A/N: As promised, here is our next chapter as we dive a bit deeper into the mystery. I have taken the liberty to alter our story slightly for the sake of brevity and to keep things interesting (and not repetitive as Jam City loves to do). Besides, who doesn't love a fancy ball scene, am I right?

This may have been the most idiotic thing Arah had ever done- it was criminal, a fireable offense no doubt, but if Arah was anything, she was a risk-taker. The last Secret Society meeting only boosted Arah's suspicions that the Fraud case and the Fiendfyre incident were somehow connected. Arah had overheard several members discussing the Charity Auction during her latest reconnaissance mission- nearly all of the members had ties to the art auction in some way or another. The majority of them buzzed about an upcoming Charity Gala to help raise funds for the damages the art curator had suffered during the event. He went by the name Felix Grooves.

Arah wrestled with herself, unsure if she should stay in her lane and focus on the job she was given, but the thought of Ruby kept luring her back like a siren at sea. Maybe its dangerous song would lead to the dark depths of explanation... or it was a trap to a watery grave. It was all so eerily connected- Arah felt it in her core. Her instincts seldomly led her astray, which was why she had become obsessed with confirming her suspicion- and why she found herself peeking down the halls of the ROCC, ensuring the coast was clear before sneaking into the evidence locker.

It wasn't like Arah enjoyed being so unethical, she had practically begged Callum to share the details of the Fiendfye case he had uncovered, but he was as tight-lipped as Madam Pince during NEWT exams, and rightfully so. Flump forbade Arah's involvement of any kind. One could only undermine Cresent Flump so many times until he fired you for good.

But how could Arah not pursue the trail when she was so certain she was on the right path? Seeking justice for Ruby's untimely death was all that mattered to her, so she continued on- desperately scanning the lockers.

113... 114... locker 115! Arah pulled out her wand, casting Alohamora under her breath.

Nothing.

Damn it. She cursed, waving her wand again.

"Did you really think that would work?" Callum leaned cooly against the entrance, looking almost amused.

Arah jumped at the sound of his voice, heart beating outside of her chest, "Callum!" Arah forced a smile, hiding her wand behind her back feigning innocence. She'd have better luck convincing him her Uncle was an Imp. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, considering I work here and you're standing in front of my evidence locker, I think that's a perfectly reasonable explanation. The real question is what are YOU doing here?"

"I... err-" heat rushed to her cheeks, unsure how to dig herself out of this one.

"Save it." He held up his hand to stop her from embarrassing herself more, "I know you're trying to look into Ruby's case."

Arah opened her mouth to protest- but decided against it, accepting her fate that she was done for.

He leaned in close, "You're lucky Flump hasn't caught on- he'd burn you at the stake. You aren't exactly subtle about it, you know?" He hissed under his breath.

"Trust me, I know. But Ruby was my partner, I can't just sit around and do nothing." She hissed back- holding his gaze.

Callum studied her a moment, his dark eyes softening before he let out a sigh. "Oche, I can't believe I'm doing this..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut in final contemplation. "I'm under a lot of pressure to solve this case quickly, but... I've recently hit a dead end. And as much as it pains me to admit - and trust me, it does... you're good at this - really good. I could use your wits on this case."

Arah beamed, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"Don't make that face."

Arah tried to reign back her grin, but her cheeks ached as the corner of her lips twitched, "What face? I'm not making a face."

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Forget I said anything."

"Perhaps you've hit a dead end because you only know half the story. "

"Ah, right. You think the victims of the Quidditch memorabilia fraud and the forged cheques all have a connection to the fire."

"I do," she lifted her chin confidently.

"Okaay..." he dragged, clearly doubting the theory. "Let's say I bite. What can you tell me?"

"I know that nearly all the society members have donated money to this Art Charity in some capacity- others had even planned to attend the charity themselves. I know that the curator had sold several pieces to a number of them in the past. I also know there will be an upcoming Gala in honor of the Art Gallery Fire for the curator himself."

"Felix Grooves?"

"Yes! Apparently, he's a member of the society, but I've yet to see him actually attend."

"Interesting..." Callum pondered, "Here is what I can tell you; we don't know who or what was being targeted. But one thing we do know is that all the art donated for the auction came from this Felix Grooves. Unfortunately, we've been unable to track him down. Hence, dead end."

"Perhaps if we looked at the evidence together..." Arah traced her fingers enticingly against the locker door. The corner of Callum's lips quirked as he flourished a rusted key and shoved it in the lock.

"What are you two still doing here?" Flump's voice droned from the doorway. Arah flinched at the sound, a half-eaten Liquorice Wand hung limply from his mouth.

"Just locking up, sir." Callum fibbed cooly, pretending to close the evidence door. Arah could learn a thing or two from him - he was much too good at this.

Flump glared at Arah through his droopy eyes, chewing slowly as the licorice crept into his mouth. "And you?"

Arah swallowed, "I had a quick question for Callum about protocol for getting ink tested in the lab to identify its substances."

Flump analyzed her a moment before letting out a half-satisfied grunt- shoving another licorice in his mouth, "Does nobody go home on time anymore?" He sighed to himself, before shuffling away. Arah let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Callum leaned in close, "My office, one hour." he whispered. Arah nodded, ignoring the way her heart lept with excitement, leaving him alone in the evidence room.

Arah paced the length of her workspace, glancing up at the clock to see it had hardly moved since she last checked. She could take the time to review her notes again, but at this point- she had everything memorized. Besides, she was much too excited to be able to focus on anything- eager to get her hands on the evidence that could further both of their cases and get them one step closer to finding justice for Ruby.

Right at the hour, Arah dashed up the spiral stairs, finding the modest office door with a crooked sign that read"Agent Callum McClintock". She knocked lightly as the doorknob turned on its own, creaking open. Arah slinked in, closing the door quietly behind her.

The office was a humble size with a tall window in the back that overlooked the Ministry. The walls were lined with rows of books sorted in alphabetical order and organized by topic, bronzed trophies and medals decorated a few of the shelves. Papers were stacked in neat piles with a miniature replica of the ROCC globe that sat polished in the corner. Callum's tall lanky body slumped over his desk, studying something intently as he sloshed a glass of scotch in his hand. Arah approached, seeing various evidence scrawled upon the mahogany surface; a scorched painting with what looked like a certificate of authenticity, Ruby's singed journal, and her gold Texas-shaped necklace.

Arah brushed the familiar jewelry delicately, a pang of grief nearly stole her breath. Ruby had always kept home close to her heart.

"I understand if seeing Ruby's belongings is hard for you," Callum spoke softly, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Now was not the time to let feelings cloud judgment, this was the time to dig deep. She picked up Ruby's tattered notebook, flipping through the pages- recognizing her friend's curly scribbles written throughout. Arah paused, noticing the name 'Felix Grooves' underlined on the paper. Arah's eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"How would Ruby have known who Felix Grooves was? I only just discovered his involvement in the case." Arah pondered aloud.

"Perhaps she was further along in your investigation than you knew." Callum offered, "If she wrote down Felix's name, she could have tracked him to the art gallery."

That couldn't be right. Arah had been there when Ruby had chosen the Art Gallery Security job. It had seemed totally and completely random at the time. But perhaps Ruby secretly knew and wanted to take the security job in an attempt to further her career and make herself look better... a swell of guilt settled heavily in her chest for presuming such a rotten thing. But then again, could she confidently say she knew Ruby all that well?

"Hm." Arah set the notebook down, turning to the damaged painting- glad to change the subject. "Tell me what I'm looking at here." She said flatly.

"The painting was recovered at the scene with this certificate of authenticity. It's beyond repair, but you can make out the signature slightly. It's a Magenta Comstock piece."

Arah studied the brushstrokes still visible beneath the char and soot. Badeea had always been an art lover- especially of Magenta Comstock. She recalled her friend's passion for how Comstock painted eyes- they have this magical way of following you no matter where you stand. Arah picked up the portrait, staring closely at the woman in the painting. The eyes were steely and grey- incredibly realistic and unique in a sense, but Arah cocked her head as she surveyed the pupils staring off into the distance.

"Would you say her eyes follow you?" Arah asked, shifting the painting around.

"No?"

"How about now?" She asked, holding the portrait at a different angle.

"No." Callum eyed her skeptically.

"Magenta Comstock is known for painting eyes that follow the viewer. But these eyes don't. It's odd, is it not?"

Callum shrugged nonchalantly, "Don't ask me, I know bollocks when it comes to Magenta Comstock."

"Perhaps you should become a tad more cultured, Agent McClintock." Arah raised her brows. "Can I see the certificate of authenticity?"

Callum handed her the piece of paper, murmuring something under his breath about how he was plenty cultured. Arah ignored his remarks, surveying the certification. The signature and seal were clear, it seemed authentic enough. But just as Arah put down the paper, the light glinted off the ink- making it appear dark pink for just a moment. Arah gasped, gripping the paper again and holding it up to the light.

"What is it?!"

"The ink!" Arah exclaimed, shoving the paper in Callum's face.

"What about it?" he fussed.

"Hold it to the light, tell me what you see!"

Callum's eyes squinted as he studied the paper, "Why is it dark pink?"

Dark pink. The same color of ink that had been on the other fraudulent cases. Arah's hands shook with excitement, her heart racing a mile a minute. This was her proof. The cases were connected- her suspicions were confirmed. Arah wanted to cheer from the window for the whole ministry to hear. Arah raced through an explanation, telling Callum everything- having to pause and slow down a few times as Callum did his best to follow.

"Check the signature on the painting, I bet it's signed in dark pink!" Arah pointed to the portrait. Callum picked up the artwork, studying the Magenta Comstock's signature closely.

"You're shittin' me." his eyes widened.

Arah let out a whoop, jumping with excitement as a gleeful laugh made her feel lighter than she had in weeks. It was as if she'd been stung by a Fizzing Whizzbee.

"Alright, alright." Callum chuckled, "Keep it down will you?"

"Just say the words 'you're right Annon', and I'll stop." Arah gloated, tossing her silver hair back.

Callum's face twisted uncomfortably, "It seems like our decision to share information has produced results." he mumbled.

Arah groaned, "Merlin, would it kill you to admit it!"

Callum smirked at her, "Okay... fine. You were right about one thing, but that doesn't make us any closer to solving this thing."

"Are you always this pessimistic?" Arah nudged him playfully, "No more dead end! We should be celebrating!"

"I'll celebrate when I solve this thing and Ruby gets the justice she deserves," he said soberly.

She sank as if she'd been stung by a Glumbumble. "You're right. What's next then?"

"I think it's time we find and confront this Felix Grooves. You mentioned something about a Gala earlier?"

"Yeah, some fancy gathering with a bunch of snobby witches and wizards with sticks shoved so far up their asses-"

"Can you get us in or not?"

Arah's lips quirked mischievously, "I'll see what I can do."

A/N: How do we think the story will unfold? Let me know your thoughts! As always, I so appreciate those who take the time to comment/review from both new and returning readers. I hope to have the next chapter out soon :)