Chapter 3: Confrontation

Warning! Racist, homophobic and misogynistic slurs up ahead, proceed with caution.

Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, October 31st 1981 9:50pm

The doors to the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures were pushed open by an irate Erasmus Graeme. He grumbled to himself as he levitated the captured dark creature behind him. He was taking the creature to be processed; once again stuck doing Vendetta's tedious tasks. "I'm always left to clean up her mess."

Edward Deighton raised an eyebrow, having heard the elderly man's muttering. "Well isn't that kinda your job?" He interjected. His eyes flicked up to the unconscious, naked man floating behind Graeme. "You could have at least covered him up to preserve his modesty." He pointedly looked away from the naked man, a blush staining his entire face as he conjured up a blanket.

"Disgusting dark creatures don't deserve modesty." Greame snapped, "And you know who else is an undeserving reprobate?"

"For your sake, I hope you don't mean Vendetta."

"Of course I mean that woman." Graeme spat, "I'm always playing second fiddle to that lowly immigrant; it's a disgrace and I've always said that women have no business being in a workplace.

They should be at home, raising the children and looking after their husbands." Then he scoffed, his face twisting into a nasty sneer. "Though I suppose that woman has no nurturing bone in her body; it's no surprise that she's barren. Don't even get me started on that sissy she calls a husband, anyone with working eyes can see he likes it up the arse."

Deighton raised his bushy eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into his mop of red hair. "Yikes, that's...quite a statement." He awkwardly backed away from Graeme; not wanting to be associated with such a man.

He had wanted to help Graeme with the processing and arrangement of a trial for the dark creature, seeing as Pinkerton was currently indisposed for the time being, but now he just wants to get as far away from Graeme as possible.

Maison de Létourneau, November 1st, 1981 12:26am

"Is Pinkerton okay?" Vendetta stood and approached her husband, worry coursing through her entire being.

Aaron quickly put her mind at ease. "Of course; he's fine and perfectly healthy. Pinkerton might be small but he's tough as nails."

Vendetta sighed in relief. Though she would not admit this to any living soul, she considers Pinkerton a friend of sorts.

He handles the menial everyday tasks that keep the department working like a well-oiled machine. Vendetta personally prefers to be out in the field, kicking arse.

"Enlighten me, mon cher, why are you holding his baby?" She asked; an eyebrow raised expectantly.

Aaron hesitated for a second, unsure of how to go about explaining himself. "Promise me you won't get infuriated and hurl me across the room." He wanted to ensure his safety before telling Vendetta the slightly unpleasant news.

Vendetta narrowed her emerald eyes in suspicion. "I promise nothing. Explain yourself, right this instant."

Aaron looked everywhere but up at his wife's eyes; the broken clock on the mantelpiece was suddenly very interesting.

"Aaron Elias Létourneau, if you do not answer my question immediately I will turn you over my knee and spank you like an insolent child."

Certainly not one to pass up the chance for a perfect retort, Aaron looked up at his wife from beneath his lashes, a sly smirk tilting his lips. "You promise?"

Aaron could see the exact moment the will to live left the French woman. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, no doubt regretting every decision she had ever made up to that moment.

"Remind me again why I ever proposed to you?" She asked.

"It's because the first time I saw you, I said I wanted to climb you like a tree." Aaron grinned shamelessly. Her height, as well as French accent had definitely played a major role in his attraction to her.

Vendetta snorted. "Oh yes, you said that while I was bleeding all over 's floor. I had just taken on an entire nest of acromantula, the last thing I needed was a short, freckled intern trying to jump my bones."

"What can I say; I see what I want and I go for it."

Vendetta gave him an unimpressed look. "What I want right now are answers to my previous question." Vendetta steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. After over twenty years of marriage, she was more than familiar with her husband's distraction tactics.

Aaron, realising he had stalled as much as he could, turned to face his dear wife.

"Do you remember our discussion about trying that new experimental muggle procedure – surrogacy? They'd only had one success but it looked promising." He spoke slowly, finally realising the severity of what he had done.

Vendetta's eyes widened as she connected the dots. "Emmerde! Merlin's hairy bollocks! Aaron, you didn't!" She knew her husband was impulsive but this was just ludicrous. "Circe's saggy tits." She breathed in disbelief.

Aaron bit his lip to stop himself laughing, he was in big enough trouble as it was, but his wife's choices of expletives were humorous to say the least.

"Morgana's crusty knickers! Merde! Aaron, what in Merlin's name were you thinking? You cannot simply make such a decision without me!"

"I was going to talk to you about it before the time the baby was due!" He replied.

"Yet here you are with a baby in your hand and I am just finding out about it!" Vendetta snapped then sighed and tried to calm her temper, it wouldn't do to frighten the babies. "This is a big deal Aaron, I should have been involved from the beginning."

"I didn't want to get your hopes up should it have fallen through. There was a great chance of it not succeeding. It's nothing short of a miracle that both Pinkerton and the baby survived." Aaron explained. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he had told Vendetta only for something to go wrong.

Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, November 1st 1981 9:30am

Harlan came up to Graeme's desk, a sheaf of paper in hand. "Graeme what's the meaning of this?"

Greame looked up at the dark haired Auror who was speaking to him. "What's the meaning of what?" He asked, barely able to stop himself snarling at the black Auror.

"Our department hasn't sentenced anyone to Azkaban since Vendetta took over. Care to explain why I find a request for an Azkaban sentencing on my desk?" Harlan demanded, brown eyes glaring at the bald, elderly man.

"I approved it. Vendetta left me in charge and I can do whatever I wish." Graeme snapped.

"Bloody hell Graeme, the man didn't even get a trial." Harlan couldn't believe how heartless this man was.

"The beast does not deserve one." Graeme spat with disdain.

Before Harlan could speak again Graeme waved a hand at him dismissively. "Go back to scrubbing the floors or whatever it is you people do."

Harlan, built like a house and tall to boot, was not one to take being slandered lightly.

A dark brown hand grabbed Graeme by the throat and hoisted him out of his chair.

"What did you just say to me?" Harlan growled deeply; hand closing tighter around the man's neck.

"N-nothing." Graeme struggled, face purple and hands clutching at the wrist holding him pinned against the wall.

"That's what I thought." Harlan retorted, dropping Graeme roughly to the ground.

No one rushed to help the gasping man on the floor; instead most were laughing at him, especially Deighton.

Maison de Létourneau, 12:32am

"Are we really going to keep two babies?" Aaron asked. Vendetta had filled him in on how she acquired the sleeping baby boy in her arms.

"This is what we've wanted and more. I can't imagine giving either of them up." Vendetta replied.

Aaron nodded. "I agree but we just can't keep a muggle baby, the muggle authorities are going to be looking for him, not to mention it is against the rules of the magical world."

Vendetta nodded. "Oui, pourtant, I thought of that and I came up with a perfect solution."

"I'm all ears."

"Blood adoption." Vendetta said, utterly pleased with herself. "For the both of them. At the moment that baby only biologically belongs to you."

It took a few seconds for it to sink into Aaron's brain. "But isn't the blood adoption potion only used for god parents who want to adopt their god child?"

"While that is true mon chéri, I was hoping you would make a few tweaks to the potion during the brewing process to make it more suited to our needs. I know how brilliant you are with potions." Vendetta implored.

Aaron mulled it over before coming to a decision. "It won't be easy, but I know I can do it." He was determined to succeed.