Recap from previous chapter: Newt meets Harry after dinner and gets ready to give him the courtship bracelets he got from Leta.

Chapter 8 Courtship Bracelets

Newt's hand trembles a little as he extracts the bracelets from his pocket, the enormity of what he is about to do constricting his chest, making it hard for him to breath.

Newt Scamander is not a risk taker by nature - if he had been, he would have been sorted in to Gryffindor. Unlike Theseus - who enjoys the adrenaline rush of undertaking tasks that had equal chances of succeeding or blowing up in his face - Newt prefers the easier solutions; the proven solutions. If you were to give him the choice between two options; the first option having been proven in the past to be successful and the second option unproven but with the possibility of a bigger reward, he would choose the former every time.

However, that does not apply when decisions involves things Newt is passionate about, such as magical creatures and now, Harry.

Even if he doesn't doubt the rightness of his choice, he still can't help but feel nervous.

This is it, he thinks as Harry continues to watch him in an half-expectant, half-curious manner, waiting for Newt to take out whatever he had brought with him. This is it; the moment of truth.

The moment that would either make or break his relationship with Harry.

Because Newt isn't an optimistic idiot. He knows that if Harry rejects him right now - with all his cards on the table so to speak - there would be no going back to the way things were, no matter how hard they both try. For there would always be this sliver of awkwardness hanging between them, like a stubborn odor refusing to go away. And, this awkwardness will grow in strength, eventually overpowering their desire for normalcy and inevitably tearing them apart as it probably did with numerous other relationships. But as scary as that sounds, Newt is still determined to get his point across.

This is the tipping point; the point of no return, Newt thinks and wonders if his chest is going to explode at the rate it was pounding away in his rib-cage. Doctors should put out a warning that this love thing really isn't good for one's cardiac health.

Newt takes another deep breath and holds the bracelets in his palm for one moment, the cold metal feel of the silver construction keeping him somewhat grounded.

Do it Newt, he thinks resolutely, Do it. This is what you want. It may seem scary now but it will be worth it...

...or at least I hope so.

After shaking his head to clear his negative thoughts, Newt extends his hand towards Harry and shows him the bracelets.

"I hope," he closes his eyes as he begins his somewhat prepared speech, his face flushed, "I hope you can accept this."

…accept me, he doesn't say but he figures Harry is intelligent enough to hear it anyway.

But apparently not because after a few moments of looking at the bracelets - a few moments that felt like an eternity for Newt - Harry takes them both and asks in a nonchalant voice that is definitely not feigned: "Thanks Newt. That is very nice of you. But I have to ask, what's the occasion?"

Newt nearly chokes on his own saliva. Did Harry just say what he had thought he said? It almost seems as if Harry...

"You," he coughs a few times, trying to get his breathing under control, "You don't know what this is?"

The book had made it seem that any Pureblood would recognize the gesture without further explanation needed. Had it been wrong? Or was Harry only acting ignorant to let Newt down easy?

"Bracelets right?" Harry looks confused, seemingly unable to understand why Newt is acting this way. "Are they protection bracelets? Oh Newt, you shouldn't have."

Newt stares at him. Harry isn't acting ignorant to let him down, he realizes after a while. Harry really doesn't know what they were.

"Harry, did you say you were a Potter?"

"Yes," Harry looks a little taken aback by the non-sequitar but still gamely plays along.

"You're a Pureblood, right?"

Harry shrugs, which is not the answer Newt is looking for.

"What does that even mean?" Newt pushes.

"I'm kind of a Pureblood, but I have never received any formal Pureblood training as many Heirs and Heiresses do. I was raised by muggles."

And that explains so much.

Newt resists the urge to bash his head in to a wall. If he had know Harry had not received any Pureblood training, he never would have bothered with all this courting nonsense. He would have asked Harry on a date like a normal person instead of giving him a bracelet with Newt's name on it, declaring to all those who recognizes it that Harry was taken.

Okay, on second thought, that does sound pretty good, thinks Newt, remembering the amount of attention Harry received on a daily basis from both girls and boys alike.

"Oh," Harry suddenly cries out, his eyes widening in understanding. Newt looks back at him. "Is this a pureblood thing?"

"Yes," Newt sighs, feeling all adrenaline leaving his body. This evening had officially derailed off course. "It's a courtship bracelet; once both parties put it on, the bracelets will be magically altered to display your intended's full name."

The gasp of breath he hears from Harry and the shocked expression the older man sends his way were definitely worth the trouble, Newt decides.

"C…Courtship bracelet?" Harry stutters for the first time since Newt had met him. It is actually reassuring to see the usually suave gentleman persona Harry wore on a daily basis could disintegrate under a big enough shock.

"Yes Harry," He smiles, feeling a little hopeful when Harry hadn't made any attempt to reject him.

"You want to court me?" he sounds so young like this, his voice slightly breathless, his emerald green orbs wide with wonder.

"I do," Newt confirms, knowing it is no time for coyness.

"But…But…You're…"

Here it is. Newt closes his eyes and hopes the next words won't be either "too young" or "a student" or "a man".

What he doesn't expect Harry to say was…

"But you're straight."

"I'm what?" Newt repeats, knee-jerk, momentarily thrown off balance.

"Straight, as in you like women."

Newt gives him a very weird look.

"What gave you that idea?" he wants to know. In his memory, he had never broached the topic of romance with Harry or discussed anything related to what he looks for in potential partners. With all that said, why would the man assume that he was sorely interested in the opposite sex?

"You were married to a woman," Harry says as if that explains everything.

"No I wasn't," is his reflexive answer before he remembers that Harry isn't just a normal wizard Newt is trying to court; Harry comes from the future; Newt's future to be more exact. No wonder he has some misconceptions about Newt that seems to have come out of nowhere. He looks at Newt and probably sees a future version of him, one who was or will be married to a woman.

Suddenly, Newt knows he has to clear up some things right here and now before it ruins everything.

"I don't like labels," he explains patiently, "I'm only attracted to a person if I feel an emotional connection with them."

He hopes that sounds like something that Harry would accept.

Harry nods.

"You're pansexual," he says and at Newt's confused expression, adds, "Future term."

Of course, Newt thinks exasperatedly, of course there was a term for it in the future. The future is probably a place where being "unconventional" is the "conventional" thing to do.

"So…" Harry passes a hand through his hair. "You're attracted to me?"

Attracted is such a weak term, but in an effort to not scare Harry away, Newt nods. If Harry only understand love in terms of attraction, then Newt is just going to have to adjust.

"Enough to want to court you," Newt says, wondering where the nerves from earlier had gone to. Strangely enough, the more unbalanced Harry looks - and isn't that a sight he had never had the privilege of witnessing before -, the more confident Newt feels.

"I thought," Harry blushes and Newt watches in fascination as the color creeps down his neck to the open collar of his shirt. "I thought you found some girl you were interested in and wanted to ask for advice. When I saw you blushing at the mention of library, I thought you were there to research…"

He trails off but Newt could fill in the blank just fine.

"I was there to research Pureblood courtship rituals," Newt explains quickly. "I wanted to do things the right way."

"But that turned out to be unnecessary," Harry smiles crookedly at him. "But I have to say, I feel honored by the amount of effort you put in to this."

"Honored enough to give me a chance?"

Harry's expression falters a little at that and Newt feels his heart sink in response. Is Harry going to reject him?

"Newt," Harry sighs tiredly and looks away from him as he continues, almost as if he couldn't bear seeing Newt's reaction to what he is about to say next, "I'm honored, I really am but you have to understand that being with me…will be difficult. I'm not your average wizard and I am not saying that to boast. I'm a war veteran with a mild case of PTSD; I get horrible nightmares that wakes me up in the middle of the night and will definitely wake any other person I may have in bed with me. I sometimes get extremely paranoid and have difficulty trusting people. I have horrible off-days where I don't even want to talk to those close to me."

He takes a deep breath, fortifying himself.

"What I'm trying to say is that you could do better then this." He turns to Newt and gives a heart-brokenly sad smile, "You can do better then this old man who-"

"Who is kind-hearted, passionate about helping others and makes me happy," Newt interrupts hotly, unable to continue letting Harry degrading himself in this manner. It had gone on long enough as it is. "Harry, you're MY choice. I want you; I want you in my life forever. I want to wake up in the morning beside you. I want to be there to comfort you after a nightmare. You are made for me, can't you see that?"

Shoulders hunched, head bowed and fists clenched by his side, Newt tries to regain composure, his eyes burning with unshed tears, his mind too involved in the moment to even cringe at the cheesiness of what had just came out of his own mouth.

"I know I'm not exactly your dream partner," he carries on bravely, eyes firmly fixed on the ground, "I'm terrible at social interactions; I like my beasts more then I like humans; I start babbling when nervous and I can get pretty clumsy for no reason, and that includes the innate ability of tripping on nothing. But, I am a hard-worker when it counts and I will try my best to make you the happiest man on Earth. So, please Harry…give me a chance to prove myself."

His body starts to tremble a little with his last words, as he waits for the final verdict, his head bowed, like a prisoner on trial.

A few minutes passes in silence without any reactions from the older man and just as Newt wonders if Harry had left - and what a terrible thought that was - he nearly jumps in surprise when he feels Harry gently lift his chin back up with two fingers so that Newt had to look at him in the eye.

"Well Newt, that was some speech." Harry says, still looking a little off-balance but is trying his best to hide it. "I'm glad you told me how you felt. I guess we both have our cross to bear."

"All truth," Newt assures him.

Harry's expression clears a little at and his smile becomes more natural as he asks the next question: "Are you sure you want to put up with me for the rest of our existence? You have to be sure because I am not one to change my mind in matters such as these."

"I'm sure," Newt replies resolutely, grabbing Harry's forearms in a tight grip, desperate to make him see, "I have never felt surer in my life."

Harry nods and seems to have come to a decision.

"If that's how you feel then I'll be honored to accept your offer of a courtship."

The moment Newt's processes those words, Newt collapse on to the ground with relief.

"Oh thank Merlin," he chokes out, taking a few labored breath, "Oh, that was the most terrifying thing I ever had to do."

Harry laughs breathlessly before leaning down to help him stand up once more.

"I can imagine. That is why I never take initiative." he grins and offers one of the bracelets to Newt, "But I'm glad you did. Now that's over, I think you should be the one to put it on me."

Newt wordlessly takes the bracelet and unceremoniously slips it on Harry's offered wrist, the metal resizing automatically to fit its new owner.

"Here," Harry takes the other bracelet and with gentle hands, takes Newt's wrist and puts it on. As soon as both bracelets were in place, there is a gentle shine as the magic deep within them starts to work. Newt sees his own name appear on Harry's bracelet and resists the urge to grin like a loon.

"So," He looks up from his contemplation to see Harry looking back at him, his head tilted to one side, "I guess now we should…"

Newt's eyes widens a little as he gets the meaning.

"Oh…"

"I mean," Harry shrugs in a what-can-you-do sort of way, "It is tradition."

"Well," Newt bites his bottom lip as if hesitating, "Since I already went this far for the sake of tradition, it wouldn't make sense to start breaking it now…"

He springs forward then and without further ceremony, leans in and presses his lips to Harry's.

What had started out as a rather chaste first kiss between two new lovers - a first kiss to celebrate the change in their relationship - turns quickly in to something more as Harry snakes his arms around Newt's waist and pulls him closer, forcing their bodies together without an ounce of space in between.

For Newt, the touch of Harry's lips to his was unlike anything he had ever experienced before; a high that made his head dizzy and his body weightless. It made it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the other man's presence and the feeling of the other man's magic enveloping him in its warm cocoon.

"Harry," Newt moans softly, feeling Harry's tongue snake in to his mouth, his body reacting in the only way it knows how, his magic whirling uncontrollably around them.

"Too much?" Harry asks breathlessly, his hand tangled in Newt's hair.

Newt laughs and is about to reply when he feels something crawling up his chest to his neck.

He glances down, a little perturbed.

"Pickett!"

The bowtruckle stares up at him with a very displeased expression and Newt realizes that their passionate embrace must have disturbed his sleep.

"Sorry," The moment officially broken, Harry finally lets Newt go and gives Pickett a small pat of apology, "Got carried away."

"My fault as well," Newt blushes, unable to believe that that had just happened, "I didn't know you could kiss like that."

"Shouldn't I be the one to say that?"

Harry grins a little and takes Newt's hand in his, the movement natural despite how new it should feel.

"You know, these bracelets are pretty neat."

He grins deviously.

"I like the idea of having my name around your wrist."

Newt shakes his head in amusement and looks down for the first time at his new piece of jewelry…and blinks as he takes in the engraving.

"That's weird," he says, a little confused, "It doesn't say Harry Potter here."

"What?" Harry glances down as well.

"It says Harold James Peverell." Newt pauses. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Peverell you say, that's probably because it's the name of one of the most famous Pureblood families in wizarding history, one of the first lines to go extinct in the male line, although they do have a lot of descendants through their female lines," Harry replies in the tone of someone who had spent a lot of time pouring over that information. "In terms of political power, the Peverells have many unclaimed seats in the Wizengamot and has enough political clot to influence the direction of future legislatures if someone were to claim them.

Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell are famous in their own right as they have been thought by many as the three brothers mentioned in the tale of Three Brothers; the Peverell coat of arms is actually the symbol of the Hallows I have shown you.

IoIanthe Peverell was the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell, one of the original Hallow possessors, and later married in to the Potter family. The Invisibility Cloak, one of the three Hallows, was given to her as there were no male heirs to receive it. Although the Potters are descendants of the Peverell line, there should be no conceivable reason why a magical artifact such as the courtship bracelet would consider me a Peverell and not a Potter."

Harry's eyes flashes with excitement, looking up from Newt's wrist to his eyes.

"You have tomorrow afternoon off right?" he suddenly asks out of the blue and Newt blinks a little, thinking back to his schedule.

"Yes," he answers cautiously because right at that moment, Harry's expression is reminding him strongly of Theseus just as he was about to do something he considers "fun" - and if you didn't know, his and Newt's definition of "fun" differs greatly, "Are you planning something?"

"We are going to go visit someone who knows bloodlines better than I know how to walk."

"There is someone like that?" Newt is admittedly a little taken aback by the conviction in Harry's voice.

Harry grins like a child on Christmas morning.

"Of course there is," he answers, "And you must have seen them before."

"Who?"

"The goblins at Gringotts of course."

TBC

TBC.

Next Chapter: Inheritance