Home Again [Newt Scamander]

Chapter 8:

We were in an investigation room and they sat Newt down at the table while Tina and I stood. Graves sat across the table from Newt.

"You're an interesting man Mr. Scamander." Graves started.

"Mr. Graves." Tina started.

Graves put his finger lazily to his lips and looked at her. He shook his head and I looked down.

"You were thrown out of Hogwarts for endangering human life " Graves said.

Newt glanced over his shoulder at Tina and I. "That was an accident."

"With a beast." Graves continued. "Yet one of your teachers argued strongly against your expulsion. Now what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you?"

Newt looked back at Graves. "I really couldn't say."

"So setting a pack of dangerous creatures loose here was just another accident. Is that right?" Graves questioned.

"Why would I do it deliberately?" Newt asked.

"To expose wizard kind. To provoke war between the magical and non-magical worlds." Graves suggested.

"Mass slaughter for the greater good, you mean?" Newt clarified.

Graves looked up from Newt to us. "Yes. Quite."

"I'm not one of Grindelwald's fanatics Mr. Graves." Newt said.

There was silence for a moment before Graves opened his mouth to speak.

"I wonder what you can tell me about this Mr. Scamander." Graves said turning to the side and hovering his hand over something.

An Obscurus floated towards the table and I stood up straighter. Graves had the Obscurus stay where it was.

Newt turned to look at Tina and I. "It's an Obscurus. But it's not what you think. I managed to separate it from the Sudanese girl as I tried to save her. So I wanted to take it home to study it. But it cannot survive outside that. It could not hurt anyone Tina."

I turned to look at Tina who looked at Newt with a mixture of scared, upset, and something else unreadable.

"So it's useless without the host?" Graves asked as he leaned closer to it, putting his arms out on the desk and folding his hands. 

"Useless?" Newt asked looking at him. "Useless? That is a parasitical magical force that killed a child. What on earth would you use it for?"

I looked at Graves who remained silent for a moment.

"You fool nobody Mr. Scamander." Graves said standing up. "You brought this Obscurus into the City of New York in the hope of causing mass disruption, breaking the Statue of Secrecy and revealing the magical world."

"You know that can't hurt anyone. You know that." Newt said.

"You are therefore guilty of a treasonous betrayal of your fellow wizards and are sentenced to death." Graves informed him.

A lady walked up to Newt and put her wand to him.

"Miss Goldstein, who has aided and abetted you..." Graves started before Newt cut him off.

"No. She's done nothing of the kind." Newt said looking back at Tina.

"And Miss Nott receive the same sentence." Graves finished.

He looked up at us and I heard Tina crying.

"No. You can't do this." I said, stepping forward.