The next morning the Scamander kitchen was ready to burst through the seams. The day of the big wedding had arrived and the space in the kitchen was shrinking with every passing second - due to the frenzy of bodies running about loudly. The amount of people in the old country estate had increased tenfold, which made what one could accomplish with a few good silencing spells truly impressive. Only a handful of the faces were recognizable, Tina noted, as she sat by herself at the kitchen table beside a plate of toast, watching the whole narrative unfold. There did not seem to be a hint of organization. The kitchen had become the central point for everyone as they struggled to get ready. The charm of the house had dwindled significantly, consumed by the chaos of guests swarming like a bunch of angry hornets.
Women all various stages of dress fought valiantly with their children in a futile effort to feed them before getting them outfitted. A team of women – sisters by the look of it – was growing annoyed by a strong-willed toddler who didn't want to finish his bowl of oatmeal. His temper tantrum was loud enough to be easily heard over the rest of the commotion, as if at any moment the boy's fuse would finally blow.
Tina took a nibble of her toast with jam and wondered if the men needed help pitching the reception tent in the garden. This trip was supposed to serve as a destresser, but currently Tina found that she was absorbing every ounce of the surging tension like a sponge. Surely the men were having better luck with their task, unlike the disgruntled room of mothers, aunts, and cousins.
"'Ere ya are, dearie." Louise cut through the crowd of her family, swiftly evading a small number of catastrophic collisions. She placed a steaming mug in front of Tina with an amiable smile that played around her mouth and eyes.
The woman was unnaturally calm given the current state of her kitchen, appearing as though she hadn't any idea of the pandemonium so close to her. Louise leaned back in the chair across the table from Tina, wielding a cup of tea in her hand. The fiery red tendrils of her hair were coiled tightly in curlers – as if she needed more curls – and she had yet to change out of her robe and pajamas. She exuded a self-possessed energy that dissipated Tina's anxiety the moment she sat down.
"I know yer more a coffee drinker, so I 'ad Thaddeus go an' get ya some," she said through another smile and sip of her drink.
"That wasn't necessary, Louise," Tina told her in a gracious tone. Nevertheless, she pulled the mug into her cold hands eagerly; the sudden heat that radiated from its touch caused a grin to crease her lips.
"Oh, nonsense," the Irish woman tutted with a wave. "What kind of 'ost would I be if I didn't accommodate one of the most important guests?"
The coffee had an obvious foreign taste that stuck to Tina's tongue long after she'd swallowed. There lacked that something New York coffee offered - no matter which café or office pot it came from. However, it was still rich and warm, with a small hint of that familiar flavor she craved. Tina was grateful once more for Louise's kindness.
"Thank you," Tina chirped as she sipped the hot beverage. It didn't take long for the English coffee's tang to grow on her, and soon she drew sips from the ceramic cup readily instead of by polite obligation.
"I have to say," she began after a few sips, "you're handling all of this a whole lot better than everyone else."
Things were beginning to teeter from mere chaos to outright insanity. How the kitchen – of all the rooms in the house – had managed to become the area to flock to still eluded Tina. There would have been more sense in crowded bathrooms - or surly their bedrooms were more accommodating for dressing and primping. Louise, however, remained unaffected.
"Well, it's always been my philosophy that 'aste makes you sloppy."
As if on cue the ear-piercing crash of a glass bowl shattering across the tile filled the air. The abrupt sound lulled the commotion for only a few brief seconds before falling back into incessant clamor.
Louise smirked despite the incident, and cocked a thin ginger brow in Tina's direction. "See?" She stood in a prompt twirl and brandished her wand with little fanfare. "Excuse me."
The woman's kindhearted nonchalance about the entire ordeal elicited an admiring chuckled from Tina as she took a bite of her late breakfast. She was well aware the hour was nearing noon, leaving just over three hours before the wedding. That was more than enough time for her to get ready, so she decided to take Louise's wisdom to heart and not hurry through her simple meal - unlike everyone else.
Lillian emerged from the horde in the kitchen several minutes later, looking more than a little overwhelmed. There was a frown on her slender face that stemmed less from the fuss in the room, but from something entirely different.
"May I sit with you?" She sounded breathless.
Tina quickly masked the surprise on her face (she barely knew the woman) and courteously gestured to the chair across from her. "Please."
Lillian landed on the seat with a huff, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. A glassiness cloaked her blue eyes - as if she was only there physically - while her mind was far beyond the cramped confines of the Scamander's kitchen. She was very clearly in distress; her vibrant animation had slowed to a fraction of what it had been the night before.
"Are you okay?" Tina asked, feeling a sisterly urge to help the No-Mag if she could.
"…No…"
There were tears brimming her eyes when Lillian glanced at Tina, and her expression seemed thankful she'd taken notice of her hardship. Without the hindrance of second thought Tina sat herself closer, feeling her big-sister routine take control of her movements.
"What's wrong?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on Lillian's shoulder.
The blonde shook her head. "I can't do this…"
Tina pressed her lips into a line, not exactly sure what to say. Queenie would know – she thought – Queenie always knows what to say. There was another factor playing against her though - she hardly knew Lillian - which made the task of properly comforting her arduous.
"…I can't do this to Theseus…" the No-Mag sobbed.
Tina's brows knitted together into a heavy line brought on by equal parts confusion and concern, unable to completely follow the woman's hysterics.
"Do what to Theseus?" She tried, in a soft, calming voice.
"…Marry me. I can't let him marry someone like me…" There was something absolute and unsettling in her tone, as if her mind was set.
Tina's heart sunk at that. She'd seen firsthand the way Theseus beamed when he spoke of her; even Newt was taken with her as a suitable match for his brother.
"Why not?" Tina asked, continuing to rub soft circles into Lillian's shoulders to soothe her. She'd heard of brides suffering from 'wedding jitters', but Tina doubted Lillian's distress derived from something as small as pre-wedding anxiety. There was something far more troubling, causing Lillian to reconsider her marriage.
"Because…" she choked out around another sob. "He's a wizard. All of his friends are wizards. He's important in your world - I'm not important in any world…" A tear slid down her cheek.
"Oh, I don't know," Tina stalled quickly, trying to pick her way through her mess of words and gather the right ones. "I may not know Theseus that well, but I know Newt— and he's told me quite a few times in his letters that you are Theseus' world."
Lillian finally looked at her with an expression of disbelief and resolution. Maybe Newt hadn't been quite so poetic in his letters to Tina about Theseus and Lillian, but it was what she needed to hear. Her sobs faded considerably and the hint of a smile unfurled on her face - slow but sure.
"Really?"
Tina nodded, her hair swaying as she moved eagerly, not wanting to encumber the positive momentum. "Yes, and what should it matter if all his friends are wizards? Do you love Theseus?"
Her eyes blinked tentatively at Tina, and she finally nodded with a sniff.
"And he loves you. So do me a favor and don't waste it, okay?"
The notion of her throwing away her union to someone in the magical world was gut wrenching to Tina, especially since Queenie didn't have that same freedom.
"I do love him," Lillian said, at last. She wiped her eyes and no longer appeared to be so overcome with emotion. "I promise I won't waste it, Tina. Thank you." Lillian pulled the witch into a brief hug that took Tina by surprise. She was soft and delicate in her arms like Queenie, the only thing she was missing was her fragrant rose oil.
"Don't mention it," Tina insisted as they pulled apart.
As she let go of Lillian, a sharp surge of homesickness wracked through her and it was all she could think about. She longed to know what her sister was up to; was she with Jacob? Were they okay? Were they staying at his apartment or theirs? Most of all Tina wondered if Queenie missed her.
"I need to find my mother," Lillian decided after a moment. "She's supposed to help me get ready and last time I saw her she was in worse shape than me."
The look on Lillian's face was difficult for Tina to decipher whether or not she was being serious. The wary expression she wore betrayed the slight curl of her lips as she strode from the kitchen - it made Tina think she wasn't really joking. As she left the bride-to-be once again showered Tina with her thanks, and Tina once more found herself alone at the breakfast table. To some extent the tizzy of the room had died down, but was still far more a frenzy then it needed to be in Tina's opinion, and she shook her head in mild disapproval.
"Tina."
The sudden sound of her name made her jump, and she turned to see Louise standing next to her. The woman was still casually clad in her housecoat and curlers, looking collected as ever, wielding a vile of murky potion in her hand.
"Wuld you be a dear an' take dis up to Newton?" She sighed around a knowing smirk. "'E's still in bed it seems."
Before she could quell her enthusiasm at the prospect of seeing Newt, Tina nodded. She studied the slender glass tube Louise handed her with curious eyes.
"What is it?"
"That's a sobering potion, that is," Louise clarified.
"Oh…" Tina glared at the vile through narrow eyes, idly wondering why Louise was so sure her son needed such a curative.
"Newton might be a wee bit of a soft spoken lad at times, but when Theseus manages ta get more den a few drinks in 'im, 'e's just as much of a loud smartarse as 'is brother can be." Louise shook her head in mock disapproval but Tina caught the edge of a well-hidden smirk. "Me boy's sure can drink like true Irishmen!"
A peculiar air of pride emitted from the woman at the notion of her children getting good and drunk. Tina had a hard time picturing Newt being voluntarily loud, whereas it was almost too easy to imagine him becoming a bit of a 'smartarse' (as Louise had declared). She could picture him, drink in hand, hair an even more disastrous mess than usual, loudly – maybe even a little forcibly – lecturing anyone in earshot about his creatures. Even when he was sober, Tina had seen that part of him that yearned to be a presumptuous know-it-all surface once or twice when it came to magical beasts. Part of her doubted that he even realized when that inner monster reared its persnickety head. Nevertheless, Tina still found him charming.
Louise had vanished by the time Tina looked up from the swirling vile of potion in her hand, hearing only her muttering something about having to give her eldest son a talking to.
A/N: Finally and update! I know this chapter wasn't too long and it really just sets up the rest of this part. I'll be posting the next chapter before next Sunday. I'm gonna space the chapters out a little more so my beta can finish editing the next part. Thank you all of being so patient!
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Also HUGE thank you and shout out to my beta onebethatatime and katiehavok. They are wonderful and I owe them both so much for making these chapters readable.