Chapter Text
It was a rainy day. Dark grey clouds enveloped the sky, making the whole scenery somewhat gloomy.
Newt made his way through the crowded streets of New York City, heading to the headquarters of MACUSA, in hope to hear some good news or at least some clues about the current location of Percival Graves – the man who went missing after the dark mage Gellert Grindelwald used his personality as disguise to attempt starting a war between wizards and muggles.
Tina asked him few times how he was able to see through the mask. Even people who trusted and worked with Graves didn’t see any difference. Newt didn’t really know himself, but one thing bugged him from the start, from the very moment he saw the fake Graves and talked properly in that interrogation room.
It was the way he thought. It was a bit too extremist for a wizard and more importantly a man who is supposed to protect wizards and magical community. He didn’t know how the real Graves was, but something told him that no respected superior sentence their subordinates to death without a proper investigation.
He still remembers how pleadingly Tina looked at him and his cold stare back, which he tried to hide but Newt saw it, saw all of it and knew, just knew.
The more fuel to the flame of doubts added the way he tried to use Credence, a poor soul who needed nothing but to be acknowledged for who he really was. Just how black your soul must be to use a kid who had nothing but suffering in his life? It was too cruel. A person who was the right hand of MACUSA’s president, a prideful wizard, as others described him later, wasn’t supposed to act like this.
So, Newt just tried to show the others, that the person, kneeling in front of them wasn’t the real Percival Graves, and oh, so right he was.
But now, when the dark wizard was captured, the main question that gnawed at everyone’s mind in MACUSA was: where the real Percival Graves is? Did he die in a battle with Grindelwald or not? Was he erased completely since they couldn’t find a body? It made everyone restless, and Tina more than others.
She kept telling him how Graves was someone she saw as a mentor, someone she deeply respected and wanted to be safe. Newt wanted to comfort her, like the friend he was, and even volunteered to help the MACUSA to find Graves. Tina gladly accepted his offer and now, he was using any knowledge and resources he possessed to help them.
Making his way into the lobby, Newt was greeted weakly by Tina. She had dark circles under her tired eyes. ‘She didn’t sleep properly again, huh?’
“Morning, Newt.” Tina said when they started walking to the elevator.
“Morning.” He replied and turned to look at her “No news?”
She shook her head and raised her hands to rub at the temples. Perhaps the lack of sleep got to her.
Newt sighed and they walked into the elevator, Tina speaking to the goblin while Newt was absorbed in his own thoughts. Was it even possible to find Graves at this moment? After practically half of MACUSA’s wizards were taking turns and looking into every corner of New York and no clues were found?
They stepped out of the elevator and headed to Tina’s office. They approached her desk and she slumped on her chair, groaning at the impact.
“My head hurts so badly, I can’t even think properly.” She mumbled while looking through the papers on her desk, reports of other Aurors.
Newt took a chair and sat beside her “You should sleep at least. I understand that you’re worried, but it won’t be good if you collapse because of tiredness.”
“I wish I could, Newt. But when I think that he’s somewhere alone and probably in trouble, I just can’t.” Tina leaned against the back of chair and looked at Newt “I admire him, Newt. He helped me so many times, and I am who I am now because he leaded me.”
Newt shifted in his seat and smiled at her “Yeah, I know. You told me many times.” He put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture “And that’s why I’m here. We’ll find him.”
Tina put her hand on his and squeezed it “Thank you, Newt. You’re a great person.”
Newt flushed and scratched the back of his neck “No need to thank me. At least not until we find him.”
Tina smiled smugly at him and stood up when a fellow co-worker walked to them.
“What is it?” She asked the man.
He handed her some papers “Here’s the report on Grindelwald’s interrogation, Goldstein. We didn’t get anything useful out of him though.” The man said and sighed as Tina looked through them, reading and hoping at least something will help them to find Graves.
Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion “When they asked him where Graves is, he just mewled and started laughing? What kind of sick joke is this?”
The man shrugged “Probably he’s just mocking us. What did you expect from Grindelwald himself, Goldstein? This man’s mind is something no normal wizard would understand.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Tina put the papers down and weakly nodded to the man “Thank you for your work.”
Then the man was out of office and they both sat there, thinking and rummaging through other reports. It was useless as Newt saw it. They needed at least something, or Tina wouldn’t calm down until she will pass out someday.
‘Mewled and started laughing…’ Newt remembered the Tina’s words. It was a weird mockery, even for Grindelwald. But why he would do that? Newt didn’t have any ideas.
Hours passed as they kept receiving different reports from the Aurors who were out, searching. There were fewer and fewer locations which were still unchecked and no traces of Graves in sight.
Tina stretched her arms and back as her stomach grumbled. Newt laughed and she shoved him in the shoulder. “Shut up, I don’t remember when I ate last time.”
Newt looked at her for a minute without saying anything, then grabbed her by hand and stood up. “Come on, let’s have a quick lunch. The reports won’t run away.”
She tried to protest, but anything she wanted to say was forgotten when her stomach grumbled again.
“Okay, but we’re going back immediately.”
“Sure.” Newt replied and they went down to the cafeteria.
After a very quick lunch, where Tina ate almost four bowls of soup, they headed back to the office.
“There are two new reports.” She said and handed to Newt one of them. That took it and started reading, Tina doing the same with the other one.
Both sighed in exasperation when they finished reading.
“Found something?” Newt asked.
“No, and you?” Tina said back.
“No.”
“I guess just sitting there won’t help anyone, and I’m already on the verge.” Tina said through gritted teeth as her knuckles turned white from the force she tightened her grip on the papers with.
Newt looked at her. “No,” he shook his head “you’re not going anywhere, but back home to rest.”
She wanted to protest again but Newt held a hand up in attempt to silence her “I’ll go instead. You trust me, right?”
Tina bit her lip “Yeah, I trust you, Newt.”
“Good. Then I’ll be off to the next location.” He smiled and reminded “You’re going home and resting, yeah?”
She nodded and a tired smile spread on her lips “Sure, thank you.”
And with that, Newt found himself in the elevator, heading to the lobby. He exited the building and turned left, into a narrow alley to apparate, but something flashed in front of his eyes and he stumbled backwards.
Trying to regain his balance, he noticed that it was staring at him. And by it, he meant a black cat with a pair of striking golden eyes.
“Beautiful…” Newt murmured under his breath.
Cat’s ears perked up and it approached him. Newt squatted down and tried to pet its head, but the cat avoided his hand.
“Prideful, huh?” Newt smiled. ‘It’s a simple cat though. There’s nothing fantastic about it.’ Newt thought and gasped when the cat punched his leg with its paw.
“What are you doing? Stop that right now.” Newt scowled when the cat didn’t stop. “Come here.” Newt murmured softly and grabbed the cat, holding it close to his chest. Its fur was wet and it was shivering.
“So, you’re cold?” Newt said and opened his coat to put the trembling animal under it. He felt the cat pushing him aside with the paws, but it lacked strength. It probably wasn’t only cold, but tired as well.
“Let me check something firstly, and then I’ll get you clean and warm. Wait a bit, big boy.” Newt smiled down at the cat and then he apparated to the location Tina told him to check.
There were another Aurors here already, so he just walked around asking them for news. Every single one of them shook their heads, which meant only one thing: Percival Graves wasn’t found here as well.
Newt called it a day and returned to his rented apartment, located three blocks away from MACUSA’s headquarters. When he looked at the found cat, he smiled fondly. He was sleeping, snuggling into Newt’s chest.
“Come on. Wake up, Percy.” Newt said and widened his eyes. Did he already give him a name? And why Percy of all names?
‘Weird. But I don’t feel like calling him something else… Probably it’s because I saw Mr. Graves’ name too many times while reading those reports.’ Newt sighed.
The cat woke up, jumped off his arms and ruffled his fur. Then golden eyes met his hazel ones and Newt’s lips quirked up in a gentle smile.
“So, Percy, should we take a bath?”