Beasts Within Us | Newt Scamander

13. Anticipation.

Newt stands on the ledge of a rooftop soaking in the skyline of New York City. The setting sun emits golden rays that glisten over the tips of the skyscrapers. He's blown away by its beauty. Pickett chirps from his shoulder.

Queenie enters a pigeon coop that's further down the rooftop. She finds Jacob inspecting their nests.

"Your grandfather kept pigeons? Mine bred owls! I use to love feeding 'em." She comments on the similarities of their past.

Tina stands on another corner of the roof, gazing at her feet and the bustling city underneath them. Disappointment grows within her. Esther touches her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll prove our innocence to the Congress." She tries to console her friend.

Tina downcasts on the witch's hand, showing no signs of encouragement. Esther frowns.

"Fine. I'll let you sulk until you figure out a plan. You're good at that." The witch says turning away to walk towards Newt.

She steps on the ledge next to him.

A beat.

"Graves would constantly come into my office insisting the occurrences were caused by a beast of some sort. We need to find yours so he can no longer make them his excuse. He hates being wrong." She informs the wizard.

"There's one left that's missing. Dougal, my demiguise." He says.

She lets out a giggle, "Dougal? You come up with the cutest of names."

He blushes, looking at her collarbones. "Well, slight problem with him is that... He's invisible."

Esther's giggles intensify by the absurdity of their next adventure. "And how do you suppose we find him?"

A smile breaks his vacant expression, about to laugh himself. "With immense difficulty."

They smile at each other, giggling softly to themselves. Their demeanor has changed. The new tension between them has Newt avoiding eye contact with the witch. He stares at her cheerful lips. A moment passes.  Esther steps closer to him once more. Her hand rests on top of his. The spaces between his fingers welcome hers to fit between them. He looks down at their hands.  His eyes trace up to her lips. Anticipation fills in his heart as he awaits her next move.

"Esther! Gnarlack!" Tina shouts running to them.

The witch is startled. She jumps, resulting in her heel slipping off the edge. With their hands already intermingled, it's effortless for Newt to withdraw her from the fatal fall. He pulls with immense force, frantic of the thought of losing her again.  Esther leaps into his chest. Her arms swing around his waist, refusing to let go. His physique is so slender resulting in her hands wrapping around her elbows. The aromas of musk and lavender with notes of vanilla fill her nostrils. She didn't notice it in the execution chambers, or at the bank. It brings back memories of her time in Ilvermorny.

Clouds of fog immerse in her mind. A young Esther, presumably 16, stirred a liquid. Blues, greens, and silver shined through the waves on the potion brewing. Steam spiraled from her rusted, worn cauldron. Her fellow classmates roared with excitement from their own potions and the scents lingering from them. She hunched over her cauldron and took a long whiff of hers. It's acrid. A coughing storm erupted from her, silencing the classroom.

"What does your Amortentia potion smell like Esther?" her neighbor asked with a shrewd smirk.

Once her coughing subsided she inhaled it once more, but much slower. It smelt warm and earthy, like home.