As the Aurors struck, wands sending stream after stream of magic in Credence's direction, Newt and Elvira both yelled in protest, but it was Iliana's scream that was loudest. She dropped Credence's hand and swung her arms viciously. Fire exploded from the ground, streaming up towards the ceiling. The tiles there instantly charred, going blackened and cracked from the heat and force. It was blindingly bright as around the station people were forced to throw up their arms to defend against the wash of light and hot air. The spells connected with the fire and were harmlessly absorbed in a shower of cinders.
The fire snapped together, pulling out of its original cylindrical form, revealing a fully human and stunned-looking Credence staring blankly at Iliana. She stood before the Aurors, glaring at them with enough venom to make several of them take a sharp step back. The fire was collected around her arms, crackling harmlessly against her clothes and lighting her with an unholy glow. The flames, if one looked closely, almost seemed to resemble wings where they draped down behind her shoulders.
"You touch him," Iliana growled, and her voice was shockingly vicious and commanding as she spoke, "and I will burn you alive."
President Picquery's mouth thinned, but it was plain to see even she hadn't been expecting such a display of magic from the younger woman. "Miss Velikova, that thing is a danger to the Statute of Secrecy and we are here to see it destroyed. You have no right to interfere in MACUSA business, and you will step aside and hand it over."
Iliana's mouth turned down at the corners, the fire drawing tighter against her skin. "You. Can't. Have. Him."
Picquery scowled, twitching a bit in her annoyance at being addressed like that by a woman who had nowhere near her level of authority. "You can't stop us," she replied simply.
Iliana smiled. "Hide and watch me." The fire exploded from her in a wave as the Aurors launched yet another attack, and when the smoke cleared there was nothing but a massive scorch mark where they'd stood, trailing bits of oily black smoke drifting through the air and bearing an unnervingly close resemblance to whatever it was that the Obscurus was made up of.
Elvira let out a wordless scream, but at the same moment, she noticed something. She'd seen Iliana's work with fire before, admittedly never on a scale of something like this, but she knew how it looked, how it worked. If she didn't want anything to get through that shield of flames, then nothing was getting through. And, more specifically, she'd seen the explosion before. It was something Iliana had done in her more dramatic younger years, a spell that made her Apparations all the more impressive.
Perhaps the biggest tell was the tiny vial of blood hanging around her throat. It had been burning hot since they emerged from the suitcase, Iliana was in danger. But if she had actually died, the charm would have exploded into ash. As it was, the spell was intact and was now beginning to feel steadily cooler. Iliana was somewhere, she was safe, and, unless Elvira missed her guess, she was with Credence. She'd seen the way her sister looked at the boy. For all Iliana had been worried about her relationship with Credence, there was plenty of evidence that the two adored each other.
"Elvira," Newt breathed, staring down at her in horror, and he was shocked to see that, though there were tears trailing down her face, there was a faint smile curling the corners of her mouth. Her hand rested against her chest, and as she met Newt's gaze, she offered him a subtle wink. His eyes widened as he realized... all of this was for show. Credence and Iliana had escaped and were fine. And, more specifically, the longer they could keep the Aurors tied up here, the better chance they had of making an escape.
Graves slowly climbed up onto the platform, standing in the light streaming through from the street above as he stared at the trailing bits of smoke still filling the air. "Fools," he breathed, "Do you realize what you've done?"
"The Obscurial was killed on my orders, Mr. Graves," Picquery said coolly.
"Yes. And history will surely note that, Madam President," Graves replied cynically, striding down the platform towards her slowly. "What was done here tonight was not right!"
"He was responsible for the death of a No-Maj," Picquery spat out. "He risked the exposure of our community. He has broken one of our most sacred laws."
"A law that has us scuttling like rats in the gutter!" Graves said, his voice dripping with disdain as he continued to advance, wand held loosely at his side. "A law that demands that we conceal our true nature! A law that directs those under its dominion to cower in fear lest we risk discovery!"
As he spoke, Elvira felt Tina move from the knot of Aurors to join her huddle with Newt. Comprehension began to come, slowly and painfully, like pulling teeth. The words Graves was spouting, they sounded dangerously close to Grindelwald's rhetoric, and the way he moved, like he had nothing to fear from the president or the Aurors, spoke of a level of power that went beyond mere overconfidence.
"I ask you, Madam President. I ask all of you... Who does this law protect? Us? Or them?" He pointed heavenward, and the answer was clear to everyone there. Picquery knew it too, it was obvious in the way she glanced at the Aurors behind her warily.
Graves turned away dismissively, striding back along the platform. "I refuse to bow down any longer."
Picquery's voice was tight as she ordered, "Aurors, I'd like you to relieve Mr. Graves of his wand escort him back to headquarters."
A wall of gleaming golden light appeared in Graves's path, drawing him up short. He regarded it for a moment and there was something almost patronizing in the way he nodded to himself and turned back to the Aurors.
By the time he'd gotten his wand up, Newt felt Elvira vanish from his side, and suddenly she was standing before Graves, her wand raised, and his spell broke against her shield.
"You cost me my sister," Elvira said, voice hoarse, and the words came easily. "You're going to pay for that."
In a way, he had, because wherever Iliana was planning to take Credence they wouldn't be safe until they left New York far behind, and Elvira couldn't leave. But she trusted her sister, trusted her to take care of herself and Credence and get them to safety, and if it meant they were going to be separated for a while... well, Iliana was an adult, perhaps it was time they got some distance.
The look Graves gave her was pitying. "Get out of my way, child."
Elvira's response was to draw back her off hand and punch the air. The resulting shockwave send a wall of concussive pressure in his direction. Graves threw up a shield defensively, but he was forced back a step, and it was plain to see that he was not expecting her to come at him with anything close to that level of power.
Elvira noticed his surprise and smirked. "Yeah," she said mockingly, and struck, her wand diving and darting and spinning. Newt, Tina, and the MACUSA all watched in awe as spells broke around the pair against their various shields, streams of colored sparks hitting the ground around the feet like tiny, localized fireworks. The smell of ozone became oddly thick in the air and as much as Newt wanted to get involved, he was well aware that he had never been a duelist.
Elvira, apparently, was.
He watched in awe as she spun and dived and darted and if he hadn't known better he would think she was entirely uninjured. She would feel it later, he knew, but for now she danced around Graves' spells and returned fire with equal ferocity, the tip of her wand constantly glowing as spell after spell poured from her lips. Once, Newt noted that while she said one spell, it was another that actually fired, and he realized she was only partially telegraphing her next move, and she was doing it with more skill than he'd ever seen. Graves was holding his own against her, but he was scowling and actually looked angry.
Graves snatched her wand from her hand and Newt cried out breathlessly, thinking for a moment it was over, but Elvira didn't even break stride. In fact, her castings seemed to increase in power as she chanted and dragged her hands through the air. Waves of magic rushed out from her and Graves was forced to take a step back, then another. Her fingers contorted into impossible shapes and Newt watched as lightning arched from her hands and shot forward. When Graves raised a shield, Elvira merely twitched her wrist and the lightning redirected to the metal beam behind him where it connected and showered him in harmless but distracting sparks. She stomped her foot authoritatively and the whole station shook at the strike.
Graves staggered, and that was enough. A rope lashed out around his ankles and Elvira tugged on it viciously. Graves dropped, his wand sliding from his hand to land neatly in Elvira's alongside her own reclaimed wand. She cocked her head and made a fist, the rope coiling up and knotting around Graves' wrists as well, forcing him into a kneel that dragged his shoulders back, his fists almost between his ankles. Elvira twirled her wand, turning it back into a cane, and planted it on the ground. She stalked forward, and Newt saw how labored her motions were as she approached Graves, the way she had lost a couple shades of color and seemed to be leaning more than usual on her cane.
"European wizards," Elvira said slowly, "rely too much on wands." She made a snatching motion with her free hand and the image of Graves dissolved away in streams of smoke. In place of the respected and admired Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, there knelt a man with sweeping spikes of brilliantly white hair and a thin moustache, sculpted cheeks, one dark eye and one hauntingly blue-white eye. He had been splashed across the papers for months, everyone present knew who he was.
Elvira arched an eyebrow. "Gellert Grindelwald, I presume?"
Grindelwald looked up at her, and she for a moment she was very wrong-footed by how... utterly unconcerned he seemed to be. Newt appeared at her side, standing at her shoulder supportively, and she drew some confidence from that, straightening her spine and hardening her features.
"I am a very hard man to impress, child," Grindelwald noted mildly. "Congratulations."
At Picquery's order, there was a flurry of movement as Aurors rushed forward, adding their own spells to contain Grindelwald as Elvira removed hers. They yanked him to his feet, and never once did he look at from Elvira's face until just before they hustled him away to the cells. His strange, bi-colored eyes fell on Newt and he whispered,
"Will we die, just a little?"
In the aftermath there was a great deal of milling about. The Aurors that had been brought down en masse seemed to suddenly realize that they were no longer needed. Many of them began to stare at the damage for something to do, but they also knew there was no use. The whole magical secret had been blown wide open, the No-Maj's were now fully aware, and so their usual efforts to try and contain something like this were all for naught.
Queenie and Jacob, missing during the majority of the fight, appeared down the stairs. Queenie threw herself into Tina's arms frantically, embarrassing her tightly, and Tina hugged her back just as hard as Jacob sidled forward.
"So, eh, I guess you got everything wrapped up, huh?" he asked, laughing awkwardly. He glanced around curiously. "Where's Iliana got to?"
Elvira recalled at that moment that she was supposed to be mourning and forced her face to crumple into something sad. Jacob's expression dropped, his mouth falling open in disbelief, and Elvira took the opportunity to embrace the No-Maj tightly and bury her facve in his shoulder as if overcome by her grief.
"She's alright, but they don't know that," she hissed into his ear, and to his credit, Jacob only froze for a moment before reaching up to wrap her in a hug. He patted her back comfortingly and said sorrowfully,
"Aw Christ, Ellie, I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say. Iliana was a good girl, she didn't deserve that."
Picquery moved through the crowd, staring up at the breaking dawn through the hole torn in the station. "The magical community is exposed," she said bitterly. "We cannot obliviate an entire city."
A thought occurred in the back of Newt's mind, no more than a glimmer of an idea, but as he watched Jacob and Elvira separate and turn to look at the president, it sparked into something fully formed.
"Actually, I think we can," he said quietly, but the mood was so grim that his words echoed in the quiet even though there were dozens of people filling the station. All eyes turned to him, and being the center of attention was enough to make Newt shift uncomfortably. He looked to Elvira hopefully. "Ah, my case?"
She stared at him in confusion, but nevertheless dragged her hand through the air in a slow spiral, fingers pinched together. At the innermost point of the route she spread her fingers wide and, with a faint pop, the case appeared at her feet. Newt scuttled over to it, shifting it back away from the Aurors to give himself some room to work.
"Mr. Scamander," President Picquery said warningly.
Newt glanced back at her from where he was crouched, hand spoised over the latches of his case. "Madam President, the non-magical world is aware of witches and wizards. Whatever I'm about to do could hardly be worse than that, and may in fact be able to help."
It was clear that Picquery had no argument for that, and so she closed her mouth with a sharp click and gave a stilted nod. Newt turned back to his case, opening the latches and lifting the lid. He took a few quick steps back to make room and then called out, "Frank, come here please."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then there was a rush of gleaming golden feathers that sparkled in the morning sunbeams pouring in from outside. Frank emerged from the suitcase with a triumphant call, wings battering the air and sending wave after wave of air washing over the assembled witches and wizards. There were hushed whispers of awe as they all stared at the thunderbird. For most of them, this was their first sight of one, and he certainly looked out of place in the dingy, broken-open subway station.
Frank landed on the rubble, lifting one wing and preening it absently. Newt took a step forward, breathing in deeply and wishing his plan didn't sound quite so mad even in his own mind.
"I was intending to wait until we got to Arizona, but it seems like now you are our only hope, Frank," he murmured as he approached the thunderbird. Frank had come a far cry from the dull creature he'd seen in the Cairo marketplace, spots plucked bald and his legs rubbed raw from manacles. He was now the picture of health and pride, a fierce predator, and he deserved to go back to the place he'd been so cruelly taken from, but perhaps he'd have to take the last leg of that trick himself.
Frank stepped closer and Newt reached out, stroking the whisper-soft feathers under his chin back. Frank lowered his head, nuzzling against Newt and giving soft, warbling cries. He seemed to understand this was goodbye, and Newt had to blink back tears as he realized it was time to move on. He knew, no matter how attached he grew to one of his creatures, that unless there was a reason they wouldn't be able to survive they all belonged in the wild. None of them, and especially not a beast as magnificent as Frank, deserved a life as a pet. "I'll miss you too."
Frank pulled his head back, stretching his neck upwards, and Newt took a few steps back, reaching into his pocket for the vial containing the glowing blue venom from the Swooping Evil. He held it up, looking from it to Frank. Frank stared at the vial and gave a chirruping noise that Newt took as an affirmative.
"You know what you've got to do."
He drew back his arm and launched the vial into the air. Frank lunged, flaring his wings and snatching the vial delicately in the very tip of his beak. He leaped up and broke through the hole in the ceiling of the station. There were audible screams from outside as the gathered No-Majs saw him, and Elvira rushed forward to Newt's side, watching in awe as Frank flew higher and higher with each mighty stroke of his wings. The dawn-warmed clouds grew grey and bleak as he flew through them, lightning crackling around his body and then spreading as the low thrum of a building clap of thunder began to vibrate through the whole of the city.
Elvira found herself winding her arm around Newt's waist under his coat and his came up to drape over her shoulders. Together they watched as Frank's form was obscured by the rapidly-darkening clouds. Every now and then, there was a flash of lightning, and they could track his movements even if they couldn't see him. They knew when it had happened. There was a flash of blue the same color as the venom that raced outwards through the clouds and, only a moment later, the skies opened up and rain began to pour.
The Aurors began to Disapparate one by one, most of them moving off to repair the damage strewn throughout Manhattan from the night's activities before the No-Majs could see what had been done to their city while they slept. Before their eyes, the pipes and beams began to retreat as the hole in the ceiling sealed itself up, tiles that had been reduced to powder coming back together and sliding back into place among the rest of the mosaic.
Newt took a deep breath as the moment began to slowly end. "They won't remember anything," "That venom has incredibly powerful obliviative properties."
It was Picquery who responded, sounding incredibly pleased and relieved as she said,"We owe you a great debt, Mr. Scamander."
"No, not just me."
Newt slid free of Elvira's hold on him, only at that moment realizing how close they'd ended up. He took a step towards the president, gesturing to the woman behind him.
"Elvira Blödgarmr was the reason I was able manage all of this," he informed her. "She helped me capture my creatures when they ran loose. She helped me track down the Obscurial. She personally took down Gellert Grindelwald, who had been hiding in MACUSA for who knows how long. She..." He trailed off, licking his lips. "She lost her sister." He looked back to Elvira. "And she can't even leave the city." Her mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief as she realized what he was trying to do for her and Newt felt warmth pool in his stomach as she offered him a warm, breathless smile.
He turned back to President Piquery. "I don't see how that's fair. And going by the reaction during your meeting, many politicians in Europe wouldn't either."
Picquery arched an eyebrow, leaning away from him, her expression crossed between disbelief and amusement. "Are you... threatening me, Mr. Scamander?"
Newt shook his head. "No, Madam President, of course not. Merely pointing out what I believe is an imbalance of justice."
Picquery's jaw tightened, and it was clear when she looked at Elvira that she still didn't trust the younger witch, but no one could deny that Elvira had be useful that night, and Newt had just saved her from being the president who oversaw the biggest breach in the International Statute of Secrecy the magical world had ever seen. If that was what he wanted as a reward... Well, in terms of the tragedy that could have occurred here tonight, wiping Elvira Blödgarmr's record clean didn't seem like such a great cost to pay at all.
"Your arms, Blödgarmr," Picquery said quietly, and Elvira twitched, standing frozen in disbelief for a moment.
It was Tina, creeping up behind her and lightly nudging the back of her shoulders, that got her moving. Elvira glanced back at the Auror in childlike disbelief before taking two more steps forward, rolling up her sleeves as she went. The pale flesh of her inner forearms was displayed before President Picquery, who drew her wand. The president hesitated, pointing her wand sternly at Elvira's nose.
"Understand, Blödgarmr, this only releases you up until now. Any laws you break in the future, and you will be right back to where you started," she warned, and Elvira laughed. She couldn't resist tossing Tina a wink as she said lightly, and, to her credit, with only a hint of sarcasm,
"Oh, Madam President, I'm a changed woman, trust me."
Picquery rolled her eyes, clearly not believing a word, but she still trailed her wand down first Elvira's left arm, and then her right. The marks left on her skin burst into being, sizzling red and angry. Picquery murmured something and then jerked her wand, and Elvira cried out in pain as the runes began to peel up from her skin. Newt moved to her side, holding her shoulders protectively. Elvira hissed her breaths in and out through her teeth. It hurt, and it hurt badly, but it was nothing compared to the pain of receiving the curse in the first place.
When the last rune was gone and the red light faded from the tip of Picquery's wand, Elvira stared down at her bare arms in open-mouthed disbelief.
And then she turned sharply on her heel, threw her arms around Newt, and tackled him in a hug that sent him reeling against the side of the subway station, peppering his cheeks, nose, and forehead in thankful kisses. Newt went brilliantly red under the attention, plastering himself to the wall as Elvira expressed her gratitude, and around him, a few of the Aurors smothered laughter as they began to trickle out. Over Elvira's shoulder he saw Tina, Queenie, and Jacob smiling at them proudly, and then Picquery's next words ran down his spine like ice water.
"Is that No-Maj still here?"
They all froze, smiles sliding off. Elvira peeled herself off of Newt as Jacob stepped forwards uncertainly, presenting himself before the president. Picquery gave him a look up and down, almost like she was making calculations, and then she passed her judgment.
"Obliviate him. There can be no exceptions." She even seemed slightly moved by the way Queenie, Tina, Newt, and Elvira all stared at her pleadingly. "I'm sorry, but even one witness. You know the law." She looked meaningfully at Tina. "I'll... let you say good-bye," she said, and, legally, that was perhaps the only thing she could offer them.
There was a ringing silence as they all stared at each other, alone now on the platform, all of them silently willing the others to come up with something, anything, that would allow Jacob to retain his memories.
It was Jacob who finally moved, looked around at them all and gave a quiet, "whelp," before heading for the stairs. Queenie hustled after him, Tina, Newt, and Elvira trailing behind as he mounted the stairs. They could hear the rain that would strip away his memories falling against the small roof that covered the entrance to the subway, and Queenie reached out, catching Jacob's hand before he could step out and tugging gently.
"Hey, hey," Jacob said gently, drawing to a stop and looking back at her fondly. "This is for the best." He looked beyond Queenie to all of them, standing there in a tight knot on the stairs. It was clear he didn't like this any more than they did, but he knew there was nothing more any of them could do.
"Yeah, I was, I was never even supposed to be here. I was never supposed to know any of this," Jacob continued gamely. He couldn't imagine going from not knowing anything about magic to suddenly seeing this whole weird, wonderful world bloom before his eyes. And now it was all going to be washed away. Everything he'd done, from trying to lure an occamy into a teapot with a roach or punching a goblin mobster or climbing a tree to escape a love-drunk erumpent... it was all going to be gone. But it had happened, and even if he wouldn't remember it, maybe that was enough.
"Everybody knows Newt only kept me around because..." Jacob trailed off, looking to the wizard questioningly. "Hey Newt, why did you keep me around?"
"Because I like you," Newt said simply, and that caught him right in the heart. "Because you're my friend and I'll never forget how you helped me, Jacob."
"Oh," Jacob said hoarsely, struggling not to cry in the wake of the words.
"I'll come with you," Queenie offered desperately, scurrying up the last few stairs separating them. "We'll go somewhere, we'll go anywhere." He laughed, because he knew that as nice as that sounded it couldn't happen. He'd feel terrible if Queenie had to leave her home and her sister behind just to be with him. It was such an amazing thought though, to come home to Queenie's bright smile and spend long hours in the kitchen together as he taught her to make his favorite deserts.
"See, I ain't never gonna find anyone like you," Queenie whispered earnestly, reaching out and taking his hands tenderly.
Jacob shook his head, because it made no sense that a gorgeous, magical mind reader like the woman in front of him wanted anything to do with a cannery worker like him. "There's loads like me."
"No. No," she insisted. "There's only one like you."
Jacob tilted his head and smiled at her wistfully. If wishes were horses, his grandma used to say. All of this, seeing the people and the potential life he was leaving behind laid out before him like this, was just making it harder to take those last few steps out into the rain.
"I gotta go," he said simply, and turned.
"Jacob!" Newt stopped him, darting up behind him, but Jacob shook his head.
"It's okay. It's okay," he muttered, and he was trying to convince himself as much as convince them. "It's okay." He shrugged and offered a smile that was as sincere as he could make it. "It's just like waking up, right?" That's right, because that's what this had all been. An amazing, wonderful dream, but he had to go back to the real world at some point.
Jacob stepped backward, moving out into the rain. He looked up, closing his eyes as he felt it pour over his face. His brain went foggy as he tried to hold onto memories of a man who kept a zoo in a suitcase, a magical lady cop, a western outlaw who ran a wizarding bar, and most of all, of blonde fingerwaves and soft hands and a dreamy voice that made him feel warm all over.
But... why was he thinking about those things? A man with a... what? No, no, that was silly, probably just something he'd dreamed last night, because magic wasn't real. Geez, it must have been a rough night if he was standing in the rain daydreaming about... he didn't remember, some kind of nonsense... first thing in the morning. But he could have sworn he felt a soft touch on his gentle, a gentle kiss on his lips, heard someone sniffle.
Jacob opened his eyes. He was standing in front of the subway entrance near City Hall with his arms outstretched. There was no one there. What was he doing, standing around like an idiot? He needed to get his head out of the clouds, he had a shift to get to.
Absently, his hand came up to touch a sore spot on his neck. He must have slept on it funny last night...
It was almost noon before Elvira made it back to her place, Newt trailing along behind her. They'd spent some time at Tina and Queenie's, consoling the latter on the loss of Jacob, but without creatures to find or Aurors to escape or an Obscurus to talk down, the adrenaline wore off fast and soon they were all nodding off over their cold mugs of tea. With weary goodbyes and tight hugs they had separated, Elvira taking Newt with her back to her place to gather his field journal and get some rest before he had to go.
They both staggered a little as they Apparated into the apartment, and Elvira fell wearily onto the couch. She huffed as Gus rushed her, jumping up onto the couch and crawling into her lap, writhing in pleasure as she laughed weakly and scratched at his bared stomach fondly.
"Elvira," Newt murmured, noticing a piece of card folded on top of his field journal where it sat in the middle of the coffee table. It had her name written on it in curling script.
Elvira snapped her fingers and the card floated over to her. She unfolded it, staring down at the familiar handwriting, a slow smile creeping across her face as she scanned the letter.
"What is it?" Newt asked, sitting down on the cushion next to her. "If... If it's not private, of course."
"It's not, it's addressed to you too," Elvira said, passing him the note. Newt took it, and he was rather proud of the fact that he didn't jump when Elvira sighed and leaned against him, resting her hand on his arm and her head on his shoulder. After everything they'd been through, he wasn't going to begrudge her resting against him, not when it still made him feel oddly like he'd just downed a shot of Felix Felicis, like he could do anything.
Newt and Elvira,
Don't worry about us, first of all. I'm sure you realized Ellie, but that fireball was all for show. As soon as the Aurors attacked, I grabbed Credence and Disapparated. I suppose you could say we're running away together. It sounds much nicer than fleeing the authorities. I don't know yet where we'll end up, neither of us really have any preferences. Credence says he doesn't care, as long as I'm with him, which is incredibly sweet. I'll send you along a post card when we're settled.
Don't worry about us, please. I'm going to keep teaching Credence all about the magical world, and we'll be able to provide for ourselves. Maybe we'll find some cozy cottage somewhere and settle in for a while, play house. That would be nice. I think this is going to be the best of a bad situation, and really, it's not even that bad. I might be a bit naïve, but it's even sort of exciting.
I'll miss you Ellie, and you too Newt. You'd better not break my sister's heart, or I'll hunt you down and you'll be catching my next fireball.
Love always,
Iliana
P.S. I told Gus goodbye, but please give him extra scratches for me. I'm going to miss him.
"It sounds like they're going to be alright," Newt said with a faint smile, glad that at least, even if it didn't work out for Jacob, there was at least one reasonably happy ending to be had in all of this. He got no response, and when he glanced to the side, he saw Elvira's eyes closed, her breaths deep and even. She looked exhausted, purple bruises under her eyes, and he'd seen her sneaking a few small sips of her personal pain potion when they got to the Goldstein's. She was liable to be sore when she woke up no matter what, but Newt couldn't bring himself to risk disturbing her by moving her to her bed. Instead, he flicked his wand several times. Her boots vanished and reappeared at the end of the couch. The curtains drew themselves closed, blotting out the bright sunlight, and a blanket floated from where it rested on top of an old steamer chest across the room, spreading itself across the pair of them. Newt felt a bit presumptuous, but he could use some rest as well. He allowed himself to shift, toeing off his own shoes as leaning back more deeply into the couch. He froze as Elvira shifted against him, humming faintly as she burrowed deeper into his chest. Her mouth moved as if she were trying to say something, but nothing came out.
"I can leave if you want," Newt whispered, and waited for her to protest and tell him get out, or at least move to one of the worn armchairs sitting by the fireplace. But her breathing evened out with no further protests and Newt found himself just staring at her, mind spinning back through all the memories of the night. President Picquery had made it clear she wanted him gone soon. There was so much more he wanted to sit down and talk about with Elvira, but he wouldn't have time now.
But still, he got this time, he supposed, and he hadn't imagined when his boat docked that his visit would at any point involve holding Elvira while she slept on her couch. The weight of her was somehow comforting, and he was pleasantly warm even though he was only in his shirtsleeves. The soft puffs of breath against his skin were pleasantly ticklish and he closed his eeys, sighing in contentment. Maybe he was hoping for too much, he mused as his eyes drifted closed, but he really hoped that this was the start of something more than letters with Elvira. Perhaps even a life together, something he had never dared to imagine, not even with Leta.