Porpentina Goldstein or Tina was sat at the cafeteria of MACUSA staring at her boss, Percival Graves.
Following the revelation that Gellert Grindelwald was impersonating Percival Graves for some time, a formal investigation went underway for the location of the real Auros Percival Graves. It seems that no one suspected anything was different with Graves while he was being impersonated, due to the fact that his behavior and icy demeanor was exactly the same. Graves was found trapped within his personal pensive reliving his worst memories. It seems Grindelwald had found a way to trap him in a never-ending loop of some of his worst experiences.
How Grindelwald managed to fool Graves into the trap in the first place was something Graves would take to his...grave. Anyway, Graves had a reputation to uphold and opted to say that he was chasing Grindelwald and 'happened' to fall into the pensive, on accident. It was Tina who had found him, as she herself had fallen into the pensive while searching Grave's apartment-a combination of clumsiness, and Grave's decision to put his pensive on his closet floor next to a pile of clothes, just waiting to be tripped on.
In it, she gained a better understanding for who Graves was, and then found Graves and got him out. No one should have to relive their worst memories for that long, and Grindelwald had been impersonating Graves for well over three months. Grindelwald had not planned for a second person to be in the pensive and all Graves had to do was take Tina's hand and follow her out. At first, Graves was angry at Tina for doing the job of an Auros, but when he found out about her involvement in capturing Grindelwald, handling the Obscurial situation, and her reinstatement into the Auror division, he was both impressed and happy that she was the one to find him, though he didn't show it.
What followed was a mutual understanding between the two Aurors. Graves even started working with Tina from time to time, building a friendship. While Graves was already working again like nothing had ever happened and hadn't even mentioned his long capture, the Senior Aurors had been unable to move on. They were ashamed that Grindelwald, the evilest wizard of their time, had been able to capture their boss from right under their nose and none of them had noticed - that would have been enough to make the most prideful of wizards and witches humble and ashamed.
Now almost a few months after Grindelwald, the MACUSA have a whole new problem in their hands.
Two weeks ago a body appeared in the middle of the square in New York. MACUSA did an investigation but left it in the middle as the victim was a no-Maj. Normally they would not have taken up the case, but what caught their curiosity, Graves's curiosity, was that the anger had no eyes.
The victim's eyes were not found near the crime scene.
Two days after the discovery of the first body, another one appeared in an abandoned building. He had the same characteristics as the first victim, a man in his 40s, working out, there were no signs that showed that he resisted his attacker. And from the second victim, the suspect's eyes were missing.
Seraphina Picquery was reluctant to take the case as there were no signs of anything magical being involved in this case. She decided that the case would remain in the hands of the Mo-Maj, without any of MACUSA's employees getting involved.
No-Maj police didn't have any evidence beyond the obvious. Two murdered men, placed in different places and missing their eyes but MACUSA did. They discovered that the incisions around the eyes were perfectly trimmed and stitched. As if a doctor or surgeon had made them, perfect in every detail.
A serial killer roamed the streets of London and spread terror, the President didn't like that someone spread the fear and had to put an end to it. Unfortunately they had no further evidence, no suspect and no idea how to close the case.
''I think I can help with that!'said a shy voice and everyone turned their head to see Newt Scamander.
Tina looked the man who stolen her heart at his first visit at New York with ta magical suitcase.
After a month of visiting Tina, Picquery decides that if Newt's going to be in MACUSA almost every day, the least he can do is make good use of his free time and work as a consultant.
And that's how Newt gets himself a job in New York, much to Theseus' irritation.
It's quite nice actually; he gets to help magical creatures and he has the chance to see Tina, Queenie and Jacob more often. He also gets to meet the real Percival Graves, a year after being rescued, and although the man is really intimidating (it doesn't help that the whole auror Department appears to be afraid of him) he has never been rude to Newt.
Then the woman sighs as she could not find ways to draw his attention, her sister told her she could seduce him but it will not be so low. Sometimes Tina was thinking if there was another woman in his life or met one of the many trips he had made but Queenie could not find anything in his mind.
She was pinning hard. Tina would usually laugh at girls like this, piningafter a guy, wanting him so bad. No, that was for girls like Queenie, with their flirty attitude and their lack of desire in having serious careers, perfectly content in being coffee witches and batting their lashes and skirts at wizards who wrapped themselves 'round their ring fingers. Pining away - why, it wasn't the sort of thing sensible Tina Goldstein would ever do. And yet here she was.
But Newt was something else. She hadn't thought much of him at first, not really. She didn't think he was too terrible, mostly a little annoying, unassuming, not bad on the eyes but she'd seen better. But he would help her prove she could do this, be an Auror once again. A man with dangerous beasts? That was sure to get her something!
And then he'd stolen her away on some incredible, wild run from the law. And for the first time in a very long time she was breathless, the strength in which he'd caught her in the chamber, the clench of his jaw as he'd thrown that thing - Swoop, that creature, at Grindelwald. Hapless-looking Newt Scamander was more than he let on.
"What?"
Newt laughed nervously ..Well, he's usually feeling that way when it comes to interacting with people (there are a few exceptions of course) but this time is slightly different.
"I know someone who is expert in this..."
"Expert in what?"
"Killing!"
Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, their loving magic zoologist knew someone like Grindelwald?. Impossible, but again Newt have been traveling around for years, he has been met with a lot of people.
"I will send a owl but..."
The president bounded off the table, landing in front of Newt.",Call this person, yesterday"
The next day find the people of MACUSA staring at the wall of evidence. Everyone made this mission their life especially Graves.
Everyone knew that, they saw his obsession with this case but they didn't say a word, after all they couldn't understand him except Newt. The young man was not the first time he had seen this behavior, the endless nights in front of photos, the nightmares, the madness included depression, constant anxiety and an increased risk of substance abuse.
Everyone where in rush trying to find evidences, people to talk, trying to avoid Graves' rage and fine time to get something to eat behind Graves ' back because if he see someone sit in his ass and relax , he can even fire him.
They were all gathered in the conference room, discussing the case at hand, possible scenarios and evidence. The meeting was interrupted by President's secretary, Susan, walked into the room. All the Auros turned to look at her waiting.
Graves lifted his eyebrow , Susan make a step to her right as a pair of heels clicked on the wood floor as she gracefully stepped inside the MACUSA"s Hall. The woman was tall, and slim, and every single man and woman in the place turned to look at her when she walked by. Her face surrounded by long, wavy white hair that complimented her hazel playful eyes, but she also held herself in such a way that each person who saw her wanted a taste. She gave off a glow, a light of health and composure. Her clothing was tight-fitting leather that let Tina know that she was in excellent shape, but had enough curves that there was no mistaking her for anything but a woman.
She glanced around the parlor before focusing on Tina.
"Where is Newt?"Her voice said from distance, so it sounded more like an echo.
The young witch noticed that the woman had her nose pierced and a tattoo.
She didn't look nervous or frightened in fact she looked terrified. There was an aura of power and authority emanating from her. This was a woman you did not mess with. The kind Tina wished could be. Oh, she was a good fighter, a soldier, she knew that but this woman could send troops into battle, and no one would blink. however, at the mention of Newt, she couldn't contain her curiosity. Who was this woman and how she knows their friend.
A huge smile spread out on Newt's face while the head of Tina was about to explode from jealousy.
Newt straightened his posture immediately. "Ida," he greeted with a smile. "How lovely to see you again."
Her long white curls were bouncing while she walked gracefully towards Newt. He turns to on the woman with genuine happiness in his eyes and opens his arms.
Every employee of MACUSA thinks he's insane. Newton Scamander does not do touching. Ever. Handshakes, yes, pats on the back, hugs, lingering touches, not so much.
Everyone shocked, however, when she does.
Tina looked back and forth between Newt and this woman. Ida, he called her. Tina couldn't believe it; Newt had never acted like this before.
Newt hates hungs or comfortable with another person. Usually, New refrained from physical contact with, he was clinging tightly to this woman. Tina wondered if Newt liked her as more than a friend. There was also the fact that the woman was clinging to Newt as tightly as Newt was clinging to her. She would have to keep her eye on them.
"How does he know her?" Jack an employee of MACUSA asked. Another one shrugged.
"I can't believe you're here!" Newt exclaimed, setting her down. The woman let him go, a little reluctant.
"Who is she?" Tina asks, sounding surprised, and unknown to Newt and everyone a little jealous as the woman was quite beautiful.
"They hurt you," Newt said running his finger down the woman's cheek upon a scar.
"They were ending worse than me"
Before anyone could blink, the woman whipped her gun from the waistband of her pants and pointed it at Queenie Goldstein. Tina raised her wand.
Newt lifted his arms, gesturing for everyone to lower their wands. But it was her he spoke to directly. "Alright, Tina, hold up. ."
The woman just smiled at Tina, lifting her chin with a dare on her lips.
"Look, guys, come on. Just...relax. Okay." He looked back and forth between the two women. "Tina put the wand down. Now. Now!"
Tina watched Ida's eyes flick from her to Newt and back to her. The older woman looked at her, leaning forward, daring her. Tina looked back, the black twist in her chest that had sprung into being when Ida had purred Newt' name enjoying the sight of the other woman at the end of her wand.
'If you ever tried to read my mind again, I will rip your eyes from your head'' Ida growled.
Quinine was terrified and could not speak, Tina was right to say that she must stop to reads the thought of someone but the woman it was a mystery for her and everyone since they did not know about the personal life of Newt and about the fact that the arrival of the woman put a huge smile on his face but brought a huge wave of jealousy from her sister with some frightening thoughts to kill the unknown woman. But who believed that this woman had a gun with her and did not step down even when there are so many wands to direct the neck of.
''Crystal? She asks again but more intense this time.
''Yes' 'replied the blonde witch with a little voice and a smile appeared in the face of the woman.
''Good' 'She said and put her weapon away turning at Newt. ''My dear Fido, can you explain why yesterday evening an owl came through my window and sat on the bed and staring at me while having sex?''
''Well...''
''What is going on here?''asked the president, in a steady voice. Anger reigned inside her but at the same time curiosity, who was this woman who had managed to pass the check from the Auros and managed to bring not one but two weapons in the MACUSA.
''Madam President, I'm sorry for the upset, but I've had an important guest' 'said Newt as look at the woman with a smile.''I would like you to meet...''.
"I can introduce myself, Fido," She interrupted. 'Ida Moat, good friend of Fido''
''Madam President and thank you that you accepted to help us' 'said President as they shake their hands and Newt looked at the floor to avoid the woman's eye.
''What? 'She growled, pulling away from her as she glared at Newt."What is this mean?"
''Why not we go to my office for some explain' 'said the President and the woman followed her to her office when they heard the door to shut everyone the Auros run to Newt for some information.
''Who she is?''
''Is she single ?''
''Can I have the address of her house?''
''Enough' 'said Percival Graves and no one dared to speak after this as they know the temper of the man.''You can do some questions but do not drown the poor boy''
He glanced at his colleagues and made his way to his office. No matter what he was willing to do to learn information about this strange but dangerous woman who walked into MACUSA armed ignoring the danger, the training Aurors and that they could have locked her up in seconds, he had paperwork that commanded his attention
'"I met her while I was travailing around Asia and Romania...''Newt said and a wave of jealousy passed through the stomach of Tina, seeing how much he loved talking about the woman and no one he has heard him talk so passionately about something except his animals...
'ΒUT she is rates, menacing, downright evil, beautiful, passionate, fierce, dangerous and for that, all of you must be away from her or you will miss an important part of our anatomy' 'said Newt, and everyone they laughed at the words of the man as they thought he was over, but the laughter disappeared when they saw the seriousness in his eyes.
''Guys this is not a joke because I have seen her torture a man or to kill someone without hesitation and one time someone lost his eye because he gripped her ass.''He said and laughing as he remembers the trip he had been to Romania to visit her and he had been at a bar for drinks with the result Ida get involved in a fight and she kicked their ass.
As Newt continued to explain a woman came out of a desk hitting the door behind her with anger, everyone saw the woman approaching had to run back to their offices leaving Newt alone to deal with her wrath.
''Ida..''Newt trailed off when he saw her face.''Why you looking at me like you want to rip my head off? '
''You better start talking or will kill you in your sleep' 'She said voice dripping with venom, stepping aside.
''People are dying!'
Ida looked at them one at a time. She smiled.
"That's what people do!"
Newt sighed and hit his head on the table as well he knows how stubborn is this woman and no one or everything it would not change her mind unless the woman has something to gain.
"You own me!"
Ida laughed at her friend's antics. "Really?"
Newt exhales dramatically.
The President shook her head ."Name the prize. I will give you whatever you want!"
"It's not about money!. It's about a message!"Ida barely spared her a glance.
"Ida!"Newt said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. Everyone could easily sense the tension between those two, as Newt flashed him a coy look caused her to give him a cheeky grin
"Whatever!"Ida nodded and Newt stood, grabbing his coat and racing out of the MACUSA.
"Are you tired?"
Ida walked toward her room without answering the man question. He followed her and came face to face with an empty white walls made everything rather bright. There was a queen-sized bed along the far side of the room, decked out in jet black bedding. There were two empty shelves above the bed, a dark wood nightstand next to it, and a door along the other wall. Since there were no dressers or wardrobes, Newt just assumed the door led to a closet of some sort. Ida was already sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Are you ok?"
Ida mumbled and looked up to him. Newt was immediately on guard when he saw how tired and stressed his friend was. He knew that the vast majority of people found it extremely odd that Newt, put his, well, a hunter , a killer or murder as the people call Ida on a pedestal well above that of any other detective he'd ever known. She was his best friend, his confidant, and his rock when his over-privileged world spun crazily; he felt closer to her than his own blood relatives and as fiercely protective of her.
Ida Moat.
The woman was the epitome of danger and death, ironic as I her last name means death in Arabic.
Newt had met Ida during his trip to Asia, he was there because he had heard rumors about a new species of Demiguise and wanted to see it up close, but he discovered her. He had not found her unconscious in a pool blood, he had understood that she was dangerous but he could not leave her in this state, he had brought her in his suitcase, he healed the wounds and waited next to her until she woke up, but the woman's awakening was not one of the best moments in their acquaintance.
Like a wounded and confused animal, Ida had tried to attack him which Newt had found logical, she was in an unknown environment with a stranger next to her, it was an instinct to protect herself. Newt, with calmness and gentle movements, explained to her how she was found in his suitcase, that he saved her and healed her, the man didn't say anything to her, he gave her new clothes and food,left her alone.
Newt had allowed her to stay in the suitcase with him for as long as needed, until she was well and able to stand on her feet, her wounds were deep and deadly. Ida stayed locked in the room that Newt had given her to stay in until she got well while he took care of the animals, after three days Ida came out of her room and spoke to him. She didn't say many words, she asked about the animals and she was everything, after six days she said her name and that was the beginning of a beautiful and strong friendship.
"I am fine!"
Ida's voice shook Newt back to reality. He looked back at the woman, who was raising a questioning eyebrow at her. Ida sighed and patted him on the head, telling him that nothing was wrong.
Newt did not look like he believed her, as embarrassing as that was for her ,all friendship and bullshit, but Ida could not find herself to be bothered with it. She never felt like she needed to hide anything from him.
"The last mission was..."Her brain unhelpfully supplied,"terrified!"
The room went still as Ida's words echoed through Newt's mind. There was so much he felt, so much he wanted to say. He reached for Newt's hand and squeezed it gently.
It felt good to be with someone, without lies and deception, someone you didn't have to watch every single word that came out of your mouth, someone where you could just be...you.
Newt gave her a slight smile, assuring him that everything was fine, because it was. Because it would be.
Newt felt good when Ida smiled back.
The next day found Tina, Graves with Newt and some other Aurors were around a table watching the new photos from today's corpses as Graves was trying to hold back his wrath because somebody makes his job worse because he cannot catch him and every time he was ready to catch him, he disappears with the result the anger of Percival Graves to grow up day by day and everyone they were hoping that Newt would have managed to change the opinion of his friend to help them or they should start looking for another job.
''Mr. Scamander' said the president as she entered the hall wishing to see a hunter but she was faced with some scary Auros and Tina with Newt staring at the floor and a very angry Percival Graves. ''Where is Miss Moat?''
Newt sighed and did not know how to say that the woman who could help was gone because this morning when he got up and went to the hunter's room to wake her up the room was empty and it seemed like no one had ever slept in the room . Newt was ready to say something when the room door opened and Ida walked in saying.
The woman walked into the room wearing black leather clothes and her white hair was on a ponytail with no trace of make-up, she sat in a chair and put her legs on the desk grabbing the envelope by Graves's hand ignoring the other presentations.
''What the fuck are birds so excited about at 5 AM?'' Growls Ida throwing the envelope on the table as Newt laughing as he knows that the hunter is mourning the morning wake up. ''I miss Romania's cold and the wake after 12 noon''
Newt quickly gave her a cup of coffee as he knows a lot of bad and even more sarcastic can be without coffee, the others watched the interaction between them and it is very weird about Newt to see him talking to someone and looking at him at the same time but the weirdest at all is that Newt touched his hand on the woman's shoulder and vice versa without Newt to be disturbed as everyone knows he did not like physical contact.
"Newt says that you were skilled at discreetly burying dead bodies" said Tina trying to draw the magicology's attention away from the woman and to hide jealousy from her voice with great success but why the hunter keeps staring at her as if she knew something Tina did not know
"You say that like it's a bad thing'' said Ida as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I want all the details of this case! "
"The first victim was found in a conspicuous place, as if he wanted us to find it. He had no sign that he resisted the one who attacked him and of course you can see that his eyes are missing" Tina answered as she trailed her eyes over the file."The second victim was found in an abandoned building with the exact same marks as our first victim. There is nothing to connect them, two different men from different social classes, jobs, interests and lived in different neighborhoods»
Ida murmured quietly, then sighed." All of them were non-Maj "
"Whoever did this has, no imagination"
The colour drained from Tina's face and Newt quickly held up her hands. "Calm down, she is trying to scary you. She is not that scary. She used to do bullet."
"Which gives me the skills in need to strangle you with my feet" Ida mocks, suddenly delighted."I have more imagination that him " She announced softly, as though they weren't right in the middle of a conversation.
As Ida continues to speak about the turture methods, some people turned their head at her in disgust, some women wanted to puke hearing the detail of and others were shocked of Ida, the way she spoke of those things, it was like those things was soo common for her like the morning coffee before work.
After been focusing on the files for almost over three hours, Ida stand up to leave the room but the woman wanted to make spectacular exit.
Ida walks towards the director. The man was the youngest Chief of Aurors MACUSA had ever had. He would have been youngest department head, too, if he hadn't spent a year in Europe fighting alongside no-majs in the trenches. Either way, he was as skilled an auror as they came, well-versed in every single aspect of the job, from brute-force dueling all the way to careful, probing interrogations.
''I'm returning your nose. I found it in my business'' Ida said. trowing a blue file on the floor in front of the Director"s feet.
Graves's face was empty of any emotion, it seemed that the shock and confusion he was going through was deep inside his soul. He has asked his friends about her and they told him that she is worse than Gellert when it comes to killing people. He heard that she actually make their lives a living hell. He was told that Ida will stalk them and let herself being seen. Then she would capture them torture them for a few years and then she will drain them of wetter and by putting salt in their wounds so their wound won't heal as fast and then she would let them go and repeat the cycle till the person go crazy commits suicide.
«What was your favourite part of my life?"Ida said, grinning wickedly at him.
It's safe to say Graves is beyond pissed, but the woman only makes a clicking noise with her tongue.
"I want you out of my building!"
At that Ida couldn't help but quirk a brow and lightly tease,"And I would like to have a pony but the life is a bitch!" It was a terrible habit of hers, teasing men with more power than sense.
Graves blinks rapidly at her and immediately fires three fast curses spells towards her opponent - but Ida disapparates with a faint pop, reappears 5 feet behind Graves and she pulled her guns from her thigh holsters.
"Careful what you do to a good woman..you have to deal with the monster you created," "Newt says smugly, as mutterings break out amongst the spectators.
"You hit me!"
Ida actually looks somewhat perturbed. 'You may be the fucking director of the MACUSA .' She glances down at the gun in hand. 'But this is not stopping me from kick your ass"
She pulled the trigger and promptly disparates from her starting position. Graves calls up a shield spell and the stunning curse rebounds off of it, but a grenade Ida threw sends flying Graves' way from his new position sails right through, forcing Graves to duck. She turn up down a table using it to blocks a returning curse dematerializes out of the way of a second and sends a knife towards the auror from behind her. Graves barely avoids it, and Ida has already gone by the time the next spell is thrown in her direction.
Graves temper snaps.
'Will you STAND STILL so I can hit you!' he roars.
The spell that Graves used against Ida was a jinxes aimed to distract and annoy - one to coat the floor beneath Ida's feet in ice, another to try to knock her legs out from under her.
Above them, Tina can hear Newt lose his composure entirely and start laughing. Ida can clearly hear it too because her face turns even redder than previously, which Newt honestly hadn't thought was possible. Graves wonders if he ought to suggest that the woman get her heart checked by a man- she looks awfully stressed.
Graves drops his shield charm and sends a jet of white-hot flame spurting out of the end of his wand towards Ida. She hastily relocates herself to the other side of the room, but Graves simply turns and the flames turn with him, setting three-quarters of the arena on fire in one sweeping motion. She can't see Graves try to hit her with a spell - the flames are cutting off any direct line of sight. Graves shouts something that she doesn't quite catch over the crackle of the fire and the flames surge towards her, rapidly consuming the safe ground.
'Asshole.' She mutters.
She'd somewhat hoped she wasn't going to have to resort to this. She's not entirely sure where in the room Graves was last standing, but she is fairly confident that the man isn't daft enough to set the ground immediately around him alight. Luckily for her, she is very good at the apparating blind.
She tucks her gun back into its holster and takes half a step forward, pushing off her right leg. She disapparates mid-step and reappears just to the side of Graves, driving a roundhouse kick directly into the man's chest and catches him around his waist, apparates both of them slightly into the air and twists Graves towards the ground. She can't see man's face, but she's not imagining the panicked spike of Graves' magic as he hastily casts a wandless cushioning charm. It's likely the only thing that stops Grapes from breaking part of his spine when they impact the floor.
She attempts to pin the man down, Graves also has the advantage of bulk. Graves gets a knee between them and pushes her off. She rolls away, takes a glancing blow to her ribs before finding her feet. She just about brings her hands up into a guard position to stop a series of mid-level punches as the man falls back on her boxing training. The impacts send him reeling. For a split second her guard slips. Graves takes full advantage, driving a punch into her's throat.
The woman staggers backward, tries to take a breath in - fails and chokes. She slams both of the heels of her boots into the auror's back, who pitches face-first into the wooden floor. The woman turns her downwards momentum into forwards roll and comes to her feet in a smooth motion, then endlessly grab Graves' wand to her hand. Around them, the magical fire sputters out.
She waits to see if Graves attempts to get up, but the man appears content to lie face down on the floor of the arena, groaning slightly.
'Yield?' Ida asks, her voice echoing slightly due to the amplifying charms spelled into the ring.
It takes Graves a few attempts to form the words, but eventually, he manages to croak out 'Yield.'
She sighs in relief, then startles as cheering erupts from above him. She'd somewhat forgotten that they'd had an audience. She glances up briefly and gives a small smile to Newt, who's waving enthusiastically. Then she turns back to Graves, who is in the process of gingerly attempting to sit up.
There's quite a lot of blood on the man's face, where his nose had smashed into the ground. Probably a broken nose.
She ignores him and strides towards the exit.
From the other side of the building Seraphine managed to make it all the way to the top floor of the MACUSA building simply by glowering at anyone who tried to get in her way. The woman slammed the door of Graves' office open so hard it knocked a very lovely framed watercolor from her all with a crash. Percival's head snapped up at the noise, but when he saw who.
"Can I help you?"
The door swung closed behind her, and Graves was alone with the President, who was fairly vibrating with suppressed emotion.
"You know perfectly well why I'm here. How dare you!"
There were only a few people alive who could've caught the self-satisfied twitch of Graves' mouth, but unfortunately, Seraphine was one of them.
Graves comes to a halt a few steps ahead of him. He doesn't turn around instantly, just looks ahead at the trees and the sun for the moment. It's evening, the sun is starting to cast orange shadows across the sky. Graves looks at them for as long as he can before he turns to Seraphine.
"How dare me?"Graves practically growled, all lingering patience long since dissipated."You are the one who brings a killer in MACUSA. I read her file , multiple arrest warrants have been issued in 18 different countries for this woman and the reasons they accuse her are things that no one can imagine."
Seraphine lips pulling into a disapproving frown as she turned to look at him."What you want me to say ,Percival? I admit that I don't feel comfortable with this woman being at our mercy, but it's the only way to close the case"
"I don't care about the case. We shouldn't have agreed to take it on, the victims were No-Maj"
The woman wanted to knock some sense into her friend and director.
"There is a lot of pressure from the Ministry of Magic, they want this case closed once and for all.»She replied flatly. «"I understand you and I read her file when mister Scamander introduced me to Miss Moat and I was confused by what I read I can't understand how the human mind can think of so many ways to torture another human being."
A heavy silence settled over them and what felt like an eternity passed in tense mistrust before Graves suddenly broke the stress-filled showdown.
"I don't trust her."
The glared at each but Seraphine face softened first. On, Percival!"
But it wasn't letting him to die. He was just forced to see this.
Forced to be the only survivor, even though he wished to be one of the fallen.
He just wanted to die with the others, not outlive them.
He was aware of himself murmuring the words 'Please, let me die.' Under his breath over and over again but he couldn't stop. He was unable to stop.
He know who it's like to be fear of your own shodow.
But he will always feel lost and alone since Gellert took everything from him. He couldn't even look at his parents eyes without sadness or anger, he snapped at his brother the last time he was at his house.
Picquery and Graves had been friends since their Ilvermorny days. He had watched her fight opposition — because she was a woman, because of the colour of her skin — for years. She was a formidable witch and an even better leader. In fact, he thought that if it hadn't been so scandalously inappropriate, he might have like to ask Seraphina Picquery to dinner. But he was nothing if not practical, so he did not allow that thought to linger.
"You are afraid of her!"
Seraphine leaned back against the office door, the glass cool through the fabric of her dress.
"What?"
Graves growled at his friend, his eyes wide and head whipping around so fast that he looked like something out of The Exorcist.
"You, the director of MACUSA is scare of her" Seraphine countered, tone edging towards tease.
"No," Graves replied roughly, lying. Very badly, as it happened, which was relatively unusual for him; Seraphine raised an eyebrow in transparent scepticism, and Graves quickly changed tack. "Maybe ."
"I could be an idiot if I didn't be a bit scare of her!"
Graves' guard was completely down, feeling completely safe with Seraphine, because he flinched noticeably.
"This woman knows about 30 different ways to kill someone with a paper clip," Graves says softly, honestly, completely terrified.
Seraphine laughs it off though, takes it as the joke it isn't meant to be, and says, "She made a good impression on you!"
Graves opened his mouth to protest, but all it took was a look from Seraphine before he became ridged and left the office.
Auros and secretaries, women and commoners men witnessing something that was truly frightening. They all saw as their director zoomed from corridor to corridor, pillar to pillar, running at top speed. His eyes blazed with purpose as he walk all across the hall to reach his new enemy.
Graves walked over to Ida's office after the final decision to hire her on the case gave her an office away from the rest of the staff. Besides, few people dared to approach her and talk to her.
The man walks toward the office but froze in the sight of Ida's body. The woman's torso, arms, and back are littered in scars, scratches, bruises, burns.
"You should know better than sneak up on a lady. "Ida said already with some sass.
Graves was impressed.
She hasn't even looked behind her to confirm the man's eyes one her.
"Good advice."Graves rolled his eyes before fixing them on her."Have you seen one?
Graves frowned but kept quiet, memorizing the tattoos covering Ida' arms and torso. Playing cards, skulls, cursive script, roses, hell he could even see an eagle in the overlapping collage of black and white images that seemed to mesh together into one cohesive picture on woman' pale flesh.
"Take a picture." She grumbled darkly, narrowing her eyes at Graves as if daring him to keep staring without permission.
The man blinked a few times, sure this lip piercing and an eyebrow piercing some sort of hallucination.
"You're a murderer." Graves spoke icily.
He watched as Ida lips pulled down into a deep frown, her bottom lip pulling tightly against the metal ring.
"You want a confession go to church." Ida replied venomously, dropping her arms to his sides.
"I don't trust-.."
"When I ever not give you a reason to trust me?"Ida cut in, frowning at the man as she moved around to the other side of her desk.
"Would you like to answer alphabetically or chronologically? "He interrupted loudly.
"I'm sorry about the file but I don't trust people very easy," Graves assured her, the depth and gravel of his voice both surprised her and soothed her. As he spoke she could feel her eyelids slowing surrendering to sleep under the influence.
"I know the feeling."She smiled slowly.
"Look I don't like you and I can see that you feel the same." Graves manages to get out, each word drawn from his lips.
"You're sure you can handle my temper if I am in your team?" She asked, with a cheeky grin.
"Somehow, I think I could manage."Graves rumbled, and even though he was grinning now, he wasn't joking.
Why you are you helping us?" He said, because he was still intrigued by those blazing, green eyes.
"I've got red in my ledger, and I'd like to wipe it out."
He doesn't know if it's a lie.
"Can you?" He whispered.
"Can you wipe out that much red?" His composure remained impassive, but as he gazed into her eyes he could see pain and hate swirling round them.
"Of course not"Ida said, voice low in tone. Graves' mouth shut with an audible click of his teeth. "I've been a killer for longer than I've known Newt, Graves. So much blood but not enough of time."
Graves looks at her hard. It's his job to read people and Ida feels like an open book under that gaze. Still,she does not look away. She stares blankly into Graves' brown eyes: no defiance, no challenge to call his bluff, no emotion at all. The man looks away first