When Newt came home, he immediately ran up to his room, fully intending to burrow himself away for at least the next three years. His mother’s disappointment was stifling, and as long as she was with him it felt like there wasn’t any oxygen in the room. His father—well, his father’s jaw seemed to be perpetually clenched, and Newt was afraid of the cold rage that was clearly stewing inside of him.
Neither of them stopped him as he fled; he was sure they viewed it as a kindness he didn’t deserve.
He needed to be alone.
But alas, this was not to come to fruition, because as soon as he opened the door, he saw his brother sitting on the bed, arms folded over his chest. “What are you doing here?” Newt mumbled, gazing just to the left of Theseus’ shoulder.
“Who was it?”
Newt furrowed his eyebrows, surprised enough that for a split second he met Theseus’ gaze. “Pardon?”
“Who actually did it?” When Newt didn’t respond, Theseus rolled his eyes. “You think I don’t know? You clearly weren’t the one in charge of the jarvey—you’d never let it or anyone else get hurt. So who was? Who are you covering for?” He narrowed his eyes. “It was that Lestrange girl, wasn’t it? Newt, you can’t do this! We have to tell Mom and Dad, we can still fix this…”
Theseus had barely stepped towards the door when Newt practically ran to him in a panic and forcefully pressed his hands against Theseus’ chest. It was the touch that made him stop rather than the force Newt used—Newt had always been uncomfortable with physical touch. If he was voluntarily doing it…he was desperate.
“You can’t!” Newt said, his voice revealing just as much desperation. “Please!”
If Newt realized how damning his response was, he didn’t acknowledge it. Theseus’ shoulders drooped as if the strings holding him up had suddenly been cut. “Newt…” He whispered. “Why are you doing this? Do you realize what this is going to do to your future?”
“Yes, I know,” Newt replied with steely determination. “I know, okay?”
“Then why are you doing this? This isn’t your fault.”
“It partially is. I was the one taking care of the jarvey…” At Theseus’ pointed look, Newt sighed. “You don’t understand,” he whispered. “If she got expelled, she…” He gulped and dropped his gaze to his hands. “I’m scared for her. What her family would do to her…”
Theseus wasn’t an Auror for nothing; he could read in between the lines. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, I’m not saying that what would happen to her is right…but Newt, you shouldn’t be the one to suffer for it. What she did—it was horribly wrong. She may not deserve what you are saying would happen to her, but she does deserve to face the consequences for her actions.”
Instead of replying, Newt simply said—ordered, really—“You can’t tell anyone.” When Theseus didn’t respond, he added, his voice cracking, “please.”
And no matter how much he wanted to, Theseus couldn’t deny his brother this. He sagged against the bed. Gingerly, Newt sat next to him, and despite himself, Theseus wrapped his arms around his baby brother and drew him into his chest. Newt went willingly—perhaps he wasn’t as unaffected as he would have Theseus believe.
They sat like that for several minutes, until Theseus finally broke the silence. “I still want to hex her.”
Newt snorted. “That’s not nice—and not very Hufflepuff of you.”
“Yes, well this is far too Hufflepuff of you. One of us has to balance things out.”
Newt laughed softly, and then, to Theseus’ surprise, he turned his head to bury himself in Theseus’ chest. “Mum and dad are furious,” He said, his voice muffled. “I’m scared.” He drew back slightly. “What if they take away my creatures?” His eyes widened, and Theseus could feel Newt trembling against him.
“I won’t let them.” At Newt’s incredulous expression, Theseus rolled his eyes. “Look, worst comes to worst, we’ll hide them in my flat. Then maybe you’ll finally come visit me.”
Newt’s lips twisted into a half-smile, which dropped after a moment. “You’ll stay?”
“Of course,” He replied softly and dropped a kiss on the top of Newt’s head. “I’ll always stay.”
They stayed like that for several moments, hugging for longer than Theseus could ever remember Newt hugging anyone. The silence was once again broken by him. “You sure I can’t hex her? Just a little?”
“Theseus.”
“Fine,” He replied, sighing dramatically, but his lips were twisted into a smile. “I love you Baby Lizard.”
“I love you too.”