Fantastic Beasts: An Extended-Epilogue

17: Amare

NEWT
When they got back to Tina and Queenie's apartment, Newt remembered he hadn't shown Jacob his phoenix at the bakery. In fact, he had left his case there at the apartment.
"How's your back?" Tina asked him.
"It's...all right," he said hesitantly. The truth was, it still had a long way to go from healing. His arm, as well, was proving to be an inconvenience, especially when he was caring for his creatures.
"You should put more of the ointment on it," she suggested. "You said so in the bakery." She lit a candle on the table, penetrating the darkness with warm, yellow light.
"All right, let me get it." Newt made a quick run into his case, and retrieved the little jar of green ointment. While he was there , he decided to grab Amare, too. He wanted to show her to everyone, especially Tina. He didn't know why, but she was really somthing to be proud of. Balancing the bird on his right shoulder, he made his way steadily back up the ladder.
"Surprise," Newt said as the phoenix swooped off his shoulder and onto the chair next to Tina. She gasped.
"She's beautiful," Tina breathed. Newt beamed at her, and stroked Amare's head.
"Isn't she?" He said fondly. It was a second before he noticed a thick, white, pearly substance falling from her eyes onto the chair seat. "Tears!" He gasped, gathering them in the air with his wand to form a floating ball. There were enough tears to form a ball the size of a marble.
"Phoenix tears? Don't they have healing properties?" Tina asked, growing excited.
"Yes," Newt whispered, dropping the ball into the jar of ointment. Tina mixed it up with a small silver spoon. As she was doing this, Amare cooed and flew out the window. Tina looked alarmed, but Newt shook his head.
"She always comes back. Phoenixes are the most loyal pets you could get," he assured her.
"All right, then, Newt," Tina said cheerfully."I need to see your back, please."
"Could you do my arm first?" Newt asked, his face feeling warm.
"Give it to me," she replied, her face a little pink as well. Newt held his arm out and watched as Tina gingerly peeled back the bandage. She grimaced. "Oh, Newt...."
"I should probably clean it better from now on," he said, glancing down at the angry red blisters.
"This should heal it mostly," Tina said hopefully. After siphoning the old ointment off and rinsing it with a jet of water from her wand, she spread a layer across Newt's forearm. At first, it just felt like a relief to have new ointment on. But then, the blisters went away, leaving his skin raw and scarred, but no longer in as much pain as before. He sighed as Tina spread more of it on his arm; it was really a relief. "It seems to be working," Tina said a bit doubtfully.
"Trust me, it's working," Newt said.
"Here. Fervula," Tina wrapped his arms in bandages
"Thank you," Newt said. He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off and onto the floor, trying not to overthink things. He spun around and faced the back of the chair.
"Hold your arms up," she said, and Newt obeyed. As Tina passed her arms around him over and over again from behind, his back was more and more exposed to the cool, refreshing air. Tina siphoned off the old ointment like before, and rinsed his back with cool water. Newt sighed again as she smeared a layer of the ointment on his back; he could feel the blisters fading, and he could feel the heat that had been uncomfortably radiating from his back extinguish. "Fervula," she said again, and his back was once again wrapped in clean bandages.
"Thank you," Newt said again, his back and arm feeling very relieved. "You have no idea how good that felt."
"Probably not," Tina agreed, picking up his shirt and opening it for him. After slipping his arms in as she held it, Newt buttoned the shirt and tried to fill the awkward silence.
"I wonder if that ointement would work on cuts?" He asked.
"Only one way to find out," Tina said. "That is a pretty long scratch on your cheek. Here," she took some on her thumb and smeared it across the gash, which healed to nothing but a long white scar instantly. "Is that better?" She asked him quietly.
"Much," he replied. "You have no idea what a relief that is."
Tina grinned. "If I gave you a proper welcome hug, would it hurt your back?"
"No, probably not," Newt returned her grin and opened his arms. Tina wrapped her arms around him, being gentle just in case.
"I'm glad you came," she said.
"I am, too," Newt said. "I missed everyone here."
"I missed you, too," Tina said quietly. "It's too bad that you live in England. You could have so many opportunities here."
"I've already taken my opportunity in England, though," Newt said. They spoke in hushed voices, though no one was around to hear them. "I do wish that curcumstances were different, though."
"Me, too," Tina said. "Promise me you'll stay at least for a week?"
"I promise. And I'll visit three times a year, if my schedule allows it," Newt said. Tina chuckled at something. "What?" He asked her.
"Your accent, it's so cute," She said, smiling."The way you said scheldule..."
"Well, to me, you're the one with the cute accent," Newt reminded Tina. She only laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. Newt pulled back just enough to see her face, and they stared at each other for at least a minute in the ringing silence. If Newt was honest with himself, then this was the longest he had had continuous eye contact with Tina. Point for Newt.
"You know, you'll have to come sometime during the summer. I'm sure the Great Lakes will be overflowing with fresh-water sprites," Tina said coaxingly after a while.
"That sounds fantastic," Newt said. "I'll come around July."
Tina smiled sadly. "We'll have to make this trip worth it, won't we?"
"It already is worth it," Newt said. "Queenie and Jacob are back together and you and I-" Newt stopped and broke eye contact.(He had been doing so well!) What in the name of Merlin was he thinking? He couldn't tell her that.
Tina said, a bit flustered,"I've never met anyone like you, Newt." Newt felt warm all over. He wasn't sure, but he thought Tina might be flirting with him.
"I've never hugged an Auror like this before," Newt said."Most would try to kill me if I did."
"Well," Tina laughed. "I promise I'll let you live."
"How considerate of you," Newt smiled, not afraid to meet her eyes anymore. "You're more considerate than most women I've befriended, to be honest."
"I'm sure that's not true," Tina said. "There's probably a lot of women that you've met that are just like me."
"And there are probably a lot of men you know who are just like me," Newt countered. Tina knitted her eyebrows and thought. It didn't take long.
"No, actually," Tina said. She smiled faintly."I don't know any other British magizooligists who have traveled the world."
"And I don't know any genius American Aurors who aren't afraid to confront the most dangerous wizards," Newt replied. He pulled her closer. "You know, I guess I have traveled the world."
"Yes."
"And met people of all different cultures and races and customs," he paused. "And personalities."
"Yes...?"
"But of all the people my arms have held," Newt said. "The best, by far, is you."
"I was thinking the same thing....That was more beautifully worded than what I would have said, though," Tina replied with a smile, and she kissed him gently. They stood in a tight embrace that seemed never to break, the lone candle on the table casting their long shadows against the walls.
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