Waldeinsamkeit | Newt Scamander

4.| copper unicorns

Addison felt the pressure of the heat wash over her once more, as she and Newt struggled to hike up the African hills. They had been walking for quite a bit of time now, as Newt wanted to absorb their last minutes of the day.

"Why don't we make a shopping list." She suggested, taking a sip from her bottle and refilling it with her wand. She ten threw it back into her military hiking backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because we need food, and we need to eat some quality food." She answered. During the past few weeks, she felt hungrier and had lost an inch of her waist. They weren't exactly the wealthiest people and it would have been a better idea to go somewhere where there was wild food everywhere.

"Do you enjoy shopping?"

"I've never done it." She replied to the blue-eyed boy. He quirked an eyebrow towards her and she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Who has never gone shopping? Have you never gone to Diagon Alley?" He asked.

"Well once, otherwise I have never entered a farmer's market." She said. "The house elves do it all. My mother decides that they can buy all the food because according to my mother, house elves going shopping isn't bizarre at all."

"Really?"

"Really, house elves are trusted to go to a farmers market to purchase whatever they need to cook and really, she doesn't think that's weird." She replied, looks towards Newt, who tilted his head in consideration. She was still not used to that look, as if she was a mind puzzle waiting to be solved.

"Really, you have house elves?"

"They aren't treated badly." She told him, wondering if he was concluding that they mistreated their elves like she knew some of the other wealthy families would. One of her Hufflepuff friends: Bethany Lindstorn, told her that she knew families who made house-elves do impossible jobs and abused them, giving them a pillowcase that wasn't even white anymore. It was hard to believe, but Bethany never lied, but that was unless she really convinced herself it was true.

"But they're slaves, how could they not be treated badly!" He said, almost glaring at her nose. The irritation in his voice convinced her that he knew about the badly treated elves.

"We're always nice to them, Paisley loves cooking and cleaning so we let her, we tried giving her a vacation once but she absolutely refused." Defensively holding up her arms, she openly held open herself in case he were to interrogate her.

The air among them was a little bit tense and she sat down for a break. There was no way they could find anything, if only she had her broom with her, then she would surely be moving along faster.

"Did you like being unpopular?" She asked. "I don't mean it in a bad way but did you like being the outcast, or someone who just didn't really talk to other students?"

"I—I don't know, I mean, I guess I wished I was more social, or maybe good at quidditch like you are, but I would have to give up so much." He sighed, looking off into the distance.

"Well I wish I was a seeker in the team if it makes you feel any better, and there isn't anything to give up by being social." She said softly without hesitation. Of course she was being ungrateful, in her sixth year, she was one of the seven Hufflepuffs out of hundreds who made the quidditch team. Rumours told her that she had just made it, but that meant she was good. Addie had to work hard to become chaser, unlike some of the other naturally talented witches and wizards she knew.

"Secrets."

"Letting out the truth is a release, not an encampment Newt." Addison, looked at him, who really wasn't paying much attention to her. "Newt?"