Semper Fidelis

Chapter 16.1

per aspera ad astra
through hardships and to the stars

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Chapter 16

The museum loomed over the craggy hills of the Acropolis. It was an impressive structure of stone and concrete and the bright lights seen through its mostly glass windows seemed to double the number of stars in the sky. The place was still full of people as visitors tried to take in as much culture and art as possible before its door closed for the night.

A handsome couple linked arm in arm entered the museum. The woman was incredibly pregnant and her other arm supported her back as she waddled through the door. Her caramel skin was lightly coated in sweat as she and her partner walked towards admissions. Her partner was a handsome man of short build with blonde hair and a moustache to match.

"Hello! Welcome to the Acropolis Museum of Greece," the attendant at the counter said.

"Thank you. Two adult tickets please," the man requested.

The attendant blushed at the man's attentive smile. She noted that there was a bit of accent there, some kind of brogue, in the man's lilt.

"Here you are sir," she responded and told him the price. "Are you visiting?"

The man's smile grew wider. "Yes, you can say that. My wife and I are expecting our first so this is sort of our last trip before parenthood."

"Congratulations! I hope you enjoy Athens and our museum." The attendant said and then beamed at the woman smiling patiently at her husband's side.

"Thank you," the woman replied. "I know we came a bit late but are there any more tours that we could join?"

"You're in luck!" The attendant answered. "The last tour will depart in five minutes. It takes about an hour and the museum closes thirty minutes after that at 8. If you'd like to join, the tour will be starting at the Goddess Nike." She pointed to a towering statue of a woman in a flowing robe. The statue was missing its arms.

"Fantastic, thank you," the man replied. With a nod of goodbye, he ushered his wife further inside the museum. The attendant watched as his arm snaked around the back of his wife's waist while she leaned closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. The attendant sighed with longing before turning her attention to the next person in her queue.

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"Why do I have to be the pregnant one?" Nova asked in a low grumble. "Wouldn't it have been easier if it were you?" She wiggled her midsection slightly and sighed at how heavy and hot it was. With the help of her wand she had made a makeshift belly for herself and fixed it underneath the billowy dress she wore. Her wand was secured at a holster strapped to her right forearm and hidden underneath the long sleeves of her dress.

"To spread the wealth," she heard in reply. "I've been pregnant before, so it's only fair. Besides, someone needs to play the part of the husband."

Tonks grinned in disguise while Nova rolled her eyes. The tour of the museum had started thirty minutes ago. They trailed behind the group of Muggles oohing and aahing at the guide's descriptions of archaeological finds on the first floor of the Acropolis.

"Status?" They heard through the charmed earpieces they wore which were disguised as earrings.

"Just breaking free," Tonks murmured. The couple stopped following the group and Nova sat on a bench pretending to catch her breath. They made a show of Nova urging Tonks to follow the group and the husband did so grudgingly with promises to return to his wife as soon as the tour was over.

Their mission really began then. They had noticed armed guards, both Muggle and (more discreetly) wizard, stationed on every entrance, exit, and floor of the museum. The presence of the Muggle guards were expected but not the wizards. It gave the Aurors a clue that the person they were looking for was indeed in the building. But that also meant they needed to be careful. They couldn't cause too much disturbance whilst museum visitors were still around. 

Nova, who sat on a bench near the restrooms, stood up from her seat. She waddled over to the door and pushed her way inside one of the stalls in the women's lavatories. Then, she reached underneath her dress and pulled out her commander's Invisibility Cloak. The fabric shimmered when Nova draped it around herself. She waited for silence before making her way out of the lavatories being careful not to bump into anyone.  

She was able to slip into the fire escape behind one of the guards unnoticed and undetected.

"I'm under," she murmured. "And heading upstairs now." She began the ascent underneath the cloak.