EDITED: July 10th, 2020

Epilogue

June 25th, 1943. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The unfairness of the situation hit her hard when she saw Rubeus Hagrid settling in the small cottage at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He would probably build a new one, as his head nearly touched this one's roof. He was walking around happily, carrying a bunch of logs twice the size of his arms like he was meant to do so.

He wasn't. He was her classmate and was supposed to graduate with her at the same time. It didn't matter they belonged to different Houses or that they were from different species – he was a wizard, for Dane's sake! The magic rolled off him in waves, perhaps not as strong as a toddler's, but it could be nurtured to its full potential.

And now it wouldn't.

Valentina Orlova sighed again. She hugged her knees to her chest and hid her face, feeling like she would drop dead at any moment. The case had taken weeks to solve, and it hadn't come to anything. She'd lost before, but never before had it involved a person's future.

She didn't know what was worse: the failure itself or that the entire process had been enjoyable while it lasted. Tina couldn't face Rubeus without thinking about every single bad stroke of luck he'd suffered throughout the year. First, the loss of Mr. Hagrid, and now this.

And yet, she couldn't also help but feel angry at Rubeus. The giant boy danced around his new home giddily, looking quite at peace with his new role as gamekeeper-in-training. Ogg the gamekeeper had probably argued but, at Hogwarts, no one ever went against Dumbledore's word. One would think that, with him being the man that defeated Grindelwald, Dumbledore would've been able to convince the Ministry to let him keep his place at the castle.

Tina still shivered when she recalled their options. To live out the rest of his days at the Giants' enclosure. Or execution. The Wizengamot had known exactly what they were doing.

She sighed. She couldn't fault Rubeus then. This was the best case solution.

"Tina?" a voice called gently. A warm hand settled on the girl's shoulders.

Tina sobbed. The woman drew her into her arms and Tina used her mother's coat to hide her face. Greedy, she inhaled her scent – wand polish and herbs. She wondered concoctions her mother's husband was working on now. If they were lucky, it'd be only a new snack for Nifflers.

"It's unfair!" Tina cried. "It's unfair! It wasn't Rubeus' fault – it was Riddle's! Tom Riddle's bloody fault! If he wasn't smart or handsome or evil – how could they not see he's evil?"

Her mother shushed her, pushing her away gently so that she could kneel down and look at her face. Kind brown eyes regarded her solemnly. It hit Tina then - of all people, it would be Porpentina Scamander who would understand her the most.

"I'm sorry you had to go through something like this at your age," said the older Tina, pushing a lock of Valentina's hair aside. "I'm also sorry your friend did not get his justice. But there was nothing you could've done."

"You could have," said Valentina fervently. "I've seen you do it before so many times – why couldn't I?"

"Because children have no business in war. And all those gentlemen saw was children in you and Tom Riddle." Tina smiled gently. "There was truly nothing you could've done, my Tina. Greater men before you have tried to fight against prejudice and failed abysmally. Newt and I failed, too."

Valentina, who enjoyed refuting grownups, kept her mouth shut. She had plenty to say, but not against her mum. Tina Scamander had a lifetime of experiences under her sleeve: unsolved cases, war battles, espionage — all which made Rubeus' case pale in comparison.

"It isn't fair," Valentina whispered.

"No," her mother agreed, "it isn't. But this doesn't mean it will happen every time. Remember –"

"'You've lost the battle, not the war,'" said the two together.

Valentina nodded shakily. "You're right. You always are." She wiped her face before glaring into Tina's eyes. The young girl could feel that emotion again, the one that encouraged her to help Rubeus Hagrid to the end, even when the whole world had been against him. "Riddle won this time. I won't let him get the upper hand again. Never. The next time we see each other, I will be the one to put him in jail. I swear over my dead body!"

To be continued... in Secrets of the Innocent (AKA year three).