"Absolutely not!" Newt screamed. "No, no, no, no, no, a million times no!" Newt repeated, over and over.
"Artemis, please, it's the only way." Newt looked at his brother then at Tina, then back to his brother. He wore the most broken look Theseus had ever seen. Then the most defeated look he had ever seen. With a final sigh from Newt, he said, "Fine. But I'm doing this to end the war, I'm doing this for the greater good." Newt looked him dead in the eyes, which he rarely did, then walked up the stairs to his room. He walked back out 10 seconds later because the guilt was eating away at him for not wishing them both a good night's rest. He gave Tina a quick peck on the cheek before slinking off to bed.
The next morning, Newt trudged down the stairs. Theseus, Tina, and Queenie, Queenie because of his thoughts, winced as they took in his haggard appearance. His face was pale and sweaty, he had dark bags under his eyes, and his hair was a mess, sticking up in all different directions.
"He's feeling nauseous as well," Queenie supplied, the group noticing that he was clutching his stomach. Hazel kissed her son's forehead as Queenie gave him a cup of tea. Little did Newt know that Queenie had spiked it with a healing potion to calm him and help with his stomach. Jacob walked over to him and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"Hey, buddy, are you doing okay?" Newt just gave him a weak smile.
"I'll be okay," Newt assured his muggle friend. "Hey, what if Queenie came along? She can read minds, she can tell if Frank is lying or not." Newt suggested. Jacob stood up from his place at the table. "She can go on one condition; I go with you all."
"Frank is my husband. I want answers as to why he's following Grindelwald. I deserve answers. I'll stand outside the room, but I'm going with you guys.It's my job to look after you all." When Theseus and Newt tried to object, Hazel pulled her 'mom face' and cut off any further resistance to her presence. Hazel winked at Tina, who smiled in return.
"You need someone to look after the creatures in your case, but seeing as you will never leave the case behind, I'll come to the Ministry as well. Plus, I want to come too." Bunty was now standing amongst the group.
"We can't leave Nagini and Credence here, Nagini is still learning protective magic. It might be best to take them with us." Queenie added, the two teens nodded in agreement at this. Newt and Theseus both pinched the bridge of their nose, looking more like brothers in that moment than Jacob had ever seen them. The Goldstein sisters couldn't help but agree. Finally, Theseus sighed, already in annoyed auror mode, before looking at the group.
"Fine, it's settled. We'll bring everyone but you all have to promise not to get captured or let my..." he shuddered before continuing, "father get into your heads." Theseus said, before letting out another annoyed sigh. He shot a worried glance at his brother, he did not like where any of this was going. The Scamander brothers had gotten closer since Paris and neither one wanted to lose the other. Theseus remembers how furious he was at Newt for joining a war, furious at the thought that his little brother just wanted to throw away his life to protect others. But he was also afraid. Afraid of the danger, afraid of losing him. Not wanting to drown in his anxieties about losing Newt, Theseus double tapped his wrist, where he could feel his pulse, a number of times to ground himself. The eldest Scamander ignored the look of worry he got from his brother and Queenie as they all continued into the kitchen to finish up breakfast and head to the Ministry.
"Woah, woah, slow down," The Americans, except for Tina, urged, trying to take in all the sights this magical building had to offer. The Scamander brothers were leading the pack, along with Tina. The group separated a moment later when Hazel suggested they ask for a tour while the others attended to their business. The Americans and Nagini thought about it for a moment before wandering off to go find a willing tour guide. Hazel, Queenie, Tina, Newt, and Theseus entered the elevator and took it down to the interrogation floor. Newt sucked in a forced breath, feeling his bowtie constrict his breathing, before Newt, Theseus, and two other aurors entered the room. Frank Scamander was in iron-clad cuffs, with a strength spell cast on them to see that they didn't break. He leaned back in his metal chair as much as the cuffs would allow him to recline, sitting cross-legged, albeit awkwardly.
"I told you I would only talk to Newton. That means talking to him alone." Frank cast a side glance at the other aurors in the room. Theseus gave his brother a concerned look, before squeezing his hand as if to ask if he would be alright. Newt answered with a nod, he knew he needed to go through with this, even though the very thought of being in the same room as this murderer and traitor terrified him to his core. A fear that no one could truly understand. The man that had tortured him for years, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But he knew it was for the greater good. It had to be done. Newt steeled himself as Theseus, Emily, and George exited the room and slammed the thick, metal door shut behind them, observing the two behind a one-way mirror. Theseus felt a swell of pride as he caught sight of Newt double tapping his left wrist where the veins were most visible, though he kept it under the table so as to not let that poor excuse of a father view his moment of weakness.
"Tell me what you know about this." Newt projected the map they found in Grindelwald's study onto the table. Frank kept eye contact with the younger Scamander for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. It wasn't a small stream of a chuckle, but a raging river of laughter. It was the laughter after someone told a hilarious joke and laughed for five minutes straight at. It certainly did not fit Frank, Newt decided in that moment.
"The sooner you tell us what the map is, the sooner you can get back to your cell. Of course, we do have other ways of persuading you." Newt's gaze flicked up to the Dementor trying to break through the shield. Frank fixed Newt with an intense glare before grinding out, "do. Your. Worst." Newt inched closer to the mirror on the wall and nodded, pushing it open, attempting to at least. The door was locked. No. Frozen. The fear and cold creeping up on him like a silent, deadly fog.
"No, no, please stop! Don't do this!" Frank screamed at the Dementor, he tried to get up but couldn't, he was chained to the table. Newt was banging on the glass now, seeing a faint silhouette of someone attempting to open the door. It was too late, the Dementor had seen him, and lost interest in Frank. Both of them were on the ground now, the Dementor sucking his soul out little by little. The creature now wrapped its bony fingers around his throat, lifting him up and pinning him to the wall. If the frost or the Dementor didn't kill him, the lack of air surely would. Or maybe it would be the overwhelming feeling of emptiness, the crippling fear of losing everybody closest to him. Just as Newt's vision started to fade, just as he started to ask for death, a glowing, white Newt shot out of the female auror's wand. His Tina, always saving him. The cloaked acolyte-looking creature screeched in pain before returning to its post in the ceiling. Newt landed on the floor with a 'thunk'. Emily was quick to repair the shield while Theseus ran to his brother's side. He gave him a weak smile before giving in to the cozy darkness.
He didn't know how long he was out, or what happened while he was out, but it didn't seem too long, seeing as Frank just regained consciousness. He registered shaking, it was Theseus.
"Oh, thank Merlin, you're alright," Theseus sighed, seeing his brother conscious and breathing. Newt took the piece of chocolate the elder Scamander offered him, feeling better the second he popped it into his mouth. Theseus stalked over to the huddle in the corner, whimpering and crying, holding the piece of chocolate over him like he was feeding a dog a treat. The frost had made the chains so brittle, Frank snapped them and curled in on himself.
"Tell me what that map means and I'll give you the chocolate," Theseus stated matter-of-factly. Frank mused his options for a moment before eyeing the soul-saving elixir desperately.
"Fine. It has something to do with your little Obscurial friend, wherever he is." Frank answered, too weak to fight back. The head auror rolled his eyes before dropping the piece on the floor, his father racing after it. They left the interrogation room where he spotted a curled up Queenie on the floor, Tina rubbing circles on her back in an attempt to calm her younger sister. Hazel kissed Queenie on the forehead and wiped away her tears.
"What was that?!" Tina practically screeched, furious at both men for not warning them. Newt's guilt conscience was screaming at him, she could feel those thoughts he felt. Theseus knelt down next to her, handing Queenie a piece of chocolate, who skeptically munched on the piece of candy. Light suddenly returned to her eyes. Newt was leaning against the wall, trying not to pass out again. Sleep was pulling at the corners of my mind, he knew it was going to hoodwink him soon, he just didn't know how soon.
"I-," Newt called out before sleep entirely overtook him. One moment he was staring at the three most important women in his life, and the next he was staring at the back of his eyelids. He didn't even hear his brother call out to him. When he came to a few moments later, he was losing himself in his beautiful girlfriend's eyes, shimmering like star sapphires when you look at them in a specific way.
"Theseus has gone to get some more chocolate from the 'Dementor Department', personally I think that's what they call it to keep people away from their chocolate stash. He'll be back soon. But in the meantime, mind explaining what that thing was, you are the creature expert after all." Tina questioned. He giggled at the name, though he did agree. They had a large storage closet full of all different types of chocolate; milk, white, dark, even caramel.
"That is a creature all wizards in Europe know and fear. It's called a Dementor, nobody knows its origins but I have my theories. They feed on fear, finding the most unhappy memories, make it feel like all the joy is being sucked out of you. The Dementor had a field day searching my mind." Newt answered. Queenie grimaced at the horrid memories.
"Newt, are you alright, honey? How do you sleep at night? And you know Jacob wasn't your fault right?" Queenie interrogated him from her position near the wall. He looked down, ashamed. He didn't sleep, he couldn't after everything that's happened. But he had been doing better now that they got Queenie back and Tina's his girlfriend now.
"Believe it or not, I'm actually doing a lot better thanks to you guys. I really thank you for all you have done for me." Queenie could see he truly meant what he said. Tina tightened her hug on Newt's shoulders as he lay cradled in her arms. She blushed when he kept eyeing her intently. She could get lost in those ocean eyes forever, not caring if it was pulling her down into the depths. Not even fully processing what she was doing, she leaned down and pulled her boyfriend into a passionate kiss. Said boyfriend returned the kiss with the same amount of intensity. Suddenly, the worst possible thing happened. His mother and brother burst through the door, one holding chocolate, the other's face as red as a tomato. Her voice was shrill as it cut through the quiet air.
"NEWTON ARTEMIS FIDO SCAMANDER! YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR ETERNITY! I NEED TO STOP LETTING YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE." She paused her rant, out of breath. Hazel said the next part quietly. "You're going to get yourself killed one day." Everyone looked down at that. His brother looked sick at the thought. After everything the two had been through, Newt and Theseus were becoming friends. Losing his friend now would be soul-crushing. Seeing the Goldstein sisters impacted by this thought as well, Newt responded with, "I'm sorry, mother, I will try to be more careful." Sensing that he was feeling guilty enough, Hazel decided they had gone through enough and that it was time to go home.
"Alright, up you pop, time to go home. We're not getting anything else out of Frank today so let's just leave. I can make us some dinner. I'm thinking about making chicken, mashers, and green beans." Hazel announced. Theseus began to protest but she fixed him with a stare that left no room for argument. So that's exactly what they did; they took the Floo home, cooked some dinner, and settled in for the long night of looking at the map. Little did they know how much trouble finding that map would be.
HEY GUYS, I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATE AND SEMI-SHORT CHAPTER. LIFE HAS GOTTEN VERY BUSY AND I ONLY HAVE 3 WEEKS LEFT UNTIL SCHOOL. I'M ALSO WORKING AND I AM INVOLVED IN A ROBOTICS COMPETITION. I JUST FELT I OWED YOU ALL AN EXPLANATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE READS, I LOVE YOU ALL!
-Newt Scamander lover