《 Skip a Beat 》

Eye of the hurricane

It felt good to be back in his usual attire, Newt thought fondly. Even if it was just for an hour or so, he was grateful.

Within ten minutes of Nick returning with Newt's clothes, the trio had vanished from the hospital. The plan was to sneak into the ministry, find out if they could figure out the prophecy, then get the hell out before someone found them, as specified by Theseus.

Occasionally, Tina assisted Newt with keeping his balance on the crutches. It was hard getting back into the swing of things. No major falls or problems had occurred so far, so they were already off to a great start. Theseus strode briskly next to them, head held high and entire body tensed up, as if expecting Grindelwald to jump out at any moment.

Surprisingly, Newt couldn't recount any muscle memory while walking with crutches. It was a different sensation altogether. A different way he was walking.

Nick hadn't told them anything, though if Newt had to guess, he'd say that the metal was positioned differently- correctly- in his leg. Perhaps that was why he was walking differently.

Tina was watching him.

Watching him, as he weighed every step he took. Every time his buckled brown shoes met the rich carpeting it felt different to him. Maybe he was learning to walk normally again. The strange tingling feeling in his leg had subsided as well. Not entirely, but enough so that it was bearable.

"Does it hurt?"

A careful, empathetic question. Tina cocked her head to the side, and a wisp of brown hair fell across her face.

"Shh," hushed Theseus. Newt payed him no heed.

"No," he murmured back. "It just feels different."

"Wait- be quiet," said Theseus sharply, pausing in his tracks. Newt and Tina stopped behind him.

"What? Is something wrong?" the former asked.

Theo wheeled around to face them, a slightly agitated look on his face.

"No. I just want you to be quiet."

They approached the single, ominous door at the end of the corridor, and he only hesitated a split-second before resting his hand on the knob and twisting it open.

Tina prided herself on remembering her coat, this time. A subtle glimpse to her left told her that Newt was grateful for his old grey coat back as well.

In the back of her mind, Tina made a vague, subconscious note that she preferred his peacock blue trench coat to his grey wool one.

"The feeling might mean that you're starting to walk normally again. Like you did before everything happened," she whispered as the trio tiptoed into the darkened, circular room (or gracefully hobbled, in Newt's case).

Once they'd all had their fill of gaping at the black-tiled walls and numerous identical doors, Theseus was the first to speak.

"I'll keep a lookout in case someone comes in. Tina, you show Newt where the prophecy is. You," he gestured towards his younger brother, features as hard as stone. Then they softened. "Don't get yourself killed. That's all I ask."

Newt barely inclined his head, hinting at a smile.

With a final nod towards the two of them, Theseus stalked to one of the doors, indistinguishable from the others. He turned the handle and nudged it open, and Newt and Tina were left staring at a gasping black mouth of a doorway.

"C'mon," Tina breathed, and with one last look at Theo, she and Newt stepped into the hall of prophecies.