Crescendo: A Fantastic Beasts Newtina Fanfiction

Chapter 35

       "What are you guys laughing at?" Queenie said indignantly, placing her hands on her hips.

       When the response she received was another outburst of poorly hidden chuckles, she glared at them. "Just you wait until you two have your first kiss!" she teased, flashing a triumphant look at the pair.

       Tina blushed immediately, and was so embarrassed that she couldn't even think of a good retort to this. She knew Newt was flushing beside her, too. Really, Queenie?!  Her face was burning harder than it ever had before, and Tina wanted to slap her sister silly right then and there. Newt was fidgeting with apparent embarrassment, and Tina uncomfortably brushed her hair away from her face, hooking it behind her ear. 

       "Remind me to never cross you," she heard Jacob say to Queenie, who giggled.

       The blonde grabbed Jacob's hand and led him out of the room. "Let's go," she called over her shoulder to Tina and Newt. "There are presents!"

      Tina stood still beside Newt for a second, both of them not staying anything, lost in their embarrassment. She caught his gaze for a moment, and the Magizoologist grimaced awkwardly at her. 

       "Well, um, shall we go?" Newt said, his eyes flickering away from her.

       "Right," Tina said briskly, trying to cover up her blush.

      The two walked quickly out of the room and down the hall, both considerably flushed in the face. They entered the living room, where Queenie and Jacob were waiting for them by the Christmas tree.

       "Finally!" Queenie exclaimed. "Come over here, we're opening presents."

       Tina and Newt joined the couple, and they formed a circle by the tree. It seemed to be glowing brighter today, the lights washing over the room and adding a golden hue to everything. The ornaments sparkled merrily, swaying gently. A pile of presents sat at the foot of the tree, and they were sorted into four different piles. 

       "Who's going first?" Jacob asked, staring around the group.

       "Queenie, you should open yours first," Tina offered. "You were the one that woke us all up, after all. No matter how loudly."

       Queenie beamed at her sister. "Thanks, Teenie!"

       The younger Goldstein made a great fuss over each gift she reiceived, oohing and aahing at each and every one. From Jacob, she got a complete set of hair care supplies, including conditioner, oil, and shampoo. Queenie pecked her husband on the lips as a thanks, which left him grinning goofily. She squealed when she opened Newt's gift, and immediately threw the self-styling scarf around her neck, taking a second to admire it in the mirror. Tina noticed she had saved her present for last, which made her smile. Queenie bent down to pick up the neatly wrapped gift, and tore the paper off. It was a book; 101 Ways for Brighter, More Luminescent Skin. She gave Tina a quick hug while stroking the cover of her new book.

       "You all know me so well!" Queenie beamed. 

       Jacob went next. He got a baking set from Newt, a new apron and chef's hat from Tina, and a large, tweed, polka-dotted coat from Queenie. Tina bit back a laugh at Jacob's dubious expression as he stared at the polka dots, which he quickly masked with a forced grin when Queenie looked at him.

       "It's all the rage right now!" Queenie informed happily, apparently under the impression that Jacob simply adored his new very distinct coat.

       "It's really...unique," Jacob said feebly, though this comment made Queenie smile sweetly at him.

      Tina heard Newt laugh beside her, which he hastily turned into a cough. She nearly laughed herself, but forced herself not to as she looked at Queenie's radiant smile.

       "Newt, your turn," Tina said. 

       She immediately regretted this as soon as it came out of her mouth. It meant that Newt would soon be unwrapping her present for him, and she had a horrible feeling in her gut that she had gotten him the wrong thing. Tina bit her lip nervously, and watched as Newt bent down to retrieve a gift from under the Christmas tree. To her chagrin, she recognized it as her own.

       Tina held her breath as Newt unraveled the string, and carefully peeled back the wrapper. His technique was quite neat, compared to Queenie's frenzied one. Newt finished unwrapping the last bit of paper, and was now holding an array of little glass bottles in his palm. They were all for the health of magical animals, and were labeled things like Hoof Healer, Beak Balm, Feather Floss, and Shell Shiner.

       Tina watched his expression apprehensively, searching for traces of dislike or scorn on his face, but she saw none. Instead, Newt turned to her.

       "Thank you," he said quietly, and she knew he meant it. "This – it's, it's really wonderful."

       "I'm glad," Tina responded.

       She watched light-heartedly as Newt made his way through the rest of his presents, gleeful that she had gotten him the right thing. Tina had been doubtful at first, knowing that Newt kept a constant supply of these bottles of healers and ointments in his shed, but the last time she had been down there she'd noticed he was running low. Then she had debated on whether or not it was too practical. After all, Newt could buy the little bottles back in Diagon Alley, too. However, a small voice in the back of her mind had urged her to purchase them, pointing out Newt's immense love for his creatures.

       Newt had gotten what appeared to be homemade armor from Jacob, and he chuckled when he saw it. 

       "Because my skull is susceptible to breakage under immense force," Newt reminisced, grinning at his good friend.

       "Well, you never got your armor back from the whole Erumpent catastrophe, so I made you some more myself," Jacob announced proudly. 

       Queenie had given Newt a handful of fancy quills, which she assured him were acquired through natural ways, since Newt was a Magizoologist. "No plucking, no capturing, any of that stuff," Queenie informed cheerfully.

       It was now Tina's turn. She felt a thrill of excitement shoot through her as she looked fondly from the three presents stacked at her feet, to the three people standing around her.

       She picked up the first present at random, and saw that it was from Jacob. Unwrapping the parcel, it turned out to be a gum-drop shaped hat, not unlike her own black one. Tina secretly thought that she would keep on wearing her old one, despite how tattered it was. Nevertheless, she thanked Jacob, who looked pleased with himself. 

       Queenie's gift was a new and revised copy of Rappaport's Law, and Tina smiled to herself as she thought of how well her sister knew her. The last present she had to open was Newt's. The brunette picked it up carefully, and glanced at him before she proceeded to open it. She noticed that he was looking quite nervous, shifting from one foot to the other while his eyes dropped from her to the floor, and back to her again. 

       Tina unwrapped it delicately, as it felt rather fragile. She peeled away the last bit of paper to reveal a familiar teapot decorated with green leaves and a golden handle.

        A memory flashed through her mind. Queenie accidentally kicking a little red ornament. The Occamy panicking. Newt being swept up onto its head. Leaping over the coils of the Occamy with the teapot in hand. The Occamy leaping into the teapot and Newt slamming the lid on. The split second when their gazes had met.

       Tina smiled, and looked at Newt, who was staring at her nervously. "I love it," she breathed.

       "You do?" Newt said, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. 

       "Truly."

       Tina smiled softly, staring intently at him and cradling the teapot in her hands, and she saw a smile of its own bloom across Newt's freckled features.