Newt looked in the mirror trying to figure out what was bothering him about his appearance. He straightened his robe and bow tie for the fifth time. His hair, once rust colored, now mostly grey, was always sticking out in all directions. He sighed, frustrated at his appearance. Then grunted annoyed by his preoccupation with it. When had he every cared how he looked? He sat down on a bench in the room twiddling his thumbs for a moment before standing back up straitening his tie, yet again.
"You look fine. I would tell you if you didn't." Newt spun around and saw his wife leaning against the door. He hadn't even heard her come in. Smirking she pushed off from the wall and walked over to him.
"I don't look fine." Newt grumbled. "I look old, but I guess there is nothing to be done about that."
Tina almost rolled her eyes but didn't. Pulling a piece of lint off his robe. "Just because you have grey hair and some wrinkles doesn't mean you are old. Just last week I saw you chase unicorn foal around the forest. Not exactly something an old man would do."
"This coming from someone who appears to not have aged at all in the past 10 years, and I am older than you." Newt said to his wife with a grin. In his opinion, she was more beautiful than ever. Although Tina did have streaks of grey and wrinkles, she still held herself with the same grace and power.
"I think at our age a four year age gap hardly matters." Tina started getting ready for an argument but saw his are moment of self-consciousness had passed. He sat down on the bench holding up his hand as an invitation for him to join her. She intertwined her fingers with his as she sat. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Newt pulled out his speech cards from his pocket. He must have read those cards 100 times in the past week.
"You're going to be spectacular. There is no reason to be nervous." Tina said nudging his shoulder with her's. "You speak in front of groups all the time. This is no different."
"I'm not nervous." Newt said a little too quickly. His wife just gave him a knowing look. With that look, Newt could tell Tina knew he was lying but made no comment of it. He certainly loved that woman.
If he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sure why he was so nervous. While public speaking had never been a strength for him, it usually no longer brought the anxiety that had plagued him very early in his career. He supposed having to make so many appearances to groups around the world to ask for funding or just give a lecture had made it part of his everyday life. Tina always said, as he aged he became more confident because he no longer cared what others thought of him. Newt secretly knew he was more confident because she continuously encouraged and supported him through the years. This day just seemed to mean more than others he had been a part of.
"We should probably head out. The ceremony will be starting soon." Tina said standing. Walking out of the small room Newt had been given to prepare for the night, the couple entered a large marble lobby filled with hundreds of witches and wizards impeccably dressed. A large banner floated in the air glittering and shooting off fireworks every few minutes. It read Order of Merlin Ball 1979.
As they entered the actual ballroom, Newt sucked in a sharp breath as he saw hundreds of round tables positioned around the room, many of them already filled. Everything looked perfect from the white table clothes to the perfectly set plates. The room buzzed with excitement. Tina squeezed Newts hand and gently pulled on it. He hadn't realized he had stopped in his tracks right in the doorway.
The rest of the Scamander family was already seated at their assigned table. His children, their spouses, and his elder grandchildren were all there. He walked around greeting each one of them until the lights dimmed in the room signaling the ceremony was about to start. Newt quickly walked over to Tina and kissed her on the forehead.
"You'll be absolutely marvelous." she whispered before he left to take his place back stage with the other award recipients.
Back stage Newt heard the Minister of Magic begin his opening remarks, and then, it really hit him. He could not believe he was truly receiving an Order of Merlin. When the time came for the recipients to go out on stage, Newt's heart was about to pound out of his chest. He stood in line with the other recipients as the Minister called out each of their names and a list of their achievements. Members of the Wizengamot came down the line presenting each inductee with their gold medal. When Newt's name was called, he could hear his family cheering loudly.
Each honorary sat in chair at the back of the stage taking turns at the podium to give a small speech. The first 3 speeches flew by and Newt didn't hear one word. Before he knew it, Prime Minister Minchum announced, "And now, we will hear from Newton Scamander, Order of Merlin Second Class, honored tonight for his contributions to the field of Magizoology.
Newt stood and made his way to the podium. Searching the crowd, he locked eyes with Tina. She smiled and gave him a small nod. Focusing only on her he began his speech.
"First, I would like to thank the ministry and the Wizengamot for choosing me for this prestigious award. It is truely an honor. As a boy growing up here in England, I never imagined I would do anything in my life that would warrant receiving the Order of Merlin. You think only important people receive such a thing; your childhood heroes. I was simply an odd boy who followed his passion, and it took me around the world. It took me to places that I have only dreamed of and brought me in contact with magical creatures we never knew existed. I was told I was being honored today for my life's work, but it really hasn't felt like work because I have enjoyed it so much."
"The committee told me it would be nice if I shared a little anecdote or story about one of my favorite encounters with a creature. I was racking my brain, which seems to be getting older by the moment, and I noticed a pattern. While my stories are numerous, I realized all of my favorites feature my wife, Tina." Newt looked down and smiled at Tina who was beaming up at him. "She has spent so much time and energy helping me find and study these magnificent creatures, that I certainly wouldn't be up here today without her. She couldn't always come with me because some trips were too dangerous for the children or she was busy with her duties as an Auror. However, all my favorite trips were with her and often our children, too. Because sharing the moment with someone you love makes it 10 times more rewarding. A trip to South America, in particular, has always stuck with me."
Newt proceeded to tell the story of the summer the family spent in the Andes mountains searching for Amaru. The story had excitement, intrigue, and humor that kept the audience chuckling and engaged.
"As you can see my wife is brilliant and a lifesaver." He said coming to the end of the story. Newt looked at Tina again who was smiling proudly, and he couldn't hold back. "Not only is she those things but she is also my best friend. She is loving, kind, intelligent, driven, brilliant with a wand, and cool under pressure. She has been my companion, encourager, and my rock. She is an excellent mother to our children, and a dotting grandmother. Never in a million years would I deserve someone like her, yet here she is. Anyone who can put up with me for over 50 years deserves a medal." He stated holding his up. "So, this, Tina, my darling, is all for you." Newt nodded his head to the audience and began to walk off the stage as he received a large ovation.
He climbed down the stage stairs and sat down at his family's table as the Minister of Magic began introducing the recipients for the Order of Merlin First class. Tina quickly leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek before intertwining her fingers with his. The remainder of the evening was long and tedious. So many people to socialize and talk with. A band played, all the tables were magicked away, and people danced. Delicious food was served and stories were swapped. By the time it was over, Newt was quite ready to go home.
After saying goodbye to the children, it was finally time to go to sleep. While Newt was preparing for bed, he looked at the medal on his dresser. Suddenly, he felt Tina's arms wrap around his abdomen from behind.
"You said some lovely things tonight, Mr. Scamander." Her voice was muffled against his back.
"I meant every word I said." He said patting her arm and then turning so that she faced him.
"I know. That's what made them so lovely, but I can't help but wonder. Were you trying to seduce me?" Tina asked with that mischievous grin that had not changed in over 50 years. It also made him laugh. Her pulled her tightly into his arms.
"That depends." Newt replied. "Are you willing to be seduced?"
"I'm not sure. Probably not tonight. I'm pretty tired." Tina admitted looking apologetically.
"Oh, thank goodness. Me too." The both laughed and Newt gave his wife a kiss on the forehead before going to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Ten minutes later as they both sat in bed, Newt tried to read a research article a college had sent him while Tina absent-mindedly stroked their pet Kneezle.
"We leave for Thailand in 5 days." Tina said after a few minutes. "We have a lot or packing to do, and we need to triple check all our supplies. Those Loto aren't going to be easy to find." Newt merely hrumphed in reply.
"Do you think we are getting too old for this?" Newt asked suddenly, peering at Tina over the top of his glasses.
"Why would you ever think that?" Tina asked a little offended. "We still have so many places you've planned to go."
"I know." Newt held up his hand to calm her down. "I was just thinking that if you wanted to explore these places at a more leisurely pace or more spaced out we could. I know when you retired from the Auror office you were looking for something a little different."
"When I retired from the Auror office, I wanted to break from paperwork and seeing all the horrible things wizards do to each other. That doesn't mean I don't want excitement in my life." She paused for a second. "I don't think we would even be able to function without excitement. It seems from the moment I met you we've been non-stop. I suspect we would kill each other if we just sat around together all do day a whole bunch of nothing." She looked over at him. "Really Newt, what's brought this on?"
"Just thinking." He mused. "And you're right, we aren't too old. Dumbledore is older than either than us and I think he is 4 times as busy. Let's go to bed now." He gave her a quick kiss before extinguishing the lights with his wand.
"Newt?" Tina called several minutes later to see if his was still awake.
"Yes, love?" He answered with a sleepy yawn.
"I really do appreciate those things you said in your speech today. I feel the same way. I would not be where I am without you." Tina said into the darkness.
"You are quite capable on your own, my dear. Your talent as an Auror has nothing to do with me. Although, I will admit I played a part in the conception of our children. Motherhood would have been difficult to achieve on your own." Newt chuckled at his own joke.
Tina was a bit annoyed. "I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say. You know it's difficult for me to put into words how I feel. I just think that…"
"It's fine, Tina. I understand." Newt said trying to snuggle closer to his wife so she would hopefully let him go to sleep.
She pushed him away. "No Newt. I don't think you do. I've been thinking about this all evening. Let me just get his out." Tina took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. "You are patient and kind and you always know exactly what to say to cheer me up. You can read my moods better than anyone, even Queenie, and she can literally read my mind. You never once asked me to give up my career even when you were incredibly busy and successful and we had small children. You always cover me with a blanket when I fall asleep on the couch. You are the world's best father. You are slow to anger and quick to apologize. You treat every person and creature you met with the highest respect even if they don't deserve it. You chose to see the best in people, including me. And I am so thankful that you chose to see the best in me because I know it's not always easy. You have accepted me as I am from day one, and my greatest honor in life is being your wife and best friend. You think I would have made it just fine on my own, but you are wrong. I wouldn't want to live in a world without you. And that, and so much more, is why you deserved that medal."
Newt was a delightfully stunned. He knew Tina felt all these things and loved him. He had known that for years through her actions and the way she looked at him. He never once doubted, but there was something to be said about hearing it out loud. As Tina had admitted it was not always easy for her to put it into words. Newt reached over and pulled her very tightly to his chest.
"Being your husband and a father to our children are still my favorite achievements. I guess this just proves that all this time we really just needed each other. And that is what has made us perfect partners. There is no one like you my love, and for that I am thankful." Tina sighed contentedly in his arms.
Snuggled close together the Scamanders fell asleep dreaming of the next adventures they would soon share together.