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Fantastic Tales of Maggick (and Other Adventures)
by: Janelle Borbank
'for those that need a touch of Maggick'
Newt x OC
Chapter Six
Janelle
Not two weeks later did I realize just how incessant of a traveller Newt Scamander really was.
For a start, he had a bloody terrible habit of wandering off. Not even the good kind of wandering off, but rather the kind that made me desperately cling to his suitcase so that he would not completely forget about me.
More than once Mr. Scamander had left me standing, or sitting, all alone in public or a hotel. Most of the times he preferred avoiding society all together, which I didn't mind save for the fact that it made getting lost all the more easier.
We backpacked through forests when we could. At first this seemed wonderful; getting to see the outdoors and look after magical creatures left and right. In the suitcase there was a small cabin that had been broken from when we had to coerce the Griffin in a while ago. Newt had since fixed it to contain two rooms. One for each of us, though Newt's also was housing the Swooping Evil which had the horrible habit of trying to jump scare me. The bugger knew it startled me too and seemed to make a habit of it.
Newt wasn't necessarily trying to ditch me in any of the aforementioned adventures; at least I expected not considering he invited me along. However it became very apparent that while the man was excellent in his care for his beasts he often put himself second, or even third. This became the most obvious when he moved on to Africa. The continent was huge and apparently held many magical creatures in it. We were in Egypt, and one minute Newt was showing me a Sphinx and the next he had apparated (he explained it as a sort of travelling ability) closer to look at something else. Of course that adventure I held tightly to the case so that he wouldn't leave me behind in the arid and hot climate.
That was the least of my concerns though as Newt, being Newt, forgot to properly cover himself with any sort of protection from the sun. That night we had settled into the case and just as I was settling in to bed from feeding the animals I could hear Newt wincing and cursing from the room next door. At first I figured he was working with the Swooping Evil, but when I didn't hear his usual arguments with the creature I realized he was alone. Then after another few minutes of him moving around I sighed before getting out of bed to investigate. What I came across was almost comical.
I knocked on the door gently, and when he said to come in I nearly died when I opened the door. There was Newt, sitting on his bed without a shirt, and looking like a northerner on vacation to the tropics. There was a distinct line as to where he was pasty white and then alarmingly red from a sun burn. From the looks of it he was trying to get comfortable to sleep as well. I tilted my head to the side, watching him for a moment with slight amusement, before noting how uncomfortable he looked.
"Have you never gotten a sunburn before?" I asked, surprised at how he looked over his burned skin. He glanced at me momentarily before shaking his head a bit and looking down.
"Must've forgot the charm. It's usually not this bad." He muttered as I took a step closer. I saw the angry lines around his neck, his face, arms, and parts of his back, that was visible beneath his wifebeater, where the sun had bled through his light shirt. It was pretty bad, and something needed to be done about it.
Well I don't know about any charms, but I have a solution for bad sunburns." I said before holding my finger up and backing away. "Just wait here for a moment."
I left and went to our tiny makeshift kitchen. Once in there I made a cup of tea but added several tea bags I grabbed a few clean rags and placed them in the tea before returning to Newt's room. He hadn't moved much, so I gently took the cooled rags and wrung them slightly of liquid.
"This will feel odd at first, but it will help your burns. Just place them over your skin and leave them for the night. It will be loads better in the morning." I said before offering the cloth to him. Newt gave me a look before taking the cloth and gently laying it over his skin. After an initial tense up from the cool sensation he relaxed a bit.
"The tannins in the tea will break down the taut layer of skin that is burned so new skin can reform faster." I explained. Newt took the other rang from the bowl and stared curiously at his covers arms.
"Muggles have such fascinating methods and solutions." He said almost under his breath. I smiled before standing up.
"Good night, Newt." I said before making to leave. Newt threw a goodnight back to me as I left the room.
The next few days were filled with intense travel. Apparating to locations still made me nauseous, and honestly I preferred walking even if it was for long distances.
After leaving the town I had rested in we immediately shopped for appropriate travelling attire. Of course not many women wore trousers in this day and age, let alone travelled the country side with a man she was not romantically attached to. Yet Newt was very accommodating and kind about it every step of the way. He helped me find mens clothing before using magic to resize them for me. I now had several pieces of clothing here instead of the pour done dress I had been wearing when I first arrived and the other one I had acquired in my stay. I wore boots that laced tightly to my legs. The leather being sturdy and guarding against the elements. Yet breathable enough to endure in the heat. Loose dark trousers hung just thinly off my frame and sat high on my waist. I did manage to get a ladies blouse and took to tying my hair in a long braid down the back of my head. It swung against my lower back when I walked. The last thing I had acquired was a long beige trench coat that was just like the ones I remembered seeing in old detective movies.
I may have looked strange to most people, but seeing as we spent most of our time in the wild I tended to ignore the simplicities of appearance. Instead I elected to just get up and go, an oddly refreshing idea. One of the best things about being with Newt was he didn't mind or at least never mentioned my haggard appearance. And if he did care? Well, he was wise enough to not say a word. The other benefit to him was that he didn't mind my incessant questions. He answered them to the best of his ability when I asked about magic. What's this? What's that? Why is that thing a funny colour? An you do magic without a wand?
Most questions he answered without a problem. A few times, especially ones that teetered into personal information, he tended to not answer. Which I understood, seeing how private he acted most days. Yet he never slowed me down when I asked questions about his creatures. He told me things he hadn't bothered to write in his book; like how ticklish a Niffler was, or that an Occamy can imprint on a human and become more affectionate. Little things that really put a perspective on the beasts I never had before. I enjoyed every new thing I learned, and honestly I never wanted it to stop.
I looked over to Newt as we sat quietly against a tree. The shade was cooling us as we slowly trekked away from the desert and back into jungle. We apparated a lot due to the non-magical creatures being quite aggressive in these parts. If it wasn't by jaws then the humidity would surely be the thing to do me in. I leaned back and took note of the sunburn on Newt's neck. Like I had expected it had healed quickly and Newt in turn had several questions for me. However they were all quite quick and coarse. As if asking too many things was taboo. I didn't take it personally though, as the man had been alone for quite a while. He likely was just used to keeping to himself, which I would respect as much as I could.
"We'll be stopping by a muggle town soon." Newt said suddenly. He once again didn't make eye contact and shifted nervously. "If there are any things you may need that may be the time to get them. However this is a very small village so I'm not certain what they could offer."
"Well I don't need anything, we could just skip over it if you want." I said, thinking about how Newt said we'd see a runespoor soon enough. They were one of my favourite beasts by far. Newt shifted a bit before standing.
"There's something I want to be certain of first." Newt explained before I rose to stand with him. We continued on then, taking our time as we walked due to the heat. It was quiet for a moment before Newt spoke again. "I suppose it's a bit redundant to say, but there should be no mention of magic while we are here."
I smiled over to Newt, who looked at me quickly before looking away.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." I said before continuing my venture.
We arrived at the village soon enough. It looked one part like a normal village, but the buildings were made of clay and wood combinations instead of the brick I was used to. The dark colours of everyone's skin made us look that much more exotic. As we walked I marvelled at the children playing in the streets, finding them dashing around looking rather adorable. However I noticed one girl off to the side, just watching the rest play from under a loose wrap that hung around her body. She eyed them wistfully before her orbs turned to me. I realized then that I had stopped walking to stare at her so I shook my head and continued walking.
We walked through the village, many people stopping to look at us. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, like I was somehow intruding, so I sidled up to Newt to whisper to him.
"Newt, what are we doing here?" I asked, but was stopped when a hulk of a man came walking out and stood before us. I stared up at him with discomfort as Newt remained the same. Well, at least one of us an deal with the fear. Newt stayed calm as the man opened his mouth.
"You returned, Mister Scamander." The man said. I was shocked to here a rough English come from his lips. Not the type of person to assume others knew my language I was very shocked at what I heard.
"Of course sir, I am writing a book about travel, and have brought an assistant with me to help recount my story." Newt said easily, though never looking directly at the man. I sensed an easiness in the giant when he saw Newt, but now I knew why. It was because it was Newt, a rather passive man, and a woman who had come to town. Obviously we meant no harm and even if we did it wouldn't be much. I supposed there were benefits to looking extra passive. The man looked down at me fleetingly before looking at Newt again.
"I would keep a close watch. There are many animals that lurk at the edges of the village. The wild is no place for women." The large man said before Newt responded. I was having a hard time keeping up with what they were saying because I was absolutely livid. Who the Hell did this man think he was? Bloody Hell he could've been the queen I still would've clocked him one.
As if sensing my anger despite my calm façade Newt soon made for the outskirts of the small village. There couldn't have been more than fifty people in this town, but I got the feeling that not many people came through this way. Once we were a bit of a distance Newt leaned own to quietly speak as we walked.
"I apologize for this but we must stay here for the day. There is something I need to see." Newt explained again to me. I huffed, frustrated as he continued to walk as if nothing had happened.
"But what could you possibly want to see here?" I asked. However before we could answer I saw something rather revolting.
It had been hidden by the buildings before, but now stood in clear view for us. It was a stand that had what looked to be a straw doll large enough to imitate a person. However the doll was half burnt and hanging from a noose. It swung slightly in the breeze, just enough for me to glimpse a sign behind it. I couldn't read what was written in their language, but I could understand from the imagery of the stick that the straw man held exactly who it was aimed at. Newt and I had stopped to see the display, and now I looked up at him with concern.
"They are very against magic in this village." Newt said without a hint of worry in his tone. I was practically shaking and here he was just admiring the view.
"You have to leave." I said quickly, making Newt look down in my general direction.
"What?" He asked with a quirked brow. I practically shooed at him.
"Just tell me what you need to know and I can look for you. But you. Need. To leave." I said while motioning for him to go. Newt frowned at me, though seemed almost amused by my attitude.
"Are you…. Worried for me?" Newt began. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"Of course I am! We're partners, aren't we?" I asked. Newt sobered up to it before looking into my eyes briefly and then away.
"Of course, but you don't need to worry about me, Janelle. I will be fine." Newt said definitively before continuing to walk off. I stood there, surprised for a moment, before watching after him. That had to be the first time he'd called me by my first name. For a person who was very closed off, I was beginning to think he and I were getting closer. Albeit at a snails pace. We'd been travelling for over three weeks together and never had he used my given name, save for a handful of times.
Halting that thought I noticed a small person hobbling their way down the street. It was the tiny girl from earlier, and she was limping at a snails pace with some old styled crutches. Something tensed in the back of my neck when she stopped. She was very tiny with some of the darkest skin I'd seen amongst the village. It only made her eyes stand out that much more as she turned and stared at me. A tremor ran through me as I watched the girl. Yet the longer I watched, the more I noticed a voice in the back of my head. Whispering.
There's no such thing as magic.
Hey all! Normally I would come at you with an excuse as to why I didn't update in forever, but the sad reality is I just needed a break. I recently began acting, and physically creating characters is very exhausting. To be honest, I just want to nap right now my brain has been so terribly overworked. Originally this chapter was meant to be much longer, but alas I am getting tired and don't want to leave all my wonderful readers hanging with nothing for longer. I apologize for the long break and the highly inconsistent writing.
Also, I am absolutely amazed by how popular this story is. Seriously guys, this story has almost the same amount of readers as my most popular story (The Outsider) *shameless plug* that has been going on much, much longer. So thank you to my amazing readers, youa re really awesome and I appreciate you takign the time to read this story.
I asked this before but will ask again, is there any sort of scene you really want between Newt and Janelle? I've planned the plot to the story, but the romance has not really been over thought at this point and I'm really urious what kind of scenes y'all like in romance.
Again, a big thank you for dropping by, and apologies for such a short chapter.
Iland Girl