When Garfield finally decided it was time, he opened a shimmering golden portal in the sky above New York and dropped Grindelwald bound in enchanted shackles into the designated receiving zone.
Seraphina Picquery stood waiting with a full Auror escort.
Her expression was stern, but inside she was exhausted. A full year of political pressure, covert threats, and absurd requests from bureaucrats had worn her down to the bone.
Yet the moment Grindelwald touched the ground, a ripple passed through the disguised figures standing in the crowd.
His followers.
They had spent the entire year scouring both continents… Europe, America, even diving into dangerous secret realms hoping to locate their vanished leader.
They found nothing. Some died and disappeared.
Some returned with ancient trinkets of minor value.
But none of those mattered. Grindelwald was worth more than all the relics of the world combined.
Now, the man had returned. And they felt the surge of purpose, the rekindling of faith.
The great Gellert Grindelwald had reappeared.
Their myth would rise again.
Grindelwald lifted his head and glanced at Seraphina. The look held no mockery, no bitterness.
It held nothing.
As if she were merely a passerby he'd seen once in a marketplace.
Seraphina felt her jaw clench… she is the President of MACUSA, not some intern fetching coffee.
But irritation couldn't override duty.
"Aurors, take him to holding." She forced her tone steady. "He stays in custody until the British delegation retrieves him."
"Yes, Madam President!"
The Aurors secured Grindelwald with layered bindings, placed a silver mask over his face, and guided him into a heavily warded carriage drawn by Thestrals.
More Aurors mounted their broomsticks, flying in a protective perimeter as they returned to MACUSA.
Not a single interruption occurred.
When Grindelwald was locked inside the reinforced cell, Seraphina personally cast a dozen additional security spells across the walls before she allowed herself to exhale.
Only then did she leave.
Inside the cell, Grindelwald stood in perfect stillness. His eyes flickered… then the calm mask returned.
…
After two years of delicate, infuriating negotiations, Britain and America reached their agreement… Grindelwald would be sent back to Britain to face execution.
The British arrived in force, eight elite Aurors chosen only after passing intrusive loyalty tests to ensure none were Grindelwald's secret supporters.
The handover took hours of bureaucratic nonsense, signatures, verifications, ritual oaths, cross-department approvals…
But finally, the chains changed hands.
And Seraphina exhaled in relief, though unease twisted in her gut.
Grindelwald will escape.
She knew it.
And she hoped desperately that when he did, he would stay as far away from America as possible.
The past year had drained her treasury, her patience, and her sanity. Keeping Grindelwald imprisoned for so long had been a miracle and a costly one.
Worse still, the moment people grew comfortable, their memories dulled.
Some MACUSA officials began insisting that Grindelwald's past manipulation of Aurors was exaggerated… that they could handle him… that keeping him in custody was not so difficult after all.
Idiots.
Seraphina spent the year crushing those delusions, reminding these fools what 'extraordinary danger' truly meant, often with Garfield's assistance.
When the situation reached a boiling point, Seraphina had reluctantly reached out to the orange menace himself.
Garfield did not disappoint.
Having completed half of his psychological work on Grindelwald, he had no intention of letting bureaucrats ruin the setup.
So he camped outside MACUSA's entrance, activated the full power of the Time Stone, and cast a city-block-wide time-stop on every official who had opposed his warnings.
Then he stripped them naked.
And left them frozen like statues for three whole days and nights.
Outside.
On the front steps.
For all to see.
When the spell finally lifted, the officials awoke to the humiliating reality… they broke instantly.
Never again did they dare challenge Seraphina on anything involving Grindelwald.
Every time Seraphina remembered that row of naked, humiliated bureaucrats frozen in time like a modern art exhibit, she felt a spark of joy dance in her chest.
Using her authority as President, she dutifully archived the entire event… photos and written descriptions into MACUSA's official records.
For legal purposes, of course.
For posterity… purely professional. Definitely not for future amusement.
This was a defensive measure designed to protect Seraphina and her family. The information was classified, but not entirely secret enough to shield her from direct retribution.
Targeting Garfield, however, was another matter entirely.
Some of the Aurors had already surrendered on the spot, bowing under Garfield's unspoken authority. Yet, quietly, a few harbored schemes against him.
Garfield, though not a saint, had his own methods.
Lilith and Vivienne, ferocious magical beings under his command, had devoured the souls of any who dared defy him.
After their first taste of wizarding essence, they were nearly addicted, forcing Garfield to restrain them before chaos spiraled out of control.
The lesson was swift, those who underestimated Garfield suffered greatly before understanding that he was not to be trifled with.
By now, the High Claw Empire had earned formal recognition from the American magical community. In the wizarding world, status was power, and Garfield had plenty.
Everything was set.
The escort mission could begin.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Seraphina's team prepared Grindelwald carefully.
His hands and feet were bound, his mouth gagged, and all defensive enchantments in his cell were dismantled.
Once secured, he was transferred to the U.S. Ministry of Magic's secret exit, where a Thestral-drawn carriage awaited a direct route to England.
Seraphina returned to her office, poured herself half a glass of wine, and gazed at the night sky. Something in her gut told her this handover would not be peaceful.
The operation began smoothly. The American and British Aurors exchanged polite formalities, and for a moment, it seemed routine.
Grindelwald was loaded onto the carriage.
Once the Thestral carriage lifted off, Grindelwald's calm demeanor disappeared.
Not good.
In a heartbeat, his magic surged. The Aurors struggled to restrain him as the gag over his mouth crumbled to dust.
His lips moved in a blur, and a spell erupted… a Soul-Stealing Curse, precise and merciless striking one of the British Aurors directly opposite him.
Grindelwald's arms flailed with violence, elbows smashing into every Auror nearby. Under Garfield's supervision for a year, Grindelwald's physique had become extraordinary.
Two Aurors went down with a single strike… wizards who had relied only on magic, forgetting the importance of strength and combat training.
Within moments, he broke his bindings, seized a wand, and the entire escort team was annihilated.
With the carriage now under his control, Grindelwald pressed forward, peering down at the lights of London below.
A murderous intent lit his eyes.
He had sworn revenge against Garfield… that orange cat who had dominated him, watched over him, and restrained him for a year.
That cat was about to feel the wrath of the most dangerous dark wizard alive.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
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