Oooooooo, that tag finally makes sense. Sorry about the late update. I'm hopeless. I'm sorry.
Chapter 15:
"Are you going to kill me?" Percival asked the same way one might ask about the weather.
"I am rather cautious around you Mr Graves." A voice admitted. Percival felt the wand tip being removed and a man came into his view. He was a dashing looking thing. Windswept reddish brown hair and light blue eyes. Percival might have given him a go once, but right now he was concerned with other things.
"Have we met?" Percival asked, almost certain of the answer.
"We haven't, no." The man said. "But I did meet a rather cruel man who imitated you." The man kept his wand trained on Percival.
"And let me guess, you think I betrayed everyone and told that man all he needed to know." Percival said dryly.
"A friend told me that you were convicted of treason. They later told me you had broken out of prison." The man said cautiously. "Those are not the actions of an innocent man."
"I didn't break out." Percival said tartly. "I was broken out by a British Ministry worker." The man lowered his wand. He sat next to Percival.
"I'm Newt Scamander." He said. Percival remembered that name. Grindelwald had mentioned him and so had the healers who'd told him what had happened. Newt Scamander. The man who realised Graves wasn't who he said he was.
"Percival Graves. But you already knew that." Percival greeted. "Forgive me but I won't be pleasant company tonight." Newt gave him a shy smile but still wouldn't look Percival in the eyes. Considering that Percival could barely look at his own reflection sometimes, he understood that.
"Would it bother you if I asked why?" Newt asked. Percival found himself surprised. He wasn't bothered.
"I had a fight with my... landlady I guess she would be." Percival admitted. He didn't know what Adriana was to him in the context of housing. He was a guest and she was... a hostess. But she was so much more than a hostess.
"Ah." Was all Newt said. They sat in silence for a good ten minutes before Percival's usually sharp mind finally started functioning. Newt looked to be in his late twenties. Adriana was thirty. She had gone to Hogwarts and Newt most likely had.
"You wouldn't happen to know an Adriana Arkin?" Percival asked. Newt looked up. He had a furrowed brow and a suspicious gaze. "She would be the landlady I had a fight with."
"You don't appear to be injured." Newt observed lightly.
"It was more... snapping at each other." Percival explained hesitantly. What was he doing? He was talking to a complete stranger on a park bench. For all he knew this wasn't the real Newt. The thought that it may be an imposter nearly made Percival vomit. He couldn't detect any deception, magical or otherwise. But he was beginning to think his senses weren't very reliable.
"Yes, I do know her." Newt said quietly. "We were at Hogwarts together."
"Are you Gryffindor too?" Percival asked offhandedly.
"Hufflepuff." Newt corrected instantly. "That aside, she was the year above me. She was very good at magic. Terrible with anything else. But she was always good to me." Percival felt like someone had poured ice on him. He felt even worse for snapping. "She was a bit odd though. She kept giving non-sequitur answers and questions. And she was reckless." Percival's head whipped round. "She would jump into danger head first." Percival could see that.
"Do you see her often?" Percival asked. He was curious.
"We run into each other at the ministry." Newt said quietly. "She's an Auror now I think."
"Yes. She'd be the one who broke me out." Percival admitted. Newt stared at him, confused.
"And now you live with her?" He asked incredulously. "Last time someone did that, she-"
"Threw them out the window. I heard." Percival said with a wry smile. He sighed again. "It was a stupid argument."
"With the possibility of sounding nosy, what was the argument about?" Newt asked.
"Well she wanted to know about my parents." Percival said. Saying it out loud made it seem ridiculous.
"Why did she want to know about them?" Newt asked with a frown.
"Her father had just come up for a visit." Percival explained, the context was important or Newt might think of him as, well, he wouldn't have a good opinion of him. "I guess it made her curious. I don't talk about my family." Percival added at Newt's confused look. "And I didn't want to talk about them, but she kept asking for happy memories."
"And you can't think of any?" Newt asked. Percival rubbed a hand across his jaw.
"No." He said, depressed. He glanced at Newt. "But that's normal, isn't it? Children don't remember everything. And after everything that's happened... happy is hard." Newt didn't answer for a minute, he seemed to be thinking hard.
"I think that you should be honest with Adriana." He said softly. "If you don't want to talk about your family, then tell her that. Make her understand." He looked Percival in the eyes for the first time. "You might want to consider why she kept pushing." Percival nodded. It was a sensible suggestion.
"She was pushing because she cares." Percival said. Newt nodded encouragingly. "I don't know. I could tell her about my family. But I don't think she'd understand, my family had expectations of me."
"Adriana knows a surprising amount about expectations." Newt said. Percival didn't know about that. Adriana's life seemed like a fairy tale.
"I should apologise to her, I was a jerk." Percival said.
"Mmm. She should as well." Newt said. Percival exhaled softly.
"I'm a bit out of practice. How do you apologise to people?" Percival asked. Newt looked momentarily horrified. "Do flowers still work?"
"Yes, flowers." Newt squeaked. He coughed. "I think flowers are a good idea."
"Shame I can't get into the back garden." Percival mused. "My carnations are doing well."
"You garden?" Newt asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Percival said uncomfortably. "So, flowers and an apology." He took a deep breath. "I can do that." He jumped to his feet.
"Before you go, would it be alright if I kept in contact with you?" Newt asked.
"Don't trust me, Mr Scamander?" Percival asked, almost teasingly.
"Not at all." Newt replied. "I just think you could do with a friend, and I'd like to get to know the real you."
"I'd like that." Percival said softly. "I thought you'd hate me."
"I believe that everyone should get a second chance." Newt said simply. "This is your chance for a better life and I'd like to help any way I can."
"Thank you." Percival said. He apparated away.