- Tina ... Tina!
Porpentina turned around, hearing her friend's voice. Annie Solice took her arm and led her through the corridor.
- Graves called a secret meeting with the chiefs. Apparently a guy from the British Ministry arrived at night.
- They sent a messenger to eat? If we would let out of our hands someone like ...
- Good morning, Mr. Abernathy! - Annie curtsied slightly, and the man stumbled on the carpet.
- You're horrible. This poor man will one day get a heart attack. I do not think he's used to being accustomed.
- He is sweet in her helplessness.
Tina paused, silencing her friend. A loud conversation was heard from behind the corner.
- I don't know how it looks with you, but here Aurors do not show up in the middle of the night without prior agreement. You might as well be one of Grindelwald's followers looking for a way to buy in favors.
- Really Graves. If I was Grindelwald's puppet, I would not warn you about him and where he can come from.
- Mrs. Pendragon I wasn't born yesterday.
- Pendragon? - Annie whispered in surprise, but Tina silenced her.
- Your arrival the day after we receive information from the Ministry is quite peculiar. Besides, as far as I know, You need all possible wands to embrace chaos in your own country.
- The Daily Prophet greatly exaggerates the scale of the problem. In addition, we are going to take every eventuality into account. And believe me, Graves. Before you even blink, you will need extra wands in New York. Have a nice day.
Tina and Annie straightened up, continuing their walk along the corridor. A woman passed by in an emerald-green cloak from under a silver gown. On her head she still had a shiny diadem and a platinum feather. It looked like she came straight from the party. She nodded to the women and headed for the main entrance.
- Goldstein, Solice, in my office. Now.
The women looked at each other, but without saying anything they followed Auror. They wonder what slop bucket he will pour on them. But all other members of the Investigative Group were in the office. Graves leaned against the desk. Looking at each of them individually, he put his hands over his chest. He wanted to trust the people who surrounded him and inspire confidence himself, but with the threat hanging over them it was getting harder and harder.
- There is high probability that Grindelwald wants to hide in America. For now, however, we have no confirmation. We're increasing protection further. We stick to new procedures. I want to know about everyone arriving. Wizard or not. I want you to patrol the docks. Check passengers and cargo ships. Keep your eyes open. The attack can come from any direction. We are not talking about it loud, but we must be prepared.
Single applause was heard from the entrance.
- Bravo! I like such speeches. Iris Pendragon - the woman nodded to the Aurors and stood against the wall. She was curious what the head of the Department of Security has to say.
Tina noticed that her boss was slightly clenching his jaw and fist on the edge of the desk. She had to admit that there was something in English Auror, which she didn't quite like. And she was coming back like a boomerang. Her feathers and ornaments disappeared from her head, but her black hair was still stuffed in a delicate bun. Her smirk looked mean.
- Before Grindelwald ever puts his foot on your land, his supporters will be much more problematic. His ... worship is like a plague. It spreads quickly.
- We have a very strong identity as a community. It will be harder to convince pure-blood wizards to betrayal. They want to build, they are not lazy because they have everything. Certain status ...
- For them it is 't a betrayal. It is the occupation of a proper place according to them. And the worst of them ... are the most loyal ones.
- I think loyalty is still on the side of the peace. The specter of war will discourage them effectively. Nobody wants bloody days to return. Neither us nor the Non-Majes. There is no greater or lesser good in war. There is only death.
Everyone looked at Porpentina, who stood up. She did 't want to interfere. Sometimes, however, it was stronger than her. However Graves had treated her the last time, he was a good commander and wizard. Deep down he was not bad. She wanted somehow to point out that she was on his side, that he was not alone. A murmur of approval passed around gathered people. However, seeing the look of brown eyes from under thick, black eyebrows, Tina sat up, flushed on her face.
- Miss Goldstein is right. They will not move alone. And we will not let Grindelwald to even put his eyes on America.
Iris pushed off the wall and went to the door. She measured Percival's with cold, blue eyes, as if assessing him as an opponent. But after a moment a smile crossed her raw face. She stood in the open door and bowed her head.
- I admire this unwavering faith. May it be enough.
Graves looked around at the meeting. He was looking for doubt on their faces. But none of his Aurors showed it. He nodded thoughtfully and stood up. They looked at him with full concentration.
- You all know what to do. Dismissed.
When the last person left, Percival sat down at the desk, picking up the first file from a pile of documents. He opened it, looking at the face of some kind of black marketeer of enchanted jewelry, but the only thing he thought about was a shadow that drew dark, sticky fingers over the ocean. In his memory, a disturbing sense of raw magic in the attic of the Henry Street building returned to him.
Lock in the door cliked. Iris was standing behind them, ready to knock. Percival clenched his fingers on his wand, as if she was about to attack him. He stood up and looked at the woman expectantly.
- I knocked several times. Listen, Graves ... we started on a wrong foot. I do not want to be your enemy.
- You're very good in that, Pendragon.
- Please, call me Iris - she offered him hand. It was pale and cold. It reminded him of another hand, which he could keep unhindered four months ago.
- Percival - he shook her hand and pointed to free chair.
- I came here because I want to fix my mistake. They sent two strike groups to capture him. In the first were my two brothers. There was nothing left of them. The rest was paralyzed with fear. I was among them. We saw how our colleagues are burning in diabolic flames in front of us.
- So you stood there and you let him escape.
- I do not expect you to understand. This ... man ... is dangerous because his theories appeal to wizards around the world. Considering how the Muggles solve global conflicts and how it affects our world, they begin to doubt whether we have rightly removed ourselves from the shadow.
- We live among non-magicians, we build homes with their own. I would not call it life in the shadows. It's clear that I will not walk the street, waving my wand right and left. Because even if I was not a wizard, they would look at me like a madman.
- Until they saw the effects of this "waving".
- So let's summarize - Graves got up, walking around the desk, adjusted the shirt cuff, straightening the crease on it.
- You come straight from a party, a week after Grindelwald's escape, which we also learn about a week later ...
- It was not fun. Only stupid formal requirements of the Pendragon family.
- What do you expect from me? I'm suppose to let you in my Department and let you threaten the order because you want to make up your ...
- Please. I heard about your effectiveness. You can interrogate me any way you want. If you consider me a real threat, I will return to England.
Percival looked at the woman whose face expressed genuine regret and willingness to show. Maybe they could really use her. If she was planning to capture Grindelwald, she might have known things that might have been helpful.
- Follow me.
They walked down the hall, heading for the elevator. The dwarf standing in it looked expectantly at Auror.
- Interview office.
The creature measured the woman from head to toe, wistfully smiling. Iris glanced at the man next to him, but he was looking ahead, hands behind his back.
When they finally stopped, the woman flinched, feeling the damp tongue of draft on her shoulders. Graves led her down a corridor filled with balls of blue light. They entered through the black, varnished door.
- Wand.
Iris hesitated for a moment. But in the end she wanted it. She offered her wand and looked at Auror, who had gone with it to the wood-hewn table. He laid her in the groove, directing the end to the center of the room.
- Priori Incantatem.
From the end of the wand, the blinding light of the disarming spell came out first, the outline of some shiny object to which Portus was thrown, then the shield shimmering in the light, again a disarming spell. A typical Auror's wand.
Percival went to the woman in the middle of the room and touched her temple with his wand. She closed her eyes as he extracted her memories. He extended his hand over the mosaic of the crossed harp and bow. The colorful tiles parted, showing a round bowl hung into the floor. Threads of memories flowed into a silvery, oily liquid and changed its consistency. Amidst silvery smoke, he saw the country road leading to the darkness of the estate. Five other people were in front of him. They stood in front of the gate, which wing was open. Carefully prepared for the attack, they went to the inner road. Suddenly a light flashed, which turned into blue flames. Those who were closest to the building disappeared in the fire. Literally. The rest retreated instinctively. A few tried to disarm the attacker, but he casually reflected the spells. He shot a tongue of fire, but they were prepared shouting Protego.
Graves was looking at a later conversation in the Ministry, a funeral procession, and a meeting of quiet, dark figures in a Scottish castle. A message on a parchment from a tawny owl sitting on the turret's windowsill, with an eternal pen attached to the paw. Last look at the raw wooden door. A spell cast on a silver object. A dark figure on the sidewalk. Casting the disarmed spell, then the shield.
Graves recognized Denis Seawheat. Wizard from International Relations. After a short conversation, they apparate in front of the Congress building. Graves guessed rest. He got an owl when he went to bed two hours after returning home. Someone knocked to door of a room. Memory faded in liquid.
He waved his hand over the vessel, which was hidden and covered with mosaics. Everything the woman said was true. Which doesn't mean that everything he saw was real. He realized that someone who can incinerate experienced Aurors has no problem with the alternation of one's memories. He decided, however, to have a woman on the eye, by the way checking her past. He returned her wand and nodded toward the exit. She smiled slightly and left, leaving him alone.
Head of his friend popped through opened door.
- Perc, Mrs. President called a meeting.
- Another one…
Somewhere in New York…
- Sir, what are we waiting for?
- For the right time. Did you find this woman?
- Yes. They have a church on Pike Street.
- Where is our guest?
- In the room, at the end of the corridor.
The figure in a long coat walked down, combing his fair hair. He had to make a good first impression.
When he appeared in the tiny guest bedroom, the woman sitting in the corner of the room rose, calling a strong spell of the shield in front of her. She impressed him. He didn't sense that she was too powerful. And yet she could use non-verbal spells without a wand. Probably her husband's school.
- What do you want sorcerer ?!
- Calm now, child. I'm impressed. You have been deprived of your wand and are still defending yourself. You have the soul of a warrior. Tell me, please, what is it about Perival Graves that he is standing by Madame Picquery? What is so special about the last male descendant of the Graves family?
- You will not get anything out of me.
- Are you sure? Legilimens.
The woman shouted, but after the first impression, as if someone were poking a hot poker between her eyes, peace came.
- Interesting.
The man easily passed through her shield spell and put his pale hand on her stomach. She shrank, staring at the silver-white iris. She saw her trembling reflection in it. She felt ill at the thought of him touching her.
- So he is not the last ... I would prefer to solve this situation differently. Believe me. The thought of acting against my own kind hurts me. But ... sometimes you need victims to make the matter gain strength ... Crucio.