#and again i have no clue how seraphina can do anything at this point

[fullmetal-angelgrace]

as much as i hate jannoula, what a fucking hilarious move to say 'someone has fallen in love with seraphina' to freak out seraphina and lucian for thinking their affair has finally been revealed, but for it also to freak out glisselda because she's ALSO in love with seraphina lmaooo

[paintingraves]

more ghost!Graves headcanons

so he’s dead, alright. unable to move on. of course he would be unable to move on. Him, the Director of Magical Security of the United States, killed by Gellert Grindelwald, the number one enemy.  

so he comes back. but he’s not, like, a regular ghost. By some sick twist of fate, he is utterly invisible to everyone, including wizards. 

No one sees him. No one hears him. 

he follows Grindelwald everywhere, sees how people look at each other uncomfortably when the dark wizard does something a little bit too out of character, watches helplessly as Grindelwald obliviates them with Graves’ wand, groans in disbelief when his other self starts fucking wearing the Deathly Hallows necklace in his vest pocket yet no one notices 

he’s there when Tina arrests Newt Scamander, there during the interrogation in which Grindelwald condemns them both to death, and he would cry if he fucking could. he yells instead, hands passing through the walls when he wants to feel the concrete hitting his knuckles until they’re nothing but a broken and bloody mess. At least he’d feel something, something that isn’t his mind curling in on itself and twisting and spitting chunks of memories in his face and repeating that he could and should have done better -- 

he’s there when Grindelwald betrays Credence’ trust, there when Credence turns into the Obscurial - he is frozen on the spot, they’ll kill him, he knows they will, he was the Director of Magical Security- he follows Credence outside, trying to keep up with him, calling him, hoping desperately that maybe, maybe, the boy will hear him since he’s not so human anymore -- 

he doesn’t. 

Graves watches as Grindelwald cradles the last of his hopes for Credence in his hands and drives them through the ground when he attacks Newt relentlessly, forcing Credence to transform again and he watches as Tina arrives and maybe, maybe --- but no, he knew it, he was the Director of Magical Security and Credence is bombarded with spells until there’s nothing left of him but a floating sea of debris. 

When Grindelwald speaks, Graves would be almost inclined to agree with his words if the man hadn’t killed him and stolen his identity. 

And then the young British wizard reveals his face to everyone and Picquery looks barely shocked - or maybe too shocked- to do anything more than order him away. Grindelwald lets himself be taken to prison, just a couple of Aurors at his side, which is incredibly reckless and stupid. Graves closes his eyes and counts to ten. 

And then he tries again. 

To be seen. 

To be heard. 

He follows Newt Scamander and Tina to their homes, almost dies a second time when Newt takes them all into the suitcase and he sees an actual Nundu chilling on a rock there. Mother of God. 

And another one when he learns that Newt intends to gift a No-Maj with occamy egg shells to open a bakery, and Tina doesn’t stop him. 

(He does get a little hope when some of Newt’s animals seem to sense him though - they either scuttle away or stare right at him and he feels a bit better, even if the only living creatures who can see him are Graphorns and Erumpents and Bowtruckles. Not very helpful, but it’s something.) 

He follows Tina to work at the MACUSA, where she takes back her rightful place as an Auror. The President assigns her the mission of finding him. Tina, of course, begins by visiting his apartment. 

Graves doesn’t want to see this. He knows what she’ll find. 

Barely touched wards, because Grindelwald modified them just enough to slip through, tricking them into thinking he was friend or family when he was anything but. Broken furniture, cracks in the walls, burnt wood, and lying in the middle of it all -- his own body. Lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. 

Not pretty. 

Tina enters his apartment, on guard, the wards letting her pass as his colleague, and immediately puts her sleeve over her mouth. Graves can only imagine what the rooms smell like. 

She cautiously, carefully walks into the entrance, eyes alert, and Graves can’t help but admire her stance. He taught her well. 

He wishes he’d had time to teach her more. 

Tina finally reaches the living room and lets out a soft gasp, her eyes immediately falling on his prone form and traveling from his feet up to his face -seeing your own lifeless body is weird, Graves shouldn’t be there - and she runs and falls to her knees beside him, tears running freely down her face (he had no idea she cared so much), hands hovering above his head before she resigns herself and stays there, trying to get a hold of herself, gripping the edge of her shirt so tightly her knuckles are white. 

She apologizes. Again and again. 

Graves sits opposite her, arms hugging his knees, and talks. 

He tells her it’s fine -it’s not- he tells her no one could have know. He tells her she’s not the one at fault, Grindelwald is, and crying won’t solve anything. He tells her he appreciates the sentiment, but really, they have better things to do now. He tells her she's always made a very promising Auror. He apologizes for those few times he made her cry. He tells her everything he knows about Grindelwald, even though it’s useless, but he has to say it. 

He doesn’t know how long they stay here for. He keeps talking even as Tina gets up and calls for back up at the MACUSA and starts exploring the ruined apartment for any clues.  

She passes in front of his enchanted mirror, the one he keeps closest to his bedroom, and he follows. Tina glances at it and suddenly jumps, takes her wand, turns around and points it right at him. Her eyes are wide with shock and fear, her lips trembling. Graves is too stunned to do anything. 

He sees the mirror and understand. 

He’s there. 

Tina can see him. It’s a bit distorted, his face isn’t quite right, his wounds from his fight with Grindelwald are still present, blood running down his face as if they were fresh - but he’s there. He raises his hands placatingly. 

“Tina,” he says softly. 

“Mr Graves,” she replies shakily, and he’s not sure whether she heard him or if she’s stating the obvious. She looks back at the mirror. He is staring intently at her, his lips moving but emitting no sounds. 

“Did he trap you in there?” she murmurs. Graves shakes his head. “So you’re really d-dead.” 

Graves nods. 

“I’m sorry,” Tina says. 

He shakes his head. Don’t mention it. 

They end up taking the mirror back to the MACUSA, since it’s the only way they are able to communicate with him. 

It is a shock, even to Seraphina, to find herself in front of the accomplished fact that Percival Graves is dead. Efficient as ever, they appoint a new Director of Magical Security, but it’s not the same. 

They mourn him. 

Graves, meanwhile, is getting extremely frustrated with people not being able to hear his voice. 

Goldstein’s mission has switched from “Finding Percival Graves” to “Find a way to make him like any other normal ghost” and it takes time. Lots of time, lots of research, lots of headaches, lots of silent conversations via that damn mirror. Grindelwald takes that time to escape again, Newt Scamander comes to America once more -and he’s the one who offers the solution, in the end. 

Graves isn’t sure how he does it (something something about Demiguises’ powers being used in reverse, how does he even own a Demiguise in the first place?) and before he knows it he is forced to stand still in the middle of a magical circle with complicated runes -the few he can recognize do nothing to reassure him - while Newt activates them with his magic and throws a silvery powder all over him while chanting and then. 

It’s over. 

"Mr Graves,” Tina breathes. “I can see you!” 

He clears his throat. 

“Good,” he says. “Can you hear me too?” 

She nods, beaming. He can’t help but smile back, but before they all get teary eyed, he has one thing to do. 

He runs -glides, flies, whatever- to the meeting he knows Picquery’s having with his Aurors, all of them jumping and immediately standing at attention upon seeing him. He crosses his arms and stares at them. 

Stares. 

And stares. 

Picquery tries to hide her smirk and fails. A few Aurors avoid his gaze, some start to sweat, others fidget uncomfortable. 

“He had the Deathly Hallows necklace. In his pocket,” Graves finally deadpans, voice low. “In his fucking pocket. Right there. In front of your eyes.” 

They advert said eyes. 

“You bunch of incompetent fucks. What the fuck did I train you for?!”