Chapter 19

8 Months Post-Abduction

"Newt, you gotta get up here now!" Jacob's voice echoed down the basement stairs.

Newt dropped the bucket he'd been using to feed the Graphorns and bolted up the stairs, his stomach twisting at the frantic quality in Jacob's tone.

Bunty followed him on his heels.

At the top of the stairs, Newt stopped short.

Jacob had the door open, and Newt's eyes widened as Queenie stumbled inside. She dragged along another person, the woman's arm draped over Queenie's shoulders. The woman could barely walk, her abdomen severely swollen. She seemed delirious, barely able to stand.

"Help me," Queenie begged.

"Merlin's beard! Is that Tina?" Theseus gasped. He got under her other arm. "Grab her other side, Jacob."

Jacob took over for Queenie. Together, the two men hauled her on to the bed.

"She's pregnant?!" Jacob blurted out.

"Yes." Queenie collapsed on the sofa, utterly exhausted. Then her head then turned sharply towards Theseus. "No, she wasn't raped!" Her tone softened. "It's Newt's baby."

Everyone stilled, the room going quiet and all eyes turned toward him, staring.

"Is that true, Newt?" Theseus asked.

Newt didn't hear him. A high-pitched screeching sound echoed in his ears. His eyes stayed glued to Tina. A hurricane of emotions stormed through him, and he didn't know how to handle all of it together. He felt utter bliss at seeing her alive again. It battled with shock at learning so suddenly that he was going to be a father and rage at how frightened and tortured Tina must have felt being all alone with this. There was also alarm. Why did she look so pale?

Then, like a hypnotist snapping his fingers, Tina's voice stilled the raging storm. The screeching sound abruptly stopped.

"Newt?" Her voice sounded so distant. She was barely conscious.

Spurred into action, he climbed up on the bed beside her. "I'm here, Tina."

She coughed, a scary rattling noise emerging from her chest. Then her head fell back as she slipped into unconsciousness.

He took her hand in one of his, the other hand smoothing down her hair. Then he frowned, laying his palm on her forehead. He looked up at the rest of them grouped beside the bed. "She's burning up."

"Yeah, she's been sick for three days. Gellert tried several medicines, but none of them worked. She just kept getting sicker." Queenie fretted, clenching and unclenching her fingers.

Bunty pointed at the floor. "Um, is that blood?"

Queenie leapt up, pushing past the rest of them. She bent down and touched the floor by the bed and examined the red on her fingers. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no."

Fingers of dread clutched at Newt's heart as Queenie pulled Tina's skirt up above her knees. Red droplets of blood streaked down her legs.

Newt scrambled off the bed. "I've got to get help." He heard the desperation in his own voice. He turned back and kissed Tina on the forehead. "Don't let her die!" he yelled as he ran out the door.

Using every magic spell he knew, Newt practically flew to Hogwarts. At the front gates, the caretaker seemed suspicious by Newt's manner. He didn't allow Newt entry, but rushed off to get Dumbledore.

Newt's head swam, the gates swimming in his vision. He sat down on the stone walkway and sucked in big breaths. He couldn't let Tina die. He just couldn't.

Dumbledore hurried towards him, throwing open the gates with his wand. "Newt? What's wrong?"

Newt struggled to his feet, then fell back on his knees and vomited on the stones.

"Newt!" Dumbledore shouted, his voice lined with concern. He helped Newt back up to his feet.

"I'm sorry. I can clean it up." Newt reached for his wand.

"Don't worry about that. You're obviously distressed. Come to my office; I've got some lovely calming tea. You'll tell me what has you so upset."

Newt shook his head, eyes on the ground. "No time. Tina's come back."

Dumbledore broke out into a wide grin. "That's fantastic news after all these months!"

Newt's eyes found Dumbledore's. "She's very sick. And..." He swallowed. "And she's pregnant."

Dumbledore's eye brows shot up.

Newt's voice dropped to a pained whisper. "There's something wrong with the baby. We need help."

Nodding, Dumbledore said, "Let me get my personal healer."

When the three of them walked through Newt's door, Newt almost lost it when nobody was there. Were they too late?

Jacob stepped down the stairs, motioning them to follow him. "We had to move her upstairs. Just wasn't safe by the front door."

Newt sped up the stairs, but Dumbledore caught him by the arm. "Let my healer examine her, do whatever treatments he can." Newt leaned against the wall, letting them pass.

Jacob, Theseus, Queenie and Bunty walked out of the room. The door closed behind them. They settled downstairs, Jacob and Queenie on the sofa, Theseus on one of the kitchen chairs, Bunty on the other and Newt sitting on the steps.

Theseus looked at Queenie. " You know I have to arrest you and take you in. But if you cooperate, it'll go a lot easier for you."

Queenie pressed her lips together and nodded. "I know. I will. Everything I know is yours. Just save my sister."

Jacob kissed her hand.

"Where have you been?" Newt spoke up, his voice harsh.

"Australia."

Theseus rolled his eyes. "No wonder we found no trace of you after Denmark. Most of our resources focused on Europe and the States."

Newt spoke again. "What changed? Why have you come back now?"

Tears filled Queenie's eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Her voice broke. "He was going to kill her."

Theseus sat up straighter. "Grindelwald was going to kill Tina?"

Queenie nodded, glancing at Newt. "He wanted the baby. I didn't realize it at first, seeing how I had trouble hearing his thoughts and all. But when she got sick, it all came to the surface. He was planning on killing Tina all along, right after the birth. He wanted to take the baby as his own child. But when Tina didn't start getting better, he planned to just cut her open and rip that baby out of her! That's when we ran. I know pregnant women shouldn't use portkeys, but there was no other way. He would have found us!" She cried heavily now, leaning on Jacob.

Theseus stood up and walked over to Newt. He grabbed Newt by the lapels and hauled him to his feet. Newt didn't have the energy to fight back. "We've got to talk, little brother." Then he manhandled him down into the basement. They stood facing each other at the bottom of the steps.

"When?" Theseus asked, his tone firm.

Newt crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes on the wall behind Theseus. He felt like a child being scolded, and part of him knew he deserved it.

"Newt, when did she get pregnant?" Theseus yelled, shoving Newt's shoulder.

"The night before she left on that mission," Newt said grudgingly.

Theseus blew out a breath. "She didn't know then."

Newt frowned. "What?"

"It's against regulations for a pregnant woman to participate in raids. But she wouldn't have known at that point." He paused. "Merlin's beard, that's why you had that goofy grin on your face that morning!" His eyes softened. "That was the last time I saw that grin."

Newt covered his eyes with his hands and groaned. "I'm in love with her. What if she doesn't make it? What if the baby doesn't make it?"

"They will. Tina's an Auror. That makes her strong, a fighter. You know, you're going to have to make an honest woman out of her before this baby comes."

"I'm ready." Newt pulled out the chain carrying the sapphire engagement ring from under his shirt.

Theseus's eyes widened. "You little... Did you break into my flat?"

Newt shrugged.

Theseus threw up his hands. "Keep it!"

"Newt?" Jacob's voice echoed down the stairs, much calmer than it had a couple hours ago. "Dumbledore wants to talk to you."

Newt took the stairs two at a time.

Dumbledore waited for him in the upstairs hall. "She is very ill. She has an infection, probably pneumonia. Also, there was a partial tear in the placenta. It's one of the primary risks of a woman in advanced pregnancy traveling by portkey. My healer has managed to reattach it, but she must not move from that bed for at least eight days. This," he held up an amber bottle full of liquid, "will treat the pneumonia. Give her three drops every eight hours for two weeks."

"Thank you, Dumbledore." Newt pocketed the bottle.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm assuming you're the father, Newt? Are congratulations in order?"

Newt shook his head. "Not until I know they're both going to survive."

Putting his hand on Newt's shoulder, Dumbledore said, "They will." It echoed his brother's words.