In the Bleak Midwinter
1924
1Actions have consequences, Celestia. You cannot betray your entire family and expect everyone to kowtow to your caprices. Actions have consequences, Celestia. You made a promise. You broke your promise. You’ve betrayed us all on a whim. Actions have consequences, Celestia.
Actions have consequences.
Those words, those voices – Mother, Father, Ares, the parents-in-law – echoed in Celestia’s mind every day, every time she missed the daughter she was not allowed to visit. This had been the biggest cruelty of all, hadn't it? That they had taken Artemis away from her. She’d known that she wouldn’t be allowed to take her baby with her to the Fawleys’, but this? No, she hadn't expected such a lack of sympathy from her own family.
Alastair had warned her.
She knew that if Nocturna were around to witness any of this, she’d have done the same. In fact, Nocturna had for once replied to one of Celestia’s letters just to voice her opinion in a rather ‘told you so’ fashion. Not that she meant it like that, but it was rather typical of her. She’d written:
I’m surprised and delighted you had the spine to leave that Malfoy brat and follow your heart. Good on you, little sister, but don’t expect our parents to understand. They’ll skewer you, nice and slow. Shouldn’t have caved to their silly political machinations. Do you see it now? Of course you do. You should leave England altogether.
That had been all Nocturna had had to say on that matter – on any matter.
Celestia had considered burning the strip of parchment, but had ended up storing it in the jewel box Alastair’s mother had given her when she’d moved in. Well, of course she had. She might be prone to dramatic proclamations during moments of emotional distress, but in the end, she always backed down…
…until she’d actually left Apollo – something nobody had believed she’d be capable of doing, including herself.
Maybe that was why the only thing Apollo had done about it was to take her daughter from her: to get her to come back.
They’d hurt each other. That much was a fact.
She didn’t think she was in any position to hate him, but she did it anyway.
Actions had consequences, didn’t they? Oh yes, they did.
Celestia had lost her whole family. It was only her daughter that she wanted to miss.
A year and a half had gone by. None of it made losing Artemis any easier, but other than had been the case during her marriage, now she actually felt something. It wasn’t all sunshine and daisies, of course. Sometimes, she has happy. Sometimes, she was sad. Sometimes, she and Alastair argued and she wanted to toss him out the nearest window.
Mostly, though, the only time she’d been happier than now had been during those three years in Franconia.
In a way, she had Newt to thank for this turn of events.
Poor Newt. He was a good person and an even better friend, even when he didn’t feel particularly inclined to get mixed up in others’ melodrama. He’d still done it, though, hadn't he? He’d shown up at Celestia’s engagement party despite not liking any of the guests. He’d replied every time she’d written him. He’d met up with her when she’d felt the walls closing in. He’d arranged a meeting between her and Alastair when Alastair had asked him to.
Now, he didn’t want to take Alastair’s money.
It wasn’t as if Celestia didn’t understand; she did. After all, people like her, like Alastair, like any of their peers rarely did anything kind without an agenda. During their Hogwarts days, they’d all been pretty horrible not just to Newt personally, but to everyone who wasn’t a Slytherin in general. Yes, they’d been kids, and kids were often terrible, especially in collectives, but in the end, that was a poor excuse. Plenty of the other pupils had been kind, decent, and pleasant. Even in their own House, there’d been social outcasts a-plenty, to put it in purple prose: people who didn’t fit in, people who were too shy or sweet, people who socialised a lot with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, people who lamented not having been studious enough to be sorted into Ravenclaw.
Then, there’d been people like Celestia, who’d felt uncomfortable at all the bullying, but who’d been too craven to actually do something about it.
The fact was, nobody was perfect. Everyone messed up. They all made mistakes.
Still, judging by what had happened in the past, nobody could really blame Newt for distrusting Alastair and doubting his good intentions.
Celestia, though, knew that Alastair just felt awfully guilty for his part in the events that had resulted in Newt’s expulsion. Therefore, she’d waited until Newt, who’d spent some time in the enchanted woods of Franconia, Bavaria, and East Prussia, was back in England. She invited him to come visit the now more-or-less abandoned excavation site on the Fawley estate, where the Hibernus Horridus bones were being kept despite Alastair’s parents’ objections.
They believed that their son was wasting resources and time due to foolish feelings of guilt toward someone who didn’t deserve it.
Alastair, however, wouldn’t budge. He argued that he needed to do one truly good deed in his life, to make up for all the nastiness he’d already inflicted on the world.
Of course, Newt wrote back that he’d stop by, even though he was very busy these days and preparing to travel again soon.
2 Alastair had wanted to be there to talk sense into Newt, but Celestia had convinced him otherwise. In all probability, Newt was going to say no anyway, but if Alastair were there to pester him, he’d decline financial help for sure. Nobody liked being crowded and pressured into doing anything, even if it was accepting a gift.
It wasn’t even quite winter yet, but for several months now, it had been uncharacteristically cold. There wasn’t any snow, but the sky had been covered by thick, grey clouds for a fortnight. A biting wind swept across the meadow where Celestia waited for her friend. She pulled her coat closer around her body. Maybe she should have chosen the thicker one, but this coat was brand new and she loved the way she looked in it. Not the smartest course of action, was it? Ever? To choose fashion over practicality? Every time she pulled a number like this on herself – wearing weather-inappropriate clothing or uncomfortable shoes – she vowed never to be this shallow and silly again. It never lasted. She guessed she was just a little stupid that way.
A little late, but not rudely so, Newt Apparated right in front of her. He looked a little different – less pale, for one. That was what happened if one spent a lot of time in the outdoors. When he saw her, he even smiled a little, before he fumbled with his hand-knit Hufflepuff scarf, which was almost blown away by the wind.
As usual, she kissed him on the cheek before saying, “Thank you for being here. You look well.”
“Thanks. You look…cold.”
That made her laugh. “How very perceptive of you.”
“One of my many talents,” he replied, good-natured, and looked about. “No Alastair?”
“Oh, he’s inside. He thinks I don’t know this, but he absolutely hates the cold. It’s the thing he hates most in the world, I believe.” Well, that and Apollo, but there was no need to bore poor Newt even more with her family crises than she was already going to.
“You get used to it, you know…the cold.”
“Very true. Now, how about we get out of the wind?”
When he only nodded, she led him into the small patch of trees. There was no wind in there; magic kept the weather from destroying the site. Neither, wind, rain, nor snow or any of the elements could touch the tents, whilst the trees themselves were exempt from the spell. The tent with the Hibernus skeleton was still there, of course, untouched.
“I’m surprised this is all still here,” he told her, as they went inside the tent.
“Alastair promised you he’d keep it all untouched, didn’t he?” She stepped up to the table with the bones displayed on them. “They’re still cold.”
“If my book is right, they’ll stay that way for centuries.”
A small silence ensued.
At length, he said, “I know why you asked me here.”
“And you’re going to tell me that your answer is still no?” She turned around to him. There was no wind in here, but the air was frightfully icy. In a few minutes, her teeth would start chattering.
He shrugged. “I can get by without his money. Tell him he doesn’t owe me anything.”
“You’ll get by, but won’t it be easier to travel the world with some extra change in your pocket – no strings attached?”
His expression turned doubtful. “Are there really no strings attached? Will he just give me money, no questions asked, and let me use it to do my research, or will demands for certain types of research come down the line? I will not catalogue magical creatures just so people can know how to use them better for profit – or worse, find them and kill them.”
“I know – so does Alastair.” She stepped up to him, stopping at arm’s length. Even though she was wearing comfortable boots this time, she could feel warmth sapping from her feet into the earth. Shivering, she hugged her arms to herself. “Listen, Newt. I know you don’t need us. I know you don’t want more contact with people like us than necessary. I know that you don’t trust us, either.”
“I trust your intentions – yours.” He briefly looked down at his feet, before not quite making eye-contact again.
That was sweet, wasn’t it? She couldn’t help but be touched by his assessment. “I don’t blame you for mistrusting Alastair. He’s done some awful things. The reality is, however, that he feels sorry for his past conduct. He wants to make up for it. Now, it’s not your responsibility to help him feel better about himself. You don’t owe him anything. Still, I’m asking you to just take the money he’s offering you – as a personal favour to me. You don’t even have to talk to him, and he’ll never ask any questions about the money once it leaves his hands. He knows you’re a good man and that you’ll never do something questionable with it.” She smiled a little, despite being chilled to the bone. “Even if, he wouldn’t ask questions. He’s turned a new leaf. He’s spending a lot of money for charity. He isn't talking to any of our old friends. You’d be doing us such a great favour by accepting his offer.”
Newt mulled this over for a moment in silence. He kept glancing at the Hibernus skeleton. Finally, he locked eyes with her again and nodded. “All right.”
Her smile broadened. “Thank you. You have no idea what a relief this-”
The earth shook. On the table, the Hibernus bones jumped and jumbled. Outside, the trees creaked and ground.
Celestia lost her footing and fell heavily on her side, crying out as pain shot through her arm, her shoulder, her neck. Her breath caught in her throat. She gasped for air.
The tremors got worse.
Eyes watering, Celestia tried to sit up straight, but collapsed when her left arm couldn’t hold her weight. Broken bone!
“You’re hurt!” Newt skidded over, dropped on his knees, pointed his wand at her arm, and said something she couldn’t understand; a deep grumbling cry drowned his voice out. Blue light shot from his wand and hit her elbow.
The ground shook worse than ever.
Agony exploded in her arm. There was a snapping sound as the bones readjusted themselves. She dropped herself on the earth again, panting, seeing stars.
“Can you move your arm again?” He had to shout to make himself heard.
What…what the hell was that noise? It sounded like distorted, low-pitched screaming, growling – a sound of pain and fury, as if the earth beneath them were rioting.
She raised her arm, flexed her fingers, pushed herself into an upright position. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Come on!” He jumped to his feet, took her hand, pulled her up.
She tripped on her skirt, ripped it, clung to him for purchase. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t-” The rest of his words got lost in a distorted, piercing scream so primordial, so agonised, it was unbearable to listen to.
Pressing her fists to her ears, she screamed, but could hear nothing but that awful shriek that seemed to be everywhere at once, pervading every cell in her body, reverberating in her skull.
That was when the air got hot – so hot that it became almost impossible to breathe.
Newt’s eyes grew wide. All colour drained from his face. “Oh, no.” He spun around and tried to run outside, but only managed to stumble, barely staying on his feet.
As well as she could, Celestia followed. She made it outside without falling again, but when she saw what was happening, she wished she hadn’t.
Through the line of trees, she saw it running toward the big house: a horrible, misshapen, white, scaly, screaming monster. Its claws were ripping wounds into the earth. The ground trembled. Grass scorched and died wherever it stepped. The farther it got away, the colder the air got again.
Celestia felt as if caught in a nightmare. “Oh, God. Alastair.” She broke into a run, unable to think, barely registering her thundering heart, her cramping stomach, the drying sweat on her face, the icy cold.
“Wait! No!” Newt caught up easily with her, grabbed her, spun her around. His eyes were huge, but he was otherwise calm. “Don’t!”
“It’ll kill them! It’ll-”
“Think, Celestia! Think! Running over there blindly in a panic won’t help! Let me go and-”
“I don’t care!” She Apparated onto the threshold without waiting for a reply.
It was horrible. The door had been simply ripped out of the wall and tossed aside. The front yard was devastated: flower beds, trees, the lawn, benches, even the fountain. They were all broken, scorched black, dead and gone. The air was first hot as furnace, then freezing cold, knocking the air right out of Celestia’s lungs.
The worst part, however, was the silence.
To her left, Newt materialised, wand in hand.
She paid him no heed. Her heart raced. Her head pounded. Every breath she drew burned in her lungs. It was so, so cold. Forcing herself to move, she stepped inside. Everything was frozen – everything. The walls, the broken furniture, the turned-over bookcases: it was all covered in a sheet of blueish ice. In the corner lay, somehow shrunken and curled in on itself, the monster. The ice covering its body was thickest here, seeming to shimmer even without a direct source of light to illuminate it.
Celestia didn’t care about the dead thing, though. Lying on the floor, wands in hand, were the ice-covered, lifeless bodies of Alastair and his parents. She exhaled sharply. Her legs gave. She fell to her knees next to Alastair, who was on his back, dark eyes wide open. Out of an instinct, she reached out, but didn’t touch him. What if touching him made it worse? Could this get any worse? This wasn’t real. None of this was happening. It didn’t feel real.
“They’re not dead.”
“What?” She couldn’t take her eyes off Alastair’s. Only a few minutes ago, he’d been fine. Now…oh, this couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t.
“Listen to me, Celestia: they’re not dead. The Hibernus isn't, either.”
She could hear Newt’s steps crunch on the frozen floor boards – first away from her, then toward her.
He hunkered down right in front of her. “We can save them. I know we can.”
“How?” Was she going to be ill? Felt like that. Felt like it was happening to someone else, as well. Part of her wanted to scream until she blacked out.
Newt’s jaw was set. His eyes were wide. There was a slight flush of colour on his cheeks. “The Hibernus probably got hit with lethal force. It projected its heart to some far away location, where it’ll survive for a about a year; so will the Fawleys. If we can find this frozen heart, then we’ll be able to save them all.”
For a few seconds, she just stared at him. “We?”
“Yes. I’ll help you. We’ll find it. We can save all of them.”
“And…leave them here, like this? Trapped in ice? Newt, I can’t-”
“Nothing can break or melt the ice – not for another year.” He got up to his feet again and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
Without another look at Alastair – she didn’t think she’d manage to leave otherwise – she took the offered hand and let Newt help her up. “Yes. Let’s go…but where do we start?”
“There are clues we can follow…my book. I need to get my book. It’s all a bit of a mystery – a puzzle, more like, that we need to put together. I know we’ll manage.” He put his wand away into his coat pocket and wiped some of his messy hair from his forehead. “It won’t be easy, though. I got to warn you. We, uh” – He pressed the knuckles of his right hand to his lips and cleared his throat – “we may have to break a few local laws, depending on where the heart is.”
“I don’t care.” She crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and drew in a lungful of that horrible, dead, icy air. “I’ll do anything and everything to save them…to save him.” She looked at Newt again. Her vision grew blurry. There was a knot in her throat. Still, she managed to stay in control. “Thank you.”
“I haven't done anything yet.”
“Yes, you have, and you will, too. So thank you, Newt.”
“Sure.” He glanced down at his boots. “So…seeing as they’re safe and protected for the next year, shall we get started? I need to go home and, uh…pack. Pack a few things. There’s a lot we’re gonna need.”
“And I need to go to London and empty my vault.” Fearing that she might not be able to resist the urge to look down at Alastair if she stayed any longer, she spun around on her heels and marched toward the broken front door.