Chapter 55- The Price of Freedom

May 1926

Things didn't change. Not between Laura and Percival, anyhow. They continued dancing around the issue, pretending as if they way they were going about their relationship was fine. If she ignored the problem, it'd be fine.

Right?

But things got better with Laura and the Goldsteins. She found herself spending more and more weekends with Tina and Queenie. If Queenie had any idea that Laura was sleeping with Percival, she was keeping it to herself. Which Laura appreciated.

She didn't want to have that conversation anytime soon.

Who would?

But it didn't matter right now. Not when Limus had stalked angrily into the Aurors office after lunch and demanded Laura join him in Percival's office. There, she found Carneirus already waiting.

"Thank you for joining us," Percival said as Laura took her seat.

"Not much of a choice, but okay. What is happening?" she asked.

"I need you and Carneirus to travel to London."

Her heart sunk and the air rushed from her lungs.

"Lo-London?" she managed to stutter.

"Yes." Percival nodded. "There are reports of Hugh Crabbes being seen in the states with some other unsavory types. We need to learn all that we can about the Crabbes before dealing with him. We have no information on the young man. What can you start us with, Laura?"

Fuck.

"Well, Hugh is the youngest of the four siblings. For a long time, he followed his older brother Everett around. They're not much more than a year apart. But something changed when Hugh joined the rest of us at Hogwarts. He and Everett started following Logan and his friends around. By the time I graduated, I could tell Everett and Hugh were too far gone. My interrogation of Logan last year proved that."

"Did he show any violent tendencies in school?" Limus asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing I heard of and we all knew each others business in Slytherin, for the most part. He wasn't mean, so to speak, but he wasn't really nice to anyone outside of Slytherin, either. After he graduated from Hogwarts in 1921, he sort of fell off the radar. The Ministry never had him on a list, other than being related to Logan. We weren't really watching him at the time. I think that started to change after we arrested Logan and he got away, but I spent much of the time between arresting Logan and when I moved to New York in hospital, or preparing to move. I wasn't kept up to date on the Crabbes family."

"Alright," Percival said after a moment of silence. "You two will travel by carriage tonight. It'll be the quickest and safest way to get you to London. I've already written to Claudius Ridge to let him know. I only said so much, so you'll have to fill him in when you get there. I didn't want to risk the wrong people knowing we're looking into Hugh. Find out whatever you can and Laura, be prepared for stalling. You know the Aurors better there than any of us. Carneirus will rely on you there."

She nodded in understanding, gulping. "Of course. We'll find out what we can, keep as much to ourselves as possible, and get back here."

He nodded. "Good. Both of you, take the afternoon to relax and pack some things. We don't know how long you'll need to be in London but expect a couple of days. Be back before sunset." With that, they were dismissed.

Laura and Carneirus left the office, Limus hanging back to speak more with Percival. Likely, Laura figured, to complain about not trusting her. No matter what she went through in New York, Limus seemed determined to always distrust her. Even after learning Limus had family like Laura's, he still hated her.

Maybe that was for the best.

"Where you off to?" Tina asked when Laura had started grabbing her things.

"Have to take a trip with Carnie for a couple of days. Going home to pack."

Tina looked concerned, but nodded. "Be safe, Laura. See you soon!"

She smiled at her friend before leaving the office and heading home. She quickly packed a small bag, not needing too much. She knew Diagon alley well, so if she needed anything, she knew where to go.

And then she waited. There wasn't much else for Laura to do as she waited for sunset to return to MACUSA. She settled in her living room, picking a random book to read. The words didn't really sink in, just fluttered past her eyes. If anyone asked her what the book was about, she wouldn't be able to say.

She was nervous. The Crabbes were dangerous in their own way. Not as bold as the Goyles, in some ways, but they went about their business in a stealthier way. Except for Logan, of course. But Laura knew nothing of how Hugh worked. Had he become violent? Was he like his father, Merlin, using his business to conduct his nefarious ways?

Or was Hugh becoming more and more like Logan?

And what about Everett?

It had been more than a year since Logan had been put in Azkaban. Maybe Hugh had taken Logan's place.

What a terrifying thought.

She kept an eye on the clock, watching the minutes by slowly, as she read. Laura didn't want to be late.

A couple hours before she figured she needed to leave, her wards were disturbed by a familiar presence.

"You all packed?" Percival asked as he stepped through her front door, shutting it behind him and resetting her wards.

"Mhm," she murmured, pretending to actually be interested in her book.

Percival leaned over her in her chair and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. So domestic. So sweet.

So not them.

"Are you mad at me?"

Laura snorted. "I'm not mad at you for sending me to London. I'm worried. I don't know what to expect from Hugh. That's terrifying."

Her partner leaned on the arm of her chair, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders and leaning his head on hers. "I know. It's my fault. I should have insisted after we arrested Logan that we get information on all of his family. We're caught unawares because of me."

Laura frowned, closing her book and setting it on her lap. "Not entirely. You did send me to the Ministry to get information before."

"You said the Minister for Magic was very against it."

"Hmm, yes. He made it clear that we were to stay away from Merlin and Eliza, but Theseus got into an argument with Ridge about me at the Ministry. I felt we would get no information from anyone at that point. Theseus played me well, made me believe he trusted me. I was wrong. But I promise Carnie and I won't let anyone stop us this time."

Percival squeezed her shoulder gently and kissed the top of her head again. "Laura, I wouldn't send you if I had anyone else I had that knew the Aurors there well enough. I hate to put you in this position again."

"I know. I just keep hoping that one day, I'll be able to put my past behind me, fully." She sighed deeply. "I don't think it'll happen anytime soon."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Percival trailing his hand up and down her arm, his touches light and gentle. She enjoyed it while she could. They almost never did this, just sit and enjoy each others company. It felt too domestic, but God did Laura crave it. She wanted the normalcy. She wanted this with Percival so bad.

But it wasn't real.

Not in the way Laura wanted, anyhow.

"Sit down, love," Laura told him, pointing towards the other chair.

"Hmm, okay," he said knowingly before placing another kiss on her head. He moved off the arm of the chair, moving towards the other chair so he could sit more comfortably. His jacket sat open, his legs wide as he settled into the chair. He set his arms on the arms of the chair, beckoning her silently.

Laura stood up from her chair, tossing the book on the seat, before making her way to sit on Percival's lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush to his chest. Their lips collided, parting quickly so Laura could taste the coffee Percival insisted on drinking for most of the day. They kissed for a while, their hips slowly rolling against one another as the heat built up between them.

She pushed away from him, standing so she could pull off her trousers and panties, Percival taking the time to unbutton his pants and push them and his underwear down to his thighs, his hard cock slapping against his waistcoat.

And then she was back on his lap, his fingers opening her up, preparing for his thick cock. Their lips connected once more, Laura gasping into Percival's mouth as she slid down his length slowly, temporarily savoring the feeling of being completely full.

They fucked hard and fast. It wasn't about taking their time and feeling every movement. It was just a quick fuck.

Laura had somewhere to be soon, after all. And she'd need a shower after this.

She came just before he did, spilling inside of her and making a mess of his pants. Once she had climbed off of him, he waved his hand, cleaning them both quickly. "I'm going to take a shower," she told him, grabbing her trousers and underwear before heading towards the bathroom.

"I'll see you back at the office." And then he was gone.

She should really talk to him. And soon. This was starting to hurt.

Laura arrived at the office just after Carneirus strolled in. Only Limus and Percival were still there. The small group headed up to the roof together where the carriage and thestrals were waiting for them.

"Watch your backs. And get back soon," Percival stated plainly.

The pair nodded and then climbed into the carriage. Laura settled on one bench while Carnie took the other.

"I gotta admit," Carnie said as the carriage began moving, "I really fucking hate traveling by carriage."

Laura smiled as she nodded, stretching out on the bench and closing her eyes. "I'd rather stay put, to be honest. Traveling by any form is exhausting."

"True. You took the ship over when you first came, yes?"

She nodded, though she wasn't sure if he could see her. "I did. Too many people. Took too long. Too cramped. The food was good though." She grimaced remembering a couple of bad meals. "Mostly."

"Well, no food on this trip." He went quiet for a moment. "Hmm, do you miss London?"

Laura thought about it for a moment, opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling of the carriage. Did she? "In some ways. But New York has been better for me than I could have expected. Obviously the Logan and Gray stuff was truly miserable, but it showed me I have friends here, people that care. I think…I worry if that had happened in London, I would have ended up dead."

"In that case, I am quite grateful you came to New York."

They chatted here and there until both of them fell asleep. Laura jerked awake as the carriage came to a stop in London, landing safely before the sunrise. Laura stretched, her joints popping after being in one position for so long. The pair gathered their things and disembarked the carriage. She led him to Diagon Alley, where they already had rooms booked at The Leaky Cauldron.

They weren't expected at the Ministry for another few hours, so Laura took the opportunity to sleep for a couple more hours before taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes. She was crossing her fingers that she and Carneirus would be able to get in the Ministry, get the information they needed, and get out. And hopefully without running into Theseus Scammander.

Laura met Carneirus in the pub section of the bar/hotel.

"Ready?" he asked. She smiled at him.

"As ready as I can be. The question is…are you?"

He smirked, smoothing down his suit jacket on his chest. "Very."

Laura led Carneirus to the fireplace in the office of The Leaky Cauldron, which they took to get to the Ministry. Laura stepped out in the foyer of the Ministry, the familiar feeling of awe returning. Even in the years she had worked here, she had felt the awe every day. There was just so much history here.

Though not all of it good.

Carneirus stepped out of the fireplace a moment later, joining Laura in his gazing of the large foyer.

"Still amazing," he whispered to her.

She nodded with a smile. "That it is. Ready?"

He followed next to her, letting her lead the way. Even though she had only been here once in the past three years, it was still cemented in her memory. Even more, she recognized so many faces.

"The Ministry doesn't change much," she whispered to her temporary partner.

"Hmm, lots of familiar faces?"

She nodded again. "Comforting, I guess, that not much changes in a few years."

They took the elevator up to the correct floor, the pair avoiding the owls above them. Laura hoped one day, someone would come up with a better idea for sending inter office memos.

Carneirus followed behind Laura as she led the way towards Ridge's office, ignoring the looks of the Aurors in the office.

"Still want a cubicle," he whispered bitterly.

"You're third in command, put it in a memo."

Before knocking on Ridge's door, Laura quickly straightened her coat, smoothing down invisible wrinkles. Then she knocked.

"Come in!"

The door swung open, Laura and Carneirus heading inside the warm and inviting office. Ridge was an odd character in many ways, but he kept his office decorated in such a way that people always felt welcome. It was in stark contrast to Percival's almost grim office.

"Ah, Laura! And you are Auror Carneirus, no?" Ridge said as he pushed up from his desk, waving them closer.

"Yes, sir. Pleasure to meet you again," Carnie said, dipping his head.

"And you. Now, your Director Graves didn't say too much in his letter. What brings you to our lovely office?" Ridge asked as Laura and Carneirus took their seats in front of his desk.

Laura cleared her throat. "Director Graves has tasked us with learning whatever we can about Hugh Crabbes specifically. Though any additional information on the Crabbes family, in particular Everett, would be appreciated as well."

"Hmm, yes. We heard the terrible news that Hugh is State side. I hope he hasn't caused too much trouble," Ridge said, folding his hands on top of his desk in front of him.

"Thankfully he has kept out of trouble so far. But it does concern our office, after what his brother Logan got up to. We don't want a repeat of a battle in front of so many No-majs," Carneirus said.

"No-majs? Oh dear, is that what the Americans call Muggles, Laura?" Ridge asked with a chuckle.

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, quite odd, hmm."

"Well, if it is information about Hugh you're after, we can help. He has kept a low profile of sorts in England since he graduated from Hogwarts, but he has been rather loud in his distaste for Muggles." Ridge pushed up from his seat. "Come, we'll get you the file and hopefully get you back to New York by the end of the day. I'm sure your Director will want the information as soon as possible. And I'm sure," Ridge said as he walked around his desk, "you'll not want to spend too much time in London, Laura."

She nodded once more. "No, I would rather not."

He led them from his office and through the expansive office floor. "Theseus is not here," Ridge said quietly. "He was quite vocal last time about how much he distrusts you, so I thought it best to send him far from the office while you're in town."

Laura let out a sigh. "Thank you." Relief filled her knowing she wouldn't run into the man. She still thought about what he had said the last time she was in London. He had been so cruel and hadn't been looking forward to running into him.

She just wanted to get the information they needed and get back to New York.

"Ah, Tabitha." Ridge stopped in front of a brightly decorated cubicle. The woman sitting at the desk was a petite blonde that reminded Laura a lot of Queenie. "May I introduce from MACUSA Laura Maurette and Mark Carneirus, the Captain of Aurors. They are here for our file on Hugh Crabbes. And throw in anything we have on his brother Everett, as well. This is Tabitha Harrold, who has been leading our investigation into Hugh and Everett for the past year."

Tabitha smiled brightly. "Yes, sir, of course. And it is a pleasure to meet you both."

"Pleasure to meet you, Tabitha. We just want to copy any relevant information that will help us in tracking down Hugh in the States," Laura said.

"Oh, yes. I did hear he's state side. Of course. Let's get to it!" Tabitha burst up from her chair, fist in the air like she had scored the winning goal of a football match. Laura couldn't help but smile.

Ridge left the trio alone, telling Laura to stop by before they left. Laura and Carnie followed Tabitha to a long table where she left them with parchment and quills before leaving to get the files.

And Merlin did she have files. Hugh had 7 folders full of papers and Everett had 3.

"They're busy boys," was all Tabitha said. She settled at the table with the pair, helping Laura transcribe Hugh's files.

Most of the information wasn't illuminating. It went hand in hand with Logan's file, Laura would say. Hugh had seemed to follow his eldest brother's path, though with less interaction with Gray Goyle, thankfully. But Hugh was a burgeoning fighter, but he also knew when to fight and when to talk, it seemed.

Which was not a good sign.

It took them all day, with several well-earned breaks, but the tree of them were able to write down all of the necessary notes before the end of the working day.

"Tabitha, we owe you quite a lot. Without you, this would have taken far too long," Carneirus said.

"Ah, it's nothing. Happy to help! And I wish you luck with Hugh. He doesn't seem as dangerous as Logan, yet. Merlin knows he could be just as capable of the horrors Logan was. Be careful!" she said.

"Give me a minute, Carnie. I'm going to say goodbye to Ridge and then we can head back to the hotel."

Carneirus nodded, starting to gather their notes. "I'll be waiting."

Laura made her way through the mostly empty room towards Ridge's office. She knocked on his door, waiting for the boisterous "Come in!" before entering.

"Hey boss," she teased, shutting the door behind her and sitting down in front of his desk.

He smiled at her, clearly tired, but still holding on. "Get what you need?"

Laura nodded. "Indeed. We got quite a bit of information that I think Director Graves will appreciate. Hugh is concerning, for sure. I worry he's more…I guess diplomatic, than Logan? Logan seemed more like to fight first, think later."

Ridge hummed as he nodded. "Yes, I'd agree. Hugh seems to have a better head on his shoulders in the sense he knows the big fight is in people's opinions. If you run around killing, you will certainly get some people on your side, but if you bring people over with words and non-lethal action, you could get more."

"Reminds me too much of Grindelwald."

"That is a terrifying thought. Hugh is far more charming that Logan ever was. You'll have your hands full with him."

"I'm more worried about getting something on him we can prosecute him for. We only have rumors and conjecture. No evidence of him committing a crime," Laura pointed out.

"I do not envy your Director. Dear Laura, please be careful. You took down Logan and Gray, but your luck will run out one of these days, my dear."

"I know." Laura looked down at her hands, clenching her wand hand as she thought back to that fateful day in the bookstore. "I keep hoping to get away from my past," she said quietly.

"Such a thing is not possible, I worry. But I pray it is for you." Ridge pushed up from his chair, Laura standing as well. Her former boss crossed around the desk and opened his arms so he could hug her. It was odd, but somehow it was just what Laura needed, to sink into the older man's arms. "New York has been good for you, more than bad, I think. Everything will work out."

Laura pulled back after a moment and smiled softly. "Thank you for giving me the chance back then. I know it was a lot of Dumbledore to ask of you, but I hope I've proven myself."

"More than any other. It was a risk, but one I'd make on you again and again. You're a wonderful Auror and a good person. A shame you couldn't grow up in a loving home, I wonder what you would have been capable of then."

Yes, what would she have been capable of with loving parents? A father that didn't test his spells on her? A mother who supported her in all things?

But maybe this was where she was meant to be. Maybe this was the way she could help save others.