Goodbyes
Tina and Newt were heartbroken for Tom. He had no true family left. They watched Graves climb up the rail to the platform to look at the empty space. "Credence..." he breathed in shock.
Tina crouched beside Tom and rubbed his back in comfort. She shared a tearful glance with Newt. "I'm so sorry,"
Graves turned in anger to the Aurors. "Do you realize what you've done?"
"The Obscurial was killed on my orders, Mr Graves," a powerful woman approached the scene.
At the sound of her voice, Tom stood up and turned into anger at a tanned woman with platinum blond hair in a turban. "How could you to him?! How can you possibly justify killing an innocent boy who was scared?"
"He was a threat to us all!"
"He wasn't!" Tom screamed. "You're a monster!" his screams shocked the president. Even Newt and Tina were flabbergasted watching him speak like that to the president of their wizarding community.
"Watch your mouth boy!" an Auror warned. "She's the President of our community!'
"Well, she doesn't act like one," Tom defied. "A real president wouldn't have done that,"
President Piqquery pointed her wand at him but Newt pulled him back, pointing his wand at her. "We could have helped him," he said. "Why didn't you let us?"
"What was done here tonight was not right!" spoke up Graves, turning Piqquery's attention away from Newt and Tom.
"He was responsible for the death of a No-Maj,"
"You think just because you're in charge you can treat people so awfully as you did to him and Newt Scamander? It wasn't his fault!" screamed Tom. "He couldn't help it! He was abused and mistreated! How does killing him make you right?!"
"He risked the exposure of our community. He has broken one of our most sacred laws," Piqquery justified her actions.
"A law that has us scuttling like rats in the gutter!" Graves spat repulsively. "A law that demands that we conceal our true nature! A law that directs those under its dominion to cower in fear lest we risk discovery! I ask you, Madam President. I ask all of you... Whom does this law protect? Us?" he pointed up through a hole in the tunnel. "Or them?"
The president was silent at his words.
"I refuse to bow down any longer," Graves proclaimed. He turned his back.
"Aurors, Id like you to relieve Mr Graves of his wand and escort him back," Seraphina argued. A barrier formed in front of Graves blocking his path. He turned towards the Aurors who raised their eyes at him. Then he shot at them. Though outnumbered, he out-skilled everyone who shot at them.
Quickly Newt unleashed a flying reptilic creature to block Grave's spells. Then he swished his hand and Graves was tied up. Tina shouted, "Accio," and his wand flew to her hand. Graves were apprehended. Newt pointed his wand at his head. It released golden sparks as he chanted, "Revilio,"
The crowd watched as Graves's face changed into his true force. Tom took one glance at him and he saw in place a pale-skinned man with two different coloured eyes and pointy white hair. He gasped and stumbled back. He remembered him. This was the same man who had killed his parents. This was Gellert Grindelwald.
Seeing his fear, Newt sheltered him from the cruel wizard. MACUSA approached him. Grindelwald stared up at them. "Do you think you can hold me?"
"We'll do our best Mr Grindelwald," President Seraphine Piqquery vowed. Two wizards hauled him and pushed him to the stairs. They passed by Newt and a scared Tom.
The Dark Wizard stared at Newt. "Will we die just a little?" Newt didn't answer back. Grindelwald saw Tom. "I remember you. You're the little boy in Jersey. You look so much like your father,"
Tom sniffled and Newt protectively pulled him away from Grindelwald. "You will touch him,"
Grindelwald smirked back. "I doubt that" MACUSA pulled him away. They disappeared from sight.
Newt and Tom felt MACUSA's eyes aimed at them. Newt kept Tom very close to him.
"Kill him," Seraphina said pointing to Tom. Aurors pointed their wands at him.
Instantly Newt pulled his wand out, protecting him.
"You can't kill him! He's just a child!" he implored. But the Aurors would not back off. "If you want to hurt him, you'll have to kill me first,"
"And me too," Tina stood in front of him and Tom. "You've already killed an Obscurial without a moment's hesitation. And you don't even feel guilty for the awful thing you did to that poor boy who suffered his entire life. Are you actually going to kill a young wizard like that? In cold blood?"
"That wizard might be developing an Obscurial Miss Goldstein," Miss Piqquery said stubbornly, remembering that spark of powerful energy which Tom shot at them when he screamed at them to leave his brother alone. "We will not allow another one to cause more harm to the magical world and expose more communities. Now you and Mr Scamander…step aside,"
But Newt and Tina would not step aside. The Aurors would not put their wands down.
Before another move could be made, Jacob and Queenie came marching into the scene. Watching what was happening, Jacob stepped in and made a stand. "That's it! This has gone far enough!" he shouted, standing between his friends and MACUSA. He turned to the Aurors. "They're on the same side as you! You shouldn't be threatening them! And look at him!" he pointed to the tear-stained kid whom Newt held onto protectively. "You oughta be ashamed of yourselves, threatening a poor little kid like him. How would you like to be left out alone in a cruel cold heartless world? First, you kill his brother. And now you're going to kill him the same way?"
"Mr Kowalski, there are things that you just don't understand," Piqquery tried to speak but Jacob interrupted.
"Oh, there are things I do understand," he spoke back courageously. "I understand that all of you are narrow-minded. You're quick to act before you think. You don't even give innocent people a chance to explain themselves before you sentence them to unjust deaths. And you're willing to kill helpless wizards just to keep yourselves safe. What you did to his brother was cruel and it was wrong. So don't think I don't understand at all. If you so much as intend to make a move on that kid, you'll have to kill me too,"
"Jacob no," Queenie begged coming to his side.
"It's okay Queenie," Jacob assured. "It's okay. Let them hurt me if they want to kill that kid," he was not afraid to put himself in harm's way.
The tension remained strong. The three wizards and the Muggle refused to let MACUSA get to the boy. Newt couldn't allow them to hurt Tom. Just then, he thought of a solution which would involve no fighting. "What if I gave you my word that I could obliviate the entire city?!" he spoke up. "I can erase everyone's memories,"
His words intrigued Piqquery and his friends.
"If I obliterate this city, let me take Tom out of this city," he implored, desperate to do anything to save Tom's life. "And give Tina back her job too. She doesn't deserve to be put in a skill well below her level,"
Tina's lips parted. Was he sticking up for her?
Piqquery wasn't swayed. Jacob knew what Newt had in mind. "Let him obliviate the city and take the kid," he implored again. "Just trust him. Are none of them innocent? And how does killing an innocent kid make any of you better than Grindelwald?"
Piqquery looked again at Newt and saw the truth in his eyes as he side-hugged a terrified tearful Tom. "Wands down," she ordered. The Aurors slowly lowered their wands but they kept their cold faces stuck to the criminals.
"How can you obliterate the community, Mr Scamander?" she questioned the Magizoologist.
Newt opened his case and out came Frank the Thunderbird. He was very sad to say goodbye. "It seems like you're our last hope, Frank," he gently hugged the bird's head. "I'm gonna miss you," as he pulled back, he pulled out a vial of serum from his pocket. Frank allowed the tearful Tom to stroke his head and say goodbye. He then looked again at Newt. "You know what you've got to do," He threw the vial into the air and the Thunderbird caught it and flew up into the ceiling.
Feeling a little terrified, Tom clung to Newt who shielded him from the Aurors glaring at them. Their hope of leaving together all hung on this vial serum working. Tom didn't know what it was, but he believed in Newt. They heard the rain pounding from outside. Frank had summoned a thunderstorm to help him obliviate the city with the vial. Minutes later they heard cranking and cleaning and they saw the subway magically repairing by itself.
"Did it work?" Seraphina demanded Newt.
"That vial has powerful memory-wiping properties," promised Newt. "Now I've kept my side of the deal. Let me take Tom home. And give Tina the job she deserves to be in,"
Tina remained stunned by his words. Even after what she did, he was now sticking up for her.
"It's done," Piqquery said.
Newt was relieved.
The president glanced carefully at the kid stilling clinging to Tom. "I'm sorry that it was your brother we killed. But I'm not sorry for keeping our community hidden,"
"Doesn't mean you achieve that by killing Obscurial," Tom defied shaking his head. "Doesn't mean you kill or threaten innocent wizards. It doesn't work that way. The next time you think
Although angered and insulted by his words, Piqquery was uncannily captivated by his courage in standing up to her. She turned her head up to Newt, Tina, Jacob and Queenie. "Obliviate him," she was gesturing to Jacob.
Queenie grabbed his hand instantly.
"You know the law. I'll let you say goodbye,"
Tom tried to speak up again but Jacob shook his head. He didn't want him to get into any trouble.
The president and the Aurors left the station leaving the group alone. Newt embraced Tom tightly. "Thank you," Tom breathed. "Did you really mean what you said?"
Newt nodded. "That is if you accept,"
Tom nodded. "I would love that very much,"
Newt embraced him warmly. He was now officially adopting Tom as his son. Tina, Queenie, and Jacob smiled at the sight. They walked upstairs to the surface. They stood under a station entrance in front of the pouring rain from the grey sky. Queenie didn't want to let Jacob go. And Jacob didn't want to walk out into the rain, to have memories of magic washed away along with the memories of all his friends. He turned around and saw how disheartened they were to say goodbye. He didn't want them feeling this way. "It's for the best. Yeah, I was, I was never even supposed to be here. I was never supposed to know any of this. Everybody knows Newt only kept me around because..." he drifted off. "Newt, why did you keep me around?"
"Because I like you," Newt said. "Because you're my friend and I'll never forget how you helped me, Jacob,"
"Thank you for defending me," Tom spoke up.
"It was nothing kid," Jacob said. "I'm sorry we couldn't save your brother. What they did was wrong. We were not going to let them do it to you,"
Tom sniffled and gave him a little smile.
"Gonna miss you kid," Jacob ruffled his hair and Tom giggled a bit.
"I hope you earn a wonderful bakery. You deserve it for everything you've done for dad,"
Newt cocked his head in touching surprise. Tom had called him 'dad' for the first time. He exchanged a warm smile with his new son.
Queenie walked up to stand in front of Jacob. "I'll come with you. Well go somewhere, well go anywhere. See, I ain't never gonna find anyone like,"
Jacob didn't want to say goodbye but it had to be done. "There's loads like me.
Queenie shook her head. "No. No. There's only one like you,"
Jacob hesitated. "I gotta go," he tried to step out.
Queenie grabbed Jacob's hand. "No,"
"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's just like waking up, right? So sorry, sorry," Jacob took one last goodbye face at Newt, Tom, and Tina. Then he stepped backwards into the rain. He closed his eyes turning his face up to the clouds, allowing himself to be showered under the memory-wiping shower.
Newt, Tom, and Tina watched as Queenie cast an umbrella with her wand. She walked out into the rain, then she pressed her soft lips against Jacob's. Then she pulled slowly back whilst her hands reached out to hold her. She paced backwards back into the entrance with her sister and the boys. Then clasping hands, they disappeared.
They arrived back at the sister's apartment and Tom was given some food. His father stayed by him, tied rope around the suitcase so it would not open again. He had been in there for a long while before coming back up again with a stuff-up sack much to Tom's confusion.
"Is there anything you left back at the church?" he asked his son.
"No," Tom said. "Everything is in here," he pulled out the suitcase.
"You look really good in that coat Tom," Tina brought some hot drink to them.
"Courtesy of dad," Tom gestured to Newt. "What did you get out?"
"Something that's gonna help Jacob get his bakery," Newt opened the sack to reveal silver eggs.
"Eggs?" Tina asked.
"Not just any eggs. Occamy eggs. They're very valuable. I'm gonna get them to Jacob and he'll get the bakery he deserves,"
"Good on you,"
Queenie walked into the hallway with wet eyes. Tom looked sympathetically at her. It was so unfair that Jacob had to be obliterated just because he was a no-Maj. "I'm so sorry Queenie,"
Queenie didn't respond. She was too busy enchanting magic to do some cleaning.
Tina sighed and approached her. "I'm sorry that it has to be this way," she touched her shoulders lightly. Queenie didn't respond but she didn't reject her act of comfort. She sighed. She pulled her hands away but Queenie grabbed her retreating fingers.
Newt patted Tom's back as they looked sympathetically at the sisters.
An hour later, Tom waited in an alleyway opposite a street of canning factory workers walking to work. He spotted Jacob walking to work. He was going to miss that baker. He had selflessly stood up for him. Without him, he would not be alive and he wouldn't have a new father. He watched Newt 'accidentally' bump into Jacob dropping a suitcase. Newt joined him and ushered him to hide a bit further back. They watched Jacob as he unsuccessfully lifted the case off the ground. He opened it and they watched him marvel at all the glorious Occamy shells and read the letter Newt had left him.
He smiled. "Come on," Newt took his hand. "Let's go," they walked away towards the main roads. Tom took one last look at Jacob. When his head was raised, his eyes glanced right at Tom. He seemed to recognise him. Tom wondered why but he turned away slowly. It was what had to be done. They walked over to the harbour where the sisters awaited them.
"You two ready?" Queenie asked.
They nodded.
"Here," she handed them their cases. "If you two don't mind, I'd like to go somewhere,"
"Of course," Newt accepted.
"I hope you find peace in England," Queenie said to Tom.
"Thanks," he said.
"Goodbye," In her pink coat and beret, Queenie walked away and the Scamander Family waved goodbye before departing with Tina towards the ship to head home.
That's another chapter done. What did you all think of Tom and how he stood up to the President? And Jacob too? Now Newt has adopted Tom as his son. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. See you in the next one.