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English
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Part 1 of The Shadow
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Published:
2017-06-22
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2017-06-24
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2/2
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The Shadow

Summary:

When criminal activity in New York city dropped and reports of similar things happening across the continent Percival Graves knew that something big was headed their way. Then the whispers of a shadow started up. He was determined to get to the bottom of it and succeed in uncovering the seemingly invisible criminal mastermind. Even if the British, French, Italian and Egyptians had already tried and failed.

Notes:

Not beta read.
Characters do not belong to me - only the typos and mistakes.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Something was up. The whole department could feel it, the criminals were quiet across the city, reports came trickling in that it was a similar story in other parts of the country. It set Graves on edge. The fact that all of a sudden crime rates were dropping without any input from the law enforcement could only mean one thing. Something was coming. Something big, something which had all of the underworld cowering and hiding away. Even when Grindelwald came he didn’t have such an extensive effect. If anything his arrival heralded a new wave of violence against the non-wizarding world. So whatever was coming from over the ocean had to be much worse than Grindelwald. And it was definitely coming.

There wasn’t really a worse time Newt could have come for a visit. Graves was close to tearing his hair out at the lack of information. Even the usual informants refused to speak no matter the size of the bribes and threats. He was meant to be showing Newt around New York and taking a few days off to enjoy the company. Instead Graves was cooped up in his office, pouring over the gaps in details and desperately hoping that something would jump out at him from the void. The whole department was on edge and there was nothing for anyone to do. Small petty crimes still occurred but nothing that required their meticulous planning and usual meetings. It got to the stage where even the archives of closed cases were ordered, corrected and the aurors were mostly just sat idly behind their desks reading.

In the meantime Newt was happily gliding through the city, oblivious to the sudden drop in crimes. He clapped delightedly at the sights, took obvious enjoyment from sightseeing and was a ray of sunshine in the suddenly dull lives of the aurors. The whole department began to take turns taking Newt out, they tried to outdo each other for making Newt coo in excitement. So far the biggest successes had been the Central Park Zoo – especially when Graves revealed in confidence to Newt that they were working on a wizarding extension to house magical creatures. There were days though when Newt would happily entertain himself and went off on solo adventures. His stories from those days were vague with very little information on where he’d actually been. It was typical Newt fashion, not sure where he’d been or how he got there but he certainly wasn’t bored.

Finally there was a breakthrough. It was just a code name one of the informants had stuttered out before terror overtook him. The Shadow. Graves stared at the name. Who in their right mind would call themselves The Shadow? From there on their interrogations of criminals became more directed but it was like wringing water from a rock. The information they did end up with was just as useless and shrouded in secrecy as the name. As far as the department could tell The Shadow originated from somewhere in Europe but had far reaching arms. There were whispers that nobody had lived to see the face behind the name. Which was ridiculous because how else would they have become so infamous in the underworld? Whoever they were, they obviously had a network of contacts that spanned most of the globe. An idea blossomed in Graves’ mind. He took a pinch of the powder on the mantelpiece and quickly considered his options.

The fireplace roared to life and he flung the powder carelessly into the flames. Once the smoke had cleared he half stepped into the flames which licked at his clothes without any heat. Graves blinked a few times as another room came into view and cleared his throat. The room’s occupant looked up with a frown before a smile spread over his broad features.

“Graves, old man. It’s been a while. How are things?” Theseus grinned.

“Theseus.” Graves greeted stiffly. “What can you tell me about The Shadow?”

Immediately the smile fell from Theseus’ face.

“Not a lot. We’re not even sure if such a person exists. Why do you ask?”

Briefly Graves explained the situation his department had been in and Theseus nodded along with a small frown. Once Graves was finished Theseus let out a low whistle and looked away.

“Enjoy the lull. That’s all I can advise. Trying to hunt down this Shadow is a road that only leads to madness. We’ve tried and got nowhere. France gave it a go not long after us and they didn’t get anywhere. Don’t even ask what happened to the Italians and Egyptians.” Theseus laughed bitterly.

“So nobody has any idea of who this is?”

“Rumours. That’s all we have. Whispers in dark alleys. Some say The Shadow is the bogeyman of the criminal world. That he doesn’t actually exist and criminal families use The Shadow as a thin veil for the enforcement of their laws. But if you want my opinion then that’s not the case. It just doesn’t quite fit with the stories. I think The Shadow is a person. A very guarded one at that. They sit above the families and the mafias of the world as an almost benevolent ruler. They don’t interfere too much with the goings of the criminals but there seems to be an unspoken set of rules even criminals have to obey. If they don’t, they disappear. Without a trace. Nobody knows where they go, there’s no crime scene left behind, no gruesome murder. Not even a body discovered floating in some foreign sea many months later. Just, nothing. As though the very shadows of the city had swallowed them up.”

“I don’t care if they are benevolent or not. A criminal is a criminal and they’re coming to America. I will not tolerate anyone terrorising the citizens of my country. Not even the criminals.” Graves’ mouth was pressed into a thin line.

“You sound just like I did all those years ago. I wish you good luck my friend. Just don’t come crying to me unless you want to hear me say I told you so.” Theseus’s smile fell short of his eyes but Graves ignored him. He said his thanks and left as abruptly as he appeared. In his office he grimly looked at his desk. He had a little more information now, all he had to do was get his aurors together and they’ll figure it all out. They were the best of the best after all. One devious, lonely mind was nothing compared to the might of the entire department.

Over the following few days they set up a board in the main area of the department and had pins running through with various labels. It didn’t matter how small or irrelevant the information seemed it still went up there. Newt had returned from one of his trips – this time he told fantastic tales about Frank who had found his way home to the Arizona desert. It was a pleasant distraction but finally the department had something to do again so they didn’t have as much time for him. Graves found Newt staring at the giant board with a curious expression. They stood shoulder to shoulder and admired the work together. A thought niggled at Graves.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about this Shadow character, do you? After all, you’re more likely to integrate with smugglers and criminals to save a creature than we go on undercover missions.”

Newt pondered the board quietly with a hum. Then with a blinding smile he turned to Graves.

“Only smatterings of details. I don’t really talk about such things with people on my journeys.”

“Anything you could add to this? Or any thoughts on how he does away with his victims?”

Before Newt could elaborate Picquery’s patronus swept into the room.

“All aurors to the meeting room immediately. This in an emergency meeting.” It intoned seriously and swept back out to find any other aurors not in the vicinity. Graves gave Newt a tight lipped smile and stepped away from the board.

The meeting room was a chaotic mess. Members from every department were crammed in and nobody paid Newt any heed as he slipped into the throng. Picquery stood at the head of the table and the room fell silent.

“Thank you all for coming. I have just received some grave news. Grindelwald has escaped his confines in Azkaban. It seems highly likely that he is trying to make his was back to America to exact revenge.”

A murmur rippled through the room and Graves felt like his shirt shrunk a size round his neck. The room was suddenly too hot yet chills ran down his spine. Picquery found his gaze when she next spoke.

“That means he’s coming for you.” People subconsciously shuffled away from him. He was a marked man and nobody wanted to be caught in the crossfire when Grindelwald eventually caught up with him.

A hand landed on the small of his back and it took every ounce of self-control not to flinch at the contact. He looked to his side as Newt stepped up next to him.

“We’ll be ready for him this time.”

Graves could have wept at the quiet confidence the man next to him oozed. He wasn’t even a trained auror yet he was willing to take on the greatest dark wizard of their time along with him. It didn’t seem right though. Someone who wasn’t even a member of his department, heck, not even a member of MACUSA or an American citizen at that. Someone who didn’t owe him anything and he still stepped up to help him when everyone else shied away. The reassuring smile Newt directed at him helped Graves settle.

The rest of the meeting was short, details were once again sparse and slowly trickling in. There wasn’t a lot to say once the news had sunk in and everyone returned to their respective departments in a daze. For a few days nothing further happened. Newt still went gallivanting off after reported creature sightings and kept himself generally well entertained while the aurors tried to tackle the sudden rise in violence that accompanied the escape of Grindelwald.

The first informant to appear at MACUSA was a timid looking man with shifty eyes. He asked for immunity in exchange for information on the potential location of a Grindelwald rally. Graves assured him that should the information prove accurate then the informant will be granted protection from any backlash should his identity be discovered by Grindelwald fanatics. For some reason the informant didn’t look any less anxious but Graves left it at that.

Over the following week a series of regular and new informants stepped forward, each of them more nervous than the other and all just asked for protection in exchange for information. Something was off and Graves couldn’t figure out what it was. Usually MACUSA had to pay dearly for such information yet here were a handful of shady characters and all they wanted was protection. He knew Grindelwald was feared but this was taking it too far. It was only when the sixth informant was shivering and glancing around the cell that Graves gained the crucial missing piece of information. The poor soul sat in the chair was such a nervous wreck, muttering to themselves about Grindelwald and other things when a word caught Graves’ attention.

“Did you say something about a shadow?” Graves probed. The informant looked at him wide eyed and shook his head.

“I’m sure you said shadow. Something like “his shadow is cast over us all, Merlin have mercy on those deemed unworthy.” Graves glanced down at the charmed quill taking down everything that was said. “In fact, I know you said that. You mentioned a shadow a grand total of seven times in the last ten minutes. I’m going to need everything you know about this.”

The informant shook his head again and continued to mumble. Graves looked down at the parchment and frowned.

“His reach is not human. He will know if I’ve talked. His shadow will consume us all.”

Graves shook his head and sighed. The man made no sense but he still came forward with valuable information. They almost had enough to mount an assault against Grindelwald. With another few days to prepare they might have a good chance of capturing not just the man but a good portion of his followers too. Graves left the blubbering wreck that was to informant to return to his subordinates. They had plans to make.

He didn’t mention the possibility of The Shadow sending the informants their way. Part of him was unsettled by the idea that those people were more frightened of an unknown threat than Grindelwald. Just what power did this Shadow wield to exert such a hold over a country he’d only recently arrived in? It bothered Graves and left him with the bitter taste of worry but he didn’t need his aurors to be distracted. They were going to try and take down the darkest wizard of the generation. There was no need to burden them with an additional threat. Instead he asked Theseus if he’d be able to spare any of his team. The more hands on deck for this the better. The man himself turned up with half a dozen aurors. Their arrival wasn’t heralded throughout MACUSA, they were quietly ushered in from the apparition point and brought up to speed.

Newt was there to greet his brother with a firm hug but worry pinched his eyes. He’d voiced his disapproval at both Graves and Theseus going into the fray. Instead of reassuring him Theseus invited Newt along with high praise of his duelling skills and faith in his abilities. While Graves resisted the idea and even Newt seemed reluctant there was no denying that another wand would be helpful in the inevitable fight. So it was settled that Newt would join the second wave of aurors to help secure the rally.

A few days more and they were surrounding the mansion where the gathering was to be held. They were early, Grindelwald’s supporters were still arriving but it enabled them to listen in the on the bustle of conversation as they prepared for their meeting.

“My Lord, are you sure this is a wise idea?” someone asked.

“Of course.” Grindelwald sneered. “You don’t believe in the children’s stories, do you?”

“No my lord. Just. The messenger said the Shadow sends his greetings. And we all know what happened to those who were greeted by The Shadow.”

Grindelwald laughed. It was from the belly, full of confidence and condescending.

“The Shadow?” he chortled. “You really believe those stories? They’re nothing but scary stories the petty criminals tell each other to warn off from jobs they want. You really think that messenger was from Shadow? They were a stooge from MACUSA I swear. If this mystical Shadow really existed then he’d have shown himself by now. After all, surely he’d want powerful allies and not just petty criminals who quiver in their boots at the mere mention of his name.”

Footsteps faded from their hearing as the charm’s limits were reached. Part of Graves was oddly bereft at the idea that the Shadow had reached out to Grindelwald. Theseus next to him looked lost in thought.

“I don’t like this.” He muttered eventually and glanced up at Graves. “Something feels off here.”

“As much as I want to agree, this is our only chance. And nothing has happened that means we shouldn’t go ahead. A gut feeling isn’t enough. But I feel it too.” Graves murmured back, unwilling to let anyone else hear his doubts. Theseus nodded and squared his shoulders.

“We go in at your command.”

They should have trusted their gut feelings. The aurors were vastly outnumbered. The second wave that was meant to mop up stragglers was rounded up as soon as the first wave was surrounded. They were all ushered into to the great hall of the mansion where Grindelwald stood smug as he observed the captured groups. His eyes roamed over them all, briefly making eye contact with each auror before settling on Graves.

“I was so hoping to see you again.” He purred. “Come here and join me.” He pointed at the ground next to him but Graves didn’t move. “I don’t think you heard me. I said come here.” Grindelwald’s eyes narrowed but Graves still didn’t move. With a dramatic sigh Grindelwald pulled his wand out.

“I had so hoped it wouldn’t come to this.” he announced at large. He pointed his wand at Graves. There was a movement at the edge of the captured group which stilled his hand. Instead he watched curious as the seemingly innocuous magizoologist slipped to the front of the group. A sneer pulled at Grindelwald’s lips.

“I see you’ve got yourself a loyal pet. What have you trained him to do? Beg? Offer to take your place?”

Graves looked at Newt imploringly. He was meant to be safe in the second group, ensconced amongst the aurors who were meant to keep an eye on him. Newt wasn’t meant to be at the forefront of their group, facing off against the dark wizard. A quick glance at Theseus was enough to see his emotions reflected back at him. This was never meant to happen. Grindelwald must have picked up on their worry because he smiled and the wand was pointed at Newt. Who didn’t flinch, instead he stood tall at stared unblinking at Grindelwald.

“Aren’t you afraid of The Shadow, Mr. Grindelwald?” he asked pleasantly. It was almost conversational, the small curl of his lips, his straight back and almost predatory gaze. Grindelwald laughed again.

“I have no fear of something that never materialises.”

“No fear doesn’t mean an excuse to be rude, does it?”

Graves stared in horror at Newt, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the impending doom. Next to him Theseus was torn between reaching for his brother and covering his eyes. He knew Newt had a reckless streak a mile wide but taunting a dark wizard was beyond stupid.

“After all, it is so terribly rude to tear a message up.”

Grindelwald’s smile faltered.

“How did you know about that?” he growled, hand tightening around his wand.

“You were warned Mr. Grindelwald. You’ve been a terrible thorn in my side recently.”

A gasp erupted from Theseus and the realisation hit Graves not soon after. Newt never spared them a glance.

“There is honour even amongst thieves yet you callously and bullheadedly charged on without any heed to the warnings, to the rules. Yes. Even the underworld has rules.” Newt growled. He had a mirthless smile and a cold flat stare locked onto Grindelwald. “You’ve been a pesky little shit.”

Grindelwald paled. He took a step back as Newt took one towards him.

“You?” he gasped in disbelief.

“Me. So tell me this, Mr. Grindelwald, what are we going to do with you?” Newt nodded, his coat billowed behind him despite the lack of wind.

“But you’re…” Grindelwald was lost for words. It was a first that Graves would have savoured were he not in a state of absolute shock.

“Yes. Nobody thinks a bumbling creature lover could possibly command the criminal world. But do you know how many smuggling rings I’ve bust? How many criminals I’ve apprehended? After a while it became tiresome. I couldn’t possibly hope to personally save all the creatures. No. I needed order in the world, limits and rules. And anybody who broke the rules got a warning. If they continued in their errant ways, well, they got a rather personal visit. And you, Mr. Grindelwald have been a very naughty little boy.”

Grindelwald gulped. The billowing of Newt’s coat stopped as a black cloud slithered down from the hem slowly. In a blink Grindelwald drew his arm back. The green light of the killing curse blinded everyone while Graves and Theseus let out twin shouts of dismay. They were blinking the afterimages from their eyes when a huff of humourless laughter pulled their attention back.

Where they’d expected Newt’s lifeless body to have fallen was an oozing black blanket that hovered and shifted restlessly, reared up like a shield in front of Newt. Grindelwald gasped.

“I told you Mr. Grindelwald. Rudeness will not be tolerated.”

Another barrage of curses flew from Grindelwald’s wand, each more panicked than the last. The black blanket absorbed them all as Newt stood passively regarding it all.

“Are you quite done?” he asked when Grindelwald took a breath. One more curse flew towards him futilely. “As you know, we’ve set up anti-apparition wards so you’re trapped.”

“For Merlin’s sake you useless bunch of tardy fools, do something!” Grindelwald yelled at his followers.

“Nobody move.” Newt all but growled. “Remember that no light is strong enough to dispel a shadow forever.”

The followers who had moved to defend their leader hesitated, wands half raised.

“Everyone put your wands down.” Newt’s voice was cold, harsh and terrifying in its empty cruelty. Grindelwald watched with wide eyes as his followers obeyed. He snarled and raised his wand for another onslaught of spells.

“I wouldn’t do that.” Newt warned him as the black seething mass advanced on Grindelwald. His caution went unheeded.

“You leave me no choice when you’re being so unreasonable. I had rather hoped to make you see sense.”

The room as one watched in morbid fascination as the seemingly slow oozing blackness all but leapt at Grindelwald at Newt’s sharp whistle. There was no sound as the blackness swelled around the dark wizard and enveloped him before rapidly shrinking down to its previous size and trickled back to Newt. Where Grindelwald had been was just empty space. Newt smiled down at the inky thick smoke and reached for the wand it had carried back. As Newt studied the wand the creature took up its residence in his coat again, providing the black lining everyone was so used to seeing. A small huff and Newt stashed the wand in his pocket before glancing at his captive audience with a meek smile.

“I think our troubles should be over now.” As docile as he sounded his smile was still razor sharp as he winked at his brother and Graves.

Chapter 2

Notes:

Not beta read.
Characters do not belong to me - only typos and mistakes.

Inspired by the lovely reilaroo, aliaaaaaa and ladymischief because they all wanted to see Theseus and Graves' reaction to discovering Newt is The Shadow.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The metal of the chair was cold against Newt’s shirt clad back. He leant back all the same and watched the two men on the other side of the table. His brother paced at the back of the room, occasionally glancing at him while Graves just stood and studied him with a carefully blank look. Neither of them flinched when Theseus spun on his heels with a growl.

“It’s been you? All along?” he growled before resuming his strides up and down the length of the small room like a caged lion.

“Newt,” Graves’ voice was soft, uncharacteristically broken for such a stoic man, “I’m not sure you appreciate how much trouble you’re in right now.”

“Am I?” Newt’s reply was haughty but he took no pride in watching Graves step back as if he’d been slapped.

“What were you thinking?” Theseus interrupted without a care. “You? King of the underworld? Was this some kind of joke to you? Did you think it would be funny?”

“No.” Newt replied flatly as he stared at his brother.

“Then please tell me why? This is a ridiculous stunt I would have expected from some hare brained maniac, not you.”

“Because something had to be done.”

“That’s what the law enforcement is for!” Theseus cried and it seemed to shake something loose in Graves. He stepped forward and leant onto the table.

“Your brother is right. Laws are there for a reason. To protect people. You cannot go taking the law into your own hands because you think you know better.”

“And if I do?” Newt admitted to himself that he sounded like a petulant child. But if the two opposite him were going to treat him as one then he might as well act the role. “Do you know how much I achieved? That neither of you ever could being the law abiding men you are?”

Theseus froze to look at him, cold fury pouring off him in waves.

“Don’t you lecture me about laws and what we’ve achieved.” he spat.

“Then trust me to know what I’m doing. Do you know what happened when I followed the law? Took criminals to the appropriate authorities. Gave statements, evidence. Most of them got a slap on the wrist and released back to reoffend.”

“How can you expect someone to be arrested on the word of one foreigner with a case full of illegal beasts?” Graves asked.

“How could you not arrest someone who was handed to you with child trafficking allegations?” Newt’s eyes pierced through Theseus. “I trusted you to do the right thing. I tried. But do you know what I got for my efforts? A terrified little girl who thought her life was about the change. It sure changed when he came back and killed her. You couldn’t protect her.”

“It doesn’t give you an excuse to straight up murder someone though. If you kill a murderer in the name of justice you don’t reduce the number of criminals in the world. You replace them.” Graves intoned.

“But that’s only if I kill just the one. You don’t want to know how many I have killed.”

“Is that a confession?” Graves asked with a weariness that made him sound old all of a sudden.

“No. It’s just a fact. The same as the knowledge that I would do it all again and continue doing it if it helps the innocent.”

Silence filled the room and Newt watched the two men, his brother was back to pacing while his lover just stared at him mournfully.

“You won’t get a chance to continue.” Graves said quietly, voice tinged with remorse.

“Now wait a minute!” Theseus rounded on Graves with a fierce frown. “What’s that meant to mean?”

“He’s a criminal, Scamander.” Graves said tightly, completely devoid of emotion which gave Newt enough insight into his mind. “He’s just admitted to murder. On American soil. We saw him do it. As much as I want to I can’t bend the laws for him.” There was the quiver in his voice, the way he didn’t quite look at Newt.

“No. The Ministry won’t allow it.” Theseus vehemently argued.

“Would you rather he be sent to Azkaban? For a lifetime of misery? He’s only young and you know he’ll never be acquitted.” Graves for the first time in his life looked close to tears. “I’m only trying to find the kindest solution.”

Newt watched with mild interest as the two men stared at each other. He saw when realisation hit Theseus, the way he sagged, a hand coming up to cover his face while Graves looked on.

“No. There’s got to be another way out.” he mumbled but the fight had drained out of him. He peered at Newt, hand pressed to his mouth and eyes wild with worry. Graves himself stood eerily still, hands hanging loosely at his side, shoulders slightly slumped and helpless.

“He could break free.” Theseus whispered.

“Please don’t make me run like some common criminal.” Newt sneered in disdain. “I do not wish to be hunted around the world like some dog.”

“Is there any other option?” Theseus too was close to crying as Newt leant back in his chair and watched the two men slowly lose their composure.

“Why did you do it? Help me understand.” Theseus rounded the table and squatted next to Newt imploringly. He reached for Newt’s hand which he pulled away and tamped down his frown.

“Because nobody else would. And I only removed those who stood in my way.” Newt said softly. He wasn’t comfortable with all this mourning while he was very much alive.

“But why not just remove all the criminals then? Why only some? Why decide to rule over them?”

Newt laughed bitterly.

“You didn’t want to create a power vacuum, did you? Because there’s always someone willing to slither up the chain and fill the gaps. It would have been a never ending struggle. Rather, keep those you could control, let them have a degree of freedom but you wouldn’t hesitate to deliver retribution if they stepped out of line. Like Grindelwald.”

“Give the man a medal.” Newt’s grin was sharp. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“This is no time to joke.” Graves snapped. “This is your life we’re talking about. And believe it or not we desperately care about you.”

“Thank you.” Newt looked at them with a serene smile then pulled out his pocket watch. “But you needn’t worry. In five minutes the entire department will have forgotten I’m one and the same as the notorious Shadow they’ve spent the last several weeks trying to identify. And I shall be on my merry way.”

“What?!” Graves roared and Theseus let out a wounded sound.

“So the way I see it,” Newt continued coolly, “I should be walking out of here without any real issues unless you two are going to kick up a fuss?”

“How will you achieve that? We’ve confiscated your case, your coat and wand. You’re completely harmless, couldn’t even obliviate the department if you wanted to.”

“A great magician never reveals his secrets.” Newt smirked and got a groan out of Theseus. There was a knock on the door and Tina stuck her head through the door.

“Newt, you’ve left your things lying around again. I’ll just leave your things by the door for when you’re done with your meeting.” she deposited his case, coat and want by the wall.

“Thanks Tina.” Newt was his carefree bumbling self again. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Lose my head if it weren’t screwed on probably.”

Tina closed the door behind her with a chuckle. The two men standing in the room stared at Newt as though he’d grown two heads and subconsciously moved away from the coat. He eyed them with a knowing look and glanced at his coat.

“You needn’t worry about Lucy, she’s perfectly harmless.”

“Lucy? Is that the thing that lives in your coat? What is it?” Graves asked him yet Theseus answered.

“A lethifold. You actually went and not only found one but tamed it. How on earth, Newt?”

“Quite simply actually. I asked her nicely.”

Theseus let out a hysterical laugh.

“You asked her. Nicely. Only you.” He laughed again. “Fine keep your secrets.”

“I think you have a lot of explaining to do. And quickly. Because as much as I love you, this is way too much for me to handle rationally right now.” Graves interrupted. Newt waved his hands at the man.

“Release me from these chains and I’ll explain.” With a huff Graves waved his wand and the chains, which were looped through the table, fell away. Newt stood and stretched with a groan then went to gather his things. Almost thoughtlessly he shrugged his coat on as the two men watched the black lining settle against his back like a mantle. It wafted gently in a non-existent breeze, like a content cat swishing its tail as it slept. Newt popped the lid of his case open.

“Thank you for your help.” He said kindly to the empty air and held out a treat. The air in front of him shimmered and a demiguise appeared. “Please would you get two cups of coffee down here? You can have another treat if you do it without being seen.” The air shimmered as the creature turned invisible again. They watched as the door silently opened and shut before Newt straightened up, wand in his pocket.

“So, you know Dougal. He spiked the coffee and drinks in the whole department for me. Diluted swooping evil venom – will erase all memories of the rather, well, unfortunate incident. Your department will be none the wiser.” Newt’s smile was satisfied.

“Wait. That time back home. There were gaps in reports. Please tell me that wasn’t you.” Theseus cut in, eyes wide and pleading.

“You got too close. I had to bring the Sabini Gang to heel.” Newt shrugged. He watched Theseus stagger.

“If it helps at all, you chose to forget. And you’ll get a choice again.”

“What do you mean?” Graves interrupted.

“Dougal has gone to get two cups of coffee. If you drink it you’ll fall asleep and wake not remembering any of this. I trust you both enough to keep my secret. But do you trust yourselves?”

The door swung open and two steaming cups floated it. They were placed delicately on the table and a few seconds later the air in front of Newt shimmered.

“Thank you Dougal.” he said with a warm smile as he handed over a treat. It was taken from his hand and the demiguise saw himself back into the case.

“So, here are the cups. I think it’s time to choose. I won’t think any less of you if you want to forget.” Newt gestured to the cups. The two older men looked at each other.

“I’ve done this before you say?” Theseus asked and his brother nodded.

“Okay. Okay. I can’t. I don’t think I can live with the knowledge that you’re the one pulling the strings in the criminal world. I’d need to do something about it. Pester and push you for information. It wouldn’t be good for us. Would it?”

“No. Just the same as last time. It’s as easy as falling asleep.”

Theseus picked up the mug and saluted it to Newt. “This is for you little brother.” He downed the cup and Newt sidled up to him. He caught Theseus as he staggered and helped him to the ground. Taking the cup from his hand he softly murmured.

“Good night brother.” As he stood he looked at Graves.

“I don’t know.” the man sighed, defeated. “What will I remember if I drink it?”

“Not a lot. Nothing about discovering the identity behind Shadow. Nothing about the raid. Sure, there’ll be a paper trail but I can tie that up on my way out.” Newt said.

“Will I remember you?” the implied us went unsaid.

“Perhaps. I might be a bit blurry at the edges. You might not remember everything.”

“And you’d be okay with that?” Graves asked, a wobble in his voice. Newt stepped closer to him, mug in hand. He cradled Graves’ face in his palm and met his eyes head on.

“You, my darling is all that matters.”

“It’s just so much. You. I feel like I don’t know you all of a sudden.”

“Perhaps you don’t.” Newt looked at him with gentle eyes.

“I don’t think I could keep your secret. I’m sorry.” Graves looked down ashamed. A finger under his chin pulled him up though, revealing watery eyes.

“It’s okay.” Newt kissed him softly before pressing the mug into his hand and encouraging him to lift it to trembling lips. Like with his brother, Newt eased Graves to the ground. He gathered his things, grabbed the mugs from the table and walked to the door. With a final glance back at the two sleeping figures he shrugged and stepped through the door, letting it close softly behind him.

Notes:

Come say hi on tumblr - I'm @ladyoftheshrimp

Notes:

Come say hi on tumblr- I'm @ladyoftheshrimp

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