"What a warm-hearted and kind wizard!"
Hearing Carl's words, Newt and Tina sighed in unison.
He was indeed a man brave enough to stand up against dark wizards for the safety of ordinary people. Among wizards, the first reaction upon encountering a dark wizard is usually to run away — much like a civilian bumping into a criminal responsible for countless deaths. So someone like Carl should be recognized and honored in the wizarding world.
Newt's trunk was filled with numerous magical creatures under his care, and as long as it wasn't too far away, he could track it effortlessly.
The three walked and chatted as they followed the trunk's trail. Led by Newt, they soon arrived in front of a dilapidated five-story building.
Something had clearly gone awry here. There was a huge hole in the wall on the third floor, and all the building's residents were pouring outside in a panic, thinking there had been another gas explosion.
Even the police patrolling nearby rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
"I'll go up and check it first. Could you please help me deal with this?"
Newt glanced at the gaping hole in the wall, drew his wand, and rushed into the building immediately.
Tina and Carl nodded and proceeded to erase the memories of the panicked No-Majs one by one with the Oblivion Spell.
By the time the two finished and made their way up to the third floor, Newt had already mended the wall with a Repair Charm and retrieved his trunk.
The owner of the room, Jacob, had been bitten by the Mortra rat that escaped from the box.
"How many Nifflers are in your box?"
Tina asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.
Just now, Newt insisted his box was filled with cute creatures like Nifflers — mischievous but not dangerous — yet it seemed hard to destroy a wall with something that harmless.
Newt scratched his head awkwardly and remained silent.
He certainly wasn't going to admit in front of Tina that, aside from the Niffler, there were much more dangerous creatures in his trunk — creatures like Thunderbirds, Horned Beasts, and Nectarines.
He feared that if Tina found out, she'd lose her temper immediately. After all, a single poison sac explosion from a thunderous creature could require a small army of wizards to control — not something a handful of people could handle safely.
"Oh, there's a Muggle injured here."
Carl, walked forward and interrupted the awkward silence.
But just as he knelt down to check Jacob's condition, the Mortra rat in the corner rushed forward to attack him.
With a movement nearly faster than the human eye, Carl simply raised his hand and effortlessly grabbed the Mortra rat in his grip. The creature struggled but was powerless against him.
"What a cute Mortra rat."
He held it up casually and nodded toward Tina to show it wasn't a danger, then handed it back to Newt.
Newt nodded in thanks, quickly opened his box, and put the Mortra rat back safely.
"Cute… it wasn't that cute when it bit me just now…"
Jacob, weak and retching, looked up in disbelief, struggling to speak normally.
"He's not in serious danger. He'll be fine soon. Let me clear his memory first…"
Newt raised his wand, ready to perform the Oblivion Charm, but Tina raised her hand to interrupt him.
"No. I need him as a witness. There's something going on here — something more serious. You're all going back to Congress with me first thing in the morning!"
As the most outstanding Auror in MACUSA, Tina was not easily deceived. If these creatures were harmless, then how did this Muggle get injured and how did a huge hole appear in the wall?
To be frank, the damage here was a little too reminiscent of yesterday's incident — when a magical creature attacked a No-Maj's home.
She wanted Jacob to stay conscious until she could find out exactly what happened.
"His condition isn't serious. If it were, sparks would be flying from his rear…"
Newt scratched his head. His main priority was retrieving his creatures, not arguing with Aurors.
Hearing this, Jacob widened his eyes in disbelief. "…I must be dreaming… this has to be a nightmare."
Tina remained firm. Grabbing both Newt and Jacob, she addressed Carl in a more formal tone.
"Mr. Foley, thank you for your help. It's getting late — you should return to Magic Street and rest. If we find nothing suspicious, we won't pursue it further."
With those words, she turned on the spot and Disapparated, taking the two with her.
"Excellent… the first step of the plan is complete."
Watching them disappear, Carl sighed and a small smile crossed his face.
Originally, he hadn't intended to follow them back to Tina's place; her sister was a natural Legilimens who could easily read people's thoughts.
And Carl hadn't mastered Occlumency yet — it was safest not to put himself in a vulnerable position.
"Snap!"
Suddenly, the portrait of Jacob's grandmother fell from the wall, revealing a Niffler that had been hiding in the hole.
The little creature glanced at Carl with its beady black eyes, then darted forward to make its getaway.
But just as it landed on the ground, Carl was already in front of it in a flash. With a quick grab, he snatched it up effortlessly.
"It might come in handy when we meet again."
He raised his wand, turned a nearby bowl into a small cage, and put the Niffler safely inside.
Then, with another flash, Carl Disapparated from the scene.
He chose not to hang around the park that night. Instead, back at his hotel, he settled in to read a book of magic.
He'd already crossed paths with her once today; meeting again under suspicious circumstances would seem strange.
Any proper wizard would normally be resting or staying close to Magic Street at this hour — not wandering around the city.
But now that he had captured the Niffler, he could use it as a perfect excuse to visit MACUSA again and return it to Tina and Newt in the morning.
If things unfolded the way they were meant to, Tina and Newt would soon find themselves labeled as suspects in a conspiracy — a conspiracy tying them to Grindelwald's growing movement — and it would be up to him to clear their names.
This would be the perfect opportunity to deepen their trust in him.