The next morning you awoke in Newt's arms. You watched him as he slept, admiring the shape of his mouth and counting the freckles that dotted his nose. Your hand was on his chest, and you watched it as it rose and fell with his breathing. You hadn't told him everything, but you didn't want to rush whatever was happening between the two of you. He was worth the wait.
You rose, careful not to wake him. You wanted to feed the creatures before he awoke, as a thank you for everything he had done. You knew he didn't often get the opportunity to sleep in. You made your way through the habitats, one by one, greeting the creatures and making sure they were happy and comfortable. You were surprised to find Dougal still sleeping.
"Is everyone but me having a lazy morning?" You asked, kneeling and reaching out to stroke the Demiguise's arm. He awoke, resting his eyes on you in silence. He reached out, brushing your neck. You grimaced as his hand grazed your bruise. He looked at you with concern. "I'm sure it looks worse than it feels," you said, reassuring him. He reached out again, hugging you loosely around your neck. You smiled into his fur, patting his back. "Really, it's ok." You pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I'm a fighter."
"You are," Newt said behind you. You turned to him, smiling in surprise. He was watching you and Dougal with an anxious look.
"I have to be," you said, turning back to Dougal. He was lightly touching the bruise on your upper arm. "It's not the worst I've been through," you said to him. Dougal pulled your arm out gently, inspecting the bruise further. He looked up at you with sad eyes. Newt came to your side and kneeled beside you. Dougal looked to him and then back down at the bruise on your arm.
"I see it," Newt said, smiling sadly at the Demiguise. Newt glanced at you. "I didn't know where you had gone when I woke up," he said.
"I wanted to do the rounds for you," you smiled.
"Do you ever slow down?" He asked, equal parts annoyance and admiration.
"No," you said. Dougal had returned his fingers to your neck, tracing the black and blue marks there. He looked back at Newt with pleading eyes.
"I see them, Dougal," Newt said, voice watery. You looked at him in surprise.
"I'm ok," you assured him. Newt pulled his lips back in a tight smile, not looking at you.
"I've never been so scared," he breathed. "I'll never forget that feeling." You leaned into him, pressing your lips to his cheek.
"Let's make new memories, then," you whispered.
You had convinced Newt to leave later that day for Germany. He had wanted to extend your stay in London until you healed, but you knew the fastest road to recovery was traveling with him. Besides, you had said to him, you were anxious to see Bowtruckles in their natural habitat. He couldn't say no to that.
The Black Forest was more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. It would take you a couple days on foot to reach the Bowtruckle branches Newt was after, so tonight you had built camp in a clearing, overlooking a small river. Currently you were laying on your back, stretched out on a blanket and looking up at the stars.
"How's your knee?" Newt asked. He was building a fire.
"It's alright," you said. "Could always be worse." He joined you on the blanket, laying back and watching the night sky with you. He pointed up at the stars.
"There's Cassiopeia," he said. You followed his gaze, locating the constellation. "She was so beautiful and so vain that Poseidon put her in the night sky upside down, so she'd be forced to be seen from the wrong angle half the time."
You smiled. "She's still beautiful to me," you said. You scooted closer to him and he stretched out his arm, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder. "Do you know the story of Vega?" You asked him. He shook his head. "Vega was a Goddess who fell in love with a mortal. When her father found out, he placed both lovers in the sky, separating them by the Milky Way. But each year on the seventh night of the seventh moon, a bridge forms across the sky and they are reunited." Newt hummed. "Sad, isn't it?" You asked, looking up at him.
"There are worse things than to wait for love," he said, meeting your eyes. You felt your heart lurch as he leaned down, brushing his lips over yours.
"Newt," you breathed, tilting your head up and pushing your lips against his. He shifted to his side, leaning over you slightly and cupping your face as he kissed you. He pulled back, placing a kiss to the corner of your mouth, your chin, and the tip of your nose before returning to your lips again. He brushed his thumb over your cheek and you parted your lips, deepening the kiss. He tasted of peppermint and you felt dizzy as your body hummed under his. When you finally broke apart you sighed at the loss of contact. He rested his forehead on yours, breathing heavily.
"I've waited for you," he said, "for a long time." You answered by kissing him, pouring everything you felt into his lips, threading your fingers in his hair. You felt his hand come to rest under your shirt on your hip, his thumb drawing slow circles on your skin. Something snapped in you, and you broke apart from him, placing sloppy kisses on his jawline, fingers fiddling with the buttons on his vest. He pressed his body into yours, stilling your movement, and you gasped as you felt him against you. He kissed you again, desperately, his hand now fluttering over your ribcage. He dropped his lips to your neck, skipping over your bruises, peppering your clavicle and shoulders with open-mouthed kisses. You gasped out his name when he sucked on the sensitive spot where your neck met your shoulder, causing him to moan softly and press harder into you. He returned to your mouth, kissing you deeply, slowing down until the kiss became lazy and sweet. He brought his hand back up to cup your face, brushing his thumb over your lips when you finally broke apart.
"I'd wait for you forever, if you asked," he whispered. You let out a laugh that sounded like a hiccup, leaning up and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. You pushed his chest so he was laying on his back and you curled into him, placing kisses on his jaw and neck. You managed to free him of his vest and you slid your hand underneath his dress shirt, mapping his scars with your fingertips. You leaned over him, capturing his lips with your own, smiling into the kiss. He cupped the back of your neck gently, holding you to him as if you'd fly away if he let go. You pulled back searching his face.
"You're beautiful," you said, getting lost in his gaze. He blushed. You leaned down, placing an open-mouthed kiss to his neck, causing him to swallow thickly. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you," you sighed.
"I hope you don't," he smiled, kissing you softly on the corner of your mouth. You dropped down, resting your head on his shoulder and curling into his body. You were both quiet for a long time, and you occupied yourself by drawing lazy patterns on his chest, liking the way his skin felt on your fingers. You rolled onto your back and looked up at him, expecting him to be asleep, surprised when you were met by his gaze. You smiled.
"Not tired?" You asked him. You felt his hand drop to your side again, your heart fluttering as he let his fingers ghost over the skin just above your navel.
"Not really," he said. "Are you?"
You hummed, distracted by his fingers. They were moving lower, his thumb dipping under the band of your pants by your hip. He turned to his side, leaning over you. He kissed you again, more passionately than before. He slid his palm across your stomach and up to your ribcage, the tips of his fingers brushing the underside of your breast, causing you to sigh into his mouth.
"Autumn…" he said softly, his way of asking permission. You leaned up, placing your lips by his ear.
"I don't think I've ever wanted anyone more than I want you right now," you whispered. You watched in satisfaction as his eyes darkened. He didn't need to be told twice.
You woke up in the middle of the night with a start, sitting up immediately. Something had stirred you, and you suddenly felt a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You held your breath, listening. There was no sound at all. You exhaled. Wait a minute, you thought. There is no sound at all. There should be the normal cracks and pops of a forest. The sound of an owl. A twig breaking, maybe. There was nothing.
Throwing on your clothes you grabbed your wand. Something wasn't right. You could feel it. Something dark was waiting nearby, and you silently began to make your way towards it through the woods.
"Lumos," you whispered, now far enough away from the clearing for the trees above you to block out the light of the moon. The pit in your stomach was growing larger and larger the further you moved. You were only mildly surprised when the light of your wand flickered and faded away. Something black flashed across your field of vision and you jerked your body around, trying to catch sight of the creature. Your blood ran cold.
The Dementor had seen you instantly and you watched as it raised its bony hand and pointed at you with an extended finger. You knew it was much too quick for you to outrun it, and you felt your insides freeze as it glided towards you. You raised your wand, shaking. Your mind went blank immediately. You couldn't think. You fell to your knees, trying to shake the fuzz from your head. The Dementor was close now, hovering above you, taking deep and shuddery breaths. The world around you began to fade into black…
"Autumn!" You jerked your head up and could see Newt in the distance. The Dementor turned towards him, forgetting about you. "Expecto Patronum!" He shouted. Silver wisps shot from his wand, but they dissipated instantly. Newt gave you a panicked look. The Dementor refocused on Newt, gliding towards him.
"No," you coughed, trying to stand. Newt was glancing between you and the Dementor, trying again and again to cast the Patronus charm. "No," you said louder this time, managing to stand before falling into another coughing fit. The Dementor turned his cloaked head towards you. It stopped for a moment, hovering between you and Newt, unsure of who to take first. You regained your composure, standing straight. "It's been fun," you said, raising your wand at the Dementor. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A ball of silver light blasted from the tip of your wand, twisting and turning into the shape of a Hippogriff. It flapped its wings, rearing back at the Dementor, blowing it backwards until it disappeared into the night sky. Your Patronus flicked its tail and clawed at the ground, turning towards Newt, flapping its wings at him once before slowly fading away. "Always a pleasure, old friend," you said.
Newt was staring at the spot where your Patronus had been standing, face slack and white. You walked to his side and reached up, tracing his jawline with your index finger. This seemed to bring him back to his senses, and he pulled you to his chest hugging you fiercely.
"You ok?" You asked him. He pulled back to look at you.
"Your Patronus is a Hippogriff," he said, flatly. You furrowed your brow.
"Yes, I haven't had to cast it in a while," you said, thinking. "Not since Auror training. I wonder why you couldn't cast yours?"
Newt was staring at you.
"It's very strange," you continued, "that a Dementor is so far from Azkaban…" You frowned. "This must be the work of Dark Magic. It would explain why your Patronus charm failed… do you think it has to do with Grindelwald?"
"Autumn," Newt said, interrupting you. Your eyes flicked to his. He smiled, lifting your chin with his index finger and kissing you softly. "Did I ever tell you my mother breeds Hippogriffs?"
You laughed. "Of course she does." He frowned a bit.
"Do you really think it's Grindelwald?" He asked.
"Yes," you said, without hesitation. Newt sighed.
"What should we do?" He asked.
"For now, we'll alert the Ministry about what we saw," you said. "Later, when the time comes, we'll fight." Newt nodded, knowing you were serious. The mood of the woods had shifted back to normal, and you were quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of crickets and frogs. You leaned into Newt's chest.
"Come on," you said, reaching for his hand and lacing your fingers together. "Let's go back to bed."
Newt blushed a bit and nodded. Neither of you got much sleep that night.