Author's Note: AND WE'RE BACK!! Thank you, everyone, for bearing with me not updating this story while I was away for the summer. I am back now and will be back to updating this regularly.
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Percival woke the next morning to the sound of a knock on his door and he grumbled in annoyance, pushing himself up on his elbows and letting his eyes adjust to the light streaming through the curtains. He felt miserable and dirty despite his late-night shower and he rolled over onto his side in order to get a few more minutes of rest yet another rap came at his door. Percival groaned and rolled out of the bed to make his way to the door, unlocking it and sharply pulling it open to shout at whoever had thought it was a good idea to wake him so damn early in the morning.
Of course, it happened to be none other than his increasingly troublesome secretary and her eyes went wide at the sight of him.
"Mister Graves!" Edith gasped, throwing her notebook up in front of her and squeezing her eyes shut.
He simply stared at her in confusion before realizing that he had answered the door in nothing but his boxer shorts. Percival just sighed and carelessly let the door fall wide open as he trudged over to the dresser where he had left his bag, tossing it open and fishing out clean clothes to make himself more presentable. Edith blindly tried to find the handle of the door in an attempt to give him privacy, finally reaching it and starting to pull it shut but before she could close it all the way, he called out to her in a displeased tone.
"Miss Matasen, I really don't like being woken before I need to be." He told her as she hid behind the slightly ajar door while he put on an undershirt.
"Ummm... It's 8:15 Mister Graves." Edith informed him and he quickly pulled his pocket watch out of his pants from the previous day to check the time only to see she was very much correct.
"Fuck." He hissed, scrambling to get ready.
"I'll just wait downstairs..." Edith trailed, waiting for him to say something and closing the door when he didn't.
Percival had ignored her, putting on his socks and garters followed by a crisp white shirt, waistcoat, and pants. He headed into the bathroom to finish cleaning up, running wet hands through his hair to slick it back before putting on his shoes, suit jacket, and a bit of cologne and grabbing his coat and the case file before leaving his room to head toward the lobby.
Edith was patiently waiting for him there, sitting in a lounge chair in her usual statue-like manner with her notebook in hand although her eyes were sealed shut like she was trying to erase the image of him in his underwear from her mind. Percival chuckled to himself as he descended the stairs, finding her reaction charming along with the way her brows pinched together tightly. He took in the sight of her as he walked across the lobby and much like him, her daily attire did not change much nor did the styling of her hair but the spring saw the fabric of her clothes change from warm wool to light linen.
She was however dressed more casually than usual, trading the typical sophistication of her work attire for a soft blush pink dress that hit her mid-calves. The waistline was loose, the fabric flowing and flaring just slightly towards the bottom and she wore warm-looking black stockings underneath along with her usual black oxford heels. Edith's brown coat hung off her body, the belt left untied and buttons left undone, probably forgotten about due to the morning's earlier events.
"Miss Matasen," Percival called as walked over to the door and pulled it open.
Her eyes shot open and she quickly stood from the lounge chair to make a beeline for the door, exiting the lodge as he held it open for her with him not far behind. They didn't say a word to each other as they walked the quarter mile down the road into the village looking for the home of the wizard MACUSA had identified as the source of the rapidly spreading cases of Great Plains Fever. For the most part, the day went as expected, they found the wizard's home and Percival entertained a brief escape attempt before casting a binding charm and dragging the man back across a field into the small farmhouse.
Percival took absolutely no chances, he detained the wizard's family when he entered the house, placing the man's sister and her children behind a magical barrier they couldn't escape from. It was a spell of his grandfather's creation and a closely guarded secret that he used only in situations like this one when he had no Aurors on hand to help him control and secure the home. Edith seemed displeased with the measures, the cries of the toddler undoubtedly pulled at her heartstrings though she said nothing as Percival tossed her the satin handkerchief from his suit pocket and instructed her to cover her nose and mouth.
She seemed confused by the request at first but did as he said, tying the hanky around her neck before pulling it up over her face and taking the spot next to an open window where he told her to stand. It would do Percival no good if Edith came down with the fever and he wasn't certain that the wizard he had bound in a chair at the dining table was free and clear of the ailment, or his family members for that matter. Edith thankfully seemed to understand that she was at risk since she had grown up in Scotland far from the reach of the illness and her placement near the open window ensured she stayed upwind from any coughs or sneezes that were let out during the interview.
It was an interview after all, though he had been told in the past by numerous Aurors that they always felt more like an interrogation, however, those same people had never actually seen Percival in an interrogation. Those usually required him to bring out a side of him he didn't necessarily like, a violent, callous side. That type of behavior was superfluous in this situation, he simply needed to know the exact route the wizard had taken from Wyoming to New York so they could prevent any future outbreaks. Percival handed the case file he had been carrying to Edith before slipping off his coat and settling it on the back of one of the dining chairs and taking a seat across from the other wizard.
The man was tall and lanky, his hair long and greasy as it fell around his face and unkempt beard but he was as truthful as anyone was capable of being while Percival questioned him while Edith wrote down all the pertinent information. When Percival asked if the wizard had gone into New York City, there was hesitation and the man flat-out denied ever stepping foot near the city, claiming he'd gone straight through Pennsylvania to reach his sister's home outside of Syracuse. The reply caused Percival to sigh in disappointment, he truly hated when people made things more difficult than they needed to be.
It was obvious to Percival that the man was lying because, if as the wizard suggested, a rural path had been taken to Onondaga and he avoided the city altogether it was very unlikely the man would have come across another witch or wizard to pass the ailment to. Percival asked the man again, much more sternly this time, if he had entered the city before heading upstate, and again the man denied it causing him to rub his brow in slight annoyance.
Percival held out his hand, the sound of the case file slipping out of Edith's hands before it floated over to him and dropped into his grasp. He placed it on the table, flipping it open to find a particular report and reading it aloud for the man to hear. It was a statement given by a Squib in Staten Island who admitted to meeting with a wizard in the Tompkinsville neighborhood who was transporting several nogtails to the Finger Lakes region. In addition to this, the Squib further admitted to purchasing two of those nogtails from the suspect wizard to use against his No-Maj neighbor. The Squib also gave a description of the suspect as well as relaying details of the final destination for the rest of the nogtails, the village of Onondaga.
When he finished reciting the report, Percival closed the file, crossed his hands in front of his chest, and stared intensely at the other wizard who had become very nervous. He purposely remained silent for several minutes to allow the report and anxiety to seep into the head of the dirt and grime-covered man sitting across from him. Percival finally spoke only after the wizard had begun to squirm in his seat, trying to force himself out of the invisible binds keeping him in place.
"Mr Dunwall, surely you must be aware that you and your sister are the only wizards residing in this village. And surely, you understand that breeding and transporting nogtails is a criminal offense, as is selling them to No-Majs and Squibs." Percival said flatly.
"Surely you also know Congress' strict position on reporting illness immediately upon entering the City of New York." He added, but Mr Dunwall stayed silent, his whole body beginning to shake with fear.
"I ain't sold to No-Maj's." Mr Dunwall insisted, almost mumbling his reply.
"Really? So you didn't sell one to a No-Maj while passing through the Water Gap? Or to two additional No-Majs, one in Scranton and the other in Binghamton?" Percival questioned sternly.
He didn't really need to hear the truth from the man, all the evidence gathered by his Aurors was in the file on the table and the questioning was simply a formality.
"I'm just trying to feed my sister and her kids." Mr Dunwall said with tears in his eyes.
"I don't mean for people to get sick." He added sincerely.
"Mr Dunwall, at least one hundred of our kind have died in the boroughs because of your actions, several thousand more are infected throughout the tristate area and along the route which you traveled. In addition to that, several No-Majs have been cursed because of the nogtails you sold them. You put the entire wizarding community at risk of being discovered." Percival said coldly, before going through the full list of offenses one by one.
They included the illegal transportation and sale of prohibited magical creatures, entering New York City without registering travel, conducting business with a Squib, criminal negligence, and violating the International Statute of Secrecy. It was truly a long list and Percival sighed in annoyance halfway through reading off all of the charges but it was part of the job and he was all about doing things the right way.
"Are y'all going to execute me?" Mr Dunwall asked through hiccups and tears, looking over at Edith in the corner for some sign of mercy.
Percival was thankful he didn't have eyes in the back of his head, he was sure he would have felt a mixture of shame and guilt if he had seen the look on her face. If he had learned anything over the past year it was that underneath her icy exterior, she had a bleeding heart, and more than once he had gotten an earful about how barbaric some of MACUSA's policies and laws were.
"Mr Dunwall, you are to report to the Aurors attache office in Albany by Wednesday to be taken to Champlain Prison. Should you not show up, you will have a bounty placed on your head and the Snatchers will not be as easy on you as I have been. And know this, MACUSA is hesitant to grant leeway for smuggling, black market sales, and exposure." Percival said, rising from the chair and picking up the file.
"Be thankful your sister pleaded for your life." Percival added, putting on his coat and signaling to Edith that they were leaving.
He released all of his enchantment as they exited the house and Edith looked dismayed by the whole ordeal as she yanked the handkerchief from her face, tossing it back to him. They walked down the dirt roads of the village in silence and after a while, as they were approaching the main square, Percival reached into his pocket for his cigarette case. He was in need of the nicotine, knowing eventually that the young witch would have something to say, and without fail, as he held a match to his cigarette, she spoke.
"Was Congress really going to execute him?" Edith asked as they walked alongside each other.
"Yes," Percival said plainly and she immediately stopped walking, absolute horror spreading across her face.
"Seriously?" She questioned in disbelief, her voice going shrill and Percival stopped as well, turning to look back at her.
"I don't make the laws." He defended, tossing the match into a puddle and taking a long pull.
"No, but you enforce them." She reminded him, the anger in her voice more palpable than it had ever been.
Percival took a few steps toward her, keeping a safe distance from her growing fury.
"He committed several crimes." He pointed out.
"He was trying to feed his family." She seethed before pushing past him and walking quickly down the road.
Percival ran his palm down his face before taking another drag of his cigarette and following behind her, watching as she hopped and leaped over pools of water on the road left behind from the rain the previous day. She should have worn more practical shoes but she managed to keep her fuming pace despite the uneven, unpaved roads. As always he couldn't think of anything good to say to ease the tension so he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"You want lunch?" He called out to her but she only shot him a glare over her shoulder before she continued walking at a hasty pace.
"Hey," Percival called again, jogging to catch up to her and blocking her path.
"I know you do things differently across the Atlantic but this is how we work in the States. I don't agree with all of our policies but it is still my job to make sure they are followed. Do you think that man's sister would have known she could appeal for lighter sentencing if I hadn't sent a legal advocate out here to meet with her weeks ago?" He asked, frustrated.
Edith's face relaxed a bit but not much, she just stood silently waiting on him and when he started walking again, she followed beside him. Percival hated when she got like this, too often he felt under fire from Edith who clearly did not agree with MACUSA's practices. He however had become accustomed to them and had dedicated his career to upholding their rules though occasionally, especially in a situation like this, he felt obligated to intervene as inconspicuously as he could.
It was difficult being the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and Security sometimes, he knew not everything seemed fair but there were reasons for things being the way they were. Percival had a strong sense of justice, it had been with him since he was a child and he had carried it with him all his life. Edith also seemed to have it, albeit her sense of justice was based on her own personal morality instead of the laws set to make society function properly.
"So lunch?" Percival asked again, trying to lighten the mood again as he enjoyed the final pulls of his cigarette.
"Why are you always hungry?" Edith asked in astonishment.
"I'm a growing boy." He joked and as they strolled back through the village to the lodge Percival told Edith all about the elaborate lunches his mother made for him growing up.
She scoffed at some of the details though in a lighthearted manner.
"You were a spoiled child." She noted with a small smile on her face and it was welcomed.
"Too good for porridge or haggis, no doubt." She added.
"I don't know what haggis is but it sounds awful," Percival admitted.
"It is a sheep's pluck, with oats and veggies stuffed into the sheep's stomach and then boiled." She explained to him and he scrunched his nose in disgust.
"Yeah, neither my brother nor I was very good at making it so we ate a lot of porridge." She revealed with a grimace.
"I didn't know you had a brother," Percival told her, looking over at her as they walked.
"I think I mentioned him yesterday." She pointed out.
"Eunan." She said quickly.
"Oh, yes. Older brother?" Percival assumed.
"Six years older than me." She said with a half smile and Percival suddenly remembered the conversation from the train.
He remembered Edith referring to her brother in the past tense and saying she had no family waiting for her back in Scotland. He didn't want to spoil the already sour afternoon so he quickly changed the subject back to the haggis.
"Wait... So you take the sheep's organs and then stuff it into its own stomach? That just seems rude to the sheep." He declared, not understanding the complexities of the dish.
Edith laughed in a way he hadn't heard before.
It was a full, honest laugh, the kind someone would be embarrassed by if they cared about those sorts of things. They chatted the whole way back to the lodge, all the while not noticing the man walking some distance behind them down the village's main street. Had Percival not been wrapped up in the conversation, he would have noted that it was the same man who had been watching Edith at the train station the other day when they arrived in Syracuse. The same one that caused Percival an overwhelming sense of unease.