Chapter Text
Merlin walked through the streets of New York with a calm face, despite his apprehension to this whole matter.
Regarding MACUSA's recent problems with their particularly extreme case of magical security, Merlin was certain that it was an Obscurial who was responsible for the attacks, and not just a mere Obscurial, but the most powerful in history. He could feel the presence of the magic of the Obscurial, powerful unlike any other Obscurials he had ever seen.
Obscurials were among the few things Merlin did not hesitate to act to help with, and that was due to the source of the Obscurus haunting their bodies until their deaths, yet another reminder of what had happened due to his mistakes.
The absence of love caused by the "abnormality" of magic, and the rejection... It all brought back painful feelings of regret and sadness that would always haunt his immortal life. This was not only just one of the many results of his failure in Camelot, but one of the most personal failures Merlin had towards his people.
It was the least Merlin could do. He had the ability to remove the Obscurus through Ancient Magic safely and then erase their memories and give them better lives. He had wizarding contacts who could be trusted to take care of those poor souls, and they ended up flourishing.
However, Merlin could also detect the presence of one Gellert Grindelwald here. His aura stood out even amongst the countless wizards and witches in this country as one of the two most powerful modern wizard ever born. Of course, he would want an Obscurial on his side. Merlin wasn't surprised that Grindelwald was here.
Gellert Grindelwald... He had been aware of his past with Albus to a certain degree, but he had to admit he didn't have much personal opinion of the man yet. He was a Dark Lord, but Merlin knew he was more than that. He had faith in Albus that he wouldn't have fallen in love with someone completely evil just because he was desperate to exercise his brilliance.
Merlin stopped at a nearby wizarding notice, his eyes widening as he read the wanted notice before him.
Newt Scamander?
Merlin still remembered that boy, how he performed well in his exams, and how Albus spoke highly of him when Merlin was disguised as an examiner. He had seen a good heart in the boy, so he knew something was wrong.
It just so happened that Merlin had seen him, a Muggle, and two witches preparing to enter the infamous Blind Pig.
Naturally, Merlin knew exactly what would happen to him.
It happened that this form wasn't exactly known to Newt personally, so Merlin did not to transfigure himself whereas he would have if he interacted with Albus.
He entered the Blind Pig in his original form, and just as Gnarlak was about to dismiss Newt, Merlin appeared before him beside Newt.
The look of horror and the realization of who was before him had caused Gnarlak to stumble back in shock, and Newt himself fell back in surprise at his sudden appearance, so silent in his movements that none of them even saw him.
"I'm afraid Mister Scamander here is under my supervision, Mister Gnarlak. You will tell him everything you know without charge, or I can just burn all of your business to the ground. You're not popular amongst the Goblins, so I think there would be no backlash from it, Mister Gnarlak. Do you understand?" Merlin said coldly.
Gnarlak glared at him, before finally giving up. "Well, looks like you got yourself someone seriously powerful on your side, eh, Mister Scamander? Fine. Somethin invisibles been wreakin havoc around Fifth Avenue. You may wanna check out Macys department store. Might help with what you're looking for."
"A Demiguise, I assume?" Merlin asked Newt as he nodded.
"Dougal. One last thing, there's a Mr. Graves who works at MACUSA. I was wondering what you know of him." Newt asked as Merlin frowned.
Percival Graves? Of course, it would be Grindelwald. He would have snuck into MACUSA as the President's right-hand woman to find the Obscurial.
However, he didn't have much time to think when Aurors arrived on the Blind Pig.
"I thought I warned you what was going to happen." Merlin said cooly as he proceeded to place his hand on Gnarlak's head and burn him to death using Ancient Magic, causing him to scream, before he then telekinetically lifted and threw every single object in the bar against the Aurors, stunning them as they were forced to put up shields against the assault.
By the time the Aurors found it safe enough to remove their shields, there was no one else in the bar except for the customers, and the bar had every secret door with evidence of Gnarlak's deeds revealed.
"Who are you?" Merlin turned to Newt and his companions as they arrived at the destination before them, the Macy Store in New York.
"Ah! Mister Scamander! I have not introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Arthur Ambrosius." Merlin said with a warm smile. "I heard about MACUSA's problems with a certain Obscurial, so I'm here to track down that Obscurial and save him/her before they get in trouble and keep the damage from spreading any further."
"Emrys Ambrosius? But... You look a lot like a man named Percival Lionheart." Merlin's eyes widened as he realized that Albus had told Newt about him. He didn't see this coming, admittedly.
"Well, let's just say I am a man dedicated to the protection and preservation of our world, both the wizarding and non-wizarding worlds." Merlin said calmly, thanking the Old Religion for him having always been naturally talented in these kinds of things.
Newt stared at him curiously but he nodded. "Alright. I can trust you, right?"
Merlin nodded reassuringly. "Yes. Now, we're going to capture a Demiguise, right? It's invisible, but I know ways to circumvent that, along with a spell to negate it's power to see the future. Spells of Ancient Magic. My family has a particular grasp of such arts. Are you ready?"
"Excuse me, mister, but Ancient Magic? What's that?" A girl with a quite stunning look and a blonde hair noted.
"You mean you can harness the magic of the Old Religion?" Merlin's eyes widened at the mention of what was perhaps the most unknown secret to most wizardkind.
"I have a particularly excellent teacher named Albus Dumbledore, who researched the old magics and discovered the term of the Old Religion. It's powers are unlike anything normal magic can do. You can harness that magic?"
Merlin gave Newt a small smile as he nodded. "Yes."
With that, Merlin conjured golden runes and waved them to enchant Newt and his companions bodies.
"I've heard that Runes are particularly compatible with Ancient Magic, but such magics are rare. Are you sure you've mastered it?" Newt asked cautiously as he turned to Queenie.
"I... I can't read his mind." Queenie Goldstein stated and Merlin sighed as he gave them all his best reassuring smile.
"Yes. I'm afraid I know my ways with Occlumency that can block out any Legilimens influence. On the other hand, I too have the ability to use Legilimency, so I can tell your names. Tina Goldstein. Queenie Goldstein. Jacob Kowalski. Now, I understand we have just met, but believe me when I say this. I have no evil intentions. I promise I will clear your names by the end of the week, and save MACUSA."
Newt eyed him for a while, before nodding. "Alright. It seems we can trust you."
Porpentina Goldstein said nothing even as her sister sported a smile on her face and proceeded to shake his hand.
"Guess I'm the only one who's finding things a bit awkward here?" Jacob Kowalski asked as Merlin simply smiled.
"Regardless of your lack of magical abilities, Mister Kowalski, you are still a good man. Have faith. Things will be alright."
With that, Merlin went inside along with his new partners, and found the Demiguise easily.
"How do you contain your beasts, Mister Scamander?" Merlin asked calmly as the Demiguise fled as soon as it saw them.
"In my case, Mister Ambrosius." Newt said as he unfolded his case. Merlin hummed, but said nothing.
"Now, do open your case up a little bit, Mister Scamander. I'm going to pull the Demiguise here, and then we can put him inside the case." Merlin said as he opened the door the Demiguise went into and recited an incantation to control all manners of peaceful creature.
"Trûwung ðâgýt, smolt forðgesceaft! wadan into êower lôgian nêalic êower êðel m êðles! beclypping duguð brôðorlufu un−l¯æd êower h¯æsere!" At those words of command, the Demiguise slowly bowed it's head as it began to return to Newt's case, compelled to obey Merlin's request.
"That was Old English, wasn't it?" Jacob asked curiously as Merlin nodded.
"Yes. Old English is the tongue used to cast Ancient Magic spells. It is more uncommonly referred to as the tongue of the Old Religion. The Latin and other language spells used by modern wizards and witches produce Modern Magic. It is said that Old English is just the name it was given as the predecessor of the English language, and that it has a true name, but not even my teacher knew of it." Merlin allowed himself to feel pride at Albus's degree of research into the old ways as Newt indulged Jacob's questions.
He was also pleased to hear Newt had been told about him in truth. It showed him that Albus had been able to put his trust on yet another person, that he had been able to achieve a degree of healing from his past, and beside his magical successes, Albus was also now able to find happiness by teaching to where he could find sufficient comfort to be willing to tell secrets of the past.
But as the Demiguise entered the case, there was the case of an Occamy still around.
"This is my fault. I thought I had them all, but I must have miscounted." Newt said with a frown.
"A Demiguise was peaceful and able to radiate an aura of friendliness, especially around other creatures. Of course it was tending to that." Merlin declared as Newt nodded.
"Occamies are choranaptyxic, so they grow to fill available space-"
Before Newt could finish his words, the Occamy had growled and attacked them. Merlin reinforced his body when the wing struck him, managing to catch the wing before it hit him, though being knocked back a few steps.
"Wow! Are you super-strong or something!?" Jacob asked excitedly, but Merlin had no time. He drew his wand, and cast a motion-freezing spell on the serpentine magical beast, keeping it at bay.
"Find a teapot and an insect! Any kind can do! I'm holding it at place for now. Go!"
In truth, Merlin could probably just conjure all the things needed up, but then again, he had to make sure no one knew he was Merlin. He had to avoid suspicion, so he delegated the tasks to his companions of the day.
Newt, fortunately, was quite capable of handling this situation, and Merlin allowed himself to be proud of Albus and his methods of teaching as he proceeded to conjure insects on his own right while Tina summoned a teapot.
"Alright!" Merlin focused less on restraining this gigantic beast, and more on using the insect to feed the Occamy, levitating them near it's mouth.
As the Occamy fed on the insects given, Merlin waved his wand at the teapot and cast a containing spell to bind the Occamy until it could be released into Newt's case.
As soon as the spell was activated, the teapot let out a glow of light as the Occamy was sucked inside it before the teapot closed on it's own.
"Please tell me that was the last one?" Miss Goldstein the elder stated while breathing deeply.
"Yes. That's everything." Newt said with no small amount of relief.
"Thank you, Mister Ambrosius."
Merlin gave a small smile. "Just... Call me Arthur."
"I must say your suitcase is quite the magical marvel, Newt." Merlin said with no small amount of respect in his tone as Newt gently settled down the Bowtruckle he would have sold that he had affectionately nicknamed Pickett.
"Well, Albus Dumbledore surely is an exceptional teacher. I owe him a lot. He is a good man, and Percival Lionheart is, apparently, even better." Newt said as Merlin's smile became bittersweet at those words.
"By the way, may I know ask you if you are in fact that man?" Newt said as he turned around to face him with sincere curiosity. "The way with which you act are quite similar to the same person Albus showed me so many memories of. It might be brief, but you carry that same aura around you."
Merlin stared at Newt for a few moments, before finally he decided to tip to the Magizoologist his hypothetical hat. "Yes. I am."
"You look as young as you were back when you taught Albus." Newt said simply, looking unfazed by the fact that he obviously had many secrets.
Merlin smiled a bit melancholically. "Would you believe me if I say I am an immortal man who's been around for centuries, and can't die by any means, not even the so-called Killing Curse?"
Newt's eyes widened a bit before they regained composure. "That's why you change names? How long have you been doing this?"
"I have an original name, but I won't tell you what it is. Those who know I am immortal tend to only know that without knowing my true name. I've been alive for so many years. I've experienced many things, and despite all the horror and darkness I've seen, in the end, I always see it, the light of hope, the potential for good, the capacity for nobility, both in Muggles and our people." Merlin stated softly. A part of him wondered why he was telling Newt all this, despite having known him only for a few moments, but perhaps this was fate.
"I never lost faith in the world. I may have once sought release, but now I see my immortality as a burden that comes with responsibilities that I have accepted. I am powerful in ways that go beyond the imagination of the wizarding world, and I use that power to the best of my ability. I am not perfect, and I am not overestimating that some (all) of the major problems of the wizarding world can be attributed to my mistake, but while I at first saw my eternal life as a bitter penance, now I have seen that it simply has to be this way."
"And here I thought Albus had it heavy, but even so, you seem to have accepted it all." Newt said slowly and tenderly as Merlin chuckled.
"Well, I have had years to come to terms with it. Albus is one of the students I am most proud of, and I whole-heartedly approve he chose you to confide in. This is not the first time we've met, Newt. Do you remember Alexander Pendragon?"
Newt's eyes widened. "You were my O.W.L and N.E.W.T examiner. You held the Badge of Qualification that allowed you to administer exams anytime. You were even the only reason why I could complete my N.E.W.T."
Merlin chuckled. "Indeed. You gained my eye when I first saw you perform. You were an outstanding student, but that was not your greatest quality. I'll get to it eventually, but for now, let us discuss Leta."
Newt's eyes hardened from it's previous awe and gratitude as Merlin brought up his former best friend. "Your case with her reminded me of the time where I too had a girl as my friend. She was good, Newt. She was kind, and she was compassionate. One of my greatest failures was that I failed to be a proper friend to her. She had her reasons for doing what she had when I turned my back on her, but I should have tried harder. I didn't. I ended up having to kill her myself."
Newt's eyes went from softening to widening as he stared at Merlin with shock and pity. Merlin gave a pitiful laugh. "In time, I realized my greatest fault was that I didn't try to be better. I'm not asking you to immediately try to reconcile with Leta, but I'm asking you to try and at least retain cordial terms with her. Be there for her if she needs you."
Merlin patted Newt in the shoulder. "To hold a grudge or to abandon all notions of friendship for just a few acts of antagonism is folly. Try. Be better than I am. It's far too late for me, and I will carry that sin with me for the rest of my immortal life and regret it, with none of the tears, the nightmares I suffer from, ever able to grant forgiveness that I do not deserve. Perhaps it is even too late for Albus. He and Gellert Grindelwald used to be best friends, but look where they are now. You should be better than me and Albus, your predecessors, Newt."
With that, Merlin turned back and saw Queenie Goldstein, looking at him with tears of sympathy, while Jacob was looking seriously sad at him. Tina simply looked at him solemnly.
"I'll leave you to talk on it.
"Gellert Grindelwald!" Merlin shouted at the street he apparated into as soon as he located the Obscurial.
The man turned at him in surprise as the Obscurial fled. With an impatient flick of his wand, Merlin undid the transfiguration he had performed to an astonishing degree to become Percival Graves, causing him to revert back to the same physical form he was known for.
"Hey, Mister Ambrosius! What-" Merlin raised his hand to stop his four partners of the day from approaching him.
"The Obscurial went that way. Contain him. I'll fight him." Merlin said confidently as he raised his wand and adopted a confident formal dueling stance.
"He's Gellert Grindelwald! You can't expect us to just leave him here-"
"I'm more than capable, Newt. Have you forgotten who taught your teacher?" Merlin said cryptically as Newt stared at him before reluctantly nodding.
As the four vanished, Merlin turned towards the current Dark Lord, who stared at him with a mask of cautious neutrality, despite the fact Merlin could feel the frustration at the setback.
"Ambrosius... You are a member of the highly esteemed yet secretive Ambrosius Family? My research and knowledge of magical history is deep. I know your family had many ways of helping out, but you always seem to stick in the shadows. Why have you come here today?"
Merlin grimaced at Grindelwald's words. Who would have thought that he knew about the facades Merlin had taken over the years, but then again Grindelwald's knowledge of magic was by no means lesser than Albus's. He and Albus had strength that could rival and surpass even that of the Founders.
"Have you come to rescue Credence? Ah yes, the poor boy, who was abused by his abhorrent adopted mother until he became an Obscurial. Unbelievable, to think one could survive for more than 10 years."
Merlin's eyebrows rose at those words, but then it narrowed. He recalled certain parts of Aberforth's statements and Albus's letters.
"You seek to use him for his power. I seek to cure him."
Grindelwald's eyes narrowed at Merlin's words. "Cure an Obscurial? Did Mister Scamander not tell you removing an Obscurus could lead to death?"
"You have no idea who I am, Gellert Grindelwald. I know magics of the old, but we have talked enough."
Without any other word, Merlin fired spells rapidly at Grindelwald, who easily deflected them all to the side, only to be forced to dodge when Merlin manipulated a nearby fire hydrant, causing Merlin to take note of Grindelwald's exceptional reflexes and awareness as he could avoid a surprise attack even with Merlin only using his power subtly.
Merlin noticed piano notes being scattered by fleeing people, and without hesitation, he interpreted the music sheets as runes, forming glowing golden blasts of magical energy that he threw at Grindelwald.
Grindelwald's eyes widened, but not for long as he noticed a flute falling and proceeded to lift it up and magically play the song, forming purple shields made of tune-like runes that blocked his attack. Another tune of the flute, and a wave of purple magical energy in the form of a few scores of music was launched at him. Merlin conjured up all the music sheets as runes and threw them as a shield, absorbing the attack.
Merlin used the shield to absorb the wave, but Grindelwald threw his hand out, causing the shield to be destroyed and Merlin's runes to struggle with Grindelwald's own, golden and purple energy trails lashing out from the coalition of their attacks.
"Interesting... Usage of the ancient ways. Remarkable. I would have liked to see more of your capabilities, but unfortunately I do not have time!"
With that, Grindelwald made what Merlin recognized as telepathic messages before dispelling the power struggle and throwing a car at him.
Merlin batted it aside without effort, but several followers appeared as Grindelwald disapparated away.
They threw a magical device that was one of Grindelwald's wicked inventions, causing a powerful barrier to be manifested. Before the barrier was fully activated, the followers also threw a spellbook into the air and impaled it with an obsidian dagger, causing it to explode and manifest several hordes of Inferi and Dementors.
Merlin shook his head as he activated his version of the Patronus Charm.
"Yfel bannan twihynde mundbyrdnes stellandêopnes healh un−l¯æd mîn hreðer, mîn hycgan, mîn mynd, hûru mîn môdsefa!"
With that incantation of Old English, a massive dragon just as huge as a Giant appeared and proceeded to breathe the purest of light into all the dark creatures, destroying them all with ease.
The dragon also tore away at the dark barrier easily, and Merlin immediately disapparated to reach those four before Grindelwald could kill them.
He found them in time to blast Grindelwald away just as he was mere moments from dealing a potentially lethal blow on Newt, having restrained Tina and Queenie with runic binds and petrified Jacob.
"Sorry it took so long. Grindelwald's followers swarmed up on me." Merlin said apologetically as he waved his wand again and again on Tina, Queenie, and Jakob, removing the spells Grindelwald had used on them.
"Well, better late than never." Jacob said with a wary grin as Merlin nodded, just as the Obscurus began to manifest again.
"Get near me!" With that, Merlin formed a protective shield around himself and his four companions, repelling Credence's attacks, and watched grimly as Grindelwald did the same.
The Obscurus continued to lash out, launching attacks of all kinds at the shield, until Merlin had had enough.
"Listen to me, Credence!" With that, Merlin released a bolt of light into the sky, illuminating the night to where it felt as though the sun itself had returned abnormally early.
"Now, I have experienced many children like you. I know that you have experienced great suffering. It's not too late to let it go, Credence. I have saved children like yourself, and I can do it if you give me the chance to." Merlin said appealingly as the Obscurus began to receede.
"Arthur is right. I had seen what that woman did to you. I know that you suffered, but you can choose to be better, Credence. We will protect you. This man... He is using you." Tina said softly.
"Don't listen to them, Credence. I want you to be free. Together, we can create a new order, my boy. We could-"
Before Grindelwald was able to finish his words, however, numerous spells were fired on the Obscurial as Merlin watched in horror.
The spells came from the Aurors of MACUSA and Merlin could only watch as the poor boy was almost destroyed, with only a few shreds of his Obscurus surviving, which would allow him to revive later, but that meant the boy would now be even more embittered.
"You fools! Do you have any understanding as to what you have done!?" Grindelwald shouted at the Aurors and President Picquery.
"What have you done with the real Percival Graves, Mister Grindelwald?" The President asked coldly as Merlin stared at the remnants of the Obscurus with lament. It had been one of his greatest failures that lead to their rise, and there were times he failed to save them. It never stopped burdening him, screams of the children's abuse and their loneliness haunting him in his mind, condemning him for what he had failed to do.
However, Merlin was forced to suppress those feelings, which he had bitterly gotten good at over the centuries, when Grindelwald unleashed a massive stream of electricity upon the MACUSA officers with a scream, the lightning spell bringing every Auror to their knees while Grindelwald lifted Picquery with his wandless magic and threw her into the air with such force that Merlin had to cast a Softening Charm or else it would have killed her.
Merlin charged at Grindelwald, flying him out of the train station and throwing him down to the ground with his right hand, but Grindelwald stopped his fall and landed on the ground skillfully as Merlin landed down as well.
"They must be in cahoots with the same people who killed my son. Kill them!" A voice shouted as several muggle officers fired their guns at him.
Snarling, Grindelwald turned the bullets fired back on their owners and lifted and crushed all the guns before screaming at them as Merlin made to disapparate, only to realize his folly as he stared in horror at what that wandless scream had done.
All the No-Majs were knocked to the ground, moaning in pain and terror at the telepathic onslaught.
Grindelwald levitated half of a torn building and threw it at him, which Merlin sliced in half with a sharp whip of golden energy. Gritting his teeth, Merlin slammed his hand to the ground, unleashing a powerful avalanche-like spell that forced Grindelwald back but did no damage as he raised a shield strong enough to protect him even from Merlin's spell.
"Is this what the so-called noble family of the Ambrosius do? You allow our people to be persecuted, and a broken soul to be slaughtered!?" Grindelwald sneered as he gathered electricity from various sources of light to empower his spell before blasting a sufficiently strong stream of lightning that Merlin was forced to defend seriously, raising a shield made of runes that summoned water and wind to block the onslaught, vapors of such heat as to sear metal just by exploding near it, in the case of exploding straight at it destroying some cars violently.
Grindelwald was extremely powerful, indeed. If it was in a death match, Merlin would win without a doubt, but while he didn't have to be afraid of dying, with how they were fighting in an open space with many Muggles around, if he used too much power, he could kill the whole city.
The power needed to revive all of them would be such that he would have to go into a deep sleep for months, and he would need Kilgharrah's assistance on top of that. Merlin knew just a few resurrection spells, as it was nearly impossible without the right price even for the Old Religion, and he had almost never used them unless the deceased truly had their lives stripped away from them unfairly.
Fortunately, just as Grindelwald launched a massive stream of purple fire, with Merlin launching an equally large stream of golden fire to dissipate it, Newt had arrived and discreetly fired a binding spell, catching Grindelwald off-guard and restraining him.
Merlin wasted no time and imbued the bindings with runes just as the few surviving Aurors came out, clearly still weak, along with Picquery.
"Take him to the cells now! Those runes won't hold him forever." Merlin said with gritted teeth as the Aurors nodded, but before they dragged him out of his presence, Grindelwald stared at him and Newt.
"Would we die, just a little?"
While Newt only narrowed his eyes, Merlin shook his head at the meaning as Grindelwald was carried away.
"Now, Newt, I recall you have a Thunderbird?" Merlin asked grimly.
Newt's eyes widened. "Of course! We can use it and a vial of Swooping Evil's venom to erase the memories of Muggles all over about the use of magic."
Merlin cast an umbrella charm around himself. "While you do so, I'll repair the city."
A couple of minutes later, and Merlin was back on the tunnel along with the others as Tina, Queenie, and Jacob eyed them in relief.
"You're back! Thank god!" Jacob said in relief as Merlin nodded with a small smile.
"Unfortunately, I cannot make any exception for him, Mister Ambrosius. He too must not remember this. I'll let you say goodbye." With those words, the President left as Merlin sighed out loud.
And so Jacob accepted his fate and softly went to face the removal of his memories. Merlin did know that the Swooping Evil would only erase bad memories, but even the good ones would be temporarily tempered, considering how strong the rain was, with Merlin also adding in enchantments to ensure every single Muggle would forget about magic. He had made an exception for Jacob, fortunately, anticipating what he would be dealt with, but considering how much magic Merlin infused, it would take some time for him to regain it and he could only do so if a wizard or witch were to rekindle his memories.
"This is for the best. Yeah, I was, I was never even supposed to be here. I was never supposed to know any of this." Jacob said in an effort to comfort them as they all stared at him sadly.
"Everybody knows Newt only kept me around because... Newt, why did you keep me around?"
"Because I like you. Because youre my friend, and I'll never forget how you helped me, Jacob." Newt said softly as Merlin nodded.
"It was brief, but you proved yourself worthy. If this was another country, Mister Kowalski, then perhaps-"
"I'll come with you. Well go somewhere, well go anywhere!" Queenie said desperately and Merlin looked away, unable to watch as the fire of romance was snuffed out before it could even begin.
"See, I aint never gonna find anyone like-"
"Theres loads like me."
"No. No. There's only one like you-"
Jacob stared at Queenie sadly before he affirmed himself.
"I gotta go."
"Jacob!" Newt called out softly, but Jacob shook his head.
"It's okay. Its okay. Its okay. Its just like waking up, right?"
With those last words, Jacob Kowalski went into the rain, and Queenie turned at him.
"Can you... Let me-?"
Merlin nodded in understanding as he waved his wand, causing time to stop.
"You have a minute, Queenie. Go to him."
And so he watched as Queenie gave one last gentle kiss and when she finally returned to them, Merlin had warped them all to the place where Newt had told him was the home of the Goldsteins.
When Queenie broke down, Merlin watched the scene with a somber heart.
"So this is where we part ways, Newt." Merlin said with a small smile as they went to the harbor.
"Yes. It's only a while, but it's been nice knowing you. Thank you for your wisdom. I'll try and put it to use later." Newt said with a sad smile as Merlin nodded.
"Don't expect it to be easy, but don't give up either. I made a mistake by giving up far too soon. Don't repeat that, Newt."
Newt nodded as he turned towards Tina.
"Well, it's been-"
Tina gave a small laugh. "It has, hasn't it?"
Merlin chuckled.
"Listen, Newt, Arthur. I want to thank you. It was thanks to all the good word you put about me that President Picquery put me back on the investigative team." Tina said gratefully, although while she smiled at Merlin, she smiled more at Newt.
"Well, I can't think of anyone that I would rather have investigating me." Merlin shook his head fondly at Newt's awkward attempt to romance a girl as Tina giggled awkwardly as well.
It almost reminded him of how Rowena had attempted to flirt with her husband at first.
"Try not to need investigating for a bit."
"I will. Quiet life for me from now on. Back to the Ministry. Deliver my manuscript."
Newt turned towards Merlin. "Would you like a free copy?"
Merlin laughed as he nodded. "It would be an honor."
"I'll look out for it. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, right?" Tina said excitedly as Newt nodded.
"Does Leta Lestrange like to read?" Tina asked suddenly.
"Who?"
"The girl whose picture you carry." Tina said softly.
"I don't really know what Leta likes these days because people change." Newt said solemnly as Merlin shook his head.
"Yes. I've changed. I think. Maybe a little." And so Merlin watched with a smile as Newt softly caressed Tina in the cheek.
"I'm so sorry. How would you feel if I gave you your copy in person, Tina?" Newt said suddenly as Merlin chuckled outloud.
"I would like that. Very much." Tina said with a smile and Newt nodded with a smile on his own as he left, waving back at Merlin and Tina, as he went into his ship.
Merlin gave a fond sigh as he patted Tina in the shoulder.
"You can have that life with him eventually, as long as you work hard for it." Merlin said reassuringly before he left the harbor too.
Not on ship, but instead through space distortion.
Before that, though, he stopped to check in on Jacob's bakery, founded with help from Newt and Merlin. Merlin had left him with a few particular recipes as well, which had quickly became the most favored. Jacob was incredibly talented in baking, indeed. His passion was caused by his strong desire to make people happy, which only further earned him Merlin's respect.
You may not be a wizard or a magician, but you can still live a happy life, Jacob. Live while helping as many people as you can, as that is your dream.
Merlin's thoughts were interrupted when Queenie entered the bakery.
When Jacob touched the spot he was bitten by a Murtlap, Merlin let out a smile.