The magazine was wrinkled from Tina's fingers clutching the pages. She bit her lip and forcefully turned the page, and another, and another, and Queenie looked at her with something like alarm.
"Is something wrong, Teen?" she asked. "You seem…upset."
Tina glowered, tossing the magazine aside. "Nothing's wrong," she said curtly. Queenie frowned, trying to probe into her mind, but Tina seemed to anticipate what was coming and stormed out of the room, hurling a, "Don't read my mind," at her sister as she went.
Queenie turned to the stove and started making hot chocolate. Whatever was troubling her sister, it could be coaxed out with sweet words and a sweet drink.
Once the hot chocolate was ready, she poured it into two mugs and made her way to the door but paused when she saw the forgotten copy of Spellbound. Setting down the steaming mugs on a table, she picked up the magazine and flipped through the pages, wondering what had caused Tina's sourness. A headline caught her eye and her stomach sank —
NEWT TO WED
Newt Scamander with fiancee Leta Lestrange, brother Theseus, and —
Suddenly, it made sense. Newt, engaged — Tina was jealous. Bitter, heartbroken, and jealous. Queenie pursed her lips, her eyes scanning over the rest of the article before she placed the magazine on the table and picked up the mugs.
Tina had closed the doors, but pushing her shoulder against the doors proved that she had forgotten to lock them — or perhaps she'd been waiting for Queenie.
Tina was lying on the bed, her back to Queenie. She had already changed out of her Auror clothes to her pyjamas and was feigning sleep, and she would've convincing, except Queenie could hear her thoughts buzzing like a swarm of bees in her mind.
"Teen," Queenie said softly, "look what I brought." She tentatively outstretched a hand. Tina didn't move. Queenie sighed.
"I brought hot chocolate," she said, her hand trembling with the weight of the mug. "Your favorite."
Tina stirred. The sheets rustled as she slowly sat up. Queenie smiled. "There you go," she murmured. "There's nothing a warm drink can't fix."
"There's nothing to fix," her sister muttered, accepting the mug. She sipped from it and blissfully closed her eyes, her thoughts stilling as she savored the rich chocolate.
"I think there is," Queenie said sagely, "and I don't need to read your mind to know what you're thinking. You're heartbroken, Teen."
"It's not heartbreak," Tina said firmly. She let out a gusty sigh. "I'm just…confused."
There was the admission. Queenie was not gifted with practical knowledge, but love was something she was quite familiar with. She thought of Jacob and her heart ached, but she pushed her pain away. This was about Tina right now.
"I mean, I thought…" Tina stared blankly into her mug, a sign that she was thinking. "I thought…he liked…"
Tina was clearly struggling to find the right phrase. "You thought he might like you, after everything that happened."
Tina's eyes widened, but she nodded.
Queenie sipped from her own mug thoughtfully. "It seems to me that you should move on," she said frankly. "We both lost someone important that day." Her heart ached again but she ignored it. "If Newt is already engaged, perhaps that's a sign that he's moving ahead with his life. You should do the same." Another sip. "There's plenty of guys out there."
"I —" Tina sounded like she was about to protest, but changed her mind. "You're right," she admitted. "I shouldn't be hung up on something like this. I-I've got a job, and a career, and everything that happened —"
"— is in the past," Queenie finished for her. "Let me tell you something, Tina. Don't fret over it so much. Everything's going to be just fine. You can be happy and live your life without him."
Tina was staring at her now in a peculiar manner and Queenie heard the question in her mind before it surfaced from Tina's lips. "What about Jacob?"
"Jacob…" She lowered her eyes, biting her lip. "Jacob is entirely different," she said tightly. "I love him and I…"
Tina didn't know what she was doing. Queenie was lying straight through her teeth. Jacob was fine, all right — they were still seeing each other and they were happy. Telling her older sister would ruin everything.
She'd hesitated too long because Tina's eyes narrowed. Her sister instincts kicked in. "Queenie, are you not telling me something?"
Tina could read her almost as well as Queenie could read her. Sometimes Queenie didn't need to use Legilimency. "It's nothing," she said and stood up. "Jacob and I aren't involved anymore."
Tina sighed. She gazed up at Queenie steadily. "I know, Queenie. I know what you are doing with him."
Queenie's blood ran cold. "You do?"
"I'm an Auror, and you're terrible at covering your tracks. I'm telling you, this is a really bad idea. There's a reason why No-Majs can't know about us. You seeing him…it's putting our safety at risk."
"I'm willing to take that risk," she argued.
"You are, but what about the rest of the magical population in New York? In the United States? In the world?" Tina was unrelenting and Queenie crossed her arms, huffing.
"I love him!" she said defiantly. "Wouldn't you sacrifice anything, even the world, for someone who you love?"
That was the difference between the two of them. Tina followed her head; she was the logical, clear-minded problem-solver. Queenie followed her heart, and it was love guiding all of her decisions.
"You need to think this through," Tina urged. "You gotta understand the risks of falling in love — this isn't some romance novel where the main characters get a happy ending. This is real-life! You've got to think!"
Queenie rolled her eyes. "Look at you," she said, "behaving all noble and heroic. This is the way I want to go in my life. I love Jacob and I'm going to do this."
"Fine, I can't stop you," Tina said and Queenie stepped back in shock; she'd not been expecting Tina to do such an abrupt turnaround. "Don't blame me if your heart gets broken in the end and you pay dearly."
"Leave the love stuff to me," Queenie said quietly. "You just focus on your career, okay?"
"I will. Just be careful, okay?"
The two of them hugged, but deep inside of Queenie, a storm was brewing — a storm that would soon be unleashed and nothing would ever be the same again.
1096 words
Founder Says - Helga - 6. "Don't fret over it so much. Everything's going to be just fine."
All Aboard - Blue Train: Emotions - 8. Jealous
Honeydukes Hoarder - Lollipops & Suckers - 10. Feign
1000 - 467. (Fantastic Beasts) Queenie Goldstein
366 - 130. Guide