If it were up to Duffy, the next morning after the proposal gone wrong, she would have spent the entire day in bed just hiding away in the darkness of her bedroom. However, she had neglected the idea of her cellphone and ended up waking up several times to it going off, only to see Andrew's picture light up her screen. By the time she was actually fully conscious, she could see that he had left her a couple of voicemails and Duffy knew what was soon to come after that. In just an hour or so's time, Andrew would arrive at her apartment door, just to make sure that she was alright before he started questioning just what exactly had taken place. He normally started off with blaming himself, thinking that he was rushing Duffy or thinking that she didn't believe in the idea of marriage.
But when she told him it was none of those things, he would become confused and think that Duffy simply didn't want to marry him and was just stringing him along. Of course, he didn't actually believe that, but the longer Duffy held out on the truth, she honestly couldn't blame him whenever he grew upset or suspicious. Most people wouldn't have stuck around in their situation, but it only proved that Andrew truly didn't see him spending the rest of his life with anyone but Duffy.
Seeing the third voicemail, Duffy began the process of pushing herself to get out of bed, knowing she had a limited amount of time to get away from her apartment. She honestly didn't want to fight with Andrew, she didn't want to see the hurt expression again. All Duffy wanted to do was confess that she was a witch, have Andrew accept that, and the two of them would live happily ever after.
However, she didn't think it was going to be that simple at all. Grabbing some clothing from her closet, she made her way to the bathroom to have a shower before she left for the day.
Walking through her apartment, it was the perfect mixture of magic and No-Maj technology. Unlike some of her magical counterparts, Duffy thought it was incredibly stupid to limit oneself to just the joys of magic. She liked her flat screen T.V. that she often checked the No-Maj news on, she loved the joys of the internet, she thought it was far more convenient to communicate with a cellphone than with an owl, not to mention discreet, and bless the No-Majs, she fucking loved the idea of using a pen instead of a quill.
The Wizarding Community was still too accustomed to the idea of living back in older times and mostly keeping their lives separate from that of the No-Majs, but Duffy had to admit, while the non-magical folk seemed to be behind in some instances without magic, they had made leaps and strides of their own. It was foolish not to take advantage of certain things, she would have killed to have used pens instead of quills, back when she attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
One would think since their school was co-founded by a No-Maj that they would incorporate more of the teachings or more of the items, but it wasn't as so.
After the quickest shower she could take, Duffy dressed in typical No-Maj clothing, double-checking to make sure she had the date correct before grabbing her wand off her nightstand. With her cell phone in the back pocket of her jeans, her bag thrown over her shoulder, and her wand up her sleeve, Duffy made the getaway out of her apartment before Andrew could arrive.
Was she technically avoiding the problem?
Yes, she would wholeheartedly agree that she was avoiding everything at the time because she didn't have an answer or a solution as to what she was supposed to do to solve it. Even magic couldn't give her the insight on what she should do. Instead, it was all left in her hands and to clear her mind so she could think properly, Duffy just wanted to find some peace and she knew just the place to find it.
Central Park would be considered quite the clusterfuck to those that did not know how to navigate their way around. The urban park was absolutely massive, with all sorts of hidden treasures inside including one of the entrances to Gobblestones, the New York strip dedicated to the magical community. There were all sorts of shops and restaurants where a witch or wizard could find whatever they needed. But, Duffy didn't have plans to visit Gobblestones, instead, she found herself a quiet bench to sit herself on and pulled out one of the books from her bag.
Across the way, there was a birthday party being thrown, a little boy turning twelve years old judging by the numbered balloons. He was surrounded by friends as they were running around, enjoying a game of football. The birthday boy was easy to pick out as he wore a ridiculous shirt that outed him. He was short for a twelve-year-old as Duffy would point out silently in her head, the other boys and girls he was playing with towered him in height, but it only made him appear even more adorable.
Paired with bouncing dark curls and a bright grin where his second set of teeth had grown in a bit large, it was enough to make anyone smile to see the joy on his face. For a few minutes, Duffy observed, completely neglecting the book in her lap. However, her distracted trance was interrupted by the scene of a styrofoam Dunkin' Donuts cup, being placed in her face abruptly.
"French Roast, black, just like your soul."
With a roll of her eyes as she snatched the hot drink from him, Duffy peered up to see her best friend, Duncan Hines plopping down on the bench beside her with a cup of his own in hand.
"And hot chocolate for me."
"Duncan, what the hell are you doing here? How did you even know where I was?"
"Well, I actually went to your apartment first," Duncan informed her as he leaned back and proceeded to enjoy a sip of his hot chocolate, " and you weren't there. But I did run into that man candy of yours, Mr Andrew. He looked like quite the distraught soul, told me that you weren't answering his calls and he checked your apartment and you weren't there. I could only assume that something was wrong and usually when things are bad, I find you here, on this sad little bench."
It was quiet for a few moments as Duffy chewed on the inside of her cheek. " He proposed again to me last night," she said in a soft voice, "and once again, I couldn't bring myself to say yes."
The expression on Duncan's face fell for a few seconds before his dark eyebrows furrowed together. He could see that Duffy was on the verge of tears as she couldn't even bring herself to look in his direction anymore, instead, she faced forward, watching the scene of the birthday party in the distance.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, " Duncan interjected, " He wasn't upset with you, he just wanted to make sure that you were alright. Maybe you could just send him a text, you know? Tell him that you're fine and that you'll talk to him when you're ready."
Duffy wasn't listening to his advice at the moment as her eyes continued to follow the little boy around as her hands were wrapped around her cup of coffee.
"He turned twelve years old today," she said finally, " I can't believe it. Makes me feel old."
"Well, if you're old, I'm ancient," Duncan said forcing a smile on his face, " besides you're far from old. You're a baby."
"Duncan, I'm twenty-six years old, that's far from a baby, and-"
The witch and wizard fell silent as they were approached by the family throwing the party, the mother asking for Duffy if she would mind taking a photo of the family. For several seconds, Duffy was frozen in place as she stared at the woman holding the camera before her. Duncan went to intervene, about to make the offer that he would take the picture, but before he could, she was up on her feet, saying "sure."
Setting her coffee to the side on the bench, Duffy followed the woman over where she and her husband gathered around the birthday boy, along with all of his friends. Focusing the shot, Duffy stopped for just a moment, looking at the centred child, pressing her lips into a thin line to contain the emotions that were bubbling at the surface. It only took about several seconds for the photo to be taken and the camera to be taken away from her hands. The family looked at the photo, thanked Duffy, and then basically sent her on her way.
But before she walked away, the birthday boy lingered, fumbling with the new watch he had received as he tried to put it on by himself.
"Here, let me help you," she offered and quickly, he outstretched his arm to expose his wrist and handed her the watch. As she placed it on and adjusted it to be fitted but not too tight, she could feel the brown gaze of the child scan over her.
"Do I know you?" he asked her as she finished, leaving Duffy to peer up at him briefly.
"No," she stated and that's all he needed to hear before he thanked her and ran off to rejoin his friends and family, " but you used to."
Making her way back towards where Duncan was sitting, she could see the sympathetic look on his face, which didn't make her feel any better, in fact, it left her feeling worse. But Duffy didn't get a chance to say anything as they were interrupted by a pigeon landing on the bench beside Duncan. Attached to the pigeon's leg was a message, meant for one of them and as the pigeon looked directly at Duffy, she assumed she was being called in for work.
Unlike their magical counterparts across the pond, Americans didn't take to using owls, especially in urban areas, they adjusted to using common birds that wouldn't attract attention to the area. Pigeons were highly common and already a type of bird used for communication, even by No-Majs, especially during the time of war. But in other areas, such as coastal spots along the United States, birds such as seagulls could even be found put to use.
Taking the message and looking it over, Duffy read over the short wording before peering up at Duncan. "I have to report to the Woolworth building, are you coming?"
"Well, I have nothing else better to do," Duncan grinned as he pushed himself and the pigeon flew off, leaving them to start moving to get to a save place to apparate without any witnesses. However, before they left the scene, Duffy looked over her shoulder once more in the direction of the birthday party.
"Happy Birthday, Noah," she whispered before Duncan led her along, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a side hug.
"Hey," he began bringing her to look over at him as they walked, " even if he doesn't know it, I do, and I just wanted to let you know that you're a fantastic older sister. Noah's really lucky to have you in his life."
"But that's the thing, Duncan, I'm not in his life-"
"You are, not in a traditional way. No-Majs call them guardian angels, I think. People who watch over others without ever being noticed, that's you," he said, " so like I said, he's really lucky to have you."
"Thanks, Duncan, I don't know what I do without you."
"Wallow in self-pity?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
MACUSA (otherwise known as the Magical Congress of the United States of America) Headquarters was located in the Woolworth Building, oddly enough. A building shared by both No-Majs and the wizarding community, that was located on Broadway in the borough of Manhattan. Since graduating from Ilvermorny at the top of Defence Against the Dark Art class, Duffy had applied to be an Auror, leaving the Woolworth Building to be her home over the next few years of her intense training. Duncan had also applied to be an Auror as well, but unfortunately, he had failed several of the tests in order to be one.
However, since he practiced the art of Legilimency, Duffy fought tooth and nail to get him recognised as an important asset to the government. Thankfully, they were able to see that he did have talents that they could put to use and under the request of Duffy as she went up in ranking, Duncan became her partner whenever she needed his assistance. During other times, he actually posed as a No-Maj Flight Marshal, working as a counter-terrorist agent as terrorist attacks in the United States not only killed No-Majs, but wizarding folks as well.
It was a trial job as the United States were one of the first in enact it and hoep that other countries and their wizarding governments would follow suit. They were attempting to mend the relationships between the wizarding community and non-magic community, that also meant protecting one another.
"I wonder what's going on today, I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. The news has been quiet," Duffy pondered out loud as they approached the building. "Oh Sweet Salem, I hope it's not another riot on the rise, I am not in the mood."
To access the magical part of the Woolworth Building, wizards and witches had to use the special revolving door that spun at the speed beyond any that the No-Majs used. But once the spinning came to an end, they were able to enter the beautifully lit lobby that dawned cathedral-like ceilings. In the centre of the lobby, to pay homage to those that lost their lives in the Salem Witch Trials, there stood a towering memorial. It depicted three women, a child, and man, coming together as they stood in a circle, and during certain hours of the day, the statues would move and come to join hands.
"Dagny!" she had barely been in the lobby for about two minutes when her surname had been shouted out, bringing eyes to fall upon her. She saw the head Auror, Abhaya Varma calling to her from the overlooking balcony up the stairs.
Before Duffy could respond, Abhaya jerked her head in a direction that told her silently to follow her. Looking over at Duncan, he simply gave her a nod before telling her to go on because it was never a pretty moment when Abhaya was upset.
Running up the stairs, Duffy followed Abhaya, who was moving ahead of her with her long stride and her sweeping black hair flowing behind her like a dark curtain. Duncan often liked to joke that Abhaya's hair was actually a creature called a Lethifold, one that was known to be like a dark cloak that could disguise itself as a curtain or something along the lines. It would hide away and at night, swoop out and smother its victims before eating it.
"What's going on, Varma?" Duffy addressed her leader by her surname, common protocol as they never went by first names. "Is it another riot?"
"The President is requesting to see you," Abhaya told her and said nothing else as Duffy was left completely stunned.
The President of MACUSA was requesting to see her? What for? She tried to think if she had done anything wrong in the recent times as if she was a child about to face a scolding parent. Hardly anyone ever had business with President Samuel G. Quahog.
"Wipe that look off your face, Dagny, you're not in trouble."
Quickly changing up her expression to mask the confusion she was feeling, Duffy followed her leader until they reached the outside of the President's office. The doors leading inside were absolutely breath taking as the wood of the doors were carved with the beautiful depiction of North American wild horses that actually moved as if they were racing across the plains. It was mesmorising to look at and as she stood there waiting for the doors to open, Duffy was about to reach her hand out and try to touch one of the horses, but Abhaya smacked her hand down lightly just before they were granted permission to enter by an unspoken password.
Duffy didn't know what to expect when walking in, however, to see the president sitting at his desk by himself, which was odd as she assumed that he would be surrounded by members of his cabinet.
"Mr Quahog," Abhaya bowed her head, " Miss Dagny as you requested."
"Thank you, Varma, that will be all, you may leave us."
If she hadn't been internally panicking before, Duffy certainly was in that moment as she was left alone in the company of the man.
"Mr President," Duffy quickly followed the actions of Abhaya by bowing her head as she interjected, " if this is about my work, I can assure that-"
"Actually, Ms Dagny, it does have to do with your work," Samuel began as he moved out from behind his desk. He was quite short in comparison to Duffy as she swore she stood at least a foot taller than him. "You come highly recommended as an Auror and with your work as a Hit Witch. Your Head has been telling me that she sees you as her successor once she retires over the Auror department."
"Really?!" Duffy blurted out, only to place her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "I mean..."
Samuel let out a chuckle as he smoothed back his graying hair. "You shouldn't act so surprised, take the compliment, you've earned it. As I've said, your work comes highly recommended and I know for a fact that you're the person I need for this job. You've dealt with riots, highly dangerous criminals and bizarre situations since your time as a young Auror and that's what this situation calls for. "
"May I ask what this situation is? Or what are the circumstances?"
"Well, let's start with this, " Samuel began, " you'll be breaking the International Statute of Secrecy."
A/N: Quick author's note, I thought I should just add what the title meant because I know not everyone is going to get the reference. There is a coffee chain in the United States ( and other parts of the world) called Dunkin' Donuts, it's really popular in the northern parts where I grew up because there is one on like every corner and their slogan is/was "American Runs on Dunkin'." So, it was a play on Duncan's name that Duffy kinda needs her daily dose of Duncan to get her through the day, like how people get through the day with their coffee.
Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, the Avengers are coming soon!