Chapter Text
Tina shrugged her backpack higher on her shoulder and stared around the main reading room in dismay. Every table was crammed with students immersed in the looming deadlines of term papers and final exams. No way was she going back to her dorm though. She liked Seraphina, really she did, but why her friend needed to study with The Smashing Pumpkins at high volume Tina would never understand.
“I just need the background noise, Tina. I’m sorry it’s bothering you. Why don’t you try the library? I bet it’ll be quiet. And,” she added a bit waspishly, “It would do you good to get out of here for a while, don’t you think?”
“I doubt it.” But Tina had pulled on a sweatshirt and left, pausing on the steps to take several deep breaths of the chilly, early December air.
She stopped by the cafeteria to snag a brownie for lunch — not as good as Jacob’s but still better than lunch would ever be — and made her way to the three-story building beside the theater. She hadn’t stepped foot in the library all semester. Why bother with books when the Internet was just a click away? Still, maybe a change of scenery was just what she needed.
Apparently, a lot of people had felt the same way. She didn’t recognize anyone, and Eastside was small for a four-year college.
“Herd instinct,” she muttered as she checked the study rooms and found them overflowing.
Sighing, she climbed the stairs to the second floor. Of course, the elevator was out of order. Up here, away from the all-seeing eyes of the librarians, things were a bit more lively. Tina found the low hum of conversations and turning pages quite soothing. She hunted for an empty table, or even an empty chair would do. She spotted one, but before she could pick her way through the minefield of computer bags and purses, it was taken.
She stood at the foot of the third-floor stairs, debating. Her backpack felt as if it had gained 20 pounds since she’d walked in the door. “I’ll take a quick look and go back to the dorm. Sera has a class at three, I can work on my paper then.”
At first, the top floor looked as busy as the other two. Tina was just about to give up and leave when she turned a corner and saw a table with one person and two chairs. It really was tucked away, and she guessed no one else had noticed.
She hurried over and plunked her backpack on the empty chair. “Mind if I sit here?”
The last time she’d seen Queenie, her little sister had chastised her for the hundredth time about being so blunt. “You can’t just go barging in where ever you want, Teenie. At least ask first.”
The person at the table didn’t even look up, deeply absorbed in annotating a detailed drawing that showed the internal organs of some animal. “Go ahead,” a male voice mumbled. “Just shove my stuff over.”
The accent was so thick it was hard to understand, but Tina got the gist. She unzipped her bag, hauling out her laptop, notes, and books. When they thumped onto the table, the man finally raised his head, brushing a sheaf of unruly red-gold hair out of his eyes.
“Uh, hi.” Tina yanked out the chair and sat down, busying herself with arranging things just so. She wasn’t used to talking to guys. Except for Jacob, but he was her brother-in-law so it wasn’t the same as a guy .
“Hullo.” He sounded either English or Australian, probably an exchange student, then. He nodded at his textbook. “Veterinary Science. Eventually.”
She grimaced in sympathy and hefted the top book of her stack. “Criminal Justice. Eventually.”
“Ah.” He smiled with a flash of white teeth in a very freckled face. “My brother’s a defense attorney. It sounds bloody boring to me, but he likes it well enough. That what you’re after?”
Tina frowned and opened her laptop to hide her suddenly blushing face. “I….I don’t know yet.”
Her father had been a corporate lawyer who told everyone that Tina would argue with a fence post. She’d idolized him and dreamed of following in his footsteps. Queenie took after their mother who had been a pediatric nurse at the local hospital. She had loved to cook, and her younger daughter learned everything she could teach. Their parents’ sudden deaths from a drunk driver in Tina’s senior year of high school had hit both girls hard.
Since she was already 18, Tina had been able to petition the court for custody of Queenie who was a year-and-a-half younger. She’d worked hard to get a full scholarship to Eastside — their parents’ savings covered the funeral and paid off the bills and the family’s two cars, but not much else. As soon as Queenie graduated, she married her childhood sweetheart, Jacob, who worked at his family’s bakery and coffee shop.
It had taken a solid year to tie up everything: the legal red tape, selling the house, settling the finances. But finally, Tina could start at Eastside and live in the dorms. When Jacob’s father, Mr. Kowalski, had offered her a part-time job as a barista she’d jumped at the chance to earn some extra money. Law school was an expensive prospect, even with scholarships.
Lately, though, she’d found her mind turning to other options. Like the police academy or working with kids. Or both. Maybe.
“It is a bit of a slog, isn’t it?” The stranger’s voice jolted Tina from her thoughts. “Newt Scamander. My parents are marine biologists. They’re on an expedition to the Great Barrier Reef, so I decided to come here for school.”
What an odd name. But if his parents were biologists, it made sense. “Tina Goldstein. My parents are dead.” Horrified, Tina ducked back behind her screen. Why did you say that, you idiot? He was just being polite. Unlike you, you moron.
There was silence for a moment, then, so softly she could barely hear it: “My apologies.”
“It’s OK. I didn’t….I don’t usually just come out and say it like that. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” Tina kept her voice as light and detached as possible while her face burned. Obviously, I’m not dealing with things as well as I’d thought. “I’d better go….” She started to gather up her things, but Newt put out a freckled hand and stopped her.
“No, stay please.” His expression was pleading as he met her eyes with his own hazel ones “I’d rather you than some of the others. I tend to annoy most people.”
That made her smile because she often thought the same about herself. “If you’re sure….?”
He nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”
Tina resumed her seat and clicked the icon to open her final paper on “The Crucible.” While her ancient machine struggled to process the request, she glanced across at Newt. He was sketching rapidly on what looked like the latest iPad, the one with the fancy pencil. She suppressed a sigh of longing. Her laptop was second-hand, a graduation gift from her guidance counselor. It worked, but it was few years past its prime. Until now, she hadn’t minded.
She took her phone from a side pocket of her bag and plugged in her headphones. She selected ocean waves from her nature sounds app and got to work. She was deep in the intricacies of the Salem Witch Trials when a skinny wrist thrust a bag under her nose.
“What?” She pulled out the right earbud, trying not to sound too irritated after his earlier comment. She glanced at the clock and saw, to her shock, that three hours had passed.
“Would you like a biscuit?”
The logo read McVitie’s Digestives, and Tina’s stomach rumbled at the sight of the large, chocolate-covered cookie. Cautiously, she eased one out of the wrapper and took a small bite. “Thanks.” It wasn’t very sweet, but after her brownie, that was fine. “They’re good.”
Newt set the package between them in easy reach. “Have another if you like. I’ve got loads — Mum and Dad keep sending them. Can’t get good biscuits here.”
Tina did. “What’re you working on?” While he was bent over his book, she took the opportunity to appraise him more closely. He wasn’t her usual type — she made a face, remembering her disastrously short relationship with Percival Graves — but Newt Scamander was….cute in a gawky, angular sort of way.
“Studying for my Biology final on Monday.” He glanced at her as if checking to see how interested she was. “It’s really quite fascinating.”
“Mmm….” She hadn’t been around animals much. Queenie and Jacob had a dog — a spoiled, fat little thing that Queenie liked to put sweaters on, but Tina had no idea what breed it was. “So why not marine biology?”
A flush colored his cheeks. “Well, I….” He shifted in his seat, long fingers twiddling with his stylus. “I get a bit….panicky under water, you see.”
Tina couldn’t help chuckling. “Are you serious?”
“Swimming and surfing I’m fine. But with diving, it’s just the pressure of the water all round and knowing that I’m relying on something else to breathe for me.” He waved his hands in illustration. “Theseus and I — he’s my brother — we had lessons as tots, of course. Early on, they have you take out the oxygen tank mouthpiece — it’s called a regulator — and put it back in — what to do if you lose it, you know. And I freaked out every time….thrashing and gasping like a hooked fish, all that.”
“I don’t blame you! I’m sure I would too!”
He smiled, eyes crinkling up at the corners. “So, I decided it might be safer on dry land. I started out working with birds — owls and hawks — and moved on to horses.”
“I’ve never been on a horse,” Tina said wistfully, all thoughts of her paper forgotten. “I’ve always wanted to, though. They’re so….powerful and beautiful.”
“Oh, they are! And delicate, too! Look at this.” Excitedly, he turned the iPad so she could see it, quickly bringing up a photo of a gleaming chestnut horse. “Did you know horses have no muscles in their lower legs? That’s why it’s so hard for them to heal when they break one.”
Tina hid a smile. “Fascinating.” But it was the man rather than the beast she found herself admiring. As he spoke, his whole face lit up like a kid who has been told he can have all the candy he wants.
Newt must have sensed her amusement because he set the tablet down. “Sorry. I tend to get over excited when I talk about animals. I forget that most people aren’t that interested.”
“I don’t mind. But my paper’s not going to write itself at this rate.” She smiled to take the sting out of it, and he relaxed.
“Right. And I still need to memorize this.”
They sank back into companionable silence while the activity of the library ebbed and flowed around them. When they emptied that pack of biscuits, Newt produced more — lemon flavored this time. “They’re much better with tea,” he muttered, not looking up from his drawing.
The next time Tina resurfaced for a bathroom break, afternoon sun was flooding through the nearby window. The crowd in the main room had lightened considerably, end of term pressures unable to withstand the lures of a Friday night.
When she returned to their table, stretching and easing the kink in her neck, Newt closed his book and asked, "So why criminal justice?"
"Oh, well, I had a friend in junior high, Credence — he was a foster kid. He was the same age as my sister, Queenie. We used to joke that he was our long-lost brother because he looked a lot like my dad did at that age."
Tina focused on her notes, but not really seeing them; it was easier to get the words out if she didn't look at Newt. "We knew his foster mom was a bitch. She treated him pretty awful: homeschooled him so he didn’t have many friends, but he never complained. He was always so cheerful, you know? We....we never realized she was beating him. One day she.....she beat him so bad he ended up in the hospital. He was in a coma two weeks before he died."
Newt reached out and took her hand. "I'm sorry. That must've been horrible."
She sniffed. "Yeah. The worst thing was that she got off. She claimed Credence had started a fight with her and she was defending herself! They said she couldn't be a foster parent anymore, but that was it."
"So you want to change the law.”
Tina wiped at her eyes and tried to pull away, but he held tight. "That was the plan but, lately....."
"You're having second thoughts?" His fingers were strong and warm, and she could feel the calluses on them — from reins?
"Something like that. My dad was a lawyer, and he actually lost the majority of the cases he tried. That's why we didn't have a lot of money when they.....Anyway, I asked him why he kept doing it, and he said, 'Sometimes you have to make a choice between what's right and what's easy’.” She realized she had been rubbing her thumb absently over a scar on the back of his hand and stopped, embarrassed.
“That was from a red-tailed hawk we rehabilitated one summer. She hated me with a passion, and after two months of being bitten every time I got near her, I didn’t like her very much either. But yeah….your dad had a point. I’ve done a lot of work with rescue groups and sometimes nobody wins.”
Tina sat back, sliding her hand out of his reluctantly. This time, he let her. “At least you try. If only I had….”
“You can’t think like that,” he said fiercely. “You care and that’s more than a lot of people bother to do.”
She stared at him in shock, and it was his turn to blush as if he realized he’d said too much. “Uh, how’s your paper going? Almost done?”
“What? Oh, about halfway I guess.” She turned back to it, but she found it hard to concentrate. She’d just met this Newt Scamander, and here they were pouring their hearts out to each other. Was she really that starved for company? Was he? She felt like she could sit and talk to him for hours.
Queenie would be thrilled. Her sister had tried to set Tina up before, but it never worked out. Tina was always the plain, uninteresting one. Always turning up where she wasn’t wanted. Newt didn’t seem to mind being around her though….
Come on, girl. Daydreaming isn’t getting this paper done. Gritting her teeth, she put her earphones back in and started a new paragraph.
She was in the middle of cross-referencing a sticky point when she noticed Newt jump out of the corner of her eye. “You okay?”
She watched in fascination as a blush crawled up from the neck of his shirt. “Fine! Just....dozed off I think.” He gave her a goofy smile that told her he was flat-out lying.
Queenie did just the same when Tina was particularly irritated with her. Forget it — I’m not introducing them. I’d never have any peace. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to her notes and started putting her conclusion together.
There it came again. Newt startled so badly his knee struck the underside of the table, jarring everything on it and making her laptop screen flicker
Tina ripped out her earphones. “What is it with you?” she hissed.
His mouth opened and closed, but before he could reply, a loud feminine moan came from somewhere behind them.
“What the hell?” Tina pushed back her chair.
“Um….I don’t think you should….” Newt began, but she ignored him, striding out into the main reading room. It was deserted, and the sky beyond the windows was completely black save for the streetlights. Must be later than I realized.
Giggles and more sounds of passion led her to a secluded alcove where a couple was entangled on one of the large armchairs. Tina made a mental note never to sit there. Her face flamed more than Newt’s had as she recognized them both. The boy was in her College Algebra class, something Abernathy? She couldn’t remember his first name. The girl, Bernadette, was a good friend of Seraphina’s and often in their dorm room.
I’ll never be able to look either of them in the face after this. Speaking of looking, she’d been staring at them for too long.
Silently, she slipped back to their table. “Well, that was….” She trailed off, not sure what to say.
Newt gave her a tiny smile from under his ridiculous flop of hair. “I tried to warn you. In my experience, mating creatures don’t like to be disturbed.”
The statement was so absurd that Tina laughed out loud, and the noises stopped abruptly. Serves you right!
“You wanna get coffee?” she blurted out. Newt just stared at her, and she hurried on before she could lose her nerve. “My brother-in-law’s family owns Kowalski’s downtown. They’re open late on Fridays and sometimes there’s live music.”
A slow smile spread over Newt’s face. “I’d like that. But, please tell me they have tea. Real tea and not that herbal piss." He began shoving his things into a leather messenger bag.
She laughed, closed her laptop. “Believe it or not, they do. But I'll check to make sure.”
“Excellent!”
Tina took out her phone again, smiling as she typed. Queenie, on my way over. Can you save a table? Bringing a friend.