Rewriting the Stars

Everyone's Got An Act

To say that he was nervous was an understatement – he was extremely anxious to the point of almost being terrified.

Newt still wasn't quite sure why he had agreed to Mr Graves' proposal, if he was quite honest: it wasn't as if he had been inebriated at the bar, even after a few shots of whiskey, and he was certain that if it had been anyone else asking, he would have declined. But Mr Graves was...different; there was something about him that made him persuasive and set the young man at ease. The way he spoke of his plans for his circus had been so confident, so sure, that Newt had found himself drawn in all too easily.

His family would never forgive him if they found out.

As he approached the circus building later that morning, Newt planned an apology to give to the ringmaster: he couldn't stay and be a part of a circus, of all things, and he was expected to return home to England soon. Besides, he had only a vague idea of how it all worked, and he doubted he would be terribly useful anyway – it would be best for everyone involved if he ducked out while he still could. As he carefully let himself in through the stage door out the back (as Percival had instructed him to), he went over the speech he had prepared one last time and braced himself.

He found himself in the dressing rooms backstage, and he was surprised to see that it was completely empty; he could hear some chattering and quiet from the direction of the stage, however, and he supposed that they were probably rehearsing. For a brief second, he wondered if the dark-haired woman would be there to practice her act, swinging from her trapeze alongside her sister – and then he discarded the thought, trying not to think about her. It was a silly infatuation, absolutely ridiculous to keep thinking about, and the sooner he stopped the better.

Newt was considering finding a pen and paper, scribbling his speech out and fleeing before anyone could find him, when he heard a movement; curious, he realized that it was coming from an area up a flight of stairs. Mere seconds later, a face appeared from over a railing and grinned.

"Ah, Mr Scamander!"

"Oh...erm...Mr Graves, hello," Newt said awkwardly. "I was just-"

"No need to apologize, we're just going over some acts," Graves assured him before waving a hand. "Come, come up here and I'll talk you through everything – much better view from the platform."

The older man disappeared without a moment's hesitation; speechless, Newt looked at the stairs and then sighed – so he would have to do it in person after all. The steps creaked slightly under his weight as he made his way up, stomach twisting in knots and face flushing at the thought of what he was about to do; he just hoped that Mr Graves wouldn't be too disappointed.

He found Percival peering out of a curtain, clearly studying an act rehearsing; he saw Newt out of the corner of his eye and smiled again, turning towards him. "Tell me, Mr Scamander, what act did you enjoy the most on your visit last night?"

"Oh, well, I... They were all fantastic," The Englishman answered, and his speech disappeared from his mind all over again at being put on the spot. "Everyone in your show is talented, sir."

"Please, call me Percy," Graves said easily. "The whole circus do, and you're no different! Come, you must think one act stood out in particular?"

The younger man swallowed. "Well...yes. I must say, I rather enjoyed the trapeze act."

Something in Percival's eyes lit up. "Ah, yes, the Goldstein sisters are very popular in our show – two of the hardest workers too, at that. In fact, they're practicing a new routine out there right now; would you like to take a look?"

"Oh. No, I couldn't possibly... I wouldn't want to distract... I was actually..."

But the older man just waved a hand dismissively, taking him by the shoulders and steering him towards the opening in the curtain. "Nonsense, I'm sure they'll barely even notice you – and even so, the more feedback on their act the better."