A/N: Hit some major writer's block. I'm finally getting past it, and this was the first thing that came out of that block breaking. It doesn't fit within anything for the next chapter, so I needed to include it now. It isn't strictly important, but I felt it was cute enough.

Why did writer's block hit just as the plot is about to kick in? Good question, especially considering how excited I am to tell the rest of this story, but I'm going to be working hard to build a strong Chapter 28. Anyway, here is a 1k-word Newt-centric one-shot that fits in with this time of the story.

Regretfully Uncaring

Chapter 28: Outtake: Newt and Molly

Newt stood on the edges of the Burrow's property line. The sun was shining low in the sky, accentuating the ripples and folds of the sparse cloud cover above. He wore a light button-down shirt and a comfortable pair of summer trousers, held up by suspenders. He could see her, sitting on a bench staring off into the pond. Her hands were folded in her lap. There was a pair of needles clutched in between her fingers with some stray wool laying on the bench by her side. Newt doubted very much that Molly Weasley had brought the wool out on her own. Arthur had likely given it to her in the hopes that she'd do something, anything, in a way that she would have done three months ago.

"Newt?" came the gentle voice of his wife, Tina. "Remember, I support you on this idea but if you're having second thoughts we can head back home,"

Home. Their home at the moment consisted of his trusty case hidden by some protective enchantments on the outskirts of London. Though he supposed his case had always been a truer home than anywhere else.

He swallowed and let out a long breath. "No… no I want to do this," he replied, turning to her unnaturally youthful face with a tight smile. "I'll go alone, though. I feel she'd do better with a one-on-one sort of thing,"

Tina smiled to herself, reaching out to adjust his collar. "Well, one should always take social advice from Newt Scamander,"

Newt let out a soft chuckle and pulled her hands away from his collar. "I'll be back in a jiff," he hesitated for but a moment before turning and making his way down the dirt lane.

The Burrow was a marvelous bit of magical design, he thought. It spoke volumes of the family that resided within its walls. It seemed to live and breathe. Laugh and cry. It was so much more than a home. In a way, it made Newt jealous. Though he and Tina had enjoyed their adventurous lifestyle, they'd never been able to truly settle down. Neither had minded, but it would have been nice. His book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, stated that they lived happily in New York. In truth, that was a far more apt description of his in-laws, Queenie and Jacob. He and Tina had no home. The book continued to rake in galleons as one of the best-selling magical non-fiction pieces in the last thousand or so years. Being beaten out only by The Predictions of Tyco Dodonus by a large margin.

The name of that book still brought an involuntary shiver down his spine.

It would appear that his original assessment of Molly's awareness had been quite accurate. She hadn't reacted to the squeaking of the gate nor noticed the crunching of twigs and the rustling of the long grass. She was staring out at the miniature expanse of water with a glazed look. Her eyes were unfocused, and a small smile graced her lips.

Newt took in her appearance and swallowed past the lump in his throat. It was an all too familiar expression on her face. Tina had looked much the same.

Without saying a word, he lowered himself next to her and let the silence continue uninterrupted. A sudden gentle gust of wind brushed some of the fallen twigs and grass around their feet and into the water. It disturbed the otherwise picturesque still surface of the pond and forced a dozing duck to rustle its feathers from where it lay on the opposite bank.

"Charlie had the most charming of smiles," she said, seemingly to herself.

"How so?" Newt replied, as though they were two strangers at a park watching their kneazles jump about.

Molly let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, well, even as a child he was a ladies' man if you know what I mean," she paused and looked down at her hands, still folded together in her lap. Newt took another moment to inspect her appearance. Her forearms were very thin, as was her neck. It made her look far older than she was. "He always knew how to wear his hair, how to make all of our second-hand clothing look smart… and he could cook too, you know," she turned to him with raised eyebrows, as though daring him to tell her that Charlie wasn't what she said he was.

Newt smiled. "He was quite fantastic in the kitchen, actually. Better than my sister-in-law, and that's a compliment. She can read your mind, see. You never get something you don't want."

Molly laughed, clearly at ease with the simplicity of the conversation. She didn't seem to notice who sat next to her. She wasn't really here. Newt sighed and shifted so that his torso was facing her.

"Molly, you need to wake up," he said simply, laying a comforting hand on top of her own. "You can't keep going on like this. Believe me,"

Molly's eyes seemed to work together for the first time that whole while and focused on Newt's. "I feel that you knew him better than I, in the end," she said in a pained whisper. "He left… and I wonder every day if it was because of me. If he and Bill just wanted to go and be on their own to get away from me. If I had… If I had cared too much,"

Newt shook his head. "They're boys. They'll want to go out, explore, and be free. We all are like that in our own strange ways. Even the rule types." he smiled at the thought of his brother Theseus. He'd died a long while ago, kindly refusing Newt's de-aging herbology practices in favour of joining Leta in whatever came next.

"Prolonged life isn't something I'm interested in, Newt," said Theseus quietly. It was odd, seeing the two side by side. Newt appeared no older than thirty, but Theseus was easily in his seventies. They were both standing, leaning against the fencing around the bow of an ocean liner. "Every day I remain alive is another day further from her. I've had a good, long life, Newt. But I think I'm ready for what's next,"

Newt nodded, blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes. "And… what do you think comes next?"

Theseus shrugged, grinning through the wrinkles. "The next adventure,"

Newt started and stopped in his parting words, swallowing past the lump in his throat he stuttered out. "Well, if I remember correctly, you told me you'd had enough adventure back in the forties,"

"Then I'd say I'm past my due for another,"

Newt nodded before doing something he rarely did, he hugged his brother. "You tell Leta hello for me, will you?" Newt asked. His voice muffled through Theseus's shirt.

"You know I will,"

"I know they are," said Molly, drawing Newt out of his memories, "but it's hard to accept that they aren't mine anymore, you know? And I don't mean that in a girl way… I mean that in a sense that, well…" she sniffed, and Newt nodded.

"Yes, Molly, I know," he replied.

Molly seemed doubtful and turned back to the pond. Silent tears trickled down her face and into her lap. She made no move to wipe at them. Newt ran a quick hand through his hair and turned to face the pond as well, noting her expression had once again gone to that of a blank mask.

"I think… well, people always say that the hardest part is accepting they're gone," he began, choosing a distant tone as he thought of his dead son and daughter-in-law. "But… see, me personally, I disagree,"

He noticed out the corner of his eye, that Molly's head had turned to face away from him. "Well, at least she's listening," he thought.

"For me… and I think for Tina as well… the hardest part is noticing." he continued firmly. "Noticing the quiet Christmases. Noticing that one gift that's missing on your birthdays. Noticing that you won't be able to visit and that he won't ever come through your door to visit you as a surprise. Noticing the shortened list of correspondences by letter. Noticing… noticing that they've gone. Because sure, you can accept someone is gone. But letting yourself notice… there's a difference."

Newt took in a slow deep breath. It had been over six years since the incident. It had happened the same night as Alyssa's bite. Even after so long, and perhaps it wasn't as long as it seemed, it still felt like a knife in his heart.

"But, Molly, to let yourself notice you have to live," Newt continued after a long pause in a soft tone of voice, turning to face her once again. She was looking at him now. Their eyes locked. "You need to let yourself live. If you keep going like this, like you're hanging on to the memories like the dying leaves of a willow tree, you'll ruin yourself."

She nodded slowly and looked back down into her hands. Newt rose from the bench and fumbled with one of his belt loops, fidgeting to distract himself. "It'll hurt more than you can possibly imagine," he said, taking a step back, "but once it's over… well, yes,"

He turned to leave as he heard her begin to sniffle properly. He wanted to say something like he was sorry, or that it was his fault that Charlie was dead. Or perhaps he would sing the praises of Charlie and how much he'd loved him and Alyssa. But it all seemed so hollow and empty, and Newt himself was lost in the swirl of his memories that he just couldn't bring himself to do anything more than walk silently back the way he came.

The Burrow seemed far less inviting now, the dirt lane wasn't as comforting either. Tina was leaning against the fence post. Her presence warmed him like the sun shining through the clouds. She turned to face him with a sympathetic smile and slowly walked toward him. Her eyes, like fire within dark water, seemed to understand exactly how he felt. Once he'd crossed the property threshold she embraced him, holding him as he stood there. She pulled away and wiped at the tears he hadn't known he'd let fall.

He answered her silent question. "She'll be alright,"

A/N: I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'll work hard on it tonight and tomorrow. Maybe a Monday release? I hope you enjoyed this.

Follow my Tumblr at rmwb-fanfics