"Excuse me-" Newt mumbled, his voice turning into a high-pitched noise "Whom did you get to interrogate Grindelwald?" he asked, incredulous of what he just heard Tina say.

That couldn't be happening. That won't happen.

"Your brother, Theseus Scamander." Graves replied, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Is that a problem, Newt?"

Newt's eyes went wide "The very fact is, Mr. Graves! Please," he turned to him and Graves almost dropped the cup of coffee he held when Newt grabbed his hand "lead the way."

"To where?" Tina asked, noticing the worried look in Newt's eyes.

"Interrogation room, obviously!"

Graves tried to ignore the stares of fellow aurors as their trio practically ran through the department's corridors with Tina leading, Newt hot on her heels and him trying to keep up with them. He was still recovering, okay? And he wasn't particularly fond of seeing Grindelwald's mug either. But he had to, apparently.

Tina stopped in front of the door and slowly pressed her ear to it. Her frown told both Newt and Graves that she wasn't able to hear a thing from what was happening in the room. Newt, too stressed and eager, couldn't stay calm and opened the door by himself. Two pair of eyes watched him from inside. Grindelwald smirked, amused and wolf-whistled when his eyes met Graves'.

"Good to see you again, Percival."

"Shut the fuck up, Grindelwald." Graves growled in response and they entered the room.

On the other side of table sat a young man, older than Newt though, with ginger hair neatly slicked back, with blue, piercing eyes and a scar across his left cheek. Everyone recognized in this man Theseus Scamander, if not for being a war hero, then for being Newt's older brother for sure. They had more similarities than any of them would admit.

Alright, maybe they shared similarities only in their appearances.

Theseus smiled widely at them, waving animatedly "Hi, peeps. So, you're invited to the party as well?" His hand went searching for his pocket and Newt made an alarming sound, earning confused looks from everyone except Theseus.

"Theseus Scamander, don't you dare-"

Theseus did it anyway. He pulled out a suspicious piece of material and shoved his hand in it. By the time everyone understood that the thing Theseus was holding was actually a sock puppet, Newt rubbed his face with his hands and groaned.

"Not again." Graves heard Newt mutter under his breath and nudged him. Newt briefly looked both at him and Tina before deadpanning "He's gonna use that. For interrogation."

Tina and Graves looked at him like he grew another head, Newt couldn't blame them, really, but when Theseus cleared his throat, everyone watched him instead.

The husky, masculine voice of Theseus Scamander turned into a softer, high-pitched one as he pointed the hand with the sock puppet at Grindelwald's face and moved his fingers inside the toy, mimicking the movement of a mouth speaking.

"Gellert Grindelwald," the puppet said, its head slightly tilting "tell me why you need the obscurus."

Grindelwald raised an eyebrow and smirked. Like he'd tell about his plans to a guy playing with a sock puppet.

"For study?" Grindelwald said mockingly and pointed his chin at Newt "Look, your brother here had one for the same reasons and yet, he's not chained."

Theseus kept looking at him, his face incredibly serious as the puppet almost yelled "Liar! He's lying, 'Seus." The puppet turned its head to Theseus and they nodded at each other.

"Newt." Graves whispered. "Newt, what the fuck is going on?" Graves asked. Newt's face which was blank until this moment gained some color and he looked away in embarrassment. Graves, then glanced at Tina, and saw his subordinate's shoulders shaking violently as she barely held back the laughter.

"Let's make him talk, then." Theseus replied back to his puppet and Grindelwald watched the man in confusion. There must be a hidden pretext to this ridiculous situation, because there's no way in hell MACUSA will hold such an interrogation. Did they decide to prank him? Him, the darkest wizard of their time?

"Torture?" the sock puppet's corner of mouth twitched upward, and it totally seemed like a smirk. The puppet was freaking smirking. Unbelievable.

"How about tickling with feathers?" Theseus whispered conspiratorially to his puppet, but everyone heard him perfectly.

When Grindelwald's smirk faded, Tina wasn't able to hold it in anymore and she lost her shit. She laughed out loud, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Graves watched both Theseus and Grindelwald, blinking dumbly. What exactly was happening there? Someone, explain-

Theseus turned to the trio behind his back and gave them a pointed look as the puppet mumbled to Grindelwald "We'll be back. And better you have the answers prepared."

Tina got out of that damned room first, clutching at her sides. They could hear her laughter even after she turned around the corner. Poor soul, will she be okay? Will she be able to stop laughing?

Newt and Graves followed, or better said Newt dragged him out, because Graves really started to question his sanity for a moment there. What exactly happened in that room anyway?

Graves' hold on Newt's hand tightened "Will he torture me with that sock puppet as well..." he cleared his throat and looked away when Newt focused his eyes on him "when, you know, I'll ask for your hand?"

Newt's heart jumped wildly at that and his face turned red.

"I. Heard. You." Theseus' muffled voice came from the corner, and Newt didn't need to look to know that the goddamned sock puppet was peeking at them.

He was so done. Merlin, give him strength.

Newt grabbed the hand of his shocked lover and stomped away angrily, dragging Graves after him and yanking the puppet from Theseus' hand on his way.

"Newt! Give it back! The thing you're holding is important for the whole wizardkind!"

Newt stopped in his tracks, let go of Graves hand, turned around and made eye-contact with Theseus. Then he smirked.

Opening his case a bit, he shoved the puppet in there and closed it before Theseus could act.

"I think Elly will like it. It's gonna keep her warm."

Graves' look turned incredulous. "How that is gonna keep warm a nundu?" he murmured under his breath.

Theseus was heartbroken until he found a spare sock and made a new puppet. No one's gonna stop him.