After signing the contract with Garfield, Seraphina Picquery returned to MACUSA with the weight of an entire nation pressing down on her shoulders.
There was no time to rest, she immediately began assembling personnel, drafting procedures, and screening for truly trustworthy Aurors.
The plan had to be perfect.
Grindelwald was to be escorted to Garfield's custody in exactly seven days.
Failure was not an option.
…
Seven Days Later
Fog rolled across the stone courtyard, illuminated by moonlight and the glow of enchanted lamps. A contingent of MACUSA's most elite Aurors stood assembled.
Seraphina arrived at the head of the formation, Tina Goldstein quietly shadowing her movements.
Seraphina had debated bringing Tina. In the end, she decided she must.
Garfield seemed to tolerate Tina… perhaps even like her.
And Seraphina needed every possible layer of protection, political and personal.
If Garfield decided to 'teach her a lesson,' Tina's presence might stop him from going too far.
In hindsight, Seraphina realized how naive she had been before negotiating with Garfield. That wasn't a cat with human-like intelligence.
That was a fox… brilliant, manipulative, and ancient in its cunning.
And the negotiation was a one-sided battle.
MACUSA was paying dearly for Garfield's cooperation. But Grindelwald's rampage had forced everyone's hand.
During the ministerial meeting earlier that week, several congressmen had accused her of betraying the wizarding community. Seraphina had responded with a single, perfectly aimed sentence.
"If any of you dare to swear a blood oath guaranteeing Grindelwald's containment without casualties or corruption, I will tear up the contract immediately."
Shame followed… and everyone bowed heads.
Too many of their own Aurors had already been bewitched.
Grindelwald's charisma was poison, and no one… not even the loudest critic was willing to stake their blood on resisting him.
So the contract stood.
"Minister Picquery, Captain Tina." One of the Auror captains saluted.
"Everything is prepared," He reported.
"Good," Seraphina replied. "Remember, there can be no mistakes. If Grindelwald escapes, it will not be MACUSA that pays the price."
"It will be the world."
"Yes, Madam Minister."
Tina followed silently. It had been seven days since Queenie had suddenly become a diplomat.
Seven days since Garfield's contract.
Seven days since Tina's life had been turned upside down again.
She hadn't adjusted yet.
Queenie, her little sister, was now the face of diplomacy between MACUSA and a being so powerful the Ministry itself bent around him.
And Garfield… Garfield was getting rounder by the day, eating like a royal and demanding accommodations that Tina's salary definitely couldn't cover.
Tina had become, accidentally, the de facto handler of both. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Seraphina noticed the distant look in Tina's eyes.
"Tina," She said softly. "Is something troubling you?"
Tina blinked, returning to herself.
Her smile was thin but polite. "It's nothing, Madam President. We should begin the transfer."
Seraphina nodded. She could read a person better than most. But Tina's emotional turbulence wasn't her concern tonight.
Her real purpose in bringing Tina was simple.
Garfield respected her and Seraphina needed every advantage she could get.
…
The heavy steps of Aurors echoed through the stone corridor. From his cell, Grindelwald listened lazily to the approaching escort.
His lips curled with disdain.
A pack of scurrying rodents.
No matter how they marched, how they organized… they could not escape their essence.
Only two beings held his attention in this world.
Albus Dumbledore.
And that blasted orange cat.
The former, for their history.
The latter… because Grindelwald wasn't sure whether the feline was a creature, a force, or something else entirely. But he knew Garfield could contain him.
And that meant the cat was worth respecting.
Convincing Dumbledore was impossible now.
Convincing Garfield, though…
If he managed that, he wouldn't need allies anymore…
Seraphina approached wand raised. A sequence of silent spells flowed from her fingertips.
Click~clack, THUD.
The enchanted locks disengaged one by one. The door of the prison slid open.
"Gellert Grindelwald. It's time to move." Seraphina's voice was firm.
Grindelwald smirked. "Execution day? How disappointing. I was hoping for something more… dramatic."
He tilted his head with mock pity. "But you couldn't bear to lose me, could you, Seraphina?"
The jab landed cleanly.
A flush of cold anger surged in her chest. She inhaled slowly, then motioned to her Aurors.
"Bind him."
Four elite Aurors stepped into the cell, each carrying a set of reinforced magical shackles. They tested the restraints with a series of charms, then fastened them around Grindelwald's wrists and ankles.
The moment the shackles clicked shut, Grindelwald felt the pressure on his core as a wave of suppressive magic tightened around him.
His reserves dimmed sharply.
He pouted, annoyed by the sensation, and opened his mouth clearly ready to deliver a cutting remark.
Seraphina did not give him the chance.
With a precise flick of her wand, a silencing spell wrapped around him like an invisible muzzle. His lips moved, but no sound emerged.
Grindelwald's expression changed instantly… still amused, but with a sliver of wariness. Where exactly was this woman taking him?
Death? Not a chance. He hadn't secured the Resurrection Stone, or recovered the Elder Wand, or even brought that infuriating orange cat to heel.
His grand design had barely begun, and there was still the gaping wound he'd carved between himself and Albus… an ache he could ignore in public, but not in private.
Two Aurors lifted him with a Levitation Binding Charm.
Suspended helplessly in the air but still managing to look regal, Grindelwald was escorted out of the cell and down a series of reinforced magical corridors.
Seraphina led the group in silence, the weight of responsibility evident in the tension in her shoulders. Tina followed at her side.
Finally, they reached a hidden exit behind layers of illusion and protective charms.
Outside, a Thestral-drawn carriage waited… four skeletal beasts, tall and black as obsidian, their wings stretched like leather curtains.
Their pupil-less white eyes gleamed with a ghostly sheen.
A Thestral carriage? Grindelwald raised an eyebrow at the sight.
A long-distance jump, then. Perhaps even overseas.
England?
Seraphina didn't acknowledge his curiosity. Instead, she directed the escorts to secure him inside the carriage.
She and Tina entered next, accompanied by two elite Aurors whose wands never lowered from the prisoner.
The remaining Aurors took up positions around the carriage, clinging to the exterior rails. Every face was tense.
Seraphina tapped the side of the carriage with her wand. A current of magic rippled through the frame.
The Thestrals spread their wings…two strides~
And the vehicle launched into the night sky. The city lights of New York shrank below them.
Within minutes, they were flying over the dark expanse of the Atlantic.
Ten minutes later, under the pale glow of the moon, the sea ahead shimmered…
A golden portal bloomed open, swirling like molten sunlight. A few Aurors gasped.
Even Grindelwald's eyes flickered with interest.
Seraphina guided the carriage forward and they plunged through.
On the other side, the world changed abruptly.
No longer night… a soft dawn glow filtered through the canopy of an ancient forest. A narrow dirt path cut between towering trees, their trunks wrapped in moss and early morning mist.
The Thestrals landed smoothly.
Seraphina and Tina stepped out first, then levitated Grindelwald down.
They secured him to a thick oak with reinforced binding charms. Only then did Seraphina gesture back toward the still-open portal.
"Let's go."
Her Aurors obeyed immediately, not one looked back.
Grindelwald's eyes widened as wizard after wizard vanished through the portal, leaving him alone and dumped in an unknown forest.
"Mmph! Mmmph!! MMMMMMPH!!"
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
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