79. Hearing With Ulterior Motives

Theseus Scamander is a fine young man. This is common knowledge within the Ministry of Magic. Compared to his younger brother, who always loves to get into trouble, Theseus's resume is so impressive that it's hard to believe. He also graduated from Hufflepuff College at Hogwarts with excellent grades and became an Auror immediately after graduation.

Ten years ago, Theseus and a large number of wizards participated in World War I and earned the title of war hero. After that, Theseus achieved great success in his career as an Auror and, before the age of forty, he became the Director of the Auror Office.

With his handsome appearance and outstanding temperament, Theseus is synonymous with reliability in everyone's eyes, while Newt is seen as the opposite. For many years, Theseus has been considered the golden son-in-law of the Ministry of Magic. He is sought after by numerous female staff members and is a standout among a group of older men.

However, all of this changed after a newspaper article was published a few months ago. As the saying goes, an official announcement results in losing fans. Newt couldn't help but grin when he saw Theseus walking confidently towards him. He didn't want to see his brother at all. Theseus stood before him, reflecting his image.

Newt loves his current job and life, but in the eyes of others, he is considered far inferior to Theseus, the young prodigy. "I don't remember," Newt whispered, causing Leta's face to darken. After all, there is no going back.

"Hello," Theseus greeted him with a smile as they gathered in front of the door leading to the hearing. "Theseus," Leta said, "we were just talking about Newt coming to dinner."

"Really? Okay," Theseus looked a little surprised, but he quickly regained his focus on business. "Newt, before we go in, I have―"

"This is the fifth time I've come to apply to lift the ban," Newt interrupted Theseus, "I know the rules."

"This time is different from before-" Theseus said, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "This time, you should try to broaden your horizons as much as possible, okay? Then, stop being so-"

"Like me?" Newt smiled.

Theseus also realized that what he said wasn't quite right, but that was what he meant. Newt's style was not liked by the senior officials of the Ministry of Magic, and it wouldn't help him to have a positive outcome in lifting the ban on international travel permits.

"Come on, let's go," Theseus said as he opened the door with Newt and they walked in. Leta watched from outside. She had just entered the Ministry of Magic, and the hearing was not something she could attend.

This was a small hearing, but Newt didn't look much different from when he was interrogated by 'Graves' six months ago. Participating in the hearing was Torquil Travers, his old acquaintance and the Director of the Legal Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic.

To Newt's surprise, his brother Theseus pulled up a chair and sat down. Even more surprising was the presence of two unfamiliar individuals.

Feeling a strange sensation, Newt's keen sense of smell kicked in. Just like when he was interrogated by Graves, he sensed that something was awry in just a few words.

He had a hunch that this hearing was just a pretext to discuss lifting his ban.

Travers presided over the hearing, with various documents before him. These included Newt's arrest warrant from his time in the United States and pictures of the destruction in New York. While Newt's animals had caused some damage, it was mainly from the powerful magic unleashed when Aurelius went berserk.

Grindelwald took responsibility for Aurelius, but Newt's magical animals couldn't be blamed.

"You want to apply to lift the ban on your departure from abroad," Travers said. "Why?"

Newt gave the same answer he had given before: "Because I enjoy traveling abroad."

"A person who is prohibited from leaving the country is uncooperative and evasive about their previous departures," muttered an old man with a thick German accent. Despite not liking the man, Newt recognized the scars on his face and chin as bite marks from the unique magical creature known as the sheep-eating beast, native to America.

Newt realized that the marks indicated the presence of a young sheep-eating beast, as only wounds would be present, rather than the entire neck being severed.

Indeed, the white-haired German man was Rudolf Szpilman, who had been sent to the Magical Congress of United States to extradite Grindelwald over two months ago, but instead allowed him to escape.

Rudolf had suffered greatly in the past three months. He had almost lost his life in Grindelwald's escape, which left his face disfigured by the sheep-eating beast. Hiding in the hospital, he hoped it was all just a bad dream, and that upon leaving, he would still be the renowned wizard he once was.

However, reality did not match his wishes. His reputation had plummeted, yet he still tried to maintain the same air of importance.

Travers looked at him disapprovingly, silently indicating that Rudolf was overstepping his bounds."That was just a field trip, sir, to collect information for the book I was writing about magical animals," Newt calmly explained. He despised this form of communication, but how could he not comply under this roof? Who had asked him to grovel now? Let these people lift the ban!

"You destroyed half of New York," Travers interjected, finally regaining the right to speak.

"No," Newt frowned. This was exactly why he abhorred the Ministry of Magic. He clarified, "In terms of authenticity, the two points you mentioned are incorrect. Firstly, it wasn't me—"

"Newt!" Theseus interrupted softly but firmly.

Newt clamped his mouth shut and furrowed his brow. He didn't understand why Theseus wanted him to remain silent. Wasn't that akin to admitting fault? Could he bear the blame?

But Newt trusted Theseus. They may have had differing opinions, but he knew his brother would not betray him.

At that moment, another sinister-looking wizard chimed in, "Mr. Scamander, it is clear that you're frustrated, and honestly, so are we. In the spirit of compromise, we are willing to propose a solution."

"What kind of solution?"

"The committee agreed to revoke your travel ban on one condition," Travers said, leaning forward slightly. But, with hardly a pause, Rudolph interjected, "You must join the Ministry of Magic and be assigned to your brother's department."

Without thinking, Newt shook his head and refused, "No." However, upon seeing Theseus's expression, Newt remembered his brother's earlier instructions and began to explain, "Theseus is an Auror, but my talents lie in other areas."

"Mr. Scamander..." Old Black continued to try and convince him, "The magical world and the non-magical world have peacefully coexisted for over a century. Grindelwald wants to witness the destruction of this peace firsthand. His news is very tempting to a certain group of people."

"Many pure-blood wizards believe in their innate right to rule, not only in our world but also in the non-magical world. They see Grindelwald as their hero, and Grindelwald sees Credence as the key to making his vision a reality."

"Wait a minute—" Newt suddenly interrupted, a surprised expression on his face. "Who are you talking about?"

"Credence. Our information only gives us this name. Since he escaped from prison, Grindelwald has been desperately searching for someone like him." Travers stared at Newt. "You seem to know something?"

Newt frowned and tried to recall, "I... this name sounds so familiar. I believe I have heard it somewhere before."

Old Black said excitedly, "Really? Mr. Scamander, take a good look and confirm." He waved his wand, causing the tabletop to ripple like water, and Aurelius's image appeared.

"It's him?!" Newt suddenly remembered.

Credence. He had heard this name before! He had seen it in Tina's memory during their time at the Magical Congress. Later, in conversation, he learned that this was the reason Tina lost her position as an Auror.

She couldn't bear to see a child mistreated by a Muggle, so she publicly cast a curse on the Muggle.

The abused child was named Credence!

"Do you know him? Do you know where he is? This is very important, Mr. Scamander!" Old Black couldn't contain his excitement as he stood up and asked.

Newt glanced at him in surprise. He didn't understand why this boy was so important. This... doesn't seem to have anything to do with my hearing, does it?

"Mr. Guzman," Travers pulled Old Black back down and motioned for him to calm down. Then, he turned to Newt and said, "Mr. Scamander, I can make you a promise. If you help us find him, your ban can be lifted immediately."

Newt was puzzled, "What happened to this boy? Why is Grindelwald looking for him? And why are you looking for him now?"

"That is not something you need to concern yourself with. You can even consider it a deal. Not only will your ban be lifted, but you can also become a war hero." Travers crossed his hands on the table and stared at Newt, waiting for his reply.

"Find him, and then what?"

"What then? We will protect him, of course."

"Are you sure you want to protect him? Not kill him?" Newt said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Mr. Scamander! Please watch your words! We are the Ministry of Magic and law enforcers. How could we kill a child without reason?" Travers was annoyed.

"Hey, Scamander is still being stubborn..." a sinister voice came from behind the marble pillars, and a sinister middle-aged wizard emerged with a sinister smile.

All because of the hideous scars on his face.

Newt immediately glared at the man and exclaimed, "What is he doing here? Grimmson!"