With a dark wizard's rise to power, the International Confederation has assigned two aurors from the British Ministry to apprehend Gellert Grindelwald. The responsibility to protect the wizarding world and to stop an outbreak of war lay on their sho...
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"She shouldn't be here Silas," Cressida's shrill voice came out louder than her husband would have liked. Ariadne stood numbly in the cold dining room of her family manor. Her eyes were glued onto a figure, limbs frozen by a curse while his eyes darted from one place to another. Her mother had a hand on her father's arms, standing near the doorway.
"It's an important lesson she needs to learn, especially at her age," he declared, watching as his wife cowered away. There were others in the room too, Ariadne was too young to recognise any of them. Silas' steps were strong as he made his way to his daughter, "This is what happens when you catch someone who has wronged you, Ariadne."
He nodded to one of the men sitting down. With a flick of his wand, the man screamed in pain, twisting in ways the body wasn't supposed to. Ariadne averted her eyes, unable to block out the piercing screams that seemed to echo throughout the room.
"Watch," Silas commanded, his fingers gliding Ariadne's chin towards the man. He started sweating, pain evident in his voice, in his face. In a minute, the curse had stopped and the man fell limply down.
"Please, I don't know anything," he panted, trying to catch his breath as pain radiated off his body.
"Kill him," Silas ordered. The scream of the man forever etched itself into Ariadne's mind as a whizz of green flew past her head. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and the manor grew silent. Ariadne stood obediently, a nonchalant mask on her face.
"Death is inevitable," Silas started, "It's the consequences of our actions that makes it come quicker." He stepped over his body, pickpocketing an object from the back pocket of the dead man's coat. Silas let out a noise of amusement, playing with the vial in his hand.
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Theseus felt the knot in his stomach tighten as his scenery changed. Thankfully landing on his two feet, his shock was added when he realised Ariadne had apparated back to his home. Of course, he mentally scolded, her home was compromised. Focusing on the woman in front of him, she was gripping the back of his couch. Her knuckles turned white as she gasped for air.
"Ariadne," he softly spoke, not wanting to add to her agitation. His hand found her shoulder and she jumped away from him.
"Oh, I need you to leave," she fretted. Ariadne was squeezing both her wrists, trying to stop the prickling feeling in them. She couldn't believe that she had accidentally brought Theseus along with her. Blinking back the tears, Ariadne avoided his eyes. Her heart was pounding in her ears, the scent of him was overwhelming. Closing her eyes, flashes of the scene replayed.
"No."
"No? Did you not hear me?" His words bothered her even more. She needed him to leave, her anxiety was about to tip. She didn't need him to see her at her weakest. "Leave Theseus. Leave." Her lip wobbled as she spoke. Later she would laugh at how ironic it was, her asking him to leave his home, but right now...
"Ariadne," he repeated softly, walking slowly towards her.
"No, no. Don't take a step forward," she whined as he came closer. Why didn't he just leave her alone? Her fingers smoothed out her hair, staying on her head as her protest fell dim. She was using her strength to hold it together, saving none for her words. "Go away."
"I'm not letting you push me away again," Theseus' eyes drilled into hers and when a loud sob escaped her lips, he pulled her close. She stiffened as his arms wrapped around her, but it wasn't long before she melted into his hug. She nestled her head on his chest as he brought them to the floor. Her tears stained the grey vest he wore. His warmth was comforting. Ariadne couldn't lie, she really didn't want him to leave her alone.
After a while, Ariadne finally regained control of her senses. Her eyes had been numbly staring at the corner of the room. They felt puffy and red. She was sweating but her hands were cold. Warmth was coating her back as well as her chest. In the time that it had taken for her to calm down, Ariadne's hair returned to its normal colour, which meant her appearance was her own.
"Ariadne," she liked the way he said her name. When she didn't respond, he lifted her chin, gently placing his hand on her cheek. He sighed softly as their eyes connected, "How are you feeling?"
"Peachy," she moved her head so she could rest on his chest. Theseus' hand moved from her cheek to rubbing circles on her back. Smiling as she pulled herself closer to him. "We have to go back, don't we?" she whispered groggily and begrudgingly.
"Yes," he whispered back reluctantly. Ariadne nodded, slowly slipping out of his cosy embrace. Excusing herself to his bathroom, she looked even more devilish than she did this morning. Swallowing, she splashed herself with cold water. She tried to fix up her appearance. Blowing a few strands of hair out of her face, she returned to Theseus.
Upon arriving at the crime scene, the pair of aurors were quickly ushered out. Both of them weren't in the mood to fight and obliged the Confederation. The walk to the auror office was silent. Ariadne couldn't tell if she had scared off Theseus and whether he would only stare at her with sympathy. Theseus couldn't tell if he had overstepped her boundaries. Heads turned their way as they entered and Ariadne was pulled into a tight embrace.
"I was so worried," Melinda muttered. The sweet smell of roses infiltrated Ariadne's senses as she wrapped her arms around the raven haired woman.
"I'm okay," she whispered. Theseus had walked over to Bailey, his eyes flickering to Ariadne ever so often. She was sharing a sweet smile with Melinda, her eyes were lighter and she looked pretty.
"Live to see another day, huh?" Bailey nudged his shoulder, taking out a flask before offering it to Theseus, who shook his head.
"How many didn't?"
"Don't know yet. The Confederation is still cleaning up," he shrugged, "Half of your team hasn't returned. You had me worried for a second," he patted Theseus on the shoulder gently. Theseus closed his eyes, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, "Don't blame yourself. Won't do you any good."
