"There are fugitives escaping from prison — Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski!"
At that moment, a piercing alarm suddenly echoed through the MACUSA building, and magical images of Newt, Tina, and Jacob appeared on the large pillar in the center.
As the alarm wailed across the Capitol, Aurors rushed into action, spreading through the building in search of the fugitives.
"You're Newt!"
Grindelwald glanced at the suitcase in Carl's hand and immediately made a deduction.
Percival Graves was killed by him with the Killing Curse, so there was no way for him to come back to life. Therefore, the person in front of him must be a fake — just like him.
As for how Newt got Percival's hair, there was no way of knowing.
"Guess!"
Looking at Grindelwald across from him, Carl smiled slightly.
This turn of events was somewhat different from his original plan — but it didn't matter. He felt it might be an opportunity in disguise.
Grindelwald obviously didn't want to waste time guessing. Without even drawing his wand, he casually raised his hand, and a nearby iron bench flew up and hurled itself toward Carl.
"Grindelwald's ability to perform silent, wandless magic is really remarkable..."
Carl sighed inwardly, then pressed his feet against the smooth floor and slid backward quickly, avoiding the bench's attack.
"Fainted!"
Taking advantage of the moment when his opponent struck, he tried to launch a stunning curse — but Grindelwald drew his wand in a flash and effortlessly deflected the attack.
Clearly, in a pure magical showdown, the gap between the two was huge. Nevertheless, the commotion soon drew the attention of nearby Aurors, who rushed toward the eighth floor.
When the Aurors arrived and saw two Percival Graves standing there, their confusion was palpable.
"He's Newt in disguise, and he wants his suitcase back. Arrest him immediately!"
Carl remained calm. Although this was a disguise, the person across from him was also in disguise . There was nothing for him to fear. So he turned the tables and called for the Aurors to arrest Grindelwald.
The Aurors faltered for a moment, then Grindelwald spoke calmly:
"He is Newt. He transformed into me with Polyjuice Potion. It won't be long before it wears off and you will see his true form!"
The Aurors turned their wands toward Carl once again.
"Danlon, I remember your child just went to Ilvermorny this year!"
Carl put away his wand and remained composed.
He had gotten this information in advance. The black market goblin at the Blind Pig Bar had provided him with extensive details about all MACUSA employees in exchange for two hundred gold Galleons.
Danlon was stunned upon hearing this. His daughter had indeed gone to Ilvermorny this year. How could "Newt" know something so specific?
"It's him!"
The other Aurors immediately turned their wands toward Grindelwald instead.
Grindelwald cried in disbelief:
"Danlon, have you forgotten that you injured a No-Maj during the arrest the day before yesterday? I cleared you of all blame!"
Danlon faltered once again. His grip tightened on his wand, unsure which side to believe.
The rest of the Aurors were in the same predicament. Each seemed to know things that only the real Percival Graves should know.
At this moment, President of MACUSA, Seraphina Picquery, and representatives of the International Confederation of Wizards rushed forward.
When they saw two Percival Graves standing there, they were stunned.
"What on earth is going on here?" Picquery demanded.
Danlon and the Aurors quickly explained the whole story — but it was clear Picquery and the delegation were unsure whom to trust. Neither their magic nor their expertise seemed enough to resolve the confusion.
Then Grindelwald turned toward Picquery with a mischievous glimmer in his eye.
"President Picquery, do you remember the proposal I made last night? I'm sure the fake will know nothing about it."
Picquery narrowed her eyes. That seemed reasonable — the true Percival would certainly know details of their private conversation.
But at that moment, Carl remained unfazed and addressed Picquery directly:
"The person across from me said I transformed myself with Polyjuice Potion. If that were true, I should have changed back by now. But I haven't.
He, on the other hand, isn't under Polyjuice — he's using advanced Transfiguration. A Revelation Charm can reveal his true form."
Hearing this, Grindelwald's pupils tightened. He hadn't expected "Newt" to be proficient enough in Transfiguration to see through him.
"It's a simple revelation. It can't harm him…unless he's guilty."
With those words, Picquery nodded in agreement.
"It's a reasonable proposal."
A representative from the International Confederation of Wizards, who was often at odds with Picquery, raised his wand and cast the Revelation Charm directly toward Grindelwald.
"Reveal yourself!"
A shimmering ray of magic flew toward Grindelwald — but with a casual wave of his own wand, Grindelwald deflected it back toward Carl.
Carl hadn't mastered magic at Grindelwald's level and couldn't reflect it, but his physical reflexes were remarkable. With a slight movement, he avoided the rebounded revelation.
"As Minister of Security, I do not appreciate such an insult."
Grindelwald remained calm, although everyone present was now suspicious. His ability to reflect a powerful representative's magic, and his unwillingness to submit to the revelation, made Picquery and the delegation realize something was amiss.
______________________^_^_______________
CHAPTER 102
"I now order you two not to resist and to undergo the Reversal Spell test together!"
At Picquery's command, the Aurors divided into two groups and raised their wands, pointing them directly at Carl and Grindelwald.
"All right… I'll submit to the test!"
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes. He knew there was no point resisting at this moment. His plans might be delayed, but this wasn't the end. His power was more than enough to handle whatever came his way. It was a small price to pay.
He remained calm and composed, ready to see who the person in front of him really was. He originally believed it might be Newt Scamander, but after their brief exchange, he felt it was someone else.
"Go on, show yourself!"
Two revealing charms struck Grindelwald and Carl at the same time. Neither tried to avoid it.
As the Reversal Spell fell upon him, Grindelwald's Transfiguration fell away, and his true form was revealed.
On the other side, the revealing magic fell harmlessly on Carl, but in a clever move, Carl chose to release his own Transformation, letting his true form appear.
He couldn't let anyone realize his Transfiguration was strong enough to resist an Reversal Spell. That knowledge would undermine future plans. So instead, it seemed to everyone that the Reversal had forced him back into his true form — a small illusion to conceal a much greater ability.
"Grindelwald!!!"
When the Aurors and members of the delegation saw him, they immediately raised their wands. All were more nervous about him than a dragon.
It wasn't their fault. Everyone knew Grindelwald's power. Few wizards outside the British Ministry of Magic hadn't crossed wands with him. The last time the international community tried to capture him, many Aurors fell in the attempt — yet Grindelwald walked away unharmed.
He'd earned his reputation through power and fear. That's why many wizards secretly admired him, agreeing with his ideology or, at the very least, respecting his ability.
"Grindelwald, you're bold enough to masquerade as the Minister of Security. Where is Mr. Percival now?" Picquery demanded, pointing her wand directly at him.
She felt a deep shame. As President of MACUSA, it was a disgrace to realize that Grindelwald had gotten so close to her, undetected.
"Percival — the wizard as corrupt as you — is already gone." Grindelwald glanced at Picquery dismissively and fell silent. His piercing gaze then fell upon Carl, who stood unharmed in his true form.
"Tom Foley, the last of the ancient Foley family… you captured the dark wizard Manu Angel all by yourself. Interesting. How did you uncover my disguise?" Grindelwald asked quietly.
"I didn't know your true identity. I'm just proficient in Transfiguration, and I noticed a small flaw in your disguise."
Carl raised his wand in kind, matching the Aurors' threatening stances.
Grindelwald nodded, a glimmer of admiration creeping into his piercing stare. "Not bad at all. Tell me… would you consider following me? We could openly conquer this world side by side — instead of hiding in the sewers like rats. Do you really think the Statute of Secrecy is protecting us? It's protecting those weak Muggles — those ordinary creatures — at the expense of our freedom!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Grindelwald. I can't completely agree with you."
Carl shook his head and remained firm in his beliefs.
From a wizard's perspective, there was a kernel of truth in Grindelwald's words. The Statute of Secrecy was flawed. The first World War had just ended, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to conquer a vulnerable Muggle world — before their technology advanced and made it impossible.
With the rise of nuclear power and sophisticated muggle weaponry, wizards would soon find it hard to conceal their magic from the rest of the world. Could the Ministry really continue erasing memories and ignoring growing muggle power?
This kind of thinking was not without merit — Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., and countless governments were already trying to control those with power.
But from where Carl stood, openly ruling the world alongside Grindelwald wasn't an option. His true mission demanded careful discretion. His greatest advantage lay in playing both sides. He couldn't destroy Dumbledore, nor could he aid Grindelwald. His role was to navigate the chaos in a way that kept him valuable to everyone — without tying himself directly to either side.
Grindelwald remained unfazed by the rejection. "Aurors… I suggest you disarm Mr. Grindelwald immediately."
Picquery nodded and addressed her Aurors in a firm voice. "Remove Grindelwald's wand!"
Some wizards nodded reluctantly. They were afraid — not just of Grindelwald's power, but of the ideas he represented. Many secretly resented the Statute of Secrecy and the oppressive control of the Ministry of Magic.
Some, like Newt, were frustrated by its unfairness — forbidding marriage to Muggles and wiping their memories without consent — yet they opposed Grindelwald's view that Muggles were inherently lesser creatures.
Today, nearly the whole wizarding world fell somewhere in the middle — not fully endorsing the Statute of Secrecy, but not buying into Grindelwald's dangerous ideology of domination.