Oh god, I’m actually crying. You really got me with that ending, there are actual tears running down my face right now. That was beautiful. The non-linear format works amazingly well in this. The way you moved back and forth between the different times built a sort of beautiful ache and mystery that mirrored Leta’s emotional upheaval throughout the entire thing. And the poetic way your write is just everything. It’s not overly flowery but subtle and succinct, packing an emotional punch.
This line: “Follows him out of the darkness of her self-imposed exile and right back into the maw of the beast.” The way she describes going back to the Wizarding world is freaking heart wrenching. But you honestly perfectly balanced her relationships with both Newt and Theseus. Her realization that Theseus was staging an intervention to get Newt and her to talk again was one of my favorite moments.
Pretty much the entire scene with Newt taking the blame for the jarvey had me freaking out. And later this line, “There is nothing Theseus Scamander is that she does not know,” had me tearing up because I could feel her death coming.
The final three scenes were so perfect together. Leta wondering how Newt gets people to like/tolerate him broke my heart for her. Of course her death scene had me distraught because she wants so badly to redeem herself and protect them. I’m not gonna copy the entire paragraph here but this line “It burns away years of insecurity, of shame and hatred and despise” and everything that came with it, shattered me. The ending that you gave her, finally having peace was more than I could ask for this sweet, damaged character. This was the ending I needed for Leta.
I loved this sooo very much! Thank you for sharing! It was gorgeous!

This almost made me cry! It’s the TCOG-from-Leta’s-perspective that I always wanted! And it’s so deliciously sad, I coudn’t stop reading.

Amazing and heartbreaking! Loved it.