Chapter 9
Hand in hand, Newt and Harry appear in a crack of apparition just outside of the wards of Harry’s home. They’re both drawn and exhausted, and Newt could feel the sluggishly bleeding cut along his brow dripping towards his eyes.
He takes a step and his legs nearly give out beneath him, but he forces himself to stay tall and strong, and Harry grips his hand tightly, a silent support at his side.
Harry’s been quiet since the Lethifold; and Newt will never forget going down into his case after he’d dealt with the poachers and he’d found Harry curled up in a corner with Lily in his lap, wrapped around her and shuddering.
They’d barely even stepped through the ward when Tony was opening the door, and they both heard him shout back into the house before he ran forward.
Harry let go of Newt’s hand and dashed towards his uncle, throwing himself at his uncle who caught him easily, picking him in a hug even as he continued towards Newt.
Newt had stopped walking, unsure if he’d be able to stand on his own, and Tony set Harry down as he he turned to Newt, reaching to put a hand on his shoulder.
“Need a hand?” The offer was given with a wry smile, and Newt returned it, swiping at the blood on his brow.
“If it’s no trouble.”
Tony didn’t respond, just stepped right in, sliding Newt’s arm over his shoulders. That’s when Natasha appeared, sprinting towards them and almost tackling Harry in a hug, who clung to his aunt just as tightly.
Then she turned to Newt, and despite how he was leaning on Tony, threw her arms around him in a hug as well.
“Welcome home.” She murmured, and turned back to Harry, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, leading him back to the house. It also gave Newt a chance to hide the tears that had sprung to his eyes at her words.
He didn’t even realize that Clint had joined them, but let the archer take his case, leaning more on Tony now that he wasn’t unbalanced by the weight of it. Clint clapped a hand to his shoulder, and Newt realized that he’d been pulled into the family without even knowing - but that’s what it was now - his family.
He ducked his head, letting the tears slide down his cheeks a moment, and appreciating the steady presence of the genius and archer at his side, both of them a silent support.
>>>
It was late in the evening when Harry had fallen asleep on the couch with Padfoot, James and Clint both keeping silent watch, that Natasha and Tony pulled Newt aside.
“What happened?” Natasha asked, pushing a cup of tea into his hands, and he realized it was made just as he liked it - very strong with a bit too much milk and just a touch of sugar. His smile was tired but grateful.
“Poachers.” He admitted, when Tony settled across the table from him. It had both sets of brows swinging up. “Magical ones. It started when we found the trap and it was thanks to Harry my hand didn’t get caught in it. And Harry,” he broke off, because he realized it may sound like he was blaming the boy, but the look on both their faces told him he needn’t have worried.
“He does that.” Tony agreed, and Newt shook his head.
“I should have known better.”
“If you hadn’t gone with him, he probably would have tried to sneak off by himself. It’s not your fault.” Natasha murmured, trading a look with Tony. “He probably got it from us.”
Newt didn’t react to agree or disagree.
“We started to free the animals. How could we not?” He sipped his tea, collecting himself and his thoughts. “We were caught. They had a gun and Harry - Harry was unconscious. I couldn’t get to him fast enough. I can apparate once fast enough to avoid a bullet, but not twice.”
His hands shook at the recollection of what came next. He set his cup down so that he didn’t drop it.
“We were put in a greenhouse. I’ll admit I didn’t understand why it was there, but the reason became obvious quickly.” He looked up, meeting both their gazes. “You read my book, yes?” He asked, and both nodded. “Then you’ll likely recall the section on the Lethifold.”
It was Tony who reacted first, eyes widening as he dropped into a chair. Natasha frowned for only a moment longer before her gaze cleared with clarity.
“I thought they were impossibly rare.”
“They are. And one of the few creatures I would consider purely dark. They do nothing but hunt and kill. The only thing that can fend them off is a Patronus, but as far as I know they have no natural predator, nothing that kills or defeats them. And we were trapped with one.”
He ran a hand through his hair, wincing when his palm caught on the bandage on his forehead. Natasha reached forward then, taking his hand in her own, ducking her head to meet his gaze.
“What happened next?”
“Well, Harry has a beautiful patronus.” He tried for a smile and found it reflected back to him.
“What about the Lethifold? And the poachers?” Tony cut in. For the first time since they’d known him, they saw Newt’s expression grow stormy, a fierceness in his eyes that was sharp enough to cut.
“You needn’t worry about them.”
There was a pause, minute but telling, before Natasha squeezed his hand. She stood, drawing him up with her.
“Good. Now, get some rest. You look like you need it.”
He accepted her words, knew them to be true, and was grateful. He just hoped he could chase the image of Harry in that greenhouse from his mind so it didn’t haunt him in sleep as well.
>>>
“Newt! Newt! Newt! Newt! Newt!” Harry’s voice rang through the halls, fading and getting louder as he ducked in and out of rooms to find the man in question.
Newt smiled into his book, ducking further into the chair in Tony’s workshop. James was sitting across from him having a staring contest with Lily, but it was clear by twitch of his lips that he was aware of Newt watching them.
Tony snorted out a laugh from the bench where he had James’ arm laid out across his bench, no longer attached to James while he tinkered to work out the kinks.
Harry slid across the floor in socked feet, sliding into James and nearly overbalancing them both. Harry laughed, embarrassed and apologetic as they righted themselves, cheeks flushed, but James just ruffled his hair with flesh hand.
“Newt!” Harry exclaimed then, waving a letter in his hand. “Fred and George wrote to me!” He began, shoving the letter at Newt. “Their older brother is in town - Charlie - and he works with dragons!”
As Newt read the letter, James spoke up.
“Are there dragons here?”
“Not naturally, no.” Newt answered, brow furrowed as he read the letter. “But it appears Charlie is home on business.” He offered the letter back to Harry, who held it up for James to read.
“There is a reserve not too far though, so I imagine that’s where he is.”
Newt stood, setting the book down and straightening his shirt.
“Well then. Now’s as good a time as any. Who wants to see some dragons?”
There was a moment of silence before Harry was cheering.
“Just let me go tell aunt Tasha!” And then he tears out of the room.
Newt turns his attention to the other two lab occupants.
“Normally I’d say yes, but I’ve gotta finish this.” Tony mourned, and James scoffed, but agreed.
“I’d rather not be armless around dragons.”
“Fair enough!” Newt agreed, grabbing his coat off the back of the chair and swinging it on. He turned, grabbed his case, scratched behind Lily’s ear, and was out the door.
>>>
“This is incredible!” Harry was bouncing on the balls of his feat, obviously anxious to get closer to the large beasts visible now that they’d stepped through the wards.
Newt didn’t respond right away, gaze roaming over the reserve and the dragons he could see.
“It’s certainly something.” Newt allowed, putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Let’s get closer, shall we?” After all, he had quite a few questions for whoever was running this place. There were far too many species here, and most of them did not belong.