Beasts Within Us | Newt Scamander

24. Goodbye.

A gasp is heard and light sparks into his direction. He recoils from the sudden spell that shoots past him.

"Hello. I'm-I'm so sorry." He mumbles.

A figure sits upright on a platform, upon further inspection from the floor, looks to be Esther in her bed.

"Blasted. I knew I shouldn't have put your case in here." The woman groans.

An awkward pause.

"Did I hurt you?" She asks sliding off her bed to approach him.

He rises from the floor and brushes himself off.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. I didn't mean to frighten you." He replies staring aimlessly on the ground.

He flashes a crooked smile in her direction before it disappears realizing she was still in her pajamas.

"Let me excuse myself. You are in no condition for guests." He suggests heading for the door.

He steps into a hallway which he follows into the living room. He stands astonished by its clean state. It wasn't like this the night before. Beams of light filter through the curtains showcasing books placed on shelves and papers filed away and a clean floor.

He turns in the direction of the kitchen. It's still cluttered, untouched. On the counter, a full glass sits filled with a dark liquid. He walks towards it, thinking to himself. Has she really stopped drinking? He ponders on his thoughts until creaking of the floorboard breaks his train of thought.

"Morning." A groan is heard from behind him.

He spins behind him to greet Esther. She rubs her eyes as a long yawn breaks the picturesque scene that he's painted in his mind. He's enthralled by her. As if the windows have opened and a sweet warm breeze catches him off guard.

She looks back at him to notice a crooked, boyish smile through the cloudy haze. A wave of doubt washes over her. She averts her eyes to a window and clears her throat.

"Are you ready? I brought you your case." She gulps.

He nods in response and begins towards the doorway. She follows behind him.

The sun shines down against their backs as they make their way towards the docks. The air is filled with awkwardness as the silence festers within both wizards. Newts fingers reach for his case that Esthers holds. His warm fingers brush against hers. He feels her flinch from his touch but accepts his grasps for his case.

"There's Tina." She mumbles breaking the silence.

He continues his stride for the boarding pass booth. He'd like to avoid Tina at all costs.

"What can I do fer ya?" The worker asks.

The wizard clears his throat. "Yes. Um, good morning. I'd like a ticket for London." He replies.

He glances behind his shoulder to view Esther and Tina. They're exchanging inaudible words. He feels the sadness from the frown lines on Esther's delicate face. Tina reaches her arm around the witch where Esther reluctantly rests her head on Tina's shoulder. The sight weighs heavy on him. He wishes there was a better outcome than this, knowing full and well that this is.

"Hey, mister!" The attendant nearly shouts.

The wizard shudders and redirects his attention to the man.

"I'm sorry, yes?" He replies.

"We ain't got no tickets for London today. We sold out two days ago. Yer best bet is next week."

He blinks in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but what? I heard from you, but that's impossible. I have-I have orders to leave as soon as possible."

The attendant shrugs the wizard's problem off his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can give you a ticket for next week and that's as soon as possible."

The wizard heaves a heavy sigh shuffling through his pockets for money.

"No-no, that's fine. I'll take one for next week then."

He passes the coins to the worker as he passes the wizard a boarding pass.

"We'll see you in a week." He says.

Newt nods to him and leaves the stand to the women.

Tina greets him with a head tilt.

He presses his lips together finding the right way of telling her the unfortunate news.

"Shouldn't we be going to the boarding docks, Mr.Scamander?" The auror asks.

His shoulders scrunch up as his cheeks fill with air releasing them with a huff.

"Well... We would if I was boarding for today." He explains.

Tina's brows raise and mouth gapes.

"What do you mean?" She pesters.

"The earliest ship is next week." He admits awaiting to hear a lecture.

A loud groan comes from the auror. She presses her thumb and index fingers to her temples.

"Fine. I better see you both back here by next week. No more beasts and messing around with that case of yours." She orders.

He turns to look at Esther hoping to see a smile creep on her face. This is what she wanted, right? More time with his creatures and hopefully him? Or is he being conceited? He watches her head lift from Tina's shoulder and looks further up to here eyes which glisten with happiness.

"Have you fed your creatures this morning? Could I accompany you?" Esther's voice cracks beneath her palms.

A shy smile creeps on his lips.

"Of course."