Crescendo: A Fantastic Beasts Newtina Fanfiction

Chapter 26

       Newt was sitting in the Goldsteins' living room with Queenie, Jacob, and Tina, who were talking about their wedding. At least, Queenie and Jacob were. Tina had somehow managed to escape this conversation and had her nose buried in a spellbook.

       "And my niece wants to be the flower girl," Jacob said. "So that's that taken care of."

       "Oh, I'm just so excited!" Queenie squealed, waving her hands energetically.

       Newt sighed, blowing some of his hair out of his face, and drummed his fingers agaisnt his thigh. He stared unconsciously at Tina, and zoned out the conversation buzzing in front of him. He watched absentmindedly as Tina flipped a page of her book, and propped his chin up his hand. Excuses that could enable him to leave the conversation flitted through his mind, and he finally decided on his beasts.

       Standing up, he said, "I really must feed my creatures now, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just be down in my case."

      "Okay," Queenie said brightly, smiling at him.

      Tina looked up from her book. Newt hesitated for a moment, then said to her, "Would you like to come with me?"

       Before Tina could reply, Jacob got up from where he was seated. "Sure," he replied. 

       Newt stared awkwardly at him, not sure how to respond. The question had not really been directed at him. If he let the baker come along, the wedding would be sure to crop up again in their conversation, which was the exact reason why Newt wanted to leave. On the other hand, it would appear extremely rude if he said no. Thankfully, Queenie saved him from having to answer.

       "I don't think we're invited, Jacob," she said as she tugged him back into his seat by his elbow. She threw a teasing glance at Newt. "It's just Tina."

       Newt cleared his throat unnecessarily and stared at his shoes, his face burning. Tina placed a bookmark in her spellbook and rose from her armchair. 

       "I'll come," she told him. He noticed that she was also red in the face, and saw her cast a glare at her sister, before walking over to where he was standing.

       "All right," Newt said, feeling pleased that she had agreed to come. 

       They walked out of the living room together, leaving Queenie and Jacob to continue on in full flow about their wedding plans. 

       "I never thought one person could talk so much about a single subject, particularly weddings," Tina huffed, throwing a relieved glance over her shoulder.

       "Yes, I doubt I could outdo them, even if I was talking about beasts," Newt joked.

      Tina laughed, and Newt pushed open the door to his room. His battered case was lying on the floor, and he went over to unlock it before climbing down the ladder inside. "Come on," he beckoned. 

       Tina had paused, and was staring, transfixed at the lid of his case. It was covered in notes, sketches of various beasts, and, Newt realized with a silent gasp of horror, his newspaper clipping of none other than Tina Golstein. Although his sketches had covered some of it, her moving picture was still clearly visible below the headline, "Porpentina Goldstein Newly Reinstated as Auror." Newt had been carrying the photograph around ever since he saw her in the paper, and had forgotten to take it down when he came to New York.

       The Magizoologist stared nervously at Tina, who was staring at her picture, and wondered hazily whether she would be offended or not. He had a fleeting urge to run out of the room with his arms extended above his head, and another pressing feeling to tell her exactly how he felt about her. Newt decided that neither was be the logical thing to do, and therefore he remained silent, gazing up at Tina apprehensively, his heart pounding.