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Sitting in front of her vanity, Ariadne wondered why she felt so nervous. She had been on penalty of other dates with other men which should have at least calmed her nerves, granted this one was said to become her 'worst.' And was it really a date or just something two friends, co-workers were planning platonically? Actually, they weren't going to be co-workers anytime soon. He got the promotion. He was going to be her supervisor. But were dates even romantic at this point? And if romantic feelings developed would that not be weird?
A knock on her door led her out of her thoughts and with a last minute check on her appearance, she opened the door. He was wearing a simple suit, his hands behind his back and his hair left naturally done. Maybe this time, he wasn't going to give Bailey the satisfaction of changing it. Even so, he greeted her with a smile that made her do the same, washing away all her worries.
"Hello."
"Hey," she was wearing an elegant green dress, which flowed all the way down to the floor. Makeup on her face accentuated her features while her hair was tied up. He couldn't lie, she was breathtaking.
"Well, I think you look rather beautiful," he started, voicing his opinions into words.
"If it's supposed to be my worst date, I'm surprised you're still as charming as ever," she reckoned, though a smile on her face told him she did not mind.
"Oh darling, it only gets worse from here. Flowers?" he carefully held out a bunch of roses, waiting as she accepted the bouquet, "Careful, they're charmed to make you sneeze if you sniff them."
"I don't think you were supposed to tell me," she started with a fond smile, moving to put them in a small vase. The charmed red roses were kept out of arm's reach as she admired them for a moment. With her back turned to him, Theseus hid the embarrassment that seeped into his cheeks.
"Well, we should get going," Theseus informed, "I was thinking we greet everyone we see when we get there."
"Merlin, let's not," she took his arm as they apparated to the entrance of the Ministry. The corridors were decorated light for the holiday though there was a sense of emptiness following them. The black bricks continued throughout until they reached the party room. Ariadne didn't know which office space had been transformed into a blend of Christmas colours. There wasn't a speck of darkness as the room had been lit up. Ariadne couldn't help but marvel at the sight, it truly was beautiful. Candles floated above as a large Christmas tree sat in one of the corners of the room. Shiny tinsel aligned the walls as baubles floated above.
"It's something, isn't it?" Theseus began, watching as Ariadne's eyes moved around the room.
"Yeah," the scenery transported Ariadne back to her youth. It had been a long time since she had seen excessive seasonal adornment. Theseus took note of how effortlessly it made her smile.
"Come on," he said, "Let's make this the worst date you've ever been on."
Ariadne rolled her eyes jokingly, "Who are you going to make me socialise with?"
"Only the worst," Theseus raised his hand towards Armand Yaxley, who was already nodding towards them. Ariadne let a groan slip from her mouth while turning to Theseus, subsequently hiding her face from Yaxley.
"I hope you're ready to suffer as much as I do."
"Too late to back out. He's already headed our way," Theseus notified, lowering his voice to a whisper as his breath danced on her bare shoulder. With a false smile, he turned to the pureblooded wizard, "Yaxley! How are you doing?"
"Very well, thank you for asking," he had this voice that made people roll their eyes, or maybe that was just Ariadne. "And how are you, Miss Nott?"
"I am well," she almost hoped that he would pick up on her irritated tone, but his arrogance seemed to soar through the ceiling.
"I heard about the promotion. Congratulations," this is when Ariadne began to zone out. The two men started conversing about their work while Ariadne yearned to be someplace else. Her eyes darted around the room, wishing that there was someone else that required her attention, someone to get her out of this conversation. Theseus seemed to notice her discomfort and nudged her, to which she nudged him back, reminding him their predicament was his fault. Mischief flickered through his eyes as Ariadne glared back at him.
Eventually their conversation ceased and the pair of aurors were finally free from Yaxley's clutches. Wandering through the room, they found themselves near the dancefloor, watching as couples glided through; waltzing to a slow tune. As Theseus opened his mouth to speak, they bumped into a familiar face.
"Ah, Theseus, Ariadne," Barracus smiled at the pair, playfully locking eyes with the brunette, "Fancy seeing you here," another man was with them, one that Ariadne had not yet had the pleasure of meeting. He wore a fancy grey suit which paired nicely with his neatly trimmed beard.
"I believe you had something to do with that," she imparted, narrowing her eyes at the older wizard. Theseus grabbed a drink from a floating golden dish.
"It's not like I forced you here," a splutter of coughs made eyes turn to Theseus as he choked on his drink. The tip of his ears turned pink as he tried to hide his ever growing smile.
Ariadne rolled her eyes and turned back to the other two men, "Ignore him," if only she could tell Barracus, she was forced here. However, a bet is a deal, no matter how unbiased the results may be and Ariadne was a woman of her words. They lightly conversed as polite laughter was shared throughout the group. It wasn't until a familiar tune came on that the stranger turned to Ariadne.
"A dance, Miss Nott?" Frozen slightly after the question, curiosity compelled Ariadne to answer. What did he have to say to her? It was a request that was made out of the blue. Barracus raised an eyebrow as Theseus tried not to look disappointed when she nodded. Slipping her hand into his, she allowed him to lead her into the sea of dancers. With a hand on her hip and the other outstretched, they started stepping back and forth. Her interrogative eyes bored into his. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he had a friendly smile on his face.
"I know who you are," Ariadne blurted out without much thought behind her words.
Albus Dumbledore furrowed his brows slightly, "I don't believe I've taught you."
"No, but the papers love to write about your name," she had read each one. The Hogwarts professor that apparently had a close relationship with Grindelwald. Rumours that he was the only one that could rival the villainous wizard. Most of the stories condemned his name, criticising the way he hid in the castle far away from the war which was stirring up in the wizarding world.
"Ah, I hope you don't believe everything you read," he mused lightly, noting how he was not popular amongst the papers.
"Not unless I should," she responded truthfully.
"I believe you also have a reputation to your name," he added, spinning her around momentarily.
"How so?" She asked once she faced him again.
"They love his name," Ariadne glanced over her shoulder as Dumbledore nodded behind her, "The war hero. I believe your names have both been in many stories." 'War Hero,' the words made Ariadne realise; there was so much of Theseus that she didn't know about.
Before the muggle's world war began, she had been eager to get out of London and was assigned to a case in Paris assisting their aurors. It wasn't until the war was over that Ariadne could return to her homeland, consequently missing out on everything that had happened here. Questions began to arise in her head, the Minister for Magic had banned the involvement of British wizards in muggle hostility. How did Theseus gain his title?
"I hope you don't believe everything you read," she repeated his words, resulting in a chuckle from him.
"No, I don't think I do," he confirmed, a small smile never leaving his face, "I have a proposition for you."
"Do tell."
"How would you like it if you could help take down Grindelwald," surprise was written all over her features as she planned out her next words.
"I thought he wasn't a threat," she tested out slowly.
"We both know that is a lie," Dumbledore implied.
"How will you get the Ministry's approval," there was a twitch in his features that allowed Ariadne to come to the realisation, "Ah, an underground effort?"
"Precisely."
"And what will you require of me?"
"Your skill, time, knowledge," he listed slowly while Ariadne had a thousand questions running through her mind.
"Will you have me quit my job?"
"No, it should not take up that much of your time. And you can always call in sick," Dumbledore mentioned, "I'm sure this is a big decision which may take time for you to decide but if your willing I-"
"I accept," she interrupted his words. His eyebrows lifted at her revelation, "I want to stop him so, I will help you stop him."
The song had ended and a new one was played, "Until I see you again, Miss Nott," he released her from his hold, bowing slightly as other couples started joining the dancing floor.
"Dumbledore," she nodded, watching as he tipped his hat before walking away. He was a peculiar man, she thought to herself. Not wanting to get trampled by other dancing couples, Ariadne left in search of a friend.
[1640 words]
a/n
i think this is the longest chapter yet. guys this one was offically the worst one to write. you know when u have it all planned out but can't describe the small details. ugh. but guess what, while in writers block, i have now planned out the whole book. the whole thing. congrats to me ig
dont forget to vote and comment please!
also we hit no. 1 in the #theseusscamander tag the other day! woo woo!
also also, one more sweet chapter in this act before we move onto the second act :)
kjlyds