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Ariadne walked around an unfamiliar street. The grey bricks surrounded her as she glanced around. The metal street lamps were broken and the misty fog made it hard to see. Following the street, it eventually led her to an opening. A small fountain in the middle of the courtyard while the townhouses enclosed her.
"Ariadne Nott," she spun around, facing the one man she didn't want to see.
"You," she seethed. Silas Nott held his head up high. A small smirk on his face. She took a step back, her eyes darting around for an exit as he continued to stare at her.
"You can't escape me," he sneered as if he read her mind.
"I did once. I can do it again," Ariadne snapped, desperation clinging onto her. She couldn't find her wand. Where did she put it?
"Can they?" he questioned slowly, tilting his head to the side. Orbs of memories floated up from the ground. In each sphere made from glass, Ariadne's friends smiled at her. She spotted one with Melinda, sitting down at the cafe, the one they visited a few days ago. There was another one with Barracus as he worked in his office. There was also one with Theseus in it. The memories surrounded her as Silas took a step forward.
"Don't touch them," she warned, fuming with anger.
"Oh, I'll hunt them. I'll torture them and kill them," he smirked evilly. The orbs around her shattered like glass, flashes of green filling them as they broke, "And if I can't, he'll do the job for me," Ariadne knew exactly who he meant. Grindelwald. His power was beyond comparison. She had heard the rumours.
"No!"
Ariadne jolted awake. Her breaths fast as her chest moved up and down. 'That wasn't real,' she exhaled slowly as she tried to catch her breath. Everything had felt so real, the threats, the powerless emotions, him.
Blinking a few times, she furrowed her brows as she took in the room she was in. It was neat, too neat to be her own. She turned her head sideways, her hands finding a soft blanket draped over her. Photos that weren't hers stood on a wooden table and there were books piled neatly on a chair.
Wait.
Looking at the end of the couch, Theseus' head was buried into cushions as his eyes were gently shut. Ariadne rubbed her head. Was she seeing things? But when her feet touched the cold wool rug, she knew she wasn't dreaming anymore. Stretching her body, there were aches in her neck and arms from sleeping in an awkward position.
She chuckled to herself, remembering the heated debate she had with the brunette yesterday night, discussing which of them would take the bed. If she had known they would both fall asleep on the couch, Ariadne wouldn't have defended herself so hard. It was ironic how easily they fell back into the relationship they once had, before everything burned down. Guess Hufflepuffs were actually really that nice.
Even so, she still had to be cautious. He had broken a piece of her when their relationship shattered. If their friendship was so easily repaired, would that be the same if they tried to tear it back down?
She tiptoed over to the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water. Looking back at her reflection, her eyes were red and eyebags hung from her brown eyes. Ariadne exhaled, she didn't need anymore distractions today. She needed to be prepared. Stray hairs stood from her head, some coated with water. Weaving her hands between her hair, Ariadne wanted it away from her face and delicately tied it up. Satisfied with her hairdo, she walked back to the living room. Her steps were light, hoping to not wake Theseus but a small crash could be heard, paired with his heavy footsteps. She found him frantically looking around for his coat before picking up his wand from the wooden table. When their eyes connected, he sighed in relief and his shoulders dropped.
"I thought you left."
"I have nowhere else to go," she mentioned nonchalantly.
"Right," awkward... "What about breakfast?"
"Actually, can we stop by my house," Ariadne put in, biting her lip as she waited for his response. She felt small, like a child asking for something when the inevitable answer was 'no.'
"Sure," he shrugged, arms in his pocket. He watched as relief ran down her shoulders before she nodded.
Ariadne's home was a little townhouse, squashed together by two other neighbouring homes. Her two-story house had white windows which were covered by thick dark curtains. The bricks carried out throughout the street, the same colour on all the houses. She frowned slightly as she stood outside, what was waiting for her on the other side of her door?
"Appare Vestigium," she muttered as golden shimmers of light burst out into her house. As they danced around the rooms, footprints lit up. Adrenaline settled in as she realised they were too big to be her own. With Theseus right behind her, she slowly made her way deeper into the house.
The first room her intruder had entered was her living room. Their footprints stayed at her bookcase for a moment too long. What were they looking for? Ariadne narrowed her eyes at the titles of her books. There was nothing special, just mundane books that she read for entertainment. No work reports or anything.
Looking more closely, she almost laughed as her eyes caught the title 'Little Women.' Of course a muggle book would enrage the individual stalking through her house. As the footprints continued onwards, so did Ariadne and Theseus. They led the pair through the house and up the stairs. When they got to her bedroom, Ariadne realised what they had come for.
"Follow the prints," she urged as the footsteps eventually walked out of her room. Theseus nodded while Ariadne knelt down. They had stopped at her jewellery box. Her pearls were still in tack along with her other silver jewellery. With a click of a small button, a hidden compartment was revealed. Her heart dropped as the box was empty. The Passel's pocket watch was gone, along with the Gringotts key that she had acquired. She had only shown the watch to one person and she had refused to take it. What changed their minds?
"The prints went straight out," Theseus came back in, a little out of breath. Ariadne nodded, her mind racing as she reasoned with herself, "Did they take something important?"
"No," she muttered out, putting the small box back together.
"What are you thinking about?"
"My place has been compromised."
[1111 words]
a/n
ayyee look at that word count. these chapters have been so hard to think of soo i hope this is up to standard. we're nearly at the end of what i have planned for this act which is exciting and hopefully the chapters will roll out quicker when we reach the next act as it follows the movies :D
kjlyds