Tom woke up very late the next morning.
Mainly because he had become completely obsessed with "cupping therapy."
He had enjoyed himself thoroughly. Fleur, however, had nearly burst into tears at the sight of her reddened back. If she had been a full Veela instead of half, she might well have transformed into a shrieking fury on the spot.
Even so, she kept him awake until the sky was nearly light before finally allowing him to sleep.
Fortunately, Tina was not a rigid guardian. She did not care what time the youngsters woke up. As long as they were well rested, she was content.
"Would you like me to take you to the Diamond District today?" Tina asked over lunch.
The Diamond District was New York's version of Diagon Alley. Tom had visited it with Newt before. Its size was at least ten times that of Diagon Alley, with not only commercial streets but also residential zones, essentially a city built entirely by wizards.
"No need," Tom shook his head. "We'll stay in today. Tomorrow I plan to take Fleur to some Muggle landmarks first. The wizarding side can wait. By the way, don't you have work today?"
He had already found it odd the previous day. It was a weekday, yet Tina seemed to be home the entire time.
At his question, Tina's hand holding the fork stiffened for a split second before she answered casually, "After working for decades, I grew tired of it. So I resigned. I'll stay home and help Newt with the creatures. It's not like I'll be idle."
"Fair enough." Tom nodded in agreement and steered the conversation along her line. "Those little ones already wear me out. Uncle Newt practically maintains a whole world."
Tina smiled. "You treat yours like pets, so you fuss over them. Newt gives them a space to grow on their own. Overindulging them would strip away their wildness."
The topic never returned to MACUSA or her resignation, but Tom filed the moment away silently.
With Tina's restless personality, there was no chance she would voluntarily quit while still capable. Something had happened.
He had originally planned to probe for information. Now he let the thought drop.
After the meal, Tom brought Fleur into the small world.
She stood motionless for nearly a full minute, staring at the vast wilderness of plains, rivers, mountains, polar expanses, and forests stretching endlessly before her.
Her reaction was entirely natural. Anyone entering Newt's world for the first time would be stunned. It was not merely magic. It was the magnificence of life itself.
Tom handed her a broomstick. The two of them flew leisurely through the sky. Many magical creatures there were not even listed in Fleur's textbooks. She relied on Tom's explanations as they passed.
Over a marshland, Tom spotted a new inhabitant.
"A Horned Serpent? Uncle Newt even brought one of those back? And he tells me not to cause trouble. He's the most reckless of us all."
"I finally understand why the French Ministry is so wary of Mr. Scamander," Fleur murmured. "If he ever entered with this entire world and something went wrong, even mobilizing the whole Ministry wouldn't be enough."
They had already seen dozens of 5X classified creatures.
That was the equivalent of dozens of dragons.
Imagine releasing that onto the streets of Paris.
The thought alone was chilling.
Before leaving, Tom visited the Whomping Willows he had asked Newt to cultivate. They were thriving beautifully, rivaling those at Hogwarts. He casually collected a few leaves and branches before the two of them departed the small world.
...
Over the next two days, they explored New York thoroughly.
Tom even indulged in a bit of mischief. With a subtle spell, he transformed the torch of the Statue of Liberty into a massive ice cream cone. The spectacle caused nationwide uproar. MACUSA knew it had to be a wizard, yet they could not uncover a single trace. They were left scrambling to discreetly repair the embarrassment Tom had created.
After enough fun, it was time for serious matters.
The day before Newt was due back, Tom told Fleur, "Spend today with Aunt Tina. I have an appointment at Gringotts."
Fleur nodded. "Go ahead. Aunt Tina and I are visiting Aunt Queenie to learn how to bake bread."
Tom kissed her forehead lightly, informed Tina of his departure, and left Newt's house.
He hailed a taxi to the agreed upon café.
Before Gringotts, he had someone to meet.
The waiter had just placed two iced Americanos on the table when his guest arrived.
"Boss!"
A tall, thin middle aged man plopped into the seat opposite him and gulped down half the coffee in one go.
Tom smiled faintly. "Rouse. Long time no see."
"Phew… that hits the spot." Rouse set the cup down and grinned. "Not that long, really. Exams plus the holiday. Barely half a year."
It was Rouse, under the effects of Polyjuice Potion.
The idea had been Tom's. The safest place was often the most obvious. Let Rouse perform a bold vanishing act by returning to New York with Solenne.
Frank and the Graves family would never imagine their targets were hiding right under their noses. They had mobilized connections across continents, searching everywhere except New York itself.
"Boss… I…" Rouse began.
Tom lifted a hand, cutting him off. He produced a notebook and slid it across the table.
"This is the payment I promised you. Grindelwald's advanced human transfiguration. He's refined it recently. The physical strain has been greatly reduced. It's nearly free of dark magic classification now."
"Also, Dumbledore asked me to give you one of these." He produced a device. "It's a WhatsApp terminal. His contact code is included. Add him."
Rouse's eyes lit up as he grabbed the notebook eagerly. This was exactly the spell he had coveted.
"Thank you, Boss. With this, hiding will be even easier."
"Take your time studying it. If you have questions, ask me." Tom leaned back in his chair. "You insisted on meeting in person and wouldn't say a word on WhatsApp. What's so important?"
Rouse's expression sobered instantly.
"Solenne… there's something wrong with her."
"She cheated on you?" Tom sat up straight, suddenly energized.
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