Chapitre 27: A New Act
"Have you seen this, Albus?" Newt asked, walking into the dining room of Jacob and Queenie's apartment.
They had all been staying there for the time being while trying to locate Hope, but it seemed they hid her so well they could only assume magic was involved. Their fears were confirmed as Newt tossed a flier onto the dining table.
"I found it on my walk around searching for her, and it seems I stumbled into a predominantly Wizard neighborhood."
There was a picture of a giant circus tent put up in the center of a city with the headline:
New Act!
See The Amazing HYBRID - Half Vampire, Half Werewolf!
Albus set his teacup down and glared at the flier, nodding slowly. "Seems we all have plans tonight." He said, tapping the date. "Central Park, midnight." Newt, Jacob, Queenie, and Tina all watched him with tired but determined eyes. Pick sat on Newt's shoulder, clinging to him.
"We're going to the circus."
As midnight drew nearer, Newt paced through his routine duties with his creatures. Even they could sense something was wrong.
"Come on, please? You must eat something." He frowned as the Mooncalfs stared at him with big, questioning eyes. Newt sighed softly and lowered himself to sit on the ground. "She'll be back soon," he murmured, petting them on their heads, "and she'll be able to give you special treats again. I promise…" Though, Newt's voice broke a little trying to say the word promise.
Newt had also promised Hope she would never fall into the hands of the poachers again, but that wasn't true. He hadn't been able to protect her from them. If he hadn't let her walk out so upset, maybe she'd still be here next to him, laughing when Pick would give him the cold shoulder just to be dramatic.
Then, he thought better of himself. He wouldn't have the right to make Hope stay somewhere she didn't want to. Still, another part of him argued that he could have done better, been quicker to find her.
Newt wiped his cheek as he offered more food to the Mooncalfs, who still looked at him mournfully.
"She's alive," Albus murmured behind him, making him jump.
Newt sighed, a little frustrated as he swallowed hard. "Please stop sneaking up on me."
"It's true, though," he walked closer, leaning down and petting one of the Mooncalfs, "they're displaying her, yes, but that means we have a chance to save her. They need her for their audience count, and we will be among them, ready to strike."
Newt nodded. "I know the plan."
"Ah, yes, but did you know Hope would likely kick your ass if you blamed yourself for what happened?"
Newt looked over at him with wide eyes. He knew she absolutely would, but hearing Albus curse was new to him.
Dumbledore chuckled and nodded. "That got your attention, hm? I'm afraid Hope might be rubbing off on me a little. She has a spark."
"She is a spark," Newt agreed as he looked back at the Mooncalfs offering more food that they snubbed, "she lights everything on fire in her path and somehow never gets burned."
They were silent for a moment before Newt finally asked.
"Do you care for her?" He looked over at Albus, who was still looking at the little blue Mooncalf that finally started nibbling the food.
"I do…" Albus nodded slowly.
"No," Newt corrected, "do you care for her."
Albus let their eyes connect. His jaw tightened a little. He didn't speak for a long moment, too long if you ask Newt. Then finally replied with, "We leave in fifteen minutes."
Newt watched Albus depart, and he strongly felt he knew what he had stopped himself from saying. Fear crept through him because if anyone had enough chance to gain Hope's interest, it would be Albus.
Handsome and powerful, he could protect her better than Newt himself ever could.
He saw how she looked at Albus. The way she blushed when she thought no one was watching. There was no fault there, she was free to care for, and love whom she pleased, but Newt couldn't help but sense that little green monster riding on his shoulder.
No, not Pick.
The monster that made him want to hold Hope close and let the world know she was off limits.
Sighing, he shook his head of the thoughts. He would allow himself to love her, but never would he want her to think she didn't have the right to choose.
But that was the thing; even if they did rescue her and she chose someone else, his love for her would never cease to exist.
That kind of love never fades.
Quarter to midnight, they all left the apartment complex dressed as any other pedestrian Wizard on their way to a New York City circus for wild creatures.
Blending in was easier for some of them but not for others. Albus especially could be more readily recognized, so he hung to the shadows. Keeping himself hidden from all viewers. The plan was simple enough, but Newt still felt his palms sweating profusely despite the chill in the air and the snow that fell.
Under any other circumstance, the sight of falling snow in Central Park would have been beautiful.
"We all know our positions?" Tina asked as they approached the crowd gathering closer to the park's center.
They all nodded in unison and split in different directions, intermingling themselves into the crowd in other areas. The chattering was so loud that Newt forced himself to focus on where Hope could be.
The tent.
Its red ribbon flag waved in the air, lit from within.
"Come one! Come all!" A young man in a bright green jumpsuit called. "Come see the spectacle of the incredible, the amazing, Hybrid!"
The sea of people began pushing their way into the tent that looked far too small to house everyone comfortably, but naturally, as Newt entered, the interior expanded to five times its size.
He took a seat among all the others and looked around. Rows and rows of seats stretched out, surrounding a dirt ring where several creatures stood. Their necks are wrapped in chains and driven into the earth.
Newt's fists clenched. His anger rose at the sight of a family of Bowtruckles holding onto their tree support in fear. Pick hid in his pocket, trembling.
"We'll set them free, too, Pick," he whispered to his pocket, "don't worry."
The lights extinguished, sending the audience into a scream of laughter, clapping with anticipation.
Fire erupted around the man in green from outside. His arms outstretched with a wide grin plastered on his face. The top hat he wore was far too tall to be comfortable.
"Welcome! Welcome!" He lowered his hands to bring down the volume of the audience. "You are all in for quite a treat tonight. You will see daring acts, incredible feats with fire." More flames erupted around him, earning a gasp from the audience. You'd have thought they'd never seen fire before. "And of course, our main event for the end of our show…you will see a young girl transform herself into that of a…wolf. Not an Animagus or the werewolf you all studied in your books at school," he grinned, "but a severely dying breed that I took upon myself to save from extinction." He put his arms out as if hugging the applause they offered.
Newt felt nausea rising in the back of his throat.
"I am not merely a humble ringmaster for your entertainment," he continued, "but a conservationist helping to heal our land of dying beasts. Together we can make a difference!"
Now Newt was certain he'd vomit.
The lights lowered once more, just enough to single in on the cage of Bowtruckles. They released them with the mission to unlock Henry the Entertainer - the ringmaster's stage name apparently - from his locks before the water could fill to the brim in a large tank.
While the crowd applauded his free jump from the tank after his escape, Newt watched in horror as the Bowtruckles struggled to get out of the tank of water only to have the floor beneath them give way and disappear. Newt had no idea where they went, but he'd tear the place apart to find them.
They moved on to Hippogriff's performing balancing acts and Fwoopers flying through rings of fire. Kneazles swiped at a man shoving swords at their faces, hissing in defense, watching them with careful, intelligent eyes.
When Newt was sure he couldn't handle watching any more abuse of these poor creatures much longer, the lights lowered again, and Henry appeared in the center of the ring.
"It is sadly nearing the end of our show, however…" Two unicorns passed by, balancing a tray of teacups which earned a laugh from almost everyone in the crowd, "we have come to our main event." Henry paused for dramatic effect. "Behold! The Hybrid!"
A cage appeared suddenly to Henry's left, and inside sat Hope, who appeared...bored.
Of all ways Newt had expected to see from Hope at this moment, boredom wasn't one of them. He couldn't help but smile because Dumbledore was right. She was resilient.
Henry wanted a spectacle, and she refused to give him what he wanted.
"Have no fear!" Henry said, banging against the cage. "It cannot escape."
Hope's eyes flashed to Henry. If looks could kill, he'd be dead on the ground.
There was muttering among the Wizards and Witches in the stands, giggling as they pointed out her unkempt hair and the lack of clothing she had on. It was the same clothing she'd worn when he first found her.
"She does look like an animal." Giggled one while another nodded in agreement.
"Could you imagine the fleas?" They both laughed into their hands.
Newt watched them, blinking tears back from his eyes. How could people be so cruel? So heartless? They saw someone, a person, being treated lower than dirt, and instead of thinking to help, they laughed and scorned her.
Muggles and Wizards weren't so different.
Perhaps the problem wasn't with magic and non, but rather the darkness of any human's heart who could think that treating any living thing with such cruelty should be acceptable.
"Let the show begin!" Henry shouted, bringing Newt out of his thoughts.
Two Poachers entered the cage, holding a lash and a muzzle.
"Safety first," Henry narrated with a laugh, "can't be too careful with these magnificent beasts."
Were people that ignorant to believe Henry spoke with adoration?
Newt watched with a clenched jaw as Hope pulled her arms away from the poachers who tried to grab her.
"Don't touch me!" She screamed at them, but they cornered her, yanking her hair back and forcing the wired muzzle over her face. They connected the leash and all but dragged her out of the cage. She thrashed, but it was obvious to Newt they'd been starving her again. She probably hadn't had blood since leaving Hogwarts.
Tears pricked his eyes, knowing she couldn't fight back.
They dragged her to a circle of black ash and forced her to her knees. While one held her head back, the other shoved what looked like a syringe down her throat. Newt had used those when feeding larger infant creatures to help them get needed nourishment. He'd never forced the tube down their throat to eat before.
A memory resurfaced.
Hope had been in the infirmary bed months ago.
"They made me drink something. The first time I drank, it was the worst of all, like my body was ripping itself apart. I thought it would never end. I just wanted…to die. When it did, after what felt like forever, I was a wolf. So they made me do it for special shows. It all happened the same way. Someone would come into the cage and make me drink the potion, and I'd start shifting in front of everyone watching…"
Newt took a deep breath and held it. He didn't want to watch Hope be forced through that pain again. He looked around, finding Tina in the crowd. They had to stop this from happening again.
"I never want to become a wolf again," Newt remembered how her voice had shaken.
"You'll never have to," he had murmured, "I will never let that happen to you again."
Tina gave a quick nod. They got the others' attention, except for Albus. Newt had no idea where he was.
They drank down their Polyjuice potion together, and suddenly, they all looked like copies of Hope.
A crack of fireworks rang through the air, making the crowd gasp again. Even Henry looked around, perplexed. It must be part of the show.
Newt smirked, that would be Dumbledore, but it quickly vanished as Hope dropped to the ground in a cry of what Newt could only describe as agony.
Silence filled the space as they watched Hope's body begin to betray the placement of her bones. Through the silence, you could hear the snapping and rearranging of ligaments that held her together. Her shoulder blade shifted under her flesh in a painful roll, sending her body into an unnaturally crooked position. She was shifting before their eyes.
Hope's desperate cries rang through the air, chilling Newt's spine.
More fireworks went off. This time, Albus aimed the glittering sparks at the crowd. They were harmless, just surprising.
Screams went up into the air, followed by thundering footsteps trying to rush out of the tent in a frenzy. The fireworks grew in strength and severity, but instead of following them - Newt, Tina, Jacob, and Queenie, all of which looked like Hope took to the ring where the Poachers rushed around to find out where the fireworks were coming from.
"Hey! There she is!"
"Another one!"
"How many are there? You said only one Hybrid looks like a litter!"
"Grab them all!" A Poacher cried out, running after Jacob.
Henry yelled out in annoyance, but the panicking crowd drowned it out. "It's a diversion, you idiots! Oldest trick in the book!" He rushed at the Hope he knew to be real. She remained on the ground, writhing.
The Poachers chased after Tina, Queenie, and Jacob while Newt rushed toward Hope.
"Bombarda!" He thrust his wand at Henry, sending him flying from where Hope lay helpless.
He skidded to a stop, trying to wrap Hope in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He started to lift her, but Henry must have righted himself because Newt was suddenly on the ground. His head was slamming into the dirt- ears ringing.
The point of Henry's fangs pressed against Newt's throat, drawing a bit of blood. "You think you can ruin my show and get away with it! I've been around a long time, boy. No Wizard has or ever will stop me!"
Newt's body froze, his wand having skidded away. He could see Albus' shoes not far from them but didn't draw nearer. It was a tricky situation, with Newt's throat about to be ripped apart and his wand ready to deliver a lethal blow.
Albus watched, his wand raised. Narrowing his eyes as he perfected the angle to which he could knock away Henry with a carefully chosen spell without hurting Newt.
Just as he was about to part his lips to speak, he lost his chance as a blur of white fur lurched forward. Albus watched in shock as the wolf sank its teeth into Henry's throat.
Ripping in a rush of red.
Warmth ran over Newt's face and neck as he closed his eyes. Waiting for the end to come, but the next thing he was aware of was the feeling of a tongue licking over his neck and face.
Newt panted, his heart hammering behind his ribcage as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked over, seeing Henry clutching his gushing throat, trying to crawl away, but stopped by Albus, who held a wand to his shoulder.
"Do. Not. Move." Albus' voice was low, lower than Newt had ever heard.
"Hope?" Newt looked up at the brilliant blue eyes of a white wolf.
The wolf whined, licking another spot just above his brow. Cleaning him off of what he could only assume was Henry's blood.
"Woah!" Jacob exclaimed, stopping short of the scene.
Hope whipped in their direction while standing above Newt in a protective stance. Her lips curled back, baring her dripping fangs as a throaty snarl ripped through her. Ears pinned back.
Jacob put his hands up in defense, he looked like himself now. They all did.
"Easy, Hope. We're here to help."
"Hope." Albus' voice caught her attention. She looked over, ears perking up with interest, nose twitching as she stared at him. He continued to speak. "Come now. There's a lot to be done."
Newt slowly stood, holding onto Hope for some support. His fingers touched the top of her head, which she leaned against—panting heavily as her eyes narrowed on Henry. He was still stuck on the ground from Albus' wand.
"I'll call in the Congress to get this all cleaned up," Tina stated, "Professor, if you wouldn't mind escorting our friend that way?" The venom in the word friend made Albus smile crookedly.
"With pleasure." He said, looking at Newt and Hope once more before disappearing with Henry in a wink.
"Newt," Tina turned to him, "take care of Hope, okay? We'll work on getting all of the creatures out safely."
Nodding slowly, he took her hand and gave it a thankful squeeze before lowering himself to his knees in front of Hope, softly stroking the fur along her ears. "You are beautiful, you know." Tears touched his eyes again. "I'm so sorry."
Hope grumbled something at him, ending with an irritated whine.
Newt paused, staring at her. "I feel what you said might not have been very kind or appropriate."
Pushing her nose against him, she got him to his feet and started walking alongside them, the tent slowly coming down around them from the sparks of the fireworks.
Good, thought Newt, let it burn.
Tina stayed behind to help the Wizards who came in to clean up and track down any remaining Poachers. Most were tied up against trees in the surrounding area, keeping them there until help could arrive.
Hope walked alongside Newt while Newt kept a hand resting on her neck. She was the size of an average wolf, but one often forgot how big wolves are. Hope's head was at his waist.
They took their time, crunching through the freshly fallen snow, and Newt watched as Hope's tongue licked at the snow falling before them. She was probably starving and dehydrated.
By the time they arrived back at the apartment, Newt knew he'd be getting her some water and food, but it seemed Albus had the same thought.
"I wasn't sure how long her wolf form would last," Albus said as they entered, where he already had a roaring fire in the hearth, water down in a glass bowl, and fresh meat next to it.
Hope shook off her fur and trotted over, practically diving into the water with heavy laps.
Newt sat on the floor, watching her. Her eyes seemed glazed over but not wholly given over to the wolf. He wondered out loud then.
"She understands us in this form, like an Animagus, but doesn't have as much control as one. Seems to have more animalistic impulses." Newt whispered, glancing at Albus, who watched Hope from the chair next to the pile of logs.
Nodding, he stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Almost a mix between the werewolves we know and an Animagus. Though, I have a feeling she has more control than others of her kind would. From my research, they wouldn't have walked calmly through the city. Especially as hungry as she is."
They watched silently, still worried but feeling better, knowing she was replenishing herself.
"How long do you think she'll stay like this?" Newt asked though he had to admit he admired the way she looked. Her fur, though some parts stained red, was beautiful.
"No idea," Albus shook his head, "but I have a few bags in the refrigerator for when she does. She will need to regain her strength, but I will say…I don't know how comfortable I feel letting her regain it here. Jacob is already in a bit of a state of worry for Queenie, and rightfully so."
Newt nodded. "We should get back to Hogwarts then, but she's just so exhausted…" he watched as she ate, her fangs tearing into the bloody meat as if it was the last bit of food on the planet. His brows furrowed, guilt seeping through him.
"I swore to her I'd never let them do that to her again…"
Albus frowned, staring at him. "I told you once if she hears you talking like that-"
"I know, in fact, I think she may have already cursed me when I was apologizing earlier," he bit his lip, "but how would you feel?" Newt asked softly, looking up at him. "If you promised to keep her safe, and then everything you swore to protect her from got to her anyway? I know it wasn't something I could have foreseen happening as it did, but I should have been more careful."
"How would I feel?" Albus asked softly, leaning forward a little in his chair. "I would feel exactly how you do. It's how I feel now because I made the same promise." He murmured. "We can't always protect the way we intend, but tonight was a victory nonetheless. Hope is here. She's safe. If you bury yourself in everything that went wrong, you'll never see the light of the things that went right."
Hope sneezed at them.
They looked over with raised brows to find she was glaring at them. Even in her wolf form, she had a look of stubborn attitude they knew all too well.
She sneezed again at them and grumbled before curling herself into a ball before the fire, hiding her snout into her paws and closing her eyes.
Newt smiled crookedly. "She still has quite the attitude…"
Hope grumbled again, eyes still closed while her maw moved in irritation at their lack of silence.
Fighting laughter, they forced themselves into composure and relaxed for much-needed sleep. Tonight they would rest and relish that Hope was once again safe. Not only that but the people who had been behind her entrapment in the first place were now facing justice.
They could rest easy that night for the first time in a week.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone