Unlikely Companions

Chapter 20 Heated Conversations

"Was that man implying that Mathilda was disowned?" Queenie asked heatedly, stirring her tea with a vigorous hand.

"It seemed like it, but... She didn't mention anything," Tina added.

"Belvina and Cygnus Black are ruthless people by reputation," Newt explained. "The Blacks are known for their pureblood predilection, and for being nasty to even their family members. If Mathilda is truly related to them, she's the odd one out."

"How awful!" Tina huffed. "She's so kind and sweet...."

"But if she was disowned," Queenie continued. "What does that mean for her?"

"I can only assume. They are wealthy, so it's very likely that she'll be excluded from the family fortune," Newt said softly. "They might pull some strings in the Ministry to even have her detained."

"They can do that?!"

"Only if they are incredibly petty."

"We must ask her," Queenie said. "We must also help her. Who knows if this is our fault, too? We sent her there, didn't we?"

"Yes, but we didn't ask her to put herself at risk like that either."

"You're both forgetting who you're dealing with," Dumbledore said with a small smile, as he interrupted their meeting. "Mathilda is a smart witch, and she knew the risks involved in asking Cygnus Black for help – but she also knows that it's for the betterment of our cause."

"She lost her family!" Queenie lamented.

"And gained a better and more loving one in the process," Dumbledore said. "She doesn't regret doing what she did, I'm sure of it."

---

Later that night, when Dumbledore had retired to an empty room in Newt's house, and everyone else was considering doing the same, Credence sat alone on an empty chair in the living room. He was still a bit shaken by the conversation he witnessed that afternoon between Mathilda and the Professor, because he had never stopped to consider the consequences of her actions until then.

Even so, he was sure that she didn't regret it. She wasn't like them, he thought, she was better.

A sudden sound startled him, and he looked up to find Newt and Tina at the top of the stairs, talking softly among themselves. He said nothing, he didn't move an inch. The fire had long been extinguished, so they wouldn't be able to see him from their position.

He watched, surprised, as Tina took Newt's hand lovingly, and he leaned closer to press a kiss against her cheek.

Are they together? He wondered. It seemed like it, but if they were, they had been extremely secretive about it. It was the first time he saw them acting like that, and then, he remembered.

He had missed a lot when he had been hiding in Newt's suitcase. They didn't even get to share a lot of time together before he left for London with Mathilda, and besides, Tina and Mathilda didn't get along that well either... It was very probable that he had simply not seen it.

Finally, he saw them leave, hand in hand, to the small study room that took them straight to the balcony. Once they disappeared through the door, he climbed the stairs as quietly and quickly as he could, and took refuge in his room.

He would need to pay more attention to things like those, he figured as he changed and settled in bed for the night.