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The Next Day
"Want me to take you two to the Diamond District today?" Tina asked the kids over lunch.
The "Diamond District" was basically New York's version of Diagon Alley—except ten times bigger. Tom had visited it before with Newt. The place was more like a full-blown wizarding city, with entire neighborhoods, homes, and commercial zones all stacked into a magical labyrinth of streets.
Tom shook his head. "Not today. We'll stay in. Tomorrow I want to take Fleur sightseeing in the Muggle parts of the city first. The wizard stuff can wait. By the way, don't you have work today?"
He'd found it odd yesterday—Tina hadn't left the house once, even though it was a weekday.
At his question, her hand paused just slightly, fork hovering midair before she answered casually, "I've worked for decades, dear. I just got tired of it. So I resigned. I'm planning to stay home and help Newt care for the animals. Keeps me busy enough."
Tom nodded in agreement, though his mind was already spinning. "Yeah, I can believe that. Those little creatures are more work than they look. Newt's practically built a whole ecosystem in that case of his."
Tina chuckled. "You're too meticulous. Newt's different. He just gives them room to grow."
"Too much care, and they lose their instincts."
She didn't bring up the Ministry or her job again after that, and Tom didn't press—but he noted the stiffness in her answer.
There was no way a woman like Tina Goldstein—driven, tireless, never able to sit still—would voluntarily retire unless something had gone wrong.
He'd wanted to ask about the Magical Congress anyway, but after that exchange, he decided against it.
After lunch, Tom brought Fleur into Newt's "little world."
The moment the landscape unfolded before her—rolling plains, rivers, forests, even frozen tundra—Fleur stood stunned for nearly a full minute.
Her reaction was completely normal. Anyone seeing Newt's world for the first time would be struck dumb. It wasn't just a magical achievement—it was a living, breathing miracle.
Tom handed her a broom, and together they soared through the skies of that pocket dimension. Fleur was like a child seeing a fairy tale come to life. Half the creatures here weren't even in her textbooks, and Tom took his time explaining each one as they passed.
Then, as they flew over a vast marshland, he spotted something new. "Wait… is that a Horned Serpent? Newt actually got one of those? And he told me not to bring in dangerous species—he's the biggest hypocrite alive."
"I finally understand why the French Ministry is so wary of Mr. Scamander," Fleur said, half in awe. "If he ever crossed the border with this entire world of his, and something went wrong... even a full mobilization couldn't contain it."
She wasn't exaggerating. They'd already seen dozens of Class 5 magical beasts along the way—the equivalent of dozens of dragons roaming free.
The idea of that many dragons suddenly appearing in Paris made Tom shiver.
Before leaving, he also stopped by to check on the Whomping Willow saplings he'd asked Newt to grow.
They'd grown beautifully—just as vigorous as the ones at Hogwarts. Tom gathered a few leaves and branches for later experiments, then he and Fleur finally exited the little world.
...
The next two days were pure leisure. They wandered all over New York, visiting every famous spot—Central Park, Times Square, the Met, even a Broadway show.
Tom couldn't resist causing a bit of mischief along the way. At one point, he casually transformed the Statue of Liberty's torch into a giant ice cream cone. The stunt made headlines across the country. The American Magical Congress, of course, knew immediately that it had to be the work of a wizard—but they couldn't trace a single magical signature. Total chaos.
By the time the fun was over, it was time to get back to business.
The day before Newt's return, Tom told Fleur, "Stay with Grandma Tina today. I've got a meeting at Gringotts."
She nodded. "Alright. I'll help Grandma Tina and Grandma Queenie bake bread."
He kissed her on the forehead, said goodbye to Tina, and then left the house, taking a taxi to a quiet café downtown.
Before his meeting with Gringotts, there was someone else he needed to see.
He ordered two iced Americanos, and just as they arrived, his guest appeared.
"Boss!"
A tall, lanky man slid into the seat across from him, picked up the coffee, and chugged half in one go.
Tom smiled faintly. "Laos. Long time no see."
Laos let out a loud sigh of satisfaction. "Ahh, that hits the spot. And come on, it hasn't been that long—exams, then vacation. What, two weeks?"
The man was none other than the legend, Laos Wilkinson—currently disguised with Polyjuice Potion.
It had been Tom's idea, of course. The safest place to hide was always right under everyone's nose. By returning to New York—disguised—Laos and Solen were practically invisible.
Frank and the Graves family were tearing apart Europe trying to find them, never realizing their targets were sipping coffee in broad daylight across the ocean.
"Boss, I—" Laos started to speak, but Tom raised a hand, pulling a notebook from his bag.
"Your payment," Tom said. "As promised—Grindelwald's human transfiguration notes. He's been refining the technique lately. Much safer now. Almost not even dark magic anymore."
He handed it over, then added, "And Dumbledore told me to give you this book too. His notes, you can ask him about it via the Codex."
Laos's eyes lit up. "This is amazing! Thank you, boss. With this, hiding will be even easier."
"Good. Study it well," Tom said, leaning back in his chair. "Now, you went to all the trouble of setting up this meeting, off the record. What's going on?"
Laos's grin faded. His tone turned serious.
"It's Solen," he said quietly. "Something's wrong with her."
Tom perked up. "She cheat on you? Tsk, she got pregnant fast, I knew it."
Laos groaned. "Can you not jinx me like that? I'm sure the kid's mine."
"Alright," Tom said, half amused. "I'll work on a spell to confirm paternity just in case."
"Please do. I—wait, no, that's not the point!" Laos rubbed his temple. "You were right before. Solen had another agenda. She's after the same thing we are."
Tom frowned. "We?"
"The Acolytes," Laos said gravely.
Tom's eyes narrowed. "You're sure?"
Laos nodded. "Positive. She's been hinting for weeks—wants me to take her to Germany to find her mother's family. Says if they can't stop the Graves, they'll call in 'old friends.' And we both know exactly who those 'old friends' are."
Tom nodded slowly. "The Acolytes, of course. So… she doesn't really love you, huh? You did get played."
Laos almost lost it. "Can we not assume things? Boss, I'm being serious!"
"Alright, alright." Tom smirked. "Just trying to lighten the mood. Anyway, she's yours now, so what's your take on her?"
Laos hesitated, his expression tangled. "Honestly? At this point, I only have… physical urges for her. Especially after realizing she's been manipulating me. But—" He sighed. "She's pregnant. With my kid."
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy. "The Wilkinsons haven't had many heirs lately. I'm almost thirty, and this is my first real chance. I can't just walk away from that."
Tom shook his head. "Relax. Do I look like someone who'd go around murdering pregnant women? Even if Solen's up to something, I'm not about to harm her—or your child."
Laos's shoulders loosened, gratitude flashing across his face. "Thank you, boss. Just… give me a little more time. I can dig up more."
"No problem," Tom said, reaching into his coat. "But stay sharp."
He handed Laos three enchanted necklaces—more advanced than the ones he'd given the Ministry. He briefly explained their protective function and told Laos to keep them safe.
Despite the age gap, Tom couldn't help but treat Laos like a friend—he was the kind of guy who always caused trouble, but damn if Tom didn't like him. Laos was a legend in his own way. And Tom didn't mind lending a hand.
"Last time... Solen's mind was warded by magic," Tom added. "I couldn't break through it to read her memories. But things are different now—I've made progress. I'll be in North America until the end of July. If you haven't found anything by then, I'll handle it myself."
He paused. "It won't hurt her or the baby. But it will erase a small portion of her memory afterward."
"Oh, and don't worry about Rosier chewing you out," he added casually. "I've already told her it was my decision to send you here. You didn't go rogue."
Laos nearly teared up on the spot. That solved both of his biggest fears—his unborn child and Vinda Rosier's temper. The latter, especially, was the kind of thing nightmares were made of. He'd heard plenty of stories about her from his mother's side, and none ended well.
With Tom's promise in mind, Laos left the café feeling ten kilos lighter.
Tom, however, stayed behind, finishing his dessert in thoughtful silence.
North America was getting messier by the day.
The vampire Ilvermorny had sent out, Solen and Frank's secrets, Tina's odd behavior—and even Cassandra's family, the Voles, were acting strange.
Cassandra had mentioned that her family and the Graveses were closely related—layers of intertwined bloodlines. They might be tangled up in this, too.
Tom couldn't figure out what all these people were scheming for. In a country without a really powerful wizard, no amount of petty intrigue could shift the bigger picture.
If they were that ambitious, couldn't they just wait until Dumbledore kicked the bucket?
He sighed and summoned Grindelwald and Andros into his study space, explaining the situation.
When he finished, Andros yawned, scowling. "Politics again. I hate this crap. Back in my day, I'd just punch people like that until they stopped plotting."
"Impatient as ever," Grindelwald said mildly. "If they're making moves, it means they've got confidence—or at least, something they think is leverage. Even fake power can be interesting."
He shot Tom a look. "And as long as Albus is the one taking the hits, there's no reason for you to jump in early. Focus on your trial. Build your strength. Once you're strong enough, every so-called 'conspiracy' will crumble like parchment."
Tom nodded. Even Andros seemed to agree for once.
"About time you said something reasonable," Andros grinned, clapping Grindelwald's shoulder. "Though, let's be honest—back in your day, you were the king of schemers yourself."
Grindelwald rolled his eyes and shoved his hand off. "Please. If Albus hadn't stopped me, I could've flattened every Ministry in a day."
"Which just proves my point," Andros laughed. "You only resorted to tricks because you weren't strong enough."
Grindelwald snorted. "Maybe. But I was effective."
Tom chuckled, setting down his coffee cup and a few coins on the table before standing. "Let's just hope Solen's more than a pawn. If she turns out to be another clueless underling, this'll be a waste of time."
---
Outside, the late-morning sun beat down on New York's streets. The heat was sharp, but the looming skyscrapers cast long, cool shadows that shielded passersby.
Tom made his way to the tallest building in the Diamond District—the North American branch of Gringotts.
Actually, that wasn't accurate anymore. Just last month, the goblins had officially moved their global headquarters here from Egypt.
Today, he had a deal to make with them—and if it went well, combined with the network he was about to launch, his five-million Galleon trial task could be wrapped up by year's end.
.
.
.