Ten

After having a quick dinner of delicious beef stew in the Leaky Cauldron, Tina retired to her room to wait for Newt. She occupied her remaining free time by writing up a summary of the conference that Madame Picquery would be expecting from her when Tina reported to her tomorrow afternoon. It was absorbing enough to keep Tina's mind occupied, thankfully; otherwise, Tina was quite sure that she would have driven herself a little stir-crazy waiting for Newt to come.

When she was satisfied with her report, Tina neatly put the parchment sheets in her case. Then she checked the clock: five minutes past nine o'clock. Her heart rate increased a little. Newt had told her that his family dinner, which was scheduled for 7 PM, wouldn't last more than two hours. He was probably on his way over here right now…

Tina sat on her bed and took a few calming breaths. She knew what had to happen when he came, and she wished she had more of an idea as to how she would start this very important conversation. Just go with your gut, and follow your heart…This she repeated in her head to herself as the minutes ticked by.

Fifteen minutes past nine. Nothing. Tina decided to pull out one of the books she had purchased that day. No sense in just sitting here without doing anything until Newt arrived.

Half past nine. Nothing. Tina had read the first page of the introduction a dozen times. She shook her head forcefully. Pull yourself together, Goldstein! The dinner could have gone on longer than planned. Remember that Theseus is introducing his fiancée to his family, so this is a big night for them. Hopefully, a longer dinner means that they have hit it off and are having a good time. You can be patient for a while longer, especially if it means that Newt will be in a happy mood when he comes.

Feeling a lot better, Tina turned back to her new defense book and was able to read past the first page.

Finally, when it was a few minutes shy of ten o'clock, there was a knock on her door. Her heart lifting and pounding, Tina marked her place, set aside her new book, climbed off her bed, and hurried to the door. She was smiling when she opened the door.

But her smile disappeared when her eyes registered just what had knocked on her door.

It was Newt, just as she'd been expecting. But he stood a touch unsteadily on his feet, swaying from one foot to the other. His eyes were unfocused and bloodshot, and a strange grin was playing on his lips. "Tina!" he exclaimed, his speech somewhat slurred. "Have I gotta story for you."

He walked past her and into her room. As he did, Tina was hit by a whiff of a smell that was not like Newt at all. She recognized it, though; smells like this had become familiar to her after so many stakeouts and undercover ops in illegal gin joints back home.

"Newt…are you drunk?"

Her voice couldn't help but be a little shrill as she voiced this horrible realization.

In response, Newt dropped his case to the floor (it landed with a careless thud that made Tina flinch). "Yes, ma'am, and I hope it lasts a while."

Suddenly, a loud series of chirps and squeaks began to emanate from Newt's breast pocket. Newt grimaced, closing his eyes and covering his ears with his hands. Looking, Tina saw Pickett poking out of it. He seemed to be reaching out and beckoning towards her. It took Tina a second to realize that the poor bowtruckle was asking if she would take him, and given the current condition Newt was in, she could understand.

So, she walked towards Newt and held out her hands in front of his chest. Pickett immediately climbed out of the pocket, over Tina's hands, up Tina's right arm, and settled on her shoulder. Newt didn't notice this, but he relaxed when Pickett quieted once settled on her shoulder.

Stepping back from him, Tina's worry sky-rocketed as Newt practically collapsed onto her bed, even as he chuckled silently to himself. Deciding that laying down was the best position for him to be in right now, Tina decided to get some answers about his current state by playing along with him.

"What story do you have to tell me, Newt?"

Lying on his back, Newt looked at the ceiling through his alcohol-fueled haze and answered in a slurred slant.

"The story of my family dinner…and I thought we'd had some bad ones in the past…the dinner after I was expelled from Hogwarts, that was something…but now it's pleasant compared to what happened tonight…"

He paused, and Tina got him to speak again by prompting, "What happened?"

Newt let out another hollow chuckle that was devoid of any humor. "I arrive at the restaurant before my brother for once. Mummy and I talk about the hippogriffs while Father waits for his favorite son, and finally he arrives…" Newt's expression soured before he finished his sentence. "…with Leta Lestrange on his arm."

Tina's heart plummeted upon hearing that name. Newt's current drunken state now made perfect sense in the most heart-breaking way. What also made sense now was the nervous feeling that she'd gotten from Theseus when they'd talked after the conference, and certain things that he'd said now made a lot more sense: how this family dinner would be eventful, the worst will be over after tonight, muttering that he would need the luck that she wished him, and him wanting to know if Tina would see Newt afterwards…

Leta Lestrange was a topic that Newt had never really discussed in his letters. Tina had never pushed him on that subject, partly because she didn't want to force his confidence and partly because she wasn't sure she wanted to know more about her than she needed to (especially what he still may feel for her). But Tina was a smart woman, and from what little that she knew, she could deduce that there was pain in his past that had to do with this woman. And now his older brother was –

Newt had resumed speaking, interrupting her thoughts. "I hadn't seen her since I left school…I never thought I'd see her again, much less with my brother…Even before they said anything, the diamond ring on her finger was more than enough to let me know what was going on…I knew he'd been seeing someone, but I had no idea…"

There was more shock in Newt's voice than hurt, and Tina took some comfort in that.

"Safe to say, we're all surprised, but not as surprised as we're going to be. We all sit down, we order, and Mummy tries to do what she always tries to do: smooth things over. My parents never met Leta, but they certainly knew of her from me, and her family has quite the reputation, even in America…As they are talking, Theseus says that they would like the wedding to happen as quickly as possible…Well, there's only one logical reason for a couple to want a quick wedding, and I saved us all some time by stating what that reason had to be: Leta…is pregnant."

Pregnant…Tina's blood ran cold as another memory from that day came to her: the stunning woman in Madam Malkin's, with a big diamond ring and the hint she'd made about how she wouldn't be able to wear a certain dress style much longer…

"Newt," Tina said, feeling as though each word was being pulled from her throat. "What…um…what color did Leta…wear this evening?"

Newt snorted. "Some dark pink, magenta-ish color, I don't know exactly."

Tina suddenly felt the need to lean on something or sit down. She took a few steps to the small dresser in the room and leaned against it. While she knew that this could just as easily be a coincidence, in her current state she couldn't help but feel that she'd met Theseus's fiancée today.

"Well, my discovery was taken as you would expect from my parents: Mother was scandalized but recovered herself quickly because she hates trouble, and Father, well, I will say that it was the first time that I'd ever seen him disappointed in his firstborn. Quite refreshing, actually. But, of course, it didn't last long, and soon the four of them were discussing wedding plans while I drank more than I ate. I'd quite lost my appetite by then.

"It wasn't long until my presence soon became…awkward. No wonder, given my history with my brother's intended. Mummy and Theseus looked at me as though she expected me to cry like a baby, Father looked like I was going to make a scene, and Leta…she could barely look at me at all…"

Newt paused again, and Tina couldn't say anything. She still leaned against the dresser, terrified of what the rest of this story would hold, and having no idea what she would do when it was over.

Then, Newt sat up on the bed, a sour look and a humorless smile on his face. "Finally, when the meal was nearly over, my darling big brother decided that he would bring the attention to me so that he could get a break from it! He told Mummy and Father that a female friend of mine from America was visiting me in London this weekend, emphasis on female."

Tina couldn't move. Even Pickett, resting on her shoulder, seemed frozen as he watched his guardian.

"Of course, this thrills Mummy, and she wants to know everything. Theseus says your name, and the look on Father's face…well, that was all he needed to hear to become angrier with me than he ever was about Theseus's engagement. It would have been bad enough if we'd been alone, but this was in front of Mummy, Theseus, Leta, and a restaurant full to capacity."

Newt then dropped his voice down an octave in order to imitate his father.

"For Merlin's sake, boy! At least your brother chose a girl from a long-lined, British, pure-blood family, whatever else may be said about them. But you had to choose a Jewish Yank?!"

If Tina had been slapped, it would not sting as much as those words did. The hand that was resting on the dresser clenched, and her free hand became a fist. A buzzing filled her ears so that she barely heard Pickett blow a furious raspberry in Newt's direction. It was a good thing that her wand was not in her hand, for she was sure that sparks would fly out of it at the very least.

Newt remained oblivious to anything about Tina except her presence in the room as he continued to speak in his normal tone of voice (though it remained slurred in his drunken state).

"Of course, Mummy and Theseus tried to calm him down, while Leta just sat there like a rock…I couldn't take anymore after that…"

He fell back onto the bed. Though his next words were murmured in a softer tone, they came to Tina's ears as clear as crystal.

"I swore to myself after Leta that I'd never let myself fall so far again…and then I met you…"

The sight of Newt blurred as hot tears filled Tina's eyes. She couldn't speak even if she'd had words to say; the lump in her throat was too big. She could barely breathe beyond sharp inhales and exhales through her nose. She barely felt Pickett trembling with rage and horror on her shoulder.

Closing her eyes, the tears fell down her cheeks as she felt her hopes and heart shattering.