CHAPTER 7
In which loose ends are tied and Newt has a (very) dramatic exit.
Newt, Theseus, and Kama emerged from behind the pillars and hurried down onto the podium. Theseus and Leta unraveled the chains from the Maledictus and Credence.
Newt could see from a distance that Credence was completely drained. His eyes were deadened and his head was lolling slightly. The Maledictus didn't look much better.
"I'm going to take Credence and Nagini to our flat," said Leta. "They need a good long rest to recover from this."
Newt was struck by how motherly Leta was acting. When he had been friends with her back at Hogwarts, she had never been this outgoing or caring. Newt decided that Theseus was a good impact on her, and instantly felt warmer to the both of them.
"OK, dear," said Theseus wearily. "Don't forget to take care of yourself. I'll be back as soon as we're done here."
Leta, holding Credence and the Maledictus tightly, Disapparated in a whirl of color.
Dumbledore approached Newt solemnly, looking more wizened than ever.
"I am glad that this battle turned in our favor," said Dumbledore. "I doubt that Grindelwald will be in a hurry to engage us again after that. Ah, Ms. Porpentina! I'm glad that you decided to join us."
"Well," said Tina, still riding atop the Zouwu, "it wasn't really my choice, but it's better to be here than be in an interrogation session."
Newt recoiled a bit upon learning this news. He had thought that Tina had come willingly.
Dumbledore gave a slow nod, then said, "we must remember that when we are divided, we are weaker than a Flobberworm. But when we stand united, we are stronger than the bravest Nundu."
Newt looked around at Kama, Theseus, Dumbledore, and Tina and breathed deeply. He wished he could hear more of the phoenix song to cheer him up. Thinking of the phoenix's demise just made him feel worse.
"Yusuf and I are taking Abernathy in to the French Ministry, Newt," said Theseus, who had befriended Kama during the fight. "Seeing how you two are still wanted by the French Auror Force, I think it's best if you lay low for awhile while we clear things up with them."
Newt nodded as Theseus, Kama, and Abernathy vanished.
The Zouwu snorted loudly and pawed at the ground, drawing Newt's attention.
"You're thinking of the phoenix, aren't you?" asked Tina, as Newt looked up where the cloud of smoke still hung.
"Yes," admitted Newt, biting his lip. Even though he had only known the phoenix for less than a day, he still felt deeply attached to it. "We all would have died if he hadn't swallowed the Fiendfyre."
Dumbledore swept by Newt and Tina, bent down, and picked something up from off the floor.
"There's no need for sorrow, my friends," said Dumbledore, cupping something in his hands. When he came closer, Newt saw that it was a phoenix chick.
"He's alive!" said Newt. "The Fiendfyre didn't kill him; it merely reverted him to a chick!"
Dumbledore made to give the phoenix back to Newt, but Newt refused.
"No, keep him, by all means, Professor," said Newt. "I don't think you could get him to leave you, anyway."
The baby phoenix cawed gently and snuggled into Dumbledore's palm.
"I do not deserve this," said Dumbledore, sadness filling his eyes. "I am as bad as Grindelwald for making you fight him. I was scared to fight Grindelwald; that's why I sent you. I was sorted into Gryffindor, but I never considered myself brave. Perhaps this phoenix will give me the bravery I need."
Newt ducked his head, not making eye contact. He didn't quite know how to respond.
"The phoenix only channels one's bravery," said Tina finally. "That means that you had all the bravery you needed all along."
"How did you…?" asked Newt.
"I couldn't for you to come back to New York to get your book. I bought a copy the day it came out in the U.S."
Newt looked flattered, but didn't say anything.
Dumbledore smiled fondly at Newt and Tina, then at his new pet. "I think I shall call him Fawkes, after the Muggle festival."
Newt and Tina exchanged a dubious look.
"Well, I had best be off to England before the Ministry realizes that I left. Merlin, I can't so much as leave the castle without getting tailed by them. Good to make your acquaintance, Ms. Goldstein. Goodbye, Newt."
He gave a short bow, tipped his hat, then vanished, leaving Newt and Tina alone in the ancient room.
"Merlin's beard, I'm exhausted," said Newt, helping Tina get down from atop the Zouwu.
"Me, too," said Tina. "When I went off to look for Credence, the French Aurors caught me and took me in for questioning. They were interrogating me when Leta got me free."
Suddenly, a loud chirp came from Tina's pocket.
Pickett crawled out and gave a large yawn.
"Don't tell me you slept through all that," said Newt incredulously.
Pickett held his arms out like a baby, and Newt gently picked him up from Tina's shoulder.
Tina smiled. Watching the quirky magizoologist interact with his creatures always brought a smile to her face.
"I need to get on the road to China," said Newt, setting Pickett back on his shoulder. "If there are any more Zouwus out there, I need to find them before the traffickers do."
"You won't stay?" said Tina, surprised. "Not even for a day? We still have to find out what's going on with Credence."
Newt shook his head. "Being around Theseus and Leta has been awkward in the extreme. I don't want to prolong it if I can. And I have a mission, anyway."
"You'll at least say goodbye to them?"
Newt sighed. "A Patronus message will do," he said.
He looked at Tina and thought once more about how the form of his Patronus had changed into a porcupine. Upon much contemplation, he decided that he still didn't understand whatever it was that had changed his Patronus.
He would keep it hidden, for now; he didn't understand it himself.
Whirling his newly-returned wand, Newt said, "expecto patronum!"
He mentally willed the indistinct white shape to zoom away quickly, before Tina could notice that he was blocking its true form.
"What's your Patronus?" asked Tina curiously. "I didn't see it very well."
"Erm," said Newt, "it's a Salamander."
"I should've expected it, your last name being what it is," said Tina.
Newt sighed in relief that his excuse had been enough, but he didn't notice the suspicious glint in her eye.
Newt climbed over the pile of rubble in the doorway, then started heading up the stairs back to the cupboard. Tina followed him.
"I'm going to fly the first leg of the journey on Horatio," said Newt. "He's my new hippogriff. Want to come in to the case and say hi to everyone?"
"Sure," said Tina happily.
Newt nimbly descended the ladder in front of her and hurried out into the case. He headed straight through the door to the shed and walked into the brightly-lit case. As Tina followed him, she happened to notice the small portrait of Leta Lestrange on the table.
She felt a pang of resentment that Newt still kept a photo of Leta, even though Tina knew that Newt no longer had feelings for her.
Tina turned her gaze away from the small portrait, then headed forward out of the shed before Newt noticed that she had stopped. She looked around the case in wonder, spotting a number of creatures she recognized and an equal amount that she had never seen before.
The Niffler was sorting through the gold coins in her burrow as a handful of baby Nifflers scampered around, trying to stuff gold coins into their tiny pouches.
"My Niffler had babies," said Newt with pride. He reached into the burrow, picked up a calico one, and gave it to Tina to hold.
Its multicolored fur was surprisingly soft, like a kitten. The Niffler cuddled into her palm, searching it for anything shiny.
"Quite a hassle they've been, too," continued Newt. "Some of them got loose at Gringotts—that's the London wizards' bank—and it was very nearly a catastrophe. The goblins that work there were furious at me!"
Tina looked down at the innocent-looking Niffler and decided that she didn't trust it any more than the fully grown one. Just as she thought it, the little Niffler spotted her necklace and scampered up her arm. Before she could recoil, it had stuffed the pendant into its pouch and was hanging on the chain like a fluffy, overgrown bead.
Tina grabbed the Niffler and tried to pull the locket out of its pouch, but it was stuck there as if cemented.
"Here, let me help," said Newt, taking the Niffler gently and tickling its underbelly.
The Niffler squeaked a few times in what sounded like laughter, then the pendant fell out of its pouch.
The locket sprang open in the process, and Newt caught sight of it before she could close it.
"I hate to pry," said Newt, putting the Niffler back in the burrow, "but are those—"
"My parents," finished Tina quietly. "They died of dragon pox when Queenie and I were very young."
"I remember," said Newt, his eyes becoming slightly clouded with sadness. "I saw them in the death potion. You must have loved them very much."
Tina nodded, then closed the latch and tucked the necklace away. Just as Newt had the portrait of Leta, Tina kept the picture of her parents. They were once loved, but now torn out of reach.
Tina gave a small smile upon her understanding.
"Do you want to see my Zouwu?" asked Newt.
"Sure," said Tina, glad that Newt had changed the subject.
Newt led the way to the former Erumpent enclosure, which now held the Zouwu.
"Where is your Erumpent?" asked Tina. "I thought she used to be in this enclosure."
Newt gave an amused chuckle as he remembered the Erumpent mating dance he had performed in the zoo in Central Park.
"I had to give her back to the Sudanese wizards I borrowed her from for the breeding program. That's the first thing I did when I got back from New York."
"Oh," said Tina. "Good for her! It's good for you, too… no more mating dances!"
Newt smiled embarrassedly. "Jacob told you?"
"Queenie did, actually," responded Tina. "She read Jacob's thoughts, then conveyed them to me."
Newt laughed before opening the gate to the Zouwu's enclosure. "Must be hard to keep a secret from a Legilimens."
The Zouwu ran over to them with surprising speed, its red tail flaring out behind it like an enormous banner. Tina was tempted to take a few steps back in fright, but Newt remained still without a sign of fright on his features.
The Zouwu slowed only when it was just a few feet in front of them. It lowered its furry brown head and sniffed Newt deliberately. When it moved closer to Tina, she shivered in fright but stood her ground. It stood so close that Tina could count the ridges lined in its tusks.
When she had ridden the Zouwu earlier, it was less than her idea than the Zouwu's idea. When Tina climbed into the case, she had intended to release Margaret the Nundu. However, the Zouwu sensed the commotion and Dark magic outside the case, and burst out. Tina just happened to be halfway down the ladder and managed to swing onto the Zouwu's back before it burst into the room.
"Easy, Muffie," said Newt cautiously.
The Zouwu gave a little cough-like sound, and twirled its scarlet tail behind it.
"Muffie?" said Tina curiously.
"Don't make me explain this one," responded Newt with a chuckle.
Newt refilled the trough of water with a quick "aguamenti" and headed back through the gate, Tina in tow.
Tina was delighted to see the Bowtruckles, Graphorns, Nundu, and Mooncalves, all of which she recognized from her brief time in the case a year prior.
Newt led her to the bamboo forest biome of the case, where the Occamys were curled up and the Demiguise sat in his swinging nest.
"Hello, Dougal," said Tina cheerfully as Newt busied himself feeding the Occamys. "Your hair is getting quite long."
"Funny you should mention that," said Newt, looking up from the Occamys to watch Newt and Dougal. "I've been meaning to spin his coat into an Invisibility Cloak."
Tina looked back at Dougal. She was startled to see that he had become invisible.
"Where did you go, Dougal?" she asked, scanning the surroundings.
Tina looked past the nest and saw that a massive hippogriff was approaching from the bamboo forest.
"Newt," warned Tina.
"Oh, Horatio, there you are!" cried Newt, rising from the Occamys.
He took a deep bow, then when the hippogriff mirrored his movements, he moved forward and stroked the hippogriff's neck.
Tina took a few steps forward, then felt the hippogriff's proud orange eyes on her and froze. For some reason, the hippogriff seemed far more intimidating than both Frank and the Zouwu.
"Newt, what do I do?" said Tina, barely daring to move.
"Bow—keep eye contact—and see if he bows back," replied Newt.
Slowly, Tina bent forward, unnerved by the hippogriff's brilliant orange eyes.
The hippogriff started forward a few paces to get a better look at her. He snapped his beak menacingly, and Tina eyed the razor-sharp talons nervously.
Then, the hippogriff bent his scaly front legs and lowered his head in a bow.
"Oh, excellent," said Newt cheerily. "You can come up and pet Horatio now."
Up close, the startling orange eyes were a little less frightening. Tina hesitantly touched the brown feathers on the hippogriff's neck and laughed in surprise when she felt how soft they were.
Horatio trotted around them happily, occasionally preening his flight feathers. He seemed to sense the upcoming flight, as he was flapping his enormous wings excitedly.
Newt seemed to notice Horatio's excitement, too. He was slowly sidling closer to the shed.
"I wish you could stay for longer," said Tina, a trifle dejectedly. "It seems as if we're constantly saying our goodbyes."
Newt bowed his head, looking off to the side.
"They come all too frequently, it's true," he said.
Tina could tell he was thinking of the time he had left New York.
"Oh, by Morrigan's toenails, how could I have forgot!" Newt reached into his pocket and extracted a thin, scarlet book. "Your copy," said Newt, proffering the book, "the first off the press. It's a bit redundant now that I know you already have one, but I thought—"
"Thank you, Newt," said Tina gratefully, looking at the front page and reading the title.
"I should be off," said Newt wearily.
"Of course," responded Tina.
Newt and Tina brought Horatio out of the case and into the dimly lit hallway. He shrank his case with a prod of his wand and secured it in his pocket.
He turned to Tina, his eyes misted.
"I'm going to miss you, Tina," he said.
"I'll miss you, too, Newt," replied Tina.
She watched as the familiar figure dressed in his grey coat mounted the hippogriff, and tapped its sides with his heels.
Horatio cantered down the rickety hallway, broke down the door with his talons, and leapt off the front stoop. With five tremendous wingbeats, the hippogriff took off into the night.
Tina ran to the doorway, watching as the hippogriff flew high above the rooftops into the starlit night. It may have just been a flicker of her imagination, but she thought she might have seen Newt's pale hand waving down at her against the night.
That's the end. I hope you've enjoyed this story, and I'm so sorry my posting schedule got all messed up. There were supposed to be around six days left until the release of CoG, but… well… that didn't end up happening. Most of what is in this final chapter was there before I saw the movie, including Fawkes, the Zouwu, and oddly, a mention of a Salamander.
Well, here's to another two years of drudgery, I guess! Merlin, that wait will be fun (intense sarcasm).
Have fun watching the movie! I hope it's as good was we all hope it will be.
Feedback in any form is greatly appreciated!
I had my friend write an omake to go with this story. (Grammar mistakes were purposely left in.)
Omake prompt: The hippogriff is actually rabid
Tina approached Horatio cautiously going to bow down like Newt had told her. Suddenly Horatio started foaming at the mouth and starting making bubbles.
"ummm... newt," Tina said "I'm pretty sure your Hippogriff is rabid."
"Nonsense," Newt replies "Horatio is one of the finest Hippogriffs ever, he so fine he once imploded someone out of sheer awesomeness"
Tina stared at Newt dumbfounded. Well, she thought, Newt has definitely gone insane. Belatedly she realized Newt had not stopped talking and she had accidently tuned him out.
"-the best of breed in Hank's Hairy Hippogriffs contest for Hippogriffs with H names and possible questionable illness," Newt rambled on. "In fact," he said angrily, "I am highly offended you would ever suggest he was rabid."
"We too are also highly offended," said Jacob and Queenie popping out of a red flying convertible.
"Goodbye, Tina," He said stiffly. Newt then swung onto the back of the Hippogriff and rode of into the metaphorical sunset with the cheerful convertible tooting along behind him in the skies. (It would have been a real sunset but unfortunately it was the wrong time of day.)
Later it was realized that Newt, Tina, and Horatio were actually in his suitcase earlier in the scene and all of them at some point in the scene had exited it without any of them noticing. This fact left Tina very puzzled and 100% that Newt's insanity was contagious and that she was now partly crazy.
