Safe in Your Arms

Chapter 2

Tina stared at the British wizard in front of her. He stood with his head bowed, avoiding eye contact. He was staring at something just behind her. She found it fascinating how he had been so comfortable studying her when her back was turned and he thought she couldn't see him or thought she didn't know he was there. However, the moment she had acknowledged his presence, his gaze had immediately shifted to a point just to one side of her.

Another thing that amazed her was that this man had just offered her the one thing she needed, a place to stay. As she had been looking out the window, she had been wondering what she was going to do. He seemed to understand why she didn't want to return to New York and she got the feeling that he had come to her with the intention of offering her a place to stay. Somehow, he had known exactly what she needed before she had even mentioned it.

Newt glanced up and met her eyes but he quickly looked away when he saw she was looking at him. "We should, uh, we should go now," he mumbled.

Tina nodded. Even though he wasn't looking directly at her, she knew he was watching her and could see the motion. He turned and started back down the corridor. She started after him, walking quickly to catch up. Then she fell in step with him, walking by his side. They made their way back to the room where Jacob and Nagini were waiting. Newt gestured to them and they both got up and came over.

"Let's go," he said. They followed him out of the room and through the winding corridors of Hogwarts. Tina tried to remember the way they had come in to predict the way they were going out but, though some things looked familiar, she could have sworn there were others that she hadn't seen at all.

"Newt," she murmured. "Are we going out the same way we came in?"

"Uh -- more or less."

Tina raised her eyebrows. "More or less?"

"The castle tends to change constantly. Things, uh-- Things tend to move around."

Tina frowned slightly. Then she shrugged, too exhausted to figure out what he meant.

The group left the castle and made their way across the bridge. It was already getting darker. About halfway across, they joined hands and Disapparated, appearing in an empty street. Tina had been between Newt and Nagini. Jacob had been on the other side of the girl. When they appeared, Newt immediately released her hand and started towards a house. She let go of Nagini's hand and followed after him.

"You Apparate into the middle of a street?" she asked.

Newt shrugged. "This is England. We're not as strict. Besides, I know for a fact that there's never anyone here at this time of day." He quickly climbed the stairs to a house and turned the doorknob. It was locked. He shoved his hand in his pocket.

"Merlin's beard," he muttered.

"What?" Tina asked, suddenly nervous.

"My keys. I don't have them. I was in such a hurry to get to Paris to fi-- to find you that I must have forgotten to grab them when I left the house. I can't open the door with magic because I enchanted it to protect my creatures. I can undo the enchantments but that would be a long process; not to mention how hard it would be to put them back."

"Does anyone else have a key?" Tina asked. She didn't know why anyone would but she had asked without thinking. Newt's response startled her.

"Yes, actually. My assistant, Bunty," he mumbled. "But she's not here right now, otherwise the door wouldn't be locked."

Tina was suddenly annoyed. For some reason, it bothered her that Newt had a female assistant but she didn't know why. It was the same feeling she had had when she had read the article about his book. "Well, where is she?"