Hi! This fic begins just as Newt says goodbye to Tina and gets on the ship to head back to Britain. The first chapter is in Newt's P.O.V. (third person), although the next one will be in Fluttershy's. Fluttershy is slightly altered to be a bit more human, but she is NOT EG Fluttershy. Please let me know if she's to OOC. Also, just to get this settled, I ship both Newt and Tina as well as Fluttershy and Discord from the bottom of my shippy little fangirl heart, but this idea originally came to me before I shipped the former pair, and people have seemed to like the idea, so I thought, "What the heck, I'll do it."
Hope you enjoy! Review if you feel so inclined. Flame away. It's your conscience, not mine. I'll just take down your review and not even mention it. -s.c.h.b
As Newt stepped onto the ferry, he let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. He handed his ticket to the man collecting them, and settled in amongst the bustling crowd in the main hall of the ship. Having nowhere in particular to go, and nothing in particular to think about, his mind drifted to Tina. He could hardly wait to finish his book and publish it, then bring it back to her. Tina was his biggest fan, and a book seemed so mundane in repayment for all she had done, it neared inadequate.
Newt was startled out of his reverie when a small form bumped—rather unceremoniously—into him, emitting a small squeak. After a split second, Newt realized the "thing" that had run into him was in fact petite young woman, who Newt assumed was about his age. The trunk she had been holding thudded to the floor of the ferry, and proceeded to pop open. Out of the case came a very sleek Jack Russell Terrier, and after it, four bumbling pups attempting to follow. The oddity of the forked tails on the pups was not lost on Newt, and immediately he knew they were Crups, the loyal dogs of the wizarding world. Newt's magical creature-oriented mind flipped into a higher gear for a few moments as he deciphered just what it was he had seen.
They are most definitely Crups, he thought. Muggle dogs would not have the forked tail, and even if it was a genetic abnormality, it wouldn't spread so consistently to all of the offspring without the mother having it. At least, it would be astronomically improbable. This string of logic quickly stemmed off into something even bigger. So, that means these pups are under six to eight weeks old, as that's when they are required to be painlessly removed with a severing charm. (A/N: Newt may not give a second thought about smuggling illegal creatures into America, but we can all sleep easier knowing he takes Crup-tail severing laws very seriously. Honestly, Newt.) The next realization (which, if not for his rather unusual priorities, would have been his immediate thought) hit him rather violently: This girl who just bumped into me is a witch. And by the looks of it, she was just as intrigued with magical creatures as he was.
The girl's large cyan eyes (A/N: Don't waste your data looking it up. It's a shade of blue, people.) widened with panic. Of course, Newt realized, she thinks I'm a muggle.Oh dear, the Ministry would have her neck if they found out any muggles had seen the non-severed Crups. To affirm his identity as a magical folk, he discreetly pulled his wand from his pocket just long enough to ensure she could see it before quickly pushing it back in. She relaxed instantaneously at this new development. All was well, except for the fact that while he had been marveling at this new acquaintance's identity, the mother Crup had slipped away. Newt knew from experience that without proper handling, crups could prove quite vicious to muggles. The Ministry would really have her neck then.
"Now, let's get that Crup before she wreaks havoc on this ferry," Newt said to her, fully prepared to run like a madman through the ferry until the elusive Crup was found.
"Thank you, sir," she said timorously, "but I can take care of Missy myself." Newt decides that, despite her soft-spoken manner, this woman was certainly able to take care of herself. Her Crup—Missy—had only wandered about ten feet away, so the witch stalked up to the magical beast, leaned down, near-pink strawberry blonde hair falling into her eyes, and picked up the dog-like creature, carrying her back to her pups.
Her soft, musical voice playfully scolds the beast. "You have babies to take care of, Missy. Mothers can't run off do their own thing."
Newt was touched by her affection for this beast, which mirrored his own attitude towards magical creatures. Setting his own belongings on the ground, he picked up her case of young Crups and carried it to her, where she carefully deposited Missy, whose pups snuggled close to her. With as wistful smile, the young woman―Fluttershy―closed the lid on her case and picked it up
"I take it you have a liking for magical creatures," Newt commented, deeming that a safe way to strike up a conversation.
She flushes. "Yes, I do." At first he is taken aback by the color invading her face. Was it something I said? But then, stopping to take her timid-seeming personality into consideration, he decided it was far more likely to simply be something that happened when someone attempted to start a conversation with her. Hoping to do something about her not knowing him, Newt introduced himself.
"I'm Newt, by the way. Newt Scamander."
Staring at her shoes, the young woman said quietly, "I'm Fluttery Whisp. And sorry for running into you in the first place."
"Oh, it's no problem. Besides, it was an honor to meet another wizard who loves magical creatures as much as I do," Newt responded hopefully.
Daring to look up ever so slightly, Newt could just barely see her eyes widen in delight. "Wow, I—well, most people think I spend too much time with them. And New York isn't exactly the best place to harbor magical creatures, either."
"You're right, it really isn't." Newt smiled at the irony of it; the two of them both leaving New York with a trunk full of magical beasts.
Although I think mine is the only bigger-on-the-inside one. Fluttershy's just looks like it has had a cushioning charm cast on the inside. Suddenly, Newt is curious as to what other charms had been cast on the trunk to make it comfortable for those Crups.
"What charms have been cast on that trunk, Fluttershy?" he asked. "I mean, Missy and her litter seem quite comfortable."
Fluttershy paused for a moment. "Well, it's a bit of a long story," she replied thoughtfully, "but I guess we have time, considering the length of this ferry ride, so let's sit on that bench over there and I'll tell you the whole thing." In that moment, her confidence faltered. "That-that is if you want to," she said as an afterthought, staring at her shoes again.
"Of course I do," Newt said with a small smile. He picked up his trunk and journal, then followed Fluttershy to the nearest bench. The two sat down and placed their respective cases on the floor beside them.
Newt would be the first to admit that the hard seat of the bench combined with the oscillation of the ship did not make for the most pleasant ride, but learning more about this newly-found kindred spirit of his made the less-than-desirable seating arrangement wholly worthwhile.
As Fluttershy began speaking Newt gave her his utmost attention. "My family is actually from New York, but I'm a—my parents are both no-majs. I went to Ilvermorny to learn magic, and while I was there was sorted into Pukwudgie. Since the Magical Congress is so big on keeping the magical and non-magical population separated, I stayed with a friend's family over breaks. Are you familiar with the Ilvermorny houses?" After this, she began to lose confidence in what she was saying. "I mean, well, I assumed you weren't because you're British. Is-is your accent British? I just sort of assumed..." She flushed and turned away, embarrassed.
Unsure of exactly what to do, Newt was quiet for a moment before saying anything to her. He was very interested in her story, but didn't really want a hysterical female on his hands.
"I, um, actually don't know much about Ilvermorny," he said honestly (if not a bit awkwardly). "I went to Hogwarts, myself."
Fluttershy glanced at Newt a bit hesitantly, and began talking again. "Pukwudgie is the house that favors healers," Fluttershy explained. "The Ilvermorny and Hogwarts houses don't align exactly, but I would say it's closest to Hufflepuff."
Newt's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Really? I was a Hufflepuff." Cracking a smile, he continues. "Warmest scarf I've ever owned. You know, because all the students in a Hogwarts house get matching scarves." Newt feels a bit as if he has ruined the punch line of his own joke, but quickly realizes that Fluttershy still finds it funny. He can't help but notice that her eyes appear brighter when she smiles.
"Unfortunately, Native Americans were a bit more into ornamental headdresses than matching scarves," she said, carrying on with the joke.
Newt's smile broadened once again. Although he didn't actually know that Ilvermorny was built on Native American traditions, it wasn't a terribly difficult conclusion to come to, as it was in America, after all.
Fluttershy refocused before continuing with her story. Getting serious also brings out her eyes, I note. They kind of match my coat. Newt is honestly a bit alarmed by the thoughts spewing from his own mind. Now where on earth did that come from?
"The friend I stayed with—Twilight―was a Horned Serpent." At Newt's (apparently futile) attempt to mask my inquisitive expression as to what Horned Serpent was the house of, Fluttershy added the afterthought: "That's the house of the scholarly."
I nod in acknowledgment of this new information, and she continues. "Twilight was really good at magic. She had a special tutor who taught her all kinds of advanced magic. Well, anyway, I had this old no-maj trunk I had gotten from my parents," she said, gesturing towards her case, "and Twilight, knowing that I needed a good way to carry around creatures, decided to fancy it up for her end-of-term magic project. She made sure the little guys inside it were warm, comfortable, and could breathe. It even has a nifty spell so that no matter much it gets tossed around, the creatures inside will never feel a thing. And those are just the ones she told me about." Fluttershy finishes her enthusiastic speech with a small giggle, a sound I could get used to hearing.
"That was all very kind of Twilight," Newt said approvingly.
"Yes it was. Did you know she's part of the Magical Congress now?"
Newt gave a surprised huh. "I had run-in with them once. It was quite interesting. Remind me to tell you about it sometime."
Fluttershy smiled. "That would be great."
Eyes like the sea.
"Well," Newt said, rising to his feet and collecting his things, (the first and only way he could think to disguise his embarrassment), "It's getting a bit late, so I think I'm going to retire to my cabin for the night. How about we have breakfast together in the morning and I tell you that story about the Magical Congress?"
"That would be wonderful, Mr. Scamander."
Newt grinned. No amount of embarrassment could ever keep him from not smiling at Fluttershy's formality. "Please, call me Newt."
"Well then, Newt," Fluttershy said with an easy smile, testing out how his name felt on her tongue, "I would enjoy that very much."
Hope you enjoyed! If you find any tense discrepancies or anything else of that nature, drop me a review or a PM. Thanks!
Remember to review and all that stuff you get tired of hearing from every single FanFiction author on every single chapter of every single story. -s.c.h.b