Long Story Short | Theseus Scamander

062 an impromptu event

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It had been a while since Ariadne was last here that it surprised her that she was still in one piece as she waited for her body to adjust to the sudden change in location. Come to think of it, she probably should have thought about that before she apparated. The risk of splinching echoing in the back of her mind. What a horrible and embarrassing thing to do at the age of thirty seven.

Nevertheless, Ariadne banged her fists on the wooden door, rain pouring down. The yellow lights were on in the front room, and if Ariadne squinted, she could see outlines of figures. She waited a few moments more, aware that her knocks may have fallen on deaf ears. Letting her impatience get to her, she twisted the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked.

"Hello?" Ariadne called out, walking inside Newt's house, welcoming herself in. It was a new adventure stepping into Newt's living room. It was chaotically neat, items put specifically in place that overcrowded the room but it felt homely. A sole coat hung on the door, another laid across the couch. A dim lamp illuminating the room and Ariadne almost bumped into a white suitcase resting on the floor. On the far side of the room, round a small dark wooden table, sat Newt, Jacob and, "Queenie!"

"Ariadne!" The blonde woman bolted from her seat, moving quickly to embrace the brunette witch. Corresponding with letters only could reveal so much about what the other person was thinking, even if Queenie couldn't read Ariadne's mind, spending time with each other face to face was something that both women missed.

"Jacob?" Ariadne gasped, staring past Queenie's shoulder. For a second, she glanced at Newt who seemed to be as perplexed as she was, "How- What?"

Seemingly as Jacob was too fascinated with Newt's cutlery, Queenie answered her question for him. "The potion Newt had only erases bad memories. It seemed that he didn't have many. It wasn't hard to fill him in."

"That's amazing," Ariadne uttered, a wide smile on her face. However, she couldn't help but notice the absence of one other person. "Is Tina here?"

"No, love," Queenie shook her head, her spirits dampened at the mention of her sister. Despite that, she placed a warm smile on her face, "Come join us." There was an extra spot at the table reserved for Ariadne. Opposite Queenie, Ariadne shared a smile with Newt. "Tina and I aren't talking," Queenie revealed, standing over Jacob as she placed a napkin over his chest. The man stared lovingly up at Queenie, eyes glazed with adoration.

"Why?" Newt asked, eyes cautiously glancing back at Jacob.

"Oh, well, you know, she found out about Jacob and I seeing each other and she didn't like it, 'cause of the law,'" Queenie lowered her tone, mocking Tina's voice as she served the group her food. "Not allowed to date No-Majs, whoop!" She took the utensils out of Jacob's hands, cutting his vegetables for him. Newt and Ariadne shared a confused glance as she basically babied the man. "Not allowed to marry them. Blah blah blah. Well, she was all in a tizzy anyway, 'cause of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you, Newt. It was in Spellbound," she said, almost accusingly, "Here, I brought it for you," with the flick of her hand, a light magazine came flying from Queenie's suitcase. The book flicked to the desired page and a familiar photo taken on the day of his book release party was shown. Ariadne peered over Newt's arm to try to get a better view of the small text. "Newt Scamander with girlfriend, Leta Lestrange; brother, Theseus; Ariadne Nott and unknown woman."

"No. Sorry, I'm not dating Leta. I barely talk to her," Newt disclosed firmly, staring at the book like it was burning coal. He turned to Ariadne, "Did you know about this?"

"No, no one reads Spellbound. It's a dying publisher," Ariadne stated, grabbing the book off the table. In the photo, Leta was seen placing a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his shoulder affectionately as Newt stared awkwardly into the camera. Looking closely at her eyes, it finally clicked. The younger woman harboured feelings for the younger brother. Was that what Leta had seen in Theseus? Familiarity?