The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Rolf Theseus Artemis Fido Scamander

Rolf Theseus Artemis Fido Scamander

The baby looked exactly like his father.

And therefore exactly like his grandfather.

Tina sat holding him, bundled up in layers of soft blankets, her eyes wide and misty as she stared and stared at the tiny little baby.

Some distance away, Newt stood with Dougal on one side, their hands clasped as though Dougal was a small child, and a small herd of Moon Calves on the other, all at attention as he was holding the bucket of pellets in his free hand. Newt stared nervously as one of the moon calves impatiently nosed at the bucket.

Tina was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"Mr. Scamander," she called, "If you want to see this baby, you ought to just come over."

He hesitated.

Tina raised her eyebrow. "He isn't going to bite."

Newt rocked on the ball of his feet for a moment and Dougal looked up at him, then went invisible, and Newt's hand seemed to flop about on it's own beside him as invisible Dougal gave a tug to his arm, pulling him in the direction of Tina and the baby. Newt put down the bucket and the moon calves descended upon it with a series of little excited hops, knocking it over and sending pellets across the floor of the observatory within seconds.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word," Tina was singing softly as she rocked, "Grammys gonna buy you a mocking bird..."

Newt inched closer.

She glanced up, "But of course grampys already got a fwooper, so you may not care for the mockingbird much." She smiled at Newt. "Come over here and say hullo, grampy."

"He - he can't understand you," Newt said. "Even - even if I s-said hullo he wouldn't... wouldn't understand."

"Sure he can," Tina replied.

"He - he has no vo-vocabulary," Newt replied.

Tina smirked a little at him, then turned back to the baby. "Your grampy's shy."

Newt bit his lip. He wasn't very far away now. He could see the tiny face peeking out 'round the blankets. He swallowed nervously. "Oh dear." he murmured.

"What is it, Newt?" Tina asked.

"He... he looks like... like me." He paused. "He... he has my - my mouth."

Tina smirked again. "He certainly does."

"P-poor boy."

"That's my husband you're insulting, Mr. Scamander. And my grandson." Tina beckoned him closer, "Will you please just come all the way over?" Newt took the last few steps so he was standing directly beside the chair Tina sat in and she got up. "Sit down."

He sat.

Tina leaned forward and slid the tiny bundle into Newt's arms and although he stiffened and cringed as he took on the baby's weight, his arms instinctively cradled it, as he often did to his creatures, and he felt Dougal climb onto his knees and press invisible hands against the bundle, too. Dougal faded into view then, becoming halfway transparent, and staring down at the baby in Newt's arms.

Tina sat on the arm of the chair and put her palm on Newt's shoulder.

"J- Jennifer really d-doesn't want him?" Newt whispered.

"No, she doesn't," Tina said.

Newt stared at him. He was pink and tiny and his little fingers poked 'round the edge of the blanket.