A Room of Their Own
"Y/N!"
The child's eyes flashed open as soon as they heard their mother call their name. They looked all around them, expecting to have woken up from a nightmare, and to be safe and warm in the cramped bed next to their mother.
But, they were alone, in a larger bed, and in an unfamiliar room.
Y/N slowly sat themselves up in the bed, and gazed around the bedroom once again to make sure it was unfamiliar. Soon, they remembered it to be Eilis room above her bakery. There were a few times in the past when Y/N would come to work barely keeping awake, so Eilis would kindly let them rest in her room.
That only happened once in a blue moon though.
Finally deciding, the child pulled the blankets off the bed, and wrapped them around themselves before tiptoeing out of the bedroom. Slowly creeping down the stairs, Y/N peeked out from behind the wall to see Eilis having breakfast at one of the tables.
"Eilis?" They softly asked.
The Irish woman set down her tea at the child's voice, and glanced up with a smile. "Oh Y/N, I didn't hear you get up. You can go back to sleep if you want, have the day off if you'd like."
Y/N only stared at her with a blank expression. Then, while still looking at her, said. "Where is mama?"
Her face fell at the mention of the mother. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Eilis began to speak. "Come down here, Y/N."
Creaking was inevitable as their bare feet went down each step. Soon, the child sat across the older woman with their arms crossed, and blankets still wrapping them.
She sighed. "I have a question for you, darling. Do you remember anything about last night?"
Their face scrunched up. "I went home, and couldn't find her. Then there was you, Newt, and someone else." They lied.
The woman, with tears pricking at her eyes, shook her head. "Sweetie, there's so much you don't remember."
"She's not gone." Y/N hissed.
"I never said she was." Eilis whispered, reaching out to the child.
Y/N leaned back, now growling. "Where?"
Eilis shook her head. "We don't know, Y/N. We don't know, I'm sorry."
"Why?" Their little voice asked.
The woman blinked back the tears. "Someone must have stolen her after you ran away-."
"No," They interrupted, their lip quivering. "why am I here?"
"Y/N, I need to listen to me, and not say anything until I'm finished, okay?"
Nodding, they brought their legs ups to their chest, hugging themselves.
Eilis nodded, and began. "Grace-your mother is indeed...dead. There's no way we can bring her back, and you have no idea how sorry and sad I am. You talked to a man last night about it, and then he came outside to talk to us. I did everything I could to try and have you stay with me but," She paused. "I'm not allowed to, because I'll be too busy to take care of you. So, you're going to stay with Mr. Scamander for a while-."
"No,"
Her eyes grew at the child. Then, shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it has to-."
"I want you,"
"Y/N, he's a nice man. You know that, and so does everyone else. There's a reason why I trust him than anyone else."
The child's mouth fell open, and they sobbed. "You don't want me?"
"No, no, no, Y/N." She shook her head again, this time rushing over to embrace the small, crying child. "You have no idea how much I begged for them to let me have you for even a week. They just won't let me."
"Who's they?" Y/N sobbed into her shirt.
"The Ministry."
They pulled away, and growled. "The Ministry of what?!"
Eilis could only look down at the weeping child in her arms, tears glazing over her eyes. "The Ministry of London, they said I couldn't keep you."
"Why?"
"I have so much debt to work off from my parents. I could not possibly take care of you if I have to work so much."
"But-but I could live with you, and we could work together." They said hopefully.
Eilis shook her head. "No, no, no. It doesn't work like that, you do not know how much time I have to work off all that money."
The child continued to sob, refusing to let go of Eilis. Then, they spoke again, while hiccupping through their cries. "Can-can I at-at least help-help you bake ev-every day?"
Once again, the woman shook her head. "You need to rest for at least a few weeks. Don't worry, I have Thomas to help me and-."
"Why-why does he get to stay?"
"He's older than you are, Y/N. And please, I need you to promise me one thing before Mr. Scamander comes to get you." She took the child's hand in hers.
Y/N's nose was not dripping with snot, but they nodded, and wiped it with their sleeve.
Eilis took a deep breath. "You need to take all the time you need to get better. Because, all of us know nothing will ever be the same. I know you didn't want to find out like this, but I'm sorry. I want you to promise me that you will always ask for Newt's help if you need it. Can you do that for me?"
The child continued to stare up at her. "Can I still visit you?"
She sighed. "Y/N, did you listen to a word I said?"
"I promise."
"What did I say then?"
They paused in thought, but then continued. "Nothing will be the same, and to be nice to Newt."
Eilis tried her best not to smile, but ended up failing. "Close enough." She pulled the little child into her embrace.
"But can I still see you? I don't have to work, I just want to see you." The child begged.
Sighing, she pulled away, and gazed down. "Every other day, but even then, around closing time. But you need to know that I'll probably be tired."
The child continued to stare up at her; in an instant, they flung their arms around her. "I love you, Eilis."
Eilis visibly stiffened at those words, but held the child tighter. "I love you too," Time seemed to slow down as they held each other in their arms. Y/N's crying turned into silent tears, but they still clung onto her.
"When's Newt coming?"
The baker pulled away for the final time, and brushed Y/N's long hair with her fingers. "Not for another hour or so. The Ministry said that because you knew me the best, that you were allowed to sleep at my home until the next day. So, we better get to packing."
"Packing?"
Eilis smirked, and pulled the child out of their chair. "Come on, I'll show you what it means." She guided the child back up the stairs, and into her room.
"Alright, so packing is putting your belongings into a bag, to take on a journey." Eilis smiled, taking a small suitcase from her closet.
The child stared at her as they sat on the bed. "I have nothing."
"Not true," she smiled, and pulled out a box from the closet. "Open it."
Y/N slowly stepped off the bed, and opened the box. They gasped at what was inside; it was almost as if their life flashed before their eyes. In the box, was what few clothes they had, a few new books, a brand new (dress/set of pants and shirts), and pristine stuffed bear.
They looked up at the smiling woman in front of them as their mouth quivered. Eilis giggled. "I thought you might need some brand new clothes and toys. I hope you like your new friend too,"
Taking the bear out of the box, Y/N carefully hugged it close to them, and nodded a 'thank you' to Eilis. She smiled, and opened the suitcase wide open. "Alright then, can you help me pack?"
Newt stood outside of the bakery, staring up at the sign; almost as if he was intimidated by it. He hadn't cared for a child in months, and even then, look what happened to her...
He shook those thoughts out of his head, and swallowed nervously as he finally entered the mildly crowded bakery. He could obviously understand why Eilis was busy, especially if she had debts to pay, but why choose him to take care of a child she knew for a long time, while he's only known Y/N for a few days?
His eyes shifted to the front counter, expecting Eilis herself. Instead, it was the same boy that Y/N walked in with the other day, carrying groceries. Of course, it had to be the one time Newt had forgotten his name. So, putting on a smile, he walked up to the counter, not caring in the slightest about the grumbles from people he had just been cutting in line.
"Hello," he said gently.
The boy froze. "Sir, you-you have to wait in-in line.
"Oh, sorry about that," Newt began. "but, I'm here for Ms. McNeil. Is she here today?"
He nodded. "Ye-yes, and so is Y/N." He shifted uncomfortably. "Do-do you want me to go get-get them, sir?"
Newt shook his head. "Actually, I would prefer it if I would see them myself."
"Oi mate," A rough voice made the wizard turn in slight fear. A man scowled at him, along with others. "We don't have all day, so either order something, or get to the back of the line!"
Newt didn't respond, but Thomas spoke up hesitantly. "Si-sir, please be respectful. He-he was only ask-asking a question."
The man's glare dropped to him. "Would you care to repeat that to me, son?"
"I think you should please leave him alone," Newt stood in between Thomas and the man; shielding the cowering boy behind him.
He laughed, not believe a word Newt was saying. "Are you going to tell me what to do? Oh, I am so scared!" He teased.
Newt bit his lip to not say anything, as the rude man kept going on.
"Look at me, lads!" He shouted, catching everyone's attention. "I'm a lanky man who needs to protect every coward boy in London!"
A few men behind him laughed loudly; obviously his friends. All the while, several either glanced at the man warily, or didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
As the man continued to insult Newt, the wizard clutched the handle to his case tightly, and refused to make eye contact.
"Stop-stop that!" Thomas called him out.
The man stopped as the boy spoke, and he only chuckled. "Ah, I see the cowardly boy indeed has a mouth." He pushed Newt aside, and leaned over the counter. "I don't think I heard you right, please say that again."
"You will not touch him,"
The man leaning over the counter glanced over his shoulder. "What did you just say to me?"
Newt only shrugged his shoulders, trying to remain calm. "I won't let you touch him,"
He threw his head back, laughing and bringing even more attention to himself. "Do you even hear yourself?" The man's face turned cold as he reached for something in his back pocket. Newt followed in sync.
"Gentlemen," A stern woman's voice was heard from the stairs.
All eyes in the bakery turned to see Eilis McNeil herself, and small Y/N clutching her hand tightly. Eilis continued, now walking down the stairs. "I would not appreciate blood being shed on my floors. The two children worked ever so hard to clean them until pristine the other day."
She gently pushed her way through the crowd, still holding onto Y/N. The woman stood face to face with the man that leaned over the counter, humiliating Thomas. She smirked. "Johnathon Whitaker, I never thought it was possible for you to afford my delicacies."
He gave a sheepish smile. "Impossible things happen,"
"Apparently not." Her smile fell to a frown. "For example, you are still intoxicated."
Forrest's face turned stone cold. "I haven't the thought, Eilis."
"Get out of my bakery," She shoved him towards the door. He threw his hands up in surrender.
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. You know where to find me if you want to talk," He grinned mischievously before leaving.
She glared at the men who laughed loudly before. "Along with the lot of you,"
Several of them flinched at her tone, then retreated out of the bakery. When they finally left, she let out sigh of relief, then smiled to the customers who were watching. "Now that's taken care of, I will be with all of you in a moment."
All of them turned back to each other, having conversations. 'What a woman!' 'The men these days,' and 'Should we call the police?' were popular comments heard throughout the bakery.
Eilis immediately grabbed Newt's hand, and she pulled the two into the kitchen. "Alright, I believe we're ready."
Newt didn't say anything as he continued to stare down at Eilis' hand; she let go of Y/N's, but not his yet.
"Are we?" She snapped, but followed his gaze. "Oh, I'm deeply sorry." She apologized, pulling away from him.
He nodded, not looking at her. "Yes, everything seems to be in order. And, I don't live too far perhaps only ten minutes away." He glanced down at the shy child, and forced a smile. "Does that sound nice?"
Y/N only nodded, not returning his gaze, and clutching the handle to her case. Eilis smiled, and kneeled down to them, elbowing them. "Hey, how about you show him." She whispered cheerfully.
Still not looking up, Y/N held their case in front of them. "I have one like you," they spoke softy.
This time, Newt's smile was real, and a chuckle escaped his lips. "You do indeed," Then his gaze shifted to the Irish woman. "Can I ask you a few questions?"
"Please make them quick, I have a quiet boy attending to a whole shop." She joked, then stepped forward.
He breathed in heavily, beginning his questions. "Who was that man you threw out?" He whispered.
"Just a regular who keeps coming back for trouble, next." She whispered back.
"Who was that boy out there?"
"Thomas Heidelberg, age fourteen, quit school to help his father and ill mother."
Newt pursed his lips at his next question. "Did you," he paused. "did you tell Y/N?"
Eilis shook her head, and came closer. "No. Because in all honesty, I know you will be much more gentle with introducing them to magic."
The magizoologist blushed at her compliment, and she pulled away from him, a kind smile spread across her cheeks. "Alright, I will allow them to visit me. But not during work hours, and to not come if she is planning to work; only visit me if you are present with them, and want to buy something." She smiled, and leaned down to button Y/N's coat.
Y/N stared numbly at the ground. Eilis soon took notice, and placed her finger under their chin. "Hey, this isn't the last time I will see you." She pulled them into a hug, and whispered into their ear. "I care for you so much, my little one. He'll be kind to you, I promise."
The child squeezed her tightly, then hesitantly pulled away, nodding. Eilis smiled, and stood up. "Take care of them, Mr. Scamander."
He shook himself out of his imagination, then shyly smiled. "Please, call me Newt."
Eilis chuckled. "Aright then, I know you'll do a good job, Newt."
Newt nodded his head, then, not knowing what else to do, stuck his hand out for Y/N to grab on to. The child only stared at it for what seemed like ages, then brushed passed him to the back door.
The woman sighed. "Give them time. I guarantee they'll take a liking to you if you give it to them."
Newt and the child walked side by side in silence; well, the silence was between them, because all of London decided to be noisy that day. It wasn't as if Newt attempted to make conversation with them. But, it is tricky to keep going if they wouldn't day anything back.
"We're almost there," he tried to say cheerfully. Y/N still stared at the ground. "See, we won't be living that far away from Ms. Eilis. So, we could always go in for breakfast, as long as we buy something."
Again, the child didn't respond. Ultimately, Newt finally gave up.
"You already said that," a soft voice reached his ear.
He instantly perked up at Y/N finally saying more than a word to him. He gazed down at them. "I already said what?"
"That you don't live far away from her. And we can't see her everyday, even if it's only to eat." They spat, then looked up to scowl at him. "I'm not stupid,"
Newt frowned. "I never said anything like that,"
"Why did you just say what Ms. Eilis said a few minutes ago?" They asked, still looking at him.
He sighed, and put a hand on their shoulder, stopping them. "I'm sorry, I had no idea that I would upset you. Honest."
Y/N still wore the same frown, but tried to hide more tears from creeping out of their eyes. They fully expected him to become angry at them; instead, he was apologizing calmly.
"I need you to do one thing for me, and then that will be all. Is that okay?" He kneeled down to their height, taking his hand away.
The child stared at the ground in front of them, refusing to even glance at him.
"Y/N," he slightly warned. "I need you to look at me, please?"
From his comforting tone, the small child looked at him, still unsmiling.
He grinned shyly. "Ms. Hudson is a very nice lady. I need you to be on your best behavior for only a minute. Can you do that for me?"
Thinking for a moment, Y/N nodded their head.
"Thank you," he smiled again, then stood up. "alright, we're almost there."
He was right, they ended up arriving at the flat complex in two minutes. Y/N gazed up at the building in wonder, never imagining that they would live somewhere so tall. Soon, they were quickly ushered in as Newt waited patiently as he held the door open for them.
The two wandered into the quiet lobby, and looked around for any sign of Ms. Hudson. Newt shrugged, then spoke softly to them. "Walk up the stairs," Scowling in confusion, they slowly moved to the staircase.
Until, the sound of a door creaking open made them stop in their tracks.
"Oh Mr. Scamander!" An older lady grinned widely, and hugged him. "It's a pleasure to see you again."
Newt instantly tensed at her touch, but forced a crooked smile. "It's nice to see you too, Ms. Hudson." He pulled away and looked to the child on the first step of the stairs. "This is Y/N."
The older woman immediately smiled at the small child. "Aw, aren't you just the sweetest little thing? How old are you?"
Y/N held onto the railing tightly, then whispered. "Y/A,"
Ms. Hudson's smile fell. "Oh sweetie, really? You're much to skinny. I'll tell you what, if it's okay with your..." She trailed off, then glanced back at Newt. "Who is this to you?"
"Oh!" He interjected. "They are my....brother's child, they'll stay with me for a while."
She smiled sweetly, then turned back to the child. "If your uncle says it's alright, then I'll be around later with some chocolate chip muffins. Does that sound alright?"
Y/N only nodded, then began treading up the stairs, not looking back.
"Y/N?" Newt called up to them. "What do you tell Ms. Hudson?"
The child only stayed silent, and soon disappeared from sight as they walked up the staircase. Newt sighed, turning back to the landlady.
"I am so sorry about their behavior." He apologized.
Ms. Hudson graciously smiled. "It's okay dearie, I understand they must be upset about something."
With only a nod of thanks, Newt dashed up the stairs to catch up to the child. Surprisingly, they sat on the last step; patiently waiting for him. Attempting a smile, Newt stepped above the child and walked to his door. Y/N glanced behind them as Newt turned his key, unlocking the door.
"Do come on, it's quite clean." Newt joked, but the child did not laugh. Instead, they forced themselves up, and entered the small flat.
They gazed around it in sheer curiosity; not caring where they were going, and asking if it was alright with Newt. Instead, a door creaking open caused the child to jump and snap their head around at the noise.
"It's alright, I'm here." He comforted, pushing the door open. They both entered the room; it was a petite bedroom, but quite comfortable. Y/N's eyes grew at the size; to them, it was the largest bedroom in the world.
Newt shrugged. "I haven't used this room, I mostly just sleep in-." He stopped himself. "On the couch. So, it's yours now."
The child didn't notice his slip up, and simply walked to the bed, gently setting their hand on it. They've never slept alone; they've never even slept in a bed this big.
"Alone,"
He tilted his head up to look at the child. "What was that?"
"Alone," they spoke louder, now glancing at him. "Please,"
Finally figuring out what they meant, Newt nodded, then moved to the door. "If you need anything, just..." He paused, looking away from the child's pained expression. "call for me."
The door was shut tightly, and Y/N was left alone with themselves. The child set their suitcase down, and quickly opened it. They shoved the books and clothes away, and picked up the stuffed bear, hugging it to their chest.
Slowly, they pulled the covers of the bed away from the pillows, and tucked themselves in. Wanting nothing more to hide themselves from the world.
They began to cry.
Ms. Hudson did indeed keep her promise.
About two hours later, she knocked on the door, and Newt opened it to reveal her smile. She did ask if Y/N was there, and hinted greatly that she wanted to have a nice chat with them. But of course, Newt lied and said they were sleeping; to be honest, he never checked on them during those two hours.
So, an hour after he sent the elderly lady away, he sighed to himself, then went to the small kitchen. He did know how to cook; just not much. Children loved to eat dried vegetables, a slice of bread, and a few chocolate chip muffins; right?
He gently knocked on the door, hoping for a response. Only bitter silence came. He sighed, knocking again. "Y/N, is it alright if I come in?"
Still nothing.
"I'm coming in," He spoke up, pushing the door open slightly. He glanced in, and only saw the opened suitcase, and the small lump on the bed.
He forced a slight smile, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I brought you food,"
Even at the mention, the lump didn't move. He sighed quietly, and set the plate down on the bed. "Y/N, please look at me."
Still didn't move.
"Did you have anything to eat this morning?"
No response.
"Y/N, you have to eat something." He spoke quietly.
The child still kept the blanket over their head.
"I'm not going to leave you alone until you eat this."
They still didn't move.
He sighed quietly. "If you eat everything off the plate, I'll show you a secret."
Y/N carefully sat up to look at Newt. "A secret?" they whispered.
He smiled. "Yes, I'll show you the secret in my case," he thought for a quick moment. "and then I want you to tell me your secret."
The child stared up at him, deep in thought. Finally, they reached for a muffin, and ate a small bite. Glancing back up at him with wide eyes, they ate faster.
Normally, Newt most likely would have corrected their lack of manners. But, he only smiled, thankful that they finally ate something.