Newt had suspected for a while that Garfield was up to something.
During dinner, Garfield seemed unusually sentimental, which only deepened Newt's unease. Later that evening, he found a scribbled note on his desk.
I've taken Niffler. Don't ask.
If anyone questions you, just say you don't know. Seriously, don't ask what happened.
Your King Garfield the First
Newt's heart sank. He had a bad feeling. But with Garfield's style of magic, there was no catching him once he'd opened a portal.
And sure enough, trouble was brewing.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Far across the world, on the bustling, neon-lit streets of Tokyo, the orange menace had landed.
Perched atop a wooden rooftop, Garfield scanned the crowd. Locals in kimono and geta clacked through the narrow alleys. But to Garfield, the scene was dull.
The people seemed too small, too powdered, and altogether boring.
His loyal but confused little thief stared down with him. "Boss… this place is kind of poor. I'm not really feeling the motivation here."
"Can we go back?"
Garfield chuckled. "That's because we're not in the right place yet. Stick with me."
The two found a tall office building to stake out. As night fell, Garfield's eyes gleamed. It was time.
Garfield cast a location spell to pinpoint the vault of a major wizarding bank. Then, with a flick of his paw, he opened a portal.
He turned to his thief. "Go. You know the drill."
"Disillusionment charm and anti-detection enchantment are already on you. Just grab what you can."
Niffler dove in like a shark to blood. Gold glinted in every corner, and he stuffed his pockets and bags without pause.
Once full, he signaled… one short magical pulse and Garfield yanked him out through the portal.
The loot was dumped into Garfield's enchanted bag, and Niffler went back in for round two.
Then round 3…
Then 4…
Again and again, until past midnight.
Eventually, Niffler staggered out, exhausted. Garfield, equally drained from maintaining the portals, let out a long sigh.
"Hot spring time."
They slipped into a hidden onsen outside Tokyo. At this hour, it was deserted, calm, and steaming. Perfect.
As they floated in the warm water, Niffler sighed with bliss. "Boss, this is amazing. First time I've soaked in a hot spring."
Garfield grinned. "Nothing beats a hot soak after a good heist. Especially when it's a mixed bath."
"What's a mixed bath?"
Garfield raised an eyebrow. "You're still too young to understand."
"I'm an adult! I can find a mate and start a family!"
"Then I suppose…" Garfield said, stretching his legs lazily.
"It's time you learned the joys of adult life."
He launched into an overly detailed explanation of 'mixed bathing.' causing Niffler to nod in awe. "Boss, you're incredible."
"Will I get to live like this one day?"
Garfield slapped his belly proudly. "After tonight's haul? You'll live better than any Niffler in history."
"Just remember… if the Ministry of Magic starts snooping, don't say a word."
"Not even if they show proof?"
"Deny everything. Blame Grindelwald. Say he needed emergency funding for a comeback."
"…But I'm just a Niffle—"
"Let me handle the story."
"Okay, boss!"
Just then, noise drifted from the neighboring bath… moaning, splashing, and what sounded suspiciously like someone yanking carrots out of a vegetable patch.
"…?"
Garfield's ears twitched. Annoyed, he lobbed a minor hex over the wall, just enough to scare the couple into running.
Mood ruined, the two thieves left the onsen and portaled back to London.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Back at Newt's place, Garfield dropped Niffler off at his nest.
Then he returned to the manor, heading straight for the barn. There, he poured out the mountain of stolen gold.
After two days of enchantment and smelting, he shaped the loot into glimmering gold ingots, each stamped with a cat's paw print.
A job well done.
Garfield was absolutely exhausted.
After the Tokyo job, he took two full days to rest and recover. Only then did he prepare Niffler's share of the loot.
Ever cautious, Garfield created a custom miniature vault disguised as an ordinary wallet, specially enchanted and hidden deep inside Niffler's clothing, in a spot even he might forget.
The wallet was protected by layers of defensive spells, reinforced with ancient locking magic.
Even someone on Dumbledore's level would struggle to crack it open.
Garfield was paranoid, yes… but with good reason.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Tokyo.
When the vault was opened the next morning, Security Manager Kameda nearly fainted. Gold, tons of it vanished.
No traces left behind and no signs of forced entry. The news exploded across the Japanese archipelago.
It turned out this particular vault held steel and gold reserves earmarked for building a massive fleet of warships and purchasing aircraft and artillery from the United States.
Now, most of it was gone.
The sudden disappearance of these crucial funds directly crippled the Japanese military budget.
Over the following years, this unexpected shortfall would ripple across their war efforts, delaying invasions and ultimately reducing casualties on both sides of the Pacific conflict.
Unintentionally, Garfield had performed a heroic act.
A subtle golden glow of karma and virtue shimmered faintly around him for weeks afterward, not that he noticed.
The shockwave reached the top.
Japan's supernatural security division, the Onmyōji, was called in to investigate.
When they arrived at the hot spring Garfield had visited, they found nothing but two terrified men who claimed to have heard bizarre noises and seen flickering lights the night before.
There were no other leads.
The report went to their superior, Tim Wong.
His response? "Figure it out yourselves. I'm just a puppet."
The Ministry of the Army and the Imperial Navy began accusing each other of incompetence.
Shouting matches and blame games ensued, but neither side could offer an explanation. Eventually, both agreed on one thing.
"The Onmyōji are useless."
Stung by the insult, the Onmyōji convened an emergency meeting. After a long debate, they settled on a single explanation to preserve their pride and budget.
"An ancient Western dragon, long slumbering beneath the seabed, awoke and stole the gold. It has since returned to its lair... somewhere in the West."
Naturally, the military was confused.
"Why would a Western dragon be under our seabed?"
"We don't know. Perhaps... destiny?"
"Can't we track it down?"
"We could... if you gave us funding."
"Funding?! We just lost our national treasury!"
"Then we're not going."
And so, with everyone shouting and nobody getting paid, the Onmyōji gave up.
The vault theft was quietly sealed as a top-secret classified case, buried deep in bureaucratic archives.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Garfield remained blissfully unaware, until days later, when he stumbled upon a classified folder in James Carter's study, hidden under layers of magical protection.
He flipped through the reports with amusement. "So... they blamed a dragon. Clever little islanders."
He grinned. They never came looking for him. That made things easier.
Pleased with how smoothly it had all gone, Garfield went back again.
After melting the remaining stolen gold into perfectly shaped nuggets, each stamped with his signature cat paw mark, Garfield set off for Kamar-Taj.
There, he found the Ancient One sipping tea beneath a tree.
He curled up at her feet, purring, and nuzzled her ankle.
"Master." Garfield said, his voice syrupy and innocent. "Can I take Baima with me?"
The Ancient One looked down at him, one brow raised. Her gaze was warm, but unreadable.
"Garfield."
"There are some things..."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
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