19 November 1892 — Bartonburg; Eugene Scamander's Residence

Had anyone told Tilda years ago during her stint as Head Girl that she would eventually be flooing into the personal address of her beau who had been divorced and already had a child, she might have choked on her drink; not at the impropriety of doing such a brazen thing, but merely at the intimacy it implied. And yet here she was, tired and aching but refusing to sit down until she located Eugene. In all fairness, she'd exhausted every other option: his work had told her he was out, and when she reached the location he had been at, they'd told her he had finished not a quarter of an hour ago. Already tired from her assignment, Tilda had resolved to go to the place she knew he would eventually end up and stay put.

Which was how the witch found herself weary, with her carpetbag in hand and climbing from his floo into his sitting room. Brushing the residual dust off of her skirt, she took a refreshing -if not tired - breath, her lungs no longer at the mercy of the constant spinning due to floo travel. The place was quiet, and hopefully she wouldn't be discovered by the housekeeper - a thought that had completely escaped her attention as she paced the room.

A noise at the front told her someone was on their way in, and a quick discreet peek through the curtains told her it was Eugene. So when the lock clicked and she heard him close the door, Tilda rounded the corner and threw her arms around him. "Surprise!"

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SUITCASE

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Months had stretched on in Tilda's absence and Eugene was a little antsy, despite her letters promising she would indeed be home tomorrow. Work had been hectic and he knew he wanted to go home and get a decent night's sleep so he was awake enough to wait up as late as he needed to tomorrow to see her upon her return. Tonight he would spend some time with Theseus and eat a good dinner and crash early. Well, maybe after a drink and starting at the little velvet-lined box that was burning a hole into his desk in anticipation.

That was exactly what was on his mind as he strolled through the door, anticipating it to be his son who greeted him as he unlocked the door, which was silly as it was regrettably past his bedtime, but Eugene would make it up to him tomorrow. Without the distraction of work, he would need something to focus on while waiting for Tilda.

Except the next thing he knew, she was coming out of nowhere and wrapping her arms around him. He froze in disbelief, dropping his work bag on the floor in true surprise. It wore off quickly as he in turn curled his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. "Hello there," He murmured into her hair, both relieved and grateful to have her home.

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She laughed, hearing the thunk of his bag as he dropped it on the floor. Soon after, the feeling of his arms around her saw her sigh contentedly. Eventually she gave into the urge to bury her self into his embrace; he smelled like old leather and wood (and honestly a bit faintly of some sort of animal, but to Tilda it was home) and she inhaled as she felt a sense of calm settle over the exhaustion already threatening to keep her in his arms for eternity. "Hello, stranger." she responded, her voice equally muffled into his coat.

Eventually she pulled back but only slightly to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'm back." Of course it was obvious, but even though she was here in his arms it didn't feel quite real; at the same time she could have sworn she had never felt more complete. Narrowing her eyes as she gazed at him, her mouth ticked up in a grin before a pale hand came up to tousle through his locks. "Why do you have sawdust in your hair?"

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She had told him tomorrow, the twentieth, he swore it, had planned for it, had plans for it and yet she had surprised him! Eugene chuckled to himself, holding her close after what felt like far too long. He moved one hand to run his thumb along her cheek as she leaned back. Saw dust indeed fell between them as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Office reconstruction, we had a bit of a bit of a time with those tiny dragons at Hogwarts earlier this fall. They made a mess of things." He had wished she was there to see them, he rather thought she would have liked them.

"I missed you," He mumbled before he placed a soft kiss on her lips. This whole waiting game was frustrating to say the least, but now that she was home and all of his paperwork and finances were settled, it was finally over. Everything could go forward instead of being stuck in place. "Come with me," He reached down to pick up his bag, along with hers in one hand and tugged her down the hallway toward his study with the other. Not that his staff was nosey, he was certain they didn't even know she was here, nor should she be technically, well for at least for a few more moments it was improper, but he could fix that. Regardless, he wanted privacy for what he would like to happen next.

Once in his study, he closed the door gently behind them and set their bags down in front of the desk. A fire in the fireplace came next and he shrugged out of his coat, tossing it carelessly over the desk itself. Eugene found himself impatient over the short distance between them, finding it far too great, so he gathered her close once more and kissed her more soundly this time, relief at having her home overwhelming him.

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She would have made a comment upon the office construction, but the mention of dragons had quickly taken hold of her mind, and she looked up at him with renewed excitement. "The dragons! Are they still in —?" She was cut off immediately by a kiss from him, and it took all of her strength not to throw her arms around him again. It was no matter; the subject of baby dragons would wait. Possibly the only thing - the only person - in the world who would have been able to arrest Tilda's attention away from the tiny creatures had done so flawlessly just now, and she curled a hand around his neck.

When he led her down the hall, she went willingly. The longer they waited there, the more risk they posed at being caught, and so with a grin tugging at the corners of her lips, Tilda hastened after him. Her gaze remained firmly on his back as if he would disappear if she took her eyes off of him.

She gave him time to settle into his study as she fumbled with the buttons of her cloak. She'd been in this place before, but looked around with renewed curiosity. After all, it had been quite some time since she'd laid eyes on it and aside from being one of the places they had been able to retire to without the risk of being noticed, Tilda had missed the smell and sound of the crackling fireplace, the way the light hit the bookshelves, and most of all — him.

He'd just had his arms around her a few moments ago, and yet when he did so again, Tilda felt sparks ignite in her chest, and she eagerly met his lips with her own. She hadn't stepped foot in the Hebrides yet, and already she felt home.

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It was funny, the feeling that popped up as he pulled her in; he felt whole, finally. Though he would never stop her from pursuing her dreams, it was a relief to have her home and safe. Eugene hadn't truly realized just how much her missed her until she was back.

One arm wrapped around her waist and the other slid into her hair gently as he poured all the anxiety and relief into the kiss. Long forgotten was the exhaustion of the week, all he could focus on was her. Eugene managed to rein himself in after an indulgent moment, leaning back just enough to press his forehead to hers. "I have something for you." The niffler could wait, there were both sleeping in the cage at the moment anyway.

Moving away reluctantly, Eugene quickly came to terms with the fact this wasn't exactly how he'd planned to do this. It was fine though, just not as smooth as he wanted to it be. Pulling the small box from the top drawer of his desk, the ring itself wasn't too fussy, but he thought the blue of the stones echoed that of her eyes nicely and it would still be easy to wear while she worked, he hoped. "Now that you're home, I was hoping you would stay?" He opened the ring box gently, but waited to drop to one knee until he got a little of her reaction. It had been far too long getting here, but Eugene knew it had to be worth it.

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If it weren't for how much she felt that he loved her in his embrace, Tilda would have pouted once he pulled away. She'd never been one to be overly affectionate, yet that didn't seem to be a problem with Eugene. She followed him with her gaze, watching as he went to his desk. He'd mentioned surprises in his last letter; a cruel thing to do when she couldn't merely go to his place and try to convince him to tell her. Funnily enough once she'd resolved to surprise him at home, all thoughts of any surprises had faded into the background. She'd just wanted to see the surprised look on his face.

But now apparently it was her turn, and Tilda clasped her hands in anticipation as she grinned at him eagerly. Her eyes followed his hand, curious. Later when she told the story, she would blame sheer exhaustion for the fact that she hadn't already realized what it was by the time he stopped in front of her. Being met with the sight of the blue stone winking up at her, Tilda gaped first at the box then at him, then back at the box. She didn't even remember to cover her mouth like Matron had tried to get her to do thousands of times in the previous months.

"Eugene...." She whispered, unsure if she was able to utter anything else. Before she could gather anything else to say to him, her eyes stung hot and she finally brought her hand up to wipe away the tears. "Oh Merlin!" Once she'd started crying, the tears didn't seem to stop, aided by the exhaustion that was finally hitting her. But now instead of the bone-tired fatigue that had threatened to put her to sleep on Eugene's couch before he got home, it was aided by sheer joy; at the fact that all they had waited for was finally finally here.

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Eugene had held his breath from the moment he opened the box. Her reaction was not disappointing however, and he grinned from ear to ear, chuckling a little as she burst into tears. That he hadn't been expecting, perhaps she was more tired than he was. Eugene took that as his cue to remove the ring from the box and dip down to one knee. He looked up at her, still grinning, but softened a little as he took her hands. This was such a long time coming that words couldn't really relay the appreciation he had for her continued patience and dedication to seeing this through.

"This is not how I planned to do this at all, as you decided to surprise me a day early, but I don't want to wait any longer. Mathilda Rowena MacFusty, will you marry me?" Phew, it felt like a huge weight lifted off his shoulders just finally being able to say that aloud. He didn't exactly fear her response, they had discussed the future often enough, but now that it was finally here he found himself anxiously waiting her answer anyway.

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Oohh, she’d tried not to sniff too loudly, or to let her sobs of joy interrupt his speech. She’d brought up a hand to her mouth in shock, but immediately withdrew it once she saw him reaching for her hands. She was never one to remain quiet though, and gave a gasp of dismay that she’d ruined his proposal plans. But at her core, this was all she needed. It had been a long few months, and all she’d wanted to do was come home and see him. This way, it was guaranteed that she would always come home to him. “Yes, of course I will!” She cried finally, not waiting for him to pull the ring out. Half out of exhaustion, half out of impatience, she surged forward to throw her arms around him once more. There was no getting back up without his help now, but it was hardly a concern of hers.

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Eugene hadn't quite been ready for her sudden onslaught of emotions, or the fact that she flung herself at him before he could even put the ring on her finger. He caught her easily enough, from his steady position on the floor, but they sank into a pile of skirts and limbs as he managed to keep them from at least falling completely over.

Wrapping his arms around her, he settled into something more comfortable, thankful the sturdy armchair in his study could support him leaning against it. Gathering her in close, he chuckled. Though this wasn't exactly how he had envisioned everything going, she didn't seem too put out by the informality of it all, as she'd quite heartily agreed. Giving her a moment to collect herself, Eugene marveled at how he'd gotten here.

"Would you like this?" How he hadn't dropped the ring or the box in that process was a miracle, but he finally managed to separate the two and hold the ring in her field of vision. He wanted it on her finger, one because it belonged there and two, it needed to be somewhere where the nifflers couldn't pilfer it.

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For all that Tilda knew if any of the staff walked in on them, they’d see their master amongst a pile of skirts and frizzy red hair with Eugene in the center. It was certainly the fatigue from her time abroad that caused her to shed more than a few tears, but she hardly cared. The witch swiped at her cheeks to clear her vision in order to look at the ring clearly. Her jaw dropped. Though it was her first time seeing it, she recognized it quite clearly — he’d managed to take the vivid blue of the Hebridiean Sea and bottle it up into a gem. “Yes, I would love it.” She managed to get out, almost reverently as she held her hand out for him to put it on. Even though it was clearly blue, it was easy to see how it held plenty other colors; greens, pinks, purples.

A thought suddenly struck her as she stared at it, somewhat mesmerized. “How did you keep it away from Ginger and the others?” There was no way that this likely hadn’t been stolen at least once by her favorite little creature. Her eyes darted about around the office as she now just realized that the little tyrant was no where to be found.

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Eugene couldn't help but to chuckle, nor could he wipe the grin from his face as she mopped up her tears and let him slide the ring onto her finger where it belonged. It was charmed to fit no matter what, so he hoped that was working alright. "I made the box very plain and locked." Eugene shrugged. Keeping it away from her hadn't been too tricky. "Not to mention she's been busy with the babies."

The cage was on the other side of his study, where they were presumably still sleeping under there. It was locked pretty well as an added security measure. "There were four, I found homes for the three boys, but I kept the wee female for you too, if you want her." He smiled softly down at Tilda, taking in the exhaustion clear on her features. Gently he swept some of her wayward hair from her face and kissed her forehead. He could certainly get used to this level of comfort and closeness from here on out.

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“Babies!” Every thought immediately exited her brain and she blinked up at him. Ginger had babies? Was this the other surprise that he said he had in store for her, or was it something else? And she got to keep one! Regardless if it was the surprise in question, Tilda still beamed up at him, fresh tears threatening to spill over. She thought that her surprise return would have been the only surprise for the day, and yet here was a third. “Yes, I want her!” Merlin, if Eugene was holding back on anything else he wanted to ask her that he wanted an affirmative response, today was the day. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to say no.

And here, Tilda was torn between staying in his arms and the itching desire to get up and go see the baby niffler. “Who did the others go to?”

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Well, despite the timing, his surprises were at least going over well, even if she looked like she would fall asleep at any minute. "A couple of friends, Lissington and Morgan. I found an interested breeder for the big one." There was no way he could keep up with them. They had already squeezed out of the cage and caused chaos throughout the house. It was a wonder they hadn't escaped completely and pulled the same stung Ginger had when she was a pup.

"Lissington plans to name his Phil. I always think it's so funny when people give their pets people names." Then again, he'd gotten himself in some amusing situations a time or two by calling out Ginger in the presence of a redhead, Tilda included. "Have you eaten? Have you even been home?" Eugene could see the exhaustion on her features and he wanted to make sure she wasn't overextending herself, as much as he wanted to keep her here.

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Elation at the thought of going to see her new baby niffler was slightly stifled by the baby niffler name, and Tilda wrinkled her nose. She’d surely she’d heard that name incorrectly… “Phil?” She echoed, blinking in confusion. Who named their pet Phil, unless it was a nickname for something? “What an odd name for a baby niffler,” She quietly mused to herself, now completely consumed with coming up with a better name for her own niffler. Perhaps, she thought ruefully as she thought back to the Pumpkin Races, not something that people might mistake for a rather brazen nickname should she need to call it out in public.

Eugene’s following questions completely derailed her train of thought. “Eaten?” And suddenly her stomach grumbled quite loudly, as if on cue. Tilda had to blink rapidly to clear the sudden dizziness. “Ah, I actually haven’t.” She replied, before adding: “Haven’t done either.” She had a feeling she should do at least one of these things.

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Eugene could only chuckle. He thought the name Phil was a little odd too, but Gus had seemed certain, so who was he to argue? Who was to say Ginger wasn't weird either? Eugene thought at least it sounded like a pet name and not a person name. He was curious to see what Tilda would name hers.

However— "Let's get you something to eat and then we can go from there." Loathe as he was to let her leave, he knew she should go home and see her family and engagement or not, it wasn't like she could stay. Drawing it out with some dinner or a snack, whatever it was she wanted, would be a good place to start.

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