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Ariadne caught a flash of pink in the crowd of aurors and nudged Tina. Queenie's heels clicked as she hastily went to hug her sister. They shared a warm embrace before Queenie wrapped her arms around Ariadne, surprising the older witch. Queenie's warmth was welcoming and calming, especially after everything that they had just been through.
"Hey, I figured somebody oughta keep an eye on this thing," Jacob smiled, handing Newt his case.
"Thank you," he replied, gratitude in his expression.
"We owe you an apology Mr Scamander," Madam Picquery uttered, stepping forward as she examined the damage left behind, "The magical community is exposed. We cannot Obliviate an entire city." Ariadne's eyes followed Madam Picquery's as she turned towards the large hole in the roof. She caught sight of a small particle of black floating up, vanishing from sight. Glancing back at her friends, she noticed an idea forming in Newt's mind.
"Actually I think we can," he offered. His words made everyone turn towards him questioningly. Blushing under the attention, he placed his case down, unlatching the clasp before stepping back. The Thunderbird burst up, a gust of wind knocked back the aurors as they stared up at the creature, memorised by its beauty and terrified as the Thunderbird flapped its golden wings.
"I was intending to wait until we got to Arizona, but it seemed like now you are our only hope, Frank," Newt whispered. Gently the creature nudged Newt's arm, affectionately while the brunette wizard stroked his beak. "I'll miss you too." As Newt backed away from the creature, he smiled, pulling out a vile of blue venom, "You know what you've got to do." Launching the vile up, the Thunderbird caught it in its beak and immediately soared out of the subway.
Screams could be heard as the muggles saw the creature, although Ariadne couldn't help but step forward, watching as the creature flew away from her view. Dark clouds formed in the grey sky as lightning and thunder struck.
"They won't remember anything. That venom has incredibly powerful Obliviative properties," Newt revealed, turning to Madam Picquery.
"We owe you a great debt, Mr Scamander. Now get that case out of New York."
"Yes, Madam President," she nodded at him before walking off, her pack of aurors following after her. After a moment, she suddenly turned back. Reading her mind, Queenie stepped in front of Jacob, trying to hide him from her view.
"Is that No-Maj still here?" Madam Picquery's eyes land on Jacob, "Obliviate him. There can be no exceptions." Reading the dejection off their faces, she frowned, "I'm sorry. But even one witness, you know the law." The anguish on the group's face made the President pause, "I'll let you say goodbye."
The walk to the exit was silent. They went the long way, hoping to delay the inevitable. Reaching the top of the staircase, Jacob turned around, smiling at his new found friends.
"Hey," Queenie grabbed his hand, "Hey, this is for the best. Yeah, I was never even supposed to be here," he choked on his words making Ariadne sadly smile, "I was never supposed to know any of this. Everybody knows Newt only kept me around because... hey, Newt, why did you keep me around?"
"Because I like you," he answered truthfully, making eye contact with the man, "Because you're my friend and I'll never forget how you helped me, Jacob."
"Oh," tears started welling up in his eyes, He glanced away, fighting back tears.
Queenie walked up the stairs, standing close to Jacob, "I'll come with you. We'll go somewhere, we'll go anywhere," the humour left her face as she stared in his eyes. "See, I ain't never gonna find anyone like you."
"There's loads like me."
"No, no," Queenie shook her head, "There's only one like you."
He smiled before nodding to himself, "I gotta go."
"Jacob," Newt called out, watching worriedly as Jacob wiped his tears away, his back turned against them.
"It's okay. It's okay," he assured them, "It's just like waking up, right?" The sadness on their faces was almost unbearable. Taking one last look at his friends, he slowly stepped back. Droplets of rain coated his jacket as he welcomed the water. Without wasting a second, Queenie conjured an umbrella, walking towards him. Her hand on his cheek as she went to kiss him.
"C'mon, let's leave him be," Ariadne placed a soothing hand on Newt and Tina's shoulders. And as Jacob opened his eyes, confusion took over. He glanced at the empty subway entrance and at the downpour he stood in. Finally regaining control of his senses, he walked away, leaving the empty subway behind him.
☆
The trio stop before the boarding gate. Newt had opted to use the muggle transportation and Ariadne decided to accompany him. The noise of the crowd followed as they boarded the ship. Ariadne's eyes darted between Tina and Newt, watching as Tina smiled at the man nervously.
"Well, it's been-" Newt started.
"Hasn't it?" Tina finished, interrupting him before he could end his sentence. A knowing look graced Ariadne's face as she awkwardly stood with the pair. Newt's eyes flew to Tina's face and she cleared her throat.
"You know, I'll go find us a space on that boat," Ariadne's words fell deaf to the pair as she walked off, waiting for Newt as she stood at the foot of the ramp. She nodded towards the shipman as she smiled at the sight of Newt and Tina.
"Are you going to get on?" The shipman asked gruffly. Ariadne paid no heed to his grumpiness as she turned to him with a big smile.
"Just waiting for a friend to say goodbye. You know how love is?" The crowd of people started to disperse as everyone filled the ship. Families and friends waved goodbye one last time as the horn of the ship blew. Ariadne wanted to roll her eyes at the loud alarm while Newt turned his head towards her and the shipman. He looked like he wanted to say something so Ariadne urged her friend to do that, pointing her eyebrows at Tina. Newt swallowed as he turned back to Tina. Words were exchanged as he gently tucked a loose piece of hair, his hand lingering beside her cheek.
He turned away, walking towards the ship before deciding against it. Ariadne watched as he walked back to Tina, a soft smile on her face reserved only for him. A grin was planted on his face as he walked up the ramp and Ariadne waved goodbye to Tina who stood on the empty harbour. The shipman nodded to Newt as he finally walked inside the ship.
"You know, I'm actually quite hungry right now," Ariadne started, "Shall we find something to eat?" she turned to Newt, who seemed lost in his own world, "She'll be alright," she finally said, breaking Newt out of his trance who nodded. "Right. Food it is."
[1165 words]
a/n
welcome to the second last chapter of the act! these last few scenes were literally so beautiful to watch. i just love the thunderbird scene were everything gets fixed up, its just a work of art. and oh my is newt and tina so cute.
also new cover coz i got bored of the other one
kjlyds