Facing Garfield's roar, Grindelwald instinctively shrank his neck.
The words were blunt, almost cruel but only a fool would fail to understand them.
"Understood. You are still… wise." He answered respectful and restrained.
He stole a cautious glance upward.
Garfield froze.
Howard calls me wise, Garfield thought.
And now this one says it too.
The orange cat rolled his eyes irritably. He couldn't refute it, after all, it was praise.
"In the future," Garfield said stiffly, "You are forbidden from using the word wise to describe me. Don't ask why."
He paused, then changed the subject abruptly. "You're still looking for the Resurrection Stone, aren't you?"
That single sentence pierced straight through Grindelwald's defenses.
Yes.
At the end of everything, the Resurrection Stone in Albus Dumbledore's possession at the end of Harry Potter was Grindelwald's imagined remedy, his chance to correct the sins of the past, no matter the cost.
What he never expected was that Dumbledore would resist the temptation entirely.
That the man would welcome death with open arms… and step willingly into a greater journey of the soul.
"You know where it is," Grindelwald said quietly.
On the screen, the orange cat was crushed mercilessly by Bowser.
[Game Over]
Garfield restarted without hesitation.
"Bowser is disgusting," He muttered. "Why doesn't he go sell women's clothing or something?"
Then, more seriously. "I don't want to know where the Stone is. I don't need it."
He glanced sideways at Grindelwald.
"You call me your mentor, so I'll give you principles, nothing more. The final road depends on your own understanding."
He waved a paw dismissively. "Ten thousand people have ten thousand Hamlets in their hearts."
Garfield did not add the rest, that he knew Death personally.
That Death did not grant favors and that Death despised those who sought to cheat it.
Some truths were better left untouched.
Grindelwald listened carefully, and at last, something truly settled in his mind.
Garfield's meaning was clear.
The allies he had chosen were wrong. He had mistaken obstacles for support and potential allies for enemies.
Without change, his path was doomed.
Some he believed were enemies were not. Some he believed would help him would only drag him down.
Garfield had said everything he was willing to say.
From this point forward, there would be no hints.
The road ahead how far it stretched, and how it ended would be decided by Grindelwald alone.
He lowered his head.
I must rethink everything.
Discard the old strategy and erase unrealistic fantasies.
Search again for reliable allies.
To overthrow one's own grand design was no small task.
By the time Grindelwald reached this conclusion, Garfield had been abused by Bowser for quite some time.
The goal was guarded mercilessly.
Garfield stared at the screen and sighed.
"Letting Wakanda design this game was a mistake." He muttered. "Kupas that can jump, dunk, and do parkour? Ridiculous."
He shook his head. "Why don't they replace it with one of those mobile-game ads? You click the wrong option and suddenly summon a devouring kun."
"Peh." Grindelwald cleared his throat.
"Teacher… I think I understand."
Garfield glanced at him and tossed the controller over. "Fine. Let's go after you play a while."
Grindelwald caught it awkwardly. "But I still have important matters—"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Garfield shot him a glare.
"…Then I'll try."
A pause.
"I'll try again."
Another pause.
"The last attempt."
The sun slowly set.
The moon rose.
Mindy, Bailey, and the eldest sister stood outside the shop, watching time crawl forward. Their stomachs growled as they checked their pocket watches in silence.
Mindy checked the time. "And it's ten o'clock."
"I'm hungry." Bailey clutched her stomach.
The eldest sister nodded solemnly. "Me too."
It was not until well past Mindy that Grindelwald was finally kicked out.
The shop door slammed shut behind him.
Mindy, Bailey, and the eldest sister watched as their leader stumbled out, eyes red, expression hollow with his dignity in tatters.
Tears streamed down his face.
"I'm hungry~"
The three followers stared at him with equal grievance.
Grindelwald raised his arms weakly, muscles numb from prolonged button-mashing. "…Let's go."
Mindy. "Eat."
Bailey. "Eat."
Eldest sister. "Dinner."
At that exact moment, Grindelwald's stomach let out a loud, unmistakable scream of rebellion.
Only then did he truly feel it, the delayed but devastating onset of hunger.
"Fine. Let's eat." He sighed and waved a hand.
High above, perched on the windowsill, Garfield watched the four Apparate away and disappear into the night.
He sighed contentedly.
"As expected. Games are addictive. Even Grindelwald couldn't escape." He nodded to himself, thoroughly pleased.
"If someone wants to destroy the world, I should just give them a game console and lock them in a prison with online access."
"Prevents escape and reduces social harm. Brilliant."
He paused. "I really am smart."
He leaned back. "No wonder it's rumored that the US once cured a continent-threatening addict and successfully detoxified him. Looks like that story was true."
Grindelwald had been gone for an entire week before the American Ministry of Magic finally sent someone to inquire whether he had been there.
As a well-behaved orange cat, Garfield answered honestly.
"Yes. He was here. A week ago."
The visitor was unfamiliar and clearly arrogant. He raised his wand and pointed it directly at Garfield's nose.
"Why didn't you notify the Ministry of Magic? Do you hold us in such contempt?"
Garfield opened a portal. And sent him straight to a glacier at the North Pole.
Later, much later, it was said that when the Ministry finally located him, the man had joined an Eskimo wizard tribe. Their chieftain was built like a violent polar bear.
Rumor also had it that the Ministry paid a fortune for potions to strengthen the body and mend shattered bones.
As for Garfield's life after that, no one knew much.
News of Grindelwald's visit eventually reached Britain.
The old bee at the British Ministry of Magic immediately became restless and began sending letter after letter, pleading for a meeting.
Garfield ignored them all.
That is, until a letter arrived from Tina.
She wrote that Dumbledore was adjusting his schedule and intended to come to the US in person.
Garfield considered it briefly.
Then looked at Queenie, who was quietly crying, desperate to visit her sister and brother-in-law in England.
With a sigh, Garfield opened a portal.
…
At the Scamander manor outside New York, despite Garfield's involvement, Newt's brother and sister-in-law had still died at Grindelwald's hands.
Fate, apparently, had a sense of humor.
Newt Scamander, the last male of his generation, now carried the responsibility of restoring House Scamander.
With Baima's help, Queenie and Tina had only been reunited for a few short months before being separated again.
Now, as the portal opened… Tina stood there, holding a baby.
Queenie stood opposite her, now holding the baby. Tina smiled, torn between happiness and helplessness.
Her younger sister had given her entire heart to an orange cat.
Tina looked at the child in her arms.
Then at Queenie.
A troubling thought crossed her mind. If Queenie had child… would it be human? Or a cat?
Garfield, mercifully, had no idea what Tina was thinking.
Queenie, unfortunately, did. Her face flushed crimson as she hurried toward her sister.
The sisters embraced and began talking animatedly.
Moments later, having heard of Garfield's arrival, the old bee and Newt rushed over in a hurry.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream