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· ─────── · ·
Dear Ariadne,
I'm doing good, thank you for asking. Work has been hectic as ever although I know it's expected. It's what we signed up for but we're coming close to a breakthrough. Rumours about Credence's whereabouts may be far from fiction. Queenie is good too! Still a little heartbroken about Jacob but she seems happier these days. Maybe she's met someone new!
As for Grindelwald, I have suggested that we increase security around his cell just like you said, however he is being transported to Europe to answer for his crimes in a few days. It will be unlikely that any action will occur. Let us hope that the Confederation takes him seriously.
I do find it very unlikely that he is still pulling the strings behind bars, although not completely impossible. He barely even moves in his cell. I hope that eases your worries a little more.
Kind regards,
Tina
Laying her feet on the couch, Ariadne sighed to herself. The letter with Tina's handwriting laid on her coffee table as she stared up at the ceiling. There was so much going on up in Ariadne's mind that she didn't know where to begin. Should she even begin to unpack her conversation with Melinda, or maybe the letter that she had just received? Should she even think about Theseus when she could be analysing Grindelwald's threats?
Her spiralling was interrupted as her eyes caught onto a letter that she hadn't opened. It laid neatly on her table, a red wax that looked too familiar made her crane her neck. Curiously, she opened it.
9 Sherringford Square.
Guess pondering could wait another day. Quickly she grabbed her coat, apparating to an area she knew closeby. It didn't take her long to find the familiar looking path. Pale bricked townhouses lined the street, lamps flickered on as the sun began to set. The spring breeze danced with Ariadne's hair as she smiled at the flowers that began to blossom. She easily found the ninth house standing on the street, one arm raised to knock before the door swung open.
"Ariadne? What are you doing here?" Newt questioned, just as shocked as she was. He swung his blue coat over his shoulders, obviously in a rush to get out.
She smiled, hoping he couldn't catch her lying through her teeth, "I was just in the area and thought I'd say hi. Except you look like you're going out," she gestured to his suitcase that was floating, bumping into his leg, waiting for him to pick it up. Newt glanced down, eyes raised even more as he wrapped his fingers around the handle.
"Yes, well it'd seemed that I've forgotten something," he stuffed a hand in his pocket, eyes darting around cautiously. He was still a little skeptical about the brunette witch who appeared in front of his door.
"Shall I help you find it?" She offered, pressing on more than she should have.
"Oh you don't-"
"I insist," Ariadne finished, a little more firmly than she would have liked. She didn't know why Dumbledore sent her here. She didn't know why she was here, but she trusted him. It was kind of ironic, Ariadne was never good at following orders. She did things her way, trusting her own instincts over others. Except, Dumbledore never gave her more than she needed. She couldn't defy his plans because he revealed nothing.
Hesitantly Newt nodded, "Okay. Uh, you don't mind side along apparition?"
"No. Of course not." She did but what other option did she have? He stepped outside, leaving the sanctuary of his home and into the cold night. The door closed after him and he gently grabbed Ariadne's arm. After half a minute that made her stomach queasy, they landed at the edge of a forest. The moonlight shone through the trees as darkness crawled into every corner of the forest. Newt took a step into the trees and never looked back, Ariadne followed not so confidently. "So what did you need to find?"
"No, I meant to say gather," Newt admitted, looking back to see her face. Even in the darkness, he could see the cogs turning in her mind, "I need to gather Herbaria."
"Oh, what's it for?"
"My Kelpie needs ointment for a wound he received," Newt explained, straying from the path as Ariadne cautiously followed. She eyed every corner of the forest she could see, not shaking the feeling that they weren't alone. "Herbaria is the main ingredient."
"And you know this place has Herbaria, how?
He put it simply, "Dumbledore showed me."
"Dumbledore," she muttered back, thoughts running a million miles per second. He had brought both of them here? What for? What did he know that they both didn't?
"How do you know him?" Newt wondered, remembering when Ariadne showed up to Hog Head's Inn. "I'm sure he wasn't a professor when my brother was still in school." Dumbledore had started teaching the year that Newt had started Hogwarts as a student. The mention of Theseus made her tense up, a natural reaction that she couldn't shake. She hated this effect he had on her.
"I met him at a ministry party," that wasn't a lie but not the full truth. She wasn't going to reveal the other parts.
He let out a sound of acknowledgement, attention elsewhere as he kneeled down in front of a plant with leaves the size of his hand. Carefully, he began to harvest, cutting the leaf from its stem. His back was turned to Ariadne as he stuffed leaves inside a pouch labelled 'Herbaria.' Ariadne's eyes darted tentatively around her surroundings. She could feel eyes on them, but where? Slowly, she held her wand out, ready for whatever her body was preparing herself for.
It wasn't until Newt stood that a swirl of light aimed at his head was sent their way. Reacting quickly, Ariadne pushed Newt away. He tumbled on his side while she fell hard on her stomach.
"Lumos Duo," she called out, watching as a beam of light poured out of her wand, directed where that spell was fired. Squinting, Ariadne saw the outline of someone's arm behind a large tree that covered the rest. Fixated on what was in front of her, she didn't see the stunning charm sent her way until Newt counteracted it.
On her feet, she now registered five figures out in the distance closing in.
"Are you okay?" Ariadne asked, a little out of breath. Newt nodded, glancing to his left and right. With her back against Newt's, she placed the attention of three on herself, sending spells their way. She attempted to take four but the last was adamantly focused on Newt. Their hexes lit up the dark forest as Ariadne shielded herself from their attacks. She was on defence but desperately needed to be on offence.
Hastily countering their spells, Ariadne brought a large branch down from above, knocking two of them over while the other dodged the swooping branch. She used this distraction to stun one of them, avoiding the other curses thrown her way. A burst of wind flew from her wand, blowing leaves and dirt into her perpetrators' view. With their focus concentrated on shielding themselves, Ariadne apparated behind them, silently stunning both of them.
While the current of air calmed down, Ariadne held her wand out, waiting for the woods to show her her next victim. However, Newt stood on the other side, two unconscious bodies lying next to him. He pointed his wand at her before immediately dropping his hand. Letting out a breath of relief, Ariadne lowered her wand, staring down at the bodies next to her. She needed to find out where they came from, who they were.
"Do you know anyone?" Newt inquired, his hand wrapping tightly around his case. Ariadne had bent down, brushing blonde hair out of a man's face as light from her wand finally revealed his identity. Familiarity was easy to read on her features as she stared at the stupefied man.
"Norman Abbott," she whispered out, almost as if she was afraid saying his name would awaken him. Ariadne glanced back up at Newt, eyes filled with forming questions.
[1379 words]
a/n
i love newt and tina and i dont know what else to write. we're in may 1927 right now and i might have too many chapters lined up before we actually get to the movie plot. guess this act just has to be extra long. oh well
