On a drizzling British afternoon in early December, two wizards waited for a muggle and a witch. Not exactly an ordinary occurrence, but nobody in this situation was ordinary. The two wizards – who also happened to be brothers – stood apart from the crowd of people waiting for their loved ones to come off the ship that had come in to dock. They watched the passengers descend down the gangplank and make their way to the customs-check stations.
Of the two brothers, one of them was clearly more eager than the other for a reunion. For the seventh time, the less eager and more amused brother put a hand on his brother's shoulder to push him down from his tiptoes. "They're coming, Newt. Don't get your trousers in a twist."
Newt huffed a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "I just want to see he – I-I mean them. Again."
Theseus smirked, knowing perfectly well what Newt had stopped himself from saying. Merlin knows he didn't need to say it; his body language practically screamed it.
Immediately following the events in Paris two-and-a-half months ago, Newt had bought the building in which his ground-floor flat was situated (being a best-selling author definitely had its perks). Jacob had made his home on the second floor (he knew that he couldn't go back to America while there was a chance that he could get Queenie back), and Theseus had made his home on the third floor (the flat that he had shared with Leta had become too hard to stay in).
Nagini was able to settle in Newt's basement, where he'd built a hut for her, since she had nowhere else to go. She'd insisted that she sleep in the same space as his creatures, which would give her privacy and security about when her blood curse would force her to transform. Yusuf Kama had only stayed in London a week before traveling to the continent again. Now that he was free of his Unbreakable Vow, and he'd seen what truly good people he'd fallen in with, Kama had become an informant/spy to both Theseus and Dumbledore, traveling internationally and coming to Newt's home whenever he was in England.
As for Tina, Newt had asked her to stay in his flat with him, and she had accepted. Nobody of their new inner circle had raised any eyebrows, because they could see why this was: they needed each other.
Jacob and Tina had been in America since late October, tying up loose ends there because the both of them had decided to make their new homes in England. Tina had helped Jacob sell his bakery and get a good enough price for it that he would be able to set up a new one in England. Tina, for her part, had packed up the apartment that she'd lived in all her life (thankfully with Jacob's help and support). She had also reported to MACUSA with all that had happened in Paris, and had officially handed in her resignation. She would begin her new position as an auror on Theseus's team when the New Year began.
Finally, a familiar figure made their way towards them from one of the customs officers. A short and round man with a magic all his own approached them with a smile that was just a little too bright. "Newt, buddy!" he exclaimed before embracing the man.
Newt returned the hug (he'd gotten much better at hugging in the last few months), but his eyes still scanned the crowd over his friend's shoulder as he said, "Welcome back, Jacob."
Jacob released Newt and exchanged a hearty handshake with Newt's brother. "Good to see you again, Theseus."
"Glad to have you back, Jacob," replied Theseus.
Newt, back on his tiptoes again, could no longer contain himself. "I don't see Tina yet."
When Theseus saw Jacob shut his eyes and the smile vanish from his face as he sighed, Theseus got a sinking feeling in his gut.
Newt's face filled with fear as he looked at the two of them. "Jacob…where is she?" His soft voice was laced with desperation.
Jacob looked at him with nothing but compassionate apology. "She couldn't come with me, Newt," he said quietly, so as not to be overheard by passersby. "She won't be able to come back for a few more weeks. It wasn't her choice, believe me, and she's devastated…" He looked furtively around him. "We should continue this somewhere else private."
Theseus, always good at taking charge of a situation, took Jacob's arm in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Newt's shoulders (the poor man looked on the verge of tears). "I say let's go to The Leaky Cauldron, then. This weather really makes me crave a butterbeer."
"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Jacob.
Theseus then led the two shivering men – one from the chilly damp, one from suppressed sobs – to an isolated spot for apparition.
Paulie, the bartender and proprietor of The Leaky Cauldron, knew the Scamander brothers well. He had come to know and like Jacob, one of the few Muggles who had ever entered his establishment. He watched the three of them take a table in a dimly-lit corner that they favored, but his welcoming smile wavered when he saw the expression on Theseus's face as he approached the bar.
An astute man in his own way, Paulie asked him, "Butterbeer or firewhiskey for you boys, Mr. Scamander the elder?"
"Two butterbeers, one firewhiskey," replied Theseus promptly. Paulie, knowing that the best thing to do right now was his job, quickly filled three mugs with the order. The auror accepted the mugs by pulling out his wand and levitating them, sparing him the trouble of having to balance carrying them. He and the mugs came to Jacob and Newt at the table, and Theseus silently charmed each mug to land in front of each of them as he sat down.
Jacob had a hand on Newt's shoulder; Newt's expression was furious as well as devastated. The moment the mug of firewhiskey landed in front of him, Newt grabbed the mug and took a "healthy" swig.
Looking to Jacob, Theseus said, "Let me guess: MACUSA isn't letting her leave yet."
Jacob sighed before speaking. "Pretty much. The day before the ship left, she was called in by the president. Apparently, there's this new case of a smuggler selling illegal magical products disguised as ordinary things in non-magical establishments, and the latest victim nearly died. The president asked Tina to help." Jacob's expression became dark. "And by 'ask,' I mean she denied Tina permission to leave the city unless she helped to track down and capture the smuggler."
Theseus omitted a sound of disgust, but Jacob held up a hand, his expression becoming even uglier.
"I wish that was the worst of it…You know that Tina came to Paris unofficially. The president wasn't happy about that, especially because it's not the first time that Tina broke the rules as an auror."
"Yes, Merlin forbid she try to help Credence rather than kill him like a normal auror," muttered Newt nastily before taking another big sip of firewhiskey.
Theseus, although a bit stung by that statement, wisely held his tongue so that Jacob could continue.
"Well…the president sure made that Tina knew that she wasn't pleased about it, and that doing this mission was the least she could do…even implied that, had Tina not gone rogue…what happened with Queenie wouldn't have…happened." His voice broke, and he fell silent, having finished.
Theseus cursed under his breath furiously, and Newt violently got up from the table and practically stomped towards the bar to demand a refill from Paulie. Jacob discreetly wiped a tear that had formed in his eye before taking a sip of butterbeer (a drink he had grown very fond of). When he'd put his mug back down, he murmured to Theseus, "Tina still blames herself for what happened, so to hear that from her boss…"
"She'll never hear it from me, I promise you that," said Theseus firmly.
Newt returned to the table with an absolutely murderous look on his face. After downing half of his second mug of firewhiskey, Theseus said, "Take it easy, Newt. You won't be good to anybody drunk, and your creatures need you to make the evening rounds."
"Bunty and Nagini can handle it," Newt said stubbornly, the expression on his face not changing.
"I'm with your brother on this, Newt," said Jacob, reaching into the inner-pocket of his blazer. "You'll want to have a clear head when you get home." He pulled out an envelope that had Newt's name written on it. "Tina gave me this letter to give you."
Newt's expression couldn't have changed more quickly or suddenly if he'd been hit by a spell; one moment he was looking at his firewhiskey as if it were Grindelwald, the next he was looking at the envelope just like his Zouwu did when he saw his favorite toy. But when Newt reached for the precious document, Jacob held it away. He cleared his throat and looked at Newt's mug pointedly. Like a child eager to please, Newt pushed the mug of firewhiskey away and looked at Jacob pleadingly. The corners of his lips turned upward, Jacob handed over the envelope. Handling it as though it were made of gold, Newt looked at it, traced his name with his fingertip, and then tucked it safely inside his own inner pocket over his heart. He would read it when he was alone.
The exchange was so comical that Theseus disguised a chuckle by taking a sip of butterbeer. He welcomed both the warmth-inducing drink and the urge to laugh. Only recently had he been able to even smile without feeling bad. It had started when he'd realized that, every time he wanted to smile or laugh, Leta would have wanted to do the same. And he knew in his bones that she would absolutely coo watching this exchange between Newt and Jacob.
"Since now my brother would like his privacy, I'll settle the bill and then we can all head home," said Theseus, getting up from the table. His tone (one he often used in his capacity as head auror) allowed for no arguments from the other two.
Minutes later found the trio saying good-bye to Paulie and walking outside to the back alley. Instead of accessing the magical alley behind the brick wall, they linked arms and apparated away.