“I have no idea why he has called you.”
Hector Podmore said as Newt adjusted his glasses. They were standing outside the Minister of Magic’s office. It had been three years since he last saw the minister face to face, last time it had been after Grindelwald’s defeat. Newt had hoped that the ministry would stop pestering him after he had started assisting them in some creature based legislations but that did not seem to be the case.
The assistant then came and told them that Minister Spencer-Moon was ready to see Newt. Newt forced a smile at Hector “Thank you, Mr. Podmore, I hope to see you at tea with Robert.”
Newt followed the assistant into the office, Leonard Spencer-Moon sat behind his desk, leaning on his chair with his fingers intertwined looking important. The assistant left.
“Please,” Spencer-Moon said, gesturing towards a chair on the other side “Have a seat.”
Newt didn’t have a high opinion of the minister, deep inside this man was cruel and vindictive. But he did as he was told. He just wanted this to be over so he could go back to Tina and their children.
“Would you like some tea?” the minister asked.
“No,” Newt replied curtly, he knew he should be more polite, after all this man was the most powerful person in the country, but Newt didn’t seem to have that kind of energy in him, especially not after visiting Theseus’ and Leta’s graves.
“Very well,” Spencer-Moon gave a diplomatic smile “You must be wondering why you have been summoned.”
Newt didn’t say anything.
“I had a discussion with the heads of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and we thought that it’s best that we create a list of werewolves.”
Newt felt dread settling in his stomach “A list?”
“Yes,” explained Minister Spencer-Moon calmly “A list so we — uh — can help our furry friends navigate in the wixen world. A Werewolf Registry”
There was a reason Newt had kept his distance from the ministry. Only interacting with the Beasts Division to help them draft legislations to help the creatures.
“A list… so you can cage them.”
“Now, that might be an exaggeration—”
“No it isn’t.” Newt interrupted him, unable to keep the venom out of his voice. “This registry you want me to create will not help the werewolves, only isolate them further.
“I have interacted with werewolves, in case you forgot, they have their own society, their own culture, the only reason they live in isolation is because we Wixen failed to embrace them! If you wanted to help them you could have brought out the bills proposed by my father two decades ago! Bills that were made with the opinions of werewolves and vampires and goblins and giants taken into account!”
“Your father was voted out because of that proposal.” Spencer-Moon’s voice had turned cold now.
“After you ran that hate-campaign against him.” Newt spat out, he should stop now but he couldn’t. “My family has spent entire lifetimes serving the ministry and they have gotten nothing in return.”
“That’s not true, your grandfather was awarded an Order of Morgana—”
“I am talking about my brother and sister-in-law.” Newt felt a familiar yet strange coldness over take him. When he became angry he didn’t scream or rage, no, he became silent and numb.
“Ah well we did—” For the first time Spencer-Moon seemed to stumble over his words
“They didn’t even get a memorial.”
“They didn’t die in combat.”
“They died saving people, they could have left the moment the first explosion went off but they didn’t, they stayed behind to help them.”
“You’re getting emotional, Researcher Scamander.”
Newt didn’t understand how he reached that conclusion because Newt was eerily calm. “Nonetheless, Theseus Scamander spent nearly four decades of his life serving the ministry first as an auror then head of the Auror Department and then head of the DMLE. And after becoming a renowned Academic and Curse Breaker Leta Scamander returned to the Ministry and served for nearly fifteen years. And how are they paid back for their service? They don’t get a proper memorial, let alone an investigation.”
“There was nothing to investigate, Grindelwald killed them.”
Newt wanted to argue more about it but experience had taught him this was no use. Grindelwald had confessed and taken accountability of every single crime he committed but this one.
Newt himself had gone to Nurmengard to find some closure but instead came out with the wound much deeper and more questions. Both Tina and Albus had told him to try and move on and that’s what Newt was trying to do.
“And what about Healer Geoffrey Spinnet and the case with the obscurials? You’ve got some nerve, Minister. Asking me to help the ministry when it murdered him and tried to murder Healer Faheema Odeh and I.”
The Minister turned grave “That was not the ministry, Researcher Scamander, but Unspeakable Crouch and he was punished accordingly—”
“Yes, by getting a cottage in Cornwall and pension until his death.”
Newt had had enough.
“I thank you for considering offering me this project but I refuse to be a part of whatever agenda the ministry is pushing.” and Newt left without being dismissed. He didn’t know yet if he would be punished for this behaviour or not. He couldn’t bring himself to care.
He just wanted to go home to his wife and children and a part of him was expecting to find Theseus and Leta waiting there too but it was futile. He didn’t even register his walk out of the ministry until he was hit by the crisp November air.
This November Theseus would have turned fifty-nine had he lived.