Chance Meetings
My Dearest Tina,
You will not believe who I've just had the pleasure of running into.
Knockknockknock.
He snorted, torn from his deep slumber, grimacing at the ache in his back from where he'd fallen under such spells slumped over his cabin desk working on the latest section of his book.
Knockknock. Knock.
Humming, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, waving absently at the faded candle next to him, the warm glow illuminating the room once more in its soft light. Chancing a glance at the clock precariously sitting across from him on the same desk, he frowned in confusion, it was nearly three in the morning. He knew that the crew did rounds during the night, but none of the alarms were going off signaling need to abandon the Ocean Liner, so why they would be knocking at his door at this hour was unheard of.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Alright, I'm coming, settle down now.", he pushed himself up from the desk chair, rubbing at his lower back, feeling for his wand with his free hand, as he made his way across his cabin. Peering over, the clasps on his case were still most certainly closed so there was no chance it was something to do with his creatures, he curled his wand tightly into his left hand and reached for the handle with his right. Turning the round handle, the lock clicking open, he opened it only just to peer out into the brightly lit hall. There was no one he could see, the hall was empty, and he frowned more so to himself as he made to close the door.
"Wait."
And froze. A voice. A young voice. Female.
He turned back around, pulling the door open completely, and that's when he saw her. The one knocking so harshly at his cabin door, a young girl, blonde hair running down her back, blue eyes staring intently at the dark wooden floor as if afraid to meet his gaze and hold it. Her white nightgown, as he assumed it must have been at one point, was torn and dirty, clearly having seen better days before this moment. The only part of her that was clothed appropriately for the cold of the night was the boots she wore on her small feet, dark gray and covered in moist mud, but why a possible stow away would come to his cabin was another bizarre question to be had.
"Are you Mr. Scamander?"
He raised an eyebrow, wand falling to his side, but still visible for her to see. Her eyes widened and darted back to the knotted flooring.
"I am, Newt Scamander, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.", he knelt, holding a hand out to her, she chanced a peek up at him and he smiled in what he hoped was a comforting way, her little hand was freezing but her fingers curled around his palm as she shook his proffered hand in greeting.
"How did you--"
"My brother said to find you."
Newt frowned again, "Brother?", he did not remember any of the people he'd met in New York having such younger siblings. Queenie and Tina were more then grown and Jacob had lost his brother to the war, as far as he was aware that was it. No. No it wasn't. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked the young girl over again, "Are you.... Modesty Barebone?", the girl stiffened at the name and her shadow, behind her, seemed to grow timid, darker even, thicker. Newt felt his eyes widen once more, in surprise and alarm, "Credence?", he whispered as the little one's shadow seemed to breath in soft relief, having heard his name being called in question, "Don't hurt him. He's all I got.", again he looked down to the little one, a frown turning his lips downward in slight distaste, muggle or not, no child should have to see what she had undoubtedly seen, "Of course not love, come in, both of you.", he stepped away from the door, beckoning them in, Modesty peered over her shoulder at the shadow and nodded, stepping inside.
Her shadow following.
Credence had survived. Tina, he's alive, he went to find his younger sister after the subway, planning on taking her and running! He was just strong enough to get them on the ship. I haven't the slightest idea how they managed to find me, but am sure glad they did, I think Modesty, Credence's sister, spotted me as I had headed to my cabin for the night and she convinced him to come here with her. It's truly marvelous, Tina, truly.
Newt took up occupancy in his desk chair again, watching the little one sleep in his cabin bed, the dark shadow surrounding her like a silent sentry. He daren't get too close just yet, for fear of the older brother lashing out, and for possibly frightening the younger sister. Modesty curled onto her side, making herself as small as possible, as if trying to keep all of her from being seen and failing only just. She had learned to sleep safely over the years with ma and somethings just don't leave you even once you gain such freedom she now had.
Modesty had explained what had happened.
She'd been hiding in her families old home in the Bronx, hiding under a piece of broken flooring, when the black smoke had found her. Credence was too weak, she said, to form himself a body but she could still make out what he had said. How he had told her to reach out and he'd take them away, and how she had, fearfully, ashamedly admitted, reached for her older brother. Credence had curled himself around her small form, enveloping her completely, and apparated them away. How they had found their way on the boat, Credence nearly dropping her as they landed, they stayed hidden until they'd spotted a familiar coat, Credence had remembered him from the subway, remembered his coat, and his words. How he had wanted to stay close to the magizoologist but not so much so that they would be seen, they couldn't be found, not yet, possibly not ever. Modesty had talked him into it, talked him into coming to his cabin door and knocking, talked him into finding Mr. Scamander from the subway.
The magizoologiest hadn't the slightest idea of what it meant to take care of children, magical children (at least in Credence's case), who had been through what these two had been through their entire lives. He preferred his creatures over the contact and companionship of humans, but not even he had the heart to turn children away when they'd come to him for help. And that's just what they had done. They'd trusted him, one only meeting him once and other in passing, but they still trusted him enough to come. Credence rippled around his sister, the little girl's face scrunched up in discomfort, possibly a bad dream, and Newt hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. The dark mist settled closer to the younger child, trying to comfort by presence, this was most certainly nothing like he'd ever seen before.
An obscurial growing passed childhood as the boy had, just barely an adult, but older then any recorded of his kind and with so much control.
He watched them sleep through the night.
I'm not sure what to do with them, where to begin, but I don't intend to let them go just yet. The control he has, Tina, its like nothing I've ever seen before, and it's all for the little girl he shadows. Modesty says he's getting stronger with each passing day, I've just gotten her to talk just a tad more, she's such a sweet child. Did I mention that she has magic? It's raw, rough almost, but such wandless power I've never seen a young child to possess. I almost spilled the ink jar on my latest pages from a particularly rough wave and she just reached her little hand out. I don't know who was more surprised by such things, her, or me.
"Now, I don't have clothes for a young lady such as yourself,", Modesty smiled slightly on the edge of the bed, watching him dig through his case for something for her to wear, at least until they got to London, "But I think we can make this work for now.", after finding a clean shirt, passing it the little one, he turned to allow her privacy to change. She tugged on his sleeve when she'd dressed and he'd peered down his side to her, smiling at the shirt that was much to big for her to wear in any normal means.
Nothing a bit of magic couldn't fix though.
"All we have to do is shrink it to fit.", he waved his wand over her, and the shirt shrunk, the trousers next, and her dark gray boots, she was presentable enough to take from the cabin at least, "There we go.", he slipped his suspenders over his shoulders, stilling only for a moment at the little hand that slunk into his, and turned to peer at the mass still hovering over the bed. Modesty turned to smile at her brother, eyes brightened only just, and the mass stilled at her gaze, "Be back Credence. Don't go no where.", Newt nodded in agreement with the little girl and pocketed his wand for safekeeping, they closed the cabin door behind them, Modesty huddled closer to the older man at the crowds of people out on the deck at this time in the morning, he squeezed her hand slightly, "It's alright love just stay with me."
She nodded, free hand clutching at the side of his coat, and they walked further onto the deck. First they needed to get something to eat, so they made their way to the dining hall. Modesty made no voice of anything she wanted to eat, not for his lack of trying, so he merely got her whatever her eyes lingered on a bit longer then normal. Some fruits. A biscuit with jam. Milk. A few cookies. He didn't have much muggle money on him, not at the moment, but he could manage if it got her to smile. She pocked a cookie, for her brother she said (he didn't dare tell her that Credence may not be able to eat said cookie for some time to come), and he nodded in understanding.
They went to peer over the edge, to see if there was anything to see, other children called out and pointed at the flash of a dolphin jumping from the surface. Modesty tried to peer over the edge, standing up on her toes to try and see over the tall rail. Newt smiled at her, her interest to see the sea creature, her persistence, the little jump she made when she could barely just reach the top even on her toes, and hooked his hands under her arms, lifting her for better viewing. She smiled at the sea, her form of thanks, and her left hand clutched at his coat collar as she peered out. Some of the smaller children looked up with something akin to jealousy that she had someone to lift her up and they didn't.
He pointed out the aquatic mammals for her and her eyes lit up in wonder, "What are they?", that was something he could talk about, creatures of all types came so naturally to him, "Dolphins, mammals, the sounds they make are their language, its vast, amazing."
"Fantastic?"
"Positively fantastic."
They explored around the main deck and the upper, weaving between people and families, looking across the edge for any more sea creatures popping up to say hello. Modesty tugged on his hand just as the sun was setting, "Mr. Scamander, can we give Credence the cookie now?", still not having the heart to possibly crush such hopes, he merely nodded, turning them in the direction of the cabin. The dark mist was thicker then it had been when they left and it seemed to awaken as they entered the room, Newt closed the door behind him, the little one letting his hand go in favor of running to her brother.
"Credence, come back, Mr. Scamander got us cookies and I saved one for you."
The dark mist spun as if to show its understanding of her words but made no move to condense, Modesty was not to be deterred however, and she crawled up on the bed with the dark mass. Newt watched from the doorway of his cabin, waiting for something, anything to happen, in the event that it did. The little girl set the cookie on the bed before her, folding her hands as if in prayer, "Please Credence?", she pushed the cookie closer with a little finger, "For me?", the mass swirled a bit, twisting this way and that, and Newt felt his mouth fall open as the black swirling mist took shape, slowly, painstakingly slow, first a leg and then another, a waist, a torso, arms, and then a head. The edges were still a bit blurry, but he was solid enough, and Modesty jumped forward to catch him in a hug.
Credence hung onto her just as tightly.
It's the most fantastic of things Tina, the control he has over the obscurus, and all for the little one. She shows him an unconditional sort of affection and he protects her at all costs. Credence is still just as closed as he was in New York, but his sister is warming up nicely, she showed me a wand the other day. She says it was her fathers, he was a witch wizard, and her mother a muggle no maj. Its broken I'm afraid, I don't believe it will ever work again, but we're going to see if it can't at least be mended when we come to shore. Curious, do you or Queenie know what one might need to care for a young girl? Waiting to hear back.
Yours truly ,
Newt
Modesty clings to his hand as they disembark from the Ocean Liner the following week, Credence clutching to her shoulder from behind, and his case in his other hand. Families greet each other with joyous refrain, but they walk passed, he'd left with little more then his case of creatures, and come back with two more passengers of the two legged variety (and he has no idea what exactly he's doing with them either). They walk down the sidewalk in silence, turning into alleys so he can apparate them a ways at certain intervals, ensuring that if anyone is following they would be lost, and so that they can get to his flat before sun down that same day.
They make it to his street just as the rain is beginning to fall from the clouds above, London, he loves his home dearly, but it's always so wet. Modesty huddles closer, gripping his hand tighter, and peers around in half fright and half concern. He leads them to a ordinary yellow Victorian type house, somewhere in the middle of the row of houses, and they scamper up the steps just as the clouds unleash the flood from above. A tap of his wand, and Newt ushers the two kids inside and closes the door behind him, setting his case down, he helps the little one out of his coat and hangs it on the hook there.
Credence turns sharply, edges misting over, at the noise from the sitting room across from them. Modesty grabs the back of his shirt as he ushers the two behind him, wand drawn, and Credence hovers just behind his sister. There swinging from the chain of his sitting room lamp is a baby niffler, the clasp holding the chain to the lamp snaps and the little thing give a sound of victory, it looks up, meeting the magizologist's eyes and scampers for freedom. Newt lowers his wand, spotting a second baby niffler sitting on the table in the kitchen, stuffing a weight into its pouch, and a third one trying to pull the gold wrapping off the cork of a bottle of champagne. He peers over his shoulder at the two children, "Help me catch them!", Modesty nods, running away from his side and Credence's grasp, dangling a familiar pocket watch in front of the one baby niffler. Newt makes a sound of surprise, reaching for his pocket, "Just what I need! Another pilfering mongrel!", Credence gives a soft snort but when he turns to look the boys face is as blank as ever, "She's good at it.", and steps away to go after his own baby creature. Newt shakes his head but darts after the one from the sitting room.
Once all the pilfering creatures have been captured, Newt stops just before the steps to the basement, and holds a hand out for the little one, Modesty peers up with wide eyes and deposits the pocket watch into his palm.
"Much thanks little'un."
She smiles into the baby nifflers fur and nods, cuddling the little thing close, he nods leading them into the basement. Behind him comes two soft gasps of surprise at the sight below, most certainly not what one keeps in their basements on a normal basis, but then, Newt Scamander is no normal man.
"This is my animal hospital."
Modesty looks around in wonder and awe, still cuddling the baby niffler close, trying to see everything she can as they pass through and down the stairs. A plain woman comes bustling around the corner and Newt has little time to react as the children jump back from her, Modesty's give a soft whimper of fear and Credence hisses like an animal does when warning one to stay back. He spins away from the woman, trying to calm them before anything happens, the last thing he needs is an obscurus and a child with emotionally charged accidental magic wrecking havok in his animal hospital, "Wait, Credence, Modesty, it's alright."
"Mr. Scamander! The baby nif...Mr. Scamander!"
"Bunty hang on a moment."
Credence is blurring at the edges, his sister tugging the baby niffler he holds away quickly, and Newt rushes forward, "Credence it's alright! I promised I wouldn't let any harm come to you or your sister and I don't make promises I can't keep. This is Bunty", he waves a hand at the terrified woman, "She's my assistant, she's alright, Bunty wouldn't hurt you. Or Modesty.", the boy meets his gaze and they hold that position for a moment, Credence continues to get blurrier and blurrier until he nods and fades back into focus again. Sighing at that disaster averted, the wizard turns back to his assistant, "Bunty the baby nifflers got out again."
Dearest Newt,
Queenie here, we were positively delighted to get your letter honey, and to hear such good news! Absolutely up the wall! Teenie was so happy to hear that the dear was okay, and his sister, though she doubts your 'parenting' abilities, I have faith in you. You're going to do great by them sweetie! Just what they need is right there with you. As for your question, clothes for one, dresses, girls love dresses, and knowing how it'll be with you, something she can run around in. Clothes for both of them. And toys for her. A doll maybe. I loved dolls when I was a little girl. Keep us updated sweetie! We want to hear everything!
All my Love,
Queenie
They all settled in for the next couple of weeks that passed and worked hard at overcoming the obvious blocks in their way.
Credence stopped blurring at every movement.
Modesty stopped hiding back in fear whenever she displayed any sort of accidental magic.
And they helped Newt care for his creatures. True to his friends advice, the little girl loved the trousers and shirt he'd given her first on the boat, running around barefoot among the different habitats, her blonde hair like a wave of gold as she danced around and played between the chores that she had to complete.
Upon their time together in their return to London they were growing comfortable, about a month and a half in, and old fears are slowly starting to fade away. Modesty doesn't shy away from her own magic and Credence doesn't 'smoke-up' at the drop if a dime (nor when he believes his little sister to be in false danger), while Newt is slowly learning what it means to be the guardian of two magic sensitive magical children (its trial and error for certain) things begin to slowly fall into place into an abnormally domestic routine around the flat (and basement hospital) of one Newt Scamander.
He'd taken them to town the third week of them being there for much needed supplies; clothing, books, toys for Modesty, among various other needs. He takes them to a private ward at St. Mungos for a check up, and rages in silence at the scars and such that litter their bodies, as their documented by officials. Cases like this don't come by often, but when they do, they're treated with the upmost care. Newt swallows his rage as he holds the little one close, and curls Credence closer into his side, as the flashes capture pictures of the scars and lashings.
They go for much needed Ice Cream after their visit.
Modesty see's a something that she's sure the Kelpie will love to play with and tugs on his hand to show him.
The Kelpie loves the ball.
Slowly he introduces them to his family, Theseus is first, for certain obvious reasons. It's not everyday that word spreads among the departments at the ministry that Newton Scamander is at St. Mungos with two severely abused magical children (they hadn't known that Credence was an obscurus but he can't hide anything from his older brother--Theseus understands--and promises that his secret is safe from unwanted ears). His older brother is immediately taken with the two and wastes no time in teasing him relentlessly ('You went to New York a bachelor and came back a parent of two Newwie!) and Modesty giggles behind her hand at his brother's nickname for him (Newt raises an eyebrow at the young girl sitting on the floor in front of him, playing with the baby kneazles they'd found, leaning back against his legs and she giggles the other way unphased). Theseus teases him time and time again but Newt knows he likes being in that 'fun' uncle role he gets to have now (and brags about them to his closest friends at work).
He doesn't take them to meet his parents just yet. That's an adventure for later. Right now Theseus Scamander is more then enough.
Dearest Queenie and Tina,
Receiving your letter was the start of a great week. Things are getting colder here as is London falling into the winter months. I have much to tell you and very little time, and am meant to include a picture drawn for the both of you by Modesty, quite the artist she is. We went to town the other day and she did indeed find herself a doll she adores, and a kneazle, both of whom sleep with her at night. Credence has learned so much more control, he is really amazing, I could not be prouder of the pair of them. We are going to try and visit for the holidays if you would have us, I can't wait to see you all again, and they want to meet you too. Awaiting your reply.
Yours Truly,
Newt