********Short intro chapter to a new fic, to see if there's any interest. Never done a Harry Potter universe fic before, but as always I don't own anything here. I'm just a fan. *********
The iridescent blue beetle zipped to and fro about its charmed enclosure. Tina was always mesmerized by its quick, erratic movements.
It had been six months since she had finally been able to catch the elusive little billywig, and seven months since it's former caretaker had accidentally released it into the city. It hadn't been causing any particular mischief around town, but Tina found herself drawn to it. The bleak coal streaked building of New York weren't its natural habitat and no one else seemed to notice or care. The other released billywigs had long since left the city, but this one lingered like it was waiting for something.
It had been two months since the first edition of a comprehensive care guide for the billywig had come out. It was more like a comprehensive care guide for all fantastic creatures, however, in Tina's copy of the book, the billywig chapter was thoroughly highlighted and filled with margin notes. That's not to say that she hadn't read the entire book, because she had, multiple times. But her pet beetle had given her a practical reason to purchase the very first copy of the book she saw on the shelf. Had she not been seeking information on caring for her billywig, people might have correctly inferred that she was still infatuated with the book's author, Newton Scamander. She had hoped to keep that ember of affection to herself, and not let it interfere with her work.
Only her sister, Queenie, suspected the truth; not in small part due to her gift of Legilimency. Every time Tina would fuss over the bug, Queenie would roll her eyes. In turn, every time Queenie would come home with pastries from Jacob's bakery, Tina would roll hers. Neither girl would admit it out loud, but the events involving Mr. Scamander's beasts and the Obscurist had deeply affected both of them. Nor would they admit that they were both stuck waiting like the billywig; waiting for an overdue visitor, waiting for repressed memories to resurface. Unfortunately, there were no guarantees of either.
Time had dragged on for Tina since the publication of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt had told her that he would deliver a copy of the book to her in person, she had assumed he meant immediately. However, being a pragmatic woman, she had begun to suspect that the promises of popularity and celebrity had pushed the thoughts of a reunion with her clear out of his head.
…
Tina had just settled down in the parlor after a long day of work when Queenie burst into the apartment.
"Teenie! I'm surprised you're still here! Aren't you getting ready to go out? You're not wearing that tonight, are you?" She began flitting around the room with her wand, tidying up. "What a mess, this simply won't do!"
"Go out? Go out where? I'm always here." Tina had to quickly grab her half full coffee cup out of the air before Queenie spirited it away into the cabinet with the other dishes.
"So, you haven't had any telegrams today? Or visitors to your office?"
"No." After a second, she added. "What are you going on about?"
Tina could feel a tingle in her mind as her sister rifled through her thoughts. A bit crestfallen, Queenie said. "Oh… I just thought…"
"Thought what? I'm so confused."
"... then, I suppose have something to tell you… I'm not sure how to put it best, so I'll just say it." She paused to sit next to Tina on the chaise. "I saw Newt Scamander today."
"In New York!? Are you sure!? Where!?"
"Down at Jacob's bakery."
"What!? Really!?" Tina furrowed her eyebrows amidst the shock. "Wait, you're still going down there? I thought you told me you had moved on."
She huffed. "I don't go every day. And anyway, that's not the point."
"Fine, okay… So? What was he doing? How did he look? Did you talk to him?"
"No, I don't think he saw me. I just saw him through the side window. He was behind the building looking for something." Queenie gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. "You don't think he's lost another one of his animals do you?"
"I hope not, although I haven't heard anything at work about a magical beast in the city. Are you sure it was him?"
"Sure as sugar." Queenie, who had been wearing a sympathetic smile, began to worry her lip. "I'm sorry Sweetie, I just figured that if he were in town he would have gone to see you first."
Tina frowned, tilted her head to the side, and stared into her billywig's enclosure. Of course, she had been sure that Newt would have come to see her first as well. If the roles had been reversed, and she were in England, she would have run from the ship to meet him. Apparently, Newt was more interested in lurking around Jacob's bakery. Maybe it made sense, after all Jacob had been his friend, even if he wouldn't be able to recognize him anymore.
"You'll see him tomorrow, I'm sure of it." Queenie flicked her wand to get each of them one of Jacob's confections from her bag
