Tina was running late. She had overslept by nearly half an hour. Then she had been unable to find a rather vital file she had brought home a few days before. She was rushing around the small apartment, trying to fix a quick bite to eat at the same time as she finished getting dressed. She tugged on a shoe as she took a bite of her buttered toast. Then she dropped the toast on her plate and slipped into her room to run a brush through her hair. She finally spotted the elusive file under a stack of books. Snatching it up, hurried back to the table.

She pulled on her coat and slipped her wand into her pocket. Then she grabbed the file and her toast and hurried out of her apartment. She arrived at MACUSA just a few minutes after she usually did. She let herself into her office and sat down to work. Things had been relatively quiet recently, so most of her days were spent reviewing reports. She had always hated writing reports, but she was finding that having to review them was even more mind-numbing.

Several hours later, she sat staring at the page in her hands. She had read the same paragraph about three times, but she still didn't know what she said. Her mind was wandering. It had been all morning. She'd been having trouble focusing ever since she had received Newt's letter about her sister, but it was worse today. 

Dropping the file, she leaned back in her chair and ran her hands over her face. Things were getting out of hand. She had already snapped at one of the younger Aurors who had brought her a report to review. She was still rather tired, even after having slept in.

She hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before, that was the truth of it. She had gone to bed at a relatively normal time, but her mind hadn't let her fall asleep for hours. It kept running over everything that had happened; her sister's wedding, Newt's return ... It was all too much to process.

She had had over a week to think about it already, but she still hadn't really figured things out. She was overjoyed to have her sister back and was very happy for her and her marriage, but she was also worried. There were still rules. Queenie's marriage to Jacob was illegal. Also, her very return could cause problems. If MACUSA found out she was back in the country, they might very well make her life miserable. They certainly wouldn't trust her. They would be sceptical and suspicious of her return. They would keep a close eye on her, and they would see her as a means of information. They knew she had been in Grindelwald's confidence, or as close to his confidence as someone could be. She would be brought in for questioning, and they would demand to know everything she knew about Grindelwald.

Then there was Newt. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. The last time had been when she had earned her promotion. She had missed him more than she cared to admit. Seeing him again was wonderful, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't more than a little nervous about his return. They had parted a bit awkwardly that last time and some of that awkwardness still hung in the air. Of course, they had always been a bit awkward around each other. However, it had only gotten worse after his last visit.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking about that again. Tina took a deep breath to refocus herself and turned back to her work. But she still couldn't focus.

"Coffee," she muttered. "That's what I haven't had today. Coffee."

"I wondered if that's why you snapped at poor Reid."

Tina looked up at the tall man who had just sauntered into her office. His auburn hair was neatly combed and he wore his trademark smirk. In his hands, he carried a white mug. He offered this to her.

She grinned at him and accepted it gratefully. "Bless you, Harper."

He dropped into a chair on the opposite side of the desk. "Okay, Goldstein. What's on your mind?"

She took a sip of her coffee and eyed him suspiciously. "What makes you think there's something on my mind?"

He leaned forward, propping his elbows on her desk. "Come on, Tina. I know you. It's not like you to be this distracted, or to snap at your Aurors. In fact, the last time you were this distracted was ..." He hesitated, frowning slightly. "... probably just after your promotion."

Tina blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. You're probably right. It's just ..." She sighed. "It's not something I can really talk about."

"But I'm your friend."

"I know, but it's... It's about my sister."

A look of understanding formed on Harper's face. "I see. I— I heard that Grindelwald abandoned her." He looked a little uncomfortable as he spoke.

She offered him a smile. "You don't need to try to be delicate. I'm sure half the wizarding world saw what happened. I saw it, and I know you were there too. I saw you."

"Okay, then. I saw it, you saw it." He looked at her curiously. "Have you heard from your sister?"

Tina hesitated for a moment. Harper was her best friend, and she knew she could trust him, but she still wasn't sure about telling him. But part of her felt guilty for not telling him sooner. She let out a sigh and nodded. "Yes." Then she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Harper, you can't tell anyone."

"Of course not," he said quickly. He paused. "Why?"

"Because she could get in trouble. Big trouble." She frowned. "And so could I, come to think of it."

"How so?"

"She's back. She's here, in New York." She hesitated. "She and Jacob got married last night."

He nodded. "I see." He put on a playful pout. "Why wasn't I invited?"

"Harper, this is serious," she hissed. "If MACUSA finds out—"

"I know, I know. Your friend Jacob is a No-maj. If MACUSA finds out, she'll be arrested, he'll be Obliviated, and you'll lose your job."

She shook her head. "It's not just that. She joined Grindelwald. If they find out she's here, even if they don't learn about her marriage, they'll never leave her alone. They'll make her life a living hell."

"You're worried."

Tina scowled at him. "Of course I am. She's my sister. I've never wanted anything bad to happen to her. I've already done a pretty lousy job of keeping her safe, and I won't let anyone do anything else to her. She deserves to be happy."

Harper reached out and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "You're right, Tina. I can only imagine how hard this is for you."

She let out a sigh and sat back in her chair, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Is Queenie happy?"

Tina shrugged. "I think so. At least, she was last night. We all were. She's finally married the love of her life, of course she's happy. But I imagine her return was just as hard for her as ..."

She trailed of, but Harper finished her thought for her. "As it was for you."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

They lapsed into silence. Tina absentmindedly toyed with the edge of the report in front of her. It felt good to be able to talk about this, but she now felt like she had even more to think about.

Harper was the one to break the silence. "Was Newt at the wedding?"

Tina felt a blush creep up her cheeks. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She quickly ducked her head to hide it.

He let out a dramatic gasp. "He was!"

She nodded and did her best to hide her smile. "Yes, he was. And so was his brother and his assistant and Lally."

"Lally Hicks?"

Tina nodded again.

"I repeat. Why wasn't I invited?"

She laughed. "You don't know either Queenie or Jacob."

"Well, I look forward to meeting them." He grinned. "How long is Newt staying this time?"

"I don't know. He didn't say." She blushed again.

"When are you seeing him again?"

"Aren't you nosey?" she teased. "I don't know. Probably this evening. We didn't exactly make a plan."

"I look forward to seeing him again." Harper frowned. "How come he hasn't visited recently?"

Tina shrugged awkwardly. "He's been busy, uh, working for Dumbledore."

"That's why he was in Bhutan."

She nodded. "I wish I'd been there myself, but I was still getting settled in this job. Things are finally falling into a routine." She glared at the page in front of her. "At least, they were."

"I'm distracting you. I should go."

"Oh, shut up, Harper," she laughed. "I wasn't getting anything done before you came." She picked up her mug and took another swallow of the warm, dark liquid. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."

"You're welcome. I figured you needed it when my partner came back from handing in her report with a frown. She's usually pretty chipper."

Tina laughed in spite of herself. "That's probably why I snapped at her. How is Reid? I know you were worried about working with such a young Auror."

"She's very eager, maybe a little too eager, but she's good." He grinned at her. "She's not you, though. I miss working with you. Are you sure you're happy as Head of the Auror office?"

"Well, the hours are a bit longer, and the workload is heavier, but I'd hate to give up this office." She waved her hand around the room. In all honesty, the large space was a little intimidating. She could do her new job just as easily from her old office, but the room came with the promotion. She smiled back at him. "But I miss working with you too. I've worked with several different partners, but you were probably the ... second best."

He pretended to look insulted. "Well, you were only the third-best partner I've had."

They laughed, and Tina reached out to give her friend's arm a squeeze.

"Thank you, Harper. For the coffee, and for the company. I wasn't in a very good mood when I came in this morning."

"Well, that's what friends are for. I'm a bit surprised though. Usually, you're obnoxiously cheerful just after Newt arrives. The last time he visited, you didn't stop smiling for a week."

Tina blushed again. "I'm very glad he's here. It's just the situation with my sister that's got me worried. I guess I just needed to talk to someone about it."

He gave her an understanding smile. "Well, I'd recommend talking to your sister about it."

She shook her head. "I don't want her to think I disapprove. That's what started our whole fight in the first place."

"You told me your sister is a Legilimens. She should know you don't disapprove. Besides, you'll feel better if you talk to her." He got to his feet. "Anyway, I should be going. I've got work to do. If I don't get it done, my boss might fire me."

Tina laughed. "I heard she was in a bad mood this morning."

Harper grinned. "Say hello to Newt for me."

"Of course."

She leaned back in her chair and watched as her friend left the office. Then she turned back to the report in front of her. This time, it actually made some sense.

She managed to work steadily for several hours before her stomach reminded her that the only thing she had eaten that day was a slice of toast. She made her way to a nearby café for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Then she returned to MACUSA for a meeting with several of her Aurors. As the rest of the afternoon wore on, she began finding it difficult to focus once more. That morning, it had been because she was worried, but now it was nervous anticipation that kept her mind from concentrating on her work.

When the day was finally over, she quickly organised her files and left her office. She made her way out of MACUSA, only getting stopped by one person on her way down. When she finally managed to get out of the building, she hurried home. She didn't know when she would be seeing Newt, but she knew it would be soon.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to vote and comment!

It was actually easier to reach my minimum word count than I expected. I didn't have very much to go on, but it ended up kinda having a mind of its own.

I'll try to get started on the next part soon.

Have a great day!

Bye!

Published: 23 May 2022