"Capture Grindelwald?"
Garfield's whiskers twitched. "Nope, I'm not going."
"Why?" Newt blinked at him with that painfully earnest expression of his.
To Newt, Garfield wasn't a cat… he was the legendary creature who had kept Grindelwald detained for a whole year without incident.
The man honestly couldn't imagine why such a powerhouse would refuse.
Garfield nearly rolled his eyes out of his skull. Can I tell you I've already educated him thoroughly?
That man's practically been domesticated by me. If I show up now, the plot itself will apologize and collapse.
Garfield coughed lightly. "Newt, this is… your destiny. It's really not convenient for me to interfere."
"Anyway, why is Jacob here?"
Jacob, who had been politely waiting like a proper Muggle gentleman, finally spoke.
Apparently, after Jacob's memories were erased, he had rebuilt his pastry shop relying on half–remembered magical creatures and his god-tier baking skills.
His cakes became legendary in New York. People queued for blocks.
The American Pastry Association took notice, and now Jacob was officially representing them on a professional business trip to the UK.
"…" Garfield stared at him.
This man… was an absolute king.
"Well." Garfield flicked his tail. "Then the two of you can go hunt Grindelwald and clock in for work."
"If you can't beat him, just mention my name… he might spare you out of habit."
Newt and Jacob exchanged confused glances.
They had no idea why Garfield sounded so confident, but the line burned itself into their memories anyway.
Garfield handed Niffler to Newt, opened a portal, and vanished back to New York.
He didn't go home for eight days.
When Queenie finally saw him, her eyes shone.
Hug.
Rub.
Rub.
"Garfield, you're back!"
Garfield purred. "Of course, my dear Queenie."
"My sister went to Europe to catch Grindelwald. Now it's just us at home… and when you were gone too, I didn't know what to do~"
Garfield patted her hand with his paw, comforting her like a fluffy therapist.
"It's alright. I just went to… secure investment from some major families."
"Investment?" Queenie asked. "Did they agree?"
"Gladly. They were overflowing with enthusiasm. After all, the High Claw Group is such a large, respected power."
"So you divided their shares with them?"
"Nope, they donated voluntarily."
"So nice?"
"They knelt at my feet, begging to pledge their loyalty and tribute. I couldn't stop them."
Queenie, kind and trusting, believed every word of this nonsense.
…
Garfield took her upstairs to the secret vault.
He reached into his pocket, into the tiny pouch he always used and then…
WHOOSH
A mountain of cat-claw-shaped gold bricks poured out, filling the entire room.
"Garfield… how much IS this…?" Queenie froze.
Garfield stretched like a billionaire cat on holiday. "I'm wealthy beyond mortal counting. That's all I know."
After her shock wore off, the two of them cast enchantments together, reinforcing the vault until it could probably survive an Elder Wand nuke.
Garfield also granted door access to Queenie, Baima, Rin, Lilith, and Vivienne… because a family that can't fetch money while shopping is a tragedy.
Once everything was settled, Garfield asked.
"How's Howard these days?"
Queenie sighed fondly. "He's completely abandoned school. He's locked himself in the lab doing research every day."
"The U.S. military's first batch of twenty rifles has been completed, and they've already paid in full. They're discussing when to place the order for the second batch."
Garfield nodded, eyes glittering. Little Howard is growing into a fine weapons merchant.
"Don't overthink the military orders." Garfield rubbed his face with a paw.
"The U.S. won't see a real war for at least ten years. They won't need rifles in bulk. Maybe five to ten thousand a year, max."
"Let Howard focus on real science. Airplanes, tanks, cannons… those matter more than rifles. Rifles only prove he has talent, a world-class inventor needs world-class machines."
"Then why don't you talk to Howard yourself?" Queenie tilted her head thoughtfully.
Garfield stretched. "…Alright, alright. I'll check on him daily. Make sure he's not blowing up Manhattan or something."
That concluded the discussion.
Garfield and Queenie went back downstairs to the empty first floor. Even the demons weren't wandering tonight.
With nothing to do, Garfield curled up on the counter, yawned, and simply… powered down.
Snore
Snore
(～﹃～)~zzZ
His soft, steady breathing filled the room.
Queenie watched him sleep with tender eyes. She took out a tiny enchanted blanket, the perfect size for one smug chubby cat and gently draped it over him.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Garfield woke when the sun dipped orange across the sky. He blinked at the window, watching pedestrians hurry by.
"Open my eyes, close my eyes… and the whole night is gone. Time flies way too fast."
Then something caught his eye… across the street, two familiar boys were peeking at the shop from behind a corner.
Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
They'd actually tracked the place down.
Garfield narrowed his eyes but made no move. Unless they kicked down the door themselves, he had no intention of disrupting their destinies.
Across the street, the boys whispered urgently.
"Steve… I think that fat orange cat spotted us," Bucky muttered.
Steve gulped. "Y-yeah, it feels like he's staring into my soul."
"Let's get out of here. This place is wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Think, Steve. No one passing by even glances inside, it's like they can't see the shop at all."
Steve glanced around and then nodded slowly. "Okay. We leave."
They hurried back to Steve's building. At the door, Bucky grabbed Steve's shoulders.
"Promise me you won't sneak back there without me." He could already read the stubborn curiosity burning in Steve's eyes.
"Alright. I swear I won't go alone." Steve sighed and raised a hand solemnly.
Bucky relaxed. If Steve swore something, he meant it.
But one truth escaped him…
Steve Rogers was the kind of person who kept his oaths~
and still found ways to chase the truth, even if it required bending those oaths.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Back inside, Queenie prepared dinner. After they ate, she handed the night shift to Baima and the three succubus sisters, while she and Garfield went for their evening stroll.
Up on the roof, Rin fresh from a full day of training, washed up, sat under the moon, and pulled her knees to her chest.
"Obito… Kakashi… Sensei… Rin misses you so much." Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
When Garfield and Queenie returned home, Garfield looked up and saw the girl curled on the roof, shaking under the moonlight.
He knew what that meant.
It was time for him to take a risk and finally act.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
PhantomDream