Theodard was right in saying that it wasn't going to be easy. Nothing about the last fifteen years of Paige's life was easy. Theodard fixed her legs easily enough. She was up and walking the very next day, although it was with a limp for a few more days afterwards. She remembers going with Theodard to get her very first wand made of Popular wood and fox hairs.
"Great, I have my very own stick now." She remembers thinking at the time.
She also learned her parent's last name was Asher and decided to honor them and change her last name to that. As Dumbledore said, the tutors came the next week and Paige hit the books. Theodard knew she was very behind in her studies, with kids usually starting school at age eleven. She managed to complete all seven of her years of study in five and did so with honors.
Over that time, Theodard also taught her how to control her power the Oni has. Being in the middle of no-where in the back forests of Alaska was a great place to test things out without watchful eyes. The bond between both Otakemaru and Paige grew stronger, learning how to work together in harmony. Knowing what kind of people were out in the world like the doctors in the lab, Paige doesn't let anyone else see that she has his powers. She guards it close. Only Dumbledore, Theodard and herself know about the demon inside her and she plans on keeping it that way unless its an absolute emergency.
Finally graduated at the age of twenty, she handed in her application to the renown Auror Schooling in Washington, D.C.
After more work and more studying, she graduated top of her class and was offered to stay in Washington and given a job within the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) as an Auror in the Major Investigation Department (MID). Paige has been in her currently position as a Captain the MID for four years, already rising to such a high rank at such a young age. Her goal was to get into the next step and get transferred to the Department of Aurors. Where high command would make decisions and take on the higher priority missions.
Paige continues her hardworking, by the book attitude that drives her closer and closer to her career goals.
It was near the end of summer at night in the middle of butt-fuck-no-where North Dakota. The sun has just set, and the stars were just starting to pop up into the night sky.
Paige and seven other Aurors are hiding in bushes surrounding a small compound with a giant red barn in the middle of it. They walk together as a group then split off into two groups.
Paige, dressed in her black Captain's robes has three other Aurors, who were dressed in dark forest green robes, following her as they move around the bush towards the south end of the compound. A muscular male, adorned with deep purple robes, moves with the remaining Aurors heading towards the north end of the compound.
Paige waves her wand across her eyes, causing a green band to form in a band across them and giving her night vision.
"We're at point B Lieutenant Ripley, what is your team's status?" Paige asks threw an earpiece in her right ear.
"Arriving now Captain, I spot two reds on north exit so far." Lieutenant Ripley says over the earpiece.
"I spot only one red on the south exit." Paige responds.
"Waiting for your recommendation, Captain." Ripley says over the comms.
"Take out the two reds, push to the door and hold. We will breach the barn together." Paige says as she looks back to make sure her team is ready.
"Copy, waiting on your count to engage."
Paige looks at one of her team members who is wearing a green neon smiley face mask.
"Bobcat, take the shot. Stun him, don't kill him." Paige says to Bobcat.
He steps forward, wand ready for her signal.
"On three. One. Two. Three." Paige says as Bobcat stands up and fires a red bolt from his wand at the guard on their exit.
The guard falls to the ground, paralysis setting in from the stunning charm Bobcat shot at him
"Red immobilized. Team B pushing to doors and holding. I'm going to try and get a visual inside." Paige says over the earpiece as she pushes closer to the south exit.
"Well glad you managed to immobilize yours Captain, we ended up killing both of these assholes over here." Ripley says with a slight chuckle in his voice.
"Glad you're having fun over there." Paige says back to him in a snarky tone.
Paige is close to the door now, pushing her body against the wall and trying to see inside from a crack in the door. She could make out a few children inside along with at least one other red. She looks back at Bobcat.
"Search the guard and confiscate his wand." She says to him.
Bobcat nods and starts searching the unconscious guard he stunned.
"We're ready to push. I have some visual in there, but not a whole lot. I can confirm the packages and at least one other red inside." Paige informs Ripley over the earpiece.
"We're ready to push on end as well." Ripley says to her. "Breaching on three. One. Two. Oh shit."
Paige sees the night sky light up green over on the north exit of the barn. The children scream and movement is heard from inside.
"Okay listen, here's the plan." Paige says huddling around her team. "We are still going to breach. Bobcat and I will try and get the flank and push through the building to the north exit. Miller and Yankis secure the package and get the hell out of here. Everyone ready?"
"Ready" the team says in unison.
"Bobcat, breach the door. I'll be on point. Miller follows after Bobcat and Yankis your last man." Paige says, getting her wand ready.
Bobcat points his wand at the door. A red bolt shooting from it and hitting the door, blowing it off it's hinges.
"Watch windows right side." Paige says as she pushes into the barn.
There were about a dozen children huddling in a group near the left corner of the barn, chains around their wrists and ankles. Paige pushes past them to clear the rest of the building.
"No reds in here, clear to take the packages and get them out." Paige says, approaching the north exit.
"Copy that." Miller responds.
Paige waits for Bobcat to get on the other side of the north door. They look at each other and nod. Paige kicks the door open, wand ready.
"Duck." Otakemaru whispers in Paige's ear.
Paige ducks and avoids a green bolt that was heading right for her head. She spots the culprit to her right, hiding behind a bush. She shoots a red bolt at him, instantly locking him up and he falls to the ground.
"Thanks." Paige says back to him in her head.
Paige turns to Bobcat.
"Bobcat, go around the perimeter and give me eyes." Paige says to him.
He nods to her and takes to the edge of the compound.
"Lieutenant Ripley what's your status?" Paige asks over her earpiece, trying to look around for him.
"We're taking cover behind some crates to the east. We're pinned down. We could use some help." He says back to her.
"Everyone still up?" Paige asks as she presses her body against the north wall of the barn and peaking the corner to the east.
"I think Locksley is down." He says to her.
"There's a red heading to you on your left Captain." Bobcat says to Paige over his earpiece.
Paige looks to her left and lifts her wand. As soon as she sees his head peaking up from a bush she shoots a red bolt at him, causing him to lock up and fall to the ground. She goes back to peaking her corner and notices that the three reds have their backs to her. Paige fires a red bolt at one of them. They lock up and fall to the ground. The other two notice him fall and turns their attention to her. Paige ducks behind the corner as two green bolts fly at it, blowing wooden chips from the building at her. Paige moves from the corner and out into the open. A green bolt flies at her, but she blocks it. Paige sees a red bolt fire from the tree lines from the east at one of the red, causing him to lock up and fall to the ground. Paige shoots a red bolt at the last remaining red, but he blocks it. He looks around, terrified that he's the last one standing. Paige seeing another red bolt fire from the tree lines fires one at him as well. He blocks the first one but couldn't block the other and he too falls to the ground after being hit by Paige's red bolt.
"You good Captain?" Bobcat asks over the earpiece, emerging from the tree line.
"Thanks for the help." Paige says with a smirk.
Paige runs along the east side of the building trying to find Ripley. She runs past large wooden crates that were along the sides. Ripley and Hernandez pop out from the crates, their wands drawn at Paige.
"Whoa friendly." Paige says as she puts her hands up.
They quickly lower their wands.
"Sorry Captain." Ripley says walking out from behind the crate.
"I'm always out here saving your ass and you're going to do that to me?" Paige asks with a smirk.
"You know you love me, Paige." Ripley jokes putting his hand on her shoulder.
"How's the extraction going?" Paige asks over her earpiece.
"Extraction almost complete. We're about seven minutes until we reach the Port Key location." Miller responds back to her.
"Okay, Ripley and Hernandez clear the bodies, confiscate wands and check their status. Bobcat and I are going to fall back to Miller and Yankis to assist with the extraction." Paige says to the group around her.
"Copy that Captain." Ripley says moving away from her to start checking bodies.
Paige and Bobcat run along the east side of the wall until they reach the south from where they approached before. They run to the perimeter and follow a foot path heading into the woods surrounding the compound. They follow the trail, running to try and catch up to the other two with the children. Paige could finally see them ahead of her about 50 feet away.
"Come on, we're catching up." Paige says to Bobcat, picking up her pace.
She stops when she sees two men step out from the forest and into the path between her and the other two Aurors with the kids. Their attention fixated on the kids.
"Get down." Paige yells into her earpiece to the other two Aurors as she raises her wand and points it at one of the men.
She shoots a red bolt at him, causing him to collapse to the ground. The other man between them shot a green bolt at the last kid in the line with the Aurors. Miller quickly jumps in front of them, the green bolt hitting him directly in the chest. He falls to the ground life less at the child's feet. Bobcat shot a green bolt from his wand, hitting the last remaining red. He falls to his knees then falls face down in the ground.
"Keep moving." Paige says in her earpiece, struggling to push her emotions down.
Yankis tells the kids to keep moving and they continue running down the trail. Paige and Bobcat run after them, but they both stop when they reach Miller's body.
"Go with the kids, I'll stay here." Paige says to Bobcat as she kneels next to him.
Bobcat places his hand on her shoulder before continuing after Yankis and the kids.
"I'm sorry." Paige whispers to Miller as she places her hand on his arm.
"He died saving a child. He will be welcomed as a hero in the afterlife." Otakemaru whispers to her.
"Still… I wish it didn't have to be like this." Paige says out loud.
"Captain Asher, we have a status report for you." Hernandez says over the earpiece.
"Go ahead." Paige says, managing to push her emotions down.
"3 reds dead, 3 reds stunned and unfortunately Auror Locksley is K.I.A" he reports over the earpiece.
"Copy, we just had Miller K.I.A as well" Paige says back as she tightens her grip on Miller's arm.
"Break. We are at the location with the packages. Conforming orders to use the Port Key to extract." Yankis says over the earpiece, interrupting the status report.
"Affirmative, good to extract packages. Ripley and Hernandez extract the rest of the team to rendezvous point then take all surviving reds to the holding cells. I'll be moving Miller back to the rendezvous point." Paige instructs them.
"Extracting packings in three. Two. One." Yankis says over the earpiece.
"Extracting friendly and reds in thee. Two. One." Ripley says over the earpiece.
Paige was left in silence with Miller's dead body, alone in the forest.
"Extracting Miller in three. Two. One." Paige whispers to herself.
They both suddenly disappear.
She appears again with Miller on a grassy field. Dawn barely breaking in the horizon. They are surrounded by men and women dressed in white robes with a red cross band around their arms and some dressed in dark green robes. The kids were already being looked over by three in white while the men in green were pointing their wands at the red's Ripley and Hernandez brought back, their wrists becoming shackled. One female in all white robes approaches Paige and Miller.
"Let me look him over." She says kneeling next to him.
"Don't bother. He's dead." Paige says standing up.
The woman still checks his pulse on his neck. She sighs and drags her wand over him, a white blanket appearing as she covers him up.
"Captain Asher, just got work that Colonel Andrews wants a word with you." Bobcat says as he walks up to them.
Paige takes a deep breath in.
"Copy." Paige says turning away from the woman and Bobcat. She suddenly disappears again. Her last thought was Miller's eyes, wide open. Being covered with that white sheet.
Paige reappears a block away from the MACUSA building in a dark, secluded alleyway. Paige looks around to make sure no one saw her just appear out of thin air. Paige walks out to the street and starts walking down the sidewalk to a large building around the corner. She walks inside a huge marble building with a Pegasus statue in the lobby. Paige touches the statue on the neck while muttering "Tantum fortis." The statue comes to life and suddenly a doorway appears on the side of it's large base. Paige walks through it, the door closing behind her. She walks to a front desk located directly in front of the massive lobby. There is a single woman sitting at the desk, busy writing something with a quill.
"Captain Asher here to see Colonel Andrews." Paige says as she approaches the desk.
The woman looks up from her writing for a brief second, but still writing.
"He's waiting for you on the roof." She says in a monotone voice.
"Thank you." Paige says with a smile.
She approaches the elevators to the left of the desk. She hits the button to summon it and the doors open instantly. She walks inside it and pushes the button on the very top that sat by itself saying "roof".
As soon as the elevator doors closes, they open seconds after already bringing her to the roof. She steps out into the chilly early morning air. She sees Colonel Andrews dressed in his navy-blue robes standing at the edge of the roof top, staring out into the city. Paige approaches him and stands beside him, looking at the sun rise.
"I heard you got those kids out. Good work out there." Colonel Andrews says breaking the silence.
"Thank you, sir." Paige says, still staring out over the city.
"Listen, every Auror knows the nature of the job when they sign up. Death included. Understand me?" He says to her, turning his body to face Paige.
"Understood, sir." Paige says, focusing on the sun rise.
"If you need some time off, I understand. There's only so much someone can handle." Colonel Andrews says to her.
"No, sir. No time off needed." Paige says, finally breaking eye contact with the sun rise and looking Colonel Andrews in his eyes.
He looks back to the sun rise.
"Glad to hear it because I already have another assignment for you." Colonel Andrews says with a smirk.
"I'm ready sir." Paige says, looking back at the sun rise as well.
"I have a briefing package waiting for you on your desk. Apparently, a house elf threw up a Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup across over in Europe. Now the Ministry of Magic is saying it was a hoax and there was nothing indicating anything with he-who-must-not-be-named, but Dumbledore is adamant that it's a warning of him possibly returning. Anyways, he requested additional security this year for Hogwarts. There will also be two other schools joining as there is also the Triwizard Tournament this year." Colonel Andrews explains to her. "I want you to observe and report. Hold a perimeter of the school grounds and try and extract information about if this is a hoax or if this is the real deal."
"Understood sir." Paige says.
"You and your team will catch the boat across to England and rendezvous with Aurors from the Ministry of Magic. They will help guide you to Hogwarts. You leave in three days. Rest up and get ready." Colonel Andrews says before turning away.
"Yes, sir." Paige says.
He walks over to the elevator, pushing the button to summon it.
"And Captain." Colonel Andrews shouts over his shoulder.
"Yes sir?" Paige asks turning around to face him.
"If all goes well with this, I hear there might be a rise in the ranks and a promotion to a certain department." Colonel Andrews says as he steps into the now summoned elevator.
Paige nods in acknowledgement as the elevator doors close.