Fantastic Beasts Stories

Return of the אחות (Sister)

“Mercy Lewis, Queenie, why?! Why would you make such a—such an insane decision?! What the hell were you thinking?! Do you know what you put us through?! Jacob, Newt, and I love you to pieces, but all you could think of was that you had to join Grindelwald to be with Jacob?! I thought you were smarter than that!”

Tina was breathing heavily, pacing the room. The entire gang was there, but it might as well have just been the two sisters because nobody else made a noise.

“We could have just moved here to England if that’s what needed to happen! I mean, I know it might not have seemed like the best option to approach me about it, but, God, Queenie, it would have been a hell of a lot better to pick up and move across the ocean than what you did do! I’ve been worried sick about you for years, Queenie. Years! Do you know what that kind of stress does to a person? It destroys them, it’s destroyed me! I...I don’t even know what else to say to you right now. Are you even my little sister anymore?”

Tina finished reprimanding Queenie, her voice breaking with tears in her eyes, but she didn’t cry.

Tears streamed down Queenie’s face but she held herself together. She hadn’t expected anything short of being chewed out by everyone. She looked at them all in turn, grazing their thoughts to know the opinions that they didn't want to share. She needed to know. The blond-haired witch stifled her emotions and suppressed the urge to get up and leave the room so she could mull over everything while she cried.

Everyone was upset with her, which wasn’t unexpected. But they wanted her here, which was a small comfort. She didn’t deserve them in the slightest.

Newt was the first to speak after the silence. Queenie knew that he wasn’t angry at her. Not anymore at least. He didn’t feel that it was his place to reprimand her. He was leaving that up to Tina and Theseus. His loudest thoughts were those of concern for her older sister.

“Tina, would you help me feed the beasts? I could use your help as Bunty’s on leave,” he asked quietly.

“Of course,” Tina murmured, following Newt into the basement.

Everyone knew very well that what the two were doing had nothing to do with beasts.

“You know you’re going to have to serve time, right?” Theseus asked quietly, but it seemed as loud as a rushing waterfall.

“I know,” Queenie said shakily, braving the British Auror’s eyes.

He nodded and stood up, leaving the room, and Yusuf followed suit. Queenie looked from Jacob to Nagini, perusing their thoughts. The young woman wanted information on Credence but was too nervous to ask.

“The last time I saw him he was with Grindelwald. As far as I know, he’s being taken care of, but for what purpose, I don’t know. I couldn’t talk to him about leaving Nurmengard, unfortunately.”

Nagini looked up at Queenie forlornly and then she, too, left the room. At least she wasn’t angry, she just needed some time alone. Now it was just Queenie and Jacob. Tensions were high.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. It wasn’t anywhere near enough, and she knew that, but she had to start somewhere.

“I told you that you needed to talk to Tina,” Jacob said quietly, words laced with small levels of anger and disappointment, but also relief that she was alive, which was enough to keep Queenie going. “That was the only way for this to work out. I wanted to move here to be with you, you know that. All you had to do was talk to your sister.”

He finally met her eyes, sitting across from her in a plush chair. He ran a hand over his face, sighing heavily.

“It wasn’t as simple as that, Jacob—”

“Yeah, it was. You were so stubborn that you couldn’t go to her office at MACUSA and talk everythin’ out with her. You wanna know what happened after you left? Tina cried. You broke her, Queen. You broke your own sister. How does that feel? You broke us, Queen. I don’ know if I know you anymore.”

He stood up and walked to the other side of the room to collect his thoughts, trying not to cry as he started pacing.

“Jakie, please, I—” But he left the room before Queenie could finish her sentence, leaving her to cry alone in the house with too many painful memories for those who lived within.

*

Tina followed Newt into his basement and all the way down the stairs, his hand grasping hers. They came to an abrupt stop, and Newt turned to face her.

“Queenie’s back,” Tina whispered. “I—I don’t know what to think...”

Tears flooded her eyes and she suddenly wrapped her arms around Newt, crying softly.

“You don’t have to think anything. At least she’s here.” Newt started to comb his fingers through her hair, holding her close. “At least she’s home.”

*

:אחות

It means sister in Hebrew, so I thought it would be fitting to use that in the title, which was inspired by Return of the Jedi.