Honestly, I keep getting the mental image of Grindelwald turning Graves into some kind of magical creature - maybe a dragon? - and no one managing to connect that said magical creature = Director Graves. Newt, meanwhile, is in paradise - such a lovely, rare, exotic magical creature!
And Graves is still Graves, he’s still himself but no one can understand him and it is the most frustrating thing in the world (because Grindelwald is entirely the kind of assmunch who would leave his mind intact but unable to communicate with anyone, just for the lols).
But Newt. Newt talks to his creatures, Newt figures out what they’re saying, he knows how to communicate with them.
If anyone could make the connection and help turn him back into his original form, it would be Newt (and maybe afterward, Graves keeps the ability to turn back into the creature?)
And in the meantime, Graves gets an all-expenses paid free visit to Newt’s case! …honestly, after torture and imprisonment via Grindelwald, it rather feels like a vacation. Plus, there is a very cute magizoologist who insists on giving him a warm bath (with bubbles!) feeding him good food, carefully scratching behind his ears, giving him a manicure…
As for the magical creature in question - perhaps a Wampus, or a Thunderbird?Though I’m still partial to dragons. And can you imagine Newt’s reaction when he finds a magical creature chained in Grindelwald’s dungeon?
Since I am of the headcanon that Graves was in Wampus House at Ilvermorny (I’m sorry @aethelar, I know from your Graves rp you headcanon him as Pukwudgie), so I would think either a Wampus or a dragon. I’m partial to the Wampus because it would be a magical creature that Newt hasn’t encountered before! He’d be so fricking excited.
It is a fucking vacation compared to how Grindelwald was treating him. And, oh man, Newt must have hit the roof and scared the shit out of Tina and the other Aurors who accompanied them, they had no idea he could be this fucking scary (well, he is Theseus’ little brother, why do I imagine him cackling at their reactions….)
Graves, on the other hand, is probably eyeing Newt thoughtfully and likes how he Gets Shit Done. He might even wonder - briefly - if Newt is an Auror on loan from England; Graves definitely approves of how quickly and decisively Newt takes charge of the situation, snapping out orders left and right. And then he slowly, gradually, starts inching towards Graves, and - something in the way he moves, the way he’s speaking softly, clicks with Graves’ newfound, decidedly non-human instincts, and it’s the easiest thing in the world to lower his head and feel blunt fingernails scratching carefulyl behind his ears.
…he could do without Newt calling him a ‘sweetheart’, though. “Who’s a sweetheart? Yes you are! Yes you are! Such a lovely, wonderful, intelligent creature - I see you reaching for that wand Abernathy and I will NOT tolerate it, this poor thing’s been through ENOUGH! - ohhh, I can see your ribs, dearest, you poor, poor thing, let me just take this nasty collar off of you - easy does it…”
PFFFFTHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, poor Graves, the indignity of it all.
Wait until he finds out this is Theseus’ little brother….
Graves, much to his own horrified shock, is purring. Really, though, who can blame him; those scritches are almost criminally good. Newt knows just where to scratch to make him collapse in a puddle of bliss… On a slightly more serious note, after months of torture and harsh conditions, I think that Graves would have a serious weakness to kindness and gentle treatment.
Graves quietly resolves that Theseus must never know.
Poor Graves. Don’t worry, Newt is going to take extremely good care of you.
Pfft, like that is going to stop him. Theseus will find out, and after he is over the shock/worry/guilt/anger/relief, he is going to be rolling on the ground, laughing at Graves.
Graves cheerfully tries to strangle him with his own bow tie.
It is now my headcanon that in this scenario, even after Graves manages (after a long, strenuous process) to resume his human form (he’s effectively an animagus now) he is still weak to being scritched behind the ears. All Newt needs to do to thoroughly distract his boyfriend/husband/mate (and make his knees buckle) is to run his fingernails across that one spot…
Graves may have (accidentally) pioneered a new way to become an animagus - if you’re transformed into an animal, and managed to force a transformation back, congrats, you now have an alternative shape and your name goes on the animagus registry. (Actually, Newt might be very excited and ask if he can try it himself some time…)
…I am suddenly wondering how Graves interacts with the rest of the creatures in the case. (I have the mental image of the Nundu all but adopting him.)
This is so not how Graves wanted to go down in history. Also Newt, that is cheating to win an argument by doing that, you dirty, dirty cheater, THESEUS PUT THAT CAMERA AWAY…!
Also I now have the hilarious mental image of the Nundu grooming Wampus!Graves like he is her kitten. Because I headcanon the Nundu as a female because of @aethelar.
Graves has to admit that there are good sides to it too - the way his aurors snap to attention when he literally growls at them is extremely satisfying. He could do without the time one of them left a huge bush of catnip in his office, though - luckily, it was extremely traumatizing for everyone involved, and the entire Auror department has sworn, hands on their hearts, to never let Director Graves within five miles of the stuff ever again, so help them god.
Oh, that is a priceless mental image! The Nundu adopts wampus!Graves as her kitten, and Graves is not enjoying this, no he isn’t not even the slightest bit, that is a MAN KILLER that can kill hundreds of people at one blow, it doesn’t matter that his other mother died a long time ago (he misses her), he absolutely is not enjoying this!
…okay, so he’s enjoying having some parental fuss over him a little.
….Oh dear God, I am traumatized by the mental image, what were they thinking, sweet Merlin (they all probably got lectured by Newt about making assumptions that just because the Wampus is a magical feline creature does not mean it will have the same reaction to catnip as say a Kneazle….)
Pfft, yes, come to Mama Adelaide, Graves, and get loved on. Shush that, you obviously need cared for, don’t worry she shall protect you and bite Grindelwald’s fucking head off if he comes near you again.
Can you imagine that? Graves has managed to turn back for awhile now and then Grindelwald breaks out and goes after Newt for ruining his plans (either to kill him or break him and then use him and his gift for animals for his own nefarious purposes) and Graves tries, he tries to defend himself and Newt, but Grindelwald is winning when all of a sudden, the case slams open and there is a motherfucking Nundu coming out, roaring in fury at someone attacking her cubs (because I imagine that she views Newt as her cub as well).
Grindelwald has to make a hasty retreat.
