Tides of Turmoil (NEWTINA)

Chapter 10 - The Scene

Silence reigned the room as we let the words sink in. I felt as if something had taken out my heart, stepped on it, set it on fire, and threw it back into my chest. I could not believe it, simple as that. Whatever these evidences she mentioned, there must have been some hidden truth that they are missing. Tina would never join Grindelwald, let alone work under his orders and leave her friends.

'That's ridiculous.'

I hardly knew that I just mumbled out my thoughts, yet I didn't know how else to put them. Madam Picquery's brows raised up, but I continued in a louder tone, 'You must know already, Madam President, that there's no way Tina would do that. On what nonsense of an evidence did you conclude that?'

I could feel Jacob and Queenie's eyes on me, and I knew they were as shocked as me at my sudden confidence. But I wasn't thinking about that; Tina was all that covered my thoughts, and I had to defend and trust her. Madam Picquery's lips curved up a little and shifted her eyes from me to Queenie. As I looked next to me, I saw how her face was drained from all colour and replaced by a pair of flushed cheeks and a translucent skin.

'Newt,' she let out, her voice no more than a whisper, 'I am the evidence.'

'What?' asked Jacob.

'I saw it all,' she began, her voice distant yet composed, 'When Teenie came home one day, she looked so different. Her behaviour was cold and sharp like spikes, her thoughts concealed from me as I tried to see what was wrong. It went like that for days. And yesterday, oh it was horrible. I heard her come in, and as I went to greet her, I noticed that she was not alone. There stood Grindelwald, talking to her with a shudder-inducing smirk on his face. For a moment I thought she was being threatened, so I tried to hex him. He deflected it, and Tina came to his aid' – I felt sick hearing that, but I let her continue – 'She crashed the whole place, our home, without a tinge of hesitation. And her face as she did it was murderous. I've never seen her like that, not once. I got caught in the disaster and was pulled back and crash against the remains of the place – thus these bruises.'

'She could've been Confunded,' I said, hoping the least.

She shook her head. 'It didn't look like it. She didn't look confused when she saw me. She looked... mad.

'I opened my eyes and tried to get on my feet, but I couldn't do the latter. I lied there, watching them. Tina was still looking at me, but I couldn't enter her mind, no matter how hard I tried. Suddenly, Grindelwald turned around and... he...' she stopped, closing her eyes, looking hurt. Madam Picquery cleared her throat loudly, giving her a silent order to continue. I felt mad at her, but Queenie sniffed and continued talking.

'He raised his hand and slapped her, right there. She didn't budge, but I can still see how her blood flew from her bottom lip,' she paused. I was glad she did, because I would've not been able to hear the rest.

I felt as if an Erumpent had injected me with that toxic fluid and it was festering from my guts to the ends of my head and toes. I felt my jaw tighten, and my knuckles go numb as I tightened my fist. I looked at Queenie's eyes and, trying to conceal some of this sudden rage, asked her to continue. There might've been something in my voice I didn't hide so well because she seemed to shrink in defence. Nevertheless, she continued.

'Then, they turned around and casted the table and a pair of chairs to sit down and talk, as if that moment didn't happen. They didn't do it for long, and the only exchanged I heard was Tina agreeing with something he said. Grindelwald was the first to stand up and give something to Tina, a piece of paper, before he Disapparated. Tina stood up, looked at the paper on both sides, and ripped it into bits with her wand. She then looked at my direction, just enough but almost with a bored face on... before she ripped her necklace and dropped it on the floor. Then, she was gone too. I half-consciously sent a warning spell to MACUSA before it all turned black. When I opened my eyes, I was already here in the emergency room.'

When she finished, I could feel the tips of my fingers tingle and shake along with the rest of my body. My heart was beating so fast I couldn't tell when a beat stopped or began. My mind was whirling around the new information I've had, examining all angles to see a flaw. A flaw that would prove second intentions or reasons. As I repeated the process, Madam Picquery had sat down and ordered three more armchairs for us. Queenie sat down slowly, but Jacob and I were still standing.

Madam Picquery cleared her throat and spoke to us, in a tone that dared us to contradict her. 'As you can tell, Mr Scamander, this testimony is all and enough we need to conclude my previous statement. And thus, we have already set an arrest warrant on Porpertina Goldstein and are doing the best we can to track Grindelwald in the process.'

'Even so, there's must be a reason,' I mumbled, mostly to myself.

'Indeed, but so far we have found nothing. Some have said that maybe Grindelwald used an Imperius Charm...'

'She would've fought it, and she would've won – no doubt about it,' I snapped, meaning it.

A knock came from the door. 'Come in,' said Madam Picquery, and there entered Dawson with a file on his hand. Walking past us, he gave her the file and stood in front of her desk.

'All the apartment has been searched.'

'Good. What about the ripped pieces of the paper mentioned?'

'Not avail. Someone must've come when we were gone and taken it.' I had to stop myself from reaching the top of my pocket, where the postcard was kept.

'Or destroyed it...'

'Yes.'

'What about her necklace?' interjected Queenie.

Dawson just looked at her.

Madam Picquery answered for her after reading the report. 'Nothing, Ms Goldstein.' She rubbed her temples, a tired frown on her face. 'Alright. We should focus on any leads we've got of other Grindelwald's followers and see if their tracks connect somewhere. Also, go to the International Department and check if any world council has sent a notice of last sightings. We need to think outside the United States now.' She casted a look at me and added, 'and search for information around Newt Scamander's circle of friends and family. Some of them might know what they are up to.'

'Yes, madam.' And, not without giving us a twisted smirk, he left the room.