A/N: When I first uploaded this chapter, I forgot to thank readers for reviews, follows and favourites!

The Gryffindor Pukwudgie - I watched the film on the 16th and I can see why some people hated it. Nagini only appeared for ten minutes and said even few words. Interesting that you point out how not very many would be interested in helping Nagini; in the film, I think she says something to Credence about how purebloods kill the likes of her. So it looks like purebloods look down on Maledictuses just like they look down on halfbloods and muggleborns.

Late 1927 – early 1928

Waking up in an actual bed rather than the cold hard floor, in an actual bedroom rather than a cage, was something she would never take for granted again. She groaned, turning away from the unusually sunny sky she could see outside the window and tried to go back to sleep. She had no idea what time it was.

"Sleep well?" Newt Scamander's voice called from down the hallway, ruining her chances of resuming the pleasant dream she already couldn't remember anything about.

Knowing she had to get up but really just wanting to sleep longer, she forced herself to climb out of her comfy bed and yawned inaudibly as she padded out of what had been her room for a few months now: the guest room at Newt's house. The room she'd initially refused to take for free, always having believed one should pay rent if they were to live in someone else's house, only agreeing once he told her she could be his housekeeper in exchange for the free board.

After using the bathroom, she passed Newt who was wrestling some sort of beast in the living room on her way to the kitchen. It was a welcoming sight, considering the fact that Newt had been away for a week on beast related issues. While she was a solitary being by nature, she did sometimes crave human company, and Newt sufficed as a companion despite his awkwardness. He didn't quite fill the void in her heart but then again, no one really could.

"I'm sorry I slept in again," she apologised as she joined Newt in the living room. She took a bite out of an apple she'd picked up in the kitchen, watching as Newt put his animated plant thing in his pocket.

"It's fine," he replied, not looking too bothered. "We've all had a pretty rough last few days."

Thoughts of Gellert Grindelwald's last rally briefly entered her mind and she shuddered. The man seemed to gain followers every other day. On the other hand, Albus Dumbledore still appeared to be as idle as he was when she first encountered him, seemingly preferring to hide in the shadows and delegate tasks to others such as Newt rather than openly taking a stand. His inaction often made her question if she was on the correct side. From what she could see, Dumbledore and Grindelwald were both alike when it came to using their subordinates to do things for them. She wondered if the former would go as far as using manipulation to make his associates do his bidding just like the latter was doing with his followers, especially one in particular.

She frowned as thoughts of Credence entered her mind. At least the side she was on didn't seek to enslave masses of innocents. That was one thing she was happy to aid Dumbledore in fighting against. Non-Magiques were no worse than wizards, really. All of her ringmasters had been equally cruel, the only difference between them being that one didn't possess magic. They didn't deserve to die or become slaves any more than wizards did.

She tried to think of something else, her thoughts soon turning to her magic practice. "I've been trying the spells you taught me but it's no use. I think my magic is too weak."

"Maybe it's the wand itself?" Newt suggested. "You said it was second hand?"

"I took it after my mother permanently transformed," she responded, looking down at her hands. "She either got it from her mother or... the man she worked for. She rarely used it so I never really asked."

"If it's an inherited wand it should work well. I think I should double check with Tina," he mused aloud. A sudden look of intrigue appeared on his face. "Maybe a wand stays loyal to a maledictus after her last transformation because it recognises that she's still alive."

"In that case, it's either still loyal to my mother or the longest surviving maledictus of our line."

It was impossible to know which of her foremothers were still alive. The mothers of her line always abandoned their daughters after permanently becoming vipers. Her own mother had just slithered away from their forest one day, never to return, and she had never known her grandmother or the others.

"I'll have to go back downstairs soon, I have to introduce Bunty to the new beast," Newt started, making her wonder if he considered her one of those. After all, he was housing and taking care of her just like the beasts in his suitcase. "I can help you with the spells until then."

She instantly regretted her ungrateful thoughts. Newt was really trying with her, trying to help her harness her magic and finally become useful to his—their—cause. Whether he thought of her as a beast or not, he was the first 'caretaker' to treat her like an actual person.

She nodded and shared a smile with him, going to her room to fetch her wand.

.:. QK .:.

The path to success was never easy. She was beginning to realise that. Between weekly transformations and hours of daily magic practice, she suspected that her body was starting to give out on her. She experienced constant fatigue, a tiredness in the very bones that was there when she went to bed and still there when she woke up. She hated to think that this was part of her curse—a deterrent to keep her from using magic—but she couldn't see any other possible cause.

Curled up on the sofa under a nice and warm blanket, she considered whether she should take Newt's advice and see a healer. To begin with, she wasn't even sure what a healer did, besides the obvious. She wondered if they could instantly tell what was wrong with a person by casting a spell because if not, she didn't want someone prodding her and asking her intrusive questions like the non-magical doctors did. Back when she worked as a dancer, she'd often witness the circus doctor treating her fellow performers. One time, he had asked a certain circus worker very personal questions, making even her—a mere spectator—blush.

A knock on the door roused her from her thoughts. She almost jumped out of her skin; the last time someone came looking for her, he grabbed her through a wall and tried to take her back to Circus Arcanus. Of course, back then, there had been someone to protect her, and while she was now able to protect herself to some extent, using her magic or her beast form, she was still reluctant to open the door. She wondered who was on the other side. Newt was currently away on a mission and, in any case, wouldn't have to knock on the door of his own property, and she wasn't exactly expecting any visitors.

Expecting a second knock but not hearing anything, she stood up and crept over to the door. Peering through the door viewer, she saw that there was no one there. A shiver ran up her spine as she looked down, noticing that a note had been slipped under the door.

Meet me at the cafe.

.:. QK .:.

"Take care of yourself, Miss Anguis," the healer said, walking her to the door of his office. "Are you sure you don't want to register with us?"

"Yes," she replied, mustering up a smile. "Thank you."

Turning away from the healer, she immediately dropped the smile and approached the lobby. Sitting down with her head in her hands, she went over the advice that the healer had given her, especially the much-emphasised part about trying not to overexert herself. It'd be a challenge when it came to training because she just wanted to be a wizard capable of fighting in battle but she knew she'd be of no use to anyone if she made herself ill. She was glad that it hadn't turned out to be anything too serious.

Going into the appointment, she'd been fearful that she'd be diagnosed with an illness that couldn't be fixed with the wave of a wand—a magical illness, maybe something to do with her condition—but was able to breathe freely after her healer had cleared her misconception. She'd been right about a couple of things, though: the healer had asked her personal questions and had used a spell to confirm his diagnosis.

While the healer had done everything to help, it'd take time for her to go back to feeling normal. She'd have to start working on it today. Raising her head, she located the clearly labelled 'Floo EXIT' and stood up. As she fastened her winter cloak, she noticed the hooded woman sat opposite her staring right at her.

The woman's eyes looked somewhat familiar but before she could even begin to place them, she felt a sharp and intrusive force trying to penetrate her mind. Memories she'd buried at the back of her mind suddenly and involuntarily appeared at the fore, her life almost flashing before her eyes, and only the woman's gasp made her once again aware of her surroundings. Tearing her gaze away from the woman, she took out her vial of Floo powder and ran towards the fireplace. She didn't look back.

Stumbling out of Newt's fireplace, she collapsed on the nearby sofa, breathing heavily. She closed her eyes and huffed, a horrible realisation washing over her: the note she'd received the other day probably hadn't been meant for Newt at all. She curled up into a ball, hoping Newt would return soon. Never before had she been so scared of being on her own.

A/N: Poor Nagini struggling on her own.