Do you really think that by ganging up on me, you can catch me?" Grindelwald's lips curved into a wicked smile.
"You are truly formidable, but do you honestly believe you can handle so many wizards at once?" Picquery was confident Grindelwald was trying to instill fear; with this many Aurors, they could corner him.
"Don't approach him! Attack him with spells from your positions! Exhaust his magic!" Picquery ordered the Aurors. The large hole in the ground, created by the Obscurus, had already been repaired by an Auror using [Reparo].
Grindelwald's face darkened. He had feigned arrogance to provoke their anger, intending to seize the opportunity to escape and pursue Credence.
Picquery lived up to her title as President, devising the most suitable tactics for the moment. Under her command, numerous Aurors unleashed spells towards Grindelwald.
Grindelwald scoffed, his wand moving rapidly, blocking every single one of these spells.
"Let's help!" Newt nimbly blocked a stray spell aimed at Tina, and they exchanged a glance.
Although Newt was expelled from Hogwarts, his combat prowess was quite formidable; otherwise, how would he have collected some of the most dangerous magical creatures in his briefcase?
Even if Newt couldn't compare to Grindelwald, his addition would put significant pressure on Grindelwald, not to mention August, who was silently casting spells from nearby.
August shrewdly hid in a corner, occasionally launching a slicing magical attack at Grindelwald. This man was too dangerous; if August could kill him now, he wouldn't hesitate.
However, Grindelwald lived up to his reputation as the most dangerous Dark Wizard. A wall of light, centered on him, expanded rapidly, and the Aurors were swept back as if by a hurricane.
Grindelwald knew the situation had shifted. The series of counter-attacks he had just launched had consumed a great deal of his stamina and magic. It was time to seize the opportunity and flee.
He pointed his wand skyward, and the light membrane covering them became unstable, trembling precariously. As soon as this membrane broke, he could instantly Apparate; these Aurors still couldn't prevent his escape.
"Stop him!" Picquery thought. "This is dire." She couldn't let Grindelwald escape like this, and immediately ordered the Aurors to attack again.
"Help me distract him!" Newt ran over and whispered to August, "I have a way to trap him."
August nodded, then his right arm swung sharply downward, and a series of small blades of light instantly erupted from Grindelwald's body. August knew Grindelwald was wary of his stealthy attacks, not aiming to kill him, but only to disrupt his plan.
As expected, anger seized Grindelwald's face. The Aurors' spells were nullified by [Protego] even before they got close; only August's spells could appear suddenly and undetected.
"Meddler!" Grindelwald was about to break through the shield jointly constructed by the Aurors, but he was suddenly hit by a series of attacks. He didn't need to guess who it was.
"Now!"
Newt, too, was experienced in the field; his ability to seize opportunities was excellent. He moved his right hand, and a greenish object flew out like a yo-yo.
Grindelwald had a bad feeling and immediately cast a spell to try and destroy this strange creature.
But Newt's Swooping Evil, trained by him, weaved and darted through the flying spells, gracefully circling behind Grindelwald.
The Swooping Evil immediately spat a jet of green liquid, which landed squarely on Grindelwald's torso. Newt pulled hard, and the Swooping Evil instantly shrank and flew back into his hand, bringing with it the other end of the sticky substance.
"What is this?" Grindelwald felt the substance on him was as hard as steel, and his upper body was firmly bound, but it didn't matter—he still had his wand.
"[Expelliarmus]!" The Elder Wand flew from his hand instantly. It was President Picquery who had disarmed Grindelwald.
Grindelwald was captured, falling to the ground, gasping.
The Aurors immediately swarmed him, handing his wand to President Picquery and surrounding Grindelwald. A multitude of wands pointed at him, preventing the cunning Dark Wizard from escaping.
"It seems we've won, Mr. Grindelwald." President Picquery separated the Aurors, looking at the restrained Grindelwald, a sigh of relief escaping her heart.
"Do you truly believe you can hold me?" Grindelwald showed no sign of panic, smiling wickedly at Picquery.
"We shall see. We'll do our utmost, Mr. Grindelwald," Picquery said with disdain.
Grindelwald then turned his head to look at Newt and August: "Well done, you will become excellent wizards."
Then he smiled: "But one day you will discover that in the wizarding world, there are still more fools, and intelligent people shouldn't associate with them."
"Take Mr. Grindelwald away!" Picquery no longer wanted to hear his words. This man's ability to incite people was too strong. She decided that, upon his imprisonment, his tongue would be cut out to prevent him from seducing the guards.
A group of people led Grindelwald away. Picquery watched them leave, then turned to August and the others and said, "I want to thank you, Mr. Scamander, and this unknown gentleman."
She said apologetically, "Especially Mr. Scamander, we mistakenly thought you were the culprit, but now it's clear you were innocent all along."
August felt nothing. If Picquery allowed him to visit the Magical Congress archives, August would sincerely thank her.
Newt also remained silent; he didn't particularly like the atmosphere in the United States.
"Ah!" he sighed, pointing to the Muggles observing the commotion outside. "This time, our existence has been exposed. There are so many people, they can't all be Obliviated completely."
"I think I might find a way." Newt pursed his lips.
August knew Newt was going to release his Thunderbird, Frank.
Newt placed the case on the ground, opened the lid, and whistled. Immediately, an enormous bird spread its wings and flew out of the case.
The Aurors gasped in surprise, and even the Muggles stared blankly at the beautiful, giant bird with golden-red feathers.
"Frank, it's time to say goodbye." Newt stroked the Thunderbird's beak, clearly reluctant.
"This is diluted Swooping Evil venom, which can make people lose their short-term memory." He showed a test tube with a light blue solution to everyone, then gestured with it towards the Thunderbird. "You know what to do."
Newt tossed the test tube into the air. The Thunderbird flapped its wings and soared, catching the test tube in its beak and ascending directly.
The somber sky quickly gathered a large mass of dark clouds. Lightning danced frantically around the Thunderbird. Suddenly, the Thunderbird pierced the test tube, and the solution dispersed, dissolving into the cumulonimbus cloud.
**Boom!**
Following the lightning and thunder, a torrential downpour began. The passersby, startled by the rain, displayed blank expressions, and soon returned to their homes by instinct.
All the wizards raised their wands to block the rain, sincerely thanking Newt.
Two days later, on a passenger ship bound for England.
"Stop looking now; the harbor is out of sight." August looked amusedly at Newt, who seemed a bit nostalgic. "Since you care so much, why didn't you invite her to come back with you?"
Although the President was very grateful for their contributions, Newt, with a briefcase full of magical creatures, was undoubtedly still considered a dangerous individual, despite his repeated explanations that these creatures were harmless.
However, local laws stipulated that wizards were not allowed to privately possess magical creatures, so Newt had to quickly part ways with Tina and the others, board the ship back home, and take August with him.