'Worrying just means you suffer twice' - Fantastic Beasts COMPLETE 4/4

[Salamander]

It's been less than 24 hours since I saw the film and I had to write beautiful, sweet Newt Scamander. So this is a one-shot and if you spot any grammar mistakes etc please do point them out and I'll fix. 

The sickifc nobody asked for, aka 

Intended to be part one of three. 

'Worrying just means you suffer twice'.

i.

 

Tina Goldstein hurried down two flights of stairs, tying the belt of her robe tightly around her night-dress on the way. She managed to be presentable by the time she made it to the front door. After all, she had a suspicion she knew who might be knocking. Someone who had a tendency to arrive unexpectedly, in both time and manner.

She opened the door and stepped back with a smile of real pleasure.

Newt Scamander stood in the doorway of her appartment building with his magical suitcase in one hand and a slightly damp bouquet of flowers in the other. This she had anticipated.

 

She hadn't expected him to be soaking wet. The expression 'drowned rat' didn't seem to cover it- Newt's dark blue overcoat was so sodden it looked black, his hair was plastered to his head and even his freckles seemed washed-out. A droplet slipped down the tip of his nose and he shivered visibly.

 

“Newt! You look terrible!”

“It's nice to see you too!” There was his grin, not spoiled at all by the rain.

“Come in, come up at once.” Tina reached around him to shut the door. She was smiling too, filled with warmth at seeing this dear man again. As they trudged up the stairs she tutted. “You're soaked.”

“It was raining. It does that.”

“But it stopped hours ago.”

“It took me a few hours to get-”

The man paused both his speech and his step but it was only to take a breath and sneeze sharply over his shoulder. He was about to speak, uttered a rough “sorry” and -“h'PTSch!”- sneezed again.

“Why on earth didn't you at least apparate from the station?” Tina groaned.

Newt just shrugged. The truth was somewhere between that he had been distracted by sighting what he thought might have been a pixie through the doorway of Grand Central Station, that he wanted to walk through New York the muggle - sorry, No-maj- way, and that his head was so blurry with tiredness that it hadn't occurred to him.

He shrugged again, looked down, tried- “I was- sorry- I thought-” but the words made him cough and it took him a long time to stop.

He drew a handkerchief from an inside pocket and wiped neatly at his nose, which now he drew attention to it, looked chapped and red.

Tina furrowed her brows.

“Are you getting sick?”

“It's really nothing.” Newt mumbled, eyes anywhere but on her.

Tina watched, amused and enchanted by the open, tearful look that animated his face before he tucked the handkerchief over his nose and sneezed a third time.

“So sorry, I do beg your pardon...” Newt looked up over the hankie, met Tina's raised eyebrows and amended himself to, “... perhaps a little under the weather.”

“It sure does look like it.” Tina said. “Come on, one more flight of stairs.”

Newt even let her carry his beloved suitcase.

 

.....................

 

Queene Goldstein met them at the door in her own night-dress and with her hair in curlers. Warm light spilled out from behind her and the wireless was playing in the background. She could read Tina's thoughts clearly enough that she didn't need to look at Newt before bursting out.

“Tina? Is he really sick? Is he ok?”

“It's nice to see you too,” Newt said again. “I'm a little under the weather, but you don't need to-”

Queenie swept them into the apartment and hugged Newt with no thought at all for her pink silk nightgown. Tina put the suitcase down and hugged him too, lingering longer and pressing her face into the side of his neck. It was so good to have him back.

 

It didn't take the sisters long to get Newt settled in a chair with a change of clothes and a warm cup of tea. His coat levitated in front of the heater and the bouquet of scent-changing origami flowers he had brought were settled in a vase with a longevity spell. Despite drying out he couldn't seem to stop shivering and cleared his throat with a painful swallow every few minutes. Tina sat beside him, drinking him in.

As soon as his teeth stopped chattering, Newt launched into an animated account of the last few months including and update on all of his creatures. As if on cue, Picket the bowtruckle crawled out from his pocket and sat on his shoulder with his leaves spread out to dry. In turn Tina told him about being promoted back to Auror and her work cracking down on wizard/no-maj hate crimes. There was a lot to be done in the aftermath of Credence Barebone's rampage.

Newt listened, gradually getting quieter until he was responding only with nods. His eyes had taken on a glassy, pink-edged look to match his running nose. Newt dabbed politely at this with the edge of his hankie. Every so often he would stutter, turn his body completely away from her and sneeze feircely into the shoulder of his jacket. The tight wrench of his body and the exhausted sound of this made Tina wince every time, and every time he emerged with a “I beg your pardon” and another, ineffectual handkerchief dab.

 

As Newt's resolve weakened, the single sneezes began to come in fits of two or three. Tina halted her conversation when she saw him hover a hand over his nose, that look of distress turning down the corners of his mouth. He cupped the handkerchief over his nose this time and curled to his left, face completely averted to spare her any glimpse of him. His shoulders shook and Picket had to hold on to a lock of his hair to keep from being dislodged.

“PSChh!- h'TSchh!- hd'TSch-ue!” This ended with a little groan.

He was clearly embarrassed which in turn made Tina feel awkward. She didn't even say 'gesundheit' even though part of her ached at every sign of his infirmity. It just wasn't like the Newt she knew, and she had to idea what to do about it.

 

Luckily, Queenie didn't know the meaning of shyness. She watched the pair from across the kitchen for a good half an hour until she couldn't stand it any longer. She sat right down on the edge of his armchair, and tilted his chin up to her in one hand so she could take a look at him.

 

“How you feelin' really, Mister Scamander?” She asked in her no-nonsense accent.

Newt squirmed, suddenly shy. It must be a cultural thing, he wasn't used to such a fuss being made of him.

“Cold.” He admitted.

“Head hurts?” Queenie pressed.

A nod.

“Sore throat?”

Another nod.

“And let me just...” Queenie touched the tip of her want to his temple. Thin golden ribbons emerged from the end and looped into a number. “Yup, running a fever.”

Well, there was no arguing with that, so he didn't.

Tina glared at her sister, her thoughts clear. Stop intruding, can't we have some time to ourselves?

Queenie thought back if you'll take proper care of him I'll step back. Get him to bed then, poor boy.

All she said out loud was “I'm gonna make you some pepper-up potion.”

“Thank you, I'm so sorry to bother you.” Newt said.

“Nonsense. I'll make that potion and let Tina put you to bed.” She said pointedly, retreading.

 

................

 

Tina did indeed settle Newt in one of the two single beds and sat down on the other.

He'd finished Queenie's pepper-up potion without a word of complaint and wisps of steam were still issuing from his ears, but he didn't seem to be feeling much better. Perhaps it would take a while to kick in.

In the meantime he was snugly settled under a pile of blankets, the reading lamp beside him turned low. His boyish face was half in shadow, his curls in disarray. On impulse, Tina went to him and smoothed them back with one hand so they were out of his face. He was very warm.

“I think your temperature is up.” She said.

“Not to worry.” Newt said. “I'm sure I can sleep it off. But you and Queenie have been awfully kind. I was hoping I'd be better by the time I made it here and instead I'm a mess.”

“How long have you been sick?” Tina asked.

“Three day-s” His voice caught on the second word but he carried on, ticklishly. “M-maybe fo- uh- oh dear- h'PTSch!”

“Never mind.” She said, then on impulse. “Bless you.”

“Thank you.”

She sighed helplessly. “Maybe I should go.”

Something stopped her, it was Newt's warm hand on her own as he stammered, “I- you really don't have to. I might fall asleep but I was thinking you could- if you wanted to- you could read the introduction to my book and tell me what you think?”

Tina reached over and hugged him.

“Of course I want to read it. I'd love to read it.”

She opened his case and took out the crisp new copy, all sweet-smelling leather and rich gold embossing.

“'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by Newt Scamander.” She read aloud.

But Newt Scamander himself was already asleep.  

 

 

[RiversD]

*squeals of delight* This was lovely.

Seriously, this was so good I'm going to post this and then sit here feeling bad about all the bits I didn't remember to praise.

I really liked your description of Newt's appearance when Tina first opened the door- gave me a very clear picture in my head.

13 minutes ago, Salamander said:

There was his grin, not spoiled at all by the rain.

Awwwww.

14 minutes ago, Salamander said:

Tina watched, amused and enchanted by the open, tearful look that animated his face before he tucked the handkerchief over his nose and sneezed a third time.

Love this sentence. Love it a lot.

Also love your description of Newt's condition an attitude once he's settled in and warming up. He's just so obviously miserable, and also so awkward about the whole thing. Pity Tina's not much less awkward. Poor things.

I liked that you highlighted that part of Newt's withdrawal is cultural reserve. Mind you, Queenie's pretty forward for any culture, so Newt may not have an accurate impression of Americans if he's using her as its basis...

And that whole last segment with him in bed was super cute.

These two are adorable and you win many awards for descriptive writing. Many, many thanks for sharing this with us!

[SpookyBoi]

Ahhhhh This is so cute!!! I love the way you wrote the characters, they're so well done.

[musiclover90]

I saw the movie on Tuesday and I love this!

[Deangirl2000]

omg yasss I can't wait for Part 2!!! This is amazing, and he's so adorable in this fic!!! :3

[Alabaster]

LOVE. I'm so ready for more!

[IcyFlame]

THIS!!!!  I HAVE COME OUT OF THE SHADOWS TO WORSHIP!  Wow. Just wow. I am SO excited for the second part! Beautiful writing!  

[groundcontrol]

This is the cutest, purest, cutest thing I've ever read. A beautiful movie and a beautiful story to go with it  Can't wait for part 2!

[elizachoo]

Yay yay yay yay yay! I'm so pleased there is more to come.

[Hedgehog]

I don't know the movie but the story is very sweet. I like all your descriptions of the sick and feverish young man. Looking forward to the next two parts.

[VividBubbles!]

Well if this wasn't the very definition of adorable then I don't know what is.  I'm very excited for Part 2. 

[Salamander]

19 hours ago, RiversD said:

I liked that you highlighted that part of Newt's withdrawal is cultural reserve. Mind you, Queenie's pretty forward for any culture, so Newt may not have an accurate impression of Americans if he's using her as its basis...

 

Thanks for your lovely lovely feedback, RiversD! You're too kind, I love it when I get specific feedback. I'm glowing. As for this, yeah, Queenie is way more forward than the average American. She's what Newt thinks Americans can be like, when the reality is somewhere between Queenie and Tina. I actually loved Queenie's character a lot.

And thanks everyone else for the feedback! It makes me happy.

[Salamander]

Here's the next part, a flashback to when Newt was just getting sick. A little less sneezing, more on the emotional side of things. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE MOVIE GUYS. 

PART II

 

-----------Four days previously---------

Newt Scamander had been in the Ministry of Magic all day and his voice was starting to run out.

“Does that conclude your account?” The witch in front of him asked.

“It does, yes.” Newt confirmed.

“There are no other points that seem relevant?”

“No.”

“Does the committee have any other questions?” She addressed the witches and wizards that shared her table. They shuffled their notes and mumbled for a very long time before concluding that they did not.

“So I'm free to go?”

He stood up without waiting for permission, causing the witch's eyes to narrow in suspicion.

“You seem awfully keen to leave the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Mister Scamander.” She said drily.

Newt had spent most of the meeting slumped and looking off to one side, his usual stance when confronted by large groups of accusing people. Now he drew himself up to his full height.

“Not at all, Madam.” He said. “It's just that today I've given the same account to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and I spent all day yesterday with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures giving that same account to the Beast division, the Spirit division and the sub-division for the Office of Misinformation because they couldn't seem to be in a room at the same time.”

This was quite a long speech for Newt, but he continued;

“so unless you would like me to give that exact same account to the Department of Magical Games and Sports or perhaps to the Committee on Experimental Charms, I would quite like to go home.”

The witch had the grace to look amused.

“Very well, Mister Scamander. Have a good night.”

With that he fled the room.

 

.....

 

It was a relief to get out on the street, even if the fresh air of London was chilly and damp. His throat felt hot and sore. He hadn't spoken so much in one go in... perhaps he never had. He certainly hadn't spent that much time surrounded by humans and away from his beasts since he had been expelled from Hogwarts.

That wasn't the worst of it. He could hear his own words washing around in his head, telling the end of the story-

-and then they killed him. He was just calming down, he was about to let me come over, then they killed him. I could have saved him if they'd given me more time. I should have-

Poor Credence. He never had a chance. Newt had been sentenced to death, tortured with the crucio curse, had his body slammed against stonework by the force of the Obscurus, but that wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it was Credence's face, his rage and pain, which Newt could have helped-

-he was hurting so much and he was innocent. We did everything wrong-

Credence's face. The abuse Newt had seen in Tina's memories.

 

He couldn't seem to stop thinking about it.

 

Newt found some relief when he returned to the room he was renting near the Ministry building. As soon as the door was locked behind him he took off the formal robes he'd worn to the Ministry hearing and shrugged into his blue overcoat. As he did so he sneezed suddenly, knocking himself off balance.

 

There was a tiny, high-pitched sound from one of the suit pockets and a moment later a spindly green creature climbed up to his shoulder where it swayed.

“Picket!” Newt exclaimed. “You're a bad bowtruckle. I thought I told you to stay in the trunk.”

Picket shrugged it's leaves and nestled into Newt's hair.

“I missed you too.” Newt told it. “At least you did stay in my coat and didn't join me at the Ministry. Hold on-” He managed to steady the little creature with one hand while he cupped the other around his nose as it started to itch again.

“h'PTSch!” He sneezed. “Pardon. So sorry- are you alright up there?”

The bowtruckle chirped in alarm and gesticulated with it's twiggy arms.

His nose was still itchy but Newt dismissed it with a swipe of his knuckles. He had more important things to do.

 

.........

 

His muscles ached when he swung himself down into his suitcase, but the moment he got inside Newt's spirit lifted somewhat. The smell of the place, of vegetation and rare flowers, even the musky scent of the beasts themselves, was comfortable and familiar.

There was work to keep his mind busy and better still, he wasn't alone any more.

 

With the exception of a quick look-in before collapsing into bed last night, Newt hadn't been down here for two days. Thus he was occupied by slicing meat, pouring cereal into dishes and sorting seeds. Some beasts needed their medicine; carefully calibrated doses of potion in flasks. Some of the spells separating the different zones and maintaining the climate needed shoring up. It added up to several hours of spell work before he even started his rounds to check on and feed the creatures.

By this time his back was definitely throbbing and so was his head. The uncomfortable tickle in his nose was easier to ignore when he was working in the sheds or the office, more difficult when faced with sensitive creatures that hated sudden movements. It wouldn't do to startle the Graphorns which were doing so well recently.

Newt visited each creature in turn and took his time with it, offering gentle touches and reassuring words. Even the murtlap seemed pleased to see him, in a tentacled and naked kind of a way. By the time he finished, the atmospheric controls he had installed were dimming past twilight and into night- it was important to provide regular cycles of light and dark, especially for his nocturnal and diurnal friends.

The darkening sky served to remind Newt he had been down here too long. This was deliberate- it stopped him from spending days at a time down here and forgetting to eat, at least in theory. He had better go up in a moment and go to bed.

 

Bed seemed appealing but the ladder was steep. And the room up there was lonely. And the moment he lay down Newt would start thinking about Credence again.

 

He decided to stay for a few more minutes and have a go at putting Picket back with his family.

 

He approached the 'family tree' where the rest of his Bowtruckles lived and the little creature at his neck stiffened and clung on to his hair.

“Come on, you can't stay with me forever.” Newt coaxed. His voice was lower than usual, soft and hoarse but still patient and kind. “Come on, there's a good fellow...”

He mustered all his effort into keeping his voice careful but firm, his hand moving steadily away with no sharp movements.

“There's a good fellow.” He breathed again as Picket clambered onto the branch and scuttled beneath a leaf. “See, it's not so bad.”

But it was, it was.

 

-Credence had looked at him like that, like a hurting creature, and Newt had tried to use his voice but there wasn't enough time and Grindelwald had-

 

Newt put a hand to his temple. Where had that ache come from? A dull pain spread behind his eyes and to either side of his nose, which was running. And speaking of his nose, he felt like he might-

“h'PTsch!” He sneezed sharply, sending the Bowtruckles cowering for cover.

“So sorry! It's alright. It's only me.”

He had to sneeze again. By habit he tucked his head politely against the crook of his shoulder. The sound was only soft but it made him shudder.

“Oh... oh dear.” He stuttered, digging out a handkerchief from his pocket.

This didn't bode well at all.

 

Perhaps he could just sit down here for a moment and have a rest.

 

He set his back against the bole of the tree and looked up through the branches at the artificial sky where stars of his own conjuring shone bright and clear. The Bowtruckles emerged one by one from their hiding places. Beady eyes watched him carefully and a moment later he felt a light pressure on his shoulder. Picket was back. Somehow he didn't mind so much.

“I'm sorry I startled you.” Newt said aloud. Picket chirped.

It was comfortable here. the temperature in this section was temperate and pleasant.

“I'll get up in a minute.” Newt told himself as much as his friend.

Then he felt a slight pressure on his lap. Something unseen but very soft and weighing a couple of pounds had handed on his legs.

He reached out a hand and touched feathers. A moment later the bird itself puffed into appearance- it was one of the diricawls, the plump birds muggles mistook for dodos. They were notoriously shy; he hadn't seen this particular one in close quarters for weeks. The diricawl gave Newt a beady eye and laid her head confidently against his chest, appearing to go to sleep.

 

Something else was moving beside him too. He looked around without disturbing the diricawl and caught a glimpse of Dougal the niffler worming his sleek black body into the space behind the small of Newt's back and the tree truck. He was a comforting warmth.

A smiled cracked Newt's face. His head still throbbed and his nose was blocked now. He was definitely coming down with something.

 

-He had held out his hands to the boy and he had been too slow, and Grindelwald had- Credence had-

 

But on his lap and around his shoulders and leaning in all around him were signs of the good he could do in the world. He had lost one, but he hadn't lost them all. There was some hope here. Besides, he'd be off to New York to see Tina in a few days time.

Newt felt awful but his mind was quieter.

He fell asleep surrounded by feathers and fur, and for once he didn't dream.

 

 

[groundcontrol]

AAHHH this is so cute it I think I might burst. The animals coming and comforting him? My heart  that was such a nice touch. It's all so well written and I love the darker undertones of his guilt over Credence, as they round the story out quite nicely. I love it!

[IcyFlame]

I am going to cry when this is over because it is so well written! Forgive me, I'm on mobile because my computer is being fixed so it either won't let me quote seperately or I can't figure it out, so I just kinda quoted it all and numbered the parts. 

4 hours ago, Salamander said:

1. -and then they killed him. He was just calming down, he was about to let me come over, then they killed him. I could have saved him if they'd given me more time. I should have-

Poor Credence. He never had a chance. Newt had been sentenced to death, tortured with the crucio curse, had his body slammed against stonework by the force of the Obscurus, but that wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it was Credence's face, his rage and pain, which Newt could have helped-

-he was hurting so much and he was innocent. We did everything wrong-

Credence's face. The abuse Newt had seen in Tina's memories.

He couldn't seem to stop thinking about it.

-------------------------------------------

2. With the exception of a quick look-in before collapsing into bed last night, Newt hadn't been down here for two days...It added up to several hours of spell work before he even started his rounds to check on and feed the creatures.

By this time his back was definitely throbbing and so was his head. The uncomfortable tickle in his nose was easier to ignore when he was working in the sheds or the office, more difficult when faced with sensitive creatures that hated sudden movements. It wouldn't do to startle the Graphorns which were doing so well recently.

-------------------------------------------

3. Newt visited each creature in turn and took his time with it, offering gentle touches and reassuring words.

-------------------------------------------

4. Bed seemed appealing but the ladder was steep. And the room up there was lonely. And the moment he lay down Newt would start thinking about Credence again.

-Credence had looked at him like that, like a hurting creature, and Newt had tried to use his voice but there wasn't enough time and Grindelwald had-

Newt put a hand to his temple. Where had that ache come from? A dull pain spread behind his eyes and to either side of his nose, which was running. And speaking of his nose, he felt like he might-

“h'PTsch!” He sneezed sharply, sending the Bowtruckles cowering for cover.

“So sorry! It's alright. It's only me.”

He had to sneeze again. By habit he tucked his head politely against the crook of his shoulder. The sound was only soft but it made him shudder.

“Oh... oh dear.” He stuttered, digging out a handkerchief from his pocket.

This didn't bode well at all.

-------------------------------------------

5. He reached out a hand and touched feathers. A moment later the bird itself puffed into appearance- it was one of the diricawls, the plump birds muggles mistook for dodos. They were notoriously shy; he hadn't seen this particular one in close quarters for weeks. The diricawl gave Newt a beady eye and laid her head confidently against his chest, appearing to go to sleep.

Something else was moving beside him too. He looked around without disturbing the diricawl and caught a glimpse of Dougal the niffler worming his sleek black body into the space behind the small of Newt's back and the tree truck. He was a comforting warmth.

-------------------------------------------

6. Newt felt awful but his mind was quieter.

He fell asleep surrounded by feathers and fur, and for once he didn't dream.

1. Oh my god. I love this part because Newt is just so empathetic, especially towards his animals, and it really shines through in this passage.

2. This is precious! Working full on for 2 entire days, then coming home and not having time to worry about himself because his animals. 

3. This is such a Newt thing to do. 

4. Poor baby! ;-;

5. And the animals come to comfort him!!!! 

6. I am officially slayed. I am dead. 

For real, this is really good. 

[Dusty15]

AHHH! I knew we were kindred spirits, Salamander, and this continues to prove it!  As soon as she'd seen the movie, @Spoo messaged me and insisted that I'd want to write a fic when I'd seen it. I saw it and I definitely did want to write some fic (and likely will soon!). 

You've captured these characters beautifully, especially Newt's awkward and gentle nature. The same goes for Tina! I LOVE him finding comfort amongst his creatures and getting a cuddle from the bird and the niftier. TOO CUTE <3

I can't wait for the last bit <3

[IveGotRedHair]

I love you okay? This is everything I've wanted since I saw the film. Thank you!

[VividBubbles!]

Wow. I am absolutely in love with this fic. Everything is perfect, from your characterization of Newt and Tina and their relationship to the descriptions of Newt's suitcase world to Newt's relationship with his creatures and vice versa. I'm especially fond of your description of Newt not wanting to sneeze because he didn't want to scare any of his creatures. I can't wait to read Part 3!

[Sitruuna]

I don't even have wprds to express how great this is. Newt is adorable. The story is amazing.

[RemedyBane]

I LOVE THISSSS!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CONTINUE! 

[AngelEyes]

15 hours ago, Salamander said:

But on his lap and around his shoulders and leaning in all around him were signs of the good he could do in the world. He had lost one, but he hadn't lost them all. There was some hope here.

Awwww!!!

[rockblock706]

OMG PLEASE continue!! This is just what I needed after having seen the movie and it's EXACTLY how I envisioned Newt might act! Thank you sooo much!  

[Melody]

So I saw that you wrote this Salamander and I went to go watch it today and came straight here because I knew if you wrote it, it would be an amazing fic. This is so incredibly spot on to everything in the movie, I am shocked. Seriously it's so so so good. I love this. I love your writing. Just damn you must continue!!!! 

[Watercolor Daydreams]

HHHNNNNNNNHHH OMG

Just came back from seeing the movie and wasn't expecting to find anything on it because it only came out a week ago and YET...! I am blessed with this beauty of perfection. Newt is just adorable in this fic. I love.

also my favorite part is probably the fact that he says "oh dear" when he feels like sneezing, ohh my heart that is too cute 

[snuffles]

I just saw the movie also just 2 hours ago and my heart is all buttery and warm from this! Now I must re-read this a few hundred times, please don't look for me!