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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
At the end of the night, the alcohol had loosen Ariadne's tongue as Leta guided her away from the crowds. She had taken a few more shots than she could tolerate, wobbling ever so slightly as they made their way to the balcony. The fresh air made Ariadne's skin tingle as snow was perched across the handrail. It was more charming out here than inside, away from all the glittering dresses and fancy suits.
"I think you had too much to drink, Ariadne," Leta commented, holding the other witch firmly up.
"Believe me, I am not drunk yet," Ariadne declared.
"But not sober either," Leta laughed as Ariadne scrunched her face up with realisation. "You should go home, Ariadne."
"I want to stay out here for a little longer," her eyes were staring up at the sky. The darkness was broken by tiny glowing dots above. Ariadne narrowed her eyes, what would it be like up there?
"Okay," Leta let out after a moment of internal debate.
"I'll be fine on my own," she mentioned.
"Are you sure?" Leta asked. She didn't want to leave Ariadne alone yet she didn't want to overstep her boundaries. It was obvious that the taller witch was asking to be alone.
"Of course," she pushed the shorter witch away with a laugh, "Go." Leta nodded with a smile and left Ariadne alone with the stars. The soft music from inside escaped into the night as guests started leaving. She could hear the faint sounds of light goodbyes downstairs. Honestly, Ariadne was glad for the alcohol as now, she couldn't think straight. She couldn't feel the disappointment when they didn't call her name. She couldn't feel the irritation from her conversation with Travers. And she didn't notice the figure that had spotted her outside.
"Ariadne," she turned her head, her eyes locking with blue.
"Theseus. Congratulations," the word held no meaning as she said it, almost like it fell out automatically. She couldn't bring herself to fake gratification. Although, now that she had a boost of confidence, Ariadne furrowed her brows, remembering his reaction, "You didn't seem that excited?"
"I honestly thought you were getting it. You're quicker and smarter, have better leadership skills than me. I just thought..." he trailed off, his words drifting through the night. Ariadne held back a scoff, not wanting to seem bitter in front of the man who won. Even so, she couldn't be mad at Theseus. He was everything that she was but couldn't be. He was shortlisted, like her. He doubted his own strength afterwards, believing that she would get the position, like her. But unlike her, the board looked in his favour, not hers. How could she hate him when she could so easily empathise with him. To be honest, all her thoughts made her head hurt.
"Are you drunk?" She didn't know how he knew. Maybe it was her smudged lipstick, or her messy hair. Maybe it was how she stood or the way she swayed on her feet.
"No," he didn't believe her and she knew it. She always hated how he noticed her lies. Why couldn't he just be as gullible as everyone else? Why did she have to know him earlier in her life?
"Let's get you home," Theseus encased her with his suit coat. An arm around her waist as his scent overwhelmed her senses. She allowed him to lead her away from the beauty of the night as she almost tripped over a few stairs. They passed their host, Barracus and Ariadne gave him a tipsy wave.
"Can you apparate home?" Theseus asked as they exited the Manor.
"Nope," she answered, popping her 'p.'
"Why not?" he asked, confused.
"Because I haven't memorised the place yet. I don't want to experience splinching, do I?" she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"You've been living there for a week Ariadne," he recalled, almost disapprovingly.
She rolled her eyes, "Why do you think I'm always at the office?"
"What?"
"What?" Ariadne asked innocently, seemingly forgetting her words. She grinned up at him as he stared down at her.
"You and I are going to talk once you are sober," he stated after exhaling softly.
Ariadne pouted, "I don't like those talks."
Theseus sighed, "Where is your home, Ariadne."
"It's near the ministry," she shrugged. In a second, they stood in the heart of London. Side along apparition made Ariadne even more dizzy, "Woah."
"You okay?" He had a firm grip on her arm, holding her steady.
"Uh huh."
"You're cute drunk."
"I don't feel cute," she retorted and Theseus made a sound of amusement. Slowly, with Theseus' arm wrapped around the witch, they made their way to Ariadne's house. He patiently waited as her steps were small. Ariadne couldn't lie, even in her not-so-sober state, she was prolonging the minute that she had to get out of his embrace.
The door to her house opened as the pair stumbled inside. Theseus' eyes scanned the room, there was nothing but boxes. Continuing inside, the same emptiness repeated. She led him to an empty bedroom, with nothing but a bed in place. Pulling herself out of his warmth, she ungracefully flopped down onto her bed, making Theseus chuckle.
"I'll help you unpack if you like," he said softly, gently helping her take off her heels. She let out a hum of agreement which was muffled by the pillow. "Goodnight, Ariadne."
[912 words]
a/n
this chapter is cutteee. adria arjona looks so pretty in the photo above.
