The next morning, when Carl was having breakfast at the Bull Head Bar, he noticed another piece of news in the newspaper.
Last night, a newly elected No-Maj Senator was attacked and killed by an unknown magical creature. Magic Street was now at a critical point of exposure, and representatives from the International Confederation of Wizards had appeared in Congress.
"It's time to maximize your favorability!"
After putting the Niffler in a cage into his cloth bag, Carl Apparated directly to the side of MACUSA's headquarters, taking the form of a phantom-like silhouette.
Unlike the Ministry of Magic in London — which has Apparition, Floo Networks, and numerous fireplaces — the Magical Congress in New York was under an anti-Apparition ward. There was no way in or out except through the main entrance.
"Excuse me, is Ms. Goldstein here?"
In the Wand License Office of the Magical Congress, Carl asked a wizard who was sitting at Tina's desk.
The wizard looked Carl up and down, then said unhappily:
"Tina Goldstein, that woman has been imprisoned on the 50th underground floor for allegedly attacking a No-Maj. What do you want from her?"
"I came here a few days ago to apply for a wand license, and I was meant to have dinner with her today."
Carl smiled warmly.
"May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Rob Cassie, the Director of the Wand Licensing Office. You don't need to treat her to dinner. She probably won't be able to get out. I told her not to act impulsively, but she didn't listen."
The wizard was in a bad mood because of Tina's arrest. It wasn't that he cared much about her; it's just that when she was removed from her post and there weren't enough people to fill her role, all the paperwork fell directly into his lap.
Once Carl had gotten the information he wanted, he nodded, turned, and walked away.
"Transformation Technique!"
After leaving the Wand License Office, Carl turned into Rob Cassie — the Director of Wand Licensing — and entered the magic elevator.
"Good morning, Mr. Cassie. Where are you headed?" the goblin operator asked.
"To the prison on the 50th underground floor."
The goblin nodded and pressed the button without suspicion.
In the wizarding world, there are typically 3 ways for a wizard to change their appearance, although most wizards aren't proficient in these methods.
The first, and simplest, is brewing Polyjuice Potion. After consuming it, a person temporarily transforms into someone else's form — regardless of age or gender — but it cannot transform someone into an animal or a non-human creature. Furthermore, it's extremely complex to produce, requiring rare ingredients and nearly a month of brewing.
The second is Metamorphmagus, a very rare ability that some wizards are born with, allowing them to change their appearance at will. Among all the wizards in the world, there are only a handful of Metamorphmagi.
The third, and most sophisticated, is Transfiguration — a powerful form of magic that lets a wizard physically become someone else. It demands an exceptionally high level of ability. So far, only Grindelwald is known to be proficient in this, and even Dumbledore may not match him.
So normally, wizards do not take much precaution against disguise.
"Mr. Cassie, what's going on?"
At the entrance of the 50th underground prison, two Aurors in charge of guarding the cells looked at Carl in disbelief.
Carl handed each of them a gold Galleon.
"I want to meet Tina Goldstein. She was suddenly arrested, and many documents I need are missing. If I don't find them, it will affect future operations. These two Galleons are a little something for your trouble."
The two Aurors exchanged glances, quietly pocketed the Galleons, and nodded.
"It's no trouble, Mr. Cassie. As the Director, it's your right to check on your subordinates. She's in cell 22 in the East District."
As Director of Wand Licensing, Rob Cassie was, in theory, the Aurors' equal — not their superior — but this small bribe made their decision much simpler. After all, their salaries were meager — not even 50 Galleons a month — and Tina Goldstein, a veteran Auror, hadn't gotten much loyalty from her colleagues after her dismissal and imprisonment.
"What a universal principle… money talks, no matter where you are."
With that in mind, Carl made his way into the prison, quickly locating cell 22 in the East District. Inside were Tina, Newt, and Jacob.
"Mr. Rob, why are you here?"
Tina looked surprised when she saw him. Naturally, her former boss hadn't gotten along with her, yet here he was, the first person to come and see her in prison. To be honest, it made her a little emotional.
"It's me, Tom. I came here this morning to find you and return this little guy to Newt, but I didn't expect you'd be in jail. What happened?"
Carl canceled his Transformation Technique, took the Niffler from its cage, and revealed his true form.
"Tom!"
Tina and Newt were stunned. First, they hadn't expected Carl to be proficient in Transfiguration — enough to completely conceal his true form — and second, they hadn't expected him to take such a huge risk to come and see them.
Newt briefly explained what had happened the previous night.
It turned out that after checking into Tina's place, Newt took Jacob and went to find the missing magical creature, a Horned Viper.
But afterwards, they were intercepted by Tina, who rushed over when she heard the commotion.
Because the Niffler was already safely in Carl's possession, a small change in events meant that Tina hadn't taken Newt and Jacob directly into her box and back to Congress. Instead, after listening to Newt's explanation, she decided to bring him in voluntarily to clear up the confusion.
Unfortunately, when they arrived at Congress, President Seraphina Picquery was being questioned by a delegation from the International Confederation of Wizards. To save face, she dismissed their explanations and labeled Newt a Grindelwald supporter. Naturally, this meant Tina was his accomplice, and the two were thrown into prison alongside Jacob.