A/N Apologies for the delay. The reason is that you are now reading the work of Dr Hollysgirl: my thesis was approved and I got my PhD in the time since the last chapter. So now more excuses now! The rest of the story is mapped out and we've got another chapter or two before the end.

Hope you enjoy 😊

Leaving Paris

The sun had set over Paris when Newt, Theseus, Tina and Jacob apparated onto the front steps of their Paris home. It had been a long day, filled with tension and suspicion, particularly when it was suggested that Tina and Queenie were both in league with Grindelwald and using Queenie's supposed defection to infiltrate the Ministry. The suggestion had been dismissed almost immediately by both Theseus and President Picquery and was discarded entirely when Fawley was reminded that there was already a mole in the British Ministry- and Tina had never set foot there. After hours of questions, it had been concluded that Queenie's defection was sincere and after deciding that she'd told them everything she knew, the authorities had immediately requested her assistance with the interrogation of the two acolytes they'd caught that morning and who would be questioned in the afternoon.

There was no question of either Newt or Queenie remaining in Paris, given Grindelwald's interest in them. Newt needed to return to London to see to his creatures and after much debate, it was decided that Queenie would be transferred to the Ministry of Magic in England for her own protection and to keep her close to Europe for when her gift was required. She'd also conveniently be under the watchful eyes of both Theseus and Travers while they worked to identify the mole. While Madam Picquery had fought for her return to New York, the president had been out-argued by Minister Fawley, who reminded her somewhat icily of MACUSA's failure to contain Grindelwald and the fact that she'd be an easy target if she returned to the Goldstein apartment. Sensing an opportunity, Newt had immediately offered the spare room in his home, arguing that both he and Theseus would be close at hand.

With Credence now firmly embedded in Grindelwald's organisation, Tina's foreign assignment was concluded. Displeased with what could be viewed as yet another MACUSA failure, Madame Picquery had instructed Tina to return to New York. She was prevented from issuing further orders by Theseus, who'd caught a distressed glance pass between Newt and Queenie and had hastily pointed out that Tina, too, had been targeted by Grindelwald. As a confidant of Newt's and as Queenie's sister, she could be used against them, something that Grindelwald had clearly realised during their encounter in the Tuileries Garden. As an Auror familiar with the case, Tina was also uniquely positioned to be of assistance and thus, Theseus argued, she should remain close to Europe to assist with what was shaping up to be an ongoing investigation into the extent of Grindelwald's reach. With an annoyed sigh, the American president had agreed to a temporary secondment to the Ministry of Magic in London, where Tina could protect her sister and work as part of Theseus's department until a change was necessary. Theseus also pointed out that as an outsider, Tina would have an advantage in helping them identify the mole currently feeding Ministry information to Grindelwald.

There was also the matter of Credence, or potentially, Aurelius Dumbledore, and an urgent owl had been dispatched to Hogwarts to inform the Dark Arts Professor. Until the matter could be investigated further, Fawley intended to keep a close eye on the older wizard and a meeting was being arranged to discuss the matter the next day, after they'd all moved across the Channel.

Given the events of the previous night, the potential danger and the fact that she would be helping with the interrogation in the afternoon, it was decided that Queenie would remain at the Ministry to assist while the others returned to the house to collect their belongings. The group would then travel directly to the Ministry of Magic in London via the Trans-Channel Floo network to minimise the chance of attack.

After a long day fuelled largely by mediocre Ministry tea and coffee, anxiety and dry croissants that cried out for jam, it was a haggard-looking group that found themselves on the front steps of the small terrace house. A collective sigh ran through them, rapidly replaced by tension when they turned to find the front door ajar, hanging only from its bottom hinge and creaking ominously in the slight breeze of evening.

Theseus, Newt and Tina immediately raised their wands and Newt stepped in front of Jacob, tightening his grip on the case. Theseus took point, followed closely by Tina and nudged the door open to find the entrance hall dark and quiet. He turned to Newt and Jacob.

"I think you'd best wait here," he said.

Newt shook his head but Tina agreed, "It might be a trap. No point in us all walking into it." She glanced down at his case. "And you've got precious cargo to protect."

Newt sighed and nodded. He pulled the swooping evil from his coat pocket and flung him outwards. The setting sun glinted off azure wings as the creature unfurled and circled their heads with a low shriek. Newt placed a hand on Tina's shoulder and whistled up to Cerberus, who swooped down and settled beside his master's hand, wing-tip claws lightly piercing Tina's leather coat.

"Take him with you," Newt said, fixing Tina with a meaningful look.

Tina nodded with a small smile, touched by his willingness to trust her with one of his creatures. She cast a quick (and slightly nervous) glance at the animal perched on her shoulder, "We'll look out for each other."

"I know," Newt looked from Tina to Theseus. "Be careful."

His brother nodded and, with a low "Lumos", illuminated his wand and slipped into the house with Tina just behind him.

Newt turned to Jacob and cast his eyes over the street around them. It was empty and peaceful. Warm yellow lights glowed in some windows where people were home, enjoying dinner with their families. Jacob gave a tense sigh and beside him, Newt wondered if his friend was feeling the same as he was: the sinking loss of that quiet domestic bliss, which seemed to slip further and further away from them with each encounter with Grindelwald's people. It was not something Newt had thought of since his expulsion from Hogwarts and the sudden loss of his friendship with Leta, but since New York, he'd once more begun thinking of having a certain woman in his future.

Her muffled scream from within the house behind him shattered the peace and Newt spun around towards the entrance. He immediately pushed his case into Jacob's arms and stepped into the house. Theseus turned from the doorway to the sitting room to stop him.

"No Newt!" he whispered loudly, "She's fine! Go back!"

Tina appeared in the doorway behind Theseus, shaking her head vigorously, "It's okay Newt. Just don't come in here."

"Why?! What's happened?" Newt demanded. He pushed past his brother and strode towards Tina.

"They've left a message," Tina explained. Up close, she had paled considerably and looked as if she was going to be ill. Newt picked up the metallic scent of blood in the air and noted that Cerberus was gone from her shoulder.

"You don't need to see this Newt," Tina's eyes implored him to agree, to stay out, but Grindelwald had made it personal and Newt was not going to stand by and be protected.

"Why? What've they done?!" He looked past Tina into the room. The lights were still off and Newt squinted into the darkness.

Tina put her hands on his upper arms and squeezed gently to bring his attention back to her. "Newt, did you have any other creatures in the case besides the nifflers and the zhouwu?" she asked seriously.

A frown creased his brow, "Only Pick, but he's been keeping to my pocket, why?"

Tina gave a small sigh of relief. "Then it's not yours," she bit her bottom lip and met his gaze with mournful eyes, ashamed of her relief at knowing that the creature behind her was not Newt's. She knew she couldn't keep him out of the room, but wanted to delay what she was sure would upset him.

"Tina, what's in there?" Newt's eyes flashed back to the doorway and she sagged, letting him push past her to enter the room.

Stealth cast aside, Newt flicked the lights on, figuring that any acolytes in the house were likely already aware of their presence. The sitting room was in total disarray, clearly having fallen victim to a number of destructive spells. Wooden shards of what had been tables and chairs were scattered around the room and dusted with torn fabric and stuffing from the former sofa. The wallpaper was torn in places, the lamp shades were ripped and the mirror above the fireplace had been shattered. Inside the frame, where there had once been reflective glass, hung an adult phoenix. The magnificent bird was upside down, its wings spread and pinioned to the wall with a carving knife in one wing and the fireplace poker through the other. A shard of glass had been jammed into its throat and a gruesome trail of glimmering crimson blood ran down the wall, dripped over the mantel and pooled on the floor in front of the hearth. Above the phoenix, written in what was surely blood, were the words that Newt recalled so well: Will we die just a little?

Newt's blood ran cold and he clenched his jaw. Fury and grief raced through him, indistinguishable, as he fought back his revulsion. His heart raced, every instinct screaming at him to go after Grindelwald, to pursue him and wipe him and his foul followers from existence. Phoenixes were extremely rare and to see one abused in this way just to send a message widened a growing crack in Newt's heart. It had started when he'd seen Leta die in Grindelwald's fire and widened the night before as he watched Grindelwald torture Tina. Now, it felt like a chasm of black bile was beginning to bubble in his chest. Was it hatred or sorrow? Newt couldn't tell. All he knew for certain was that he'd most definitely chosen a side and he resolved to do everything in his power to stop the dark wizard.

"Tina, we should clear the rest of the house," Theseus's voice came from behind him.

"Don't bother," Newt muttered sourly, clenching his teeth and his eyes still fixed on the phoenix. "They're gone. They've delivered their message."

Theseus looked to Tina and gave her a small shrug before turning and heading for the kitchen. Newt didn't move, chewing on the inside of his lip as his mind spun between grief and anger. Tina's hand on his arm brought him out of his thoughts and his gaze snapped to her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, taking his hands in her own. "Newt, I'm so sorry they did this."

He met her gaze and the sorrow she saw in his eyes gripped Tina's heart. Without thinking, she dropped his hands and pulled him to her before he could resist. He was rigid for a moment, taken aback, and then Tina felt his arms settle around her tentatively. She sighed and shut her eyes, squeezing him and enjoying the feeling of his rough coat against her cheek as Newt leaned into her slightly. She'd expected him to pull away, still not used to this much physical contact, and was relieved to find that he didn't rebuff her but rather, seemed to relax, content to accept what comfort she could offer just then. She turned her head and placed a chaste peck on the side of his jaw.

"Is it a phoenix?" she asked softly, casting her eyes up to the bird.

Newt nodded and pulled back from her embrace. He turned to the ghastly sight above them. "It's a message for Dumbledore."

"How did they even find one?" Tina frowned and cast her eyes up at the bird.

Newt's voice was harder than he intended when he said, "Credence."

The young man's heritage had been a topic of much debate, particularly when Queenie confirmed that he was learning to control his magic under Grindelwald's tuition during her debriefing. Nobody questioned that he was a wizard, but the likelihood of a lost Dumbledore son had led the authorities to doubt the validity of her claims. The fact that Grindelwald had managed to procure such a rare and untameable beast was proof of what they already knew to be true. The only thing Newt couldn't fathom was why Credence would allow Grindelwald to harm a creature in this way. He now wondered if he'd perhaps been wrong about the boy's heart.

"Aaw geez!" Jacob stood in the doorway looking up at the phoenix and the bloody message above it, his mouth wide in revulsion. "These people are crazy."

"They're monsters," Newt said darkly. He went to stand beneath the phoenix. With a few flicks of his wand, the knife, poker and glass withdrew and the phoenix floated down into his waiting arms. Newt cradled it with one hand and Tina helped him to gently wrap its wings around its body.

"Still warm," Tina said with a shiver and a small frown.

"Jacob, my case?" Newt asked.

His friend set the case down at his feet and opened it for him to descend. As his head vanished into the case, Tina and Jacob shared a mournful look over the top.

"That wasn't one o' Newt's, was it?" Jacob asked with a frown.

Tina shook her head. "No…but I don't think it matters," she replied with a sad shrug, "It hurts him no matter what creature it is."

"I saw a lotta awful things in the War, but this…these people? They're evil," Jacob said, shaking of his head.

Tina said nothing, looking back up at the message on the wall.

Cerberus came gliding into the room from the kitchen just then. Jacob took a cautious step back, but Tina held out her arm to him. "Find anything?"

The beast gave a low whistle that Tina assumed was a 'no' and ignored her arm, landing on the mantel to lick at the blood. Tina whistled sharply, trying to mimic Newt and summon him back. It was muffled and bordered on a raspberry, but the creature gave a huff and circled the room, before settling on her shoulder once more.

"There's still some meat in the icebox," Jacob offered, "Or does he only eat brains?"

Tina's brow creased, "Dunno. Newt didn't mention swooping evils in his book." She tilted her head to look at the beast. Set deep within his skull, his glowing eyes, gave her the chills and she was acutely aware that his wide wingspan had him curled around her shoulders with his teeth unnervingly close to her right ear. She felt a spike of gratitude that this particular predator was on their side and resolved to find out exactly what Newt fed him as soon as possible.

With a sigh, she tipped her head towards the staircase on the other side of the room, "Come on. Let's clear this place and get outta here. I've had enough of this city."

With a screech, Cerberus took off up the stairs, with Tina close behind him.

x x x

Grindelwald's acolytes had been thorough. As they checked each room, Theseus and Tina found their belongings scattered, mirrors smashed, linen torn and wallpaper singed and peeling. The only mirror left intact was the one on the dresser in Queenie and Tina's room, which now bore a message scrawled in dark red ink (or was it something else? she wondered with a shiver):

I will hear you scream again

The script stopped Tina cold when she saw it and a whisper of pain shot through her and settled in her chest, squeezing her heart, which had suddenly begun to race. She shut her eyes and shook it off. The message could only have come from Rosier…and she would not allow herself to be thrown off balance by it.

"Tina?" Newt's voice from behind her was cautious. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and turned to find him staring past her at the message on the mirror. His eyes darted back to her and she lifted her chin defiantly, masking the slight shiver of fear that ran through her. Others would have missed it, but after years of observing his creatures, Newt immediately recognised the front for what it was and again began to suspect that they'd underestimated the consequences of the Cruciatus curse. The matter had been discussed briefly when they'd recounted the clash with Grindelwald for the authorities that morning, but Tina had assured them that her experiences were consistent with what she'd been trained to expect. President Picquery had seized the opportunity to tout the bravery and high-level training of MACUSA's Aurors and the matter had been dropped. It now occurred to Newt that less than 24 hours had passed since she'd been tortured in his name and the weight of responsibility on his shoulders became heavier.

"I won't let that happen to you again Tina," he promised. "This fight against Grindelwald and his fanatics may be far from over, but it's going to be different from now on." He stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her, both facing the mirror and its threat, and took her hand. "They've stolen too much from us, hurt too many of the people we hold dear. This fight is bigger than us, but Merlin−"

"They've made it personal," Tina finished softly. She turned her head to meet his eyes and squeezed his hand. "I know we haven't spoken about it…I was so busy looking for Queenie…but Newt, I'm sorry about Leta," she said, cautiously searching his face in case she'd overstepped. Newt cast his eyes down to her shoulder, avoiding her gaze and Tina felt her heart clench.

"I'm sorry, I−"

"She deserved better," Newt said, his jaw tight.

"She saved you. Both of you," Tina said.

There was a beat of silence and then Newt said, "That she did. Thank you, Tina. My… affection…for Leta died a long time ago, but she was… that is, my brother loves—loved—her very much. She was good. For him. And he for her." He looked up and found her eyes searching his face, deep concern pooled in their deep brown. "I don't know how Theseus is coping with her loss."

"He's protecting the people he still has left," Tina replied softly. After a pause, she explained, "After Père Lechaise, and after Leta and Queenie…when we started working together, Theseus asked me about us. You and me and…whether there was anything between us; what my intentions with you were." She gave a wry chuckle, "He was awful worried I'd hurt you. I know your relationship is complicated, but he looks out for you. Kinda like I try to do for Queenie."

Before, Newt would have snorted at this, but he now felt a flush of affection for his older brother. "And what exactly did you say your intentions for me were, Ms Goldstein?" he asked with a note of mischief in his voice.

"That you'll have to wait and see, Mr Scamander," Tina said with a wink. "Though your brother certainly approved—and as you know, older siblings always know best!"

Newt guffawed and shook his head. "I'll permit that just this once. I suspect that in this particular case, you may be right," he responded with a squeeze of her hand. When he pulled his gaze away from hers, his eyes caught a shine from the floor under the dresser and Newt bent to locate the source. He rose a moment later with Tina's locket in his hand.

"Isn't this?"

"My locket!" Tina gasped, her hand immediately flying to her chest. "Mercy Lewis, Newt. Thank goodness you found it!" She accepted the necklace with a grateful smile and immediately put it on. She gave it a squeeze. "It was our mother's. She gave it to me when they were moved to St Agatha's…not long before the end. Queenie was still too young, but I could wear it. It used to have pictures of us in it, but once I learned enough transfiguration, I changed it to our parents." She thumbed the locket open and tipped it so Newt could see the portraits inside.

"You have your father's eyes," Newt observed. While his hair was light—most likely the same shade of gold as Queenie's, Newt suspected—the man's eyes were dark and fierce. The woman opposite him had Tina's dark hair and Queenie's light eyes. She was beautiful and radiated a vivacity that Newt associated with the younger Goldstein.

"Yeah, we've both got a bit of each of them in us, only I got all the dark; Queenie got the light," Tina said wistfully. Newt caught a hint of sadness in her voice and when she snapped the locket shut, he said softly, "I'm glad you did, Tina." He paused, hesitation causing the words to stick in his throat. When Tina scoffed, he felt a surge of courage. He seized both sides of her face and met her eyes, "Because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." He punctuated these words with a gentle kiss on her forehead, then stepped back, blushing furiously, and strode from the room, simultaneously shocked and proud of his boldness.

In his wake, Tina stood with her mouth slightly open in surprise. Her hand went to her heart, closing over her mother's locket, and a small smile spread across her face as she began gathering what was left of her belongings.