The crisp, cool air whistled past Newt's face as he woke up in a blur, reflecting on the past day's events.
"She did look nice!" he reflected, "But Theseus, he makes it seem like something big when he's already turned lovestruck himself!" he chuckled as the image of the two of them drifted through his brain, having no effect on his thought processes whatsoever.
"The Yule Ball is scary, but it's a piece of cake!" he muttered, giving himself every piece of hope he could. "I'm getting ahead of myself!" he realised, "I haven't even met her yet! I guess the time for that is now." He wrapped his Hufflepuff scarf around his neck and rushed out of the common room, ready to embrace whatever lay in front of him.
The Great Hall was packed with students, chattering away and bustling with life. McGonagall sat at the head of the staff table, clinking her glass with her spoon for attention. Her efforts did nothing, so she quickly stood up and performed her Animagus abilities, transforming herself into a cat. She began meowing at her inattentive audience since she had a very sore throat. Many of the Ilvermorny girls were amused and stared at the front, suspecting suspicion. The swarm of students fell silent, staring at the cute tabby cat teacher before them.
Transforming back immediately, Mcgonagall muttered, "The things I have to do…" before continuing to speak to the crowd.
"The staff have decided that Hogsmeade is open to you. All of you now have the opportunity to head to Hogsmeade, with parental permission." she emphasized, "Without parental permission, you can only stay within the school grounds. Is that clear?"
No response. A rush of uncontrollable teenagers surged their way to the front gates,
deciding to venture around Hogsmeade. Only a select few were left. Filch had great trouble controlling the lengthiest queue he had ever laid his scrawny eyes upon.
"And I'm the school janitor," he thought, wondering how he even ended up in his predicament.
Newt was shell-shocked by the number of students who departed the school, including his brother Theseus and Leta. He continued to survey the emptiness around him. At that moment, he laid his eyes on the most divine girl he had ever seen, the girl from the so-called, "No Talent Club" in the parade earlier on. She was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, head stuck in a book.
"A jumbled mess I've become," he thought to himself as he drew ever closer to the girl of his dreams.
She turned around, to find a tall, slim figure beaming at her.
"Hi..." he hesitated. "I'm Newt Scamander. What's your name?"
"Oh. I'm Noelle. Noelle Silverliner."
"Nice name," he muttered under his breath. The two shy souls could only avoid each other's gaze for a few minutes, before the awkward silence crept into their thoughts, both of them thinking, "Should I make the first move?"
"Who do you think will be chosen from Ilvermorny for the Triwizard Tournament?" he blurted out, breaking the misty silence swirling around them.
"M… My sister," she said, taken aback. She paused, before speaking again, "Amelia Silverliner. Little Miss Popular, as I like to call her. What about your school, Hogwarts?" she inquired.
"My brother. Theseus Scamander." he mused, suddenly gaining confidence, "He's no Mr Popular, but he does have a strong group of friends, who are all cowards! He's going to prove to himself that he's the opposite of his friends. Honest, noble, those kinds of traits. The list goes on." he chuckled. "My brother was fortunate enough to have my parents give him the opportunity to go because he would prefer the outside weather. I couldn't because my parents weren't bothered. How come you aren't at Hogsmeade and your sister is?"
"She forged a fake signature just to go for an outing," she said, almost with jealousy. "And," her voice was trembling at the mere thought of what she was going to say. Newt looked at her kindly, signalling a nod for her to continue, "My parents aren't here anymore. They died some 4 summers ago in a house fire. My dad was a Muggle, mum's a witch, a bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out! Anyway…" she hesitated. She could tell from Newt's curious expression that he was urging for her to tell. She started again slowly,
"I was in Ilvermorny, aged 12 and everything was fine. I received a letter saying that they had passed away from my grandparents. My mum was taking it easy that night and was slumbering upstairs, being the deep sleeper she was. My dad was making microwave popcorn and wasn't paying attention to the microwave. He'd left a fork in there, ever so stupidly, and the fire engulfed them within 30 minutes."
"I was devastated, but ever since then, my grandparents told me,"
"Noelle, remember, there's always a Silverliner out there, someone like you that's amazing, bright, funny and willing to make a change. Always cherish every moment you have and look for those positives."
Her eyes were glassy and pouring out tears within seconds, streaking her porcelain face. Newt was impacted by her story and couldn't break eye contact, as he normally would.
He said to her, ever so solemnly, "I'm so sorry Noelle. I'm so sorry."
He stared at her for the next few seconds, lost in thought.
"Napkin?" he pulled one out from his pocket and offered it to her.
"Y...Y...Yes." she babbled, pulling the napkin hard from his hand and furiously dabbed it at her face.
"I'm so sorry to hear that…"
"I… It's ok. I've learnt to see through it." she stared at the floor, "I'm tough. I'm tough." she muttered under her breath, in an effort to make sure Newt wouldn't hear.
"I can tell," he sighed.
"What?"
"I can tell. I can tell." he gave her a reassuring smile, one that Newt thought he'd never muster and one Noelle thought she would never receive. She beamed back with appreciation, her blonde hair glowing brighter than the sun.
"You wanna head to the library? You know, read books, chill out, get to know each other more?" he smiled sheepishly.
"That'd be nice," she replied.
Dumbledore watched the pair, unbeknownst to them, and called out,
"Noelle, Newt. My office now."
The two sharply turned their heads to find the Headmaster was watching their every move. Frozen.
"I said, my office now!" he repeated with a stern tone.
The two of them nodded in unison and rushed to his office. Dumbledore swiftly sat down at his seat, speaking calmly,
"Noelle, what brought you to sadness this morning?"
"Um…" she hesitated greatly. "Nothing of your concern," she replied, a slight wobble in her voice.
"I am the Headmaster. My students and their wellbeing are of the utmost importance."
"I'm not one of your students." she stated, "It's been a pleasure talking to you." She nodded politely, turning to Newt and raised her eyebrows in alarm. Before he could react, she took his hand and dragged him out of the office.
"God, he's nosy!" she remarked, looking up at him and releasing his sweaty hand from her grip.
"I… I know." he stammered, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink, "Where were we…" he hesitated, "Right. The library. Do you still want to go?"
"Yes."
"Actually…" he paused, raising his index finger to his chin, "I… might head somewhere else. A special place. You know, that place where you just escape from the stress and troubles in life and just relax. Do you have one of those?" he asked, intrigued.
"Of course I do! Who doesn't?" she replied, staring into his mesmerising pools of eyes.
"Oh!" he muttered under his breath, his eyes drifting off to his scuffed shoes. As his mind continued to consciously wander off, a thought hit his head. A driving thought. It ebbed and flowed through his body. It coursed through his veins. He felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach do a backflip. Flip. Flip. Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter. And he did what driving thoughts always do. Make you act. He drew his attention to Noelle, whose hazel eyes met his gaze, "And I'd like to share it with you!"
"How?" she questioned.
"You'll see!" he smiled.
He took her by the hand ever so gently and beckoned her to follow.
"Come on!" he exclaimed. "No time to waste!" he said lively.
She could only giggle as the pair twisted and turned from corridors to classrooms to enchanted stairs and back, only to find a dimly lit kitchen scattered with knives, pots and chopping boards on grey benchtops, aprons and hats hung up by the walls and a medium-sized portrait of a fruit bowl that was finished with a dusty gold frame.
"Is this your special place?" she noted sarcastically.
"If I could cook, probably. But I can't, so no," he replied.
He tickled the pear on the portrait that opened immediately, revealing the common room to Noelle. She entered the room and to her surprise, was splashed with vinegar.
She gasped as a cool sensation tingled through her body. She glanced up at Newt, who chuckled.
"How come you weren't splashed?!" she remarked, eager to understand whether it was just magic or whether he had prepared for the mishap.
"It's a strange security measure this common room has been given. If any intruders come here, they are soaked in vinegar," he indicated at her soaked state and giggled.
"I'm a wreck!" she muttered sulkily.
"It's not that bad. You'll be dry in a minute."
"Not really," she stated. As soon as she commented, she was blasted with a blow-drying spell from Newt's wand.
"This guy is full of surprises!" she thought to herself, overjoyed to be in his company. "I've never had a friend like him before. Talented, quirky, patient, kind, loyal. Everything I've ever looked for in a friend, and in a man!" she giggled as her mind noted his characteristics.
"So, where exactly is this hang out spot?" she asked.
"Right…" he paused, dashing over to his bed, "Here! Tada!" He pulled out the suitcase from under his bed and smiled jubilantly, waiting for a reaction.
"Wow. A suitcase." she remarked dully, "Sooo cool." She tossed her head to the side.
"I would have thought more from him…" she noted In her mind, creating a constant mind journal of the wondrous Newt Scamander.
"Wait one moment," He kneeled on the ground, opening it and jumping inside. Noelle was stuck to the spot.
"Come on!" he whispered, as he stuck his hand out to her, "I told you I wouldn't let you down."
She took one last glance around the common room, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
"I knew it!" she thought ecstatically, "I knew he would amaze me." she smiled.
The next minute, Newt's wonderland.