───THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL BAN was not lifted for Newt as the hearing quickly took a sour turn with Newt refusing to take any sort of clear side in the matter. It was what Theseus had feared to begin with as he had tried numerous times to explain that approaching Newt bluntly would not end well. They tried to get him to agree to join the Auror department and Theseus knew right away what the answer would be. It was a clear "no" and in order to hopefully play the sympathy card, it was revealed that Credence Barebone, a boy that Newt was familiar with due to his travels in New York, was still alive.
The tension seemed to increase as Theseus had been sworn to keep the information to himself until the hearing, but he could see the slight betrayal in his brother's eyes that he wasn't informed earlier. It had been a messy situation, but it was revealed that Credence the obscurial, had left New York just around the same time Newt had and was somewhere in Europe. And of course, Newt took it as them asking him to hunt Credence down to kill him.
To make matters worse, before Theseus could intervene, Gunnar Grimmson entered the room unannounced. He was a bounty hunter of sorts and immediately, they had lost Newt as he wanted nothing more to do with the hearing. Completely furious, Newt stormed out of the room with his travel documentation denied by Torquil. Theseus remained in the room for a moment longer as Grimmson smiled and looked around the room, all too prepared to take on the mission that he claimed Newt was too soft to do.
Not willing to hear anything negative spoken about his brother, Theseus abandoned his chair and left the meeting room as well to chase after Newt. Of course, the entire hearing was probably going to poorly reflect on Theseus at the time, but he didn't really care. He still needed to speak with Newt before he decided to leave.
"Newt!" Theseus called after him sharply to get his brother to stop. Eventually, Newt came to a halt and turned around, definitely not looking pleased with the situation. "You think I like the idea of Grimmson any more than you do?"
Biting the inside of his cheek for a moment, Newt met his gaze briefly before looking away. "Listen, I don't want to hear how the ends justify the means, Theseus."
As much as Theseus didn't want to have Newt involved, they were really coming upon a time where no one had a choice and he couldn't put up with Newt playing stubborn. "I think you're gonna have to pull your head out of the sand!"
"Okay, right, here we go," Newt said with an exasperated tone, " What a selfish...irresponsible..."
Theseus didn't have time for all the back and forth. "You know, the time is coming when everyone's going to have to pick a side. Even you."
"I don't do sides."
"Newt..."
The conversation seemed to be coming to an end as Newt decided to cut it short and started to walk away. However, Theseus ran after him, not allowing his brother to go just yet. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be as simple as Newt just saying "no" and having the Ministry leaving him alone. He knew that Newt wasn't one for hugs, but it wasn't safe to just speak out in the open.
"C'mere," he said, holding him close, of course, Newt didn't hug him in return, but merely stood there in an awkward stance. "They're watching you."
The look on Newt's face made it clear that Theseus had made his point as the two pulled away from the hug and looked at one another. There was no more information to be given but at least he had been warned. Keeping him in place for a moment longer, Theseus decided to take the opportunity to ask Newt for a favour.
"There's something else I need to discuss with you," Theseus spoke in a low tone, checking over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. "I need your help."
"I already told you, Theseus, I'm not joining the department-"
"It has nothing to do with that, Newt, it has nothing to do with the Ministry. It has to do with Tyne."
For a moment, Newt held a questioning look on his face as he searched his memory to recall the name. But just as Theseus was about to remind him, it seemed to click inside of the man's mind as his eyes partially widened.
"Tyne?" Newt repeated. "As in Tyne Ayers, your friend that went missing all those years ago? What about her, Theseus?"
There seemed to be a sudden softness to Newt's tone as he remembered just how much the death of the girl had impacted his older brother's youth. It was a name that hadn't been spoken of in so long, leaving him curious as to why it was being brought up all of a sudden. Perhaps it was an anniversary of her funeral that Newt wasn't aware of. At the risk of sounding insensitive, he tried to play it off by simply sounding confused.
"She's alive, Newt," Theseus said and immediately, Newt let out a sigh as he thought that it was all behind them. For years after Tyne was presumed dead, it took their mother telling Theseus over and over that he had to let it go. That it wasn't healthy for him to dwell on the idea of her being alive when it was clear that she wasn't coming back.
"Theseus, please-"
"No, listen to me, Newt, I know what you're thinking," he interjected, " I haven't gone mad. She turned up only a couple of days ago. She wasn't killed by her father as he claimed, someone ended up taking her and her mother away. I'm not sure where. She won't talk about what happened, I don't think she's ready, but whoever took her, didn't want her talking. She had a curse on her to keep her quiet."
Newt was utterly speechless by the amount of information he had to process in a short amount of time. He didn't even know how to respond, he only stood there with a blank expression on his face.
"I can't have her stay with me right now, Newt," Theseus said with a frown as he looked down, " it's...it's too much for me to handle. But she has nowhere else to go, she's limited with resources. If I could just have her stay with you-"
"Stay with me?!"
His nerves were already rattled and Theseus could see him shaking his head to deliver the rejection. But Theseus had one more trick up the sleeve that he hoped would rope his brother into agreeing.
"She's a Selkie, Newt."
✦✧✦
Tyne hadn't moved from the spot where Theseus had left her when he had gone to work. She remained asleep on the sofa the entire time he was gone, only stirring when he returned. The sound of the door opening caused her to sit up abruptly. A sleepy smile had been on her face as she spotted Theseus, but it faded into confusion when she spotted another man walk in behind him. In the poor lighting of the flat, Tyne suddenly felt her breath hitch in her throat, unable to see the face to identify the person. Her heart skipped a beat, wondering if it was him, there to take her back.
Quickly, she pushed herself into the corner of the sofa, pulling the blanket over her legs and slowly reaching for her wand that was sitting on the small end table. However, as her hand slapped around on the table, Theseus and the mystery man were growing closer and she was growing even more nervous.
"Stay back!" she called out and they both came to a halt. Seconds later though, Theseus called out to her, informing her that it was him. But that didn't soothe her nerves, she wanted to know who the stranger was behind him.
"Sorry," came a nervous croak from the shadows as the other man took a couple of steps forward, " I forget it's been many years since we saw each other and even that encounter was very brief."
As Theseus lit the room allowing Tyne to see, her defensive nature immediately fell as she spotted who was standing behind him. Despite how many years had gone by, there was a very distinct look to the Scamander men. And even as an adult, it seemed Newt hadn't changed a bit from childhood, with the exception of getting taller and his features maturing. The way he stood partially crouched over, the way his eyes darted up to the floor when he spoke, and his voice made him easily recognisable.
"Newt?" she said in a small voice, watching the silent nod as her answer. It was clear to see just how much time had really passed since she had been gone. It was one thing to see her and Theseus as adults, but to see Newt as an adult sent Tyne into a bit of shock. The last time she had seen him, Newt could only be around seven or eight years old. She had been a teenager at the time and Newt had appeared so small to her. He had been a timid soul and that seemed to carry through to his adulthood.
Despite everyone getting older, it was hard for Tyne to believe so much time had passed because things still appeared to be the same in so many ways.
"I'm sorry," she said with a shake of her head as she placed her hand back to her side to leave her wand alone, " I just woke from a nap. I didn't realise that you were coming over today."
"Neither did I," Newt muttered to himself, but he remained polite in her presence. "Theseus came to me and told me what he knew of your situation. He expressed that you're limited as to what you can do under the circumstances of not being able to able to finish Hogwarts. I think I can help you there and if you wish to have your independence, I might have a place for you as well."
It was true that Tyne was looking to be more independent and figure out a way to re-introduce herself to the Wizarding World, but she had expected to be part of the process. The idea of Theseus just taking it upon himself to set up everything for her, left Tyne feeling somewhat wounded. It felt like he suddenly didn't want her around and her suspicions of intruding in his life were being confirmed in her head.
It seemed that whenever Tyne was no longer wanted, someone would take it upon themselves to make her someone else's problem.
"I have a home," Newt informed her as she had yet to reply, "there's more than enough room. It's just been me and my...assistant, Basil. It's where we tend to our...the creatures and such, however, hopefully, whenever this international travel band is lifted we'll be working out of the country again, which will give you the place to yourself throughout the majority of the year. But if I could have you properly trained to handle the creatures while we're gone that could be your job. I will gladly pay you."
What choice did Tyne really have at the time? Was she honestly going to say no to the offer? It was clear that Theseus wanted her out of his flat and if she attempted to stay, she was just going to feel like she was overstaying her welcome. And if she remembered correctly, Newt was never one for having a lot of company, so she should have considered it an honour to have such an invitation.
"Yes," she said eventually, even though she didn't want to, " that sounds amazing. I don't know how to thank you for the opportunity."
There was an uneasiness in the air and perhaps her leaving with Newt sooner would be better. Pushing herself up from the sofa, she started to grab her things, already feeling the lump in her throat as Theseus had yet to say anything to her about her newest accommodations. Perhaps this was why he had been quiet in the wand shop or why he had been so eager to get her a wand in the first place.
It was the first step in getting rid of her.
However, this time, Tyne wanted to remain in charge of her fate by at least having the option to leave when she wanted to and not being bound to anyone. If Theseus wasn't going to talk to her, she was going to have to break the ice herself and demand what belonged to her be returned.
"I want my coat back," she said, looking directly at Theseus, there was a slight bitterness to her voice that brought him to look over, " now."
Surprised by her tone, Theseus' eyes widened partially before he nodded his head and instructed her to follow him to his room in the back, leaving Newt to stand alone in the living room. Tyne followed him and the entire time, he felt like she was glaring at the back of his head, leaving him entirely confused. He didn't understand why she was upset with him, after all, everything he was doing was for her. By no means did he want her to leave but he figured they would both be better off.
As he entered his bedroom, Tyne stood in the doorway and observed as he opened up his wardrobe with his wand and summoned out her coat. As it dangled in front of her face for a second, she snatched it out of the air and held it close to her body.
"Tyne, please," he said, motioning her to enter further into the room, " can I talk to you for a moment?"
She didn't say anything, but it seemed that she was going to allow it as she took a step into the room. With a wave of his wand, the bedroom door closed behind her gently and he turned to face her with a concerned look.
"You're angry with me," he stated, rather than questioned, " I don't understand why. I thought you wanted your independence-"
"When did you come up with the idea to pass me onto Newt?" she questioned him.
Theseus nearly staggered back and the way she worded her question because it hadn't come across that in his head. She made it sound like she was a problem that he was getting rid of by giving it to another person.
"I came up with the idea yesterday, but it's not to just pass you onto Newt, it was-"
"Yesterday," she repeated, " so you came up with this yesterday and at no point did you think to run it by me? You didn't ask me what I thought of it if I would like it. You just made the decision for me. You went to Newt without talking to me. What were you going to do? Just hand over my selkie skin to him so that I would have to leave without question?"
"Tyne, I didn't-"
"I told you that I didn't want to come across as bothersome and you said that you didn't see me as such, but your actions have clearly said something else. I just wish you would have asked me, Theseus. Of all people that I expected to understand the terms of consent, it would be you and yet...you...you come across as no different from them!"
"Them?" he repeated after her. "Tyne, who is them? Tell me who they are so I can go after them. I can have them locked up and put away in Azkaban."
She merely shook her head at him, the frown appearing to be permanent on her face as she made her way towards the door and opened it. Theseus thought about closing it over so they could continue talking, but she had already accused him of doing things against her will, so he didn't dare try to make her stay if she wanted to leave. His plan was backfiring hard in his face, enough that he didn't see it coming that Tyne would accuse him of being no better than the people that took her to begin with.
Maybe she was speaking with emotions running high, but she also made it very clear that he had hurt her and that was the last thing Theseus ever wanted to do. She didn't look as though she was in the mood to talk to him either as she was making her way out of the room into the outside hall. Theseus thought over his plan of action and decided to just let her go, if she was upset with him, standing there and arguing wasn't going to make it any better.
He could wait until she was settled a bit and then discuss with her as to why he came up with the plan in the first place. It was never with intention of "getting rid" of her or passing her onto anyone else. He just wasn't sure what to do in order to keep everyone happy as it seemed borderline impossible.
Standing outside in the living room with Newt, he and Tyne exchanged a brief look with one another before both looking down at the floor. She hated the awkward feeling that was washing over them at the time. She was sure that Newt probably wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, he was probably just agreeing to be polite. It hurt more than anything to feel like such a burden to people.
With a clearing of a throat, Theseus entered the room and Tyne knew that it was time for her to leave with Newt. She had collected her selkie skin, her wand, and the clothing that Leta had provided her that she would eventually return when she had her own robes and clothing. Newt made his way towards the door, looking back and forth between Tyne and Theseus but not daring to comment anything on the situation between the two. And as she reached the doorway to leave the flat, Tyne turned to Theseus because she didn't want to be terribly rude.
"Thank you," she managed to say to him, " for helping me. I appreciate what you've done for me. I'm sorry that I managed to get in the way, but I hope I didn't cause you too much inconvenience."
"Tyne-"
"Thank you, Theseus. I guess I'll see you around."
Not wanting to discuss anything further or hear any sort of excuse, Tyne headed out of the flat, walking past Newt before she reached the outside. Unlike the darkness of Theseus' flat due to his share of darkening curtains, there was still visible light to the skies as Tyne was greeted by the brisk air. Although it was apparent that a storm was due to come in at any giving times as it was darkening rather quickly.
She could hear Newt and Theseus going back and forth about something, but she paid no mind as she came to stand on the steps and was greeted by another man.
" ¡Buenas tardes!"
With a curious tilt of her head, Tyne stared at the handsome man that stood at the bottom of the steps, appearing to be patiently waiting for either her response or something else. "Uh, hello, how do you do?"
"I'm very well," he answered with a smile, " I'm Basil Carillo, I work with Mr Scamander and you're Tyne if I'm correct?"
She nodded. "You're Newt's assistant?"
His smile seemed to grow with her question before he nodded his head as well and offered to take her belongings to carry for her.
"Something like that, Miss."
Author's Note: Ah, yes, my cariño Basil is here! To clear up any sort of confusion, I recently published a sort of prequel to this book, called Beastie. It involves Newt's adventures in New York with Basil. Just to be clear, I made the decision to replace Bunty's character in the Crimes of Grindelwald with Basil. No offence to her character ( I actually enjoyed her small screentime) however, her absence wouldn't really prove to be very problematic to the storyline.