Chapter 11- The Last Straw

A/N- 12-11-18- Hey friends! Well, I was right, I hardly have time to write. I'm on the floor in my Psychology class at the moment typing this. Exams are next week and I'm actually dying from all the stress, but after next week it is BREAK! 2 weeks of no school? Yes, please. When are you guys going on break? Sorry if the updates are slow or non-existent until the end of next week, I'm trying you guys, I really am, lol.

All he could see was the snow.

No.

There only was snow.

It had started with a flurry, which morphed into something more sinister. Terrifying, the snow swirled like a tornado, masking all the senses. The cold numbed Newt to the very core. It was heavy, like a thick wool blanket. He couldn't hear anything. He opened his eyes, hoping to see something beyond the chaos, but there was nothing. Everything was a blinding white. There was no horizon, no sky, everything was snow. He tried to scream, for someone to help him, but couldn't. In fact, he couldn't move at all.

Then he started falling again.

As the white was replaced with bitter darkness, a voice echoed through. No, not a voice, a laugh. It seemed to belong to no-one. And as Newt fell into the darkness, as he could hear was the crooked laughter.

"Newt!"

There was a voice. As everything burst into light, Newt's eyes shot open. He wanted to know who had called him, but it sounded as though it was his own mind yelling. As his hearing came back to him, static was replaced with yells, and what sounded like things being destroyed. He tried to move his head to see what was happening, but again, his body was rigid. Instead, his eyes were condemned to stare at the ceiling, which had lights dancing over it. A spell hit the bed, and as he tumbled onto the ground he regained the ability to move.

But not quick enough.

As he went to stand up, a figure stood in front of him, a wand pointed at his chest. He recognized the silver eye immediately.

"I must give you credit, Scamander, you are a lucky man. Your luck will soon run out, though." He said with mock-empathy.

As his eyes filled with insanity, Newt knew it was over. He curled up into a ball, waiting for the blast that would most likely kill him.

What he heard, though, was something totally different.

Tina yelled, something incomprehensible to him at the time. As his eyes opened, he saw Tina gripping Grindelwald's arm, pointing his wand at the ceiling. There was another blast, and green light exploded into the ceiling, which seemed to also explode in response to the spell. He sprang up, ready to fight when Grindelwald grabbed Tina by the back of the neck, flinging her into the path of the rubble that began to fall.

"No-!" Newt yelled, trying to catch her. A force hit him in the side, and as his vision faded, he wondered if he had ever waken up.

…

"You sure you don't want anything, honey?"

Queenie stood in the doorway of Tina's room, tilting her head at certain Newt Scamander.

"No, I'm alright, thank you," he said, trying to smile politely. Queenie sighed.

"Alright, Jacob and I will be downstairs if you need us."

As Queenie left, Newt found himself looking back over at Tina. When Newt had come to, Tina had still been unconscious. Though everyone did their best to convince him it wasn't anything serious, and that she would be alright, it took him a while to calm down. He hadn't left her bedside since. She had a gauze wrapped around the top of her head from a small lesion, and no doubt many bruises. Maybe even a concussion, but nobody was sure. It had only been about 5 hours, in that time most of the damage from the attack was cleaned. Nobody else was hurt.

To pass the time, Queenie had offered him a newspaper, but upon reading one of the main headlines he wasn't too sure he wanted to read it.

Remote Villages Target for Beast Attacks

There were some older papers he found thankfully that was a bit of an easier read. He was mindlessly solving a cross-word when he heard Tina mumble something.

"Tina?"

He knelt next to the bed as Tina's eyes fluttered open. Newt sighed with relief.

"How do you feel?" He asked, resisting the urge not to start spewing a million questions at once.

"Fine… Newt, what happened?"

"There was another attack. Do you not remember?"

Tina shook her head. While this concerned Newt, he realized she could've easily wakened up without remembrance of anything, including him.

"You got hurt saving me," Newt said. "If- If it wasn't for you… he would've killed me."

Tina furrowed her brows as if trying to recall the events.

"No, I don't remember. Did I really do that? Or are you just trying to flatter me?" She chuckled.

"I don't believe I've lied to you yet."

"Yeah? Where's your Billywig?"

"My what?"

"You know, your 'big moth'"?

Newt's mouth dropped.

"I-I- uh-"

"That's what I thought, Mr. Scamander." She laughed. Newt groaned and hit his palm on his head.

"How in Merlin could I have forgotten that?"

"No worries, he didn't get far," Tina said, sitting up. "A seagull ate him. Don't know who I feel worse for, the Billywig or the bird."

Newt laughed, imagining the fate of the bird. Billywigs are notorious for their stingers, which cause their victims to laugh unstoppably and sometimes levitate. Though the bird can already fly, a laughing seagull would be quite a sight.

"Wow, I guess I really got pummeled,"

Tina held out her arm with her sleeved rolled up. Various bruises spotted her arm, ranging from small, bright red ones to large purple monsters. Newt's breath caught in his throat at the sight. He held out his hand and looked up at Tina.

"May I?" He asked. When she nodded, he delicately held her arm, gently running his thumb over the wounds. He noticed some seemed more severe than others, which adorned green and a dark purple.

"Tina," he breathed. "I'm so-"

"If you're about to say you're sorry, don't," Tina said. "It was my choice, not your's."

"Yes, but-"

"Newt..." Her eyes softened and seemed to stop him right in his tracks. She sure did have a peculiar effect on him.

"Newt, we could argue about this for years, we both know that. If you even start feeling bad about this, I will not hesitate to throw you out that window."

Newt laughed, knowing very well she would indeed not hesitate.

"Okay, okay."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, grimacing slightly.

Newt was about to ask if she was alright when she cut him off.

"I'm famished, whatever they're cooking downstairs smells just heavenly."

Newt smelt faint traces of toast and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

As Tina stood, Newt rushed over, ready to steady her on her feet. She swatted him away.

"They're bruises, Newt, I'm alright," She said, trying to look serious, but failing as a smile crept across her face. "I'm not one hundred."

"S-sorry," Newt said, smiling sheepishly.

As she made her way down the stairs, Newt trailed close, just in case. Thankfully, she made it down without complications.

"Teen!" Queenie exclaimed, wrapping a very disgruntled Tina in her arms.

"Ow- Ow!"

"Oh, my bad," she smiled apologetically, pulling away.

"How ya feeling?" Jacob asked, folding a napkin on the dining table. Tina shrugged.

"Sore, but other than that great."

As they all got ready to have dinner, Newt couldn't help but keep glancing at Tina. She sat on the far end of the table, resting her chin on her hand. She seemed despondent, which didn't sit well with him. Any other person would go over and ask what was wrong, but Newt being Newt sat, silently wishing he at least some of the courage. She looked at Newt and gave him a quick smile, which hardly seemed to count as a smile. He tried to smile back, but as quick as she looked at him, she had turned back the other way. Did I do something wrong? He wondered, folding his hands in his lap. He glanced over at Queenie, hoping for some sort of indicator, but she was busy laughing with Jacob.

During dinner, Queenie, Jacob, and Aethel kept up most of the conversation. Sometimes the topic would shift to Newt or one of his creatures, but for the most part, he sat quietly. As he shifted some corn around on his plate, he noticed Tina still hadn't said a word.

"Was anybody else hurt? You know, when whats-his-wald showed up?" Jacob asked, spooning some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Not a soul. He appeared, then was gone."

"I just don't get it," Queenie said. "He sure don't like staying in the same place for long, even when he has a job to do."

Newt knew she meant Grindelwald killing him.

"He's a peculiar fellow, a bit mad. Not right in the head."

Jacob laughed.

"He's crazy through and through."

As Newt continued to listen, his attention was drawn to Tina, who was slowly getting out of her seat. She obviously didn't want to be seen leaving. The other's must've seen Newt staring, as everyone was now looking at her.

"Teen? Where are you going?" Queenie asked. Her eyes squinted slightly, not in accusation, but in concentration.

Tina stopped, slowly turning back toward the table.

"Oh- um, I'm still feeling tired, so I think I might rest a bit more."

Newt knew well that you couldn't keep Tina Goldstein down no matter how hard you tried. So naturally, he could tell she was bluffing. Queenie could too.

"Alright," she said slowly. "Well, call if you need anything."

Tina smiled quickly, then half-ran upstairs. Before Newt knew it, he was standing up.

"Excuse me," he said, pushing in his chair.

Without any protest from the rest, he followed Tina upstairs.

"Tina?"

As he turned the corner to her room, he saw Tina sitting on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest. She wasn't crying, thankfully, but she didn't look happy either. He gently nudged the door open.

"Tina? Are you alright?"

She looked up, surprised.

"Oh, yeah- I'm fine."

Newt walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you lying?" He asked quietly.

Tina sighed, resting her chin on her knees.

"It's… it's nothing serious if that's what you're asking."

"I'm asking if you're okay."

Tina laughed humourlessly.

"Do you want to know about my thirteenth birthday?"

"Pardon?" Newt asked, taken aback.

Tina began to talk about the day she turned Thirteen. Newt expected some sort of memorable event to take place, but instead, Tina described the day in almost perfect detail. Just a normal day for her, but she managed to place the smallest details. The flowers in the vase in the window on Third Street, peonies. The weather that day, a cloudy August day, abnormally chilly from the wind. When she finished, Newt was absolutely dumbstruck.

"How did you remember all of that?"

"I don't tell a lot of people, but I have a pretty good memory," she said, smiling a bit, but her smile faded quickly. "Newt, I can't remember anything that happened last night. Nothing, no matter how hard I think about it."

Newt realized what had been bothering her now.

"You... you don't like not being able to remember," Newt said. She nodded.

"Remembering things is what kept me and Queenie alive most of the time," Tina said, picking at a thread on the knee of her pant. She continued.

"I remember once, we were digging for food on 42nd when we thought we hit the jackpot." She laughed. "Boxes of chocolate. They looked so good, we didn't think twice before we started eating them. Queenie got a really bad one, we don't know what exactly was wrong with it, but she got sick right after eating it. I ended up using the rest of my money on a payphone to get help."

She smiled reminiscently.

"It was a miracle I remember the hospital's number. Queenie doesn't remember any of what happened."

"I would've never guessed," Newt said. "Truly."

"It's not exactly something I wear on my sleeve. I guess… not being able to remember is something I'm not used to. I used to be terrified of it. I still am, in a way."

Tina looked over and gave Newt a lop-sided grin.

"There, you learned something new about me."

Before Newt could respond, there was a loud crash from downstairs, followed by the sound of china breaking. He and Tina stood up automatically. They glanced at each other, then broke down the stairs. As they both turned the corner, they saw Jacob, who was wrestling a man's hands behind his back, Queenie had a wand pointed at him.

"What's going on?" Tina exclaimed, drawing out her wand. Newt put a hand over his instinctively.

"We have a guest, just missed dinner, bud," Jacob grunted. Newt realized who it was.

"We saw him trying to make a run for it," Queenie explained, carefully stepping to the other side of Pat and Jacob.

"He didn't make it far."

Newt and Tina stepped out from the doorway cautiously. Tina waved her wand, magically restraining Pat, who stopped struggling and hung his head, breathing heavily.

"Hello, Pat." She said. He snickered.

"Goldstein."

"Why are you here?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Pat didn't respond and instead stared at the floor disdainfully. Tina sighed and pulled up a chair.

"You might want to sit down, Pat, we have a few questions for you."

…

Newt watched quietly as Tina interrogated Pat. For the most part, Pat was uncooperative. That's when she used a spell, one that would cause its victim to feel extreme pain whenever they don't tell the truth or refrain from answering. At first, Newt was sure he would cooperate, but after three questions the only thing they got was pained screaming. Tina must've noticed how uncomfortable Newt had become with the whole ordeal.

"You don't have to stay if don't want to, Newt," she said. Newt shook his head.

"I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

Newt nodded his head, fighting the pit in his stomach. He knew Tina was well trained, and that forceful interrogations were sometimes necessary. Nonetheless, the sounds Pat made as he writhed in pain made Newt feel sick. Thankfully, Pat seemed to eventually have enough.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk, just-just make it stop," he whimpered. Tina nodded her head.

"Then talk. Why are you here?"

"I was left. I served my part for Grindelwald, when he bolted, he left me here. I'm no longer useful."

"What was Grindelwald's purpose for coming here?" She asked. He swallowed.

"To kill him," Pat looked up at Newt, who leaned against the back wall.

"It was me that got in the way of it, he decided I wasn't worth any more."

Tina looked thoughtful.

"Pat, where is Grindelwald going?"

"I ain't-" Pat was cut off by his own scream.

"Fine! Fine! He's heading to D.C.!" He gasped. "He's gonna release that case right in front of the white house."

Newt felt the color drain from his face.

"I would hurry if I were you. He isn't one to wait unless he has a good reason, of course."

Tina turned to Newt, then Queenie and Jacob.

"Look's like we know where we're going."

A/N- Wow! A chapter mid-exam week? How could that be?

Oh because I'm writing fan-fiction instead of studying HA. Are any of you really surprised? Next chapter is being written, and well, it's… emotional so be prepared. I may have cried a tiny bit. I considered combining that one and this, but I already planned it was two different chapters. Well, are you guy's excited for Christmas? I sure am! I'm throwing a Christmas party and it's going to be fun. How many days now?

Oh sweet Jesus seven days

I have so much wrapping to do.