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"How many more books are you going to make me carry?" he asked, cowering under the stacks of books Ariadne placed in his hands. It had been a few weeks after their presentation and Lacewood had given them one of the highest scores. And to his pleasure, they became fast friends. Ariadne hated when other people were right, but this one she'd let slide. Maybe because for once in her life, she had a friend. Someone naive enough to believe in her.
"You can never have too many," she recited, sweetly smiling at his annoyance. They were in the muggle books section as Ariadne skimmed across different titles. It was a risk to be standing here, but then again it was a risk to be standing next to him. All her actions had consequences that she didn't have to think about until Christmas break. "Have you ever read the muggle myth about Theseus?" she questioned, her eyes landing on a familiar book.
"Can't say I have."
"Why not?"
"I'm not a fan of literature, especially ancient ones," she laughed at his statement.
"You should read this," she grabbed a book, slipping her finger on the desired page and she turned the book to him. Theseus' eyes skimmed over the page and Ariadne's eyes were fixated on his face.
"Hey, you're in it too," he joked, showing the book to her while pointing to a page with a drawing of Ariadne, Princess of Crete. She smiled at him before snapping the book shut.
Ariadne conjured a spell to make the books float, causing Theseus to groan, "I'll get the librarian to stamp these."
"Couldn't you have done that before?"
"You could have too?" Ariadne quipped, raising an eyebrow at him. The girl walked over to the librarian who politely smiled at her. While she waited for her books, Irma Crabbe and Alva Parkinson, two girls from her dorm, approached her. Crabbe had sharp features, eyes like daggers. She was already engaged to Pollux Black, an arranged marriage agreed to by her parents. Parkinson was a lot shorter than both Crabbe and Ariadne. Her dark hair tied neatly up, no trace of imperfections or bumps. Ariadne was convinced they both tolerated her due to her status, especially when she caught their judgemental stares.
"What're you doing with Scamander, Nott?" Crabbe asked. It was fact known that individuals who had pureblooded status should not mingle with those who didn't. An order from their parents, passed down from generation to generation. 'It would do you good to not hang out with blood traitors and mudbloods.' Ariadne could repeat her parents command word for word.
"Is hanging out with him such a crime?" Ariadne sassed, internally hoping they didn't see her in the muggle books section. That would cause even more repercussions. They hadn't commented on it so that was a relief. "I mean he's pureblooded after all."
"But his family isn't," Parkinson pointed out, stating the obvious.
"So what if one of his forefathers didn't want to intermarry?" She flashed them an innocent grin and Crabbe scoffed. It wasn't a secret that those who valued blood purity would do anything to keep it pure.
"Please tell me that was a joke," Crabbe chuckled dryly. Both Crabbe and Parkinson glanced at each other before glaring back at Ariadne. The irritation on Crabbe's face almost made Ariadne laugh. She was just thankful that the librarian handed her her books so she could excuse herself. Though when she walked back to Theseus, he gave her a questioning glance.
"You talk to Crabbe and Parkinson?" he inquired.
Not you too.
"They came up to me," she reasoned, brushing his comment off, "Here, take this," she handed him the book of Greek myths. Excited to share his amusement after he read it. They walked to the end of the corridor before bidding each other farewell. A smile planted on her face as she walked back to her common room.
☆
"We leave for Paris tomorrow," Ariadne threw down the Daily Prophet, Grindelwald's face smirking back at her. The picture flashed to the damaged site, rubble covered the floor and buildings left in ruins. Another rally. Theseus sighed, tiredness covering his features. Ariadne picked up on his discomfort and decided to add to it, "Portkey leaves at oh seven hundred." She turned as Melinda came up to them
"Bailey said that this is for you both," she smiled, handing the two aurors the filed report.
"Why couldn't he give them to us himself?" Ariadne grumbled under her breath. Not missing the way Theseus' shoulders tensed at her remark.
"I'm sure he's busy," Theseus reasoned nonchalantly, making Ariadne glare at him.
A comforting hand was placed on Ariadne's shoulder, "It's fine. It's my job anyways," Melinda said.
"Your job is to help Barracus, not every one of his employees," she directed the last part at Theseus. Bitterness was entwined with her words. It was one thing to treat Ariadne dissimilarly, another to walk all over Melinda. In an office full of men, Ariadne would have expected that they at least recognise the effort she put in. "Pack lightly, we shouldn't be there for long."
Ariadne spent the rest of the day going through Thatcher's report and repeating Rosier's words in her head. There was a reason for Grindelwald's decision to kill. She just needed to find it. Between everything, the truth would reveal itself in time. She just didn't realise the time that had passed until she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.
"It's getting late, Ariadne," she looked up, staring at Theseus' blue eyes before glancing at the clock. It read 9:47 pm. On a typical day, she would have left four hours ago but her mind was fizzled with different thoughts she hadn't sorted out.
"Right," she said, "Thanks." There was an awkward drift in the air before he left the room. Ariadne sighed, running her fingers through her brunette hair. Now that Theseus had pointed out the time, she felt her shoulders slack. Her body had been cramped up in the same position that she felt condensed. With a quick incantation, her desk was clean and she switched off the only source of light in the office.
☆
Ariadne quickened her pace, glancing down at her watch. The clock struck 6:59am, with her poor attempt at not being late, Ariadne had arrived on the dot. Opening the door, Theseus and Barracus gave her different looks which piped her curiosity. They stood in a dark room on the lower levels of the ministry. A small table with two chairs occupied one side of the room as an old cracked trash bin stood in the centre.
"What'd I miss?" She asked, eyes darting between the both of them. They looked like they had been deep in a serious conversation.
"Nothing," Barracus rose from his chair, checking his pocket watch. "Your portkey leaves in thirty seconds. A French ministry official will greet you there." Theseus rose as well, grabbing his caramel suitcase. He didn't even spare Ariadne a glance. A silent nod shared with Barracus made her even more keen to know the topic of discussion. What she didn't know that she was the topic of discussion. It was no surprise that their Head Auror knew of their animosity. What surprised Theseus was the fact that he asked.
"5," Theseus outstretched his arm, avoiding her eyes.
"4," Ariadne glanced up at him before wrapping her fingers around his bicep.
"3," the round bin started shaking violently.
"2," Ariadne's heart began to beat a little faster.
"1," Theseus stepped into the bin. Feeling like she was flying and spinning insanely fast at the same time reminded Ariadne how much she hated portkeys. She was just thankful that she hit the ground with two feet. The sky was filled with grey clouds, blocking out the rays of sun. It smelled a bit funny in the alleyway, supposedly close to the area of the attack. A french auror leaned against the bricked wall, his posture straightening as they landed. Ariadne was quick to drop Theseus' arm.
"Mr Scamander and Miss Nott, I presume?" they both nodded at the man before them. "I'm Mathéo D'aureville. Head Auror at your service," Ariadne smiled politely at Mathéo and she received a friendly smile back. He was much younger than their head auror. His brunette hair was only starting to turn grey and his blue button-up shirt went nicely with his brown pants. "Okay, let's go," he quickly grabbed both aurors' wrists, surprising both of them as he apparated to the crime scene. Side apparition had never been a favoured experience and Ariadne quickly hid her shock as she examined the area.
They landed in a broken courtyard, different townhouses lined up together to create the caged effect. Smoke danced around the building, lingering around the areas charred in black. For a place that was elegantly built, the destruction left behind was a sight for sore eyes. French aurors were scattered across the area, they were collecting evidence before the courtyard would be restored to its former glory. In a week, no traces of a rally would present itself.
"How many died?" Theseus asked grimly. The French Ministry concealed that information, leaving everyone else in the dark. It was cruel not letting the truth out, but it was an order from high above, hoping to stop the spread of panic.
"Three," Mathéo replied gravely.
"Who were they?"
"Blair Locus, Ada Bay and Mace Passel."
"Passel?" Ariadne thought out loud, "I know that name." She paused, staring at the aurors carrying three bodies, clothed in white, courteous of the dead. Passel, the name was coated in familiarity. Somewhere before, she had encountered him.
"He was in the Prophet for committing several crimes against the ministry," Theseus stated, though his words didn't ease Ariadne's thoughts. "Can we look around?" Mathéo nodded at the two foreigners and they separated. Theseus walked towards the middle of the courtyard while Ariadne headed towards the bodies of the victims.
"May I?" She received nods and placed her gloves on. Revealing his face didn't help either. His last expression still painted across his features. She noted his dark clothing, getting the impression that he wanted to conceal himself. Her hands went in and out of Passel's pocket, finding nothing but small unimportant miscellaneous items. That was until she reached the inner pocket of his coat. Inside, she pulled out a pocket watch that she recognised.
Glancing around to see if anyone was watching her, Ariadne discreetly pocketed the watch, thankful that no one ever seemed to pay attention to her. Done with her search, she moved the white cloth to cover his body, returning it to how she found it. Just as quietly as she came in, she slipped out. Eyes darting around the scene. Her eyes landed on a younger girl who sat down on a bench, a blanket draped around her shoulders as she tried to make herself smaller. Her body shivered, her eyes were weary and held distress. Ariadne walked over to Theseus and Mathéo, a few questions in her mind.
"Who is she?" Ariadne asked, interrupting their small talk.
They followed her line of sight, "She's the witness we caught. We think she was involved with the rally," Mathéo answered calmly and Ariadne watched the panic-stricken girl. For a second, their eyes connected before the girl turned away. The fear in her eyes reminded Ariadne of a distant girl who was trapped inside her mind.
"Have you questioned her yet?" Mathéo shook his head, "May I?"
"Please," he welcomed. They walked over to the girl. Her terrified eyes darted from the floor to them. The two aurors guarding her stood closeby, close enough if Ariadne were to whisper to the girl, they would hear. They seemed to frighten the girl even more. Ariadne didn't like the words that rang through their minds. She hated aurors who thought themselves superior.
She crouched down to the girl's level. "Hi, what's your name?" she spoke in French, surprising the men around her. It shouldn't have. With her French ancestry, it was almost given that she learned the language. Or at least, that's what her parents thought.
"Eloise."
"I'm Ariadne," she gently smiled and Eloise slightly dropped her guard, "What happened yesterday?"
"He came," Eloise hesitated with her words, "It all happened so fast." She was avoiding the question. The blonde's mind was still jumbled up, mixed with unrest and confusion. There was no clear answer that Ariadne could read. She needed more, more information that would expose the events of last night.
"What did he want?"
"I can't tell you that. He'll kill me."
"For Merlin's sake," one of the aurors guarding her exasperatedly ran his hand through his face. "Answer her," he pulled out his wand, pointing it threateningly at Eloise. Her eyes went wide as she visibly retracted.
"Don't touch her," Ariadne got up and held her wand towards the man's neck. His eyes darted to those around him and when he saw them unmoving, he dropped his wand. Ariadne turned to both Theseus and Mathéo before glancing back at Eloise, "I have everything I need."
[2207 words]
edited 05.03.24