“Hey. Hey, Newt,” Graves said, and then he took a chance, taking the soup away and setting it aside before reaching up to cup Newt’s face in one hand, trying to ground him. “I promise you, no one here will hurt your creatures or take them away from you. Alright? You have my word.”
He didn’t amend that with ‘you have a damn Nundu in this case you absolute madman, what exactly is your definition of dangerous’, however much he wanted to.
Newt took in a shaky breath and nodded, and Graves’ hand lingered a moment too long before he pulled it away and leaned back in his chair again. He chanced a look at Queenie- a bad idea, really, given that she was looking at him like the cat who got the cream.
Luckily for him, that was when Tina returned with a grave look on her face. “They found the traffickers,” she said. “And they’ve retrieved all but one of the creatures.”
“All but one?” Graves repeated, a feeling of dread settling inside him.
“A hippogryph,” Tina explained. “They can’t get it under control. It nearly killed one of the Aurors. They might have to…”
Her eyes darted to Newt as she hesitated, and when Graves saw the look on Newt’s face, he resisted the urge to sigh. He had a very bad feeling about this.
“Well of course they were nearly killed. I imagine t-they’re not following any of the etiquette,” he said, already trying to push the blankets off his legs.
“Oh, no, you’re not going out there. Not like this,” Graves objected, only to be pinned with a heated glare from the usually mild-mannered magizoologist.
“You want me to let them kill it because they don’t know t-the first thing about hippogryph behavior? I can’t exactly give you a crash course in the intricacies of hippogryph body language, and I’m not letting it die to ignorance, either,” Newt insisted, swinging his long legs off the side of the bed. Graves groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose; it looked like the Goldstein sisters had no good answers, either.
“…I’m carrying you,” Graves said, and Newt looked up, startled. Graves stood and went to the chest of drawers, then pulled out a clean shirt and tossed it Newt’s way.
“What?” Newt stuttered. Graves picked up the man’s blue coat and cast a quick repair spell on it, and then threw that on Newt’s lap as well. Almost as an afterthought, he pulled Newt’s wand from where it sat in his pocket, and handed that over as well.
“I’ll carry you there. You’re in no shape to walk or apparate that far,” he said, his voice as stern as he could possibly make it. He caught Tina’s eye, and found her looking just as startled as Newt was- though Queenie was trying and failing to hide a smile behind her hand.
“Ms. Goldstein, go ahead of us and make sure they hold until we get there,” he said to Tina, and she nodded.
“It’s in the abandoned subway tunnel under 3rd street. I’ll stall them,” she said, and quick as that, she was gone. Graves turned to Queenie and gave her a look.
“Watch over the creatures. We’ll be back soon.”
She nodded. “Be careful. I don’t want to have to patch you two up.”
By then, Newt had gotten into his shirt and coat. He still looked pale and shaky, and everything in Graves was telling him that Newt was in no condition to be doing this, authority on the subject or not.
But then he remembered the look on Newt’s face when he’d told him that the manticore hadn’t survived. Despite the risks, he didn’t want to see that look ever again.
He wasn’t going to examine that thought any further. Especially not around Queenie.
“Alright. Let’s go,” he said, and then he leaned over and scooped Newt into his arms with practiced ease- though it was the first time he’d done it while the other wizard was conscious. Newt let out a startled yelp and wrapped his arms around Graves’ neck, holding tight, though Graves could feel him still shaking. He felt as though he could feel the fever-heat of his skin even through the man’s clothes.
“I’ve never been carried before,” Newt said, and Graves chuckled as he carried the man past Queenie.
“Actually, this is the fourth time.”
“…what?”
“I’ll explain later. Just stop squirming,” Graves said, adjusting his hold on Newt as they got to the exit of the case. Rather than trying to climb like this, he opened the lid of the case with a murmured spell, then wandlessly apparated them to the office above.
“Are you sure you’re up for this? Because I’m going to be very, very irritated if you get gored by a hippogryph after all of this,” he asked, and he felt more than heard Newt laugh softly in his arms.
“I’m ready, Percival. Let’s go before they harm that p-poor creature.”
Fill: Would You Stay 3c/?
He didn’t amend that with ‘you have a damn Nundu in this case you absolute madman, what exactly is your definition of dangerous’, however much he wanted to.
Newt took in a shaky breath and nodded, and Graves’ hand lingered a moment too long before he pulled it away and leaned back in his chair again. He chanced a look at Queenie- a bad idea, really, given that she was looking at him like the cat who got the cream.
Luckily for him, that was when Tina returned with a grave look on her face. “They found the traffickers,” she said. “And they’ve retrieved all but one of the creatures.”
“All but one?” Graves repeated, a feeling of dread settling inside him.
“A hippogryph,” Tina explained. “They can’t get it under control. It nearly killed one of the Aurors. They might have to…”
Her eyes darted to Newt as she hesitated, and when Graves saw the look on Newt’s face, he resisted the urge to sigh. He had a very bad feeling about this.
“Well of course they were nearly killed. I imagine t-they’re not following any of the etiquette,” he said, already trying to push the blankets off his legs.
“Oh, no, you’re not going out there. Not like this,” Graves objected, only to be pinned with a heated glare from the usually mild-mannered magizoologist.
“You want me to let them kill it because they don’t know t-the first thing about hippogryph behavior? I can’t exactly give you a crash course in the intricacies of hippogryph body language, and I’m not letting it die to ignorance, either,” Newt insisted, swinging his long legs off the side of the bed. Graves groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose; it looked like the Goldstein sisters had no good answers, either.
“…I’m carrying you,” Graves said, and Newt looked up, startled. Graves stood and went to the chest of drawers, then pulled out a clean shirt and tossed it Newt’s way.
“What?” Newt stuttered. Graves picked up the man’s blue coat and cast a quick repair spell on it, and then threw that on Newt’s lap as well. Almost as an afterthought, he pulled Newt’s wand from where it sat in his pocket, and handed that over as well.
“I’ll carry you there. You’re in no shape to walk or apparate that far,” he said, his voice as stern as he could possibly make it. He caught Tina’s eye, and found her looking just as startled as Newt was- though Queenie was trying and failing to hide a smile behind her hand.
“Ms. Goldstein, go ahead of us and make sure they hold until we get there,” he said to Tina, and she nodded.
“It’s in the abandoned subway tunnel under 3rd street. I’ll stall them,” she said, and quick as that, she was gone. Graves turned to Queenie and gave her a look.
“Watch over the creatures. We’ll be back soon.”
She nodded. “Be careful. I don’t want to have to patch you two up.”
By then, Newt had gotten into his shirt and coat. He still looked pale and shaky, and everything in Graves was telling him that Newt was in no condition to be doing this, authority on the subject or not.
But then he remembered the look on Newt’s face when he’d told him that the manticore hadn’t survived. Despite the risks, he didn’t want to see that look ever again.
He wasn’t going to examine that thought any further. Especially not around Queenie.
“Alright. Let’s go,” he said, and then he leaned over and scooped Newt into his arms with practiced ease- though it was the first time he’d done it while the other wizard was conscious. Newt let out a startled yelp and wrapped his arms around Graves’ neck, holding tight, though Graves could feel him still shaking. He felt as though he could feel the fever-heat of his skin even through the man’s clothes.
“I’ve never been carried before,” Newt said, and Graves chuckled as he carried the man past Queenie.
“Actually, this is the fourth time.”
“…what?”
“I’ll explain later. Just stop squirming,” Graves said, adjusting his hold on Newt as they got to the exit of the case. Rather than trying to climb like this, he opened the lid of the case with a murmured spell, then wandlessly apparated them to the office above.
“Are you sure you’re up for this? Because I’m going to be very, very irritated if you get gored by a hippogryph after all of this,” he asked, and he felt more than heard Newt laugh softly in his arms.
“I’m ready, Percival. Let’s go before they harm that p-poor creature.”