Long Story Short | Theseus Scamander

004 confessions & tears

Ariadne narrowed her eyes, "I know what happened."

"Then why are you asking me?" The little trust that had been built between the two women was broken after Eloise had been arrested. She had been at her worst, terrified and alone and yet the Ministry still saw her as a threat.

"I thought maybe you wanted to tell me about your sister," Ariadne considered cooly and Eloise froze, a gasp slipping out of her lips.

"How do you know about her?" She questioned, panic written all over her face. Eloise hadn't told any Ministry officials anything about her sister. A shiver was sent down her spine, anxiety made her legs shake. What made it even worse was Ariadne's apathetic attitude. 'That's probably why they sent her in,' she thought to herself, 'Men are so much easier to read.'

"People are easy to read when they're hurt," Ariadne shrugged.

Eloise's realisation added to her shock. "You're a Legilimens?"

"Only when I want to be," she said simply. It was true. Not born with the gift of reading minds, Ariadne was taught to protect her own, only after did she explore the possibility of venturing out into another's mind. Her teacher said she had a natural talent for it. He was also the one she hid the most from. Being a Legilimens made her valuable to the Ministry. It made her valuable to the auror office, especially during interrogations set up like this one.

"Then you know everything. Why ask?"

"They don't know anything," Ariadne pointed her head towards the dark door. In truth, Ariadne couldn't dive deep enough. Fragments of memories were blocked off by fear. Inside Eloise's mind, she was replaying different scenes, causing different emotions to arise. Guilt, suspicion, dread. Warped by Eloise's feelings, Ariadne couldn't get a clear image of what actually happened.

For a moment, Eloise stared down at the table. Silently, pondering her answer. She was scared of the repercussions she could face with Grindelwald's rise to power, but she was also slightly intimidated by the woman in front of her. "Okay," Eloise finally let out bitterly.

Eloise glanced out the window which overlooked the courtyard created by the surrounding houses. Her younger sister, Dara, told her that she would be home by four. It was now five. Water splashed on her sleeve as she washed dirty dishes. Her father was out, busy with work, leaving Eloise home alone. Not that she minded though, the quiet was a welcoming friend.

However, her peace broke with the sound of apparition. The once deserted place was now filled with witches and wizards. Curiosity tugged at her feet and Eloise walked outside. The noise was almost deafening. Sounds of cheers filled her ears as more began to arrive. Up in the sky, a black veil caught her attention as it danced around the buildings.

Standing in the centre of the crowd, Grindelwald and a man apparated to the scene. They seemed to relish in the attention given, a proud smile painted his face. Eloise didn't want to be out here any longer. She didn't want to stand in the presence of the man who believed in blood supremacy. Except there was one problem, she was stuck in the crowd.

The small courtyard could only hold so many people and with that number exceeded, Eloise was pressed together by the crowd. She couldn't get out. Eloise's chest rose and fell, panic settling in fast. She needed to get out. She didn't want to be here. Eloise pushed through the crowd. Some gave her strange looks as she practically forced them away. Others were too fixated on Grindelwald to care. She didn't get very far due to a very familiar face.

"Dara!" She caught her sister's attention, relieved to finally see her. When she reached her sister, Dara smiled at her, contradicting every emotion Eloise felt. "We should leave."

"And miss the fun?"

"What?" Eloise had read about the danger that man had brought upon wizardkind. She knew what he was capable of doing and that terrified her. She wanted to get out. The thought of being around him made her nerves spike. However, Dara couldn't hear her older sister over the noise and eagerly looped her arm around Eloise's.

The crowd eventually died down. All excited to hear what the man himself had to say. Eloise tried to block out his words, feeling the charismatic charm of his cruel intentions. She could feel Dara's delight as she took in his words. This wasn't how her afternoon was supposed to go.

After Grindelwald's speech, the crowd roared. But through the noise, Eloise's attention was on a man who seemed to be sneaking up on Grindelwald. He was pushing past the crowd with his wand in his hand. No one noticed him until he shot a spell at the infamous wizard. Screams broke as Rosier quickly deflected the attack back at the man. His body froze as he fell backwards. That's when chaos broke out.

Everyone disapparated as spells were shot at others and Eloise dragged Dara away, seeking sanctuary in their home. Before they could reach the building, a spell sliced their neighbouring house down. Rubble fell. Eloise screamed as she shielded Dara with her body. The ground shook as bricks crashed down. When it finally stopped Eloise pulled Dara away until Dara firmly placed her feet on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Eloise cried out.

"I may never get another chance," she reasoned, "He is the key to my freedom."

"Dara!" Eloise screamed as the girl turned around. Before Eloise could follow her sister, Dara magically moved large pieces of rubble to block her older sister's path. Eloise screamed out to her sister and her heart broke as she reached Rosier. The French witch offered a hand for her and they both disapparated away. With the quietness of the courtyard, there was nothing left for Eloise to do except sit in her own hurt.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Ariadne finally said. Eloise looked away, a tear slipping down her cheek. She hadn't realised how much her heart ached due to her sister.

"Thank you," she muttered, avoiding Ariadne's empathetic eyes.

"I will see about your release," Ariadne got up from her chair and Eloise nodded, desperate to leave this cell.

"One more thing," Eloise called out just as Ariadne got to the door, making the older woman freeze in her tracks, "I saw him kill one of his own. Passel. I don't think anyone else noticed him do it. If it was planned or if it was not, I wouldn't know." At the mention of his name, Ariadne suppressed her shock. She didn't realise that her shoulders tensed until she rolled them back.

"Thank you."

[2290 words]

edited 06.03.24