Chapter 17

2.2K 87 12
                                    


Dear Tina,

       I am back in Britain, and as promised, here is a letter for you. All is fairly calm over here, although one of my mother's Hippogriffs (she breeds fancy ones, you see) recently got spooked by an animal of some sort and knocked down half the stables in its rampage. If was an easy fix, though, all it took was a Mending Charm to get the stables back up again.

        Last night, my brother Theseus introduced his fiancé, Leta, to the rest of our family. They're planning on getting married in late May, which came as a surprise to me, as I always knew Theseus wanted his wedding to take place sometime during the fall. My mother was shocked that he had put off introducing Leta to us until now. The thing is, Leta and I have a rather messy history, and I don't know how to feel about her joining the family. I'm not particularly pleased, is all I know. 

       After being in New York, it feels quite boring to be here again. I almost miss the sound of all your automobiles. Almost. How has work been for you? Have you arrested anyone else for letting a Niffler escape out of his case and for violating Section 3A of the International Statute of Secrecy?

       I'm thinking about publishing another edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I've heard about some new creatures, and I think they would be an opportunity to educate more wizards about magical creatures. I'd have to do some more research first on the beasts, of course. What do you think?


                                                                                                                                   Newt                                                                                                       


       Tina smiled, thrilled, as she read through Newt's letter. He had kept his promise after all. When she got to the part about Leta, she couldn't help but feel content when Newt said he wasn't pleased about her joining the Scamander family. She wondered what Newt could have meant by 'a messy history.' Moving onto the next paragraph, she laughed at his remark about her arrests. Happily finishing up his letter, she picked up a quill and a piece of parchment.


Dear Newt,

       I'm glad that the Hippogriff situation is under control. A rampaging Hippogriff sounds like quite an interesting situation. And as for Leta, well, you'll get used to her over time, I'm sure.

        Work here has been pretty normal, the usual business with criminals and thieves. However, a few days ago I caught a particularly nasty criminal who'd been going around and hexing various items of No-Majs. He'll be facing a trial soon, and personally, I'm hoping that he doesn't get off light. Mistreatment of people, no matter who they are, just because they're different, angers me. On another topic, to answer your question, no, I have not been arresting any other people for letting loose magical creatures and violating the International Statute of Secrecy. You're still the only one. Anyways, I think a second edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a great idea. You should definitely do it.

       Everything's also quite still here in New York. Queenie's been seeing a lot of Jacob lately, even more than usual, and she's over the moon about it. It makes me feel so happy to see her this joyous. Even though she's always energetic, I don't remember seeing her this upbeat since Ma and Pa were still alive. 

       How have you been? And the beasts? It's really not the same without all of you here. Sometimes I head to the guest bedroom where you stayed, only to remember that there aren't any more creatures to help feed. 

       I  agree, it feels quite boring over here, too. As if there should be something more for me to do. My routine these days are simple. Get up, go to work, come back, eat dinner, and go to bed. I daresay it lacks some excitement, like rescuing injured Demiguises and recapturing disobedient Nifflers. Anyway, thank you for your letter, it really made a nice change around here.


                                                                                                                                  Tina


      Newt grinned lightly to himself as her carefully read through Tina's tidy letter. He chuckled as he read the part where she had mentioned his arrest, and re-read the the sentence 'You're still the only one.' Whether it had any deeper meaning, he did not know, but he couldn't stop himself from reading over it multiple times. Moving on, he was glad that she supported his idea of another edition to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and felt happy for Queenie and Jacob as well. 'It's really not the same without all of you here.' Did that mean she missed him? Newt paused briefly, allowing his grin to grow wider before he read on. 


Dear Tina,

       I agree with your opinion about the criminal. The Ministry here also experiences similar things with the relations between the magical community and the Muggle one. Muggle-baiting is a cruel sport, just because they aren't able to perform magic doesn't mean they're lesser, just look at Jacob.

       I've been well, mostly I've just been looking after the creatures. They're content, too, although the Niffler still hasn't lost its taste for shiny objects. It escaped again a day ago, and it was pawing through my mother's jewelry when I caught it. My mum completely lost her head when she found out one of my beasts had gotten loose again. Pickett seems down, though, I think he's missing you.        

       My mum and Theseus have been going on about you since I returned. They're really quite eager to meet you, always bugging me at dinner about you. They seem to want to know everything that's related to you, from your favorite color to the way you wear your hair. What is your favorite color, by the way? 

       I can understand your boredom, it's the same with me. Sometimes I'm in my shed, and I turn around to say something, thinking that you are there, but you're not. A bit silly, really. Anyways, I got you something that I think you'll enjoy, it's attached to the back of this letter.


                                                                                                                                    Newt


       Tina flipped the letter over, and gasped. There was a Thunderbird feather attached to it. She stroked it gently as it gleamed in the sunlight. She couldn't tell what color it was, exactly, it seemed to be a hue somewhere between white and gold. Tina picked it up, and a note fluttered down.

       This is a Thunderbird feather. I found it in Frank's enclosure. I remember you telling me about how you were a Thunderbird at Ilvermorny, and I thought you'd like this.

       Tina beamed as she examined the feather closely. She did like it, very much. It was a very thoughtful present, she noted. It suited her, being both a connection to her beloved school and a practical item. She could use it as a quill. In fact, she had a feeling that this was going to be the only quill she would use from now on. It was simply perfect, in every way.


Dear Newt,

       Thank you so much for the Thunderbird feather! I love it, and it suits me very well. It's almost as if you read my mind. I'm using it right now to right this letter, and it seems to fit perfectly into my hand. I've been using it for everything.....

Crescendo: A Fantastic Beasts Newtina FanfictionWhere stories live. Discover now