A/N Hi everyone :) This is my way of resolving an aspect of Crimes of Grindelwald that bothered me. It contains a bit of violence but nothing graphic; mostly just fluff and an opportunity to hint at the massive potential that I suspect Queenie has (which has, imo, been overlooked). Also, a dash of Newtina, because feels :)
Coming home
Queenie felt it before consciously recognising it. The cool, fresh sea breeze of her older sister's mind. Tina was nearby! Excitement raced through her, followed by apprehension. She hadn't seen Tina since she'd chosen to follow Grindelwald through the flames...how would her sister react to seeing her?
A week had passed since the meeting at Pere Lechaise. Stuck in hiding in the house in Paris while Grindelwald made plans for his growing group of followers to depart France, Queenie had found herself struggling with her decision. There in that moment in the tomb, it had seemed so right. So natural. He wanted what she wanted, but why didn't the others see that? Queenie had been so sure that she agreed with what Grindelwald was planning that she hadn't paused to think about how he might go about getting it – or what he might ask of her.
As it was, Grindelwald expected her to take an active role. It was not that he'd turned nasty, exactly, but she could tell that his patience with her reluctance to to use her legilimency to retrieve information by force was waning. It'd started small; find out an address from a passing no-maj's mind; read Credence to figure out how Grindelwald could gain his trust; check that folks who joined them meant it. But he'd quickly begun asking for more and this afternoon, she'd found herself with silent tears running down her cheeks as she smashed through the mental defences of one of the aurors who'd crossed through the flames hoping to infiltrate their growing organisation and eventually capture Grindelwald. It'd not been enough for Queenie to retrieve that information. No, Grindelwald had made her dig up the man's most painful memories; horrible scenes from a turbulent childhood and time on the front lines during the War. He'd begged her to stop, but Grindelwald had reminded her that this was the only way to be with Jacob and so, she'd done as she was asked. But once it was all over and she returned to her room, she found herself remembering what Jacob had told her about his own time in the War. The thought of doing that to him, of forcing him to relive that horror was unthinkable. He hadn't wanted to marry her because he didn't want her to go to prison; he'd never want her to do things like this for him.
Her doubt had been furthered by conversations about the house. While Grindelwald claimed to not hate the No-Majs, many of his followers certainly felt otherwise. They envisioned a world built on the backs of the magic-less, a world where they were treated like slaves. Queenie didn't believe that that was Grindelwald's vision, but he had also not stopped their chatter. If these people got the world they wanted, then what would that mean for Jacob?
When they'd returned here from the Lestrange tomb, Grindelwald had embraced her and offered her an opportunity to access his mind. His occlumency was excellent, his mind a wall of cold rock, but he'd said he wanted her to trust him and to see his vision for the future. What he'd offered had convinced her that what she was doing was right and when she withdrew from his mind, she was surprised to find that it was no longer completely closed off to her, as if there was a hairline crack in the wall of obsidian that used to be solid. The result was that over the past week, Queenie had received small glimpses and impressions of what was going on in the dark wizard's mind. It wasn't clear whether he was aware of her new sense of him, but Queenie could tell when he became furious at finding something missing the evening after the Lestrange tomb and when he was particularly excited at Credence's first attempts to use magic with control.
This evening, there'd been talk about the aurors planning another raid, this time on a loyal family who were helping Grindelwald's group to leave France. Grindelwald himself had taken Rosier and left the house to go to their aid. They'd passed Queenie on the staircase on their way down and she'd caught a stray thought of Newt surrounded by roiling anger and anticipation in his mind. Fear had gripped her heart. Newt may not have joined their cause, but he had a pure heart and was a dear friend. Even if he had broken Tina's heart by getting engaged to Leta Lestrange, Queenie couldn't let Grindelwald hurt him. She told herself that her boss didn't intend to harm him, but the seed of doubt planted by the past week niggled her until she couldn't help but trail them out onto the street. Besides, Queenie told herself, perhaps Newt would join them. Grindelwald had much more liberal ideas about magical creatures. And maybe Newt could help bring Tina around. Yes, she thought, she was just going to follow to make sure that Newt understood Grindelwald's message and that he wasn't harmed.
And so, here she was, creeping through the Tuileries Garden in the dark, doing her best to figure out which way Grindelwald and Rosier had gone while remaining hidden. She didn't want them to think she didn't trust them. The familiar brush of Tina's mind flushed her with warmth. After a moment's pause, she could sense the woody earthiness of Newt's consciousness nearby and her excitement grew. Until she felt panic rise in him.
"Expelliarmus!"
"No! Don't!"
Queenie heard Newt's above a plea over a nearby row of hedges and she gasped out loud and stumbled, gripping a nearby bench for support. Pain. Tina was suffering, excruciating pain racing through her as every muscle in her body contracted at the same time. Tina couldn't breathe. She couldn't open her eyes to look for Newt. A thousand knives were flaying her skin as her blood boiled in her veins. Where was Newt?! Why did it hurt so much? How much of this could she take? She had to keep it in. She had to breathe - only she couldn't. She couldn't handle it. Couldn't think. She wanted it to end. She wanted to black out, to die. Anything was better than this never-ending agony.
Then the screaming started, shattering the peaceful air of the gardens at night. Queenie had never heard her sister's voice so broken. She pushed herself to her feet and was running towards the hedge in a heartbeat. Nausea rose in her as Tina's thoughts begged for death in her head, but she didn't stop. As she reached the hedge, she could sense the obsidian of Grindelwald's mind on the other side with Newt and Tina. Rosier was there too, her mind the sickly sweet scent of roses just as they begin to rot. Newt's thoughts were bounding between panic and fear while he desperately tried to figure out what to do. Queenie skidded to a stop in horror. The crack in Grindelwald's mind was singing with satisfaction. With delight and vindication. He was enjoying this. Revulsion rose in Queenie like a tsunami.
"Stop!"
Tina stopped screaming and she heard Newt cry, "Stop! Please! Don't hurt her!"
"Where is it, Mr Scamander?" Grindelwald's voice was firm. "I know that Dumbledore is after it and I know that you are involved. Where is it?"
"I don't know what you mean," Newt said.
Queenie peered out from behind the hedge and found Grindelwald 20 meters ahead to the left. Tina was on the ground a few feet in front of him, clearly conscious, but struggling to push herself up onto her forearms. Grindelwald's wand was still pointed at her. A few feet in front of her stood Newt and Rosier, her wand at his neck and both his and Tina's wands clutched in her other hand.
"You are trying my patience Scamander. You could have risen to greatness with me."
"I don't step on others," Newt said defiantly.
Grindelwald scoffed and turned his gaze to Tina, who was leaning heavily on her hands now. "And you, Miss Goldstein. Still appearing where you are not wanted. Though, I will admit that I was wrong about you. You are a formidable witch. I should not have underestimated your determination, but then you were such a nuisance, trying to comfort Credence. Do you have any idea what damage you would have done to my work with him if you'd succeeded in your quest to rescue him from his mother? It was most fortunate for me that you do not possess the control you think you do. You saved us both a lot of bother by attacking that woman." He cocked his head to the side, considering her shaking form and defiant glare. "Dear Queenie thinks the world of you, Tina. Perhaps I ought to reconsider your prospects. Perhaps you'd like to join us and be reunited with your sister?"
"Never!" Tina spat out. Her voice was hoarse, but venomous. "Queenie doesn't know what you're doing or else she'd never have stepped through those flames."
He chuckled, "Aah, but our dear Queenie is in love, you see. And love makes us blind." At that, Queenie felt a stab of regret from Grindelwald. "Besides," he continued, "If she wants the non-magique, she can have him. In my world, he'll be hers to do with as she pleases."
Disgust rose in Queenie. The repellent horror of betrayal that'd roller over her from Jacob when he discovered her enchantment of him was still fresh in her mind. She'd been so ashamed in that moment and never wanted him to look at her that way again. To have total control over him – no. That was not the future Queenie's heart desired.
"Queenie would never want that! Where are you keeping her?" Tina demanded.
"Oh she's not a prisoner. Queenie chooses to remain with me because she believes in our future. She suggested that you might come to understand that, but I can see you are a lost cause."
He turned back to Newt. "Such a disappointment you both are. I thought I'd be rid of you by now, but Dumbledore's trust appears to be well-earned." He cocked his head to the side and looked between them. "Tell me: exactly how did you survive execution at MACUSA?"
Ice ran through Queenie's veins. Grindelwald had been posing as Graves! It was him who'd sentenced Newt and Tina to death!
On the ground, Tina stayed silent, her eyes briefly glazing over. Queenie could see her memory of the silver fluid rising up around her. She felt a rush of tenderness as Tina recalled the leap of faith that had put her into Newt's waiting arms.
Tina's eyes went to Newt. Grindelwald followed the direction of her gaze and chuckled. "Why Newton, you are a resourceful fellow. Such a pity that you are unable to see the future as it should be." He paused, noticing how Newt and Tina's eyes remained on each other, words unspoken hanging in the air between them.
"Oh...I see it now." A smugness filled Grindelwald's voice as he looked between them. "Then perhaps, Mr Scamander, you'll consider changing your mind in exchange for Miss Goldstein's life?"
Newt's gaze snapped to Grindelwald, eyes filled with horror. "I..." he began.
"Newt, no!" Tina's voice rose an octave.
"Shhhh," cooed Grindelwald, shaking his head at her slowly. What followed was little more than a whisper, "Crucio."
Tina's arms gave out and she hit the ground again, writhing and gasping for air. Her pain was a thousand electrified knives spearing Queenie's brain. Newt's mind roared with a vortex of panic, desperation and guilt, while delight rose in Grindelwald once more. When Tina let out a strangled scream a heartbeat later, Queenie's world shifted around her and her heart went cold. She had been betrayed. Mislead and manipulated. Toyed with and used, offered empty promises that she'd lapped up like a naive little girl. Growing up as one of the most beautiful girls in her year at Ilvermorny, and with a formidable older sister, jealous girls had teased her, saying that Tina had all the brains and she was all looks and no smarts. It had hurt her deeply and to feel now that they had been right, that she had allowed herself to be fooled by Grindelwald aroused that deep shame in Queenie once more. It mixed into the cauldron of pain and panic already flooding into her mind from Newt and Tina and she gasped. Something was rising within her, her blood racing with fear, shame, guilt – and the seething, voracious anger of betrayal.
Pain shot through her skull and Queenie gasped, gripping the sides of her head. She sunk to her knees and down onto her side, falling out of the cover of the hedge. Rosier's eyes snapped to her and widened with realisation – but it didn't matter.
With the next breath, Queenie's face scrunched in a silent scream… and she let the cauldron within her explode in the direction of the one responsible. The boiling lava of her mind hit the cold rock of his and a few metres away, Grindelwald let out a howl and fell to his knees, his teeth and hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white around his wand.
Caught off guard, Rosier couldn't stop Newt from snatching her wand clean out of her hand and turning it on her.
"Petrificus totalis!" He hollered.
Her body stiffened and she hit the ground. Newt seized his and Tina's wands and immediately looked to Grindelwald. He remained on his knees, eyes distant and teeth clenched, clearly lost within his own mind. The threat momentarily occupied, Newt scrambled to Tina, who was on her side, panting and shaking. He gently pulled her up to a sitting position and she hissed in pain.
"Tina," Newt said gently, "Tina, I'm so sorry!"
Her face was red, her cheeks wet – with tears or sweat, he didn't know – and her hands were shaking as they grasped at his upper arms.
"Newt?" her voice hitched with emotion. "I can't-"
Newt pressed her wand into her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know it hurts but please Tina, you have to focus," he insisted, "We have to get out of here."
Hearing him, Tina's eyes darted around to Grindelwald. "What's-" she started, but then her eyes fell behind Newt and she gasped, "Queenie!"
With a wince and a small wail of pain, Tina scrambled to her feet and over to her sister's side, with Newt two strides behind her. Queenie's eyes were shut in a deep frown, her breathing rapid and short and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Queenie!" Tina threw an arm around her sister.
"Is she...?" Newt's voice trailed off. Tina caught his gaze for a moment and then looked from Queenie to Grindelwald, perplexed. "I don't understand. Is she…?"
There was a beat of silence and Queenie's face relaxed. Her eyes snapped open a moment later.
Behind them, Grindelwald let out a heavy sigh. His eyes were open now, his pale face flushed and scowling.
"Well, well Queenie," he drawled, venom in his voice. "I underestimated you."
Queenie's eyes met Tina's, filled with unbridled panic. Behind her, Grindelwald raised his wand.
"Confringo!"
Newt's felt Tina grab his arm and his gut twisted as she disapparated them side along from the gardens. They reappeared besides one of the Place de la Concorde fountains a second later and Newt had just enough time to register their location before the world twisted again and he found them beneath the Arc du Triomphe. A heartbeat later, they were in a heap on the doorstep of the small house that had been their home for the past week.
Theseus burst from the door a moment later, their arrival no doubt having triggered the protective spells that he and Tina had placed on the house.
"Newt?! What happened?" He pulled the younger man to his feet and Newt immediately moved to Tina, who was breathing hard, slumped against the railing beside Queenie. The younger Goldstein was silent and confused as she took in their surroundings.
"Grindelwald was in the gardens," Newt explained. He bent down in front of Tina and saw panic in her eyes.
"Newt! Her hand!" Theseus said sharply. Trembling and gasping in pain, Tina slowly raised her left hand. It looked as if the top had been blown off, raw to the bone and weeping blood onto her coat.
"Merlin!" Newt yelped, "We have to get inside! There's dittany in my case!".
He pulled Tina up onto shaky feet as Theseus helped Queenie up and pulled her inside.
"I don't know if we'll be followed," Tina gasped as they stumbled into the foyer. "I couldn't apparate any more."
At the tremble in her voice, Theseus slammed the door shut and pulled his wand from his jacket to began reinforcing their protective charms.
"Jacob!" Newt called as he helped Tina to the sitting room, a protective arm around her waist. "Jacob! Where are you?"
Queenie followed, unsure and silent.
"Hey, what's happenin'?" Jacob's voice came from the kitchen and he emerged a moment later with a plate and dish towel in his hand. When he spotted them, he froze, "Queenie!"
The sight of him startled the younger Goldstein back to her senses, "Jacob! Oh Jacob! Teen's hurt! We need Newt's case!"
He dashed back into the kitchen as Newt and Queenie led Tina to a sofa. She winced in pain but stayed silent as she sat. Her injured hand was cradled in her good arm, dripping blood onto the sleeve of her coat. Queenie settled beside her a hand on her shoulder as Jacob returned with the case. He placed it on the floor at Newt's feet and threw it open for the magizoologist. Jacob turned back to the sisters and recoiled with a hiss at the sight of Tina's bleeding hand.
"Geez! What the?! Tina!" he yelped.
"Grindelwald's last curse must have caught her as she apparated," Newt explained. He pointed his wand into the case, "Accio dittany!" A brown bottle zoomed into his hand and he spun to Tina. Kneeling down in front of her, he met her gaze. "Take a breath. This is going to hurt before it gets better."
Tina gave a small nod and turned her head into Queenie's shoulder as Newt tipped the bottle to pour a few drops of the essence onto her wound. It hissed as soon as it touched her hand and Tina sucked in a sharp breath of pain as the skin began to regrow.
"Sorry," Newt said, applying a few more drops. "Nearly there. You're very brave Tina."
Tina gave a scoffing laugh, half tears and half humour, and kept her forehead against Queenie.
"I'm a big girl; it goes with the job."
Slowly, and with a few more drops of dittany, her breathing settled as the rest of the wound closed and she turned her gaze back to find her hand covered in fresh, bright red skin. It was no longer smooth, now covered in ridges that she quietly hoped would not become scars, but it was also whole and no longer bleeding.
Her eyes found Newt's. "Thank you," she said softly. His eyes lingered and he reached a hand out to her cheek. Tina bit her bottom lip, holding his gaze and savouring the warmth of his rough hand on her face. She placed her good hand on top of his and gave it a small squeeze.
Beside her, Queenie heard her sister's thoughts racing. Oh Teenie, you've got it so bad.
Newt was the first to drop his hand and look away, blushing slightly as he scanned the rest of her for injuries. Satisfied, he cleared his throat then stepped back and went to replace the bottle in his case. Tina turned to her sister and gave her a weak smile.
"Queenie," she said, "You came back." Her mind was completely open and Queenie was flooded with her sister's relief at having her back, amidst regret at having lost her in the first place.
"Oh Teenie, I'm so sorry!" she cried, "What Grindelwald did to you! I didn't know he – I never, never ever woulda gone with him if -"
"I know, hun," Tina said softly. She gently pulled her sister to her with her good hand and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know."
Jacob crossed the room then and fell to his knees in front of the sofa, hands grasping Queenie's where they lay in her lap.
"Queenie! Baby! We've been so worried! Are you okay! Did he hurt you? How did you escape?" It all came out in a single breath as Jacob squeezed her hands.
"Jacob!" her face lit up and she threw her arms around his shoulders. "Oh Jacob! I shoulda listened to you." She pulled back from the hug and took his face between her hands, "I love you so much!".
I love you more, his mind sang to her. Her heart was flooded with love and there, between Tina and Joseph, Queenie knew she'd made the right decision.
Theseus entered the room, pocketing his wand just as Newt shut his case. Theseus went over to Tina and Queenie felt a wave of brotherly concern from him as he looked at her hand. As Aurors, He and Tina had been working side-by-side for the past week and had clearly bonded somewhat. When he looked to Queenie, however, his mouth tightened. His voice rose in her mind: he was wondering how they knew it was really her, whether they could trust a woman who'd chosen to leave the people she loved to walk through Grindelwald's flames – to join the man who had murdered Leta and so many others. Queenie felt the pain of his loss, raw and aching, and she cast a sad glance up at him.
"I'm so sorry that you lost her," she said softly.
Theseus's eyes widened with surprise and then rapidly narrowed in suspicion.
"How did you…?"
"Queenie is a legilimens," Newt explained softly.
"Then she could be a spy!" Theseus went for his wand, but Newt put a hand on his brother's shoulder and shook his head.
"No. No, I think...I think she saved us." His eyes rose to meet hers and he frowned. "Queenie, did you...did you enter Grindelwald's mind?"
Queenie cast her eyes down.
"I sorta lost control," she said softly. "I've worked real hard to learn not to do it, but Teen was hurting so bad and I knew that you didn't know what to do. And Grindelwald, he wasn't gonna stop. Even if you told him where it is. He was gonna kill Tina – and you too. I heard him talking about Jacob and Credence and how he put you in that death chamber and I… I realised that he tricked me and used me. So I wanted him to hurt too." Her eyes darted between them before she continued, "After the rally, he wanted me to trust him, so he let me into his mind to show me the future I wanted to see, but he never completely closed the door after." She gave a small shrug. "So when he cast that horrible curse on you Teenie, I pushed the door back open with what I was feeling and used it to find the memories that hurt him the most."
"That must have been quite something that you were feeling," said Newt with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. "He was gone from this world long enough for us to escape," he explained to Theseus and Jacob. Then his eyes returned to Queenie. "Thank you," he said. "It doesn't bear imagining, what would have happened if you had not been there Queenie."
His eyes darted to Tina, who was growing paler as the adrenaline of their escape wore off and the pain of their ordeal lingered. Newt had never suffered the cruciatus curse, but he'd read that the mental damage it caused often left victims feeling aftershocks of pain long after their torture had ended. Coupled with the strain of multiple apparations and bloodloss from her wounded hand, Newt was surprised that Tina was still upright.
"Yes, and why exactly were you there?" Theseus, questioned, still suspicious, but softening.
Queenie recounted the impressions she'd gleaned from Grindelwald and explained her decision to follow, then paused. "Wait…" she cast her eyes to Theseus, "so there wasn't a raid planned?"
He didn't have to answer for her to know the truth, but Newt spoke up.
"No," he said, blushing slightly and Queenie felt a pang of regret from him, "we stepped out for an evening walk-"
"To see if the rumours 'bout a golden snugget...snudet...slugget...help me out here pal, " Jacob interjected, looking to Newt for clarity
"Snidget," Newt corrected.
"Snidget," Jacob repeated matter-of-factly. "To see if the rumours 'bout a snidget living in the gardens are true. Newt thought he might be able to find it."
"But Grindelwald has recently lost something that means a great deal to him and he believes that I had something to do with it. I don't know how he found out where we were but..." Newt continued.
"- he was waiting for us," Tina finished, her voice hard.
"What did he lose?" Theseus questioned.
"I couldn't say," Newt lied with a small shrug.
Queenie frowned. As soon as he'd said it, Newt had pictured the golden pendent in his mind. She knew it too; she'd seen in in Grindelwald's memories not twenty minutes before as she tore through his mind. She opened her mouth to ask, but a small nudge from Tina made her pause and she decided to ask Newt about it later.
"You know I'll still have to take you in to the Ministry," Theseus said to Queenie.
"Yeah," she said, nodding slowly. "I'll tell them everything I know."
Theseus gave a small smile. "It can wait until tomorrow," he raised his eyebrows at Jacob and then turned to Tina. "I'm going to send an owl to the Ministry and then take Vial and Jones back to the gardens to see if he left a trail."
She rose to her feet and immediately wobbled, falling into Newt, who put an arm around her waist to steady her.
"Teen!" Queenie cried in concern.
"Whoa, easy does it," Newt said, "You're not going with him." She opened her mouth to protest but Theseus cut her off.
"Stay here Tina," he said firmly. "You're in no shape to be out there and we don't know if they followed you back here." He fixed her with a meaningful look, "We might need to have an Auror here."
Tina gave a sigh and nodded, "Fine."
"Be careful," Theseus said to Newt before he turned and apparated from the room.
Jacob turned to the others. "Well, I dunno anything about magical healing, but the soup's ready and you all look like you need something to warm you up."
–-
Later, after a quiet and companionable supper, Tina and Queenie had retreated upstairs to get Queenie settled into the room she would share with her sister. Jacob saw to the dishes and Newt went down into his case to check on the baby nifflers. He was just settling them in for the night with a small handful of pewter buttons when he heard footsteps in his shed. He turned, hopeful, and found Queenie at the entrance.
"Sorry honey, it's only me," she said with a sad smile at his thoughts.
Newt cast his eyes down in embarrassment and she giggled, "Oh Newt, I could never be angry with you for hoping for her insteada me."
He blushed and gave her a small smile.
There was a pause and then she asked, "Newt, why did you lie to Theseus?"
Newt frowned, realising what she meant, "Queenie, please don't tell-"
She shook her head, "I won't."
How did you even-
"I saw it in his memories in the gardens. He made a blood pact with someone when he was young. It was a boy. I don't know who he is, but Grindelwald cared for him very much,"
"Hmm," Newt frowned. Queenie didn't know the name that popped up in Newt's thoughts but decided not to ask him avoid admitting that she'd read his mind again.
"I saw other things in his mind too," Queenie continued. "He's been tricking us all. He wants to use Credence to kill the man who broke his heart because he's the only one who could stop him." She paused, recalling Grindelwald's memories of the young man he'd once promised to shift the earth for and his pain when they'd found themselves at odds. "Lost love did terrible things to Grindelwald. The thought of losing Jacob nearly made me do terrible things too," she said softly. She raised her eyes and fixed them on Newt. "Don't let the same thing happen to you and Tina."
Newt immediately cast his eyes downwards in panic.
"Oh, it's okay honey," Queenie smiled, hearing his reaction, "She feels the same way. Alls you need to do is ask her."
Newt smiled and looked up again. "The thing is... After everything that occurred in Paris, that silly comment about Aurors and then Leta… That is, when I found her in Paris, I thought that maybe...but then Grindelwald happened and you left and, well...she's been so fierce ever since." He met her eyes, mild accusation in his gaze, and Queenie felt a pang of remorse for the pain her mistake had caused.
"She was convinced it was a mistake, that you couldn't possibly have chosen to join him. She's been out looking for you every day since." He paused, "Tonight was the first time we've managed to get her to stop… to rest." He gave a small smile, "You know, it was Jacob's idea to lie about a creature in the gardens to trick her into going for an evening walk with me. We just wanted to take her mind off you." He scoffed, "And instead...".
She got tortured. Newt's voice in her head was tinged with bitterness.
He looked up at Queenie, "Do you have any idea how worried we've been about you Queenie? How worried Tina has been?" It was the angriest she'd ever seen Newt and Queenie cast her eyes to the floor. She bit the inside of her lips, holding back tears.
"Yeah, I do," she said, her voice quivering in spite of how much she didn't want it to.
"Oh, of course, I'm sorry," Newt softened immediately. He felt a pang of guilt and sympathy when he realised that as a legilimens, Queenie knew exactly what she'd done to them. He put a tentative hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "You acted out of love for Jacob. None of us can blame you for that. I'm sorry for being harsh with you just now. This past week has been...difficult."
Queenie met his gaze and gave a watery smile before blinking away the tears in her eyes.
"I'm glad you decided to come home, Queenie," he said, "It's not been right without you."
"Thank you for letting me back. I made a terrible mistake, but I won't be tricked again. Your brother was right not to trust me at first. He's hurting too and it's making him so angry."
"Don't worry about Theseus," Newt said, "You saved us tonight. He'll warm up eventually."
She smiled and turned to leave when a thought from his mind stopped her.
"What is it hun?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"It's just...can you tell how...that is, has Tina spoken to you about what happened tonight? It's only that she's been so much quieter since we got in, even with having you back. I know victims of the cruciatus curse take time to recover but she's acting like nothing is wrong. And she's avoided me since supper."
"Why not go ask her yourself?" Queenie said with a small, cheeky smile, "You're good with creatures that are hurting." She cast her eyes around the habitats surrounding them in explanation before fixing him with a meaningful look. "And Tina is hurting."
Just then, Jacob's voice came down from the top of the stairs, "Queenie? You down here honey?"
A ripple of excitement went through Queenie and she grinned, "I'll be up in just a sec!" She turned back to Newt. "Teenie loves cocoa."
With that, she disappeared back into the shed and up the steps, an idea having been firmly planted in Newt's brain.
Ten minutes later, Newt found himself standing at Tina's bedroom door, clutching two mugs of steaming cocoa, which Jacob and Queenie had helped help him prepare. Both were now fully aware of his feelings for the older Goldstein sister – and since Queenie had been briefed on the magazine mix-up, both were willing to conspire to help him. They'd chosen to remain downstairs, talking quietly on the sofa in the sitting room. As he'd passed them to head upstairs, Jacob had called, "Hey Newt! Remember, nothing about no salamanders."
"Too late," Queenie giggled, seeing it in Newt's mind.
Newt had given a small, anxious smile and proceeded up the stairs. He hesitated now, suddenly questioning the social appropriateness of appearing at a woman's bedroom door. Perhaps he shouldn't be here… but then he remembered the way she'd looked at him after he'd healed her hand. He lifted his head and, hands full, knocked lightly on the door with his boot.
"Tina? Tina, are you still awake?" he called softly.
After a few moments' silence, he heard soft footsteps and the door opened slowly to reveal Tina, still in her clothes, eyes glistening and haunted, very much awake. Before she could say anything, he held up a mug of cocoa.
"I thought you might like a hot drink," he said.
She looked from the cocoa to him and smiled, blinking moisture from her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly. She took the drink and leaned heavily against the door, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent. She gave a sigh of pleasure so soft that Newt wondered if he'd actually heard it.
Before his lost his nerve, he blurted, "Tina, can we talk?" at the exact moment that said said, "Do you want to come in?".
Her eyes snapped wide in embarrassment and she looked down at his own mug of cocoa. "There's a sofa in here," she said. They shared an awkward smile before Tina stood back for him to enter.
A/N Thanks for reading :) I've debated writing the conversation that transpires between Newt and Tina, but this seemed like a good place to stop for now.