Hey everyone. This story was written for Holmes Mystery Challenge, October Writing Club's Ami's Audio Admirations, and Guess the Name from Funfair Events on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Holmes Mystery Challenge I used the word prompt of Influence. For Ami's Audio Admirations I used the prompt of 12. The Monster - Eminem and Rihanna - write about a light/dark friendship or relationship [Bonus]. For Guess the Name I used the Stuffed Werewolf Teddy prompt of Derek - Newt Scamander. I hope you all enjoy An Influence of Thoughts.
"What's wrong with you, Newt?" Leta asks the venom in her voice dripping like that off the fangs of a snake. He watches her wondering when she'd become the bitter woman who stood in front of him. "You didn't have to take the blame for..."
"Didn't I?" Newt finds himself asking her. He doesn't want the hurt that he still felt about her not thanking him for taking the expulsion for her slip in his voice. He'd have done it over and over again. He'd have taken the expulsion for her a hundred time because he cared for her. But that something Queenie had said was slipping through the influence that Leta had over Newt. What had Queenie called Leta? A taker.
"You could have let them expell me, Newt," she told him folding her arms over her chest. "You didn't have to take the blame for the Jarvey or the experiments I did. You did that yourself. I didn't ask you to."
You didn't have, Newt thinks to himself not wanting to give her something to go off, you know what sort of influence you had over me, Leta. He shook his head sadly thinking back to their times at Hogwarts. Bonding with Leta over a shared love of magical creatures. They had been close at one point. From the corner of his eyes he can see his older brother walk towards Leta.
"Leta," Theseus says pulling her into his arms, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing," both Newt and Leta reply as one which should be causing some alarm on Theseus's part.
"You remember how your brother and I were best friends during school," Leta explains wrapping her arms around Theseus's neck. "We were just catching up on the old days. Weren't we, Newt?"
Theseus laughs as he places a gentle kiss on Leta's cheek. "Well don't let me interrupt," he says giving his brother a manly hand shake. "I want to talk to you afterwards though, little brother. I have some important news to tell you."
Newt nods knowing already what the news probably is. He can see the ring on Leta's finger and knows that it would never work out for him and Leta. Theseus and Leta would probably work out far better anyway. Plus he'd never hurt his brother like that no matter what influence Leta held or had held over him. He pretends to listen but he's actually playing Queenie's advice to him over and over in his head. Perhaps Tina is the giver he needs. He'd have to see where that took him at some point.
I hope you all enjoyed An Influence of Thoughts.