Always

Erised

After Newt had grumbled under his breath he released Tina from their kiss and lunged for the twittering owl that had moved from his head to flying in laps around them both. Ordinarily, Newt wouldn't be bothered but he was almost certain he had seen the Hogwarts crest on the seal which could mean Dumbledore had finally found a solution to their problem. One last jump meant the owl was plucked out of the air and looked quite offended as Newt gently rolled him over and took the letter from his claws before letting the owl perch on his arm. Ignoring the impatient clicking of the owl's beak as he peeled the Hogwarts seal off the parchment and pulled out the neatly folded letter.
'Dear Newt Scamander
I'm terribly sorry but I require a favour from you which will require you to leave the country prior to your initial travel date. I cannot disclose too much in this letter but it requires some of your contacts from the war. I will require what I need in mid-April so hence you see my dilemma. If you are willing to bestow this favour I will see you and any others you wish to bring along (The whole family if you will) tomorrow at noon.
A Dumbledore.'
This is going to go down well. Newt thought as he held in the sigh of exasperation at Dumbledore's vagueness.
"Who is it?" Tina asked as she stroked the owls head feathers gently. He grimaced and muttered
"Dumbledore"
"Is he okay?"
"He's fine"
Just has me running all over the bloody world again
"He requires a favour"
"Oh, mercy Lewis what is it this time? Wrangling Matagots, showjumping Zouwo's?" Despite his mood, he laughed at her comments and her sarcasm before continuing
"I have no idea but I have a rather worrying notion that it has something to do with dragons. And well- it requires me leaving sooner for my trip"
Her face froze and her lips straightened to a thin line
"I'm sorry? How much sooner?"
"He doesn't say." He handed the letter over and she scanned it, her eyebrows furrowing deeper and deeper until Newt had the unbidden thought that if he stuck a knut between the ridge it would have probably stayed there.
"Well, he better be willin' for me to come along. Even if he don't I'll still break those stupid barriers" Her New York accent appeared to have deepened and the furrow in her brow was still apparent
"Tina Love, First of all, please don't strangle the one person that's keeping Grindelwald out of England and two, it's most likely to do with the blood pact"
"It's still not righ' that you have to go do the dirty work"
"I'd rather be doing something helpful all over the world than twiddling my thumbs doing nothing." She didn't look convinced and he remarked jovially
"I'll bring you back something shiny"
She narrowed her eyes and said
"I'll settle for you having all your limbs when you get back"
"I'm still going to purchase something shiny"
"I'm not a Niffler Mr Scamander" However she said it with a barely repressed smile
"Are you entirely certain?"
"I thought I was a Salamander?" It was his turn to smile coyly as he quipped
"Indubitably" looking at him incredulously he swore he heard her mutter something about the English under her breath.

The owl was now clicking again in his ear so he hurried over to the nearest bench adorned in a parchment and quill and scribbled.
Dear A.Dumbledore
I shall be there with everyone tomorrow.
Slight warning my early departure might not be taken as smoothly as my other endeavours.
Newton A F Scamander
Handing the owl the letter it happily fluttered off and Newt, thoroughly exhausted by the day, waved his wand to feed the creatures. He didn't usually like doing it by magic but he had been helping carry boxes all day and knew that due to the late finish most would be grumpy and despondent. Pickett was already asleep in his shirt pocket so he quickly penned some letters to both Theseus and Queenie and used his own much less excitable owls. As they walked to bed Tina whispered
"Leta is so going to kill you for sending an owl at eleven in the evening"
"Oops" Newt chuckled before whispering back "I suppose that's tomorrow's problem"
"One of many"
————————————————————

Hogwarts was still looking like it had been dusted in icing sugar but the snow was getting thinner on the ground and patches of snow burned grass was poking through in the most sun-kissed areas of the grounds. To his surprise, everyone bar Jacob and Nagini who was running the bakery had stomped onto the bridge looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"If this little endeavour he wants you to do overruns you could miss the baby" Leta sighed as she kicked an innocent pebble off the bridge.
"I won't miss it. I can't miss it" he mumbled, trying to sound more sure than he felt.  Queenie shot him a sympathetic shrug as she skipped alongside
"It'll be all rosy. Sounds like this Dumbledore wants you to go early so ya don't miss it ya'know"
"He does have a method to his madness, occasionally" Theseus supplied
"Anyways stop being so grey! So this is Hogwash?"
"Hogwarts" Newt, Leta and Theseus all corrected at the same time to have a wink in response.
"It's prettier than I remember" Tina murmured as she swung their arms between them and Queenie nodded before declaring.
"It's swell! Better than expected but Ilvermorny is still way better!"
"Excuse me! No, it is not!" Theseus protested as Professor Mcgonagall appeared around the heavy wooden doors and gestured them in with a small smile forging apart her usually icy features.
"Newt, Theseus, Leta" She nodded to each of them in turn before beckoning them in.
"Albus said he was expecting guests but I wasn't aware it was you three"
"Hello Professor, how are you?" Newt asked
"I'm rather well Mr Scamander. Now I trust you remember the way?"
"Of course" She stepped aside and the English members of the group gestured to the Goldstein sisters before taking off through the halls of their youth, Tina grabbing Newts hand to keep up. The journey to Dumbledores office began without a problem until they were halfway up the final staircase when it suddenly shuddered beneath them.
"What was that?" Tina asked tightly to the chorus of groans
"The staircases move at Hogwarts" Newt supplied as the case began to move.
"Why?" Queenie questioned and they just shrugged as it ground to a halt.
"Long way round then" Theseus called and they began to march to Dumbledore's office arriving five minutes later, slightly out of breath and minus Leta who had gone for a slower pace due to her bump slowing her down.