Lucky Accidental Homicide

Hope woke the next morning clutching a blanket to her naked chest. Her eyes slowly opened when she realized she could smell coffee again. She knew the scalding swallows would feel amazing down her throat. She slowly started to sit up, still holding the blanket to her body. Hope cringed as her muscles moved.

"Are you alright?" Albus whispered.

Hope looked up, seeing he was sitting on the chair he had been last night. Looking to her left, she saw Newt was still fast asleep beside her, with Pick lying on his forehead in a deep snooze. She couldn't help but smile and then nodded as she looked back at Albus.

"Sore." She rotated her neck, remembering the horrible sounds her vertebrae had made last night during her transition. Some of it was a bit of a blur, but other parts she remembered vividly.

She looked over at Albus again, who was watching her quietly, dark shadows under his eyes.

"Do you ever sleep?"

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Not where you're concerned."

Hope gave him a look, which earned a small smile from him before she started to her feet. She held the blanket against herself and looked around.

"Queenie set these out for you," Albus said, gesturing to the dress and shoes on the arm of another chair nearby, "if you were worried, I wasn't the one to put the blanket on. Tina did when she saw you were beginning to lose fur."

Hope tilted her head to the side, watching him curiously. The vast difference between the type of men Albus and Newt were compared to what Henry is was so undeniable it was almost laughable.

"You look troubled." He frowned in confusion.

Shaking her head, she smiled. "No, it's just…" Hope looked at him, hazel eyes lit with a new revelation. "There were things Henry said earlier, things I wish I could forget. It makes it very easy to know how I should expect men - people - to treat me. And that I should never settle for anything less."

Hope looked over at Newt, smiling fondly. "I'm guessing sleep hasn't been anyone's priority the last week, hm?"

With a chuckle, Dumbledore shook his head. "Not a wink. For good reason."

She met his eyes again and smiled back before retreating down the hallway and slipping into the bathroom.

Hope took a long, hot shower, scrubbing every inch of her body until it was glowing red. It felt amazing to let herself feel human again. She vigorously brushed her teeth and braided her hair down her back, needing it out of her face.

She looked like a new person with her white and yellow floral dress when she emerged. She didn't put on the shoes, choosing to join the table barefoot.

"How are you feeling?" Newt asked, sitting next to her.

Hope nodded, leaning against him. "Better," she bit her lips and touched a wild curl clinging to his forehead, "but we can't talk more about that later. In private."

"Right, of course." He seemed a little nervous, as if he feared she might tell him off for not protecting her on the cold streets of New York. She, however, intended to have a safe space where she could jump his bones without any witnesses.

"Hope," Tina stated, "I am so, so sorry for what happened. I never intended for you to get taken, and I know you must think I'm a terrible person."

Hope stared at her in confusion. "Why would I think that?" She asked, eating a bite of egg. They were all sitting at the table now, eating breakfast together, though Hope could feel an awkward tension rising.

She slowly shook her head. "Listen, I know I have a bit of a temper, and honestly, when I realized what was happening with Wingedback, I figured the best place for me to be was not around people. You did nothing wrong," she looked at Tina, "I had to walk away to cool off, but I am sorry for snapping at you. You were trying to do your job, I get that now." She ate another piece of egg and shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, the only people at fault are the ones who stuck me in a cage again and, if I'm honest, the crowd that cheered for it."

Queenie offered a soft smile. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, the Congress is taking as many witness statements as possible to identify people who attended the circus. People are pointin' fingers left and right. They might even uncover more circus locations using that strategy."

"The ringmaster isn't doing too well, either." Tina offered.

Hope wrinkled her nose. "He's still alive?" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Newt glance in her direction, but she couldn't depict his expression.

Tina nodded. "He healed from his injury almost immediately, but apparently, he now has some nasty infection."

"Your bite is lethal to vampires, Hope," Albus said, making her look over at him. He seemed to be watching her, gauging her reaction carefully. "He didn't die from the initial wound, but in time he will. Probably within the week."

"Good," Hope said, making everyone's silverware freeze on their plates.

"Hope," Newt started, "I don't think you mean that. He did horrible things. Terrible. And I want him to face justice and pay for his crimes, which he will, but think of how it will affect you being behind someone's murder."

"Oh, I wouldn't call it murder, Newt. More like lucky accidental homicide."

Newt parted his lips to argue, but Hope cut him off.

"I'm sorry, were you the one beaten and threatened for a week that you'd be taken away and forced into his bed where you'd be his pet for the rest of eternity? Did he tell you the disgusting things he'd do to you if you refused? No? Then I guess you don't get a say in the closure I enjoy. I want him dead, and I will not apologize for that."

Hope met his eyes now, watching them widen in silent shock. He was speechless as worry and fear crept into his irises. She looked over at Albus, waiting for him to say something. To give her some crap about not holding onto grudges, but it seemed he had nothing to say.

If she didn't know any better… she'd say he might silently agree.

"My head hurts." She said as a low pulse began behind her eyes.

"You need blood," Albus nodded, "we need to get back to Hogwarts."

The rest of the table was still speechless, unable to meet Hope's eyes, but at this point, she didn't care. Her hunger made her cranky. She just wanted to relax, knowing Henry was dying a slow, painful death.

Was that too much to ask?