Tina's heart flipped over in her chest and her eyes suddenly prickled with unshed tears. The sight was breathtaking.

Tucked away in a corner behind the Bowtruckle trees, Newt had recreated her favourite sanctuary from her school days at Ilvermorny. The ground gradually melted from the grassy carpet of the Bowtruckles' home into a smattering of assorted cushions forming a soft bed that covered the entire floor. A tall bookcase formed one wall of the space, left of the entrance. It was heavily laden with books, exactly as she remembered, but Tina didn't look too closely – she could already make out the smart red leather of Newt's own book and knew that these titles could not be the same as those she'd read at school.

The wall opposite the bookcase appeared to be a natural wall of Newt's physical basement, but it was almost completely obscured by a set of mannequins, just like the ones on which she used to practice every new hex, curse and jinx she learned. The gentle golden light reflected off the metal and cast strange shadows onto the canvas that formed the back wall.

The backdrop was exquisite. It was clearly painted by hand, the No-Maj way, because Tina's sharp eyes could spot imperfections in the brushstrokes, but that only made it all the more special. The canvas displayed the stone walls of Ilvermorny castle, complete with graffitied scratches of 'Joseph was here' or 'Glory to Wampus!'. Set into the stone was a beautiful arched window, framed with gold, through which Tina could see the flag fluttering from the North tower and a team of Quadpot players practising in the grounds. In the distance, Tina could just make out the tops of the trees in one of Massachusetts's dense forests.

Tina carefully walked through the space, feeling the touch of the cushions beneath her feet, reaching out to the cold metal of the practice mannequins. She dared not venture too close to the backdrop, as if she was afraid she'd fall in, but she stood a few feet away and gazed at it – for how long, she did not know. She was vaguely aware of Newt standing behind her, watching her intently, but she was so absorbed, so touched by this gift that she didn't turn around. This space in the library had been her sanctuary, a place where she could find a spot of solitude to study and practise for her ultimate goal of becoming an Auror. Even Queenie never bothered her here; she didn't want to accidentally read Tina's mind when she was studying counter-curses to particularly gruesome Dark Magic.

Despite looking and feeling exactly like the space she remembered, Newt's recreation was distinctly different. As her eyes got used to the space, Tina was finally able to focus on a different sense: her sense of smell. Pulling her eyes away from the stunning backdrop, she followed her nose to the bookcase, and gave a delighted exclamation of 'Oh!' when she saw what Newt had done.

Tina glanced at Newt briefly and saw that he was looking happier than ever. He nodded encouragement at her, and she reached up to the shelves and removed several books, tossing them onto the cushions below. There, hidden behind the books, was a set of dishes containing all of Tina's favourites – the chicken soup her mother used to make, Queenie's iconic meatloaf with peas and carrots, Jacob's Occamy pastries with strawberry filling, a perfectly golden strudel, and a large jug of spiced pumpkin juice.

Utterly overwhelmed, with unshed tears still brimming in her eyes, Tina turned to Newt. 'Newt, this is incredi-'

Tina clapped a hand over her mouth, and the tears that had accumulated in her eyes began to fall in earnest.

While she was admiring the meal, Newt had silently crept closer to her. He was barely two feet away, propped up on one knee and presenting an open box containing a gleaming silver ring.

Newt took a deep breath.

…

Earlier that day

'Jacob, how exactly do I ask her?'

It was hard to understand Newt when he had his wand between his teeth, but Jacob managed all the same.

'Well, you just gotta say what you mean, you know? Speak from the heart,' Jacob replied, not looking up from the golden windowframe that he was painting.

Newt put down his paintbrush and took his wand in his hand to Summon some more green paint. 'Accio. But Jacob, there's a lot I want to say. But I want her to understand me. Unlike our conversation in the French Ministry. She needs to understand me if there's a chance she'll say 'yes'. And, well, you're the best person to ask, Jacob – after all, you got Queenie to say 'yes' to you. And you're my friend.'

Jacob put down his paintbrush and looked up at Newt, who was watching Jacob intently, as if trying to catch onto every word of wisdom. Jacob sighed inwardly, feeling a very real sense of déjà vu.

'Look,' he said, deciding Newt needed a little help. 'You just tell her you love her, and that you want to spend the rest of your life with her. And then you ask her to marry you. Simple as that.'

'Right,' said Newt, concentrating hard to commit this to memory. 'Thanks, Jacob. I really appreciate your help with, you know, everything.'

'Any time, buddy,' said Jacob cheerfully, returning to the golden window frame. 'Besides, you and me are gonna be brothers soon. You marry Tina, I marry Queenie…' Jacob trailed off, chuckling to himself, but Newt wasn't listening. He was too busy reciting his proposal speech under his breath.

…

Newt forced himself to make eye contact with Tina, who was crying opening as he held her hand with one of his own and clutched the ring box with his other hand.

'Tina, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.' He spoke slowly and carefully, but his words were saturated with emotion. 'Will you marry me?'

'Yes!' Tina managed to say. 'Yes, Newt, I will. Of course, I will.'

Newt was so stunned for a moment that he froze, but he quickly came to his senses when Tina tugged at his hand to pull him back onto his feet. She collapsed into his arms, and as he stood there in a little slice of paradise, the scent of Queenie and Jacob's best cooking wafting around them and the girl of his dreams in his arms, Newt felt like the happiest man on the planet.