A/N:
This is a modern day AU, where Newt, Tina and Queenie are wizards.
Thanks to my HoH 2D, my housemates Holly and Gen, my buddy Cass and Head Student AJ, for without their beta reads and feedback, this work definitely wouldn't make the grade.
Done for Round 1, The Houses Competition Year 4
Saturday Night Whirlwind
This was not what Tina had planned for Saturday night.
At least, she hadn't had anything specific in mind. It was all Queenie's idea. She'd dropped Tina a hasty text on Monday telling her to clear everything on Saturday, and that she had something special planned for the both of them. As much as Tina would have preferred to laze about in their rented studio apartment, watching sappy romance movies stolen off the Internet, she knew that a part of her would never be able to say no to her sister - not even to a speed dating session. (Which, as it turned out, was what Queenie had arranged for them that night.)
So, there Tina was, seated in a slightly cramped, dimly lit conference room in a plush velvet chair with about twenty other people whom she suspected were every bit as reserved and borderline antisocial as her.
She sighed and wrapped her knitted cardigan tighter around herself. She'd wanted to go for the session in her usual white blouse, loose grey pants and black coat, but Queenie had squawked at her in scandalised shock (Morrigan, Teenie, they have a dress code!) and shoved the dress into her hands.
She rested her chin on her hand, focusing on the cluster of rose gold foil balloons anchored to the right of the mini-stage as the host click-clacked back and forth in her ridiculously high stiletto heels, rambling animatedly into a microphone (the No-Maj version of the Sonorus Charm).
Why a No-Maj speed dating session of all things? It wasn't like wizards nowadays didn't do speed dating too… Not that Tina had anything against the non-magical community, but she would prefer not having to break the news about the wizarding community to a potential partner. It would save her a lot of awkwardness.
"At the end of three minutes, I'll ring this bell," the host chirped saccharinely, demonstrating with the porcelain bell in her hand. "And the dashing gentlemen among us will switch tables. Is that okay?"
There was a general utterance of assent.
"All right then! Everyone follow me!"
The clacking diminished as she stepped off the stage, walking through a set of double doors off to the left. Tina rose from her seat and headed for the doors with everyone else, the shuffling of footsteps forming a cocoon of sound around her as she walked as far away from the group as she could without appearing aloof.
They found themselves in a large hall, with wooden tables set out with gold and silver chairs in a ring enclosing a small podium in the centre.
The murmur of discussion among friends intensified.
"This is so exciting," squealed Queenie softly, nuzzling Tina's arm.
Tina hummed in response, then strode towards the nearest silver chair. As she sat down, she eyed the varnished mahogany table, ruefully noting the absence of a tablecloth. Nothing to hide her legs. Why had Queenie chosen such a short dress for her?
"Everyone ready?" trilled the host.
The bell rang, and the hall filled with halting conversation.
Tina turned to her partner for the round. He was fairly handsome, she supposed, with light brown bangs and slightly darker eyes (an appealing shade of sienna, but not really her thing). Wait. What was her thing?
"Hey," the guy mumbled, drumming his fingers nervously on the table, not looking straight at her. "I'm Derek."
He was as jumpy as her, she realised. Tina worked up a tiny bit of courage and schooled her face into a smile.
"I'm Tina. It's nice to meet you," she said, and the guy relaxed, obviously grateful for her initiative.
Derek. The guy's name was Derek. She forced her smile a little bit wider.
"So… how are you doing today?"
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The bell went for the fifth time, signalling a break, and she stifled a groan of utter exhaustion. Everything in her was screaming at her brain to high-tail it out of there right this instant.
"Everyone having fun? We're going to have a little break now, just five minutes and you'll be back in the game, yeah? Rest up!"
Thank Morrigan. Tina excused herself from the table and walked briskly toward the washroom, her head down. Mercy Lewis, why had she agreed to this? Didn't Queenie find it stressful, having deeply personal talks with so many strangers within such a short amount of time in such close proximity? (Probably not. Queenie wasn't socially awkward like Tina.)
Something hard hit her shoulder, and she stumbled backwards.
"Oh, Mer- goodness!" she squeaked, barely containing the wizarding exclamation from escaping her. "Are you okay-"
The words died on her lips as she stared at the man, dumbstruck.
He was clearly trying to look smaller than he was, his posture slightly hunched. Tina could tell that if he stood up straight, he would definitely exceed her in height. He had a curly ginger fringe that half-covered one eye, but she could still see the endearing sprinkle of freckles across his nose and the interesting hue of his irises. Was it blue? Or green? Or was it both?
"I'm so sorry," the man said quickly, his voice low and meek. British. Tina nearly jumped at the shiver that snaked down her back. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you - are you alright?" he asked, worry flickering across his features suddenly.
Tina retained enough of her wits to answer. "Uh, no, I'm fine, it's okay," she stuttered hurriedly, rushing off towards her original destination, all the while hoping that he hadn't noticed how red her face had gone in the space of a few seconds.
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"I'm sorry about earlier, ma'am," said an all-too-familiar voice, and her head jerked up like a marionette pulled on a string. Had the bell gone? She hadn't heard it…
"May I…?" The man gestured awkwardly at the seat opposite her, and her composure returned with a snap.
"Oh, yes, of course," Tina brushed hair out of her face, shooting a glance at Queenie's table. Her sister was leaned scandalously low over the table, giggling at a joke her latest partner had made. What was his name again? James… no, wait, Jonas…
Focus. She looked back at the man, who was folded into his seat, eyes fixed on a point on the wood of the table.
"I'm Tina," she began, trying to keep the breathiness from her voice.
"I'm Newt," he said, smiling softly.
That's when it hit her - the unmistakable sensation like lightning running over her bones. Her eyes widened.
"You-" she broke off and leaned closer - he shrank back, obviously panicking - "-you're a wizard?"
If anything, the anxiety in his eyes escalated to a whole new level. "No - I don't know what you're talking about-"
She could have laughed out loud at his expression - it was so strangely adorable. "I'm from MACUSA," she said, stifling her giggle, and Newt relaxed visibly. "So, tell me what a British wizard is doing at a No-Maj speed dating session in America?"
He looked down again, retreating behind his curtain of ginger hair. "Well, I'm an environmentalist, and I'm staying here with my brother Theseus for a month while I do some research, and he suggested that I come here since I was free anyway and here was where he met his girlfriend, Leta."
Tina strongly suspected that Newt's brother had done more than suggested the idea.
"What about you?"
"Oh," she faltered a little. "It was my sister's idea. She's over there," she added, pointing.
Newt's eyes followed the trajectory of her finger. "You're Queenie's sister?"
The way he said her name… Tina dropped her hand. "You don't look alike," Newt commented offhandedly.
Heat crept across Tina's face, like a spiderweb forming in time-lapse. "No," she said quietly, wondering what the empty feeling in her chest was. "No, we don't."
He seemed to register the sudden change of mood, and the mask of horror snapped back on. "No, I didn't mean that you were less beautiful than her, I mean Queenie is very beautiful, but - oh, Merlin, I - please ignore what I just said," he moaned helplessly, his voice muffled at the end as he pushed his face into his hands.
Tina covered her mouth, trying to contain the laugh fighting to escape her.
"It's okay," she said, watching Newt peer at her through his hair again. "Really."
"I'm sorry, I just-" he swallowed, "I find it a lot harder to understand social cues. Humans are so much more complicated than animals, or anything else for that matter."
I can understand that, Tina thought.
She was almost sorry when the bell went this time.
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The host pressed a piece of thin paper and a stubby yellow pencil into Tina's hands, doing the same to everyone else in the room before repositioning herself on the podium.
"Everyone had fun?" Tina winced at the lukewarm response from her peers. From across the room, she caught sight of a pair of blue-green eyes and grimaced exaggeratedly. The corner of Newt's mouth twitched.
"Teenie," muttered Queenie in her gossiping voice, elbowing her in the arm none too gently. "You got your eye on someone already, huh?"
Tina hissed at her to be quiet, then turned her attention to the sheet of paper in her hand.
Contact details.
"Everyone, write your contact info down on that sheet of paper, along with who you're willing to provide it to," the host announced into the microphone, amid the rustling of paper and the scratching of pencils. "We'll deliver your matches before you leave, so no worries."
She scribbled her name, phone number (did British wizards even use phones? Tina wasn't sure) and address on the form, added the second name at the bottom, then folded it up and handed it over to their host.
"Very fast decision, dear," tutted the host, the gleam in her eye making Tina squirm a little. Her shoulders remained tense as the sound of high heels dissipated.
She could feel Queenie's knowing eyes on her. Tina exhaled slightly and looked away.
Her heartbeat shot up as the host approached Newt, who ducked his head and surrendered his paper hastily. The host giggled and leaned down to whisper something in his ear; he flinched and stuttered a response. The host straightened up, still grinning, and retreated through the door they'd entered through at the start of the session.
Tina's nerves felt as if they were on fire - her fingers jumped uncontrollably on her skirt and her legs trembled. What if he didn't want her contact info? What if he didn't give his to her? She was certain that a lot of the girls here would have given their number, email, and Instagram handle over in a heartbeat - he was fairly handsome after all…
An unwanted image presented itself in her mind, and she shuddered, illogical fear starting to flood through her.
Her fingers tightened as the host reappeared, this time with a small velvet drawstring bag in hand.
As she passed out the contact details, some stared in silence, others cheering, some silently, some not so silently. As Tina's turn drew near, Queenie's hand clasped hers reassuringly.
She accepted her paper with a polite "thank you", then peeled the paper open a crack, almost afraid to discover what was inside.
Almost automatically, she looked up, and her eyes found his like magnets drawn to metal. Newt's smile was different this time - it was open, unforced, and definitely not hidden by that curtain of ginger locks.
So he did have a phone, after all, Tina thought giddily to herself, the laugh breaking across her face as she pulled out her mobile and added his number.
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House: Ravenclaw
Year: 3
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Event] Speed Dating
Word Count: 1945