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"You do not accuse me of ignorance in my country, Miss Nott," Madam Picquery fumed once out of earshot from everyone else. She sharply turned around, facing both Ariadne and Graves. Her arms were crossed against her chest as she glared at the brunette witch.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I say uneducated? Clueless? Dense?" Ariadne retorted, anger seeping into her words, "You have an expert telling you what those markings are. Why aren't you listening?"
"An expert who set loose his creatures that ultimately killed a very important No-maj."
"You have no proof. You acted on impulse and emotion," Ariadne pointed out, "He is innocent and so is Tina. They have done nothing wrong."
"We'll see about that," Madam Picquery shot back, "Have aurors search the case, Graves. Do not let Miss Nott inside." Head held high, Madam Picquery walked past the pair. Ariadne's glare pierced through her back while Graves softly sighed. Through the silence, she could hear Madam Picquery talking to the confederation while Graves took the elevator back down.
Delegate Podmore was the first one out of the room, none following behind him. He spotted Ariadne and made his way towards her, only stopping near her to light his pipe.
"What will happen to them?" Ariadne wondered numbly. Delegate Podmore turned to her, an eyebrow raised, surprised that she acknowledged his presence let alone spoke to him.
"Let us hope for the best."
"You do not mean that they will get executed?" she gasped. Her blood ran cold as her heartbeat picked up. No. She could not let this happen. Without another word, she ran, following Graves' path down to the auror office. She left a speechless Podmore as adrenaline started pumping through her body.
There was nothing to do when the elevator door closed on her. There was nothing to do as she stood there, playing with her bracelet as she travelled down the floors. There was nothing to do as she banged on the door, willing it to open when someone had locked it. There was nothing she could do but fall to the floor as she waited.
After what felt like hours, the door finally opened and Ariadne scrambled up. She probably looked terrible, the redness in her eyes with her hair sticking to her forehead but she didn't care as she raced in, dodging all the other aurors until she found the eyes of Graves. Hope diminished in her eyes as he shook his head.
"The decision will be made tomorrow morning. I suggest you get some sleep," he picked up his jacket and followed the aurors out. She stood there stumped, frozen in place, staring at the spot where Graves once stood. Behind her she heard a sigh before the elevator door closed.
Finally left alone, she bit her nail, hoping to cause more pain than the heartbreak she felt. Tina had been the most welcoming person here in America and how would Ariadne repay her? By letting her die while innocent? There was no way Tina would let an Obscurus roam free to cause destruction and pain. And what about Newt? What about his brother? Did she have to tell him that his brother died and she stood by?
Slowly manoeuvring towards her desk, she slumped down at her seat, her head resting in her hands. Although something caught her eye. Letters from back home lay gently on her desk. She had been ignoring them ever since last week. Between her work and herself, she almost dreaded opening them. Yes it had been two weeks, but she had missed her friend dearly.
Dear Ariadne,
Don't cry. Don't cry.
Truly, I tell you, I did really want to see you go. Throughout the whole meeting I was itching to get out. And I know you've heard it over and over, but I will get better for you. Forgive me. Bailey told me that Melinda fretted over you the whole time, sounds like I didn't need to be there to make sure you had everything ready.
On a lighter note, how is America? It's been a while since I travelled across the ocean. Tell me, did Graves tell you about how he saved me from pixies? I believe that he will never let that go, especially since I find it extremely embarrassing. You should ask him about the night owl incident, that's the story I use to clap back at him.
I hope work will not be overusing you as much. I also hope that you don't find someone to clash with. Merlin knows how ruthless you can really be.
Keep being strong and brave, Ariadne.
Yours truly,
Theseus.
'Keep being strong and brave' might have been Ariadne's tipping point as she silenced a sob in her hand. Tears slid down her cheek as she wrapped her arms around herself. Honestly, she didn't know that it'd be this hard, leaving everything she knew to travel to America, on a mission where she really had no clue what she was doing. She really didn't know what she was doing here.
[846 words]