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Tina’s footsteps echoed off the dark parapet as she ran. The footfalls of Grindelwald’s acolytes thundered behind her. Spells exploded against the castle walls as she sprinted through the dark, cold night. She’d lost Theseus just as she made for the outer walls, and Macmillan had fallen to some of Grindelwald’s guards in a corridor before that. They’d be lucky if the other Aurors hadn’t been captured or killed when they got ambushed near the cell block.
“This is balled up!” Tina muttered bitterly. A flash of green landed where her foot had been seconds before and Tina’s breath caught in her throat. Mercy Lewis, that was close. An open door suddenly came up on her left and Tina darted through it. Charging through the room, Tina darted into the hallway and kept running, the acolytes close behind. She raised her wand over her shoulder and shot off a volley of stunning spells, not looking back to see if they hit their targets. Without noticing her exact path, Tina instinctively threw herself around every corner she could find. Left, right, right, straight on, left again. It took a few breathless minutes before she lost them.
Where in the name of Deliverance Dane is Theseus?! Tina flattened herself against a wall as her chest heaved with exhaustion, doing her best to quell the rising panic in her throat. Her hand dropped into her pocket and she pulled out the small button Theseus had given her. Tina pointed her wand at the button, muttering the tracking spell under her breath. She closed her hand around it hurriedly when it made to zoom off. When the infiltration of Nurmengard had been organised, Newt - Oh Morrigan, don’t think about Newt … He’s safe … He’s not here - had suggested that the two of them give each other a button from their coat so they could track each other in the event they got separated. The little fixture was inconspicuous enough that they wouldn’t be suspicious if they got caught, and it could be held easily so the button could direct them and not impede wandwork. Tina took another deep breath and set off, following the button’s erratic direction.
Nurmengard was like a maze of corridors and rooms and cells. She could still hear a cacophony of far of voices, languages mixing into an incomprehensible blur. She didn’t need to understand them to know their intention. They were rallying to take out the Aurors that were now scattered throughout the fortress. Tina moved swiftly and cautiously in the direction the enchanted button led her.
Tina came out of a wide sweeping corridor and stumbled into a dark, gothic ballroom. Frosted glass windows graced the far wall, reaching from floor to ceiling; a dark iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, tiny bulbs lit with even tinier blue flames, casting a glow over the room that was eerily similar to the fires from Père-Lachaise; a grand piano in the corner, with a lone figure sat on the stool staring out of a nearby window. Her dark dress gave her the appearance of a shadow, if it hadn’t been for the blue lights reflecting on her golden curls- No … It can’t be-
Tina forgot herself and the mission and ran over to her. “Queenie?” Her left hand instinctively reached for and closed around her locket, as it had every time over the many months since Queenie’s disappearance, every time she’d thought of her wayward sister.
Queenie turned to her and studied her intently. “You shouldn’t have come, Tina.”
“W-w… What?” Tina breathed. Queenie, please come home with me!
“You shouldn’t be here …” If Queenie had heard Tina’s thoughts, she made no move to acknowledge them.
“P-Please … come home, Queen-”
“I can’t … I won’t”
“W-Why?!”
“Because I-”
“Tina?! Oh, thank Merlin.” A voice called and Tina whipped around to see Theseus standing in the doorway.
“Theseus! I-” Tina started
“Queenie?” Theseus queried and stumbled over to the pair. There was a gash down the side of his face gushing blood and he was limping.
“You both need to get away from here. Now. They are coming,” Queenie stated plainly.
“W-what? Who?!” Tina demanded and Queenie didn’t answer, her eyes flitting to the doorway and Tina’s blood ran cold. Footsteps filled the corridor before a group of acolytes filled the room, surrounding Tina and Theseus at wand point.
“Drop your wands!” One of the men yelled in a thick Bavarian accent. Tina stared at her sister, her heart pounding in her chest. Grab my hand, I’ll apparate us away. Queenie said nothing. Queenie, please! Her sister merely shook her head sadly. Before Tina could process exactly what had happened both her and Theseus were disarmed, shoved onto their stomachs and bound.
“Cowards!” Theseus yelled, trying to turn back to see who had disarmed him. The ropes held him firmly in place.
“Q-Queenie … Please …” Tina choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“There will be none of that!” Another voice called and panic bloomed in her stomach. She knew that voice anywhere. The room went deadly silent as Grindelwald approached the pair of Aurors.
“I told you not to cheat, didn’t I?” He remarked maliciously. The acolytes burst into a cacophony of laughter. There was a flash of red light and Tina saw Theseus’ head loll to the side. No! She tried to struggle against her bindings as a flash of red light and Grindelwald’s laughter chased her into unconsciousness.
-~-~-~-~-
Everything hurt. Her body was stiff and achy from being stuck in the same position for so long. Tina let out a pained groan. She’d been stuck in this tiny cell for what she assumed for three days (but felt like an eternity) with her captors only giving her the minimum amount of food and water possible. The cell was only about 5 feet square and there was only a door into the compound - no windows. The only way she was able to keep track of time was by trying of when she was interrogated and beaten, but that got trickier as time went on.
Tina had heard Theseus’ screams from somewhere beyond her cell door on their first night and fear drummed its way into her chest. Throughout the night Tina had tried to sleep, but Theseus’ cries for Leta or Newt or herself chilled her to the bone. She tried to call out to him but was quickly overcome by a temporary voice removing charm. The next morning, one of the acolytes had shown up and demanded information on Albus Dumbledore’s whereabouts. When she didn’t give it to him (not that she knew), he tortured her with ferocity, unlike anything she’d ever thought possible. He’d left her on the floor of the cell a few hours later, broken, bleeding and struggling to breathe. Tina had mentally tried multiple times to get Queenie’s attention, but her sister was either ignoring her or was forbidden from entering the cell. For a glorious, hope-filled moment, Tina thought it was her sister answering her calls when the door slammed open. But it was just a mediwitch who used torturously slow healing spells and potions to make her feel almost human again, give her a piece of bread and a glass of water before disappearing back through the door.
Tina had no idea when or if help would be coming. Most of their infiltrating team were most likely dead or in cells somewhere in the fortress and although herself and Theseus were valuable to the British Ministry, it would be unlikely that they would launch a full-scale rescue mission. It took everything within her not to break down and cry. What if I never see Newt again? Newt. The thought of the magizoologist made her heartache with a sadness rivalled only by the memory of her sister’s defection to Grindelwald’s side. There were only so many times one could call on sun-drenched memories of her time with Newt to keep herself going through all of the torture; of hands grazing as they walked together through Diagon Alley; of caring for his menagerie with secret smiles; of nights twined together under the stars and stolen kisses in the quiet darkness. The memory of Newt was embedded in her heart but she was losing sight of him as the days went. I never told him I loved him … I’m going to die here and he’ll never know. Tina shivered at the thought and clutched herself closer. Sobs wracked her body and it was a long while before Tina managed to fall asleep, curled up on the cold concrete floor, crystalline tears sliding down her cheeks.
-~-~-~-
“Where is Albus Dumbledore?!” The man spat at her for what must have been the fifth time that day. Fury sparked in Tina’s chest.
“Ya know, I don’t know how you can expect me to have a different answer to the last 5 times you’ve asked that question.” Tina spat. Her torturer simply grinned and let out a laugh.
“Wrong answer, sweetheart” He sneered. The wrong answer indeed. He marched over to Tina and with a flick of his wand, sent her careening into the cell wall, arms and legs splayed out like a starfish on a rock. A searing pain bloomed in the back of her head and Tina’s vision swam. A pained cry left her mouth before she could stop herself. The man just sneered, stabbing his wand into her chest and keeping her against the wall. He moved in closer to her and she could feel his awful breath on her face.
“Would you prefer I go and get that bastard Scamander and get him to tell me where Dumbledore is?”
“T-Theseus wouldn’t know either-”
“I ain’t talking about him. The other one.” Tina’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m sure he’d be willing to take your place here.” Not Newt!
“N-No!”
“What’s the matter? Don’t want to see lover boy?” He pushed his wand further into her chest. Something that felt like fire seared through her chest and her breath caught in her throat.
“Y-Y-You l-leave h-him o-out o-of t-this,” Tina stuttered.
“I will if you tell me where Albus Dumbledore is.” Tina couldn’t help it when a sob escaped her.
“I-I-I d-don’t k-know,” She managed to choke out. The edges of her vision darkened and her head was pounding. The man withdrew his wand from her torso and slashed it downwards as the wind was ripped violently from her lungs. Tina dropped to the floor, gasping for air as the man’s laughter filled her ears. Another wand slash and stings of pain bloomed in her legs and arms. She lifted her head up a few inches and opened her blurry eyes, watching blood - her blood - pooling on the floor. A wave of dizziness hit her like a tsunami and her head back down with a quiet thud. Tina heard the man turn and storm out of the room, the slam of the metallic door reverberating through her.
“N-Not … N-Newt …” She whispered with a sob. Tina did the best to breathe through the pain, but every contraction of her chest sent stabs of pain through her lungs. Her breathing laboured as exhaustion and pain overcame her and Tina slipped into unconsciousness.
-~-~-~-
“I’ll get Theseus out of here. Now go and find Goldstein!”
Voices echoed down the hall. Spells cracking. Exploding booms echoing through the corridors. The noise outside her door was like a raging thunderstorm, rousing Tina from unconsciousness. She made to move, but a jolt of white-hot pain through her chest reminded her of her last human interaction. The world felt hazy and dull and Tina couldn’t open her eyes. Tina wanted to ignore it and go back to sleep, at least until the witch came and healed her later. Tina had been stuck in this cell for what felt like a year, although she guessed it was closer to a week, and the acolytes who tortured her for information were getting more ruthless. Every breath felt like blazing fire, there were cuts and bruises all over her body and her head throbbed. A thunderous BOOM reverberated through her tiny cell, the ground shaking and sending spikes of pain through her body. What’s going on out there?
“Where is she?!” Who that? That voice is familiar. Tina’s heart fluttered weakly.
“Down the hall!” Queenie?
Two pairs of thunderous footsteps came from down the hall.
“This one here!”
“Alohamora!” There was a pause. "Aberto!"
“Why won’t it open?”
“Sod it-! Bombarda!”
Another BOOM and the wall caved in. Tina tried to cover her head from the concrete that rained down, but her movements were slow and sluggish. Her breathing strained in the attempt and Tina tried to look toward the doorway to see who had blown it up but her vision swam as two figures ran towards her.
“Tina? Tina?! Are you okay?!”
“Teenie?! ” Something warm and heavy, smelling of earth and rain was draped over her and she shivered at the newfound warmth. Squinting through her lashes she could see something peacock blue covering her body. Why is that colour familiar? “Oh Morrigan, I-I didn’t realise they’d done this much to her?”
“Thank Paracelsus, She’s conscious at least.” The familiar voice said hurriedly. He whispered an incantation and Tina felt the cuts on her arms and legs beginning to close. Is this a dream? Are you really here with me?
Tina felt her sister’s soft hands clutch her face. “It’s us, Teenie! We’re takin’ you home!” Queenie exclaimed and Tina felt the other pair of hands on her, skimming her stomach, quickly becoming slick with something wet - is that my blood? They firmly squeezed the side of her ribcage and Tina’s breath caught as pain radiated from the spot he had pressed. She felt a mass rest on her middle, letting out a surprised wheezy sob at the intrusion as her breathing laboured. Tina’s eyelids fluttered and all she saw was a burst of messy auburn curls
“There’s something wrong with her lungs. I think one’s collapsed.” He said and Tina’s heart fluttered weakly at the familiar voice. Queenie was brushing her hair out of her face while the two talked hurriedly. Try as she might, Tina couldn’t focus on what they were saying. I’m so tired, I just want to sleep. Her sister shrieked something at Tina that she couldn’t comprehend. Calloused hands touched her cheeks and Tina’s eyes finally cooperated and opened enough so she could see. Queenie was behind her head, her golden curls hanging limply and tears dripping down her cheeks. She brushing the hair out of Tina’s face with shaking hands. Newt was hovering above her, his hands grasping her cheeks, covered in her blood, and his green eyes glittering with anxiety and concern. His eyes darted across her, assessing the extent of her injuries.
“I-It … h-h-hurts …” Tina wheezed, overcome with pain. Please just let me sleep. Queenie gasped at the thought.
“Teenie, you gotta stay awake!” Queenie cried.
“Merlin’s Beard … this is worse than I thought. Tina, you can’t go back to sleep … Don’t die on me. Please- ”
“I-I can’t lose my sister again, Newt!”
“We aren’t losing her again. Go and round up the others, I’ll patch her up and get her to the rendezvous point.”
Queenie? Don’t leave me, I’m scared.
A hasty kiss was pressed to Tina’s forehead “Teenie, I’ll be back. We’re takin’ you home! Don’t worry, Newt’s got you,” and then Queenie was gone. Newt set to work quickly, rolling Tina onto her back and she felt his wand tip press into the top of her sternum.
“I’m going to remove the excess air from your chest, alright Tina? This might hurt.”
Groaning in acceptance, Tina watched him through her lashes as he leant in and placed his lips around the end of his wand and inhaled sharply. The sharpest pain Tina had ever felt seared through her chest, followed by the feeling of her lungs stretching back into place. It tore the wind out of her and she choked desperately in an attempt to fill her reinflated lungs again. Her chest throbbed with an intensity that sent shockwaves of pain throughout her whole body. Unexpected tears sprang from her eyes and she rolled onto her side in an attempt to quell the pain. His hands curled under her and pulled her up into him, doing his best to be gentle. He held her tightly as she sobbed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.
“Time to take you home, Love. I’m going to scoop you up, okay? ” Carefully Newt swaddled Tina in his blue coat before lifting her into his chest - “Up you come,” He murmured as he did - one hand under her knees and the other behind her shoulders. Instinctively she nestled against his chest, his heart beating a rhythm of reassurance and safety that made her urge to sleep stronger. Newt seemed to sense her thoughts and warned “You need to stay awake, Tina. Don’t fall asleep. Sleep is not a good idea right now.” His voice shook with a fear and anxiety Tina had never heard present in his words before.
“D-Don’t let me g-go, N-Newt.”
“I’m never letting you go again, Tina.” He whispered, squeezing her closer to him.
He’s got me. I’m going home.
Newt stood up and started running through the fortress, being careful to not jostle Tina too much. Her head spun with a mixture of blood loss, exhaustion and pain and she barely registered what was going on around them as Newt ran. Before she could stop herself, Tina drifted into unconsciousness once more.
-~-~-~-
She ran down the stairs into the basement, enjoying how her boots clicked on the stone steps. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was met with a fanfare of animal cries, Newt’s creatures excited to see her home. She laughed and moved through each enclosure, giving each creature a pat and letting them snuffle her for treats (or in the Niffler’s case, something shiny). She rounded the corner, approaching the Mooncalf enclosure when-
“Tina?”
Tina whipped around and spotted Newt standing there, his shirtsleeves rolled up and his waistcoat buttoned haphazardly, his hair looking as messy as ever. There were bags under his eyes and he looked tired. He made to speak again, lips moving but no words reached her ears. Something was wrong. Tina ran over to him, only to be blocked by an invisible force that forced her to stop mere feet in front of him. He became frantic but no matter what he tried, no words came out. Tina’s heart ached with a combination of longing and panic.
“What did you say, Newt? I can’t hear you!” She wasn’t even sure if he could hear her, but she had to try something. He froze and his eyes sought her own with a stare that pierced her heart. “Newt?! Newt, what’s wrong?!” Tina asked frantically, throwing herself towards him to only be stopped by the invisible barrier again.
"Please wake up, Tina … I need you to wake up now … ” His lips hadn’t moved, but his words filled her ears.
"But how do I do that?” She queried desperately, trying to force her way through to be by his side.
Newt’s hand drifted through the barrier and grasped hers. Tina’s eyes went wide as he brought it to his lips, kissing the back of her hand with gentle reverence. Tina felt a golden warmth spread through her and head felt clear for the first time in days.
“Come back to me, Love,” His words reverberated through her. It felt like someone had turned her bones to lead and Tina felt herself crumple to the floor. The basement faded away and Tina’s eyes closed. She felt Newt by her side, grasping her hand, whispering for her to come back. She willed herself to open her eyes.
It took a moment, but her eyelids fluttered. She heard a sharp intake of breath suddenly and his hands were on her; one on her cheek and the other clasping her hand on top of the bedsheets. Tina lay in a bed of stiff, stark white linen - Am I in hospital?
“Tina … Are you alright?” Newt queried anxiously. She nodded slowly and he sighed in relief, shooting her a tiny smile.
Tina reached up and brushed her fingers softly over his cheek. “Never better … I heard you calling for me …” She said, attempting a smirk. Newt stared down at her, shock etched into his features. She stared intently into his eyes, lacing her hand into the hair at the back of his neck. The pair of them had no words, simply revelling in each other’s company. Newt relaxed, swooping down and pulling her into a gentle hug.
It’s good to be home.
-~-~-~-
The next few hours were filled with healers checking on Tina, much to her own annoyance. Newt had filled her in on all of the details from when the ministry realised that they had been captured. It had taken them a week to put together a task force and come up with an appropriate infiltration plan before they could take on Nurmengard. The majority of the force had been close colleagues of the ones that had gone in with Tina, and in some cases, trained family members. He didn’t press her for details of her capture and Tina was grateful for that. She’d only just gotten out of that nightmare; talking about it right now would surely throw her right back into it.
Queenie had been dismissed from the British ministry about 24 hours after they got back to London; they had let her walk free (temporarily) for giving them intelligence and for helping with the extraction of Tina and Theseus. She’d run into her sister’s room, a few hours after Tina woke up and the pair just held each other and cried. Newt, sensing the need for the sisters to be alone, excused himself and stayed with Theseus. By the end of the day, Newt had sent for Jacob and the pair had another teary reunion at the end of Tina’s hospital bed.
Newt had flitted between Theseus’ and Tina’s rooms multiple times every day. Theseus had had a myriad of visitors in the days since, including his parents (much to Newt’s embarrassment and Tina’s enjoyment; the childhood stories she had heard when Newt had introduced them to her made her laugh heartily for the first time in weeks). When Theseus had been discharged Newt left Tina in Queenie and Jacob’s capable company as he helped his brother settle back into his apartment. Theseus was not one that was easily shaken by fighting or even torture, but Newt knew that what had happened in Nurmengard was not good and could understand completely when Theseus asked him not to question him about his time there. He would let Theseus explain the events to him when his brother was ready and not a second before.
The healers discharged Tina a few days later. A few days too many; Tina had gone a bit stir crazy while she waited, much to Newt, Jacob and Queenie’s amusement and despite their best attempts to keep her occupied while the healers waited for test results and observations. When Tina finally stepped over the threshold of Newt’s semi-detached house, Queenie and Jacob cheered. Newt simply smiled at Tina and helped her shrug her coat off. Jacob set about making a sumptuous dinner and Queenie, thrilled to be back with the love of her life, rushed to his side to help.
Newt and Tina shared a knowing look and immediately headed for the basement. Tina had explained about the dream she’d had as she woke up, and was ecstatic at the prospect of greeting her favourite fur-feathers-and-fang family properly. He took her hand gently in his and led her down the stairs carefully - Tina was still a bit sore after everything that had happened. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Tina was met with excited calls and cries from the creatures; the nifflers ran over and climbed into her arms; Pickett (who had insisted on staying with her when she was in hospital) climbed across Newt’s arm and buried himself in her hair; the diricawls appeared at her feet and chattered excitedly up at her. Tina laughed and gave out as many cuddles and pats as she could. Newt hung back, bringing the creature’s their food as she made her hellos, watching his companion joyfully greet his creatures.
It wasn’t until all the creatures were fed and happy that Tina joined Newt in a grassy enclosure intended for some of the hippogriffs (who were with his mother at the moment, Newt assured her). They sat side by side in the grass, letting the artificial sun warm them both. Tina sighed happily and wound herself around Newt’s arm; he stiffened for a moment but then relaxed into her.
“Y’know … I never did thank you properly…” Tina felt a surge of bravery pass through her chest.
“For what?”
“For saving me, Newt. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
Newt smiled and took her hand. “I was going to do whatever it took to bring you home, Tina.”
“I know and I’m so glad you did.” Their eyes met and his gaze pierced her as if she was going to disintegrate in front of him. Newt’s arm slipped around her waist as he pulled her close to him. Tina gasped at the unexpected action, her heartbeat racing and she could feel Newt’s doing the same. His eyes buzzed with anticipation and a silent question, to which Tina answered with another encouraging smile and a small nod. His breath played on her cheek and sent shivers down her spine and Tina let her eyelids flutter closed. Newt’s hand swept to her cheek and he pulled her face to his, their lips meeting in a sweet, but eager, kiss. Tina’s hand slid up into Newt’s hair and tangled in the bunch of curls at the back of his neck. This was better than she could have ever imagined.
“Newt! Tina! Dinner’s ready!” Jacob called from upstairs, forcing Tina and Newt to jolt apart. An awkward moment passed before Newt stuttered an acknowledgement back to the No-Maj. Once they’d heard Jacob head back through the door into the house, the pair fell into a fit of giggles.
“That was close,” Tina said.
“Quite. We should probably head up, lest we make them suspicious.” Newt replied with a chuckle. He stood and offered Tina his hand. She gratefully took it and he pulled her up onto her feet and into a hug in one swift movement. “I promise … I’m never letting you go again, Tina.”
Tina grinned up at the Magizoologist. “I’m not going anywhere.”
There was a pause as Newt pulled out of the hug and made to lead them towards.
“Newt?”
“Yes, love?”
“... I love you.”
Another pause as he turned and smiled at her.
“I love you too.”