#oh by the way my cousin has apparently finished the book on my Nana

[fazcinatingblog]

It's truly amazing that Olivia Rodrigo was just one of us, a diehard fan of the pepperwood chronicles, and now she's touring the world on a sold out stadium tour???

[dmitri-smerdyakov]

Most Definitely a Scamander - a Newt/Tina + Rolf fic

Tagging: @pinkdiamonddolphin

a/n: The two sections of this fic take place at different points – close together but not on the same day. Hope that clears up any confusion!

Summary: “I mean, you have freckles and…and my awfully untidy hair… I’m afraid you’re most definitely a Scamander, whether you like it or not.” (Or: Newt and Tina comforting their grandson Rolf)

The afternoon sun was warm and lovely; there was the sound of children chattering and laughing, and all of the Scamander and Kowalski grandchildren were playing together quite blissfully.

All except for one, that was.

Rolf wiped his nose on his sleeve, not caring that his mother said it was ‘dirty’, and pushed himself against the back of his grandmother’s favourite chair; she usually sat here with the Kneazles, stroking them while she read a book or smiling fondly while she knitted something – she would make room for him on her lap though sometimes, if he wanted a cuddle with her. Currently his grandmother was outside with the rest of the family, probably talking to her sister, and he didn’t want to disturb her with his bad thoughts; it would be unkind to ruin her afternoon.

Zippy, the youngest of his grandmother’s Kneazles, hopped up on the armrest and nudged his head against the boy’s; Rolf stroked him behind the ears, still not feeling better when he purred happily. Usually petting his grandparents’ magical creatures made him feel happy and pleased – but his heart just wasn’t in it today.

He was so caught up in his sadness that he didn’t notice his Nana Tina entering the room – he only realized when she stopped in front of the chair, looking rather worried.

“Rolf, dear, what’s the matter?”

He sniffled, shaking his head. “’m f-f-fine, Nana.”

“You’re crying,” She corrected, and she put a hand on his knee. “Oh, come here – come and tell me what’s got you so upset.”

Rolf suddenly reached out for her, crying into her shoulder when she lifted him up into her arms; he was young and still rather small for his age, thankfully, otherwise it might have been a tad more difficult. Tina shushed him gently, sitting down so that she could settle him on her lap as she listened.

“I’m…” He sniffled, shaking his head. “I’m odd.”

“Odd?” Tina repeated, looking somewhat confused. “What makes you say that?”

“People say stuff,” He told her miserably, not meeting her eye. “They say mean stuff ‘cause I’m…’cause ‘m darker than everyone else.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “That doesn’t make you ‘odd’ at all, Rolf, I promise.”

“But…But…” A few tears tricked down his face. “The other children…they make fun of me ‘cause I’m darker, a-and…and they said that…”

Oh, Tina had heard some of the things said about Rolf; he was the youngest of their grandchildren, a surprise given that their son Leo hadn’t been planning on children, but still very much loved and adored. She’d seen some of the things written in the papers by journalists, however – it was mostly lies fabricated for the sake of drama, lies that so-called ‘famous author’ Newt Scamander was disappointed that his son had married a woman he’d met on his travels in Nigeria, that Rolf was quite literally the ‘black hippogriff of the family’. Fabricated stories of themselves, Newt and Tina both found funny to some degree because of the ridiculousness of them – but ones about their grandchildren were, of course, crossing the line and extremely inappropriate.

“You don’ love me as much as the others!” Rolf cried, fingers clutching at her clothes.

“Don’t be silly,” Tina sighed, rubbing his back with soothing circles in the hopes of calming him down. “We love you very much – just as much as the others. Your skin has nothing to do with anything.”

He pushed his face against her collarbone, shoulders shaking. “No, you don’t…’cause I’m darker than everyone else, ‘cause ‘m not like Bram or Mari or the others-”

“Rolf, dear, look at me,” Tina interrupted steadily, and she waited until he lifted his eyes to her. “You’re no different to Bram, Mari and the others, not in that way at least – you’re all wonderful in your own ways, and we wouldn’t trade any of you for anything… You’re just like your grandfather too, you know.”

He wiped his nose on his sleeve again, looking rather unconvinced. “How?”

“Well…for one thing, you’ve both got the unruliest hair I’ve ever seen,” She teased fondly, and he let a giggle slip when she mussed his hair. “And you both love magical creatures – I think Zippy, especially, is very taken with you...”

The Kneazle mewled in agreement, watching from his perch on the armrest as his tail flicked happily. Rolf was smiling somewhat sheepishly.

“You’re covered in freckles, just like your Grandpa Newt,” Tina continued affectionately, and he laughed quietly when she bopped his freckled nose. “And, to add, I love the both of you very much.”

“Oh, I love you too, Nana!” Rolf announced, throwing his arms around her.

She was beaming affectionately as she embraced him, squeezing tightly. “I know you do, Rolf. Now, don’t forget what I’ve told you: no matter what anyone else tells you, me and Grandpa Newt love you very much – and nothing will ever change that.”

Rolf was sat on the bed, as expected, back against the wall and face buried into his pillow as he cried loudly. Newt sighed before walking into the room, wondering what he could say that could possibly make the situation any better.

The next person he heard implying that Rolf was different or unwanted because he was “coloured” would be hexed, he vowed – Tina was still rather handy with those kinds of spells, after all, and he was certain that she’d have no problems whatsoever hexing such people.

“Rolf,” He muttered, tucking his hands into his trousers as he debated what to say.

He didn’t need to; his grandson looked up, face tear-stained, and reached out his arms for some kind of comfort. Newt immediately scooped the boy into an embrace, settling on the edge of the bed as he cradled him; the tears soon started again, sobs muffled by the fabric of the Magizoologist’s shirt, and he waited patiently.

It wasn't fair, Rolf cried to him, tiny shoulders shaking; it wasn’t fair that he was the odd one out, that he didn’t fit because his mother was black and he was considerably darker-skinned than his cousins. He wanted to be normal, he told his grandfather miserably, shaking his head: he wanted to fit in with the rest of the family, wanted to stop having people stare at him like he was an animal in a zoo because he was different.

Eventually Rolf’s sobs quietened down into hiccups, and Newt gave a heavy sigh as he rubbed at his grandson’s back. “I know that you’re very upset – and I’m very angry that someone implied…well, they don’t matter,” He stated firmly. “I know what it’s like to not fit in; I was considered strange when I was younger too…I still am in some ways, I suppose.”

“I’m sorry,” Rolf mumbled, giving a loud sniffle. “I’m sorry I’m not white like you and Nana and Daddy and everyone else.”

No child deserved to be made to feel that way – it was awful, and his heart felt heavy inside of his chest. “Don’t be silly,” Newt tutted, fishing in his waistcoat pocket for something he could use to dry the tears from the child’s face. “There’s no need to be sorry at all – the ones who say things, now they’re the ones who should be sorry, not you.”

“I…I don’t fit in,” Rolf said unhappily, still pressed close to his grandfather. “I don’t look like a Scamander, that’s what someone said.”

“Now, that is ridiculous,” Newt scoffed in disbelief. “Why, you’re every inch a Scamander, I can assure you – while I’m not sure that’s something to be particularly thrilled about, I can tell you that you’re most definitely a part of this family. I mean, you have freckles and…and my awfully untidy hair… I’m afraid you’re most definitely a Scamander, whether you like it or not.”

They were both silent for a few minutes as Rolf calmed down, wiping his eyes but not moving from his perch on Newt’s knee; it was only when he’d finished drying his tears that he seemed to slump a bit, relaxing tiredly in his grandfather’s arms.

“Nana Tina said I’m like you,” Rolf muttered quietly, looking down at his hands.

“Hmm. Funny that,” Newt mused, grinning to himself. “I’ve always thought that you’re like your Nana Tina actually.”

His grandson looked puzzled by this admission. “How? I don’t look like Nana or do any of the stuff that she likes to do.”

“Well…you have her eyes,” Newt stated fondly. “Big brown eyes – and you smile exactly like her, Rolf.”

“I…I do?”

“Oh, yes,” The Magizoologist chuckled, patting the boy’s unruly hair. “Your Nana Tina has the most radiant and wonderful smile I’ve ever seen; when she really smiles, you know it because it makes you feel warm and loved – you have that same smile. Let me think now…ah, yes, you’re both very stubborn too, and – though she won’t admit it – very….ticklish!”

His grandson giggled as long fingers suddenly started to tickle at his belly, clearly trying to distract and cheer him up. “S-S-Stop, Grandpa!”

Newt grinned, pulling his hands away. “Alright, alright. Now, I think it’s time you got some rest, my lad – we’ve got an early start with the Graphorns tomorrow.”

Rolf pouted but gave a nod anyway, allowing his grandfather to tuck him underneath the blanketsl his eyes were wide as he examined Newt, curious. “Grandpa? You and Nana…you really love me as much as the others? You’re not saying that to make me feel better?”

“Of course we love you – just as much as the others,” Newt agreed fondly – though he didn’t dare say it aloud, his grandson was just like Tina in that they were both rather insecure in some ways. “Don’t worry, Rolf – after all, worrying means-”

“-you suffer twice,” Rolf yawned, closing his eyes and rolling onto his side. “I know, I know. G’ night, Grandpa Newt.”

Perhaps Tina was right – perhaps Rolf was more like him than he had thought.

I had no idea on Scamander grandchildren names (shrugs) Bram means ‘raven’ and Mari is short for ‘Mariposa’ which apparently means ‘butterfly’ (it has Spanish roots?) So, yeah, not sure if I’ll stick with these names, just used them for now. I’m also unsure as to which of my Scamander kids had children of their own (other than Leo, who is Rolf’s daddy in my fics).

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