Tina Goldstein gave a frustrated huff as she paced around the room she'd been offered to stay in at the Scamanders' estate. It was a Saturday afternoon in late March 1927, and she had been in England for only a little over a day. The day before, she and a few other aurors from MACUSA accompanied President Picquery to an emergency international conference at the Ministry of Magic concerning Grindelwald's recent escape from MACUSA. Based on several reports from both wizarding and no-maj newspapers, the dark wizard was now most likely in Europe.
The conference ended rather late, which they'd anticipated given the urgency of the situation, and while it had already ended, Tina stayed behind and was due to return to New York tomorrow at noon as she had been invited to Theseus Scamander and Leta Lestrange's engagement party by none other than Newt Scamander.
The two of them had kept a steady correspondence ever since Newt departed New York last December. Over time the letters grew longer, and before Tina knew it, Newt asked her to accompany him to his brother's engagement party. She wrote back after Picquery agreed to let her go; a few weeks later, Grindelwald escaped, prompting her to be in England a full day in advance.
Earlier that day she and the Magizoologist met at the Leaky Cauldron, where she had just checked out from (MACUSA would only cover its employees' expenses for a one-night stay that was just enough for the conference; Picquery told her as much when she allowed her to stay in England another day) though she gladly would have paid for another night if Newt hadn't insisted she stay at his family's home in Hampshire.
It was the first time they'd seen each other in three months, and both had changed in some slight ways since then. She had a new wardrobe and a new hairstyle. His hair was still messy, and his face still freckled; and the only change to Newt's wardrobe was a grey coat instead of the peacock blue one. And was it just her imagination or was he more handsome?!
Regardless, both took a few moments to take in each other's presence and appearance; Tina at one point wondered whether Newt could hear her heart pounding from where he was standing. She had scarcely stopped thinking about him the whole time they'd been separated, and now that they were together again, she tried to take in every detail about him and tried to convince herself that she wasn't in fact imagining this, as she had done so many times in the last three months. He was here.
"Hello," he said eventually, with a smile that seemed to light up his whole face.
She couldn't help but beam right back at him, and hadn't realized she'd been biting her lip until she opened her mouth to reply with, "Hi."
The two had brunch in a corner of the pub, where he pulled out from his case (now enchanted with more protective charms to keep even the Niffler from escaping, he assured her) a copy of his book and handed it to her. The first copy printed, he told her. Her heart fluttered, and taking the thin scarlet book into her hands, she gasped when she laid her eyes on the gold lettering of the title. Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them. It was the title she suggested when the two of them were down in his suitcase on his last night in New York.
(After she helped him feed the creatures for the evening, she followed him into the shed where he'd laid out several loose pages of his manuscript on the desk. There was one page that had at the top center the words "Fantastic Beasts" and below it were several scribbles that had been crossed out: "and How to Care For Them", "and Why They're Important", among many others.
"My publisher and I have agreed to call it 'Fantastic Beasts' but he wants me to come up with an extension; he says it might make the book stand out more," he told her as he looked at the page in his hand. "But as you can see, I've been struggling to make any real progress in that area."
Frowning in thought, she looked at the paper he was holding for a few more moments before tentatively gesturing to the other papers on the desk. "May I?"
"Of course."
After some moments of them perusing the loose pages on the desk, Tina noticed a pattern. "What about 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'?" He turned to her then, looking up from the page he was holding with a slightly questioning look on his face. She wanted to hit herself for suddenly feeling embarrassed under his gaze so she kept talking. "It's just–um...well, in most of these sections you mention where the beasts come from, where they can be found; and I think that, while you do talk a lot about how to care for them and how to approach them–and as important as that is–maybe a better way of getting their attention would be telling your readers you know where the beasts can be found. And then they'd read the book and learn about how to care for them and approach them too."
The silence she was met with after she finished talking made her want to squirm. Newt's gaze had fallen to the pages on the desk, and while he seemed to be thinking about her suggestion, she couldn't help but think she'd overstepped and given him unsolicited (and possibly poor) advice. "I'm sorry, that's….you don't have to–"
She stopped when he took the brown leather notebook and opened it to rip off a blank page from the back. Then taking a quill, he began to write something. When he finished, he lifted it to reveal the title she suggested. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," he read, looking at the words intently. And then, the corners of his lips turned up to form a smile, and his shining green eyes looked directly into her brown ones for half a second before darting away again. "Yes, I think that would do very well.")
Three months later, here she was, holding the finished product in her hands. She knew it was the product of years' worth of hard work, and she was very proud of him. He's finally done it.
Over brunch, the two talk about the book (though it had only been released for little over a week, it was doing extremely well, much to Newt's joy and embarrassment), the conference and Grindelwald's escape, as well as Queenie and Jacob, who still showed no signs of remembering what had happened last December. At some point, Pickett also emerged from Newt's breast pocket, interrupting their conversation when Tina spotted him. She was delighted to see him, and he seemed just as delighted to see her. This lead Tina to ask about his other creatures, who according to Newt were all doing very well (the Niffler was still as incorrigible as ever though, he'd said, and though it had been months he hadn't quite found it in himself to take down the Thunderbird area, for he missed Frank very much).
After their filling meal, Tina offers to pay for her half of the bill, but Newt insists on paying for the both of them. He then led her out the pub and into the back of the establishment where, after tapping a brick wall with his wand three times, he proudly introduced her to Diagon Alley, smirking at how she gaped at the sight before her. Arm in arm, he led her down the busy alleyway and gave her a tour, walking slowly and giving a brief description of each shop. Their first stop was at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where he bought a cone for each of them; she tried the Sticky Toffee Pudding flavor at his recommendation, while Newt ordered his "usual" Earl Grey & Lavender.
While they were enjoying their ice creams, the secondhand bookshop next to the ice cream parlour caught Tina's eye, so she asked Newt if they could have a look around after they finished eating. Newt agreed, of course. She got a copy of Notable Magical Names of Our Time while Newt bought a book called Men Who Love Dragons Too Much. Tina chuckled–she thought, a new edition of that book ought to be released that included Newt Scamander as one of the men in question.
After buying their books, she asked Newt where she could buy women's apparel and accessories (because Queenie had asked her to get her something from London). He then took her to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, a shop with a purple exterior that sold everything from school uniforms and house scarves (she smiled when she caught sight of a bust with a yellow striped scarf similar to the one that Newt owned wrapped around its neck) to evening wear and even some jewelry (out of habit, she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Newt's case, as if expecting the Niffler to sneak out of it at any moment).
A shop assistant greeted them and offered to help Tina look around, so Newt told her to take her time and sat down on a couch in the middle of the shop next to two older wizards, each engrossed in his copy of The Daily Prophet. Tina wondered if Newt noticed that on the bottom right section of the cover page was a picture of him, smiling awkwardly behind a desk stacked with several copies of his book, while the text above the photo read "'Fantastic Beasts' sells out at Flourish & Blotts for the second time since release". If he did he gave no indication; he seemed content with looking about the shop from underneath his mess of hair, one hand still holding the handle of the suitcase he'd set on the floor next to his feet. Even with his greatcoat a greyer, more neutral color, he somehow still managed to stand out.
Even with a shop assistant helping her, Tina wasn't sure she could trust herself to find something Queenie would love, though she knew her sister well enough, she didn't know fashion very well, and Queenie's preferences for clothes had also changed over the last few months, so she instead asked the shop assistant if they sold fabrics, which they thankfully did. If she couldn't buy Queenie something ready-to-wear, she could at least get her something that would encourage her talent for dressmaking. She ended up purchasing a few yards each of dark red velvet and dark green cotton fabrics (she noticed that her younger sister wore less and less pink and more and more muted, darker colors as of late).
After leaving Madam Malkin's, the pair continued their stroll down Diagon Alley, stopping right outside Flourish & Blotts, which had Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them on their window display, and Tina could saw witches and wizards of all ages leaving the shop with their own copies. She looked over at Newt beside her and saw his face had turned beetroot. She smiled, and, sensing he was too embarrassed to go inside, tugged him by the arm so they could turn around. The best-selling author was now walking briskly and had his head ducked down lower than usual, and Tina immediately understood that he was afraid of being recognized.
When they reached a quiet corner near where they entered from, Newt checked his pocket watch. "So sorry about that," he said, slightly out of breath. "I also don't want to have to cut this short but I do have an interview with The Daily Prophet later this afternoon, so…but I will be back in time for the party."
"It's fine," she assured.
They went back inside The Leaky Cauldron, where they were to travel by Floo Network directly to the Scamander residence. Newt let Tina go first, and after the green flames had passed, she stepped out of a fireplace and into an ornately decorated drawing room, and for what felt like the millionth time that day, she found herself gawking at the new environment. One of the first things she noticed was a crystal candle chandelier, which hung above a couch facing the fireplace. The chairs were all beautifully upholstered and there were antique-looking vases filled with flowers on almost every small table. The walls were covered with intricately patterned wallpaper and displayed several wizarding portraits that were all enclosed in gold picture frames. There was an enormous mahogany door on the left side of the room that was decorated with gold detail and surrounded by a gold door frame. The windows, also surrounded by gold framing, were as big as the doors and were adorned with patterned curtains. The entire floor was carpeted.
A burst of green flames came from the fireplace as she gaped at the room, and when Newt stepped out, she shot him an incredulous look. "Newt..."
He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand – a gesture of bashfulness. "Yes, I know...it's a bit much...but this is, erm...this is where I grew up."
Suddenly the door burst open, and the two turned to see a tall man, impeccably dressed in a dark grey suit. "Ah, brother."
"Theseus," Newt greeted in a somewhat clipped tone.
The man walked over to them, and once he was close enough, Tina saw the unmistakable resemblance: green eyes, freckled face, slightly reddish brown hair. But he was also very different from Newt: he was taller, broader, had a better posture, and whereas Newt's voice was soft and mumbled and for the most part only in normal to louder volumes when addressing his creatures, his brother's voice was a loud, clear, confident baritone. While both brothers had curly hair, Theseus' was slicked back away from his face, giving a clear view of high cheekbones and a mischievous glint in his eyes, while Newt let his own hair dangle in a floppy mess of curls he could hide under if he wanted to.
"Tina, this is–" Newt began, but was promptly cut off by his brother.
"Theseus Scamander," said the man, holding out his hand to Tina. "I'm Newt's older brother. And you must be Miss Tina Goldstein from New York, the auror who helped him capture Grindelwald."
"Yes," she confirmed, shaking his hand; slightly surprised by what he already knew. "Congratulations on your engagement."
"Thank you," he seemed genuinely pleased to hear that. Then he shot Newt a quick smirk before looking back at her. "Newton's told me many great things about you."
Tina's eyes flickered over to see Newt's face flush as he glared at Theseus. "I was just about to show her to her room; are mother and father home?"
"I'm about to meet them for lunch with Leta," he replied as he walked over and took a handful of floo powder from a jar on the mantelpiece and stepped into the fireplace. "I'll see you two later; try not to have too much fun before the party begins," at this both Newt and Tina blushed at the implication, and after one final smirk, Theseus uttered, "Lestrange manor," then released his fistful of floo powder and was engulfed by green flames.
For a few seconds after he disappeared, Newt and Tina continued to stare at the empty fireplace, their cheeks still flaming. It was Newt who spoke up first, "So sorry about him...he's infuriating, my brother."
"It's alright, I understand," she assured. "Queenie is the same, sometimes. But at least he can't read your mind, right?"
He chuckled at this, remembering his own encounters with the younger Goldstein sister. "No, quite right. Now follow me, please."
He lead her out of the drawing room, and she trailed behind him, once again gaping as she took in the rest of the mansion. They passed by another large room that also had a fireplace and a large carpet covering most of the floor and was surrounded by marble archways on three sides. Tina looked up and could see the upstairs hallways; possibly that was where the bedrooms were located. They went up a staircase with a marble railing that matched the archways in the main hall to a corridor that had more portraits up on the wall; some of the subjects even greeted Tina as she passed, to which she would flash them a small smile.
Her room wasn't too far from the staircase–thank Mercy; she'd have trouble finding her way back if it were–and Newt opened the door and allowed her to enter first. It was the most lavish bedroom she had ever seen. The walls were painted forest green, and the floor was unsurprisingly covered in a dark red carpet. To the right was a mahogany queen size bed that had on either side of it matching lamp shades perched on mahogany nightstands. Not far from the bed was another fireplace; smaller this time, and next to it was an armchair. Across the fireplace and flanked by two tall, curtained windows was a mahogany vanity set with three mirrors, and next to it a matching full-length mirror. There were smaller frames hung on the walls; some were paintings of beautiful gardens while others were wizarding photographs of Scamander ancestors and relatives.
"I've asked mother to give you a room not far from the staircase," he said after she set her suitcase down on the bed and walked to one of the windows. "I understand it can be quite overwhelming if it's your first time visiting."
"Quite," she said, turning around to face him with a smile on her face. Newt returned the smile, though his looked somewhat embarrassed.
"The washroom is here," he pointed to the door on his left, "and if you need anything, there's a bell on one of the nightstands you can use to ring for Dooky."
"Dooky?" She asked, tilting her head in question.
"House elf," he answered, not meeting her eye.
"Oh," Newt being Newt didn't look too pleased about the house elf situation, but something about the look on his face told her there wasn't much he could do about it. It was a story for another day.
A beat or two elapsed before Newt said, "Well, I'd best be off; the sooner I get there, the sooner it'll be over. You're welcome to roam the gardens and the library if you like." Then he briskly turned around to leave.
"Newt, wait," she called, and followed him to the doorway. He turned around to look at her, and she suddenly had trouble finding her words. "Thank you...for letting me stay here. You know, you really didn't have to, but thank you. And also for showing me around Diagon Alley earlier. I know you've been very busy."
He shook his head, his eyes looking to the floor. "It's really no trouble. After all, it's the least I could do for you after your hospitality in New York."
He finally met her eyes when he finished that sentence, holding her gaze. As Tina's heart rate increased, the rest of the world seemed to slow down. She wasn't sure how long they'd been looking at each other when Newt raised a hand and mimicked his actions from the docks three months ago and touched a lock of hair on her cheek. Her breath hitched, and her skin seemed to tingle where he touched.
"Beautiful," he murmured.
Heart pounding faster, she couldn't stop her small gasp. "What?"
He blinked a few times, as though realizing what he'd just said. "Erm...your–your hair. It...it suits you very well."
She beamed at him, feeling her cheeks warm. "Thank you."
As he continued to look at her his eyes seemed to blink only half way, and Tina wondered whether it was her only imagination making her think that he was looking at her the same way he would in her best dreams.
But then his hand was no longer touching her cheek and he said, "I'll see you later," with a small smile of his face.
"Yes," she breathed, still smiling from ear to ear. His smile widened to match her own, and he turned to leave. She watched him go until he disappeared at a left turn down the hallway. Then she closed the door and let out a long breath; a warm, giddy feeling bubbled inside her, and she couldn't help but let out a giggle.
After letting her heartbeat slow, her eyes landed on her suitcase on the bed, and, remembering what she had in it, took off her coat and walked over to the bed. She set her coat down next to the case, opened the case and smiled when she saw her copy of Newt's book atop her clothes, personal effects, and the materials she bought for Queenie. She walked to the side of the bed, toed her shoes off and perched herself on the pillows and headboard and spent the remainder of the afternoon reading the book from cover to cover.
Presently, the book was on one of the nightstands, and Tina continued to pace around the room. Now that she had finished reading it, there was little to distract her from a nagging thought that had been on her mind since the conference ended the previous night.
While she was initially relieved and glad that she was allowed to stay behind and attend the party so she spend more time with Newt–especially since his earlier invitation for her to attend his book launch was sadly rejected due to her being neck-deep in paperwork–now that the party was only a little over an hour away, she wasn't so sure anymore; especially considering the other people who would be attending this party.
Truth be told, it was the thought of just one other person who was sure to be attending that had her so worried. An anxious weight pulled her spirits downward as she continued to ponder the likelihood of spending the engagement party watching Newt pine over his old friend (or perhaps something more) from school.
He hadn't told her much about Leta save for a few words when she finally asked him at the docks (it was Queenie who told her about the picture the day after Grindelwald's arrest at the subway), and he hadn't mentioned how he felt about the engagement in his letters or in person. That didn't soothe her worries in any way. Queenie was quick to add that Leta had badly taken advantage of Newt's kindness when they were in school, and said nothing more on the matter, which Tina respected. But that didn't soothe her worries much either, after all, people change.
She stopped her pacing at one of the windows, which showed a breathtaking view of the estate's enormous backyard. While her eyes had set upon the gardens, ornate and beautiful with lush green hedges and a fountain surrounded by shrubs, she paid barely any attention to it. Instead, she thought back those words he uttered months ago.
"I don't really know what Leta likes these days...Because people change...I've changed. I think. Maybe a little."
She couldn't deny the hope that blossomed in her chest when he said he'd changed, though she wished she could extinguish it. Even if Newt had moved on from Leta, what were the chances he returned Tina's feelings? In the week he stayed at hers and Queenie's apartment, after Jacob walked out in the rain, she had been in the case a fair few times and seen the picture herself–one such instance was when she'd given him a suggestion for the title; the picture was nearby, and she'd tried her best not to look at it too much. There was no denying that Leta Lestrange was a beautiful girl. An exquisitely beautiful girl, not unlike Tina's own sister.
Tina had always thought herself plain and for the most part didn't mind it. She didn't mind Queenie getting more attention from boys; she and her sister had always been different, and she respected that. But something about seeing an exquisitely beautiful girl smiling flirtatiously in the picture Newt kept made her heart twinge unpleasantly. To Newt, perhaps, the smile was flirtatious and inviting; but to Tina, it seemed almost challenging, as though daring her to do something and all the while expecting her to fail at it.
Tina shook her head; it wasn't logical or fair to feel threatened by someone she hadn't met who had likely changed since then. After all, Leta was engaged to Theseus now, though Tina still felt immensely doubtful about bringing all this up to Newt.
She sighed, and continued to look out the window, this time trying to focus on the gardens instead. That was soon interrupted, however, when a speck in the late afternoon sky caught her eye. She squinted as it came into view.
It was an owl. And it seemed to be headed towards her. She opened the window just in time, and the landed gracefully on it. It was a tawny owl, body covered in white and amber-colored feathers, wide black eyes looking about the room. Before getting the letter, Tina pulled out her wand from her trouser pocket and walked over to the mantelpiece where there was a small tea set. Grabbing a saucer, she cast a wordless Aguamenti charm. She then walked to the vanity where she set the now water-filled saucer, beckoning the bird to come over with a tilt of her head. The bird followed and released the letter on the vanity table before dipping its beak into the saucer.
She recognized Newt's handwriting on the envelope, and, opening it, found a short note inside.
Dear Tina,
I hope you are settling in nicely and are feeling at home at my family's residence. I apologize profusely but there has been a sudden slight change of plans: I have just received an urgent owl from my publisher, Mr. Worme, who has called me in for an equally urgent meeting today. I gladly would have declined and asked him to reschedule the meeting to a different date, but I am afraid Mr. Worme is very difficult to refuse. Rest assured, he has given me his word that the meeting will be brief, therefore I will be able to return to be with you at the engagement party, though I will be tardy. Please do not feel the need to wait for me to arrive for you to go down to the ballroom: you are very much welcome to begin without me and to help yourself to food and beverages. I do not want my tardiness to be too much of an inconvenience for you. Again, I apologize profusely for this turn of events and that it came about at such late notice. I give you my word that I will be there as soon as I can. I look forward to seeing you at the party.
Yours,
Newt
She couldn't help but frown at the note (though the last two words had her blushing). Like him, she wasn't one for attending parties, and his being there was the only thing that motivated her to attend.
Sighing, she walked to her bed where she'd lain out the dress she was to wear that night. Queenie had truly outdone herself with this one. The straight cut dark blue dress would drop down to her ankles. It had a bateau neck that extended out to cap sleeves that would drape loosely on her shoulders, and a see-through neckline peppered with beadwork–some of the most stunning she had seen from any dress of Queenie's creation so far–that continued down to the hips and stopped abruptly at a black velvet sash that Queenie had sewn securely on to be knotted at the side. On the right hip just below the sash was a wand pocket (essential in any witch or wizard's attire) that her sister added an Undetectable Extension Charm to, specifically telling Tina before she left New York that their mother's locket (which Tina always wore) did not go with the dress, so she expanded the inside of the wand pocket so that she could at least keep it in her pocket. Queenie threw in a pair of long black satin gloves to top off the look.
She knew she'd be far from being the belle of the ball, what with majority of the guests being some of the most affluent members of Britain's wizarding society, but she could always trust that she'd feel secure (and perhaps even attractive) in anything her sister fashioned for her. With Queenie always being the one to dress more femininely, and making it a point to keep up with the latest trends and making clothes herself, she was naturally the one who helped Tina learn simple clothing alteration spells. Such spells proved especially useful during auror training when she had to sustain herself on top of setting aside money for Queenie's last two years at Ilvermorny, and the time she had been demoted to the wand permit office, which prompted a significant reduction in her wages as well as in her rank. Both times left Tina without the luxury of buying more up to date and better fitting apparel for herself, so she turned instead to altering her late parents' clothes to the bare minimum: sewing stray buttons onto their mother's outdated blouses and adjusting the waist lines of their father's oversized trousers to fit her with the spells she learned from Queenie.
Not long after she was reinstated as an auror, Queenie all but dragged her to a boutique and insisted she buy more fashionable and better fitting blouses and trousers for work, along with a sleek dark blue leather coat that hugged her slender frame nicely when all buttoned up ("You gotta dress the part, Teen. Show 'em that you're ready to be out in the field again. It's not everyday you get your dream job back!").
Just days after the sisters went shopping to update Tina's wardrobe, Queenie announced that she was headed out for a visit to the hairstylists' to update her own hairstyle to smoother, bigger curls, and gave Tina the idea of getting a sleeker, shorter hairdo with fringe ("It's how all the film stars are wearing their hair these days! The fringe would really bring out your eyes, and you ain't gotta worry about curling it since it's meant to be left the way it is,"). Queenie hadn't pushed her to get the haircut–only heavily hinting how good she thought it would look on her sister–in the end it was Tina's decision to have her haircut in that way, and a few days after Queenie had come home from the stylists' with a new hairstyle, Tina did the same and was greeted by a joyfully squealing younger sister ("You look so beautiful, Teenie!"). She had to admit she did indeed feel more confident, blushing and smiling at her sister's reaction to her new hairdo. Queenie was not one to ever hide how she truly felt about something–or someone, Tina mused–so she knew her sister meant what she said. Not only that, looking at the dress Queenie made for her, she was reminded once again never to doubt or question her sister's aesthetic opinion (so then it would be better to not wear the locket with the dress afterall). If it has Queenie's seal— or rather, squeal—of approval, or more importantly, if she made the damn thing, then it looks good.
Running her hands over the fabric of the dress, she sighed. She couldn't back down now. Not when she was already there at the Scamanders' estate with the party starting soon. Not when she promised Newt she'd be there with him. He needed her to be there.
She'd simply have to remind herself to ignore how much faster her heart would beat when Newt would so much as flash his green eyes at her, and remember how to breathe when he smiled at her. He asked for a companion for the ball, and that was all she would be.
She picked up her wand and, with a few flicks of her wrist, levitated the dress into the air while undoing the buttons on its back as well as those on the blouse she was currently wearing. Time to get ready.
Thank you so much for reading my first fanfic for Fantastic Beasts and my first fanfic in years! I got the idea for this a few months ago after re-watching the ballroom scene from Enchanted (2007) and remembering a SnitchSeeker article that said there was a rumoured ballroom scene in CoG. Then teaser trailer gave us a glimpse of that ballroom scene, and while it's not been confirmed whether Newt and/or Tina will be there, we can all dream.
Some footnotes for this chapter:
1. The books Newt and Tina picked up at the secondhand book shop are both actual books from the wizarding world according to Pottermore. There's no telling if they'd both been released by March 1927, but "Men Who Love Dragons Too Much" in particular was just too tempting not to include.
2. According to Pottermore, the Floo Network is a way for witches and wizards to travel without the risk of breaching the Statute of Secrecy, and while we never see any floo travel in the first FB film, that information tells us it would make sense for American wizards to also make use of it.
Thanks again for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter, which hopefully will be up this time next week. That one's going to have the ballroom scene, which I'm excited for you all to read!