Where the road takes us (A fantastic beasts fanfic)

Both of Us

(Written by _Mak_tt_ )
*flashback to 4th year*

She would watch him carefully from the back of Potions, her most prominent class with him besides defense against the dark arts. She noticed little things he would do, quirks, like tapping his pencil really fast against the table before writing something he had clearly been thinking hard about. He was definitely more of a notetaker than she was.

Inside the pocket of her robe a tiny head popped out and stared at him as well.

"What do you think, Lindie? Should I finally talk to him?"

The little Bowtruckle moved her arm and motioned toward the boy, letting out a series of squeaks.

"Alright, quiet now someone might hear." She smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "I'll talk to him after this. It is our last class after all."

Lindie seemed content with her response and settled back within the cool fabric of Katherina's pocket. Katherina continued to watch him from her spot at the left side of the room, seeing his eyes light up as he mixed different ingredients together. He was smart. Smarter than her. She could learn a few things from-

"Miss Lestique!" The stern voice belonged to Professor Viridian and almost outweighed the heavy shatter of smoke that burst from the tubes in front of Katherina.

"Sir."

He looked thoroughly exasperated as he motioned desperately to the scene before him. "May I ask what happened?" It was less a question and more a prompt.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "I used the wrong..." she checked her book then continued, "I didn't use Ashwinder egg."

Vindictus Viridian scoffed, but ultimately walked back to the front of the room. Her face flushed when Newt glanced apologetically at her. She didn't want his pity, she wanted his friendship. Eyes cast down, she finished the Liquid Luck charm properly and set aside her books to clean the mess she had made.

~~~~~Time Skip brought to you by Eddie Redmayne's freckles~~~~~

Class ended with no further explosions, minor or otherwise. In her rush to leave the classroom, her books had been forgotten and she struggled against the flood of students to return to the room. By the time the crowd had withered away, the only thing that could be found in the classroom was a dull silence that echoed, despite the emptiness that hung in the air.

"If you're looking for your books, I picked them up for you." Her heart screamed inside her chest as she whipped around to face the speaker.

"Newt!" The noise that came out reminded them both vaguely of a Bowtruckle, though she quickly cleared her throat and tried again. "Thank you. I was just in such a hurry and I was mortified and-I'm making excuses. Thank you."

His eyes smiled shyly at her and he handed over her belongings. She had always thought him to be so very calm, and now face to face she could feel the panic radiating off of him in slender waves. She wanted to tell him that he wrote a lot, that he was intelligent beyond bounds, or that the polite tone he used was endearing. Yet it was he who spoke next.

"You draw quite well." Embarrassment flooded his skin. "I meant that I've looked st your sketchbook, not that I've been watching you. I wasn't snooping! I was just curious."

Quiet giggling filled the silent room. "It's alright I've read some of your notes. That day when I gave them back to you I may have peaked through your writings. You have a gift." It was her turn to become red.

"I don't suppose you know whether I should thank you or apologize?" The pair laughed and Newt pulled his robes closer to his skin. "If you really did enjoy what you read, you should come study with me some time. It would give me a chance to look at more of your drawings, if you don't mind that is."

Her mind raced but she managed to pick through the words and say, "That would be lovely."

What a splendid way to end the day.