Did we say the Dursleys would be handled this chapter? Oops - we lied. XD Tina makes a stop in Britain, Theseus is a saint for dealing with everything in his situation, and Newt and Queenie are sent messages from their older siblings.

Also known as, what exactly have our four wizarding heroes gone through since the Global Wizarding War?

***

The moment her door closed behind her, Tina let out her breath slowly, pressing her forehead to the wood. "Merlin, give me strength," she whispered.

She had been given many reasons to hate Albus Dumbledore in her life. Prior to now, her biggest reason was the witch hunt against her little sister who, desperate to be with Jacob, decided to join Grindelwald's acolytes. Queenie had turned her back on the dark wizard eventually, but the time she spent with him was enough for Dumbledore to call for her head . . . and he had expected Newt and Theseus to lure her in. Tina couldn't help a smile from spreading across her face, remembering the fake smile Newt had plastered on his face before leaving Hogwarts. She had known without a doubt that there was no chance Newt would hand Queenie over to the older wizard.

That had spiraled into a hunt not just for Queenie, but also the magizoologist with the kindest heart she had ever seen when he had not just alerted the Legilimens to the price on her head, but helped her escape every Auror that came for her. Tina and Theseus could only helplessly watch as Aurors scoured the globe for the two, always keeping an eagle eye on Kowalski's bakery, waiting for any sign the No-Maj was in danger. But if Jacob knew anything (and Tina doubted he did, kept in the dark for the very reason), he never told the Aurors anything, and as the years trickled by, fewer Aurors were sent on the chase until all that remained were whispers of Newt and Queenie being unwelcome in Magical Britain.

It was never good when Dumbledore showed an exaggerated amount of interest in someone. Grindelwald became the first Dark Lord, only extreme circumstances involving creatures would interest Newt in returning to Britain, Voldemort rose to power as the second Dark Lord . . . and now Harry had been placed with abusive relatives.

Thank Merlin for Emma Swan.

She pushed off the door and approached her fireplace, using her wand to check the time. She felt a flicker of relief as she counted how many hours London was ahead of her, then closed her eyes. Queenie's joyous expression the first time they had reunited after the Global Wizarding World flashed in her mind, and she took a deep breath. "Expecto Patronum," she whispered. Silver smoke billowed from her wand, twisting in midair until her thunderbird flew in front of her, his intelligent eyes looking down at her. "We need to talk in person, as soon as you can," she spoke clearly. "It could be a long conversation. For Theseus Scamander."

The Patronus bowed his head, then flew out the window. Tina watched her Patronus fly from New York, taking a deep breath. All she had to do was wait for a reply.

And she had it in record time. The fastest she'd ever gotten a reply from Theseus was forty-five minutes, and that was when Theseus wasn't working. Within thirty-seven minutes (Tina was not keeping track, no, of course not), Theseus's niffler bounded into the room, landing on the top of her couch and looking at her. "Arrive at mine by 9 in the morning," Theseus's voice sounded tired. "My office will be the safest place to talk about what I think this will be about."

Tina nodded, and the niffler nodded back before dissolving into silver smoke. She sighed, taking another look at the time. She was glad she had come home as early as she had, since that meant she had to be at Theseus's at 4:00 EST. That meant she had enough time for one stop before she got as good a night's rest as she could.

***

At quarter to 4 EST, Tina took a handful of the Floo powder she always kept by her fireplace. She made sure she had all she needed before she tossed the powder into the fireplace and stepped inside with a shout of "Pevenshire Cottage, London!"

Green flames whisked her away, and she stepped out of the fireplace in Theseus's house. She gently tapped her boots against the side of the fireplace, getting the ash off the soles, and she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Boy, did I have a day yesterday."

"Merlin, did I have a night," Theseus said dryly.

Tina looked up from her boots to see Theseus ready to go into the office, taking a handful of Floo powder to transport both of them to the British Ministry of Magic. The Ministry would see their head of the Aurors in perfect condition. She could easily see he was exhausted, maybe even more than he had sounded last night in his Patronus. "You look like hell," she frowned.

"Thanks," Theseus sighed, ducking into the fireplace. "I feel like hell."

"That's encouraging," Tina followed him into the fireplace.

Theseus rolled his eyes, then called "British Ministry of Magic!"

Tina straightened to her full height as the emerald flames roared around them, then she and Theseus stepped out of the Floo in sync. She knew the picture they made: herself a hero of the Global Wizarding War, Theseus a hero of the same war as well as the First World War. Ministry employees scattered to make way for the pair of head Aurors, and she refrained from smirking as Theseus walked her down a route she knew by heart, as she had taken it hundreds of times due to international cooperation. "You did that on purpose," she accused.

"What better way to make sure we aren't disturbed by making it look like there's a situation that involves both Britain and America?" Theseus riposted effortlessly.

Tina conceded the point with a nod. Theseus may have been exhausted, but as always, he was wicked sharp. He had been head of the British Aurors since the war with Grindelwald, and he still maintained that position in the new millennium. Flamel's Elixir had been kind to all four of them, the Goldsteins and the Scamanders, and Theseus's intelligence and skills as a wizard had only grown and improved over the decades. The Ministry members would have been considered fools if Theseus was dismissed in any shape or form.

Not that Dumbledore would let that happen, Tina thought darkly as she followed Theseus to his office, hearing the whispers of Aurors around them. He wants Newt's brother right where he can try to control him.

Theseus closed the door to his office behind Tina, then tapped one of the runes on the door. The privacy wards flared as they activated, and Theseus let his mask drop, running a hand through his hair as he all but collapsed in his chair. "Alright," he said heavily. "Good news, bad news, or world-ending news first?"

"World-ending?" Tina parroted with a blink.

Theseus gave her a knowing look. "Because usually when you end your Patronus messages with 'in person' or 'as soon as you can,' it's something particularly bad. Usually involving Dumbledore."

Tina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. That explained the exhaustion; she knew Theseus never slept well when she had news to share the next day. "Perceptive."

"You know how long I've had this job," Theseus reminded her with a smirk.

"I do," Tina agreed. "First . . . "

She removed a paper bag from her coat and held it up, and she smiled when Theseus cracked a grin. "The bakery opened that early?" he asked, sitting straight in his chair.

"No, but being the sister of the owner gets me in as they're closing the night before," Tina shook her head, putting the bag on his desk and pulling out the breakfast pastries inside. "And it lets me get our favorites."

"And this is why you're my favorite head Auror that I have to cooperate with," Theseus smirked.

Tina grinned. "Feeling's mutual, Theseus." She sat on the edge of Theseus's desk, nibbling on one of the bagels before she started to talk again. "First piece of news . . . Newt and Queenie are fine. They're doing well on the reserve, and they both miss you so much."

She could see a metaphorical weight lift from Theseus's shoulders at her words. "Thanks for leading with that," he said sincerely. "I miss them, too."

Tina smiled. "I would've included that in my Patronus, but I didn't know if you were working late or not."

"I had just left the Ministry when I got it," Theseus admitted. "So . . . good call." He took a bite of his cherry croissant. "And what is there to talk about?"

Tina sighed, crossing one leg over the other. "Harry Potter."

Theseus's eyes darkened. "I don't like Dumbledore's interest in him."

"It never ends well for those he takes an interest in," Tina nodded, brushing her hands free of crumbs. "But when you said Dumbledore asked you and the department to check in on him after the family moved to America, I thought I would do it for you."

"It makes more sense for an American Auror to check on a family in America, and the fact you're friends with the British Head Auror makes even more sense for it to be you," Theseus nodded, sharing her thought process.

"Exactly," Tina confirmed. "Now . . . what's the answer Dumbledore's looking for regarding Harry's status?"

Theseus rolled his eyes. "The exact same report he got while Harry lived here in London."

"Good," Tina nodded. "Give him that report."

Theseus paused, then scowled. "What happened?" he asked, sitting up in his chair. Like her, Theseus had training in a person's behavior patterns and the way they act around people when they are upset, worried, and/or angry. He had known Tina Goldstein for a very long time, and he knew right away that his friend was very, very angry.

Tina sighed, leaning her forearms on her knees. "He's not staying with the Dursleys, Theseus," she told him firmly. "I don't know what's going to happen with the Dursleys, but when I started asking around about the family, one of their neighbors said they thought something was wrong with how Harry was treated. When I knocked on the door acting as CPS, all the signs were there, and Harry confirmed it when I got him out of the house. He's been abused since he was four years old."

Theseus could see that Tina was more than just angry at this point; she went straight to utterly enraged. His own anger rose as she described Harry's condition, his face draining of color. "Since he was four?" he repeated hoarsely.

Tina could only nod. "Physically, mentally, emotionally . . . I could list everything, Teddy, and it's probably happened." Theseus closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, looking physically pained by Tina's words. "I knew as soon as we left the Dursleys that he wasn't going back . . . and he definitely isn't, now that I know everything against Vernon."

"Is this something I need to prepare to get involved with?" Theseus asked, sounding like he was dreading the answer.

"No," Tina shook her head. "Vernon is being investigated by a bail bondswoman, and all the evidence she has on him is damning. And her magic . . . "

She trailed off, and Theseus frowned up at her. "She's a witch?"

"I don't know what she is," Tina admitted slowly. "Her magic . . . it isn't like any witch or wizard's I've felt before. It's something completely new, and she didn't appear to notice it even exists, like it's been hidden."

Theseus appeared to ponder her words. "Sounds as if you like her."

"I do," Tina couldn't help but smile. "Harry took one look at her and practically attached himself to her hip. She's the one he's staying with while Vernon is investigated."

Theseus nodded, steepling his fingers as he thought. "So Harry is in good hands," he determined.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"That'll satisfy Dumbledore," Theseus decided with a sigh. "Bloody hell . . . the day hasn't even started yet, and I'm ready to go home."

Tina settled her hand on his shoulder and squeezed supportively. "And yet we would make this decision again and again if it keeps our siblings safe."

"That's not even a question," Theseus shot her an irritated glance.

"Don't look at me like that," Tina huffed. "I would do anything if it meant Queenie and Newt would be safe."

"So would I," Theseus seethed. "At least you're able to sometimes see them since you're based in America. I haven't seen either of them since they went underground all those decades ago, and you know the moment I go anywhere close to them, Dumbledore's going to be tracking every step I make. This - "

He broke off before he could finish his thought, burying his face in his hands. Tina swallowed and slid off his desk, instead walking behind Theseus and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. "They say the job is what can kill you," she whispered. "But it's not the job that'll do the job. It's the leash keeping you here."

She almost couldn't hear his response. "Yes."

***

Newt was out in one the paddocks, finishing with feeding Midnight, a thestral foul, when he felt Queenie's always lingering presence behind him. He looked up after feeding Midnight, and there she was, the blonde witch approaching with two nifflers, one on her shoulder and one in her arms, both almost exact copies of his and his brother's Patroni down to the smallest detail. "Hello, Queenie," he spoke softly with a smile. She held out one of the nifflers with a huff, this one colored light brown and named "Ted" after his brother and his first niffler, who died around 20 years ago. "What's he done?" he chuckled softly, taking the niffler from his surrogate sister.

"He got into my baking ingredients, knocking flour all over the place . . . and he got into my sewing accessories, pouring glitter and sequins all over the floor of the living room," Queenie answered with a huff, folding her arms. "I cleaned it up, but the glitter is still stuck everywhere on the floor. I swear, Teddy and Theseus will get along swimmingly." She rolled her eyes to emphasize her point, and Newt outright laughed at her reaction. She wasn't wrong, though, he knew that for certain. Ted was mischievous, and when his older brother felt like it, Theseus could be three times as bad.

Newt shook his head at Ted, then reached up to pet the female pup on her shoulder, smiling as she nuzzled into him. "How's my girl today, huh, Teenie?" This female pup, just like Ted was named for Theseus, was named after Queenie's older sister. She chittered at him, and he smiled and set Ted on his shoulder. He grabbed his wand from his holster on his waist and cleaned up his hands and clothes with a quick Scourgify. He put his wand back and grabbed Ted before he fell, stopping him from climbing down to where his silver necklace sat: a gift from Theseus, engraved with runes of love, protection, safety, strength, family, and kindness on the back, and on the front was a pendant made of amethyst, both brothers' birthstone. He had protection charms and a permanent sticking charm surrounding it so that he'd never lose or break it. Newt smiled sadly down at it for a beat, thinking fondly of his older brother and how much he missed him.

He wrapped one of his arms around Queenie, careful of Teenie on her shoulder. "He wanted attention, didn't he? Did you want attention, Ted?" he asked playfully, smirking at the pup. The small creature seemed to understand it and nuzzled his cheek, in the place Theseus always put his hand when pulling him in for a hug when he was terrified Newt would be hurt. He missed Theseus's hugs a great deal, and he knew that he would be pulled in for a long one as soon as they saw each other again. He missed his brother, and he was debating on sending a letter to him tonight. Newt felt himself flinch at his thoughts, but Queenie didn't seem to notice, even though he knew she could hear his thoughts.

"Did he ever," Queenie grinned, leaning into Newt. She could hear the heartbreak in Newt's thoughts as he thought about his brother. She knew Newt was missing him, and she knew that feeling was completely mutual, if what Tina told her when she saw them after Theseus was true. The brothers hadn't seen each other since right after the Global Wizarding War, and it had been decades since then. They had minimal contact - aside from letters when they were missing each other too greatly not to do anything about it - because of Dumbledore watching Theseus, waiting to see if they met up or if they owled back and forth. Newt had been miserable for a long time, and by this point, Queenie was willing to risk everything to help the two reunite, Dumbledore be damned.

Newt kissed her head as they walked towards their quaint two-story farmhouse, smiling softly at the familiar sight. They had been living here since they ran from Dumbledore almost eight decades ago. They'd been right under Dumbledore's nose the whole time, and the great Lord of Light Magic had never caught on that they were in New York, the place Queenie and Tina were both born. Some Light Lord, he held in a scoff.

As they walked into the house, they were met with the sight of Tina's thunderbird Patronus waiting in the sitting room. Both immediately grew serious, and they sat down on the couch in front of the fire, where the big bird lounged on the coffee table. The nifflers they carried crawled off of them and scurried towards the glitter still over the floor; Queenie's struggle was evident, with glitter being hard to get off certain surfaces, even with magic.

"We need to talk" was the first thing it said in Tina's curt tone. At both Queenie and Newt's nod, the bird continued, his expression solemn. "I have news on Harry Potter. He resides in America now, New York specifically, and he's safe, now that he's not with the Dursleys. He's been taken away from that house for his own protection, and is now living with a good woman. He's been abused since he was four years old - anything you can think of, it's likely been done to him. I am with Theseus right now, so he knows, and he will tell Dumbledore that Harry is safe. Harry and his temporary placement live in New York near the bakery, so if you happen to see a little boy with jet black hair and an extremely small frame with a young blonde with green eyes come into the bakery, that's them, Queenie. We both love you, and we both miss you." Tina's voice explained and when she was finished, the thunderbird disappeared, leaving Newt and Queenie to stare at the coffee table in shock.

"What the - " Newt couldn't finish his sentence, too shocked about what he had just heard. There we so many things that had just been said to them, and Newt was having a little trouble fully processing the message. Harry Potter was in New York? He was being abused by his only family? He was now placed with a temporary foster parent, and they lived near Jacob's bakery? Newt's thoughts flew around his head a mile a second. Then he processed the last part: Theseus had sent him a note earlier that morning saying he was meeting with Tina, but it didn't explain why, and a second letter would be coming for him once he got off of work that night.

Queenie wasn't faring any better, but then the woman exploded, her thoughts manifesting in a rant that made the nifflers look up, startled out of their quest for glitter. "How dare they?!" she erupted, eyes flashing. "How dare they treat the poor thing, their family, like that?! Oh, the poor dear, he must've been so terrified when Tina found him. He would be seven now, that's so many years of abuse at the hands of his family!" She finally flopped down onto the couch next to Newt, who had gone silent. She caught where his train of thought led, and she paled, twisting on the couch to face him. "Oh, hon," she began.

"I can think of few things worse than seeing my creatures harmed in any form," Newt whispered, swallowing hard as he looked down at his hands. "We saw what happened to Credence. If Harry has gone through anything like that . . . and according to Tina, he might have gone through worse . . . "

He let out a whimper, and Queenie scooted along the cushions and wrapped her arms around the magizoologist, gently tugging him down. Newt went willingly, leaning his head on her shoulder. "You heard what Teenie said, sugar," she whispered, running a hand through his curls. "Harry's out of that house, and he's with someone Teenie trusts. She would've taken Harry herself if she didn't trust this woman. It sounds like he's in good hands. He'll get better."

Newt closed his eyes, focusing on Queenie's reassurances. She felt his mind calm as her words processed, and she smiled when he nodded. "You're right," he said. "Tina is, too."

"She usually is," Queenie agreed, and her smile widened when Newt let out a laugh. "And even better, there's a chance we'll be able to see for ourselves that Harry's in good hands."

Newt nodded in agreement, sighing as he ran a hand over his face. "Bloody hell . . . you'd think after dozens of years, I'd be used to this type of communication only."

"We get Tina visiting from time to time," Queenie reminded him.

Newt nodded. "But not Theseus," he whispered, the pain clear in his voice. "It's been seventy-seven years, Queenie. He's my brother, and he's stuck on the other side of the ocean, he's constantly watched by Dumbledore and I haven't seen him, all I've got are the Patroni and fire messages, and we were never meant to be separated like this, and I just wish - !"

His words rushed faster and faster until it was hard to tell where one word ended and the next began, and Queenie handled Newt until he was almost in her lap, engulfing him in a hug. "I know, Newt," she told him, biting her lip as she fought to not read Newt's mind. It was very difficult, considering the hurt and sorrow that rolled off him in waves. "I know."

Newt squeezed his eyes shut, turning to bury his face in the crook of her neck, one of his hands coming up to touch the pendant around his neck. Queenie rested her head on his, closing her own eyes to fight back tears at the heartbreak in his choked voice. "I miss my brother!"

Queenie gently shushed Newt, watching Ted and Teenie crawl up the couch to nestle with Newt, their beady eyes watching the magizoologist with concern. As the nifflers swarmed their caretaker, she wandlessly summoned her phone, ready to send another message to Mel at the bakery and let her know she wouldn't be at work that day. Her brother needed her more than Mel did.

It's going to be a long day, she thought with a sigh.

***

Newt's long day was made so much better when Theseus's letter arrived on his desk. After his complete breakdown, Newt knew that reading his brother's words would be the trick to make him smile. Newt jumped up from his bed from where it was perpendicular to the roaring flames of the fire, lit due to the freezing cold October night. The letter was long, as was expected. Theseus never did things in small bits, no, he went all in. He grabbed the letter and cracked open the seal, returning to his bed to read it.

Newt,

Hello, little brother. How are you? How's home? How are Ted and Teenie? I hope you're doing better than I am.

I have been working tirelessly lately, and it's only going to get worse now that Dumbledumb (I am not apologizing for this, I am perfectly aware of how obnoxious it is, Newt) knows that Harry Potter is in the United States. He is furious that his perfect plan for that little boy was ruined by them going to the United States where he can't keep an eye on him as much as he used to. Did I ever tell you that knock-off Gandalf (you can laugh Newt, I know you want to) had Aurors watching the Dursley house? They were there every day to make sure no one tried to ruin his plan for the little boy . . . the same little boy who was abused for three years, badly, and has been told he's nothing for longer.

I had a meeting with Tina today. She said the reserve was doing well. She also said you've been moping lately, that whenever Queenie talks about you she says you don't have that smile on your face. Why is that? What's wrong? You shouldn't be sad, that face does not look like you with a frown on it. It was not made for a frown; it was made for that sunshine smile. I know you, Newt. If you aren't smiling much around your nifflers and the rest of your fantastic beasts, there has to be something wrong. I wish I was with you so I could hug you to see if that got you to smile. You know I love hugs. But since I'm not there, whenever you can, give Ted a snuggle for me, okay? He can be my substitute for when you need a Theseus Scamander hug.

Laughing softly, Newt felt his eyes fill with tears. He missed his brother. He missed his hugs, he missed his smile, he missed his safe, familiar magic. He felt his tears fall onto his cheeks, but didn't bother to try to wipe them away. He knew he should have run out of tears when missing his brother years ago, but until they were in the same country, in the same city, and preferably in the same house, he knew that those tears wouldn't stop. Even then, they probably wouldn't stop, considering they had been separated for almost eight decades now.

So, tell me about Ted and Teenie. How big are they? How much have they gotten into? I remember being younger, when we were kids, and you'd always have a niffler on your arm, and over the years, your affection for these beasts, these creatures grew exponentially. Your heart has grown so much over the years, and no matter how old you get, your heart will always have enough room for more creatures. This is what your life has consisted of since you were eight years old. Your heart beats for the care and protection of magical creatures. You thrive on giving them the love they deserve. There is nothing that's made you happier, and nothing has made me happier than seeing you in your element.

Merlin, I wish I could see you, but I am never going to put you at risk by giving Dumbledumb any clue as to where you and Queenie are located. He'll get his reckoning one day, little brother, and I promise, nothing short of all the dementors of Azkaban will be able to stop me from getting to you. One day, and I pray to Mother Magic it's soon.

Until that day, take care of your creatures, Queenie, and most importantly (to me), yourself.

All my love,

Theseus

Newt smiled through his tears, carefully placing Theseus's letter on the bedside table. They may have had their differences growing up, yes, which siblings didn't have that phase? But once the war against Grindelwald truly got off the ground, it had been well known you never saw one Scamander without the other, whether it was when they were with the Goldstein sisters and Jacob or they were by their lonesomes, caring for magical creatures or in the thick of battle . . . and that knock-off Gandalf (Newt openly laughed, Theseus was absolutely right, he found that absolutely hilarious) had ripped them from each other with one single declaration of war against their small family.

And now Dumbledore had another target in his sights . . . a seven-year-old boy who deserved to be a boy, not a pawn in the so-called Light Lord's game.

Newt reclined on his bed, flicking his hand to wandlessly bring the flames down, a determined glint in his eyes. Tina said he and Queenie would likely see Harry and his new guardian around the bakery, and they would be on the lookout. Harry Potter deserved to have as many wizards in his corner as he could get, and in the past two days, he had gained four powerful veterans of the Global Wizarding War, ones with Flamel's Elixir coursing through them, just by being himself.

He and Theseus had been parted for close to eight decades. He had a feeling, just like Theseus, that the separation would come to an end one day soon.

***

Well, gee, can you tell we have favorites among the Fantastic Beasts characters? XD Honestly, I am a firm believer that the only reason Theseus has stayed sane all these years while under Dumbledumb's thumb is because every chance he gets, he calls him all sorts of insults. (Dumblewhore is my personal favorite XD - Miss Singer) He's the kind of guy that goes "the only reason I'm smiling right now is because I'm imagining your brutal death" and it works for him.

Anyway, hopefully we've gotten all our angst out in this chapter for this book . . . but don't be surprised if it comes up again. There's still a few years to go until Harry goes to Hogwarts.

Alright, now we can definitely say this . . . next time, the Dursleys get their reckoning!

~ Miss Moffat