Stories of Our Life: The Second Volume

17: Aftermath: Siblings [1/2]

It's been a while since she ran off, Newt sighed to himself as he walked down an empty corridor of Hogwarts castle.

In the last thirty minutes, Newt wandered around the ginormous castle, trying to find Tina who had ran off right after the meeting with Dumbledore had concluded. He searched every place he thought Tina would run off to but came up emptyhanded.

He let out another sigh. I wonder where she is, he thought, sliding his hands into the deep pockets of his dark coat, I hope she's alright. Blowing away his floppy and messy fringe, Newt continued his way to the Great Hall where Dumbledore suggested they join together for some lunch.

A small chirp pulled Newt from his deep thoughts. Looking to his left breast pocket, he saw little Pickett poke his green, leafy head out. The little creature gave him a look of concern.

Newt gave him a small smile. "I'm alright, Pick," Newt whispered. "Just worried."

Pickett replied with a series of chirps.

"I know. It's just that I can't help but worry for her, y'know?" Newt sighed. "The castle's huge; she could get lost wandering around...especially those moving staircases."

Another round of chirping.

Newt shook his head. "She could be anywhere, Pick. I checked every location I know, and she wasn't in any of them."

More chirping.

"No, I...I'd think it's best to leave her alone for a while. She...she needs time to cool down, after all—" Newt gulped "—after all that had happened in the past days..."

Pickett didn't reply at that. Instead, he just gave Newt another look of genuine concern before sinking back into his pocket.

Newt's eyes lingered on his left breast pocket, a small grateful smile on his lips. He was thankful for his creatures. He had always been more comfortable with them than with humans. To him, it seemed that his creatures understood him more than humans did; just as he understood them.

The sound of loud chatter brought Newt's attention back to reality. Looking up, his eyes were met with the wide expanse of the Great Hall. A few students from all houses gathered together in their respective groups at their respective House tables. Some chatted amiably over food, while others huddled over rolls of parchments and stacks of books.

As if instinctively, Newt's eyes glanced over to the table second to the right: the Hufflepuff table. There, he saw Theseus hunched over what seemed to be a Wizard's Chessboard, looking like he was in serious concentration. A chuckle escaped Newt's mouth, knowing well why his older brother looked like that.

And so, Newt walked down the center aisle to where his brother was. He ignored the looks and whispers he was given along the way:

"Merlin's beard, isn't that Newt Scamander?"

"Isn't he the one who wrote that book about magical creatures?"

"Hey! I have a copy of his book!"

"I wonder if I could ask for his autograph..."

"Oh my goodness, he looks so handsome!"

Newt reached Theseus, whose back was facing him. He smiled. Ah, so he hasn't noticed me yet. However, the person sitting across him did.

Looking up from the chessboard, a girl of eighteen with copper hair identical to Newt's (which was tied into twin braids), wearing the Hufflepuff uniform, grinned at him. "Oh! Hi, Newt!" she greeted cheerfully, giving him a small wave.

Theseus, upon hearing the girl's happy greeting, looked behind him. He met eyes with his brother and chuckled. "Ah, there you are, Newton. Care to join us?" he asked, scooting aside a bit to give Newt some space to sit beside him—not that there wasn't enough space, anyway. It seemed that the occupants of the Hufflepuff table decided to distance themselves from his siblings.