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Three days later, in the Bullhead Bar on Magic Street, USA.
Carl looked at the newspaper he had just bought and a small smile crossed his face.
"It looks like it's today. I remembered it correctly."
The newspapers over the past few days were all filled with stories about "Prohibition." The Chief of Staff of the Congress had proposed a prohibition policy similar to the No-Maj government's, but President Seraphina Picquery vetoed it.
She insisted that American wizards were already struggling enough due to their conflict with No-Majs and that Gulp Fermented Liquor must not be banned — a decision that won her unanimous praise from the magical community.
But today, the headline was different: "Magical Unrest Threatens to Expose Wizarding World."
The photo below the headline was of a destroyed home and a large crack in the road, describing how an unidentified magical creature had attacked a No-Maj home the day before, and many No-Majs had witnessed it.
There were many descendants of the Scourers in the USA. The Scourers were a group who profoundly hated wizards during the Middle Ages. Mostly Puritans, they prided themselves on killing, selling, and enslaving wizards.
One of the most infamous cases was the Salem Witch Trials of 1693 in Massachusetts, when the Scourers manipulated No-Majs into executing twenty wizards on false charges.
Although the purgers were later retaliated against by wizards, this incident profoundly deepened the conflict between the magical and non-magical communities — a rift that remained raw to this day.
In the UK, at least the head of the Muggle government and a few members were aware of the Ministry of Magic. But here in America, there was no communication or cooperation between the MACUSA and the US government.
Today, a Scourer descendant called Mary Lou Barebone had formed an anti-witch organization called Second Salem in a local church.
She insisted daily that witches were real and a danger to society — a message that made the already delicate relationship between wizards and No-Majs even more fragile.
After paying his silver bill for breakfast, Carl quickly left the bar and Apparated nearby to the New York International Bank.
If he remembered correctly, in the movie, this was the place where Newt Scamander first met his future wife, Tina Goldstein, and a kindhearted No-Maj friend, Jacob.
"As long as there is light in this world, there will be shadow. In our city full of light, there are hidden creatures of darkness. They destroy and then disappear without a trace.
We must fight back. Join us. Second Salem. We fight together."
At this moment, a middle-aged woman in a purple coat was passionately addressing a small crowd on the bank's steps.
She was Mary Lou Barebone, a woman who made a show of her piety by delivering daily speeches and handing out leaflets to orphan children in the evening — children whom she treated cruelly in private.
She had adopted a few children — two boys and a girl — but her discipline fell hardest on the young man who seemed weak and vulnerable.
Carl walked across the road and crossed the crowd without paying much attention to Mary's speech. Instead, he took a flyer from a 15- or 16-year-old boy who was quietly handing them out.
"What's your name?" he asked casually.
"Credence."
The boy kept his bowl-cut head lowered, his voice faltering and unsure.
"My name's Tom Foley. Is that your mother?"
Carl nodded toward Mary, who was still addressing her small congregation.
Credence glanced at her briefly and a flash of fear crossed his face. "She's not… She's my adoptive mother."
"I see."
Carl paused, then added quietly, "I think you have some talents that ordinary people do not. Are you interested in going somewhere else… somewhere you can be yourself?"
Credence tightened his grip on the leaflets and shook his head quickly.
"No, thanks."
With that, he crossed back over the road and continued handing out leaflets to passersby.
If someone had made him the same offer in the past — a way to escape the abuse — he might have taken it immediately. But now there was a glimmer of hope in his future.
A wizard who seemed kind — much like the woman who had previously crossed his path — had made a promise: if Credence helped him, she would take him into the magical world and make him a wizard.
Watching this, Carl remained silent and walked away to find a spot near the bank's entrance, from where he could observe everything quietly.
The young man called Credence was in reality Grindelwald's true objective in this city — an Obscurus of unimaginable power.
An Obscurus forms when a young wizard suppresses their magic and fails to learn how to control it. Naturally, this condition develops during periods of persecution, when young wizards are forced into secrecy to avoid danger.
Most Obscurials do not live past the age of ten. But Credence was different. His power was immense — strong enough to destroy buildings — which explained how he had lived this long.
Grindelwald came to New York in search of the Obscurus. His true motives were more complex. He made promises to the vulnerable young man in order to manipulate him into service. At this time, Grindelwald was just 43 and at the start of his rebellion. Although a small group supported him, his power base in Europe was weak, and a force like the Obscurus could help him consolidate control.
Of course, this was just Carl's observation. In the film, Grindelwald insisted the Obscurus would be a powerful tool against Dumbledore — yet deep down, Carl suspected it was much more. Grindelwald knew better than anyone that a single Obscurus could not destroy Dumbledore. There were motives hidden beneath the surface — motives that remained a mystery.
"Here it comes!"
Suddenly, a commotion rippled through the crowd listening to Mary's speech. Carl's eyes darted toward a small creature — a platypus-like Niffler — darting away from a leather suitcase.
"It's him."
The Niffler was a mischievous creature obsessed with collecting coins and jewelry.
The man chasing it, a curly-haired wizard with a leather case, was none other than Newt Scamander.
Newt rushed into the bank after the Niffler, unaware that Tina Goldstein, an Auror who was already investigating the incident, was following him close behind.