The weekend wraps up with Graves preparing to confront his ghosts.

I might be throwing in a time skip or two in the coming chapters to get this up to the Secrets of Dumbledore, then maybe more skips to have Newt and Tina hitched and the Wizarding War over in 1945.

Back to NYC

Eddie had called on Theseus at eleven, insisting his master would sleep better in his own bed. Percival declined and insisted he would stay the night with Theseus. After a brief argument between the couch and the single guest bed, Theseus transfigured the couch into a matching twin of the single bed. Eddie shrugged and informed them that he would have Percival's bed things brought over. He would come in the morning with the hot water and morning things as he did not wish for his master to mess up his shaving.

His father had allowed the estate to literally fall apart in the recent years. Percival felt a little ashamed as he showed his old friend about. The once manicured gardens, fountains, and gazebos had long fallen into ruin. Eddie, the only house-elf left in the manor, had his hands full keeping the house inhabitable. The dusting of snow softened some of the ugliness, but not all. He could sense the wards along the perimeter, Percy realized, freshly renewed by his mother. Theseus allowed him to stroll along his side unassisted and in silence. It was a grey dawn that promised more snow later. The pair had agreed to take a morning walk before the rest of the household were up for breakfast.

For Theseus, odd hours came with being an Auror. For Percival, time and sleep had long lost any real meaning for him. Some days, he would remain in bed for hours sleeping. Others, he would spend hours staring into the darkness. The nightmares still came on occasion. Sometimes he would be seized by an irrational fear that he was still a prisoner of Grindelwald or a nameless inmate in that No-Maj place. He had talked things through with his doctor, but Fontaine recommended a mind-healer. Percival was not ready to allow anyone to probe through his mind yet.

Finally, they stopped for a breather at a pavilion that still retained a portion of its roof. The pair sat back-to-back on a broken stone bench. Theseus allowed Percival to talk at his own pace, barely interrupting. There had been no debrief by MACUSA after his rescue. His mental state was too fragile then. After that, he had been written off by the Congress. The flashes of panic, uncertainty – the niggling fear that he was still a prisoner… The loss of his magic on top of his physical disability. Theseus allowed him to purge – ranting and sobbing in turn, at Grindelwald, the No-Maj asylum and MACUSA.

The household was about to send out a search party when the pair finally returned for a much-needed late breakfast. Looking at the pair, Tina sensed something had shifted for them since she last saw them. Both appeared calmer, more balanced somehow, even if still weary.

The Grimsditches left soon after breakfast, to everyone's relief, even Dowager Emilia Graves'. Percival was glad to see the last of them for a while. There was still a generous breakfast spread on the sideboard for Theseus and him. The house-elves thoughtfully brought up a tea service for the British Auror. Coffee was what Percival preferred. It had been a point of ribbing in the trenches where both coffee and tea tasted of mud than anything else. Eddie knew Percival liked his coffee – strong and robust with a cube of sugar and no milk.

Despite having eaten, Tina joined the pair at the table with her second cup of coffee.

"Theseus, you are looking better. I guess that walk worked, huh?"

"Bracing weather," Theseus gave a small smile as he scarfed down his ham and eggs. He then took on a serious look and waved his wand slightly, casting a muffling bubble about them.

"Before Travers suspended me, I received news members of Grindelwald's Alliance were sighted in Berlin – near their Ministry. They included former Aurors from various countries…"

"Is he up to his old tricks again?" Tina gasped. They suspected Graves had been ambushed on his way home or even in his apartment. If they could replace a Minister of Magic…

"I doubt Grindelwald would try the same stunt twice. Spielman has sent out a notice to all the Ministries to warn them of the use of Human Transfiguration by Grindelwald and his followers. It is likelier they would attempt to suborn the ministry. There's been a growing rise in the persecution of Muggleborn wixen… Such pureblood supremacy ideas have been gaining traction on the Continent after the war alongside anti-Semitism among the Muggle populace."

"As if what we suffer under the No-Majs and Scourers through the ages weren't enough, we have to turn on our own!" There was a bitter edge to Graves' voice that did not go unnoticed.

"This appears to run counter to what we know of Grindelwald, but he might be banking on the support of the purebloods… The eggs are delicious, you should try some," Theseus urged and summoned over a helping of scrambled eggs onto his friend's plate of buttered toast. He waited until Percival finished his toast and eggs before returning to his news.

"One of Spielman's sources in Berlin identified Queenie Goldstein but there was no reason to take her in for simply shopping on Main Street with a young man. We do not have any confirmation on the young man's identity, but we can make a guess."

"Credence. My sister's impeccable fashion sense. There is no way she will allow him to run about in the clothes he had on in Paris if she has a say in it," Tina's mouth quirked up in a smile. It was some reassurance her sister and Credence were alive and well. She placed her teaspoon down on the saucer before picking up her coffee cup. There was a soft clink of metal on porcelain.

Percival froze as he stared at the spoon.

A teaspoon. That was what he saw before someone gouged out his eye. The pain and blood, chaos. The orderlies trying to restrain his assailant. Someone yelling for a nurse as his assailant broke into peals of manic laughter.

"Deep breaths, pug. Deep breaths…" Theseus was rubbing his back as he emerged from his flashback. Pervical fought the gorge that rose in his throat. Why now? He had been using spoons all this while without any flashbacks. What if another innocent sight or sound would trigger another episode?

"We will get through this," Tina reaffirmed. "Together." She placed one hand on Percival's and the other on Theseus'.

The guests left as planned after lunch amidst a light snow. Seraphina promised she would put in a word with the Congress for Graves for his return, but it would be subject to the recovery of his magic. Moreover, she was soon to step down in the coming year. Graves doubted anything would come of it despite his eagerness to contribute towards Grindelwald's capture. Tina promised to visit Graves if he wished the following weekend. Dr Fontaine made an appointment to call on Friday to check on Percival. Only Theseus remained behind.

Graves had not been to his former residence since his escape. He wondered if it would help if he were to visit the scene, or it would be too soon. Theseus had visited the former battlefields in France several years after the war ended and found some form of closure. He had not been to his office or MACUSA since his capture by Grindelwald.

Percival found Theseus staring at a photo in the library. Leta. He had seen that photo last night when Theseus spoke of his late fiancée. Miss Lestrange was a beautiful witch with an impish grin. She would have made a fine couple with Theseus. They had started courting in late 1924, before making the engagement official in March 1927. She had been pleased enough by his attentions to agree when he proposed. It was expected at that point for him to do so. The problem was that Theseus was never quite certain where they stood, until he lost her.

There had been an earlier relationship. It was the photo of a different girl Theseus had with him in 1917, a French Muggle nurse Theseus sometimes went to town with. Like so many such relationships, it died when Theseus went home to Britain. Percival was unattached at that time, and staunchly resisted all efforts by his fellow soldiers to introduce him to the ladies who often offered their companionship for a fee. He resorted to sticking in his billfold an old picture of Seraphina back from their brief relationship so everyone would just leave him be.

Finally, Theseus put away the photo.

"Tadpole, I would like to go to my old place in the city and Woolworths," Graves blurted out before his courage abandoned him. "Would you mind giving me a lift, if the motorcar is still working…"

He was not sure if a Portkey or Apparition, even a Side-along would work for him given his messed-up magical core. Thankfully, his cousin had brought his motorcar up from the city when he let Percival's old apartment go.

"Well, if you are up to it. Perhaps we should see if the car works first," Theseus concurred. The vehicle would have been sitting in the old carriage house neglected for the past few months.

It took them several hours of tinkering to get the engine going enough for a bumpy ride around the grounds. Percival attempted a go and added a dent in the bodywork after grazing a tree. It was hard manoeuvring on icy gravel with only one hand. Theseus fixed that dent with a spell. Eddie apparated with a scarf and demanded his master return indoors before he caught a cold. Driving was out of the question for Percival for now even though Theseus admitted that there were Muggle ways of rigging a car to be driven one-handed. He knew a farmhand who had lost both his hands to the elbows but had a mechanic rig his tractor to be operated with his feet only so he might continue supporting his old mother.

All the Plummy elves had gone by then as per the terms of their contract for the weekend. Only Eddie remained to serve a modest dinner for the family and its sole guest – roast beef with a side of potatoes and mushy peas. Dessert was a spiced bread pudding with apples.

The following Monday was gusty with flurries of snow that threatened to engulf the roads. They spent their time playing wizard chess and listening to old records. The weather cleared late on Tuesday. It was only on Wednesday that it appeared possible for them to drive to the city. Eddie prepared an overnight bag for both as Percival estimated that they might have to stay the night in New York rather than risk driving back in the dark on wintry roads. It would do no harm to drop by at Theseus' hotel in the city to pick up his remaining luggage before his stay was up. The hotel also offered decent rooms at a modest rate for travellers. He might get a room there himself.

Percival suspected that his friend might have resorted to a few Charms on the car, but he did not mind arriving in the city earlier than he expected. They turned by his old place first. He knew his cousin had removed all Percival's belongings back to the family estate, leaving only the bare furnishings that came with the apartment. He recognized his former landlady sweeping snow off the stoop. Another tenant had moved into his apartment since. There was a makeshift birdfeeder hanging from the front window. A No-Maj. There were no signs of any wards left.

Next was MACUSA.

For a moment, Percival considered if he should ask Theseus to turn round. It was almost lunchtime. Tina, the Aurors, and the staff would be thronging the corridors, headed for lunch in the cafeteria or out to the ubiquitous food carts for their hotdogs or the café across the street.

Theseus must have noticed his discomfort.

"Pug, do you want to stop for lunch first?"

He shook his head. He wanted it all over and done with.

Author's Notes:

A shout out to my old English schoolteacher and his little horror stories between discussions on human rights, medical ethics, and other weighty topics with us pack of teenagers. Seriously doubt he is still around given his seniority when he was teaching us.