Chapter 38- The Fifth Guardian
The guards took Logan back to his cell, while Hinton and Laura stayed in the interrogation room. He stood next to her, wand still out for several minutes more though the threat was gone.
"Why Ellen?" he finally asked, putting his wand away.
Laura smiled softly. "My mum's name is Elladora. So I'm Ellen Dorothea."
"I'd change my name too," he joked, nudging her left arm softly.
Their laughter died away as Picquery, Graves, and Limus entered the room. Limus still looked angry at Laura, but what else was new. Picquery had a glint in her eye that made Laura pause.
"All things considered, I'd say that went fairly well," Picquery commented. Despite the glint in her eye, she wasn't smiling. It was slightly unnerving.
"If there's one thing we learned, it's that Gray still has Laura in his sights," Hinton said, his concern for his partner showing. Laura hoped that meant he hadn't lost trust in her.
"Indeed," was all Graves added. He wasn't looking at her, but instead was looking at Hinton.
"That's not overly surprising," Laura said. "I'm curious as to if the Ministry is aware of Everett and Hugh, and in a lesser extent, Temperance."
"His little sister?" Limus questioned, his fury slightly lessening.
"I don't remember him ever being brotherly to her. His response towards me bringing her up was interesting. I'd like to speak to the Ministry about it," Laura asked, looking to Graves.
He finally looked at her, regarding her for a quick moment before he nodded. "It'll be good for us to know about the family in general. Find out what you can when you take him to Azkaban. Three Aurors from the Ministry will join you, Carneirus, and Leegna in the morning."
There was the confirmation Laura had been waiting for. She would be taking Logan to Azkaban. The last time she had been to Azkaban was when she took her mother.
Elladora Goyle had been a well-put together, smart witch once. She was obsessed with her image and the image of her family. Her long brunette hair was always pulled up in a neat hairstyle; always kept off her perfect face. Laura arrested her mother just after the woman's 43rd birthday. January 29, 1920. A cold, winter day that Laura would never forget.
Five years Elladora had been in Azkaban. What did she look like now? Wasted away? Certainly the woman hadn't looked perfect in years.
Laura headed home just long enough to get cleaned up and changed and then she returned to the office, a bottle of muggle medicine in her pocket for her pain. It was still holding back, but she had no doubt the pain would hit like a train as she made her way back to England.
Normally, when traveling between the U.S. and England, the wizards would take a muggle ship. Laura, herself, had crossed the Atlantic on a muggle ship, enjoying the days of peace before becoming an American Auror.
But when travelling with a criminal, particularly someone as dangerous as Logan, they would be travelling by carriage. It was not a new experience for Laura; she had used a carriage when she had taken her mother to Azkaban all of those years ago.
When she got back to the office, Limus informed her that she was to report to Graves' office immediately. Laura glanced at the clock in the office quickly before she moved down the hallway. It was just after eleven already.
It had felt like days had passed since arresting Logan, and yet only half a day had gone into history.
Laura sighed heavily before knocking on the door.
"Come in," the weary voice said from inside.
She entered his office, shutting the door behind her. Graves was busy, as usual, writing on parchment at his desk. Laura watched him for a moment, silently.
"You should get sleep before you leave," he said after a moment, still writing and not looking up at her.
"I will."
Leaning back against the door, Laura smiled as she watched him. Two years ago, she hated him. Now…
She closed her eyes. What was she doing, sleeping with her boss? With the Director of Magical Law Enforcement and Magical Security?
This would only end badly.
"Is Hinton okay with not going?" she asked, forcing the pain from her chest as she opened her eyes. It wouldn't do to dwell on such negative things. Not today.
"He asked not to go," Graves said as he finally looked up at Laura.
Worry caused her face to crease; the nervousness of if her partner trusted her or not seemed to set something off in her hand as the pain slowly inched its way down her nerves from her wrist to the tips of her fingers.
Laura flexed her hand.
"Logan talks too much," she whispered, unable to keep her voice from breaking.
"He has no taste for Dementors," Graves told her.
But Laura didn't believe him. How could she? She had seen the way Hinton looked at her that afternoon. He had wavered in his trust of her; believed, even just a tiny bit, that maybe…just maybe Laura still loved Logan.
But she had never loved Logan. Never trusted him.
She had only ever been afraid of him.
Swallowing hard, Laura forced herself to nod. "No one really does."
Graves stared at her, the familiar stony look on his face with just a hint of the care he had so recently begun sharing with her. Then he went back to writing.
As he looked away from her, her hand twitched with an explosion of pain, causing her knees to almost buckle. Shaking, Laura steadied herself, still leaning against the door. She had already taken the muggle medication, but it had yet to kick in.
She flexed her hand again. She knew she should tell him.
"Hinton and Leegna mentioned you showed skill with wandless magic," he said absentmindedly.
Laura wondered if he was Legilmens and if he could do it without a wand like Queenie. If so, she was screwed.
"Not much, but I can do some."
Graves set his quill done on the desk and leaned back in his chair, stretching. His jacket hung on the back of his chair, his waistcoat unbuttoned, showing his favored slightly sheer white shirt stretch across his stomach.
"More than most. Albus Dumbledore teach you that?" he asked.
"He did," Laura confirmed, nodding. She pulled her hand up to her chest and began massaging it with her good hand. "He once told me that a wizard's greatest weapon wasn't our wand, but our mind. You can convince yourself of anything, good or bad. He always had some silly wisdom to pass out. And candy." Laura smiled at the memory. She spent a lot of time in his office, particularly in her last few years. Most of the students had no idea about it and the few that did, didn't seem to think it odd. She was, after all, the best student of her year. "He believed in me," she added sadly.
"Sounds a good man."
Laura sighed heavily again and let her hands fall to her side. "He's a man like any other. The older I get, the more I see of the world, of people, the more I realize we all have demons of some kind. Some of us hide them better than others." She pushed away from the door, but only took a step into his office. She wanted to tell him about her hand, but Laura still worried he'd pull her off of the trip. So she took a different path. "I'm sorry I never told you about my past with Logan."
Graves didn't speak. He was angry; she could see it in his eyes. Angry at her for not telling him about her engagement; angry at her for being late to the interrogation in front of the President. At least he was smart enough to not lash out at her. That was a quick way for her to walk away from him forever. Did he care about that?
"I don't know anything about you," she said, surprising herself. The more she spoke, the more she realized how little she did know, and the angrier she got at the situation. "I don't know about your childhood, your parents, anything. You don't get to be mad that I didn't share it when you don't tell me anything." Laura hadn't meant to get mad at him, particularly so quickly, but his angry silence had infuriated her.
He knew so much about her and she knew so little about him.
Graves stayed silent.
Laura snorted and shook her head. "I'm going to get some sleep." She turned on her heel and opened the door, hoping he would call her back.
But he didn't.
Laura found herself an empty conference room and after locking the door, she curled up on the floor in the corner with her coat as a pillow. Laying in the dark, she squeezed her eyes shut and forced every thought from her mind.
She needed to sleep.
Sleep didn't come easy, but the Auror managed to get enough sleep to get her through the long trip to come. As four a.m. neared, Laura was awake and downing a bitter cup of coffee to wake her up. She also took more muggle medication, praying to whatever God may exist that she could make it through the trip. At the very minimum, Laura needed to make it through the 4-hour trip from New York to Azkaban.
Minali found Laura in the break room, the woman looking remarkably well rested.
"I hear the Head Auror from the Ministry is here with his Aurors," Minali commented as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Indeed? I knew they were coming, but I guess I assumed they'd just join us in flight or something, yeah?"
Minali smiled. "They really want to make sure Logan gets to Azkaban this time, I imagine." She sipped her coffee quietly, pretending to not watch Laura, though Laura could feel the other woman's eyes on her.
Laura hadn't see Ridge or anyone from the Ministry in almost two years. A fear she wasn't expecting started to well up in her chest. Surely Ridge would be proud? So why was she so afraid?
"We better get going, hmm?" Laura said, pushing down the fear in her chest.
"It's going to be a boring trip. Let's get it over worth."
Laura dumped what was left of her coffee and followed Minali from the room, nervously fiddling with her cardigan.
Minali hadn't been wrong. Claudius Ridge, Head Auror at the Ministry of Magic, was in the Auror's office with his top three Aurors, Hannah Moore, Franklin Bell, and Theseus Scamander.
Laura's mouth went dry at seeing the elder Scamander brother.
The thin, young man hated Laura, of that she was sure. He had never trusted her and even after she arrested her mother (which had been his case), he still didn't trust her. Laura wondered, after she left England, if he had celebrated her departure.
Laura had been at Hogwarts with Theseus and his younger brother Newt, though they were both older than her. Theseus was sorted into Gryffindor, while Newt was in Hufflepuff, so she didn't have too much interaction with either of them at the time. But everybody knew about Newt once he was expelled in Laura's third year.
Theseus turned, the smile on his face turning to a frown at the sight of Laura. She sucked in a deep breath as the other Aurors turned to acknowledge her and Minali.
"Laura!" Claudius Ridge's voice carried brightly in the dim office, his face lighting up at the sight of his former Auror. He wasted no time in heading towards Laura, arms outstretched for a hug.
Surprise rocked her body as her former boss grasped her in a hug. Although he had been sad to see her leave England and the Ministry, he had never been so…emotional with her.
"Good to see ya, boss," Laura managed to say. The pair broke apart.
Ridge held her shoulders as he pulled away, looking her over to check she was in one piece.
"The stories I have heard over the past two years!" he exclaimed. He leaned in a smidge, the smile on his face never wavering. "I knew you would thrive without the threat of your family." With a gentle pat on her shoulders, he finally let her go.
"I had a good teacher or two," Laura joked, slightly blushing. Ridge had always been complimentary of her, but there was such a genuine joy in his voice, it was overwhelming for Laura.
"You look well, Laura," Hannah said, making her way around Ridge to greet the woman. Hannah Moore joined the Aurors program at the same time as Laura. The women went through training together and were just two of four to be accepted in 1917. Although they weren't friends, the pair were still friendly towards one another. At the time, they were just two out of five women Aurors in the office.
Laura smiled at Hannah. "You too."
"Don't let her face lie to you," Franklin said, coming up on Ridge's other side. The beefy man walked with the confidence of a man befitting his stature. No Auror at the Ministry had dueled as many dark wizards as Franklin or put more away in Azkaban. He was Ridge's top Auror and had been for fifteen years. "Hannah is sporting a nasty scar on her back." He leaned in closer. "Got in a fight with a niffler, I hear," he whispered loudly with a wink.
The small group laughed and Hannah rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him. I got it in a duel with Arman Dutt. The wanker hit me right in the shoulder," she explained as she leaned forward and pointed over her shoulder at her back.
An odd feeling of happiness wrapped Laura in a tight hug as the group of Aurors around her joked around. She had never known this kind of happiness before.
"Jokes aside, but we do have a job to do, don't we?" Theseus interrupted from behind the group.
Ridge sighed and nodded. "Indeed." He nodded towards Laura. "We should have kept Logan until you were well. He might have made it to Azkaban then and none of this would have happened." Ridge turned to Graves, who was standing to the side, watching the group with feigned disinterest, but Laura could see a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "I was horrified to learn about what Logan and Horus did in the bookstore last year. It was our job," he motioned behind him to Theseus who blushed furiously, looking at the ground, "to get him to Akzaban two years ago and we failed. Let's not make the same mistake again."
It was Theseus and another Auror, since retired, that were charged with taking Logan to Azkaban in Laura's absence. The fact that Theseus Scamander had lost Logan Crabbe was a source of frustration and severe embarrassment for the Ministry and particularly for Theseus.
Graves raised an eyebrow at Theseus, but recovered his stony look and nodded at Ridge. "The carriages and drivers are ready. As per your request, Ridge, Scamander will join Maurette in the carriage with Logan. Leegna and your Bell will be in the second carriage, while Moore and Carneirus will be in the final carriage."
Laura's heart dropped as she avoided looking at Theseus. Hours with Logan and Theseus in a cramped carriage?
This could be bad, indeed.
The group of Aurors made their way to the upper floors of the Woolworth Building where the three carriages were waiting, threstrals and all. The drivers were already waiting in the gray coats and goggles.
While they waited for Limus, Carneirus, and a host of guards to bring Logan to the top floor, Graves pulled Laura and Minali aside.
"I don't need to warn you both to be careful, but I will. Especially you, Laura. You know Logan cannot be trusted, even weak and without a wand. The trip is long. Four hours holding your wand at his throat will be tough. I know you've done the trip before, Laura, but this will be longer." Laura nodded solemnly. "I pray we can trust these three?" he asked in a lower voice, looking to Laura.
"They've proven themselves in ways no true supporter of Grindelwald ever would," Laura said, vouching for Hannah, Franklin, and Theseus. "I trust them completely. Always have."
Graves nodded. "Good. Stay on guard regardless. You'll return via the Ministry. Be safe."
Laura wished he could give her one of his typical "come home safe" orders, but with Minali standing right there, she knew there was no way he could be that open. Be safe would have to do for now.
A moment later, Logan walked through the door, more disheveled than he had been hours before, flanked by guards, Limus, and Carneirus. He smiled as he walked towards the carriages.
"All of this for me?" he joked, his voice harsh.
"Just wait until you see what's waiting for you at Azkaban, Crabbe," Theseus said, pulling his wand out.
Logan's lip curled, but he said nothing, choosing instead to glare at the Aurors. Limus gave him a nudge, pushing him towards the carriage.
With one last look at her boss, Laura pulled out her wand and followed Theseus into the carriage that would take her back to Azkaban. Once Theseus and Laura were settled, wands at the ready, Logan was shoved into the seat across from them. His hands and feet still shackled, he begrudgingly took his seat.
Limus leaned through the door, his eyes going from Logan to Theseus to Laura. "Put this bastard where he belongs, once and for all," he ordered her.
Laura smirked and gave him a quick nod. Then he was out the door and he was shut, leaving the unlikely, and unwanted, trio alone.
Logan stared at Laura, his eyes shining in the dim light of the carriage. The seats were fairly comfortable, made of plush fabric and stuffing. Curtains hung over the windows of the doors and so their only light came from candles floating over either door, clearly bewitched to float in place and to not catch the carriage on fire.
After a minute, the carriage began to move, rocking slightly at first, and then more as the thestrals sped up and burst from the building into the air. It was an odd feeling, Laura had to admit.
Particularly when her heart seemed to drop from her chest into her stomach from the drop.
It took the trio a few minutes to regain their composure. And then Logan returned to staring at Laura. Although she was not used to it, she ignored him as best she could, while still keeping her wand pointed at him and her attention on him.
The minutes ticked by in silence as the carriage flew through the crisp morning air above the Atlantic Ocean.
Until finally, Logan could hold his silence no longer. "You could have had the world," he whispered.
Laura frowned. "I just want peace, Logan. That's all I've ever wanted, but I would never expect you to understand."
"Peace? We can achieve peace!" he said, louder as the conviction returned to his soul.
She shook her head. "Not by making muggles our slaves or our inferiors."
"They are our inferiors!" he shouted, the veins bulging in his neck. He rose up from his seat ever so slightly.
"Settle!" Theseus ordered, inching his wand forward.
Logan obeyed, pushing back into his seat, but his attention remained hyper focused on Laura. "We are better than them. You are better than them! Better than most wizards, as well. You could easily sit at Grindelwald's right hand!"
Her stomach churned at the thought. There was nothing even remotely appealing about Grindelwald. She didn't think herself better than muggles, regardless of her ability to do magic. It was simply something she could do and muggles couldn't. That was it. Like being athletically or musically inclined.
Just a talent she was born with.
"I would rather die," she finally said, her voice clear and strong. This was not something she would ever waver on.
The exuberance that had been growing in Logan's eyes and face with every word he spoke began to flame out, realizing just how serious Laura was. He frowned heavily, disappointment in every line on his face and in the drooping of his shoulders.
"Then you will."
The words chilled Laura to her core. He said them so plainly, so matter of fact. As if it was a done deal.
"Like I said, Logan, everyone dies in the end." She tightened her grip on her wand, part of her wishing she could end this here and now, but knowing that was not who she was, not who she could become. "But not you, not yet. You'll suffer first."
Theseus remained silent at Laura's right. She wondered if he believed her. Would he ever trust her?
Theseus Scamander was a beloved Auror and a war hero. There weren't many at the Ministry, at any magical government, that didn't know his name. Laura had to admit, she was slightly jealous of the respect and praise he had won the world over.
Would she ever lose the stigma of being a Goyle?
Time passed by and eventually, Logan gave up on staring intently at Laura and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Laura wished she could close her eyes, even if just for an hour, but she could not.
She and Theseus took turns as Logan slept with keeping their wands on him, giving their arms a break from the constant stress.
Eventually, the familiar chill and dread that the Dementors of Azkaban brought settled over the carriage. Logan woke with a start, his eyes wide with fear.
He should be afraid, Laura thought.
The carriage touched down and came to a stop. Laura kept her eyes on Logan as they waited for the doors to open. She dared not look away. As the carriage doors were pulled open, her breath caught in her throat.
She could feel the Dementors as they floated above and within the fortress. They wanted her. They wanted Logan.
Two armed guards appeared at the door while a third reached in and pulled the frightened Logan from his seat. Laura stayed where she was for a moment, then mustered up all of the courage she had left and departed the safe and warm carriage.
Azkaban was as it always had been, a dark and desolate place in the middle of the North Sea. Unknown stories below, the waves crashed at the walls of the prison, as loud as if they were crashing at Laura's very feet.
She stood on shaky ground, though she knew the ceiling of the prison was not moving at all, just her brain. Laura took a deep breath and forced her eyes to remain on Logan.
Don't look up. Don't look around.
Laura watched Logan closely as he began to feel the immediate effects of being close to Dementors for the first time. As Laura had previous experience, she knew how to fight them, even just a little bit. And she could produce a Patronus charm, when necessary.
The Minister for Magic, Hector Fawley, strode across the top of Azkaban, his Patronus of a small dog running circles around him for protection.
"Miss Maurette, hello. Mister Scamander! Good to see you, old chap," Fawley greeted the pair as he came to a stop next to Logan. He looked the prisoner up and down quickly, then nodded. "Logan Crabbe. Finally where you belong. In accordance with your conviction of May 14, 1923, you are sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban." He took a step back. "Take him away."
Laura watched as the guards led Logan towards the staircase, where the Dementors would take Logan into the depths of the massive prison forever. Logan's feet moved, carrying his body away, but his head whipped around to look at Laura one last time.
"He's going to win! You won't stop anything!" he yelled, his voice slowly getting drowned out by the sounds of the ocean.
Once he had finally descended down the staircase, Laura lowered her wand, sighing heavily. It was done.
Logan Crabbe would no longer be a problem.