Crescendo: A Fantastic Beasts Newtina Fanfiction

Chapter 2

       Watery, morning sunlight filed through the windows of the brownstones and into Tina's bedroom. She groaned, and forced her eyes open. Glancing at her clock, she realized that she'd overslept. Thanking Mercy Lewis that she didn't have to go to work today, she sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Tina stood up and yawned before starting to make her bed. Once the covers were tucked in and the pillows were fluffed, she made her way over to her closet. She pulled out her usual white blouse, black jacket, and black slacks, leaving her gray overcoat on the hangers. Pulling them on, she walked over to her bedpost, where her golden locket hung, and donned that. 

       The sounds of breakfast being made in the kitchen could be heard. She slipped out of her bedroom to find her sister bustling around the kitchen. Unlike Tina, Queenie hadn't gotten dressed, and was wearing a fluffy bathrobe over a pink silk slip. The younger Goldstein sister looked up as Tina entered the room. "Looks like someone was having fun sleeping in," she teased, flashing her trademark smile that could make thousands swoon. 

       "I was up late last night," Tina replied offhandedly, "Couldn't sleep."

       "So...," Queenie flashed a mischievous look at her, "What's up with that letter over there?" She nodded towards the letter that was lying on the table.

       Tina silently cursed herself. She should have put the letter away. How could she have forgotten? She frowned slightly. On the other hand, maybe it was better that Queenie had found out this way. After all, Newt might need a place to stay, but that all depended on how long he was planning on being in New York. Knowing her sister, Queenie would have already read the letter, not out of nosiness, but curiousity. 

       "Newt's coming to New York!", she couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.

       "Somebody sure sounds eager."  

      Tina blushed, then glared at her sister. "I'm just happy to see him again, that's all," 

       Or at least, I think that's all. Tina walked over to the stove to see what Queenie was cooking up. "Pancakes!" she exclaimed, "Haven't had those in a while." She walked over to the pantry and pulled out two dishes and glasses, then set them out on the table.

       "Now, now, Teenie," Queenie chided playfully, "Don't change the subject." She slipped a stack of pancakes onto both their plates, and haphazardly placed a bottle of syrup and butter in the center of the table. 

       Tina, who was now standing at the fridge, pulled out a carton of eggs and milk. This was how they made meals; one of them would cook one thing, and when they were done, the other would cook another. "I'm not changing the subject," she protested. 

       Queenie raised her eyebrows at her. 

       "Okay, maybe I am, but just a little! Pancakes and Newt are...um...very closely related subjects?"

       Cracking some eggs onto a frying pan, Tina saw Queenie's eyebrows travel further up her forehead. Tina sighed. Sometimes her sister could just be impossible. "Look, Queenie, I'm just looking forward to seeing him again, that's all, okay? Nothing more, nothing less. I mean, isn't that understandable? We did go through some major events with him," she pointed out.

       Tina remembered helping him to hunt down his creatures, and with a shiver of guilt, she also remembered turning him in to MACUSA, the both of them getting locked up and taken to the Death Cells for endangering the wizarding society. He'd had saved her life in the Death Cells, when the black potion had begun rising up in a looming wall around her. After her attempts to turn him in to MACUSA, he'd still shown forgiveness and mercy. Tina couldn't place her finger in the reason why he'd do such a thing.

      Then she remembered the time when they'd all hung out in Newt's case. He had treated his creatures with respect, love, and trust, and his creatures had seemed to feel the same way towards him. It had occurred to Tina that it must take a great deal of compassion, understanding, the ability to see beyond the obvious, and a quiet courage to care for these creatures, and to nurture and protect them. Any other human would have run at the sight of a Nundu or Erumpent, heck, even she used to think they were nothing but dangerous, wild beasts, but Newt managed to see past the outside to what the creature was like underneath, to the very soul of the creature. It was clear that he had done his best to make his creatures happy, from creating a specific environment to suit each one's needs, to feeding them and making sure they were all healthy. Tina had spied a wide collection of little bottles in Newt's shed used for taking care of his creatures, such as Feather Floss and Hoof Polish. Maybe it was all these qualities that motivated him to save her life.

       Newt had also tried to save Credence, and she had too, but in the end, the Aurors and killed him. The memory pulled at her heartstrings. No one deserved to die for something that they couldn't control, for something that turned them into a monster. But Credence had not been a monster, he had been a child, a sentient, human being who had suffered till the very end. Tina swallowed, blinking away the tears in her eyes. 

       At the end of their adventure, Newt had uncovered Grindelwald, who had been posing as Graves. She now realized he had suspected from the very start, that was why he'd asked Gnarlak about Graves in the first place. How could she have been so blind? She should have realized. She'd known Graves for a long time, she should have seen the changes in his behavior. But in the end, it was still Newt who had observed, who had realized, who had recaptured Grindelwald.

       "Tina, are you still with me?" Queenie's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. 

       "Hmm? Oh, yes, sorry sis. What were you saying?"

       "I know that you're not just excited about seeing him again, Teen. There's a reason under all that excitement," Queenie said.

       Turning down the heat setting on the stove, Tina glanced up at her sister. "Queenie, I have no clue what your talking about,". And she really didn't. What was Queenie trying to say? That there was a deeper reason to why she wanted to see Newt again, other then just looking forward to seeing him as someone who they'd been through a lot with? Tina snorted. She had never hear anything more absurd. 

        "It is not absurd!" Queenie burst out indignantly.

       "Queenie, of course it is! I don't even have a clue about what you're saying." She slid some eggs onto both their plates, and poured herself a glass of milk. She drizzled a bit of syrup onto her pancakes, the  added a pat of butter.

       "I'm saying," Queenie began slowly, "that you're in love with Newt Scamander!" She finished off excitedly.

       The brunette dropped her fork in shock. For a while, all she could do was watch as Queenie drowned her pancakes with syrup. "W-what?"

       "You heard me, Tina. You're in love! And it's about time, too."

       "Okay, now this is the most absurd this I've ever heard. Me, in love with Newt? Queenie, he stayed only stayed in New York for a few days!" Her head was spinning.

       Queenie wagged a finger at her. "Love is love, Tina! Trust the Legilimens here."

       Tina crossed her arms. "Queenie, you hopeless romantic, I am not in love with Newt!"

       "I'm not a hopeless romantic, just ask Jacob!", the blonde retorted. Jacob hadn't been properly Obliviated, and he had remembered Queenie and their adventure when she'd walked into his bakery.

       Tina rolled her eyes. "I don't care what you say, but I'm not in love with Newt, and that's final." She pushed away her doubts, and all the thoughts that were chasing each other through her mind. Of course she wasn't in love with Newt. Was she?

       Queenie grinned, "If you say so..."