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"I feel like I keep bumping into you."
"Ariadne," Newt stood up from his seat, happy to see a familiar face. The repeated use of black bricks contrasted greatly against the magenta carpet. An owl flapped above, mail tied to its feet as he soared past the two. Two ministry workers passed them, nodding to the pair who smiled back even though they had no clue who they were. There was now a sense of honour that had claimed both Newt and Ariadne as they got back from New York. Everyone had read about how they aided the MACUSA and captured Grindelwald. Even in the papers, Madam Picquery applauded their intelligence and bravery.
"What are you doing here?" Ariadne asked, smiling at her friend. It was just the other day where she saw him, congratulated him on his book release and had dinner with him, Leta and his brother. And that was all that she could remember. After Newt left, her memory of that night got a little foggy.
"I'm actually trying to get my travel ban lifted," he responded shyly, eyes darting from Ariadne's face to the ground. After the events 4 months ago, Newt had received most of the repercussions. The Confederation didn't like how he acted alone, no ties to the ministry or to them. No matter how hard Ariadne and Tina had tried to persuade the Confederation, Newt's heroic acts twisted his character into a vigilante.
"Why? Got a familiar face you want to see across the ocean, huh?" she teased, watching as he blushed. "Have you written to her yet?" she gasped loudly at the look on his face. "I can't believe I have and you haven't."
"Well, you are her friend," he said, trying to soften the situation.
"And she likes you more than me," she nudged him, "You know she keeps asking about you." If it was possible, he turned even more red. Ariadne couldn't lie, she was enjoying this moment too much.
"Scamander," Travers called out, staring sternly at Ariadne. He nodded towards Newt before stepping back into the hearing room, leaving the door open for Newt.
"Yikes, good luck," she uttered, glaring at Travers' back, distaste evident in her eyes.
"Thank you," he murmured, nerves overtaking as stared forward.
"Hey, you got this," Ariadne reassured, noticing his change in demeanour, "There's a woman in America you gotta see."
"Right."
"And don't forget to write to her!"
☆
"I don't get it," Melinda queried, "Why show her face now?" A picture of Rosier smirked at them as their eyes travelled back to the pinboard. Theseus, Bailey, Ariadne and Melinda stared at the red pins that recounted the places where the French witch had been spotted. Ariadne knew Rosier had always been careful, so as Melinda questioned, 'Why show up now?'
"With Grindelwald behind bars, she's the next one fit to run the show," Ariadne pointed out, cleaning her desk for the new day tomorrow. It was late at night and the auror office was almost empty, except for the group of four who held the lights on. The silence confused Ariadne and she looked up, watching as the three shared a glance, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ariadne," Theseus started, unsure how to approach the situation, "There's an ongoing investigation to capture your father," he finally put out. He noted how her eyes hardened at the mention of her father. Ariadne turned away from their peering gazes which held sympathy. That was the last thing she needed right now.
"You should really be going for my mother as well. Wait, ongoing," she paused, "Why am I only hearing about this now?" Theseus watched as Ariadne tried to decipher his tone. "Do you not see me fit to join in?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
He shook his head sombrely, "Not me."
"Travers," and he nodded. Merlin, did Ariadne hate that man. One day she was going to punch him. "Who's in charge of the case?" she asked, trying to ignore the anger that threatened to seep in.
The three shared a glance, "Wilton."
And Ariadne exploded, "Are you serious?"
"Quite," Bailey muttered but Ariadne paid no heed to him as she rambled.
"Don't they know I'd rather see him rot in Azkaban than have him be at Grindelwald's right hand?" She denounced, rage finally allowed to roam free. "And Wilton? Wilton? He won't be able to do anything. Merlin, with his arrogance and-"
"Ariadne. He's already left," Theseus interrupted and she gave him a confused stare so he continued, "For Germany."
"Germany?" They watched as something clicked in Ariadne's brain. The gears turned as she slowly came to the realisation that...
"Ariadne, if you have any information that can help, you need to tell me," Theseus implored.
"I don't know anything," she lied, but it was too much of the truth to be caught by Theseus. He narrowed his eyes at her and she looked away. Tension coated the room as Ariadne swallowed thickly, her head down.
Bailey took the attention off her as he clapped his hands together, "Well, I'm starved. Let's go get dinner." Melinda nodded, quickly following him out of the office, desperate to escape the unease created by Theseus and Ariadne. Playing with her bracelet, she shoved her unfinished papers in her draw. As she moved to follow Melinda, Theseus grabbed her wrist.
"Ariadne," his eyes were sincere, "Anything can be helpful." For a moment, her eyes soften. She stared up at him, contemplating what to say to him. He knew about her father and his parenting styles, why was it so hard to just share more about him? But things change. He wasn't asking as a friend, he was her boss. He needed information to share with them.
"I haven't seen him in 10 years," she concurred, irritation covering her tone, "I don't know anything anymore."
[982 words]
a/n
so i feel like i've focused more on the fbawtft plot that i need to bring back ariadne trauma plot for fbtcog. for this movie, i'm going to entwine my OCs more especially since they literally carried the first act. its rude to ignore them.
also we have 6 months to get through before something from the movies actually happens. gotta keep us entertained somehow.
kjlyds