A month after Garfield vanished from the moonlit beach, the Goldstein apartment had settled back into its usual rhythm… warm lights, clinking cutlery, and Queenie humming softly as she plated dinner.
Newt had just returned from tending to a bowtruckle nest, and Tina, who had been exchanging letters with him for months, sat across from Garfield with a thoughtful expression.
"I heard something interesting today." Tina said, breaking the companionable quiet.
"Rumor has it that Dumbledore is preparing a major reform at Hogwarts… creating a senior teaching assistant position, adjusting the salary structure. Some say he's even considering joining the Ministry of Magic."
Garfield, chewing lazily on a piece of roast beef, let out a smug little snort.
So, the old bee actually listened. Good. The future world is going to be wonderfully chaotic.
Queenie, slicing more meat for him, hid a smile.
Tina tilted her head. "Although… who knows if those rumors are real?"
"If Dumbledore really joins the Ministry, what about all those who doubt him? Everyone knows he and Grindelwald were close."
Garfield flicked his tail. "And his sister died because of Grindelwald. That doesn't scream 'loyalty', does it?"
"Exactly. His moral stance is clear." Tina nodded. She hesitated, then continued with a more serious tone.
"But what worries me isn't the politics. It's Grindelwald himself. The escort to Britain… everyone is discussing it. And."
Her eyes drifted to Garfield. It was no secret that he had managed to keep Grindelwald contained for over a year without so much as a scratch.
His portals could send the dark wizard straight to London in the blink of an eye.
But Garfield didn't not even a twitch of whiskers.
He swallowed the rest of his beef, gestured for Queenie to keep the slices coming, and finally answered. "I can't interfere more than I already have."
"If I push the world off its natural course, fate will compensate. And trust me… those compensations are never pleasant."
"What do you mean?" Tina blinked.
Garfield ran a paw over his whiskers in that arrogant, know-it-all way only an orange cat could manage. "Take Grindelwald. A villain, a demagogue."
"But he's the designated dark wizard of this era. If I kill him or lock him away too early, the world's consciousness will spawn someone else to take his place."
He tapped the table. "A dark wizard on par with Grindelwald or worse."
"Maybe crueler and smarter. Maybe someone whose worldview you won't understand until it's too late."
"The world doesn't like empty positions," Garfield said flatly. "If history expects a 'devil,' it'll create one."
Queenie's knife paused and even Baima let out a small whinny of unease.
Tina swallowed. "But Grindelwald doesn't… slaughter innocents. For all his crimes, his ideology has boundaries. If a new dark wizard appears~"
"Exactly." Garfield nodded. "You know how to handle Grindelwald. You don't know how to handle the monster the world cooks up to replace him."
Tina leaned forward. "Then… what about the future? What happens? You've seen something, haven't you?"
"The future cannot be said," Garfield said immediately.
"Garfield," Tina pressed, "Can you predict the future?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me what happens to Grindelwald."
"No."
Tina frowned. "Why not?"
"Because," Garfield said, licking sauce from his paw, "If I tell you, you'll get curious. Curiosity leads to interference. Interference leads to catastrophe."
"And catastrophe leads to paperwork, crying, and Newt stepping into a puddle that erases his memories."
"What?"
Garfield cut her off.
"Anyway, Tina, you marry Newt and have a bunch of adorable little cubs."
"…" The room went silent.
Tina's face burned scarlet. "G-Garfield! Don't talk nonsense—I don't have anything to do with Newt!"
Garfield's grin was predatory. "Uh-huh. Sure. That's why you write letters every day."
"Don't think I don't know. I visit Newt's house all the time. He keeps your letters like they're treasured artifacts."
"T-that's private!" Tina sputtered.
"Oh? Private enough that you two discuss nasty things?" Garfield stretched, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"I haven't read them yet, but maybe next time Newt isn't watching…"
"Garfield!" Both sisters shouted at once.
Laughing, Garfield finally relented. "Relax, I won't read your letters."
"And you… don't pry about the future. Fate is like a hyper-sensitive puffskein. Touch it too much and it explodes."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
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