Safe in Your Arms

Chapter 1

Newt set down his cup of tea and looked around the classroom. It felt strange to be back at Hogwarts, especially given everything that had happened. The atmosphere in the room was tense. Everyone had told their version of what had happened and had now fallen silent. 

Newt looked at the people in the room. Theseus was standing by a window. He was staring outside, a vacant expression on his face. Newt realized his brother needed Leta. He loved her more than he had thought he did. When Newt had learned that his best friend from school, the woman he had thought he was in love with, was marrying his brother, he had been upset. He had thought his brother was just doing this to spite him but now, as he watched Theseus, the usually powerful, emotionless Auror, looking so broken, he realized he had really been in love.

His gaze slid to Jacob. The man sat in his seat, his head in his hands. He had been quiet ever since they had gotten back. Newt could tell that losing Queenie was worse for him than Theseus's separation was for him. Of course, this was because of how he had lost her. Theseus had lost Leta because she was trying to protect them and help them escape but Jacob had lost Queenie to Grindelwald in a different way. She had gone to him willingly, believing that it was best for them. She had fallen prey to Grindelwald's charm and it had confused her.

Newt ignored Travers. Personally, he thought the Auror had no right to be there. He hadn't been involved in anything that had happened, except to make it more difficult for those who were involved. To make matters worse, he had forced them all to relive the trauma by asking them to recount what had happened that way the Ministry could have a "clear picture of what happened". 

Dumbledore, on the other hand, was deeply involved, despite not having been in Paris. Newt had only just found out how involved he really was. He had been annoyed with his former professor for forcing him to go to Paris, not having understood why the man didn't go himself. He was by far the most powerful wizard in the world. However, now he knew why he couldn't fight Grindelwald. It was because of the little silver vial that, Newt believed, was currently clutched tightly in his left hand. The vial was a blood pact, a blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Part of Newt wanted to know how those two had ended up making a blood pact but he knew he couldn't ask. All he knew was that Dumbledore was the only wizard who could defeat Grindelwald. Newt suspected that the fate of the entire wizarding world, of the whole world, in fact, depended on Dumbledore's ability to destroy the blood pact he had created with Grindelwald.

Newt's gaze fell on the Maledictus, Nagini. She sat huddled in a corner, her knees pulled up to her chest and her face hidden. He felt sorry for her. She had just lost her only friend. He had pushed her away to follow Grindelwald. She had tried to convince him he was making the wrong decision but he had been determined to learn who he was and he thought Grindelwald had the answers. The girl had told her story quietly then retreated to the corner.

The last person in the room was Tina. She too had a vacant expression on her face. She was staring at a spot on the floor but he doubted she was seeing anything. Newt wanted to comfort her, to pull her into a hug and tell her everything was going to be fine, but he knew he couldn't. Besides, nothing he could do could make her feel better. She had lost her best friend, her sister, her only family. She and Queenie had grown up together and, after their parents had died, they had raised each other. They had always been together and now they weren't because Queenie had chosen to follow Grindelwald, believing it was best for her and Jacob.

Travers was, of course, the one to break the silence. He stood up and announced that it was time to go up to the Ministry. After the silence, his voice had sounded as loud as a cannon. Dumbledore nodded in response and Theseus finally looked away from the window. Newt watched as his brother followed Travers out of the room, looking lost. Dumbledore stood up and made his way over to Newt.