───LETA COULD NO LONGER IGNORE THE THOUGHTS SWIMMING IN HER MIND. Since the arrival of Tyne only just a couple of days prior, it seemed everything had changed. But it wasn't only Tyne's return, it was the fact that she had seen Newt as well that led Leta to question everything that had been taking place in the recent months. Marriage seemed to be the one thing she had been looking forward to, casting the Lestrange surname to the side to uphold the new Scamander title. To others, perhaps they didn't see it as a big deal, but it would just mean that she was taking one step further away from a past that she wanted to forget.
But then Tyne arrived out of the clear blue, a woman traumatised by her own past that she did not speak of. For a few moments, Leta had lost herself, wanting to know Tyne's story completely before allowing the woman into Theseus' home, however, she came to terms with how hypocritical it was of her to hold another woman to such a standard. Even Leta still held her own secrets and here she was nearly demanding Tyne expose her past.
And yet, while Tyne and Theseus shared an obvious past together, it was clear that Tyne did not want to intrude on their lives. It only led Leta to feel guilt as Tyne seemed to be in need of Theseus and if she didn't know any better, it seemed Theseus was in need of Tyne. It was hard to ignore the way the two looked at each other, both of them with a history that even years apart could not erase. Just a couple of days in the company of each other and Leta was able to witness a vulnerable side that Theseus had never once exposed before.
She only knew limited facts pertaining to Tyne's story, some of which she learned through Theseus, other things she remembered Newt telling her when they were children. How close Theseus and Tyne had been, to the point where Theseus couldn't bring himself to stop talking about the girl in their home over the holidays and summers, even if Newt and their mother begged him to stop. And then there was the time after Tyne had gone missing and Theseus seemed to change overnight.
He buried himself in his academics, which wouldn't have come across as problematic initially, but it was all he would do. He would focus on school all the time, never giving himself a break. Newt had once spoken about how worried their mother was about Theseus, proud of his accomplishments, but worried as he continued to push himself. He separated himself further from his family, making his academics and work a priority above all things.
Newt understood why he did it, even if he didn't agree with it. The Scamander brothers lost touch with their previous relationship and in comparison to Theseus' accomplishments, Newt didn't hold much to his older brother in the eyes of their mother. Theseus had been able to do so much in his younger years, but he had missed out on living as well. Over thirty and when he finally lifted his head up from his work, he realised he was alone.
And Leta had felt the same, losing so much and finding herself alone, it was like the two had only come together for the sake of not wanting to be alone anymore. They both cherished their relationship with Newt differently, but different actions had caused Newt to move away from them. It was foolish to think that getting together would bring Newt back and that it would fill the void of what they both felt was missing from their life.
There was no denying how much Leta cared about Newt, to the point where she was sure it would be unrequited for times to come, but it didn't stop her from loving him and wishing all the best for Newt. Over the time she had been with Theseus, she realised she wanted the same for him too. Theseus was a good man, intelligent and gentle natured behind the stoic expression that he placed on for work. He deserved his own happiness just like Newt and Leta had never witnessed such a smile on Theseus' face until he looked at Tyne.
It pained Leta to know that she was never the source of someone's happiness, there was always someone else.
But it wasn't anyone's fault, it wasn't Newt's fault, it wasn't Theseus' fault, and it certainly wasn't Tyne's fault. Leta believed that it was karma coming back around for her, making her pay for her crimes of the past that she could no longer outrun. Everything that she had thought would bring her happiness long term was being taken away from her. However, she wasn't going to put a stop to it either, she couldn't bring others down with her anymore.
Newt was moving on with his life, he had his creatures and if Leta didn't know any better there was a special bond between him and Basil. And with Tyne's return, Leta couldn't ignore the pain on Theseus' face after he had sent Tyne to live with Newt because he didn't want things to be awkward. Meaning, Tyne was going to be difficult to have around because he was probably still in love with her.
It sounded foolish, for Theseus to hold onto a childhood crush and expect things to work out as he initially planned, which was why he probably hadn't made a move on it. Tyne had been gone for nearly two decades, but Leta didn't write it off as a simple childhood crush either.
She remembered when Theseus had finally opened up about Tyne, speaking about her in stories that revolved around his Hogwarts years. Tyne seemed to be in nearly every story and when he spoke about her, his expression would shift to sadness or happiness depending on what he was talking about.
But it was the way he said her name, he spoke it so softly as if it would break and the way his eyes would light up with joy when he expressed his gratitude to how Tyne had helped him.
To Leta, she was amazed as to how one person could uplift a person and then nearly destroy them with the presence alone. It was a power that wasn't spoken of, just observed.
She didn't have that power to uplift Theseus, in fact, there were times where she felt rather guilty about the way she acted with him. She wanted to do more than love him, she wanted to be in love with him, but there was a difference. The couple wanted what was best for each other, but they had been missing a very important key factor and that was, they weren't what was best for each other.
How many times Leta became irritated whenever Theseus attempted to straighten her appearance, such as the collar of her shirt, or if some of her hair was out of place, he would be quick to try and fix it. Or how many times Theseus would grimace because Leta's desk at work was incredibly untidy as was her flat whenever he visited. They were small things, maybe things that other couples could work around and compromise, but it wasn't enough for her and Theseus.
There was someone out there who appreciated Theseus for who he was and loved everything about him and maybe, there was someone out there who would love Leta just the same.
After going back and forth, mulling over her thoughts, Leta knew she had to talk to Theseus again. Theseus was a man that didn't like to fail at anything he did and she was sure that he didn't want the engagement between them to be his first failure. But Leta was prepared to reassure him that it wasn't a failure, just a learning experience. She didn't know if things were going to work out for him and Tyne, but she didn't want to be the reason that they didn't even get a chance.
Her love for Theseus and Newt was based on them being happy, she found her own joy with them finding happiness, and perhaps once she got to know Tyne a little better, she would come to love the woman too. Tyne appeared to be a gentle soul and Leta had surrounded herself with those kinds of people, hoping they could wash away the "wickedness" she felt often burrowed deeply in her chest.
When she had left Theseus earlier, he had been dressed and it seemed he had been fighting himself back and forth to go to Tyne or remain at home and appear loyal to Leta. She didn't want him to feel torn, which was why she had told him to go to Tyne in the first place and not keep her waiting. But she didn't know whether he had gone or not, Theseus fought with himself far too often when it came to what he was supposed to do and whether it was right or wrong. Leta often tried to help him, but it seemed she could never come up with the appropriate thing to say that soothed his nerves.
But she hoped her next visit would be enough to show Theseus that there would be no harsh feelings between them, they could still be friends and co-workers, but they just weren't meant for each other. She hoped he would agree, she hoped that he wouldn't fight her on it, and she hoped it would be the first step to them finding their own happiness in life.
Knocking on the door to his flat, Leta listened to see if Theseus was even home, part of her wishing that he had taken her advice and gone to Tyne's aid like she had advised him to earlier. But seconds later, she heard the sound of footsteps crossing the floor and the door opened to reveal Theseus on the other side. He seemed puzzled as to why she was there, but remembering that she was still his fiancée and had every right to be there, he quickly welcomed her inside.
"Is everything alright?" he asked her right away as he helped remove her cloak, she could feel his fingers pick at a small ball of lint on her back before he pulled it away. Leta turned to him, taking her cloak gently from his hands and folding it over her arms.
She didn't bother to answer his question but asked her own. "You didn't go to see Tyne?"
"No, I did," Theseus confessed right away as he hung his head in guilt, " but she wasn't at Newt's. She left. "
"She left?" Leta repeated. "What do you mean, she left? Where did she go?"
Theseus shook his head. "I don't know," he said, " Basil was supposed to be with her and he fell asleep, she took the opportunity to leave. We went looking for her and Basil found her but she boarded the Knight Bus. I honestly haven't the slightest clue as to where she was going and I don't know why she would leave. I haven't been able to sleep because I know the people that hurt Tyne are still out there. I-"
Before he could finish, their conversation was interrupted by a tapping at the window in the sitting room, bringing the two to look over. There was an owl patiently waiting for them to take the letter it was delivering. Immediately, Theseus headed over towards the window, opening it with a wave of his wand, and taking the letter. The owl didn't wait for any sort of response as he flew off into the night.
Leta stood near the doorway of the flat, waiting as Theseus tore into the envelope and read the contents over. She figured it was a letter from the Ministry, possibly calling in Theseus for some line of work. Although he really looked to be in no condition to take on a full workday. Instead, Leta was a witness to his frazzled and fragile nature that was so rare to see with the usually composed man.
And as Theseus read more of the letter, the worse his condition seemed to become. He took to biting the edge of his thumb, running the same hand back and forth through his hair several times. Eventually, when he came to the end of the letter, he placed it down on the table, and both hands were free to cover his face.
Making her way over slowly, Leta collected the letter from the table to read it over, only to see that it wasn't a letter from the Ministry but from Tyne. She was apologising to Theseus for the way things had been left off between them and just as Leta had come to terms with earlier, it seemed Tyne only wanted happiness for Theseus as well. It seemed the majority that came across the Scamander brothers only wished them the best in life.
She spoke of how beautiful she found Leta to be and how she hoped that Leta and Theseus would be happy together. She also confessed to her own crush that seemed to carry from the school years into adulthood. It seemed the feelings were mutual between her and Theseus as they just weren't able to let go of the past that had been stolen from them. However, Tyne wasn't professing her love in hopes that Theseus would change his mind and go to her, in fact, the letter seemed to be that of a farewell.
Tyne was leaving to go back to wherever she had been taken to confront her demons and now Leta understood Theseus' stress more than ever because even she felt it. Witnessing Tyne cry and panic over a glass of water being spilt onto the table had been enough insight that wherever Tyne had been, it hadn't been a pleasant experience. The scars that stained her skin had only confirmed it and now she was going back.
"What is she doing?" Theseus whispered under his breath as his arms fell back down to his sides. "Why is she trying to do this alone?"
"Maybe she's not alone, Theseus," Leta pointed out, " after all, that wasn't an owl from the post, it didn't have a marker on it. That was a personal owl, so she had to be with someone to send off the letter."
"But who? She left Newt's and-"
He seemed to be thinking it over and perhaps an idea came to mind of who Tyne had gone to but he didn't say. However, she could see that his jaw tightened and he looked down at the floor with a slight irritation cast over his face.
"You still love her, don't you?" Leta asked bluntly, bringing Theseus to jerk his head up and over in her direction.
"Wh-"
"You still love her, Theseus," this time she didn't say as a question but as a statement. "Matter of fact, you're still in love with her."
"No," he shook his head, " I'm not. I can't be. She disappeared, she was gone, she was gone for so long-"
"And not a day went by where you didn't think about her."
Theseus continued to shake his head, but Leta knew she had hit the nail on the head by the way his shoulders slouched and by the tears that started to form and fall. If only others could see him now, they wouldn't believe that Theseus Scamander was this hardened man with little emotion, they wouldn't believe he was the man that loved his job more than his friends and family, they would see him as a broken man that had painted over his pain for so long. Leta could only watch as his exterior continue to crack and break as he started to apologise to her.
"I'm sorry," he managed to sputter out, " I'm so sorry, Leta-"
But Leta didn't want his apology, she didn't want him to be sorry as he had nothing to be sorry about. The world had played Theseus and Tyne a cruel card of fate as he had done to many others that were undeserving. Theseus didn't deserve to feel the pain and guilt that he did, Tyne hadn't deserved a life of cruelty, they deserved each other and merriment.
Moving forward, Leta pulled Theseus into a hug, allowing him to sob on her shoulder. Between the added stresses and the pressure from work, Theseus was unable to keep his strong will.
"It's alright, Theseus," she said softly, " you don't need to be sorry. You don't have to apologise to me. "
"I don't know what to do, Leta," he admitted, " I tried to do what you said, but she was gone. So what does that mean? I want to protect her, but I don't think she has faith that I can protect her. And there's you-"
"No, Theseus, I'm not going to be a factor in this unless it's to help you and Tyne," she said to him, " I might have come across as harsh earlier, but that was only because I was confused. But I understand now, I understand what you want and I want...and they're not the same thing except that we both want what makes you happy."
"But what about you-"
"I find my happiness in others for now," she said, " eventually, I'll find my own path that's designated just for me if I'm deserving of it."
"You are deserving-"
Leta forced a smile to her lips. "You and your brother have a difficult time seeing any bad in people unless they are downright villains. But this isn't about me right now, Theseus, this is about you...and Tyne. She needs you...probably now more than ever."
"But I don't know where she is and...and...I can't...Leta, I-"
Theseus' jumbled words trailed off as Leta opened up one of his hand and he watched as she placed the engagement ring into his palm before closing his fingers around it. He looked up at her, to see the gentle smile on her face and the small nod of her head.
"You can."