it, that hoped she may find her sister, Queenie, as well. It had been many months since her disappearance, and though Tina suspected her sister was in London, she had yet to find any trace of Queenie or her no-maj, Jacob. Tina also chose to ignore the lack of contact with Newt, of whom she'd given up all hope of seeing again. It upset her greatly, as she often reminisced on their time spent together at the false ball- before they knew it was a planned attack- and the night in which they lay together, a feeling of content between the both of them. Perhaps he was embarrassed he'd admit her feelings for her, but why hide now, when she was not in his presence? Why choose to ignore her letters, her pleas, anything she sent to try to contact him? Had she somehow offended him? All these worries plagued Tina's subconscious, but she put on a mask of security and pretended these "mundane" problems didn't bother her.

Tina broke the scarlet steal embedded on the letter, opening the coarse piece of parchment to reveal yet another message from the ministry, signed by none other than Theseus Scamander. He had, of course, signed it in purple ink, signifying the importance of his role. Tina assumed this letter was just another update on their search for Credence, the never-ending battle to track a lost man. He was, of course, lost. Tina tried to keep from thinking it was a lost cause: There was going to be a point in time where everywhere would be searched, and he'd inevitably turn up once Grindelwald was captured and sent to the authorities.

This letter, however, was different. Scrawled, in hasty writing, was an update on the boy. There had been an unprecedented explosion in a no-maj, or, as Theseus called it, muggle, town, south of Scotland. It had injured three civilians and unexplained occurrences had been tracked a few days beforehand. Floating objects, unexpected tales of arson, and missing people's reports doubling. This work was a characteristic of Grindelwald's attacks, no doubt fueled with the added power Credence held. Had Tina known any better, she'd assume that Grindelwald was trying to get Credence to Hogwarts. There was no possible way, however, as the castle was guarded and every professor knowledgeable against both the dark wizard and the boy. Tina cast the letter aside and quickly pulled on her coat, despite the May sunshine that streamed through the window. Grabbing her wand, Tina cast one last look over the room, and disapparated to the ministry gates.