Graves returns to his workplace as a visitor and stumbles into a booby trap left by an old enemy.

MACUSA and St Kitts

They drew up at a kerbside parking space near Woolworths. Normally, Graves would park in the building's garage. However, he did not wish to commit to entering the building yet. For almost ten minutes, he just sat staring at the department store's facade of Christmas lights and holly.

"Ready, Percival?"

"Ready."

Theseus reached over to help with his door. His mother had insisted he took along his cane. It had been his father's – an unwieldy thing topped with a golden orb. However, he was glad for its support as well as Theseus' as they approached the building. It was lunchtime. Long queues had formed before the foot carts. Another queue snaked out the café.

"Graves?" a squeak of recognition from Alfie Lopez who was queuing for tacos. That was enough to turn the heads of the MACUSA employees queuing in the street. Too much attention… too many eyes staring and too many voices talking about him. He felt like ducking behind Scamander for all the good it would do him. They ducked into Woolworths with Theseus taking his elbow to steady him and guide him along just in case.

They emerged into the grand lobby. Apparently, he was still able to enter magical spaces with his damaged core. There was a murmur of surprise and shock as other employees slowly recognized the much-altered Percival Graves, former Director of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Percival, what are you doing here?" Seraphina. The President glided across the floor towards them, her security detail in tow.

"Just v-visiting…" Graves struggled. Perhaps it was too much, too fast. His head was swimming, his vision blurring. His heart was racing. He felt as if iron bands were being tightened about his chest. Madame Picquery motioned for her security officers to stand back to allow him some space.

"Come along now," Seraphina Picquery ushered both visitors to the elevator, which promptly emptied out except for the elevator-elf. She gave the order for a mediwitch to be sent to her office.

"My office, Red."

"Sure he still alive, ma'am?" Red asked as he pushed the buttons. Percival had apparently fainted into Theseus' arms. The cane clattered on the elevator floor where Red picked it up and handed it to the President. The impudent elf lifted Percival's eyelid to peer into his eye.

"Well, alive enough," he proclaimed as they reached the President's Office.

Seraphina transfigured a chair into a couch for Theseus to lay Graves on it. Percival was just starting to come to. The summoned mediwitch looked him over.

"He walked through some sort of hex, specifically geared towards him," the senior mediwitch declared solemnly. "When he entered the building, it activated and started reacting with his magic. I am not sure of the mechanics but had his magical core been stronger, it would have stopped his heart cold."

"G-Grindelwald…" Percival spat as he clutched at his chest. "He told me I'd never set foot in MACUSA again… Didn't anyone check the building for hexes after he was caught?"

"Matthews had all the offices and rooms checked, but not the main lobby. Too much traffic…" Bobby Chang had caught up to them and had entered the office. "We are getting a Cursebreaker to look at the lobby entrance now." Sealing off the lobby would be a nightmare given it was the main entrance used by close to three hundred employees and countless visitors, who would now have to be directed to the garage exit.

"The spell has been worn down over the past year so as not to be as deadly as originally cast. Still, I will strongly recommend Mister Graves drop by at St Kitts for a specialist curse-doctor to look over."

"Is there another route out that would not involve crossing the lobby?" Theseus asked as he held Graves' hand. It was cold and clammy.

"Emergency Disapparition protocols, Chang," Seraphina announced. "Allow temporary Disapparition from my office to St Kitts emergency department."

"Yes, ma'am," Chang nodded solemnly and waved his wand.

"Hang on, Percy." Seraphina sat down next to Percival and hugged him close before Disappariting with him in a side-along. The attendant mediwitch and Theseus followed. Once the four had gone, Auror Bobby Chang reset the Anti-Disapparition and hurried to the Apparating point outside the building to catch up.

Percival was amazed to find that both he and Seraphina arrived unsplinched. He had felt awfully ill during the process and quickly threw up his breakfast on the tiles. They tumbled onto the floor in front of the receiving desk to the alarm of the greeting witch. Healers were summoned and potions applied. However, leaving the building seemed to have worked for Graves as the colour slowly returned to him.

They received news from Auror Chang that the curse had been lifted off the lobby and it should be safe for Graves to return if he wished. Seraphina sternly demanded that they scanned the entire building from roof to basement for any leftover jinxes or hexes which might be lying in wait for unsuspecting wixen.

"Why did you go back?" Seraphina asked. Theseus had stepped outside to speak with the healer.

"I was never debriefed…"

"Forget that debriefing… you were in no state for it, and as far as I am concerned, you are in no state for it now."

"I wanted to look at my old office."

"You would never recognize it now. Emerson Abbot redecorated the place in Western chic after he was convinced to stay on for another year." Another voice cut in.

Tina had Apparated over to St Kitts, having returned from her lunch to find the lobby in an uproar after Graves' collapse and the discovery of a curse left behind by the Dark Wizard of their era. She had feared the worst but was now beaming to see her Uncle Percy sitting up and arguing with the President of MACUSA.

"Tina."

"Uncle Percy…" she enveloped him in a hug.

"What did Abbot do to my office? Hung his banjo on the wall?" Graves never thought he would miss the worn mahogany desk and filing cabinets that had been handed down since before the war.

"For starters. He had the place done over to look like a saloon with country music Tuesdays," Tina added with a grin. "It helped that Matthews had to refurnish the place after we gutted it as part of dehexing MACUSA last year."

"I approved of his mini saloon and the gigglewater," Seraphina added.

"What did it look like under Matthews?" Percy asked.

"Bare bones. He just hauled in a spare desk and chair from the store and used an Extension charm on his briefcase for the files."

"Percy, they would like to keep you for the night," Theseus returned after his chat with the healer. "The good news is that your magic core seems to be stabilizing. Maybe you can try using magic a bit since it is still there."

Hopeful, Percival concentrated on a glass of water on the table. "Accio- glass." Nothing happened.

"Here, try it with a wand," Seraphina offered her wand. Percival held it and tried again. Nothing, not even a spark.

"There, there. You are tired. Maybe tomorrow," Seraphina coaxed the crestfallen wizard as he gave back her wand. "Don't give up now."

Outside in the corridor earlier…

"Mister Scamander, we will be frank with you. There has been a rather worrisome development when we scanned his magical core. His core is not only stabilizing, but also strengthening at a rapid rate. He has not been using his magic at all, has he?" the senior healer asked. When Theseus nodded, he continued.

"His current condition is not that of a no-Maj or squib. Before his injury, he was a powerful wizard, no? There is a risk he might develop a condition similar to an obscurus if his magic is unable to be expressed. There is something blocking him mentally. My recommendation is a mind-healer or else magic regulating restraints to prevent any sudden outbursts as his magic returns to former levels."

"Out of the question." Putting any form of restraints on his friend was unthinkable. Percival had already expressed an aversion to any form of probing into his mind. "If we can force him to express his magic, would it help?"

"I do hope you are not intending to shove him down the stairs or drop him in front of a train. That might tip him over the edge if not seriously injure or kill him first. He needs to grow back into his magic. After a year without it, he'd be out of practice."

"What is the prognosis?"

"Well, in all my years I have only encountered a single such case. A young child who was attacked by a Rougarou. He only regained the use of his magic in his majority and received his acceptance to Ilvermorny after he was accepted to Harvard. The family did not have that strong magic to start with. He was attuned to No-Maj life by then thanks to being raised by his No-Maj grandfather in England after being written off as a squib. Chose to continue with Harvard. From what we last heard, he was performing magic tricks to entertain children in his free time when not designing buildings. Drove the No-Maj magicians crazy trying to work out how he did his tricks. Probably signed himself up for a Kwikspell course after work, but that is neither here or there."

"About Graves…" Scamander tried to draw the healer back to the topic.

"A wizard of his age and power. It might be difficult for him to control his own power when it finally comes back. There was a historical account in the 1860s of a grown witch. The records state that she was traumatized and unable to use any magic after her rescue from Scourers despite having been known in the community for her magic previously. Until the day a snallygaster threatened her grandchildren."

"What happened?"

"Twenty odd years of disuse and pent-up magic let loose at once. They found a charred crater where the beast was. The strain killed her, but the children survived unscathed. I suggest you encourage your friend to continue trying to use magic but stop if he encounters any discomfort and return for another scan. Perhaps simple spells to start off."

Tina exchanged glances with Theseus. She had noticed his discomfort when Percival fluctuated between hope and despair. Yet he had suggested Uncle Percy try to use a spell. Why?

Later. He would have to tell someone in the States. Perhaps Mrs Graves or Tina. He hoped his suspension would end soon so he would go back to working to bring down Grindelwald. The Auror core of the British ministry had been gutted, just as the French Aurors were after the rally. Should he tell Percival about his condition? He did not know how he would react, or if he already knew.

"Accio," Percival repeated as he reached for the glass again. No one noticed the glass shift slightly.

"Allow me," Theseus sensed Percival's growing frustration. He accio-ed the glass over so his friend could quench his thirst.

Author's Notes:

I feel returning to MACUSA would have more impact on Graves since he cannot enter his former apartment – it been leased out to a new tenant. Then Grindelwald had to set up a trap for Graves in case he ever escapes his clutches and tries to return to MACUSA. Currently there is no position for Graves remaining in MACUSA. He has been replaced as Director and is unlikely to be allowed to return in any other capacity without being able to use his magic properly first.

No one knows how long it will take for him regain his magic or rather the use of it.