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Percival knew he would only be kept alive for as long as Grindelwald needed to extract his memories to allay any suspicion of him having been replaced by an imposter. Yet someone had to notice the differences, be suspicious of lapses of judgement or of knowledge in areas that hadn't been extracted. He learned later how Grindelwald had reassigned or replaced most of those who knew him best, leaving very little to chance. All of those most likely to question him were replaced by Grindelwald's henchmen, so no one else was even aware he had ordered the execution of one of Percival's top aurors and a visiting British wizard until long after the dust had settled following Grindelwald's capture.
Porpentina Goldstein had not deserved execution especially as, according to the reports he read while recovering, she had brought Scamander to Picquery's attention following an incident with a magical creature at a No-Maj bank. She had done her job in an exemplary fashion and should have been rewarded with reinstatement as an Auror. It was a miracle she had escaped the execution chamber, and by Tina's report it was certainly a close call, and for that he was grateful to the wizard who had provided that miracle in the form of a Swooping Evil. He liked Tina Goldstein, perhaps not in any romantic consideration but certainly thought of her as a gifted auror who would go far if she could learn to control her more compassionate impulses, especially towards the No-Maj. Though perhaps he had misjudged even that as it was the Second Salemer's boy who turned out to be the Obscurus threatening not just the wizarding community in the city.
As for that British wizard... Everyone in the Council knew of Newton Scamander's older, war hero brother, Theseus. He was the equivalent of Percival in the British Ministry of Magic so it was little wonder Grindelwald took such a daring risk in ordering the execution of the younger brother. No doubt Grindelwald intended to sow the seeds of discontent between the two wizarding communities, fueling the discord between those who wanted to hide their world from the No-Maj to avoid persecution, and those who wanted to 'take their rightful place' and be masters over the No-Maj world. Grindelwald learned to his cost that it was unwise to go up against any Scamander, especially one who had a suitcase full of magical beasts.
When Grindelwald refused to tell them what he had done with the real Percival Graves, once again Newton Scamander came to the rescue by setting free a creature that could follow a magical scent across a whole city. Newt had given the creature Percival's elegant ebony and silver wand - snatched from Grindelwald's hand by Tina's Summoning Spell - and it had followed the scent.
Percival had been unconscious when Grindelwald first captured him, waking up occasionally in a dank cellar but too weak from the Imperius Curse to save himself. When Newt assisted him from his cell to the surface he was surprised to find he had been kept imprisoned beneath the Statue of Liberty behind a secret wall leading to an area created using an undetectable extension charm. At least it was undetectable to those who did not know how to look for them, which did not include Newt Scamander as the wizard was - apparently - exceptionally skilled in that particular charm.
Percival did not get to truly meet and thank his rescuer until a year later. It took him a while to persuade Seraphina to allow Newt Scamander back into New York, and even then only with Percival's personal assurance that he would watch Scamander closely. Before he went with Tina to meet Scamander at the port all Percival could recall of his rescuer was a flash of a blue coat, messy reddish-brown hair, freckles, and kind hazel eyes. The blue coat had been replaced with a green one but otherwise he looked no different, if a little flustered at being met by MACUSA's Director of Magical Security. He held tightly to his brown case but Percival noted the catches had been replaced with shiny new ones. Hopefully that meant he could contain his magical creatures this time.
Once Percival assured him he was not there to confiscate his creatures Newt seemed to relax a little but Percival noticed he kept his eyes down, and yet he caught Newt throwing coy glances in his direction; the kind of appraising looks he had expected Newt to share with Tina. It was confusing but strangely welcoming. They ended up taking a detour to a small No-Maj bakery, and such was Percival's attention on Newt he did not notice the curious shapes of the baked goods until he was about to bite into something that resembled a coiled Occamy, right down to its beautiful turquoise and blue colored scales. Percival could never be accused of ignorance. He knew all about the No-Maj who had helped MACUSA capture Grindelwald but it was clear the man had not been totally obliviated.
He relieved Tina's poorly hidden anxiety by barely skipping a beat, biting down into the Occamy cake and declaring, "This is good!"
And it was good. Not too sweet, with the sponge subtly expanding in his mouth in a way that reminded him of how the Occamy tended to grow or shrink depending on the room around them. Later he decided he must have passed some test because Newt opened up a little more, meeting his eyes more frequently and engaging in conversation that mostly centered around his creatures but often strayed to Percival's likes and dislikes. Each morning for the next week he found a small cake from Jacob Kowalski's bakery sitting in the center of his desk. Today's cake had beady eyes, a snout, and was covered in chocolate flakes making it look like a Niffler. When he bit into it he found a golden cream filling, confirming his identification. Moments later Newt was at his door, sliding in when he bid him enter.
He looked a little anxious, glancing around Percival's office before carefully laying his case on the floor. Newt glanced between Percival and the Niffler cake.
"Would you like to meet the real creatures?"
Percival set the remainder of the cake down on his desk. As the Head of Magical Law Enforcement he could have demanded access to Newt's case the moment he stepped off the boat onto US soil, but Percival had made a promise to himself to respect Newt's privacy, wanting to apologize for MACUSA's actions last time Newt was in New York.
"I would be honored."
Newt's smile was worth all the waiting for an invitation and he locked and warded his office door before following Newt down the ladder into the battered brown case. Inside it was amazing and Percival was impressed by the attention to detail in each of the environments. He saw magical creatures he had only read about in books before - most notably in Newton Scamander's recently published Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was little wonder Newt had been able to detect the seemingly undetectable extension charm forming Percival's prison under Liberty Island as his mastery of that particular charm was displayed before him.
Percival removed his coat and wandered from one enclosure to the next, listening aptly as Newt explained both the intricate magic woven into the air and the creatures housed in each environment. He petted Moon Calves, held a baby Occamy, stroked a Nundu... A NUNDU... and used wandless magic to push food into the water bubbles of the Grindylows. He bathed in the 'sunlight' in a grassy meadow, occasionally sipping on a non-alcoholic Butterbeer, with Newt lying on the grass beside him, and for the first time in over a year Percival felt truly safe... and happy.
He wasn't certain which of them moved first but he rose up onto one elbow and turned only to find he was face-to-face with Newt, barely inches apart, and it seemed the most natural motion in the world to simply ease forward those few inches and kiss the smiling lips.
Years later Percival would declare that was the moment he realized he was in love with Newt Scamander, and Newt would laugh joyfully and pull him into another kiss.
END