Chapter Two: Cups of Tea

"The Demiguise is found in the Far East, though only with great difficulty, for this beast is able to make itself invisible when threatened and can be seen only by wizards skilled in its capture."

Graves attributed his lack of perception to his months of capture and recovery. He was too busy surviving both circumstances that he let things like his intuition and keen eye get dusty with unused.

It took him an ungodly amount of time to notice cups of tea being left around his office and his apartment. Graves did not drink tea. He was an American, through and through. Coffee was his preferred drink and Maxwell House was his brand. (He blamed the catchy slogan.) However, since the whole Grindelwald incident, a cup of coffee was too much on his nerves and he really had enough trouble going to sleep as it was.

But that did not mean he was a tea drinker. No. It reminded him too much of his distant relatives over in England. He still could not get over his horrible summers there as a child and he wasn't even sure how he was related to them in the first place. His mother ignored his pleas and insisted it would help him navigate the social scene without showing much disdain so openly on his face. Even young, his mother and father had high hopes for him continuing the family name in MACUSA. (Though none of his esteemed relatives had gotten themselves captured by a crazed lunatic. One did died due to dragon pox so at least Graves got that going. He'll make sure the little known fact would be added to his headstone: Got captured and tortured but did not die from dragon pox like his second cousin twice removed did, so cut him some slack.)

Nevertheless, cups of tea were left everywhere: in his office, in his library, and once even by Tina's desk. The only way he knew that the cup was left for him was that the tea was served in his family's china cup, the god awful ones with the cherry blossoms and the untasteful family crest. The china was always kept locked away in his kitchen underneath the sink, only venturing outside whenever his grandmother visited and even then only for her use. He had his own non-descript black mug he gotten as a gift from an old lover.

Tina took offense in being yelled at in public for something she didn't do. Graves had to send flowers and a memo of apology to everyone in the office about how stupid he was for jumping to conclusions before he gotten back into her good graces. He also had to treat the Goldstein sisters for dinner. Graves didn't mind that part. Newt tagged along and had stories to tell about his time in Japan, which made the whole affair bearable and light-hearted. Graves could only handle the sisters one at a time. The two of them together was too taxing on his already taxed nerves.

But that did not solve the mystery of the tea.

(Which, yes, he found calming. It did help, but he won't admit to that. He still had his pride.

He also needed to know how the tea was brewed, because it tasted nothing like the ones he had before. A hint of mint and a taste of lavender. It was so soothing and always a highlight of his day.)

Nevertheless, to add insult to injury, Graves also have to solve the mystery of the coats. Maybe he should have his title of Director taken away from him, because someone had been going through his closet and leaving his coats everywhere, even if it was as hot as a dragon's fire breath outside.

And not just his coats. Anyone's coats, really. Graves could not count the amount of time he had to apologize to his co-workers for a coat or robe he just happened to have in his possession. (Picquery did not take too kindly in her golden-green robe, gifted to her by the current Minister of Magic, being found in Graves' briefcase, even though he insisted he did not know how it gotten there or why it looked worn and used. He could not look her straight in her eyes for a long while, which further implicate his supposed guilt.)

Queenie, of course, found all of this amusing. Graves entertained that it was the younger Goldstein sister that was behind all his misfortunate. Queenie just shook her head after she read his mind and said that she would had not been as subtle. She was more of a pusher and, like Tina, would want her voice and actions be heard. Loudly. She was, after all, not like a certain friend of theirs.

No. It couldn't been her. Nor Tina. Nor his house elf, Marie. (Though Graves was pretty sure Marie knew who was to blame. But since technically Marie wasn't really under his care after being relieved in his father's will, she was under no obligations to tell Graves the truth. Marie made sure to always say that Graves was much too kind to force a confession out of her and that she was only there to make sure that Graves was properly looked Graves' poor mother's health, of course. She did showed up at his apartment after he was allowed to go home by the healers. Grindelwald would had found it hard pressed to capture him if Marie had anything to say about it.)

So, in lied the trap to capture this mysterious being. A pretty ingenious trap, one might say. A simple sticking charm surrounding his desk at MACUSA and all he had to do was sit back and wait.

And wait.

Well, not ingenious after all. It had been five days with the sticking charm and the only person he caught was an unsuspecting young auror in training who was now too scared to death to go near Graves, which did not help his reputation nor his standing within his aurors. He really did not take after Grindelwald and this whole matter was not helping. (And the auror in training needed a lot more training if his simple sticking charm had caught her off guard. Seriously, what had they been teaching the new recruits?)

Maybe he should be unpredictable in his going about to try to get the suspect flustered. Maybe Graves would not stay till midnight at the office and instead go home at five like a normal worker globin. Maybe he would take that trip around the park during his lunch break instead of chasing down a criminal at a speakeasy.

Or maybe he should really get Newt a case with a better lock because it was his demiguise who was stalking him all over New York. The only reason why Graves caught the beast was because Newt was standing there in his office talking to the demiguise and scowling at him for over-mothering Graves when Newt only asked to look after him from time to time. Graves was being unpredictable by eating his lunch in his office, instead of his usual haunting at the magical section of the Stork Club, and was expecting his office to be empty and quiet to suit his needs. (And to drink a cup of tea that he was expecting to find.)

Graves also liked to think that a grown man barely turning forty did not need any looking after. Please. He was perfectly fine, thank you very much. He could take care of himself. To an extend. (Marie would so contradict this notion. She loved to rant to Graves how she was not his maid so he should know how to pick up after himself. He was a wizard, for God's sake. Spell your coats to a hanger when you walk in through the door, Master Graves. It was one of Marie' favorite rant. She had many.)

"How did you find him anyway?" asked Graves after he was done yelling at the younger wizard. It looked like his intimidation was waning, because Newt did not look like he found the receiving end of Graves' anger all that terrifying. Instead Newt looked like he was suppressing his laughter. "Aren't demiguise usually invisible?"

"Dougal allowed me to place a tracking charm on him," replied Newt with a somewhat smug look on his face.

"And why did Dougal allowed you to place a tracking charm on him?" asked Graves, arms crossed and staring at the British wizard. Of course Newt would be the type to name his creatures. Dougal did suit the demiguise, Graves gave him that.

"He only wanted to help," said Newt, smiling and seeing nothing wrong with his statement.

"Help," repeated Graves.

"Yes," said Newt.

"Why?"

"Well, after I caught him in your office a little after the whole niffler incident, I realized why Dougal kept escaping," said Newt, eyes wide with fascination. "He's unique, you see. He likes helping me take care of my creatures and it looks like he likes taking care of humans, too. He must had sense that you needed taking care of…."

"I do not need to be taken care of," interrupted Graves, his eyes sending daggers at the demiguise who was now hiding behind Newt. The demiguise's eyes were too big and wide to be anything but innocent. Graves knew better. Newt's creatures were never innocent. Just look at who they had as a caretaker.

"And that's why he kept escaping," continued Newt, never minding the interruption. "So I figured, why not use it to my advantage? Let us help you and let him help me get some more writing materials for the second edition of my book. You already helped with my niffler; one more creature shouldn't hurt. I'll make sure to give you credit."

"'Let us help you?'" quoted Graves. "And please don't."

Newt smiled sheeply. "I mean, let him help you."

"And why don't I believe you?" asked Graves.

"Believe what you want to believe, Percival."

Graves raised his eyebrows at the mention of his given name. He didn't think they were at that point of their relationship to be on first name basis, even if they did had occasional meals together, with the emphasis on occasional. "Just don't let it happen again. It was too much of a hassle returning all those stolen coats and robes."

"Dougal hung around the niffler a bit too much," explained Newt, as if that the answer Graves wanted to hear. "Isn't it amazing how much my creatures learned from each other? I'm proud just being there and seeing the results."

The director said nothing. He just continued to stare at the wizard before him.

"You will never see him again," agreed Newt, deciding to agree with the director to end the conversation. He helped Dougal get into his case before heading out of Graves' office. "It's not like you saw him to begin with." Graves pretended not to hear the last bit.

The next day there was a steaming cup of lavender tea on Graves' desk. He decided to let it go. It was only tea.

(And it really did helped his nerves, but don't tell Newt that. Graves would never hear the end of it.)