"They're being branded like cattle."
Magdalena,I miss you so much my heart hurts. I cannot breathe. When I think of how I hurt you I-
Maggie stopped reading the letter and tossed it into the fireplace to burn. It was ridiculous how self centered he could be in an apology letter. Once again, it was all about his feelings. Carter was the last person she wanted to receive a letter from but after the first ten he sent didn't receive a reply it seemed that he charmed the letters indestructible unless opened. Not quite a howler, as he could never really perfect the spell on them and howlers could be destroyed before opening. His little inventive spell was different. So she was forced to open the poorly written things in order to rid herself of them. Apparently he felt that, now that she was overseas she was unable to fulfill her threat she made to him nearly five months ago.
Maggie read the letters from her family. Uncle Newt was tending to a new moon calf, Aunt Tina was overjoyed that her grandson Frank was home from Ilvermorny for the holidays. Grandma and Grandpa were spending the holidays with the Scamanders, since Maggie's parents were still in Portugal. They were only allowed so many international portkeys a year and they wanted to save them to visit Maggie. Little cousin Frank said he had two totems want him, Thunderbird and Wampus, and he chose Thunderbird like his grandmother and Maggie. His parents, Lorcan and Samantha, were so proud and Maggie's letters from her cousins were full of gushing praise about their son.
Every day she found that she missed her family more than she ever expected. Maggie never went this long without seeing a member of her family. While she knew going into the assignment that it would be a long time before she saw any familiar face, she hadn't quite realized how it would affect her. Sure, she'd managed to begin something of a life in England, but it was a far cry to the happiness back home. There wasn't a single day in Maggie's past where she went without seeing a family member, or someone she considered family like Sheila.
She wiped tears from her eyes as she read over Sheila's letter. Her friend was assigned to work with the obliviator team and Maggie knew Sheila despised it. Sheila was against obliviation and hated the very idea that some witches and wizards enjoyed playing with other people's memories. It had been a bit of a sore spot when they were young and they often fought about in school. Maggie had little control over legilimency the first few years at Ilvermorny and had to take the potion every day in order to avoid being bombarded by other people's inner dialog. The few times Maggie forgot to take it, Sheila accused her of invading others privacy. With teenage hormones and insecurities at the root of the issue, it took a few years of learning and understanding to grow up and settle the matter.
A knock on the door broke Maggie's descent into melancholy. She cast a quick cooling charm in her face to remove any trace of tears. The person at the door knocked again and Maggie rolled her eyes at their impatience. There was only one person who had the balls to do a double knock at her door.
"Magdalena Kowalski do not make me hex this door down!" Fabian Prewett, the neighbor across the hall, recently made himself a rather... prominent fixture in her life. He went to school with Kingsley and Marlene, as well as Caradoc. One half of the Prewett twins, Maggie could always tell them apart. Fabian had a freckle on his right ear, while Gideon had none. Fabian also had a slightly crooked nose that was the result of a quidditch injury that never healed properly.
Fabian was also shamless and had zero personal boundaries, Gideon, while outgoing, had a healthy amount of shame and respected people's space.
Maggie rolled her eyes at her friend's boundary issues. When she finally opened the door, a whole two seconds after his screeching in the hall, Fabian dramatically fell into the room and collapsed on her couch.
"No, please, make yourself at home." Maggie closed the door and flicked her wand to summon drinks.
As an American she was completely inept at making tea, as everyone who visited her apartment had the kindness to tell her over her three months she's spent in the Queen's country.
"If you want tea, make it yourself. Otherwise, here." She set a tumbler of Odgen's Finest Firewhisky in his hands while pouring a class of her favorite no-maj rum. Not caring that it was two in the afternoon on a Saturday, Maggie swallowed a healthy amount before relaxing into the chair next to Fabian. The whole reason she even had a living room set (a love seat, a sofa, and two reclining chairs with coffee table and end tables) is because Fabian bought them for her once he realized she had no furniture of her own. He insisted she could pay him back by allowing him a place to seek solace from the trials of being a Healer and living with his brother. Not having any friends in England, Maggie agreed to his demand without questions.
"You would think, after living here three months you would have learned to make a decent cuppa." Fabian insulted her, with no real malice behind his words. He rose from his seat on the sofa and walked into her kitchen. He placed the kettle on the stove and set about making a 'proper' cup of tea, according to European standards. One time Maggie had been drinking an iced sweet tea, as Sheila had gotten her more or less addicted to the super sweet beverage, and Fabian had tried it and nearly hexed her for such a slight against tea. She rolled her eyes and pointed out the fact that Britain didn't own tea (and had in fact pillaged it from other countries) and she'd very much dump every tea leaf she saw into the harbor if he ever made such an insulting rant against her again. He of course didn't understand her jest and told her to go ahead and throw her "shite tea into the bloody ocean".
"Oh, Fabian, why would I do that when you're so kind enough to make it every time you're over?" Maggie was used to the obnoxious and whining personality of Fabian Prewett by now.
Fabian settled onto the couch once he had a steaming mug of tea in his hands. He never offered her any, as she hated the way he made it, and she waited for him to speak. It was times like this that she found herself once again wondering why she was so quick to let the lanky redhead into her home (and subsequently her heart). She had quickly learned that Fabian was a very emotionally dependent individual. He was needy and clung to her like a shadow. Maggie adored him. He made her feel like someone actually cared about her, unlike the people she worked with. Perhaps it was because she felt needed when it came to him.
Everyone else in her life was busy doing their own thing and moving on with life. Moody treated her like she was about to ruin everything if she didn't maintain "constant vigilance", Caradoc she knew was tired of playing owl between herself and Kingsley, Hestia and Benjy were just doing their best to avoid her wrath at work without drawing too much attention to themselves. She couldn't blame them. She wasn't very warm or friendly at work and they were new aurors.
It was little to no progress since September. They had a few dead end leads but each member of the dark wizard task force was feeling more or less disappointed that they weren't making any sort of progress on the war front. While she knew the others had ideas about certain wizards (namely witches and wizards they went to Hogwarts with), there wasn't exactly any proof for an official auror investigation or even enough evidence to justify someone tailing them for information. It created an air of frustration amongst the aurors and Kingsley was taking his frustration out on Maggie, not directly saying it was her fault they had no progress but he wasn't making any real effort to support her ideas. He wanted to follow them around trying to catch them doing something bag.
Maggie knew it was a bad idea because if they were up to nefarious activities they wouldn't be caught if there was someone tailing them. It was best to not let the enemy know you were on to them.
Fabian finished his tea and then grabbed the alcohol she had previously offered him. Clearly this was something big if he needed hot tea and firewhiskey. He swallowed the glass of liquid courage in one go, sitting back on the sofa and gesturing for another round. Maggie smiled and poured them both another round. Fabian was an enabler of the best kind and didn't even blink at one of Maggie's favorite vices. He didn't finish his second glass in one go, but he did swallow nervously as his hands fumbled with the glass.
"Mags... I did it." Fabian spoke in such a hushed whisper that Maggie barely heard him.
She hardly needed to hear him though. His brain was practically screaming the anxiety within. She smiled and reached out to squeeze his arm. "Dorcas said yes, didn't she?"
Fabian nodded slowly, clearly in shock still. She chuckled at her friend's reaction to finally asking out the woman he had been pining over since he left Hogwarts and had been accepted into the healer program at St. Mungo's.
"Oh, Fabian, that's wonderful news. Here, a toast to finally growing balls and going after what you want!" Maggie raised her glass and knocked it back in one swallow.
Fabian broke out of his trance and glared at her. "You're supposed to be supportive and understanding, woman. If I wanted to be heckled I'd have told my brother or Kings. At least they'd tease me and then help me plan how to get her to sleep with me. It took me three bloody years to ask her to dinner. How on earth am I going to handle any potential relationship?" Fabian rambled as his breathing increase.
Maggie simply stared at him. She used to be under the assumption that British people were mild mannered and held their emotions under control. Clearly Fabian didn't get that memo. Maybe it was only when they were in public.
"Fabian, if you want to know how to get into a witch's panties, you should only ask a witch." Maggie refilled his firewhiskey and gestrued for him to drink.
She did not feel like handling a panic attack from him right now. It was bad enough she let him into her apartment, and life, so much that he felt completely at ease and open around her (i.e. he doesn't mind talking to her on the toilet or while she showered). Maggie let go of any personal space when it came to Fabian. He had made it clear she was now his best friend and he was not attracted to her. He had to clarify it one night when he burst into her apartment after some embarrassing debacle with Dorcas and caught her walking out of her bedroom naked. He assured her that he wasn't phased and Maggie was never really a shameful person but she took to at least wearing a robe outside the bathroom if just to avoid another encounter like that. She didn't care if Fabian saw her naked but she didn't want him bringing company over (like he sometimes did with Gideon or Marlene) and she be naked. No, Fabian was getting to be one of the best (if not most exasperating) friends she ever had. She imagined it was how Sheila felt about Maggie's own dependence and shamelessness. Clearly Fabian was payback.
Maggie smiled gently as she watched him swallow the drink, his anxiety subdued thanks to the alcohol in his veins. She couldn't understand Wizarding Britain's obsession with firewhiskey, there was most definitely others, but everyone she met here usually drank Odgen or some fancy wine. The closet alcoholic did not care to have her options so limited. It was costing her more than she liked to have to special order her liquors and beers, but it was worth it.
Besides, she made more money than she needed (free apartment and no money needed for heating or power) so other than saving half her paycheck, she didn't really know what to do with her money. Her parents taught her to save and they were not indulgent spenders. Other than spending their money on family, her grandparents didn't own overly fancy or expensive things. They put their money into their bakeries and set up small trust accounts that their only granddaughter would inherit. Maggie knew her grandparents gave away a lot of their money in the form of charity, so Maggie put a good portion of her money to that.
Fabian nodded and turned to meet her gaze, excitement building in his eyes. "You mean you'll help?" Maggie rolled her eyes at his eagerness.
"Fabian I'm the reason you got the courage to ask her in the first place! Of course I'll help you." She giggled at the way his body relaxed in relief.
"You're a life saver, Mag's. You have no idea." Fabian whispered as the alcohol pulled him into a sedative state of mind. Maggie could hear his thoughts settle and she couldn't help the sting of pain that came with looking at Fabian so helplessly in love.
No one had ever looked at her like Fabian looked at Dorcas, or Gideon at Marlene for that matter. Even Benjy and Hestia could be seen eye fucking at each other when the other wasn't looking. Maggie felt even more lonely now that it seemed everyone was coupling up. The holidays tended to make people do that and here it was already the end of November.
Well, at least Kingsley was still single in misery with her. Not that she cared about the asshole auror.
A frown settled on her features as she recalled the cold way he always spoke to her or treated her. It wasn't his personality either. At least, not with his other friends or coworkers. She had seen him act similarly towards a few other ministry members or officials, but he was at least respectful to people like Moody or Crouch even when she knew he didn't like them. No, Kingsley Shacklebolt treated her like she was a first year who didn't have a single totem react at their sorting. While he wasn't unkind, he showed her such a cold indifference she found it offensive. He made no effort to agree with her, although he never argued. For the most part he acted like she didn't exist unless they were on assignments or in the field. It was annoying since she'd been working so hard to be respected by her team.
No one else mentioned the way he treated her and she often wondered if it was all in her heard. Days like yesterday only confirmed that the distain he held for her was not a delusion of hers.
"All I am saying, Caradoc, is why even waste the time setting her up with anyone? She's not exactly someone I would encourage anyone spending more time with than absolutely necessary." The timber of his voice was one of the most recognized, and Maggie felt a punch to the gut with his words. It had been a long time since she had been so hated by someone who didn't know her.
"I'm sure she is just feeling lonely and out of place considering she moved to another country and continent for this job. I still feel you're being too harsh."
Caradoc, ever the mediator, tried his best to bring his best friend around. He knew Kingsley was opinionated but he never understood why his friend was so stubborn and quick to judge.
In their third year Kingsley went four months without speaking to Marlene because she made the quidditch team before he did. She made chaser and he tried out for keeper, only to lose to a sixth year who was twice his size. He and Marlene had tried out together and spent the summer before practicing and she scored one too many goals against him during their tryouts and cost him the position. He was reserve and didn't get to play in a real game until the quidditch cup at the end of the year, when the sixth year had taken a bludger to the head the practice before the big game. Thanks to the beaters and Kingsley, Gryffindor didn't let Ravenclaw score a single goal and won 300 to 0.
Needless to say, Kingsley was then on considered a legend and he and Marlene made up after the game.
Caradoc knew his friend was stubborn, and often ignored everyone's advice and attempts to persuade his opinions otherwise. While Kingsley had mostly grown out of his childish ways, he allowed his perceived intelligence and proficiency for his job inflate his ego.
Caradoc, and most others, knew Kingsley was a talented wizard, he made head boy and was the first accepted into the auror program and held the record for highest NEWT and OWL in both Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts.
However, Caradoc also knew his friend didn't have a humble bone in his body and Maggie, it seemed, was a threat to his friend's fragile ego and Caradoc knew it was only a matter of time before the two finally collided. He wasn't looking forward to the aftermath of that.
"I will not apologize for her being overwhelmed and under qualified for the job. She should have stayed in the bloody states then." Kingsley clipped and pushed towards his desk, not realizing that Maggie had walked into view behind him.
She just stared after him, her face a blank slate. She didn't even need to hear what he was saying in his mind, she often tried blocking out his thoughts simply because he often voiced his distaste for her; she didn't need to hear more.
Caradoc saw her walk up and he sighed, shrugging his shoulders. She knew he felt bad for the way his friend treated her, but Maggie just smiled and shook her head. "Not your fault Shacklebolt is an ass, let's get back to work." Maggie walked into their office with her head held high and any trace of unstable emotions vanished. It was time to work.
"And then Dorcas bloody well told me to shut up and ask her out already." Maggie snapped back into the conversation and swallowed the rest of her drink. She would have felt guilty about not paying attention to Fabian but in the three months she knew him, he spoke of nothing but work, Dorcas, Hogwart's days, or his sister and nephews. He was the proud uncle of two boys.
Maggie smiled as Fabian rambled about the possibly disaster of dating a woman right before Christmas. "What the bloody hell was I thinking?" He required another tea and two more shots of firewhiskey.
Laughing at her friend's panic, Maggie took pity and switched the subject. "How is Molly and... you said her husband's name is Arthur?" Fabian was close to his two siblings and spent most of his days off at his in laws house or with Maggie.
Fabian lit up instantly and happily took to the subject. His earlier discomfort evaporated and he was gushing about his nephews. "Bill is relentless. Arthur was telling Gideon the other day that he broke five plates just last week while he was playing on the toy broom I bought him for his birthday. Molly was in a fit about it." Fabian laughed at his sisters distress and Maggie rolled her eyes, though she had a smile on her face.
"Nothing a quick reparo can't fix." Luckily being a witch had its perks when it came to raising children.
"Oh, by the way Molly says you're invited to Charlie's birthday next week, he will be one on the twelfth and then you have to come back for Christmas as well. I told her you probably already had plans with your family but she insisted." Fabian rambled this out and Maggie, feeling emotional again once more thanks to the alcohol and her previous letters that offered no such plans, threw herself onto the couch into Fabian's arms.
He wasn't even startled by the affection, he just held her. He sensed she needed the hug and he was more than willing to be there. "Oh, Fabian your sister is a saint. I have no holiday plans. What does Charlie want for his birthday? And is Bill too young for a quaffel? Even a stuffed one? What about Molly, does she like blankets? My favorite gift was this quilted blanket my great grandmother Kowalski made for my birth, she passed shortly after I was born. Oh and Arthur! You said he is obsessed with no-maj? I could have my grandad send something he may like, he's a no-maj y'know?" Maggie was swept away in gratitude and unleaded a side of her she had been holding in for almost three months. It was a relief, feeling like she could relax for a few moments. Talking with Fabian was almost like talking with Sheila. She both felt overwhelmed with affection at her first British friend but a strong feeling of homesick at the thought of her childhood friend.
'He is going to kill me.'The panic in the thoughts gave Maggie chills and she stopped walking. She was just leaving Moody's office when she heard, and could feel in the air, the terror of a person who just walked by. Not so much walked as was being escorted to the holding cells where criminals waited trial. Maggie was curious and her instinct told her to follow the two young aurors who were leading the even younger looking wizard away from her.
Maggie realized the two aurors were Benjy and Hestia, who were supposed to be tracking suspicious activity in Knockturn Alley. She quickly followed after them into the room. They were startled at her sudden appearance, Benjy nearly dropped his wand, and Hestia glared at him.
"Who is this?" The wizard sitting at the table couldn't hear them, as he was placed under a deafening spell that allows aurors to talk freely, he was unarmed and they were behind a notice me not line in the room. It was set up for interrogations.
Benjy opened his file to pull out his arrest report and handed it over to Maggie. Hestia began to summarize it as Maggie looked it over. "His name is Travers. Wouldn't give a first name but Benjy recognized him from school. Gerald Travers, he's twenty and was caught selling cursed items to many muggles in London. He is also under suspicion for muggle hunting, as well as the three cases of arson in Cardiff. His wand shows evidence connecting him to the spells used in every instance." Hestia wasn't as intimidated around Maggie as she used to be, as Benjy still was, she respected Maggie as a boss and always deferred to her.
Benjy finished up the report. "We know he isn't working alone. There is evidence of multiple magical signatures in the muggle homes, as well as a few of the cursed items. Not to mention, he isn't a lad whose smart enough to come up with half that on his own." Benjy added his commentary that wasn't on the official report.
Speculation wasn't concrete proof and Moody would have their hides if he allowed one of his aurors to leave things unchecked or report false information. "I couldn't find out who he is working with during the initial arrest. He has stayed silent this entire time. He is a stubborn one." Maggie was impressed. She knew Benjy was a force in the field, he passed his concealment and strategy auror exams with flying colors.
"Well done, Fenwick, Jones. You two file these in our office. I will take over from here." Normally all incoming arrests were filed in processing and then sorted out to the appropriate department, but Maggie had jurisdiction over any and everything related to her cases. If she, or one of her team, suspected any sort of dark wizards working together or possibly under a ring leader they had the ability to takeover.
Hestia and Benjy handed over a copy of their reports before saying their goodbyes and leaving the room. Maggie smiled at the relief and pride they felt at a possible lead. Three months since the team was created and this was the first real lead they had in their hands. Maggie read over each individual report, not wanting to overlook anything of possible importance. They all had a lot riding on this team. Maggie's job more or less depended on this team having some amount of success. If it was a big flop they'd be the laughing stock of the Wizarding community.
Moody had enough of a reputation and successful career that he could probably go into a peaceful retirement, well as peaceful as a paranoid man who made enemies of many criminals retirement could be. If Maggie couldn't produce any tangible evidence of the dark wizard conspiracy, she'd be sent home and her assignment would be over and Wilkins would have her fired.
Stepping over the concealment line, Maggie allowed her inner Wilkins to take over. She began to question Travers, going over the facts of the initial report to verify his story. He stayed silent but Maggie continued to ramble and took a peak into his mind.
It took Maggie a few years to accept this part of her job. It was a debate that Maggie often had with Sheila. Using legilimency was in the grey area when it came to questioning criminals, especially before an official conviction or hearing took place. Maggie didn't enjoy the feeling of perusing a person's mind, it was invasive and caused a rise of guilt every time she did it. Hearing someone on accident or because they (or she) was overwhelmed was one thing; intentionally breaking into someone's mind, their memories, and just violating them was an unethical part of her assignment. It was a powerful feeling she did not want to get used to. Maggie knew it was a slippery slope. Sure, she had morals but this job was already causing her to blurr the line on a few of them. How long would it be until she the line didn't exist? It was something Maggie tried not to focus too much on.
Usually, when she arrested people in America she didn't have to break in, most witches and wizards were inept at occlumency or were so anxious at being caught that she didn't need to badger a confession out of them.
Travers, it seemed, was a tough nut to crack. Thirty minutes in and not only was he silent still, allowing Maggie to continue going over the details of the heinous crimes he was connected to, but he wasn't the worst at occlumency. It had been a while since she had to use real power to hear a person's thoughts, having been on the potion for so long she feared she may have lost the potency of her abilities.
And then she struck gold; she found the memories he was struggling to hide. Maggie smiled like a cat who got the cream. "Tell me, Travers, does your boss appreciate you outing two more of your cohorts. Surley they aren't the type of boss who tolerates turn-coats." This statement made Travers blink in confusion, his cool exterior crumbling. She had him right where she wanted him. With a flick of her wand she sent a mild stinging hex at him.
Maggie not only saw Travers react to the pain but felt it as well. He dropped out of his chair and fell to the floor, clutching his left forearm. The hex she sent shouldn't have provoked a reaction like this from a grown man. In two steps she crossed the room and knelt down next to him. As she ripped open the sleeve of his shirt, Travers tried fighting her but only ended up in a full body bind curse.
"Your...they're..." Maggie was speechless at the image before her. Never in her life had she seen such a mark. It was black ink burned into the pale skin of his arm. The image of a skull with a snake slithering out. The mark was...new was the only word Maggie could find to describe the raised red whelps of skin. It looked like a muggle tattoo that the skin was rejecting. Maggie bit her bottom lip as she swallowed the bile rising in her stomach.
Three hours later and the beginnings of a migraine building, Maggie entered their office to share news and plan she concocted.
"Why did you let him go? Kowalski that was the first real lead we had in months. What the bloody hell was going through your mind? He could've lead us to his leader." Kingsley was, to say the least, upset that Maggie let Travers leave after her initial interrogation.
When she arrived back to their office, Benjy and Hestia were eager to see what she found out. After telling their other two coworkers about Travers, Caradoc and Kingsley were waiting Maggie's arrival just as eagerly. The look on the four of their faces when she said he wasn't off to Azkaban awaiting trial was beyond disappointment.
Maggie allowed Kingsley to begin his verbal assault. She knew he needed the release of emotions and she just sat there soaking in the apathy he held for her being his boss. Hestia and Benjy looked confused and Caradoc was at least embarrassed by his friends behavior.
After ten minutes of Kingsley dragging her name through the mud, him finally expressing his dislike for her and the outfit she was running, Maggie just gave him a smirk when he was done. His heart was thundering and his breathing heavy as he let his emotions rule him. The lack of reaction from Maggie seemed to irritate him even more.
"Lets get one thing settled, Shacklebolt, I am your boss. You will speak to me with common courtesy or you will not speak to me at all. I have tolerated your asinine behavior longer than anyone should and you will do well to stop such behavior for the remainder of our working relationship.
"Furthermore, my decision is final. Travers is back into the world, with the biggest target on his back. Or should I say, arm?" Maggie didn't raise her voice, she didn't fly off the handle. No, Maggie didn't even have to summon her inner Wilkins, as she was now feeling a connection to her boss that it was second nature. Especially when it came to repugnant naysayers who needed a dressing down.
The four looked taken aback at her. Kingsley deflated but held on to his previous anger. He made no response but gave her a curt nod and Maggie continued. "They're being branded like cattle. This," Maggie begun her explanation by showing a crude drawing she had made of the mark, "is what it looks like. It's functionality is currently unknown but I did find out that he isn't the only one with the mark and that there is a leader. Other than that, I couldn't get much more out of him before he collapsed in pain."
"But why did you let him go?" Caradoc was suspicious to say the least. It didn't make sense, sending away such a promising lead.
Maggie sided and rubbed the bridge of her nose and eyes. She opened her mouth to explain but was cut off by an excited shout from Benjy.
"Oh! He's a target. They're going to be after him! His leader won't like that he's been arrested." Benjy rushed his explanation and looked of realization fell on the other three's face.
Maggie nodded, giving Benjy a real smile. This boosted his confidence and Maggie showed them the other paper in her hand. It was an early edition of the next morning's Daily Prophet.
The front page headline read:
'DARK WIZARD ARRESTED FOR MUGGLE HUNTING: CONSPIRACY OR RISING FACTION?'
The article then went on to say a nameless man had been arrested the previous day and handed over ten other names of people he was supposedly working with.
Maggie smiled at the impressed looks of her team. Well, except for Kingsley. He had just stalked over to his desk and resumed the paperwork he needed to finish before end of day.
It wasn't a conspiracy anymore. This wasn't just "talks of dark wizards", no this was confirmation. Someone was uniting witches and wizards under a cause, one that Maggie knew she didn't like. And this was only the beginning.