Chapter Text
Theseus had been the one to warn him. He’d told Newt that Grindelwald had done something awful to Graves that was making recovery very difficult. Out of respect for his friend, Theseus didn’t give many details.
“When he’s ready, he’ll tell you. Or you’ll just see it yourself.”
Newt had been understanding, willing to give Graves distance and privacy as the man recovered. It wasn’t hard as Newt had already been traveling in another country and was nowhere near the other. Theseus was kind enough to keep him updated, telling him about Graves coming back to work and looking better. Even if Newt had never met the man, he still worried over the Director. He couldn’t imagine what kind of tortures Grindelwald had devised.
It was a month after Graves’s return that Newt decided to return as well. Theseus had told him that Graves had adjusted well enough, though he still had trouble every now and then. The Director had been asking to meet Newt, wanting to thank the other for his help. Newt had at first decided to just send a letter, but Theseus had convinced him to accept the thanks in person.
And so Newt had arranged travel back to America.
Picquery had granted him special permits for his case, provided he gave her an inventory of every beast within it. Newt luckily always kept one on hand and had only been too happy to pass it over. The resulting stack of permits had been very big, but everything was in order.
Tina had been the one to bring him into MACUSA. Again. She was leading him down the halls to the bullpen when Newt had stopped still in his tracks. Tina had paused in her talk about Queenie and Jacob and turned to see what he was looking at.
It was… a grizzly bear.
Huge, covered in thick fur, and stalking down the hall like a bear on a mission. Newt looked equal parts excited and confused at the beast when it stopped next to him. The bear came up to his chest and would have towered over him if it stood on two legs. The bear sniffed him and made a few low rumbles before walking off again, looking as it if belonged there.
“Are bears like that native to New York?” Newt asked Tina. The auror sighed fondly, knowing Newt would love to study the bear.
“It’s a special case,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll find out later.”
And Newt did.
He’d been asked to accompany a group of aurors to apprehend a group of smugglers. Director Graves was leading them and he’d already gone ahead to secure the area for Newt. When Newt arrived he heard the scene before he saw it. It sounded like a bear roaring.
As he walked over, he saw a group of aurors binding the smugglers while the same bear Newt had seen before growled and roared at them nearby. The smugglers were crying and begging the aurors to get them away from the bear, which made the MACUSA group laugh. After hauling them off, Tina turned to the bear and smiled.
“Great job, Boss. I brought Newt like you asked. He’ll be the one to help us with the.. cargo.”
“Boss?” Newt repeated, looking at Tina oddly. But then the bear began to shift and change, revealing the form of none other than Percival Graves. Newt looked on in shock as the Director approached him.
“Wonderful to meet you as a human this time,” he said, shaking Newt’s hand. “I’m Director Percival Graves. You must be Mr. Scamander.”