Return to New York

Lost

Newt stared out the window. It was raining, the water running down the glass, blurring the view of the street. His vision was also blurred by the tears forming in his eyes. They ran down his cheeks, dripping from his chin.

Two months. It had been over two months since Tina's last letter. He missed her desperately. She meant everything to him and he didn't know what to do without her. It didn't help that he didn't know what was happening.

The morning's newspaper lay open on the table. A picture of Grindelwald took up most of the front page. He had escaped. It had happened when they had tried to transport him to Europe the day before. Apparently, he had been helped by a former MACUSA employee, Abernathy. Newt remembered meeting Abernathy. He had been Tina's supervisor and Newt recalled that he had been annoyed when he learned Tina had been reinstated as an Auror.

However, the thing about the article that had made Newt the most nervous was that it said a number of Aurors had died. There were no names and Newt couldn't help but think that Tina might have been one of them.

"Please don't let Tina have been one of them," he murmured, pressing his forehead against the cold glass of the window.

There was a figure moving along the street. It turned towards Newt's house and approached the door. There was a knock a moment later.

Newt sighed. Wiping away his tears, he moved away from the window. He pulled open the door and Leta came inside. She closed her umbrella before giving it a good shake. Then she tugged off her coat and hung it up. After closing the door, Newt pulled out his wand to vanish the water that had dripped on the floor and to dry out her shoes and her coat.

"Thanks," she said. 

Newt followed her into the living room.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to see how you were doing." Leta turned to face him. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Newt nodded hesitantly. "I don't know what to do anymore. It's been so long."

"When was the last time you got a letter from her?"

"The last one came the day of my book signing," Newt replied. "That was March 19. It's the 31st of May. Tomorrow is June!" He dropped into a chair and tried not to start crying again. "I've written to her every day."

Leta pulled a chair up to sit across from him. "I'm really sorry."

"I don't even know if she reads my letters."

"But why are you crying?" Leta reached up and ran a finger over Newt's cheek, brushing away a tear.

"I'm scared," Newt admitted. "I'm scared that she might be dead."

"What makes you think so?"

Newt pointed to the newspaper on the table. Leta stood up and moved to the table. She picked up the paper and quickly read the article on the front page.

"I still don't understand why this makes you think she's dead," Leta said.

"It's not that I think she is dead, I'm just saying that it might be possible. The article says that there were Aurors who died but it doesn't say who. I'm so afraid that she might be one of them. I mean, it's possible."

Leta nodded slowly. "I see."

"I can't keep writing to her," Newt mumbled. "I want to but I think it's all a waste. She doesn't read them, I'm sure she doesn't."

"No one said you had to keep writing," Leta murmured. "Maybe if you don't write for a while she'll begin to wonder what's going on and then she'll write."