First Impressions - Part 2
Newt Scamander x Engaged!Reader
Since a few folks said that they’d like a part two, here ya go! I had a lot of fun writing this, and there will definitely be a part three. I’ve got it all planned out, and I’m really excited. This one is long, I know, but I got really excited that people liked the first one and I went a lil overboard! Enjoy!
Warnings: This one contains a lot more insight into Reader’s problems with her father. He’s very overbearing and protective and he tries to make her decisions for her. So the only warning here is father/daughter tension.
Prompt: Reader isn’t really the sort of person who believes in romance. She sees marriage as something necessary, practical, but not a matter of the heart. She doesn’t really see the big deal people seem to make over “soulmates” and “true love”, so she plans to marry a reliable man, have a few children, and live in security for the rest of her life with a good job and a sturdy husband. She’s engaged to a dull yet financially secure man, and she’s perfectly comfortable following through with the rest of her plan until she moves into an apartment next to Newt Scamander and her entire world is shifted completely.
You had made the tea and brought over the remaining muffins, and that’s where it had started.
The two of you had spent the next hour on your couch (after you had replaced the cushions, of course), introducing yourselves and chatting. Newt was uncomfortable at first, feeling scrutinized under your sharp, interested (e/c) gaze, but he slowly found that you were genuinely interested in what he had to say; you were also pleasantly nonjudgmental. Your eyes dazzled with interest as you hung onto his every word, and he felt more and more at ease.
You were completely fascinated with everything he had to say. You had never met anyone so interesting in your whole life. Your friends had always been the same: career oriented, careful planners, incredibly practical. That was probably because your father heavily influenced your choices, including who you associated with. He was a successful and serious man, and he did everything he could to steer you onto the path he deemed to be the most sensible. You had expressed interest in drawing when you were younger, and he had been alright with that, but he had made it abundantly clear that you were still to focus on your schoolwork more. He wouldn’t tolerate distractions, and you couldn’t blame him. He was simply concerned. He really wanted the best for you, and he was showing his love the best way he could. The only thing he ever did that seemed out of character for him was his marriage to your mother, who was a muggle. Not that he had a problem with muggles, but he was a pureblood from an affluent family and you knew there had been backlash from his relatives when he had chosen to marry her rather than a witch of similar standing to him.
Aside from that, he was no adventurer, and he discouraged any adventurous behavior in you. You had never had the chance to meet someone as interesting and adventurous as Newt. You were just out of school, still young, and there was so much of the world you had yet to experience, so many people you were yet to meet. You had been living life according to your father’s rules, and as Newt told you of his dangerous trek into the wilderness of the Far East to search for the elusive Demiguise, you adjusted your engagement ring self-consciously. Your life completely paled in comparison. Your plan suddenly seemed claustrophobic, closing you in and leaving you no room to grow. It was like a narrow hallway, no alternate doors, no choices besides the ones already chosen for you, no turns, nothing you hadn’t prepared for. It had been inviting once, secure, but now it pressed down on you. It lead right to the end, a swift, straight path that had no room for unpredictability.
You felt dizzy all of a sudden, and you sipped your warm tea nervously to calm your nerves. Your mind was racing so fast that your thoughts were starting to drown out his story.
Newt trailed off, blushing furiously and fidgeting. “Sorry for talking your ear off, it’s probably boring you half to death,” he mumbled apologetically. You blinked at him for a second before shaking your head hastily. Your tea sloshed violently from your sudden movement.
“No! No, not at all, I’ve never spoken with someone so interesting in my life!” you spluttered, eyes wide, speaking a little too insistently as if to make up for potentially insulting or upsetting him. “I was just trying to think of a story I could tell you that would be half as fascinating as any of the ones you’ve told me!” you gushed rapidly, tripping over your words.
It wasn’t a lie, and he could sense that your compliment was genuine. He looked startled at first by your outburst, but offered you a flattered, bashful smile in response.
You blushed, embarrassed, and dropped your gaze to your lap. You toyed briefly with your engagement ring. It used to make you feel so secure and confident in your future, but it felt more like a ball and chain now, weighing you down, trapping you in something for the rest of your life despite the fact your life had barely begun. You swallowed heavily, and once again there was silence between the two of you, but it was more comfortable this time.
“Anyway,” you mumbled. “it’s getting quite late, and I really should be getting to bed,” you said quietly, setting your tea down on the small table in front of the couch and smiling politely at him. He looked a little bit disappointed, but also fairly tired as well, and you both got to your feet. You picked up the plate with the rest of the muffins and handed it to him. “oh, and here! I did bake them for you after all!” you chirped with a smile, the awkwardness that hung in the air dissipating and your anxiety easing somewhat as he smiled and accepted the gift.
“Thank you,” he said, meeting your gaze steadily for a moment before turning toward the door. He had his hand on the knob when you bit your lip and called after him.
He turned around, looking somewhat surprised.
“Do you really have all of those incredible things in your case?” You inquired, gaze flicking to the case.
“Could I maybe...” you paused carefully. “Could I visit sometime? And perhaps you could introduce me to a few? You know, in exchange for the muffins,” you joked lightly.
His face broke out in a wide grin, every feature lighting up as his eyes sparkled. “Certainly!” He exclaimed.
You smiled back at him. “I’d appreciate that,” you said. There was another brief pause, and you broke it again. “Goodnight, then, Mr. Scamander.”
“Goodnight, Miss (l/n),” He replied, and then he was gone.
You looked down at your hand again, a hard lump in your throat.
What was security? If you never took risks, how would you ever know what could have been? You swallowed hard, but the lump didn’t go away. You stared at the door for a moment, and toyed with the idea that you were having some sort of crisis and this was all a dream telling you that you needed to change something, and soon. You turned around and made your way slowly to your bedroom. No matter how strange and dreamlike this evening had been, Newt was undeniably real.
It was a week later when you saw him again. It was a Saturday afternoon, and you were stressed and ready for a distraction after your first week at your new job. You had baked another small box of muffins (lemon poppyseed this time) and climbed up the stairs to where his apartment sat on the third floor. You hesitated, terribly nervous all of a sudden. He had probably just felt obligated to be polite to you when you had asked to see the beasts, you thought fretfully. He didn’t actually want to see you. He just felt bad for letting the Niffler into your apartment. You shifted from one foot to the other anxiously, chewing at your lip and raising your fist to knock before balking again. You had finally plucked up enough courage to rap your knuckles against the heavy wooden door when it flew open before you got the chance and you found yourself blinking up at a surprised Newt.
“Hello,” he said, smiling slightly.
You blushed furiously.. “Oh! Hi! Were you headed out?” you asked. “I was just about to knock, I brought over some muffins, but if you’re busy I can always-”
He shook his head. “I was just about to leave to get something to eat. Come in,” he stepped aside, gaze flicking briefly to the box in your hands, and you smiled and ducked past him into a dusty little apartment.
You looked around, mouth open slightly and eyes bright. His apartment was dimly lit, the curtains half drawn, but the light that flooded in through the gaps illuminated it just enough. There were papers everywhere, tacked to the walls, littering the desk in the corner, hanging out of various pages of several stacks of books. His handwriting was spidery and somewhat illegible, and detailed sketches danced around the pages. In the middle of the desk sat a typewriter and a stack of typewriter paper. An overflowing wastebasket sat in the corner, filled with crumpled paper and dozens of discarded typewriter sheets. He set his suitcase carefully down on an empty spot on the floor and glanced apologetically at you. “Sorry about the mess,” he mumbled.
“No! Not at all! Is this all your writing?” You looked around the room, awestruck. The drawings of the beasts scrambled from one page to another, chasing each other, accompanied by little floating subtitles that identified them.
He nodded. “I don’t usually settle down like this,” he gestured to the apartment. “I’d rather be out and about, but I really needed to organize my notes and get them into some sort of order before I turned in my manuscript,”
You grinned. “It’s wonderful! You’re so dedicated, I could barely keep my notes for class all in one piece!” You mused, eyes wide.
He smiled bashfully and shuffled his feet.
“Where should I put these?” You held up the muffins. “Lemon poppyseed this time!”
“On my desk is fine,” he stepped over to shuffle some of the papers and make room. You set the box down and turned back to face him. He glanced at his case for a second. “would you like to meet them?” He inquired, shy excitement in his tone as he blinked up at you expectantly.
You beamed. “I would love to!”
He looked quite pleased at your response and kneeled down before the case, untying the twine that held it closed and flicking the clasps open. You stood on your tiptoes to peek over his shoulder, expecting him to reach in and pull out a Demiguise or the mischievous little Niffler, but to your astonishment he gripped the sides of the case and lowered himself into it. You watched, eyes wide, as he disappeared into the case and waved for you to follow. You were frozen for a moment before you scrambled forward and peered cautiously down into the case. Newt was looking up at you from the bottom of a ladder, and you slipped your hands carefully on either side of the case and stepped in with immense caution. Your feet found the rungs of the ladder, and you made your way down slowly. Your feet creaked on a wooden floor, and you let go of the ladder and turned to face Newt.
You were standing in a little shack. You knew the suitcase was enchanted, but this was far bigger than you were expecting. “This is incredible!” You breathed.
He chuckled and said nothing, only moving back to swing open a door at the far end of the shack. Mesmerized, you creeped forward and found yourself staring out into a landscape more vast than you ever could have imagined would fit inside a case.
“Merlin’s beard,” you murmured, gripping the folds of your long skirt in your fists, your face paling.
He was at your side in a moment, and he handed you a bucket, but you hardly took notice as you drank in the sights around you. You didn’t even know where to begin, so you followed Newt blindly, gripping the back of his coat with one hand. He tensed a little and glanced back at you, but your eyes were elsewhere. Your gaze was sweeping over across the various terrains. Massive beetles skittered past you, and unfamiliar insects flitted and sparkled through the air around you. You didn’t want to miss anything, but you didn’t want to lose track of Newt either.
You weren’t incredibly familiar with animals of any type, magical or otherwise, and there were creatures that you weren’t even sure what to compare to. Birds? Reptiles? You didn’t even realize you were smiling, and you laughed involuntarily as you recognized the Niffler. He scampered down from his home, and you let go of Newt’s coat, putting the basket in the crook of your elbow and wrapping your fingers around your engagement ring. “Not this time, little guy,” you murmured, but felt a little bad as he rested back on his haunches and quirked his head to the side. You released your grip on your hand to rummage in your pocket and pull out a coin. You balled up your left hand and put it behind your back, careful to keep your ring as far away as possible, and crouched down to give him the coin. He took it eagerly, inspecting it carefully before shoving it in his pouch and scampering away.
“Careful, now, you’ll only encourage him,” Newt chided teasingly, and you looked up to see a smile twitching on his lips.
“Sorry,” you said sheepishly, and got back to your feet to follow him.
He stopped at a small, misty hill, illuminated by a full moon that hung in the sky. Your lips parted in awe, you stumbled forward and agile little creatures darted down the hill to greet you. They looked completely absurd, their eyes too big for their heads, and their heads and necks too big for their bodies, but you were instantly in love. “What in the world...”
“These are mooncalves,” he replied.
You looked up at him, almost as wide-eyed as one of the little creatures in front of you.
“Here,” he reached into your bucket and pulled out a small handful of whatever was inside. “like this,” he tossed them into the air, and they scrambled to catch the little orbs that floated just above their heads.
You followed his lead, grinning at their stubbly little legs and their eagerly snapping mouths. “Hello there,” you murmured, giggling as they jostled each other playfully, and you leaned forward a little bit to toss food to some of the smaller ones who had been pushed to the back.
“Miss (l/n),” Newt called to you, and you threw the calves a little more food before tearing yourself reluctantly away.
“Please, call me (y/n),” you insisted. “I’m not old enough to be a ‘Miss’,” you glanced at your ring. Or a Mrs, you thought, but you dismissed that notion with a shake of your head. “it makes me feel like a professor or something. I’m just your neighbor.”
You walked over to where he stood, hunched over a small nest and murmuring to whatever was inside. He lifted his hands slowly from the nest, and what appeared to be a snake was coiled in his palms. He glanced up at you, excitement twinkling behind his eyes. “This is an Occamy,”
The Occamy raised its head curiously, revealing large, inquisitive eyes and a curved beak. “It’s beautiful!” You exclaimed, and to your surprise he held it out to you. You set the bucket down hastily and held out our hands. He eased it from his hands to yours, and you were suddenly unable to tear your eyes away as its smooth scales slid against your skin. Newt moved on, but you took no notice and sat down, careful to keep your balance as you lowered yourself to the floor of the case.
Newt wasn’t far away, and he stole little glances at you, smiling at how enthralled you were with the magical creature. It seemed to get bored with staring at your face, and curled up in your hands, nestling its head on its back and closing its wide, beautiful eyes. You were suddenly acutely aware of each of your movements, and you lowered your tired arms very, very slowly to rest your forearms on your thighs. You breathed as quietly and scarcely as possible, as not to disturb the resting beast.
You didn’t hear Newt approach you, and he startled you as he crouched down in front of you, but you were careful not to move and frighten the little Occamy. “He likes you,” Newt commented, holding out his hands to ask for the Occamy back. You reluctantly lifted the sleepy creature up, and his eyes peeked open at your movement. Your breath hitched as you placed your hands in Newt’s, brushing your soft hands against his calloused ones. They were warm and the skin was tough, and you were reluctant to move your hands away. You glanced up at his face, suddenly noticing the proximity between the two of you. He didn’t notice, eyes fixed on the Occamy, and you took a moment to observe his features up close. His eyes shimmered with intelligence, deep gold mixed with green, and freckles spattering his cheeks and nose. Stubble prickled at his chin, and you wondered fleetingly what the brush of stubble would feel like against your cheek. Your fiance was always clean shaven, and the two of you didn’t touch very often anyway, besides a greeting hug and kiss, or the brush of his lips on your knuckles. He was far too busy to hold you.
You slipped your hands attentively away from his, and he rose to his feet to return the creature to his nest. You followed, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder as he turned away to go to the next creature. “Mr. Scamander?”
He turned back, a smile playing on his lips. “Please, call me Newt, I’m much too young to be a ‘Mr’,” he teased.
“Newt,” you continued, face flushing slightly with embarrassment. “could you show me the Demiguise? If he’s visible, of course.”
Newt looked amused. “Of course,” he replied, and headed off to a different part of the case.
You weren’t even sure how much time had passed by the time you remembered the muffins. He had spent the day introducing you to the various creatures, and each one of them was incredible and not at all as frightening as you had imagined. You had marveled especially at a tank he kept, filled with sand and fresh lake water. He kept two little aquatic animals called ‘Plimpies’ in the tank, and they were incredibly amusing to look at. The texture of their skin reminded you of an orange peel, and you had great fun dropping in tiny water snails and watching the funny-looking creatures gobble them up. “I’ve studied them for a while now, and I must say they’re among the most amusing creatures to observe,” Newt had commented to you.
You tugged on his jacket lightly as he made his way to another section, and he stopped to look at you.
“Newt, I interrupted you while you were on your way out to eat, didn’t I? Have you had a proper meal yet today?” You asked fretfully.
“I suppose I haven’t,” he replied, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Your eyes widened. “My goodness, I’m so sorry! Come along, we have to get you something to eat! You can show me the other creatures later,” He opened his mouth as if to protest, but your eyes bored insistently into his face and he nodded.
“I could make dinner if you don’t want to go out,” you offered, and he held up his hands.
“No, no I wouldn’t want to intrude,”
“Nonsense! I’ve been intruding all day, and you’ve been nothing but hospitable. I should return the favor,” you implored, and his lips quirked up in a smile.
The two of you sat at your small dining room table. You had made pasta, which was just about the only thing you were any good at cooking, and the two of you had sat down and begun to eat immediately. You hadn’t realized how long you had been in the suitcase, and you realized that you hadn’t eaten in a long while. You ate in comfortable silence for a moment, and you broke it after a little while. “Thank you for introducing me to your creatures,” you mumbled through a mouthful of spaghetti. “I never knew there were things so interesting in this world,”
He smiled appreciatively. “I’m glad you liked them. People tend to be too afraid to go near them at all,” he said honestly.
“I was at first. Hell, I was terrified! I’m not really the sort of person who likes surprises, you see, but once I got close to them I could tell that they didn’t mean any harm.”
He stared at you for a moment, something behind his gaze. He looked almost fascinated, and you ducked your head slightly. “I wish more people thought like you,” he commented. “that’s why I’m writing my book, you see. I’m hoping that people won’t be so scared if they’re informed. I really believe that’s why wizards harm beasts so often. They encounter something unfamiliar and intimidating they don’t know how else to react.”
You nodded thoughtfully. “That, and humans are capable of some truly cruel behavior,” you added sadly.
He paused, fork halfway to his mouth, to study your face. You couldn’t read his expression. Red-faced, you continued to talk. “My father would never approve of me running around in a suitcase with a bunch of wild beasts. He lectured me once on why owls are the only reasonable pet to keep, and it took me a lot of persuading to get him to let me bring a cat to school with me.”
“You listen to your father a lot?” he inquired, gaze flicking from your face to where your engagement ring adorned your ring finger.
You nodded and dropped your gaze to your pasta, suddenly incredibly self-conscious. “He’s my father. He just wants the best from me,” you insisted, adjusting your ring unconsciously as you defended your father. “I figure I should heed his advice.”
Newt was quiet for a moment. “Sometimes decisions have to be your own,” he commented quietly, taking another bite of spaghetti.
You were visibly flustered now, annoyed at his incredibly intrusive comments. Who was he to comment on your decision making? Your face was hot as you changed the subject sharply. “So you went to Hogwarts, didn’t you? I noticed your Hufflepuff scarf.”
He nodded. “I was expelled, though,” your gaze snapped up from your plate.
“Expelled?” you croaked, almost choking on your pasta in disbelief.
He nodded. “For ‘endangering human life with a beast’, the headmaster told me. I’d rather not discuss it, though,” he said dismissively, not meeting your eyes but seeming to make an effort to look unbothered. “What was your house?”
“(h/n),” you said. You had vague recollections of a student being expelled. There were all sorts of rumors flying around, and you furrowed your brow. You had only been in your first year at the time, and that was a long time ago.
“Which creature was your favorite?” he inquired quickly, as if he had been dying to know but restraining himself from asking to avoid annoying you. His gaze was intense, and you smiled.
“They were all incredible!” you gushed, your eyes lighting up and any tension between the two of you melting. “I don’t know if I could pick one, honestly. They’re good in different ways. Dougal was so soft and gentle, but the Occamy was majestic,” you babbled. “I mean, the mooncalves were fantastic, I’ve never seen real creatures that looked so much like walking cartoons! It was like they weren’t even real,” you finished with a bashful grin, embarrassed at your rambling.
He smiled broadly, looking pleased, blush dusting his freckled cheeks, and you suddenly felt very, very happy. Your chest was warm and you felt more than just content, which was your usual state of being. You were excited, thrilled, even. You wanted to learn more. You imagined your father scolding you for wasting our time on something so silly as animals, but you brushed the thought aside immediately, surprising yourself. This was beyond what was good for you. This was something you felt was missing. You would be content living with your fiance and working in a secure job at the Ministry, but content was different from happy. You hadn’t even realized how bored you were until you had lowered yourself into that case and into an unfamiliar part of the world. You hadn’t realized how much there was to see.
“Would you like to hear how I found them?”
“Hm?” you were snapped back from your thoughts in an instant.
ok guys! There’s part two! Part three will be up as soon as I finish it, I promise, and that’ll be it. In the meantime, PLEASE leave me a few requests! I’m dying to write some fluffy/angsty newt fics, and I want to know what you guys have in mind! Pleaseeee!
