Six

Ten minutes later found Tina locking the door of her room behind her and making her way downstairs. Just as she knew it would, the dark-blue cocktail dress that Queenie had made fit her perfectly. With it, she wore a matching shawl weaved of white and silver thread, and she couldn't help but feel more secure wrapped in it. Her hair was smooth and shiny again after that walk outside, and the only piece of jewelry that she wore was her mother's locket.

When she stepped into the pub, she saw that Newt was sitting at the bar, casually speaking with Paulie. Both turned to look at her, but Tina only had eyes for Newt. His expression went from pleasant to enraptured. Tina stood there, wondering if it was only her imagination that the pub had suddenly gone even more quiet than before.

"Tina…" breathed Newt, not blinking as he drank in the sight of her. "You…you look…"

When his voice trailed off, Paulie spoke with a laugh in his voice: "Pretty? Beautiful? Ravishing? Enchanting? Exquisite? Any one of those'll do, mate."

A few men from a corner of the pub acknowledged Paulie's words with a whistle and a "hear, hear!" which made Tina blush even more and say, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes!" Newt said, abruptly standing up from the barstool and picking up his suitcase off the floor. He gently took her elbow and guided her out through the pub and out the back door.

Behind the pub was a small, walled courtyard that was bare of anything except a garbage can and some weeds. Looking at the case that Newt still carried, Tina said, "You know, Newt, you can leave your case in my room, if you want."

"I appreciate the offer, Tina," replied Newt. "But I'm afraid I can't. You see, after learning what had happened while I was in New York, the Minister ordered me to not only fashion my suitcase with much better locks, but to never leave my case unattended."

Tina nodded. "That's smart." She looked around the tiny courtyard and then walked to the trash bin. "Please don't tell me that we have to climb into this thing in order to get to Diagon Alley."

Newt laughed and came to stand beside her. "Thankfully not. This is just an indicator…" He pulled out his wand and eyed the brick wall behind the trash can. It looked to Tina as if Newt were counting the bricks leading up from it. Eventually, Newt tapped one brick three times with his wand. This brick quivered, wriggled, and then a small hole appeared in the middle of it. The hole grew wider and larger until a huge archway onto a cobbled street faced the two of them.

Smiling at the look on Tina's face as she looked before her, Newt took Tina's hand in his. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Her heart fluttering, Tina held his hand and smiled at him before he led her through the archway – which disappeared seconds after they had walked through – and down the cobbled street.

To Tina, this street was a pure feast for the senses. The shops, the items displayed inside and outside the shops, and the witches and wizards coming in and out. It was hard for Tina to drink all of it in, so much was there to observe. She held on tightly to Newt's hand to ensure that they wouldn't be separated in the bustle that was surrounding them.

Eventually, when the opening to a side-street came into view, Newt led Tina to turn onto it. Not far down this side-street was situated a quaint little restaurant. A sign hung above the door which read, "The Golden Cornucopia."

Newt held the door open for Tina, and when she saw the inside, she breathed an internal sigh of relief. The type of dress of the diners inside was identical to her own; she was neither too formal or too casual. Thankfully, a table for two was available for them right away, since it was still just before six o'clock in the evening. It was also situated in a cozy corner of the establishment, which afforded them a little more privacy than other diners.

"Have you been here before?" asked Tina, who noticed that Newt hadn't really looked at his menu.

"Several times," Newt replied. "Whenever Mummy and Father have come to London to see Theseus and myself, this is our first choice."

Seeing that a pinch expression had come to his eyebrows during his reply, Tina changed the subject: "Well, then, what would you recommend?"

The menu was one of those wide-ranging and diverse menus that had something for everybody, and the both of them ended up ordering dishes roasted chicken and vegetables. In the restaurants of the wizarding world, all they had to do was speak their order very clearly to their empty plate, and within seconds that order would appear on the plate. The same process applied to their drinks by speaking into their glasses and cups.

As the two of them ate, Tina caught Newt up on the latest news from New York City, especially Queenie and Jacob. He knew that, a few months after his departure, Jacob's memories had come back after seeing Queenie in his new bakery. The two of them had been a couple ever since. Considering the American laws about No-Maj relations, of course the two of them had to be extremely careful. Tina knew now that the current laws were deeply flawed, and what Queenie and Jacob shared was something that could never be wrong. But that didn't mean that she didn't worry.

Some of her worry must have shown on her face as she caught Newt up on the couple. He reached his hand across the table and covered her own. "I'm sure that they'll be alright, Tina. I think that this is the type of situation where being a Legilimens could be extremely helpful."

Tina gave him a small smile, relishing the feeling of his warm, calloused hand on her own. "I expect so. I just hope that all of us will live to see the day that those laws are abolished and the two of them will be able to live in peace."

Newt returned her smile, nodded, and squeezed her fingers before withdrawing his hand. Tina withdrew that hand into her lap, making a fist as if to capture the memory of his touch forever.

Their meal finished that the check paid (Newt insisted over all of Tina's protests), the two of them left "The Golden Cornucopia" behind and came back onto Diagon Alley. Newt took Tina's hand again and began to lead her down the street; she had a feeling that he had a specific destination in mind.

Sure enough, he stopped in front of a shop whose windows displayed stacks and stacks of books. The sign above the doors read: Flourish and Blotts Bookseller. Newt opened the door for her with a grin, and she walked inside beaming. She had once written to him that the only shopping that she liked was for books; it warmed her heart to know that he had remembered that. The interior didn't disappoint Tina at all. Before her was a good-sized space filled to the ceiling with shelves and stacks of books. Tina took a deep breath, loving the smell of parchment and that sweet dusk that seemed to cling to books.

Being in an environment that she loved filled Tina with some mischievous confidence. Turning to Newt, she asked, "Do you know the layout of this shop pretty well?"

Newt shrugged. "Reasonably."

Tina grinned. "Well, then, I'd like you to please escort me to the section of this shop where your book will be when it comes out."

Newt seemed a bit surprised and embarrassed by the request, going by how quickly his ears turned red. He avoided her stare and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh…um…if you…if you really want to…"

She hooked her arm through his with a cheeky smile. "I do, and as the guest, I insist."

The corners of Newt's lips turned upwards, and he gave her a little bow as he said, "Yes, ma'am."

Tina laughed as he began to lead the way through the shop.