When Newt heard what Carl said, the look in his eyes immediately changed.
If he previously thought Carl was just a kindhearted wizard, now it was as if he'd found a kindred soul.
Because his philosophy from a young age had always been: "There's nothing strange about living creatures; it's people's minds that are too narrow."
"See if I can't win you over!"
Carl, of course, noticed the change in Newt's demeanor.
He hadn't said those words casually — he knew exactly what kind of person Newt was. Naturally, he wasn't particularly interested in magical creatures for their own sake; what intrigued him most was Newt's remarkable ability to perform the Traceless Extension Charm.
Most wizards, like him and Old Manu, could create spaces of a few dozen square meters with the Traceless Extension Charm. But Newt had opened up an entire small world in his box.
It was clear that his understanding of the charm was probably unmatched in the entire wizarding world.
Getting close to Newt now meant there might be a chance in the future to learn from him — under the pretext of "keeping a few magical creatures."
"Do you know about Horned Beasts?" Carl asked casually. "I found a pair in the Far East. They may be the last two able to reproduce."
"What? You found Horned Beasts?" Newt's face immediately grew excited. "I thought they were extinct. I heard their skin is tougher than a dragon's. Few creatures can harm them with magic."
"Yes, and they're aggressive by nature. Many giant creatures tried to conquer them, but in the end, the Horned Beasts tossed them off and injured them all."
"Hahaha! That's true! It's really remarkable."
The two walked side by side, talking excitedly all the way — from Fantastic Beasts to Hogwarts — and then discovered that they were both Hufflepuffs, which drew them even closer.
Tina, who was holding their hands, remained silent and exasperated. They were about to face trial in Congress, yet here they were, chatting away and laughing.
But to be fair, listening to their stories about magical creatures and their optimistic attitudes seemed to ease her own worries.
During this period, the depression from having been fired and demoted from Auror to Wand License Officer seemed to lift a little.
In this way, the two of them entered Congress and took the magic elevator to the Serious Crime Investigation Department.
"The Wizarding Union is threatening to send a delegation. They believe Grindelwald was involved in yesterday's attack!"
Seraphina Picquery, President of the Magical Congress, was discussing the incident of the unknown magical creature attack with the senators and Aurors.
The door suddenly opened, and Tina walked in with Carl and Newt.
"Ms. Goldstein, I made it very clear: you are no longer an Auror." Picquery frowned and addressed her in an icy tone.
Tina was about to explain, but Picquery interrupted her immediately. "This office is for major cases. Get out!"
"Yes, sir."
Tina nodded quietly, turned back, and started to lead Carl and Newt away.
At this moment, Carl's attention fell on a middle-aged wizard standing behind Picquery.
Because he knew that this man was not really Percival Graves, the Security Minister — it was Grindelwald in disguise.
The real Percival Graves had probably been killed by Grindelwald a long time ago.
"Wait!"
Just as the three were about to leave the department, Picquery seemed to suddenly remember something. She turned back toward Carl and asked:
"Are you Tom Foley?"
"Yes, President Picquery."
Carl nodded with a slight smile.
Picquery nodded in approval. "As expected of a Foley. I heard you captured the dark wizard Manu Angel — the one who killed an excellent Auror from our department. Very good. On behalf of MACUSA, I thank you. You can ask Ms. Goldstein to take you to collect the bounty afterwards."
"That's what I should do."
Carl nodded again. He hadn't expected a small bounty to come his way just for capturing Old Manu.
Of course, this wasn't the most important part. He wasn't short of Galleons. What mattered more was this: Picquery recognized him — which meant his name was already spreading — and this fame might be useful in the future.
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."
Once they were outside the Serious Crime Investigation Department, Tina apologized to Carl. She was now completely sure that Carl and Newt hadn't gotten together to cause trouble — their meeting in the alley was pure coincidence.
After collecting the bounty, she told Carl he was free to leave.
"I'd rather wait for Newt to come with me."
Carl certainly wasn't going to miss this opportunity. He'd just gotten close to Newt, and the trial was about to be dismissed soon.
Tina nodded and took the two of them back to the Wand License Office.
However, just when Tina was halfway through taking Newt's statement, Grindelwald — disguised as the Security Minister — came in and demanded to see the contents of his box.
Of course, the box opened to reveal not magical creatures, but a pile of ordinary bread.
It turned out that in the confusion in the alley in front of the bank, Newt and Jacob had swapped cases.
Carl remained silent and chose not to say a word.
Because there were no creatures in the box, there were no grounds to accuse Newt of secretly keeping magical creatures and causing trouble. So in the end, Newt was acquitted.
"I can't believe you forgot to erase that No-Maj's memory. If anyone finds out, we're all finished."
On the street outside the Magic Congress, Tina sighed in exasperation.
She could have pressed charges against Newt for failing to obliviate Jacob, but when she remembered the box mix-up, she decided against it.
"Don't worry. I'll find my box. It's just that your laws are so backward — forbidding the keeping of magical creatures. They're actually wonderful creatures."
Newt nodded confidently and turned toward Carl. "Thank you, Tom. This really has nothing to do with you, yet you got involved anyway."
"Newt, please — I'm just traveling. It's quite interesting."
Carl smiled slightly.