Newt returned the same way, finding Aiden sitting on the stone bench swinging his little legs like a bored child.
"Back already?" Aiden looked up at him.
"Let that poor guy go." Newt pointed to the agent still spinning in confused circles nearby.
"Oh, I almost forgot about him."
Snap! Aiden snapped his fingers. The agent walked straight to the stone bench, Aiden hopped up to give him the seat, and the man just collapsed onto it and fell asleep immediately.
"Come on, follow me to my house first." Newt pulled Aiden along, heading toward his modest London home.
"Why do you think Dumbledore can't go to Paris himself?" On the walk, Newt and Aiden discussed the obvious question hanging between them.
"Maybe because he can't directly confront Grindelwald." Aiden quietly shared what he could of the truth.
"Why can't he... ugh." Newt felt sudden pressure from space-time squeezing him, making his chest tight.
"Well, so I really can't get complete answers from you, can I?" Newt stopped asking and changed subjects, recognising the magical warning.
Sure enough, the unknown pressure immediately dissipated.
"What about you then? Why'd you run back from the future?" Newt asked instead.
"To advance." Aiden said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What's advancement?" Newt felt his confusion growing with each new question.
"You can think of it as a way for me to become stronger." Aiden winked at him mischievously.
"That makes sense, I suppose. With time travel happening, it's not strange that getting stronger would require going to specific places." Newt thought about it and accepted the explanation.
Actually, it was Newt's amazing intuition telling him this was the correct answer, even if incomplete.
The two arrived at Newt's house. Clanging sounds echoed from inside.
"Did your house get robbed?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Newt handed his case to Aiden, quickly pulled out his key, and opened the front door with obvious concern.
Inside the room, a whole nest of Nifflers were enthusiastically ransacking metal items from throughout Newt's house. One even climbed up Aiden's clothes to his neck, tiny paws reaching for the system pendant.
This idea was cut short by Newt before it could be attempted. Otherwise Aiden would've been curious to see what the system looked like stuffed in a Niffler's pouch.
"Heh." A cold laugh sounded in the void. Aiden quickly put away his amused smile.
Newt rushed in, grabbing the Nifflers one by one like he was collecting escaped pets, then prepared to head into the breeding area he'd set up downstairs.
But suddenly came the sound of bottles crashing behind him.
He spun around.
A determined Niffler was struggling to pull the cork from an expensive champagne bottle, its little face scrunched with effort.
The tiny creature gave one final tug, pulled out the cork, and was simultaneously blown backward by the champagne's explosive opening.
Aiden hooked his wand lazily. The spraying wine stopped mid-air and flowed back into the bottle in reverse.
"Bunty! The Nifflers got out!" Newt called, grabbing several more escapees before heading downstairs.
Aiden set the champagne properly, sniffed it appreciatively, then magically sealed it. It looked like he could mooch some good wine from Newt for dinner.
Following Newt into his workshop, Aiden discovered the inside had been transformed to be incredibly spacious with powerful Extension Charms. The basement was practically its own ecosystem.
At the bottom level, Newt was chatting with a young woman who looked flustered and apologetic.
"I'm so sorry; it must've been when I was cleaning the Bowtruckle cage earlier that I accidentally let them out." Bunty apologised earnestly.
"It's fine; don't worry about it." Newt went directly to tend his creatures.
"I've already fed them all, given Pinky his nasal drops, and Elsie's droppings look normal too." Bunty reported efficiently.
"Good, then you can head home for the day." Newt hugged several Mooncalves and administered their eye drops with practised care.
"Oh, who's this? Your child?" Bunty suddenly spotted the silver-haired dragon person leaning casually against the railing.
"No, look at his dragon horns. That's the unique marking of the Prewett family." Newt explained without looking up.
"Oh, sorry."
"No worries."
Then Newt dived into the water with surprising grace, pulling a massive Kelpie as he leapt out in one fluid motion.
The entire lake surged upward, flooding Newt's bottom-level workspace. But magically, not a single drop crossed the stone barriers on either side.
Newt rode the Kelpie to shore like some aquatic cowboy, and Bunty handed him medicine with practised timing.
"If you dare bite Bunty again, you'll be in serious trouble." Newt scolded the water horse, though it nuzzled against him affectionately in response.
Suddenly, sounds of frantic rummaging came from Newt's attic above.
"What's that?" Bunty looked up with concern.
Newt cautiously drew his wand and dried himself with a quick charm.
"Bunty, you need to leave. Now. Use the Floo Network. Aiden, I need backup!" Newt rapidly ordered, his voice taking on the authority of someone used to handling dangerous creatures.
The three split up instantly.
Aiden and Newt held their wands ready, creeping quietly behind the doorframe like they were approaching a sleeping dragon.
But a certain Dream Weaver's broad sensing field already knew exactly who their visitor was, so he simply tucked his wand away.
"Safe?" Newt saw Aiden lower his guard and knew it was probably fine upstairs.
He pushed open the door and walked out boldly.
Inside, he found Jacob Kowalski holding some of his pottery, with Queenie behind him tugging at his sleeve like she was trying to hold him back from something.
"Newt!" Seeing his friend, Jacob stretched out both arms and ran over for an enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, and you too, little dragon man." Jacob also wrapped Aiden in a warm embrace.
"Hope you don't mind—we let ourselves in. The rain outside just wouldn't quit."
Queenie took off her coat and Jacob's, hanging them on the coat rack with domestic efficiency.
"But shouldn't you have forgotten everything from before?" Newt was genuinely curious, studying Jacob's face.
"Hoo hoo." Jacob laughed happily, covering his mouth.
"Didn't work on me, buddy. You said yourself, that potion only removes bad memories. This..." He gestured toward Queenie with obvious adoration. "This angel reminded me of all the good stuff, so here we are."
Jacob's smile was somewhat strange, and Queenie immediately rushed over to support him as he kept nuzzling against her neck like he couldn't quite control himself.
Unfortunately, Newt didn't notice any of this concerning behaviour and simply congratulated them. "This is wonderful news!"
"Not necessarily." Aiden looked directly into Queenie's eyes, and she instinctively avoided his penetrating gaze.
"Where's... Te... Tina?" Newt stepped outside, hoping to see if anyone else was there.
"Uh, but it's just the two of us here. Me and Jacob." Queenie didn't dare meet Aiden's knowing eyes and hurriedly looked away.
"Oh." Newt's disappointment was obvious. He sighed softly.
"Well then, let me make you all something to eat." Queenie suggested brightly, clearly wanting to change the subject.
"Great!" Jacob's voice came out strangely drawn-out.
After a while, Queenie had prepared a sumptuous dinner that filled Newt's kitchen with delicious aromas.
She thoughtfully helped Jacob sit down and tied a napkin around his neck like he was a child who might spill.
"Teenie hasn't been talking to me much lately." She spared a glance at Newt and Aiden while cutting Jacob's food into smaller pieces.
"What happened between you two?" Newt leaned forward at the dining table.
"Well, you know... she found out I've been secretly meeting with Jacob. She doesn't like it because of the International Statute."
Queenie served the food and carefully helped Jacob with the tougher pieces to prevent him from choking.
"No dating No-Majs, no marrying No-Majs, blah blah blah." She swayed her head while cutting, mimicking official rhetoric.
"And she seems upset because of you too." Queenie smiled at Newt, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Me?" Newt looked genuinely puzzled.
"Because you're engaged! It was right there in 'Spellbound'—the hero who captured Grindelwald, Newt Scamander's engagement to Leta Lestrange..."
Queenie waved her wand, and a glossy magazine flew over from their luggage, automatically flipping to Newt's feature page.
"That's not me getting engaged—that's my brother Theseus who's marrying Leta." Newt explained quickly.
"Oh, dear..." Queenie's expression immediately wilted, and she looked awkwardly at the floor.