Safe in Your Arms

Chapter 9

Newt shook his head slightly, both to clear his head and to reply to Tina's questions. "I need to ask him a question. That's all," he mumbled. He glanced up at her. The fire in her eyes had dimmed. "I'm sorry," he murmured. He raised his hand to push a strand of her hair back into its place, it had been blown into her face by the wind. Then he Disapparated before he could see her reaction.

Newt appeared on the bridge leading to Hogwarts. He made his way to the castle and stepped inside. He knew Dumbledore was a man of habit and, at 9:00 on a Sunday morning, he should be in his office. Passing the Great Hall, he could see a number of students at the tables, laughing amongst themselves, textbooks opened in front of them. He pressed on, keeping his head down in case anyone recognized him. He reached the office Dumbledore had taken them to when they had returned from Paris. The man himself was sitting behind his desk. He looked up when Newt entered.

"Hello, Newt," he said cheerfully. "How are you?" He motioned for Newt to take a seat. He obeyed before answering.

"I've been better, but I'm not too bad."

"And how are Mr. Kowalski, Nagini, and Miss Goldstein?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's been . . . hard . . ." Newt said, ". . . for everyone. Especially for Tina because she won't admit she's struggling." He paused. "It's a little better now. We purchased a wand for Nagini yesterday like you said we should and Tina has been teaching her how to use it. It gives her something to do to take her mind off things."

"Well, I'm glad to know you got my message," Dumbledore said. Then he leaned forward slightly. "But why did you come here? Do you need something?"

Newt blushed. "I -- I wanted to ask about Queenie."

"Tina's sister?"

"Yes," Newt nodded. "Has anything been heard about her?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not yet. Grindelwald hasn't been seen since his rally in Paris. We can only assume she's with him, wherever he's hiding."

"When will we be able to move against him?" Newt asked.

Dumbledore's face grew serious. He leaned forward even more and lowered his voice. "You must trust me," he said. "I know how hard this is for you and your friends but we must wait. It isn't the right time. If we move against Grindelwald now, we will fail and any hope of saving Queenie will be lost. I still can't move against Grindelwald and it would be foolish for any of you to try."

Newt looked up suddenly. "But you said you'd destroy the blood pact."

"I said I'd work on it and I'm trying. However, there is something you must understand, Newt. A blood pact is a powerful thing between two individuals. It's a deeply personal magical contract that binds two people for life. Very few have ever made one, even fewer have managed to destroy one. In my research, I have come across only seven instances when someone has succeeded in destroying a blood pact and none of those cases were the same. Some were destroyed accidentally, some deliberately, but none of the methods used are the same. As far as I can tell, this is because no blood pact is the same, just as no two people are the same. For example, the strength of the blood pact is determined by the strength of its makers' wills."

Newt sat back heavily. "So this is going to be hard."

"Yes, it will be difficult to destroy," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "I don't know how long it will take me but I'm sure I will succeed some day. Until then, we must be patient. That's the only way to save your friend."

Newt sat up straight again. "But Dumbledore I--"

"I know why you're so desperate to go after Queenie. You want to go after her for Tina's sake."