Chapter 8
“…You lost a Bowtruckle in here?!”
Newt tried not to look too sheepish, avoiding his roommate’s look. “Well, it really isn’t too difficult when you think about it; Bowtruckles are rather small, and Pickett’s in a bad mood with me since I can’t bring him to work anymore. He’s most likely still in the flat, though, if that helps.”
“Most likely?” Tina repeated, dumbfounded.
“Almost certainly,” He corrected hurriedly. “He won’t have gone far at all – Bowtruckles prefer to stay close to their trees, and I have a theory that Pickett has decided to make me his tree.”
She huffed, running a hand over her face. “Great, now we gotta find him; I’m supposed to have paperwork done by tomorrow, but now I’ve got to look for your pet.”
“I’m sorry, Tina, really,” He apologized, taking a step closer to her. “I promise that it won’t happen again.”
“You said that about the Niffler,” She muttered, shaking her head. “Fine. Come on, we better find him before he gets seriously hurt or something – the last thing we want is one of Abernathy’s cats from downstairs catching him. I’ll check my room and the toilet, you check yours again and the kitchen area.”
The two of them split up to search once more for the tiny creature, scanning the floors and searching underneath furniture whilst calling for the Bowtruckle’s name in the hopes of luring him out. After turning over her bedroom and checking every inch of the toilet, Tina found herself back in the main room of the apartment; Newt was still examining the kitchenette area carefully, wand lit up and entire being focused.
“I got nothing. You?”
He sighed. “No, nothing yet. I hope he hasn’t left the flat – we’ll never find him if he’s gotten out.”
It was obvious that he was worried – of course he was, he loved all of his strange pets – so Tina moved to help him search; when he cast her a surprised look, she smiled. “Don’t worry, Newt, we’ll find him eventually. He’s probably just having a sulk, right? Me and Queenie used to be like that as kids.”
“Pickett can be rather infantile sometimes,” Newt agreed, chuckling half-heartedly. “He has attachment issues, more than any creature I’ve ever tended to.”
“He’s your favourite.”
“I don’t have favourites,” He disagreed, though she knew he was lying. “I love all of them equally, regardless of size or what species…even the Niffler, even though he is a little bugger.”
“Your Niffler likes me,” Tina jibed good-naturedly. “He came and sat on my lap when I was reading last week, not a noise out of him. Maybe he just likes annoying you?”
Newt grinned and laughed. “Yes, maybe; I think he knows that you’re more likely to give him shiny treats, however, hence why he would have cuddled up to you-”
“Hold on,” She interrupted, raising a hand. “Did… Did the lid on the coffee tin just move?”
Acting quickly, he picked up the tin in question and pulled the lid off; Pickett gave a tiny squeak in protest, even as Newt lifted him carefully. “Merlin’s beard, Pickett, you gave me a fright! I thought you’d gone forever… Now look at you, you’re all dirty,” He tutted. “We’ve talked about hiding in food tins before, haven’t we? How it’s unhygienic…yes, I know you’re very clean,” He acknowledged when the Bowtruckle chattered angrily in protest. “You’re very good at keeping clean, but I still don’t think anyone wants to eat or drink from a tin you’ve been sitting in!”
Tina stifled a laugh as her roommate took the Bowtruckle to the sink and started to run a tap; he adjusted it until it was a tiny trickle before urging his tiny friend beneath it. Pickett didn’t look too keen on the idea, folding his arms, but allowed the water to clean off the coffee grains from his leaves all the same.
“Now, that’s much better, isn’t it, Pickett?” Newt said gently, moving the Bowtruckle to his coat pocket. “I’m sorry we had a falling out earlier, I know you don’t like it when we’re separated – I don’t like it either – but I’m just worried that you might get hurt because of the dragons…I know you want to see them,” He murmured at the chirp he got in response. “But it’s safer if you stay with the others while I’m dealing with the dragons. Please don’t stay mad at me, Pickett – I can’t stand it when you’re angry with me.”
Pickett seemed to hesitate before making a noise of agreement, wriggling his way back into Newt’s coat and settling. Tina watched with mild fascination, eyes wide and a large smile starting to pull at her mouth.
Once the Bowtruckle was settled, Newt turned back to his roommate and paused; the way she was looking at him was slightly unusual, though not unwelcome. It was a look he couldn’t quite place, a look that made him suddenly feel flustered and warm inside. “Is everything alright, Tina?”
“Yes, everything’s fine,” She laughed quietly, shaking her head. “Sorry. You’re just…really adorable.”