Hey chapter twelve ! No real soundtrack for that one. Can you guess Newt's boggart ? Next chapter clue : something you were waiting for ! Have a good read ! HW.

Chapter Twelve - Don't fear the Boggart.

Tina was facing Queenie in a very old and dusty room. They were alone and it was fairly dark in there. It was once a bedroom with a big toybox but there were just some broken toy left. Tina looked at her sister with a sad smile then pointed her wand at her without any hesitation. Queenie stared at her with incredulity, even fear. Did she get it wrong after all ?

Morning, some hours before - MoM.

- Remind me again why it's we who have to do it, boss ? Smith asked with annoyance, it should be the Being or the Spirit division's work, right ?

- Stop calling me that, said Theseus, and no, it's not. As you know, there is three sub-division in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creature: beast, being ans spirit except that Boggart are none of these category. They are non-being.

- Okay, let's say it's not the DRCMC's business, why is it ours ?

- There are three of them and they keep multiplying. It begins to be dangerous and the Muggle Worthy Excuse Committee is having trouble to explain the recent events to the No-magic world.

- Why don't they clear them from the house themselves then ?

- They aren't qualified. Simple as that.

- Great ! I wanted to train, Smith grumbled with bad mood, how am I supposed to learn wandless magic under these circumstances ?

- Fine, retorted Theseus, i'll ask someone else, but you better be able to use at least one spell without your wand by the time we came back or else I'll send you to the Centaur office !

Theseus needed one last person since he had the intention to bring Tina with him. He told her he won't let her out of his sight and he was indeed very serious about it. They were both overqualified for this task and it wasn't really their attribution but orders were orders. The house was in the centre of London. It was old and abandonned so little by little, the muggle neigbourhood started to believe it was haunted, which wasn't of course, not at the beginning anyway. Theseus found Tina in Douglas's office. The two of them were talking about an unsolved case when Theseus came in.

- Tina, Mcdowell, I need you to come with me at once.

- Sorry Theseus but Travers asked for my assistance today, Douglas told him.

- What for ? He wanted to know.

- We may have a lead on an old case and his own team is already chasing a dangerous dark mage on the loose. You'll have to ask someone else.

- O'connel is on parental leave, I can't ask him to come now.

- Maybe your brother could give you a hand with this ?

- I don't know... he glanced at Tina, Or maybe... Follow me Tina.

- Er, yeah, okay.

- Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

It was the very first time Tina went to this department. There were a lot of people, not only wizard but goblin, house-elf, some ghost too. It was far more noisy than the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as well. In addition to the regular sound of the workers, various creatures could be heard in the Beast division. That was exactly where they were headed. Tina smiled when she noticed someone in the background was asking every passer-by if they had seen his gnome.

- Causing a mayhem must be quite common here, am I right ?

- You have no idea. Come on, Newt's office is down that hall.

- Why do you need him ?

- He used to work in the Office for House-Elf Relocation in the Being division. He can help us.

- Isn't he busy ?

Theseus didn't answer and knocked on Newt's office door instead. They heard a loud bang, something crashing on the floor with a glass noise then, finally, Newt's voice saying something about Merlin. Theseus and Tina glanced at each other, both puzzled. When Newt opened the door, he was panting and seemed displeased.

- Hi, listen, I might need your help for - Theseus began but was sharply cut by his little brother.

- I'm sorry but I don't have the time for this right now, he replied in a rush without noting Tina's presence. He then shut the door as fast as he could. Theseus blinked in total stupefaction at his brother behavior.

- Well, he is occupied, Tina stated to Theseus with a "I told you so" tone.

Newt, who was walking in his office to resume what he was doing before, froze when he heard Tina's voice from the other side of the door. His eyes widen when he understood he had just sent her packing. Theseus and she were on their way back to the Auror Headquarters when Newt caught up with them, shouting at his brother to wait for him. Theseus watched his brother with a satisfied look as he came near them. Newt averted his eyes with embarassment when he met his gaze.

- I - I don't have that much to do actually. Oh, hello Tina, he smiled awkwardly at her, pretending he didn't know she was with his brother.

- Hi, she greeted him back kindly.

- So, why do you need me ? He asked bluntly to his brother.

- Well, there is a house right in the centre of London which is infested by boggart, at least two but we think there are three of them. They're not really a threat but the Muggle are starting to notice something's wrong and the Ministry don't know how to cover it up. The obliviator team are fed up with listening stories about giant spiders, mummies and all that stuff.

- What's a boggart ? Tina looked confused.

- You don't know ? I thought they lived worldwide, stated Theseus genuinely taken aback by her lack of knowledge.

Newt, on the other hand, explained her what was the creature without making a value judgement as they were aiming at the Atrium to leave the Ministry. After he finished his explanation, Tina stared at him as a moment of clarity crossed her mind.

- A boggle ! She exclaimed.

- Excuse me ?

- We called them boggle in America. Why are there several of them ? Aren't they supposed to be loner creature ?

- Well, we're not sure about how they reproduce but we think fear create them, informed Newt, see, at the begining that house was utterly ordinary despite its looks. But muggle started to believe it to be haunted and it sort of became real. Since a lot of people are affraid of it, they keep on multiplying.

- That does make sense, his brother agreed, okay, meet me outside. We'll have to be very careful, the house is situated in the muggle world and I don't want any witness. Understood ?

Tina and Newt both nodded silently. Some moments later they split in direction of the fireplace.

Late morning - near the middle of London.

When the three wizard arrived in the concerned area, they immediatly recognised the house. Whereas the other were all lovely with their gardens well-maintained, that one was twisted in every way. It looked old, not necessarily very damaged but something gloomy emerged from it with a lot of strength. It was totally abandoned given the wild state of its garden.

- I can see why the No-Maj are scared by it, Tina shivered, this house gives goose bumps.

The inside was in a great disorder and quite dark despite the few windows. The house was composed of a living room, two bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen. The latter was linked to the living room, like a sort of dining room.

- Let's start looking, Newt you go in one of the bedroom, Tina in the other one while I deal with the living room. If you find one of them, you know what to do, Theseus whispered them, we're not leaving until the house is cleared.

- In the Parental bedroom.

The room was even darker so Newt used his wand to open the shutter. The bed was big, dusty and messy. The blanket and the pillow were opened, as if something had torned them with anger. There was a big wardrobe just in front of it. Its mirror was broken, like a lot of thing actually. Newt came near it very quietly. He raised his wand with apprehension, expecting to find at least one of the boggart into it. He opened the wardrobe's door with a single flick of his wand to find it was in fact empty. He sighed with relief and closed the door. Then he heard a faint creaking not far behind him. He looked up at the mirror and turned around abruptly when he saw what was reflected in it. Just in front of him was standing a human like being with long dark hair and wearing a long black garment. Its face was deadly pale, its eyes black, big and deep with no expression. It was staring intensely at Newt without a blink. The latter shivered when he met its gaze. The time seemed to have froze as they stared at each other, like hypnotized, when suddenly, the creature began to open its mouth very, very slowly. Newt didn't waste any more minute as he realised what was about to happen and pointed firmly his wand toward the strange being.

- Riddikulus !

The thing blinked several time before starting to chuckle. It was very light but its laugher became soon uncontrollable. Newt was now observing it with fair scientific interest. The boggart tried to compose itself but it just aggravated its fit of laughter. Backed into a corner, unable to calm down, it finally took the decision to escape by the window, breaking it in the process.

- All right, he mumbled, one down, two to go.

Meanwhile - In the living room.

Theseus was searching the creature in every corner of the room. He hated boggard so he was in a hurry to get this over with. He found them vicious. He opened the drawers, looked under the fourniture item and even between them but couldn't find any trace of the hidden creature. He started to believe that maybe there were only two of them after all. He walked toward the bedroom's door to see how his brother handle things. He was about to grab the door-handle but halted when he heard a rattling in the kitchen. He turned around and saw the lid of a pan's lid was shaking by itself.

- So that's where it was actually hidden… Theseus murmured to himself.

He hadn't considered that boggart could shrink to the point of fitting in such a little item but now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense. They were non being and, therefore, they weren't limited by things like meat suit. When the boggart exited the pot, Theseus jumped with surprise. That one was particularly agressive. It shapeshifted for some minute, trying to figure out what Theseus feared the most. It made finally a choice and changed into his little brother, lying dead on the floor. Theseus stared at him, his jaws clamped with tension. He raised firmly his wand and casted the suitable spell. To his great stupefaction, the boggart didn't took the comical form he had imagined in his mind but changed into something else instead. Now, Leta was standing in front of him, looking at him with blame. He started when she spoke to him.

- Theseus, she said quietly, why did you left me to die ?

He raised his wand again but with less confidence than the first time. The fake Leta assumed an air of hurted indignation in reaction.

- Are you really going to attack me ? She asked in a shaking breath, I thought you loved me !

Theseus almost replied that he did and even still does but remembered just in time that it wasn't his beloved fiancée, that it was a puppet whose only purpose was to feed on his suffering.

- Riddikulus !

Leta cried out and suddenly disappeared into an explosion of multicoloured confetti falling slowly on the floor. Just like that, the boggart was gone. Theseus stared into space where the creature used to be with deep sorrow. He couldn't stop a tear from flowing slowly along his face. He wiped it hastily and decided it was time to check on his brother as he heard some glass shattering coming from the bedroom.

At the same time - In the children's bedroom.

The room Tina was currently inspecting was much darker than the rest of the house so she used her wand to have a better look. She discovered it was because every windows where barricaded with several wooden planks. It gave the bedroom a truly gloomy aura. The few toys she found were all broken or torned and looked quite old. There was a twin bed so she knew at least two children used to live here with their parents. It reminded her her own room she used to share with Queenie in New York. They weren't rich enough to have two separated bedroom but they didn't mind, truth to be told. Plus, since men weren't allowed, it has always been the two sister alone. Well, until Newt and Jacob obviously. Next to the bed, there was a big closed toybox on the floor. Tina didn't need to open it, she had the strong feeling one of the boggle where in it, comfortably set up.

- Nox, she whispered and slowly opened the toybox.

The boggle changed immediatly so Tina was now facing Queenie. She stepped over the toychest without taking her attention from the young witch. Tina watched her with a sad smile and raised her wand toward her with determination. Queenie widen her eyes in fear.

- You didn't get it, she told the buggle, I'm not afraid of my sister, I'm afraid for her. Riddikulus.

Queenie slipped apparently on nothing and fell on her backside with a whine. Tina laughed with good heart. The buggle looked around, disconcerted and uncertain about what to do. He focused again, glanced at Tina and transformed into something else. Tina stopped abruptly to laugh. Her mother and her father were t

here, looking at her with both anger and disappointment. They were like in her last memories of them: badly sick with bumps and greenish tinge to skin.

- What have you done Tina ? Mrs Goldstein said sharply.

Utterly confused, Tina made a questioning sound.

- We counted on you, added Mr Goldstein, but you failed miserably. You're a waste.

- What on earth did we do to deserve such an useless daughter ? Complained her mother with a grimace.

- You were unwanted, still are by the way. That's why we had Queenie.

- No… Riddikulus, Tina shouted but nothing happened, she wasn't focusing enough and moreover, nothing funny came to her mind. She couldn't be blamed of course, how to turned your sick dead parents into something comical after all ? She was violently trembling.

- Yes, her mother carried on, who would actually befriend you or love you, Tina ?

- No one, finished his father with disregard.

- Stop it ! Riddikulus ! She moaned desperatly. She felt like a total incompetent for being unable to get rid of a simple boggle despite being an Auror. She was panting, struggling to focus on something to ridicule it.

The boggle was very close to her now so she step back but walked on a broken little toy train in the process and fell. Theseus and Newt entered the room and gasped with surprise to the sight of the parents of Tina. Newt placed himself protectively in front of the buggle who began changing consequently. Tina stood up painstakingly and left the room in a rush, obviously ashamed. Newt followed her with his eyes. Theseus told him to go after her, that he could handle the boggart. Newt tried to catch her up but she disapparated before he could do or say anything.