On the other side of Berlin, Newt pushed open a chained door in an abandoned subway station and descended into the basement, the rusty metal groaning under his weight.
After handing over his wand and numerous magical creatures to the suspicious guards, he carried a visiting lamp into the depths of the prison, its flickering light casting dancing shadows on the damp stone walls.
Twisting awkwardly, following the prison's keeper through narrow passages, Newt entered the deepest section of the facility.
"Are you here to rescue me?" Theseus hung upside down in a cave, his face flushed from the blood rushing to his head.
"What are you doing?"
"Edge mimicry technique. I was trying to integrate with them in a non-violent way," Newt explained, gesturing at the scorpion-like creatures surrounding his brother.
After carefully letting Theseus down, the two twisted their way toward the exit, moving cautiously through the dark tunnels.
However, just as they were about to reach the outer passage, Theseus accidentally stepped on and killed a keeper—one of the scorpion creatures guarding the prison.
The two brothers looked at each other as tense silence erupted around them.
But before the keepers could riot, something far worse happened—the visiting lamps in their hands suddenly went out, plunging them into darkness.
"I'm guessing that's not a good sign," Theseus said quietly.
From the depths of the prison, a massive scorpion tail rose up and struck fiercely toward them with deadly precision.
"Run!" Newt shouted.
The two brothers shuttled through the tunnel at breakneck speed, the scorpion tail continuously smashing through stone walls along the way, sending debris flying. At the same time, the hooked barb at the tail's tip shot scorching venom that sizzled against the stone. After a harrowing chase, Theseus found himself cornered against a dead end.
Fortunately, Newt's loyal Bowtruckle Pickett found him in time with his wand clutched in tiny wooden hands.
But Theseus was caught by the scorpion tail and began being dragged backward into the consuming darkness.
"Accio tie!"
As Newt leapt forward desperately, he used the Summoning Charm on Theseus's enchanted tie. Both brothers were pulled together and transported away by the emergency Portkey.
The belatedly arriving administrator laughed contemptuously after seeing them dragged away by the scorpion tail, but then his visiting lamp also flickered and died, leaving him alone in the dark.
Outside Hogwarts by the lake, with a nauseating twist of space, Newt tumbled to the ground with Theseus landing heavily beside him.
The two stood up hand in hand, brushing off dirt. The scorpion tentacles still clinging to Theseus opened their mouths at him with threatening clicks.
"Whoa," Theseus said, shaking off the tentacles forcefully.
"Fiendfyre!" Ghostly blue flames erupted, completely incinerating the writhing tentacles.
"This thing has extremely strong regenerative abilities. Letting it spread to nearby areas might cause serious contamination," a young voice said.
"Aiden," Newt said, walking forward with obvious relief.
"How was it, Theseus? How was life in Erkstag Prison?" Aiden asked, his heterochromatic eyes curving into crescents, showing obvious pleasure at their predicament.
"You knew all along we would enter Erkstag Prison!" Theseus said, putting his hands on his hips indignantly.
"Grindelwald and I each acted as pushers to change certain things. Grindelwald used Vogel and Credence to pull the German Ministry to his side," Aiden explained, leading them toward Hogwarts's towering gates.
"And you used Theseus's disappearance and Prewett's involvement to force the British Ministry to enter the game, right?" Newt said, roughly guessing the political machinations.
"Wait, why can my disappearance force the British Ministry to take a position?" Theseus still didn't quite understand the implications.
"First, we Prewetts represent the violence that ends wars. From the moment I appeared publicly, it signalled that the Prewetts have already taken a stance supporting Dumbledore," Aiden said, leading the two up the castle stairs as he explained.
"Second, Theseus, you're a real power official of the British Ministry. If they can arrest you just like that, it sends a dangerous signal to the pure-blood lords in positions of influence. They understood that Grindelwald is a madman who will destroy the old rules, so they all followed suit to protect their interests."
Aiden tapped Theseus's stomach with a rolled newspaper for emphasis.
Passing through the gates into Hogwarts's Great Hall, Dumbledore had been waiting patiently, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
Jacob sat at the dining table chatting animatedly with Slytherin students, while Lally was enthusiastically recommending her advanced Charms course to interested students.
"Newt, why did you come back so late?" Lally asked, finding it strange seeing Newt arrive separately.
"It's a long story. We ran into some trouble."
Then the two cast meaningful gazes at Aiden. 'You didn't tell her?'
'No,' Aiden answered Newt with his eyes alone.
"Speaking of which, we also ran into trouble," Lally said, pointing at the newspaper in Theseus's hand with concern.
The two spread out the newspaper, and the front page prominently read 'Jacob Kowalski Assassinates Grindelwald' in bold letters.
The accompanying photo showed an unconscious Grindelwald being carried away by a panicked crowd. Some unscrupulous audience member with a camera had captured the perfect shot.
"Jacob," Aiden called to Jacob in the crowd.
He smiled and said goodbye to the children at the table, completely unaware they were Slytherin students, and cheerfully took some sweets they'd offered.
"I'm an assassin," Jacob said proudly, tilting his candy bag toward Aiden, wanting to share the treats inside.
Dumbledore at the end of the long table waved at them, and several people walked toward him with purposeful strides.
"Oh, do you want some? Those Slytherin kids gave them to me. They taste pretty good."
Seeing Aiden eat some without hesitation, Jacob offered them to the people ahead.
"Thanks, but I don't like Cockroach Clusters. For other sweets, I recommend Honeydukes in Hogsmeade," Newt said, straightforwardly exposing Jacob's unwitting consumption of the infamous treat.
Jacob glared angrily at the sniggering children behind him.
"Do you still want them? If not, you can give them to me," Aiden said, reaching out his hand without objection.
"They're all yours," Jacob said decisively, glad to be rid of them.
"Well done, all of you," Dumbledore said, encouraging them warmly. "And congratulations."
"Congratulations?" Theseus asked, not quite understanding.
"Of course, Professor Hicks and Aiden stopped an assassination, and didn't you come back alive from a supposedly inescapable prison?" Dumbledore said, giving Theseus's chest a friendly punch.
"But Albus, forgive me for saying so, hasn't everything returned to square one?" Theseus asked, hastily stuffing his belt into his jacket pocket, then putting his hands on his hips.
"Actually it's worse. Grindelwald has been officially permitted to participate in the International Confederation of Wizards election," Dumbledore said, shaking his head with obvious disappointment.
"What? How was that accomplished?" Theseus asked, turning his head in confusion.
"Vogel chose the easy thing, not the right thing," Aiden replied bluntly.
"The political forces of the German Ministry and British Ministry reached a tense balance, with other countries watching from the sidelines like vultures. Although the Prewetts entered the game, our reputation for violence isn't exactly reassuring either, so under unbalanced public opinion, Grindelwald gained the right to be elected."
As Aiden narrated the political situation, Dumbledore raised his wand, and surrounding smoke enveloped several people in swirling mist.
Mountains appeared from the smoke, and the magnificent building in the middle seemed to materialise before everyone's view, accompanied by ancient, haunting songs.
"Bhutan," Newt murmured with recognition.
"Correct, three points to Hufflepuff," Dumbledore said, crossing his arms with a slight smile. "That's where some of our most important magic originated, and also where the election will take place."
"He won't win, right?" Theseus asked hopefully.
"Hard to say. A few days ago he was a wanted fugitive, and now he's already transformed into a legitimate candidate for president of the International Confederation of Wizards," Dumbledore said, pressing his lips together grimly.
"So democratic election is better, like in our United States," Jacob said, straightening his suit proudly.
"Jacob, if we go by public opinion, actually most wizards now support rushing out to destroy the ordinary people's world," Aiden explained patiently.
"We're the villains?" Jacob asked, feeling like he'd taken the wrong script entirely.
"No, but at least we're the faction opposing war," Dumbledore said, looking at him with serious intensity. "And sometimes, that's the hardest side to fight for."