Disclaimer: I do not own "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" in any way, shape, or form! I only own my OC, "Sophie Millicent Kingston" and the plot of this story!

Author's Note: That next chapter might take a little bit, but bear with me!

Enjoy!

Sophie really didn't want to go on their date, but she figured that John wouldn't shut up about it, so she walked beside him on their way to the restaurant that he had booked reservations at.

She was barely paying attention to whatever he was going on about. She kept thinking about the look on Newt's face when he found out she was actually engaged. That... that devastated look on his face. It almost seemed ridiculous to call it devastation, but Sophie couldn't think of any other word to use. She felt as bad as Newt had looked-perhaps even worse, because she was the one actually getting married.

She shook her head and tried to think about something else other than Newt Scamander. She curled her fingers in her pockets, and for a second she almost drew her hand away as her heart skipped a beat. She almost hurt-

She glanced down at her pocket. Her empty pocket.

That was right. Pickett wasn't there anymore. She had only had him for a day, but she already missed his presence. It was sort of nice, never being alone. Knowing that someone was always there. But Pickett was back to being with his owner. Newt.

So much for thinking about something other than Newt.

As if he could read her thoughts, John said, "That Scamander fellow was a strange one."

Her head snapped over to him as he held open the door to the restaurant for her. "You don't know him," she automatically defended.

He looked at her oddly, but she simply lifted her chin and walked into the restaurant. "Yes, I suppose I don't," he agreed. "But do you?"

Sophie didn't get the chance to answer because the hostess had arrived and led them to their reserved seat. She resigned herself to dropping the topic and draped her coat over her chair. She sat down in the chair and picked up the menu, opening so that it blocked John's face.

"So," John started as he opened his own menu. "The wedding's in two weeks. Can you believe it?"

No, she thought to herself, but she forced herself to smile, and even then it was weak. "It's been fast," she instead acknowledged.

John grinned at her, and for a second, Sophie felt incredibly guilty. Here she was, thinking about another man while on a date with a fiancé that she didn't love. She opened her mouth, ready to spill everything, when John suddenly asked, "How was work?"

His question snapped Sophie back into attention, and she cleared her throat before answering. "Good," she replied, closing her menu after she had made her choice. "Nothing really exciting happened. Except, of course, Newt stopped by. He was actually looking for Pickett."

"Pickett?" he wondered.

"Oh, his Bowtruckle," she supplied. "He had accidentally left him behind at my office yesterday. I found Pickett, took him home, and then brought him back to the office in hopes that I could find his owner. I didn't think that it was Newt, but all's well that ends well, I suppose."

"Bowtruckle?" John mused, scratching at his growing beard. Sophie only hoped that he'd shave it before the wedding. Because the thought of him kissing her with that scruff... She shuddered at the thought. "That's a type of magical creature, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sophie responded. "Pickett loves to carve into wood, but he's an absolute sweetheart."

"Do you know if Mr Scamander has a license to bring magical creatures into Romania?" John asked.

Sophie didn't like the question in his tone. "No, I don't," she replied slowly. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Well, if he's bringing these creatures here illegally-"

"Don't even think about it," Sophie broke in. "If you're going to report him to the Ministry-"

"Why do you care so much?" John demanded, and Sophie could hear the suspicion in his tone. "Why does it matter to you if Newt Scamander gets into trouble?"

"Because he's my friend," Sophie answered, and she was proud of the fact that her voice didn't shake. "He's a wonderful person. And he needs to finish this research that he's doing for his book and I don't want to be the person that jeopardizes that."

"You've known the man for all of three days," John reminded her. "How do you know how wonderful he is?"

"Because I've seen him!" she replied, and she had to remind herself that they were in the middle of a crowded restaurant. "I've seen how he acts. He's a bit awkward, yes, but that doesn't mean he's bad or suspicious. In fact, it's quite endearing." She smiled a little bit at the end.

That smile disappeared, however, at the look on John's face. "What?" she demanded. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Jon grumbled, leaning back in his seat. "I just... I've never heard you speak about me like that before, and I'm your fiancé."

Sophie's jaw dropped. While she was shocked at the implication of what he was saying and while it hurt a bit, it was mostly because... he was right. Sophie couldn't remember the last time she had spoken so glowingly of John. If she had ever spoken so glowingly of John, in fact.

Still, she didn't like what he was suggesting about her character. "If you're insinuating what I think you are..." she began, keeping her tone tight and even.

"The only thing I'm saying is what's so great about Newt Scamander?" he said. "The man seems awfully strange."

The words were tumbling out of Sophie before she could stop them. "How about the fact that he actually listens to me?" she asked. Newt not only listened to her, but even after knowing her for only a few days he could read her, which wasn't easily considering Sophie didn't like to think of herself as an open book. He knew something was bothering her right away when he stopped by her office. That was the kind of thing that people didn't learn unless they really understood her. And somehow... Newt did.

John's eyes widened. "I... I listen to you."

Sophie shook her head in disbelief. "No, you don't, John. You hear me speak, but you don't listen."

"Yes, I do!" he insisted, leaning forward.

She leaned back in her seat. "What type of dragon do I take care of?"

John sat up straight. "Excuse me?"

"What's the name of the dragon whom I am primarily responsible for?" she asked next.

John licked his lips. "You-you haven't-"

"Yes I have," she cut him off. "I've mentioned it more than once. Or were you not listening?"

Before John could say anything else, Sophie said, "I, on the other hand, know that back in London when you worked for the British Ministry of Magic, you were in the Magical Law Enforcement Department, working as an Auror. The first criminal that you captured was called Rufus Collinsburry and you arrested him by using the Stupefy charm while he was trying to torture two young girls." She sat up straight. "I know everything about your job, but you know nothing of mine."

"Your job is-" he started, and judging by the tone of his voice the next thing out of his mouth was going to be "too dangerous", so Sophie cut in again.

"Everything to me," she finished for him. "My job is everything to me. You may not think I'm doing something important, John, but I am. There is nothing I look forward to more when I wake up in the morning than to go to work and see my beloved dragons, even if at any moment they could turn on me and burn my face. It is what I love, and I don't intend on giving it up after marriage. I'm not the kind of person who can just sit at home and take care of children, John. I'm the type of person that wants to see the world and experience new things, and I need a partner who wants those things just as much as I do."

John heaved a deep breath. "So what are you saying?"

I don't want to marry you, she thought, but the words wouldn't come out. She wanted to say them so badly, but they wouldn't come out of her mouth. She wasn't sure why. He was giving her an opportunity as well. But she just couldn't say it.

"I..." she stammered, before pushing herself away from the table and standing up. "I have to go home," she finished lamely.

John stood up as well. "Sophie," he said weakly.

She held up her hands. "Please just let me go, John," she told him. "Before I say something I will regret."

With that, she spun on her heel and walked away, past the hostess who had directed her to her seat, and out the door.

The cool summer breeze instantly calmed her down, but she didn't stop to give John a chance to change his mind and run after her instead. She put her cold hands to her warm cheeks, willing herself to calm down as she walked. She kept scanning the street to look for somewhere where she could Apparate, but the only alley seemed to be all the way on the other side of the street. She sighed but straightened her coat and resigned herself to a long walk.

She didn't know why she couldn't just say it. No, I don't want to marry you. No, I'll never be happy in a marriage with you. No, this isn't what I want.

No, actually, she knew why she couldn't do it. She was a coward. She was too afraid of what would happen if she voiced her own thoughts. She knew exactly what would happen; her mother would never speak to her again. It seemed like an exaggeration, but Thea Kingston was as stubborn as a mule. Everything had to be done her way, or everyone had to pay for it. So while Sophie was the one that agreed to the marriage, her mother was the one that had pulled the strings and made Sophie move like a marionette.

Now that she thought about it, becoming a dragonologist was actually the first time Sophie had really put her foot down and stood up to her mother. But it was mainly because she had her father to back her up. Matthew Kingston was always on Sophie's side, but now that he was gone, she was alone in a corner and wasn't strong enough to hold her own, allowing her mother to crush her. Sophie felt like she had the weight of everyone's futures and happiness on her shoulders, with her own being the least important. And while she knew that that wasn't fair, she didn't know how to make it stop either.

She had just reached the mouth of the alley when someone bumped into her shoulder. She stumbled backwards at the action, and a hand caught hers before she could go flying backwards.

"Sorry!" she heard, and her stomach tightened when she looked up to see Newt standing in front of her, holding his case in one hand and her hand in the other.

"Newt," she breathed, the word slipping past her lips.

"Sophie," he said, much in the same manner.

Sophie looked down at their hands, and her heart stuttered when she realized that Newt had grabbed her left hand, engagement ring and all.

Newt looked down at their hands as well, and quickly dropped hers when he realized. "Sorry," he apologized again. He didn't look Sophie in the eye, but he said, "I'm also sorry for just running out like that, earlier today."

Sophie shook her head. "No, it was my fault," she automatically said, thought she wasn't sure why.

Newt just nodded and moved to walk past her, but her hand moved without thinking. "Newt," she started. She grabbed his hand, which was enough to make him stop and turn around. She wasn't sure what to say after that, but her heart soared when he looked at her. The feeling was enough to help her find words again. She struggled for a few seconds before saying, "Are you hungry?"

He seemed surprised by the question, but said, "I haven't eaten yet."

"Want to grab something?" she wondered.

She fully expected him to say no, and she had to refrain from doing a happy dance when he answered, "Sure. Where?"

A few options ran through Sophie's head, and she smirked when she thought of a place. "How do you feel about speakeasies?"

TBC...

Please review! They motivate me!

Till next time!

REVIEW RESPONSES:

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967: Thank you!

AmericanNidiot: Me too! I'm trying my best to keep him in character as best as I can! Please let me know if I'm doing so!)

.2018: Thanks so much!

BecomingFearless1F: I really liked it! But I thought that the movie was a little disjointed and weak, but overall I still liked it! The plot twist shook me too, I couldn't believe it! But I really enjoyed it.

INeedSleep: (first of all at your name, same) Hi! I feel bad for Sophie too, she's really stuck in a hard place. And I wasn't planning on it, but because you mentioned it there's chapter I can be able to make from Newt's POV. We'll see, though!

Kawaiibirdie24: Thank you so much! I was hoping that I made his reaction believable!

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