More than a Friend (A Newtina Fanfic)

Part 14

Tina walked to the large conference room the next morning. She wore her cloche hat again, though she didn't know why. She held a large box of breakfast pastries made by Jacob under her arm. Though Tina had insisted she didn't need them, Jacob refused to take them back, saying that pastries made everything better. She picked up speed, the soft pitter-patter of her boots the only sound in the large hallway. It was unnaturally quiet, as there were almost no workers at the Ministry, except for the maintenance crew, department heads, and aurors. And of course, the Minister. Tina straightened her hat, wanting to make a good impression, even if not a first one. She suspected the majority of the people would be male and wanted to show that she was as capable. Tina, don't be silly. It's not training anymore, no one is going to care, she thought. Still, you could never be too careful. She got to the conference office, and rapped on the door, with three quick taps. Someone inside called for her to come, and she did just that. The room was mostly empty, save for the Minister, three aurors, and an old man who Tina did not recognize. Tina took a seat.

"Is anyone hungry? My friend made these, they insisted I bring them." Tina said, a bit awkwardly, and gestured to her box. The aurors faces lit up, and they each took an apple paczki. The minister took a raspberry tart, and the old man took a blueberry muffin. As more and more people came in, they all took pastries, and it eased the tension in the room. Maybe pastries do make everything better, Tina thought. Once everyone was done, a house elf came in and vanished the crumbs, and they got down to what they had originally came for.

"As you know, Miss Goldstein here has found Grindelwald. She deserves commendation." The Minister said. A quiet smattering of applause filled the room.

"We've found him, but we haven't managed to capture him yet. He now has information from us, thanks to his newest acolyte, a Legilimens." Theseus added. A look of shock passed on most of the people's faces.

"This means that Grindelwald is an Occlumens." Another auror pointed out. Theseus nodded. The shocked faces appeared once more.

"What are we going to do?" Said a mousy looking man, who Tina assumed was a department head, as she did not recognize him.

"Mercy Lewis, that's what we're trying to figure out." Tina said, trying not to sound annoyed.

"We must start by guarding the Ministry. Whatever Grindelwald is after, it's probably in the Ministry. Even if he's not looking for an object, there are hundreds of people who work at the Ministry, and mass havoc could be caused just by attacking this place." Theseus said. He tried to remain cool and collected, but he was as nervous as everyone else.

"Right when Miss Goldstein and I got in the theatre, I heard him say something about the Department of Mysteries. Maybe that's what he's looking for." Lewis added.

"Grindelwald has well-guarded information about the Ministry. And now possibly the Department of Mysteries. How are we going to protect everything?" Another department head asked.

"Let's just get the basic spells down, and worry about that later." The Minister said. The Minister isn't very smart. But then again, he's been denying Grindelwald's existence for a while, so this is a step up from that, Tina thought. She stood up.

"Why don't we go now. We're not making any progress just sitting here." She said. The Minister nodded approvingly, though to what Tina wasn't sure. Shuffling commenced, and in about a minute everyone was out of the conference room. 

"Aurors, take a department of the Ministry to enchant. Department heads, go with that auror to make sure everything is in place." Theseus stated. "Miss Goldstein and I shall cover the Department of Mysteries."  He finished. The group parted ways, and Tina and Theseus started walking towards the lift, with the old man Tina had seen when she first got in the conference room. As they got into the lift, the old man pressed the button for level nine. The level for the Department of Mysteries.  

"Miss Goldstein and Mr Scamander, there are many things in the Department of Mysteries that are highly classified. I am not allowed to show you any of this, but regarding the circumstances, an exception has been made. Now, the Minister thinks I'm just a bumbling old man," He paused to shake his wand, "But I could do this all myself. So I shall be the one to go into the rooms, and you shall conceal the entrance and exit." He finished. Theseus nodded. The lift ground to a halt and the gate slid open. A long black tiled hallway awaited them, with a black door at the end of it. They hurriedly walked to the door, the aurors just wanting to get it over with. 

"Now, I shall go in, and you shall follow me after you enchant the hallway." The old man said. He slipped through the door, the door closing without a sound. Tina and Theseus muttered every protective spell they knew, and in a couple of minutes, after double-checking each spell, the hallway was done. Tina strode to the door and opened it. 

"C' mon Theseus!" She called. Theseus dashed over to Tina, and they walked through the door. The old man was waiting for them, standing in the centre of the circular room. Twelve handleless black doors lined the wall. 

"This room is already quite heavily enchanted, though you need to double check the spells. Add any you see fit, just do not enter any rooms. I will need to finish double checking the spells inside the rooms. When you are done, just ask out loud for the exit, and the exit door will open for you." The old man instructed. Tina and Theseus proceeded to repeat what they had previously done. Theseus called out for an exit, and a door swung open. Though they had done everything they could, and the Department of Mysteries was fully protected, Tina couldn't help but feeling like something was off. The old man had never given his name, and even though she knew it was a trivial thing, it would be a little more, well, normal if she knew who he was. But that thought didn't linger long in her head, as she was tired and ready to go home. The party was coming up, and even if it wasn't something she necessarily enjoyed, it would mean more time to spend with Newt.  

A/N

Hi! Just a quick update. Summer's started, so my posting might be a bit less consistent. That's all, have a nice day!