Chapter 316: Reuniting with Tina, Capturing the Zouwu, and The Allure of Power
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Aiden munched contentedly on a Lorraine meat pie, eating with obvious leisure.
"Really, I recommend you try this, Newt." Aiden raised the flaky pastry in his hand.
Unfortunately, the two men worried about their respective women paid no attention to his culinary advice.
The enchanted feather on the table kept tapping insistently against the glass cover. When a well-dressed Black man appeared at their table, Newt cooperatively lifted the glass.
The feather fluttered over to settle comfortably on the man's hat.
"Good day, sir. Bonjour." Newt spoke some appropriate French, making Jacob's mouth twitch with obvious discomfort.
The man saw it was Newt and mechanically turned around, clearly wanting to leave.
"Sir, wait! I want to ask if you've had any contact with my friend."
Newt carried his case and walked around in front of the man. Seeing they outnumbered him three to one, the stranger had no choice but to stop.
"Gentlemen, Paris is a very big city. If you don't mind..." The man gestured vaguely, still wanting to escape.
"My friend's name is Tina Goldstein. She's an Auror from MACUSA." Newt looked meaningfully at Aiden. "If she's missing, the Ministry'll definitely send people to look for her..."
"So we'd better report this to the French Ministry and have them send more people to search," Aiden added smoothly, raising his eyebrows at Newt. "Besides, I heard there's a wanted Obscurial from the American Ministry wandering around here recently."
Jacob put on an expression of having everything under control and nodded with exaggerated profundity.
"Is she quite tall, with black hair..." The man thought for a moment and began carefully describing Tina's characteristics.
"Very serious," Newt said immediately.
"Very beautiful," Jacob added simultaneously.
"I think I might've seen her last night. If you don't mind, I can take you to find her." The man gentlemanly tipped his hat.
"Excellent." Newt nodded eagerly.
The man led the three through several bridge piers, finally arriving at a grimy sewage treatment discharge area that reeked of industrial waste.
Newt and Jacob walked ahead anxiously, while Aiden deliberately stayed behind the guide.
"Aren't you worried about your companions?" The man didn't turn around, but his voice carried obvious tension as he attempted casual conversation.
"Nothing to worry about. Newt's very capable," Aiden replied with a knowing smile.
"You'd better go up and take a look. Maybe you can lend them a hand." The man pushed his hat nervously.
This guy was obviously terrible at lying. Aiden didn't even need to use his abilities to see the urgency in his subtle movements and body language.
"Indeed, you make a good point." Aiden nodded and followed up.
"Tina!" Newt called out, seeing the woman lying unconscious in the closed sewage treatment room.
Tina stood up slowly and looked at the three visitors with obvious surprise. "Newt?"
"Expelliarmus!" Suddenly a spell disarmed Newt, sending his wand flying.
At the same time, the grated door of the sewage treatment room slammed shut with magical force.
Tina and Jacob immediately pressed up against the metal bars.
"I'm very sorry, Mr Scamander. I promise that after Credence dies, I'll release you!" The man said with his head bowed to the imprisoned group.
"Kama, wait!" Tina tried desperately to call out to him.
"No, no, no." He covered his eyes in anguish and collapsed.
"Rescue missions aren't easy, are they?" Newt smiled wryly at Tina through the bars.
"Oh, this is a rescue mission? You made me lose my only lead!" Tina stepped forward angrily.
Ignoring the couple's heated argument, Aiden walked over and casually pulled Jacob aside.
"What're you—" Jacob turned around in confusion.
Aiden placed both hands on the thick metal grating and applied steady pressure.
CRACK!
The reinforced metal bars were torn apart like paper by his inhuman strength.
"Ha! Newt!" Jacob's face lit up with joy, then he turned to call the arguing couple. "Hey, lovebirds!"
Newt and Tina quickly rushed to Kama's unconscious side. Tina efficiently retrieved both Newt's and her own wands from the defeated man.
"You just said you need this person, right?" Newt asked Tina hopefully.
"Yes, he knows where Credence is, Mr Scamander." Tina looked at Newt with barely perceptible resentment in her dark eyes.
Hearing Tina's deliberately distant address, Newt looked at her with obvious hurt and disbelief.
The two stared at each other in awkward silence, until suddenly the thunderous roar of some fierce beast came from the street above.
"This must be the Zouwu." Newt lowered his head and picked up his wand and case with renewed purpose.
"Go up and see what's happening?" Aiden tilted his head.
"Yes!" all three replied simultaneously.
The four climbed up the stone brick stairs together, with Aiden and Jacob supporting the semiconscious Kama between them.
However, because of the dragon's insufficient height, most of Kama's weight ended up hanging on poor Jacob.
On the busy street above, a massive beast with an enormous body, thick muscular limbs, colourful striped fur, and a whip-like tail was enthusiastically crashing into passing cars with destructive glee.
"Aiden, help clear the scene!" Newt called out urgently.
"Hold him for me, Jacob!" Aiden released Kama without warning.
This made Jacob lose balance instantly, and both men tumbled to the cobblestones.
SNAP!
Aiden snapped his fingers with practised ease, and dreams immediately enveloped the surrounding area like invisible fog.
All the ordinary people felt as if they were suddenly dreaming and fell peacefully asleep where they stood.
Their memories would merge with the induced dreams and be naturally discarded by their brains along with the dream content when they awoke.
A skilful memory-clearing method that caused absolutely no harm whatsoever.
Newt pulled out a... cat teaser.
Shaking the enchanted toy, it made crisp, magical tinkling sounds that echoed through the street.
The Zouwu's massive pupils dilated immediately, staring with laser focus at the cat teaser in Newt's steady hand.
Newt moved slightly to the right, and the enormous beast's head tilted right. Then Newt moved left, and the Zouwu obediently tilted left like a gigantic, deadly kitten.
Newt slowly backed away step by step until he stood directly behind his opened case.
He released his grip, and the bell tinkled musically as it fell into the magical container. The Zouwu pounced with surprising grace and dived in after it.
Newt immediately stepped forward and sealed the case shut with a satisfying click. At that exact moment, the address of Dumbledore's safe house also began glowing on the parchment in his pocket.
Several French Aurors arrived at the chaotic scene. Seeing unconscious Muggles everywhere and three suspicious foreign wizards, they immediately used white barrier charms to enclose the entire area and raised their wands threateningly.
"Report! Northernmost side of Champs-Élysées, another wizard attack on Muggles incident," the leading Auror immediately sent out a call for backup.
"Aiden!" Newt shouted desperately.
"Working on it, working on it!" Aiden's familiar staff materialised in his small hand, and a perfectly aimed Zoltraak spell shattered the barrier like glass.
Then Newt dodged the incoming Stunning Spells with practised ease, grabbed Aiden and the others, and Disapparated from the spot with a sharp crack.
Meanwhile, back in Britain, Travers, the intimidating head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, stormed into Hogwarts with his team of enforcers.
At the school gates, Professor McGonagall, still quite young at this time period, directly blocked their aggressive advance.
"This is a school! What do you think you're doing here!"
Travers smiled coldly and waved his hand with casual authority. Two burly Aurors stepped forward and roughly held Professor McGonagall back.
"I am the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I have the right to go wherever I want, whenever I want."
The intoxicating allure of power was fully displayed in that arrogant moment.
However, the reason Travers could be so completely unscrupulous was also because he'd once led wizards heroically into World War I.
Eventually, several famous war heroes had followed his leadership and joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
So perhaps, from another perspective, in the wizarding world it could also be called the dangerously charming power of authority.