December 9th, 1925
London, England. United Kingdom.

  December arrived and brought alongside it cold breezes and snow as it always has, specially for these past three years. Theseus has been working extra hours and barely slept at all. He switched his drinking habits, quitting whiskey and started drinking more water. And more coffee.

  He couldn't understand how it has been five years of his world being at war and yet no one seemed to be able to catch Grindelwald, how he hasn't been able to catch him. He also wondered how did the Dark Wizard has managed to stay so underground as for the solution to be placing 'wanted' posters with his face on them all over the globe and hope for the best. Or, in this case, even hope for the worse.

  On a more positive note, Theseus has been going more often to his mother's house due to how slow everything is at work, he hasn't gone out on dates at all, he has been focusing on himself. He has been in touch with Newt, whom had told him he had gone out on a mission, sent by Dumbledore a while ago but he hasn't received any letters for a week. This concerned him.

  Today, he woke up when he felt cold, for he always sleeps with the windows open. He's gotten the flu over the years due to this habit that started when he came back from the Muggle war. These days feel like those days lately, it was years of fighting...he didn't know if he could go on like this any longer.

  Theseus headed towards the kitchen and prepared some coffee and breakfast. He opened the door of his house and picked up his newspaper from the floor at the very same time an owl arrived carrying a message from...Dumbledore? He walked in, the owl on his shoulder and holding his newspaper. He threw it over the counter and the owl flew on it as it extended its leg for him to take the message.

"Thank you." He said and read the note. 'Newt is home, I suggest you pop by'. That was it. He nodded, feeling ease in his chest as he went over to find a sugar cube and gave it to the owl. When it was done eating the sugar, Scamander opened the door and it flew out. However, the fact that Dumbledore was the one to inform him of his brother's arrival worried him.

  Theseus finished his breakfast, chugged down his bitter coffee and rushed to get a shower. When he was done, he brushed his teeth, got all dressed up with a blue suit, brushed his hair, grabbed his wand, sprayed some cologne on his neck and took his coat from the rack before heading out. In seconds he apparated before his brother's house.

  The curtains were closed and no movement could be seen nor heard. Theseus frowned and knocked on the door but received no response. not from Newt or his assistant. His hand found the doorknob and he twisted it, expecting it to be locked but the door opened. That's when he felt concern taking over his body.

  He stepped in with his wand in his hand and closed the door quietly behind him.

"Homenum Revelio." He whispered and no one appeared, no bad people were in the house. "Newt?" No response. "Newt, where are you?" He heard movement coming from down the hallway, from Newt's room but the only one walking out of it was a small creature. It looked like a baby deer, or a doe, but it certainly wasn't. "Hey, there." Theseus bent down and the creature approached him, he scoffed. "You're a Qilin." The creature started purring when he stroke its head, causing Theseus to smile and chuckle. He stood, took off his coat and blazer, rolled up his sleeves and placed his clothes on the armchair's back and carried the creature.

  He suddenly started singing a song he remembered from his childhood until the creature settled in his arms and started to fall asleep, causing him to smile. Suddenly, the Qilin started purring and moving a lot, not to get off his grip but it was unsettled.

"Alright, Alright." He said. "Yeah? Alright." He chuckled. That's when some movement in the back of the room called his attention, it was Newt. His hair and clothes were messy, his skin had dirt on it and his hand had a bandage with stains of dried blood on it. "I don't know what got into her. I thought I'd gotten her good and settled, and then..." He shrugged, his blue eyes going from Newt's green orbs to his hand. "It's a nasty scrape, that is. And by the looks of it, it needs changing." He looked at the Qilin. "There, there." He stood up and placed the Qilin on the couch where he was sitting. "Where are your medical supplies?" Newt sighed.

"So, in my case, right next to the Dittany, there's a blue bottle with some crushed yerba leaves." Said Newt as he sat on the armchair where Theseus had left his stuff and Picket started murmuring, calling Newt's attention. "Pickett, morning." The green fella chirped. "You alright?" He showed Newt his bandaged hand while Theseus went looking for the case in Newt's room and brought it to the living room. He placed it on the coffee table and opened it. He saw how Newt had a picture of Tina pinned to the insides of the case and suddenly, he felt his watch heavy in his pocket. He breathed in and out, and cleared his throat before poking his head into the case and reaching in for the bottle.

"You know, I was trying to recall the last time when I was here." Theseus said as his hand reached the drawer and he pulled out the blue bottle, he also took a fresh bandage from another drawer. "I remember it was a month or two after you started collecting these fantastic beasts, Teddy was there. And Pickett."

"It was a while ago."

"A long while ago." He pulled himself out of the case and looked at his brother. "Let's take a look, shall we?" Theseus grabbed his wand and with a flick of it, the curtains opened, letting the early sunlight in. He then pulled a chair and sat across from Newt to remove the bandage from his hand, causing him to groan. "Well, that's coming along brilliantly." Newt chuckled and Theseus smiled at him, tenderly. Theseus dropped the bandage on the floor and took the bottle to shake it. "Do you want the leaves here?" Newt grunted in response, so he opened the bottle with his teeth and rose his eyebrows as he knew his brother needed the leaves there. Theseus looked at his brother and waited a few seconds.

"Well, what are you-" Thes made a few drops fall on Newt's hand, causing him to groan very loudly, for the yerba leaves on burned skin hurt like hell. "Blimey, Theseus!"

"Enough?"

"Hm. Yeah." A beat, the oldest Scamander closed the bottle and left it on the sofa as Newt's skin healed. "So, exactly, how is it that you came to be here?"

"Dumbledore suggested that I pop by and look in on you." He said as he bandaged Newt's hand. "Very mysterious about it, too. I woke up this morning to an owl with a message from him saying you were home." A pause. "I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what you two are up to?"

"Huh?"

"No. Of course, you don't."

"Well, you know, Dumbledore-"
"He's full of secrets." Newt sighed. "Like you." The youngest Scamander scoffed. "She's a Qilin, isn't she?"

"No...no, she's not." Theseus sighed and smiled.

"I believe she is."

"She's not."

"Newt, you may be the Magizoologist, but I aced Care for Magical Creatures at Hogwarts and Mum taught me about these creatures too. She's a Qilin."

"No."

"She is."

"She's not." Theseus sighed again, arched his eyebrow and smiled at his brother as the Qilin purred. Newt looked at the creature behind Theseus, then back at him as he sighed. "She is."

"She is." Theseus nodded. "What are you doing with a Qilin, Newt? Hm? Or is she another one of your secrets?"

"Yes. And you mustn't tell anyone that you've seen her. I'm quite serious, Theseus."

"Alright." Theseus nodded at looked at the creature behind him.

"Just...out of interest, how did you get her to settle?"

"I, uh...I sang to her."

"You- but..." Newt stuttered. "Excuse me?" He added as he chuckled.

"You know that song that Mum used to sing, the one about the Muggle who fell down the well?" Newt's eyes opened like plates and he blinked a couple times. "There was an old Muggle, who fell down the well." He sang.

"But along came a witch, who did do him a spell." Newt sang the next part a couple of seconds later.

"When the Muggle awoke he said 'dear woman, do tell, is it heaven I'm in or have I gone straight to-" They sang at the unison, smiling to each other until the Qilin trilled and both looked at her. "Came to think of it, that might have been one of Dad's old drinking songs." Theseus added.

"That's remarkable." Said Newt. "They're very consent to human contact, you know, unless they sense an affinity."

"And she senses an affinity with you, does she?"

"Yes."

"Well, there you have it. We are brothers after all, Newt." Newt sighed and he made up his mind quickly.

"Come on." Newt stood up fast to retrieve his coat and change his clothes.

"What?" Couple minutes later, he came back. Fresh clothes on and his face washed. "Where?"

"I have to go to Scotland and you're coming with me." Newt came back with his blue coat on and went over to get his case.

"I need to head to the Ministry, I've got important business to do." Newt walked into the case with the Qilin and back out without her.

"This is just as important."

"Newt, I-"

"I'm trusting you with one of my secrets, Theseus. You want to know what I'm doing with a Qilin? You come along with me. Now, let's go." Newt grabbed his wand and walked out of the house, leaving the door open. Theseus didn't hesitate twice, he grabbed his blazer and his coat, threw them on and followed behind Newt, whom locked the door when his brother had reached his side.

"So, are we going to the specific spot in Scotland that I'm thinking?"

"More or less." He offered his hand, which Theseus took. In a matter of seconds, they were standing on a snowy hill, Theseus recognised the buildings in the distance immediately.

"So...I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what this is about, would you?" He asked once they started to reach the entrance of the Hogsmeade village.

"He just asked us to meet and that I be sure to bring you."

"Right." Newt nodded. "Wait, who are we meeting?"

"Dumbledore." Theseus scoffed.

"Of course." He chuckled. "So that's why he asked me to check in on you, right?"

"I suppose so. Yes." After walking for a couple minutes in which both felt as if their noses and hands would fall off, they arrived at a bar, the Hog's Head and walked in.

"Here to meet my brother, I expect." Said a rough and low voice all of the sudden, causing both Scamander's to turn around.

"No, sir. We're here to see Albus Dumbledore." Newt told the man as Theseus warmed up his hands. He had black hair and a beard, he was cleaning the mirror and was watching them through it.

"That would be my brother."

"Oh, sorry. I'm, um...brilliant." He extended a hand to greet him. "I'm Newt Scamander, this is Theseus-"

"Up the stairs. First on the left." The man turned back around and Newt placed his hand down and into his pocket and walked upstairs after exchanging glances with Theseus, who just shrugged and rose his eyebrows before he looked coldly at the man for being rude to his little brother.

  They arrived at a studio with bookshelves and a window, it was cold, not too cold, for the fire was lit up. The walls were grey and not well looked after, for they had cracks on them and there was dust all over the bookshelves. Dumbledore was waiting inside all by himself.

"Dumbledore." Both Scamander boys greeted just to gain a formal head nod from their once teacher.

"Theseus, please close the door." Theseus did as he was asked and stood by the entrance while Newt walked up to Dumbledore to stand beside him. "Has Newt told you why you're here?"

"Was he meant to?" Theseus asked back as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"No." Albus laughed. "As a matter of fact." Theseus chuckled too.

"There's something that we, uh..." Newt started to speak. "That, uh, Dumbledore wishes to speak to you about." Dumbledore started playing with what seemed to be a necklace. "It's a proposal." A small silence fell upon them.

"Alright." Said Theseus and Dumbledore gave a few steps forward, showing Theseus the chain he had laced to his hand and wrist.

"You know what this is, of course." He said and Theseus nodded.

"Newt had it in...Paris." He cleared his throat, the country's name almost got stuck in his throat. "Can't say I have much experience with such things, but it looks to me to be a blood troth."

"That would be correct."

"And whose blood is contained within?"

"Mine." Theseus nodded. "And Grindelwald's." Theseus' eyes went from Dumbledore's to Newt's and back to Albus.

"I'm assuming that's why you can't move against him?"

"Yes. Nor him against me."

"Can I ask what would possess you to make such a thing?"

"Love." The sudden response made Theseus gulp. "Arrogance. Naiveté. Pick your poison." Theseus blinked a few times. Love. He knew he'd do such thing for it. Even if it is his biggest fear. "We were young. We were going to transform the world."

"Mm."

"This ensured that we would, even if one of us had a change of heart."

"And what would happen if you were to fight him?" Dumbledore sighed and his eyes got lost admiring the blood troth, just staring at it.

"It's really quite beautiful, you have to admit." He looked at both brothers. "Were I to even think of defying it..." The pendant hummed and you could see how the both blood drops collided and the pearl turned as red as a ruby before it flew out of the chain. Theseus had to move aside as for it not to get stuck into his eye, instead, the pendant got stuck into the wall behind him, cutting the cement. "He knows, you see?" The chain started to wrap itself very tightly around his arm, moving up towards his neck.

"Albus." Newt called.

"He senses the betrayal in my heart."

"Albus." Dumbledore whimpered as the chain seemed to cut the skin of his neck. Theseus just looked with horror at what the troth was doing, the pain it inflicted on Albus, how he was choking. "Albus!" Dumbledore finally snapped out of it and the pendant flew back into his hand, he recovered his breath and the chain went loose, Theseus released a breath he hadn't noticed was holding.

"That would be the least of it." Said Dumbledore as the ruby turned back into a pearl. "Young man's magic but, as you can see, powerful magic. It can't be undone." He turned around and faced the portrait of a young woman, she had a worried frown.

"So, this proposal...I take the Qilin has something to do with it?" Asked Theseus.

"He promises he won't tell a soul." Newt told Albus, who remained silent a couple seconds and breathed in.

"If we are to defeat him, the Qilin's only part of it. The world as we know it is coming undone. Gellert's pulling it apart with hate, bigotry. Things that seem unimaginable today will seem inevitable tomorrow if we don't stop him. Should you agree to do what I ask, you'll have to trust me. Even when every instinct tells you not to." Theseus meditated for a second, looked at his brother once again and sighed.

"Let's hear it."