Carrying The World

Hope poked around at her breakfast, though she hadn't eaten a bite. She rested her chin against the top of her arm, but as soon as Newt set a cup of coffee in front of her, she found herself guzzling it in happy swallows, only to revert right back to her hunched-over position in the Great Hall.

"Hey," he stroked his thumb along her arm. She could see his worried frown out of the corner of her eye, "are you alright, love?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded, looking over at him. She rested her cheek against her arm now. Hope slowly closed her eyes as his cool hand touched her forehead.

"You always run a bit hot, I can't tell if you have a fever."

With a small smile, she shook her head. "I don't have a fever."

"Is it about Wingedback?" When she shook her head, he hesitantly asked. "Is…it about Albus?"

"No," she murmured, "I know Wingedback is happier where he is, and Albus…" she thought back to yesterday. She'd spent the day in his bed, entangling each other in passionate kissing. Ironically enough, the kissing wasn't what made the night so magical. It was how he stroked her back while reading aloud from his book. His voice always seemed to soothe her.

"Albus," she started again, "everything was amazing. I'm just a little run down."

"Do you need blood?" Hope could hear the panic in his voice now, so she took his hand and kissed his knuckles.

"It's alright, Newt. I just started my cycle this morning, and it's not exactly what I wanted to wake up to." Biting her lip, she sipped more coffee. "On the bright side, I know why I've been so cranky and horny." Hope giggled. "You know, despite being locked in a cage and forced to perform in a circus fiasco."

Newt's brows shot in the air. "Oh, well, I can help with that." He nodded quickly. "I started researching female anatomy to please you better and learned a few new things about menstruation."

A smile graced her lips, and she couldn't help but stare at him in awe. "How the hell did I get lucky enough for you to have found me that day?" She shook her head in wonder. Somehow she just knew there weren't too many men out there who would have put the time and research to make their time in the bedroom more pleasurable for her, let alone continue reading into how better to help during the week of death. "You amaze me more and more every day." She kissed his lips tenderly.

Smiling sheepishly, he stroked her cheek. "Perhaps you'd like to lie down? I can get something from Madam Florence for the symptoms."

Hope smiled and nodded, but it quickly faded. "But school starts tomorrow, you already have a hectic day ahead."

Stroking her bottom lip, he looked at her pointedly. "There are things I need to do, and among them is to make sure you feel as well as you can. I may have to leave throughout the day, but you are always my priority. Alright?"

Red flushed her skin, and she nodded with a smile, closing her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her lips once more.

Hope rested on her couch, holding a blanket below her belly. Newt had enchanted it to stay at a comfortingly warm temperature while he went to retrieve a tonic from Madam Florence. Her eyes remained closed even as she heard the door open and close, but the scent that carried was not Newt's.

Opening her eyes, she watched Albus sit with a small smile at her feet. "Newt mentioned you weren't feeling well. I hope that's alright."

Hope knew she shouldn't be embarrassed and supposed she had nothing to hide from him. Especially not now since his fingers rearranged her insides yesterday.

Albus took a few things from his pockets and held them out to her.

Chocolate frogs.

Hope grinned, warmth flooded her face and chest. "You brought me chocolate?"

"I did." He chuckled, handing the three boxes to her.

Tears touched her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. "Sorry, it's just really nice." She nodded, but more tears replaced the ones she wiped.

Albus frowned, stroking her knee. "I think Newt is almost back with the tonic. You'll be able to rest easier with it."

"It's not that," she murmured, biting her lip, "for the past two years, I would lay on a metal floor, and they'd tell me I'm a disgusting little bitch for getting blood on the cage. Even went as far as to threaten to impregnate me so I'd stop bleeding for a time." More tears fell, and she couldn't quite meet his sorrow-filled eyes that watched and listened intently to her. "And now I have two men enchanting blankets to be warm and bringing me chocolate frogs asking if I need anything…" She wiped another tear and let out a shaky breath. "Then just last week, when I thought I'd have to live that life again, I…" she swallowed hard. "I gave up." She nodded, looking at him, the tears falling freely now. "I didn't eat or drink or sleep. They tried to make me, even offered better food, but I just…I just wanted to die."

Hope hadn't noticed Newt had stepped through the door halfway through her words, but she looked at him now. Shame flushing her face.

Frowning, Newt slowly shook his head and moved to the back of the couch, leaning down to a crouch.

"You are the strongest woman I've ever met," he murmured, "but even the strongest people have times when the world is too heavy. It's not your job to carry it all."

Hope wiped her cheeks and carefully took the tonic he offered.

She looked at Albus, who rubbed her calf gently.

"And when the world is too heavy, we'll be there to help you lift it."

Taking another shuddering breath, she nodded, her body finally able to relax as she drank the tonic and handed it back to Newt.

Hope settled into the pillows and blankets, unable to keep her eyes open, but she'd had some thoughts that came back to mind earlier.

"Do you think Henry did it?" She asked the room.

Newt frowned as he sat in the leather chair to her left. "Did what?"

Looking over at him. "Do you think he was spiking my drinks with Wolfsbane?"

"It's…unlikely," Albus frowned, "what would make you think he was?"

Hope shrugged and yawned a little. "Well, he mentioned something before. About Polyjuice potion and how it's a wonderful thing or something like that. Just made me think maybe he was around more than I thought."

They were silent as Albus and Newt exchanged a curious look.

"Unfortunately, he's dead…" Newt began.

"Fortunately," Hope corrected, "there. I fixed it for you." She watched Albus fight a smile, she knew it, she knew he had no issue with her killing Henry.

Biting his lip, Newt nodded. "What I mean is, unfortunately, we won't be able to ask him any questions."

Hope nodded. "Well, if the wolfsbane stops appearing, we'd have the answer, wouldn't we?"

"That's a bit of a gamble," Albus raised a brow, "you should still be careful of what you drink."

"Hm, I'll be careful," Hope murmured, starting to doze off again. She could hear them speaking in hushed voices to each other but couldn't recall anything they were saying as she slipped further under the net of comforting darkness the tonic provided.

Maybe it was for the best.