Whiskey Soaked and Reckless

Mia lifted her eyebrows slightly, fairly surprised by how willing Astrid was to discuss the case even if for once this was genuinely something Mia had a bureaucratic interest in because of all the trading violations that had been discovered. “And hopefully this also serves as a lesson to people who think any dark alley is a real black market,” Mia remarked flatly. The destruction of Knockturn was something she saw as a chance to advance her career, not an attack on a treasured errand stop with either or of her parents, and it was easy to talk about it so dispassionately.  

“I’d say it’s amazing you found the time with all these investigations to come to a party, but it seems everyone found the time,” Mia remarked, casting a glance at a small huddle of workers from the Muggle Relations department. “I can only imagine you’re as annoyed by breaks as I am with something so big so close to being solved.”

“Oh? Am I disappointing now if I say I’m not annoyed?” Astrid’s mouth twisted wryly. “ A night off and leaving investigations behind is healthy. Going to a party, or reading a good book with a glass of wine,” there was an instinctive if brief twitch toward a frown on the word wine, “We can’t be completely our jobs. It’s easier to be gung-ho and want investigation around the clock when you’re just out of school. Those that had businesses or home in Knockturn deserve closure and I want to bring it to them and everyone else. Tomorrow is a new year to grant it. Tonight is for other things. You’ll find in a few years of burn out to enjoy off moments and that what you really crave as much as case closed is balance.”

‘‘No one’s that nice of a guy,’‘ he sighed, resigned, only afterwards realizing he was in a way suggesting that, to an extent, those kids deserved it. They did not. It didn’t compare with what the Maytes did. ‘‘She just didn’t really know how they could tell these kids were spirit elementals, while the Ministry didn’t. Bellamy wasn’t a top choice. Of course he wouldn’t share all information with her.’‘

‘‘Of course she escaped. Because when you count on other people, they inevitably fuck up everything and leave you with tons of problems,’‘ he snapped a little with a caustic smile, though that all didn’t mean as much as he wanted it to mean. They learned plenty from Bellamy. Everything else they could find out was probably not as important. As much as he hated to admit it, it perhaps was time to let go of her one way or another. But the fact that it wasn’t on his own terms was what pissed him off the most. ‘‘I don’t care about it legally. This isn’t against the aurors at all. If anything, we’re on the same side.’‘ Logically, it wasn’t false, but things were less simple than just good intentions. The thought of having declared war with the Maytes made him roll his eyeballs out of his skull. ‘’Somehow I don’t shudder at the thought. I actually hope they make an effort and come to kill me. But they won’t. They have to handle everyone else before getting to their own blood.’’

“That’s a question I’d like answered too,” she mused on it a bit, mentally combing through files and known links between those taken. “The first victim was a known spirit user. He may have known about the unregistered ones. He might have told Lawrence or Joshua under duress.” It was a tenuous first theory. She could do better once she really thought about it. Just coming out and asking Lawrence was an option too. He’d probably even tell her. She’d rather not go that route though.

“You don’t believe that,” she brushed off his bitter comment about trust. “It’s true, but we fuck up everything by ourselves too so you might as well have someone to watch your back sometimes. I guess your Curly isn’t infallible after all. Maybe this can at least teach her that lesson. Don’t be too hard on her though. She’s a good kid.” She’d press for more details on Bellamy’s escape another time, not when it was fresh. She went to retrieve her toast from the toaster as Charlie talked about aurors, an “I know,  but I don’t know if all my coworkers would see it that way,” that danced a dangerous line between keeping the conversation tone light to prevent dwelling on how seriously some of the previous night’s action could spiral and coming across condescending, tossed over her shoulder while she spread butter and jelly. Charlie daring reprisal from the Maytes was less easy to twist into a lighter tone, despite Charlie himself taking it the least seriously of anything discussed. Astrid allowed herself a second to breathe and not snap an answer out of frustration, to keep the same airy, positive, accepting attitude she’d suddenly adopted to everything else. “We’ll just have to handle them first. Together next time.”

‘‘I suppose there is a natural point at which you just feel it. Either your enemy is dead or faltering in power, either you’re starting to lose and don’t feel like you have the strength to turn the odds around. I mean, for you, at least. If you don’t feel well, you disappear. Forget about apparating me too. I’ll find my way eventually.’‘ He nodded firmly at her words, despite what he had just said. She was basically contradicting his previous point, but he didn’t see any stubbornness in that. If anything, it was making a valid point he couldn’t contradict back. Still, there were exceptions. ‘‘Ideally yes. But if you in any way feel bad, you go home and that’s where we regroup before meeting with a larger group - though I don’t feel that’s so necessary. I suppose we’ll see on spot what should happen.’’ 

He frowned, visualizing it, but being convinced that his own portrayal had more to do with imagination than with how Roxanne actually spoke about it. ‘’Empty field. For kilometers. Muddy. Slightly frozen this time of the year, so walk with caution. Let them slip. Few trees for hiding. We’ll try to orientate so that the trees could work as shields. I remember this as something Lupin said, now.’’ The signal was easy enough. He retorted naturally. ‘’Just shout my name. I’ll do the same. If all goes perfectly, we’ll get to each other as the battle closes and leave. I wouldn’t want to be last to leave the party, though not first either.’’ The latter remark was welcomed with a sigh, ‘’I’d really like some marshmallows now.’’

‘‘I’m not using lethal force for nothing. Why do you always take me for a mindless brute with no strategy? I know how to duel without Kedavra,’‘ he jumped to his own defense, though he very well saw Astrid’s point of view and it was mostly for comedic effect.

‘‘If it was just us, we could feel our way through, but involving other people gives you some responsibility toward those other people and making sure everyone makes a retreat.” There was the danger of talking around in circles, so she didn’t keep pressing and contradicting Charlie’s idea that they could just play things by ear. She didn’t argue over leaving, and leaving him behind if she felt bad either,  protest she wasn’t fragile, or tease him that the same went for him too if a teenager stunned him again and he didn’t feel up to the rest of the battle. She wouldn’t leave without him, and likely wouldn’t leave unless she saw the others Charlie and Roxanne had involved in their little plan at least moving toward a safe retreat. She knew that, because if she was willing to retreat for her health, she wouldn’t be going in the first place. It just wasn’t something to argue, or to pretend that she wasn’t in a delicate enough condition that he shouldn’t be concerned and she shouldn’t be keeping in mind her own limitations. 

“I’ll cast something for grip on my shoes. Orienting around the trees isn’t a bad idea,” though she said it with enough doubt that it was clear she didn’t think shields that obstruct your view and that can be brought down with force to crush you wasn’t exactly something you could call a good idea either, “but trees as shields isn’t a substitute for protego maxima. As long as everyone is thinking shields first it’s the right direction though, I guess.”  Shouted names seemed like a weak signal when there was sure to be a massive amount of noise and confusion, especially when one of the last times they had been in a similar situation Charlie had ended up losing his hearing for months, though again she cut the argument out of it, just amending slightly,  “Purple sparks with the shouted names, so we have a visual to pinpoint location.”

‘‘I didn’t say no strategy. You have a very clear strategy. It ends with marshmallows.”

‘‘No hairs, no DNA in general. Wands and items on the attackers, none lost. To put it sentimentally, only the memories remain.’‘ Luca shrugged faultlessly, though he was intrigued who did it. It seemed pointless in many ways, unless for attention, but he couldn’t understand what they would be drawing attention to… or from. Suddenly, the case became an exciting puzzle. ‘‘You can analyze the explosives if you’d like. Maybe you find something relevant on them.’‘ He doubted that, since he did not. They were homemade or at least bought from someone who did such things for a living, but they had no signature at the bottom and no particular features to point in any direction. 

“Didn’t think we’d get lucky. If it’s related to the usual suspects--which I know we shouldn’t assume it is--they know how to cover their tracks mostly by now. I’ll take a look at the report on the explosives. You never know, small details, even ones where you feel the elements are mass produced, can lead somewhere. Nathan and I once were able to reopen the Andelina Reska case with a new list of suspects because of lotion on her skin that had been disregarded the first investigation. Not that it’s the best example since when the real killer came forward it didn’t connect, but there may still be something to follow.”

“When someone we love is in danger, for example. ” Lucy waved it off, rolling her eyes. She wasn’t an irrational person after all, never had been. “Exactly. So focus on them and leave my family alone.”

“I don’t need examples. I’m saying you do have warrant already. I’m not against you or your family. I’d like to think I’m friendly enough with many of them. But if you want law and order, you keep an even vigil.”

He took Astrid’s small moment of hesitation for entirely something else. “I know they aren’t the most reliable in court, but it’s a starting point. Like I said, it’s unlikely that all witnesses tweaked their memories the same way.” Luca waved his wand boredly before the patronus form of a shark slid from it. “Louis Weasley, please take the full list of confirmed witnesses of the Knockturn Alley attack, find them in an official and decent manner and ask them for their testimony in form of pensieve memories. We need it to identify the attackers.”

“It’s a starting point and we can use it,” she agreed as the patronus was summoned.  “Is there any usable, significant physical evidence? Maybe I can start there.” She had to at least know what had been collected. Any other decision could be made later. The possibility of compromising evidence sickened her. 

“Neither my cousin nor I am the type of person to cause trouble unwarranted.” Louis was a bit paranoid and aggressive at times, but he was family and she knew that his heart was in the right place. That’s why he became an auror so he could protect people. “There are other people more likely to cause trouble you should keep an eye on.”  

“And when it would be warranted?” Astrid asked archly. “I don’t think we’re discussing unwarranted. You’re right though. Others more likely to strike out.” Like Lucy’s other cousin, Roxanne, like Astrid herself. 

“That’s a good thing. I did not plan on getting black out drunk either.” Not that she ever did. Lucy liked a drink or two from time to time, but she was trying to make healthier life choices now. “But you’re not dismissing his worries either.” Which was an important distinction. 

“No, I’m not dismissing his worries,” she responded just a touch slowly. “I’m not counting out the possibility of trouble from anyone, including him or you” she continued with the important distinction.

‘‘She specifically said that. I understood from Roxanne that not all of them are registered spirit elementals. But they are spirit elementals. That’s what Lawrence was going for. I asked if he was trying to build an army. No. Of course not. It was scientific. An experiment,’‘ he spoke, visibly amused and mocking the older man’s attempt at being intellectual with his curiosity. ‘‘Okay.’‘ The question about Bellamy wasn’t welcome with such openness as the rest of the discussion, and his eyes turned into arrows for a moment. ‘‘She escaped. Scorpius Malfoy was watching her and he let her go. I guess the spirit element thing isn’t all that great if even Bellamy can beat it. I think Bellamy’s back to the castle now. Where else could she be if not giving the report to Frisk?’‘

“Well, that explains a lot about why some of them were so uncooperative,” her tone only contained traces of disapproval, and her mind was already working on the puzzle of how to pass on the information to her fellow aurors without betraying how she came by it. Perhaps she didn’t have to though, on second thought. Getting Kai Zhao and Rhea Dunst on potions would only alienate them more, and neither seemed like too large of a risk, though she would play devil’s advocate to herself once again, and argue the other side that she didn’t want to wait until one of them proved her wrong, snapped, and the aurors were ruling them out as suspects because the crime had been committed by,say, an earth elemental to try and work in what she’d known for months. It was something that required more thought, enough thought that she failed to have a human reaction to the idea of the kidnapping victims as experiments, though she did have the excuse that it was a story told by Noah Sharpe and Scorpius Malfoy before.

“She escaped?” That had her full attention, though her eyes were more ringing alarms more a moment before assimilating the information than arrows. “Well, she can’t cause official trouble for you at least. She’s wanted in connection with Lawrence. She can’t show up at the auror’s office. On other fronts? We’ll have to be careful, increase the wards around our building, watch ourselves. You declared war. Hopefully you got enough information.”

‘‘We’ll regroup naturally. I don’t think that’s settled since it’s not quite apparation or mathematics so it can transport us about anywhere in that field. You’ll have to ask Roxanne or your auror buddy. They might know better.’‘ Frowning as Astrid played her little game, he shook his head in lack of understanding. ‘‘Do you mean fire is simple or what do you mean? Lethal force if needed. Duh.’‘

“Regroup after what point? A time or a number of enemies down? Regroup where?” There were several more questions that could have followed but the point had already been made that, as far as it went for Charlie at least, there had not been answers decided for everything. “I’ll talk to Teddy.” She’d already formed her opinion of Roxanne’s planning skills. Teddy would be the one to talk details with. “Larger group can regroup wherever it wants and we’ll meet them there afterwards. You and I should figure out our own meeting place first, one at the site. I’m not going to leave the field without knowing you’re with me. I’m allowed to make awful demands like that. I’m hormonal. Have you seen where we are going? Had it described to you? We pick a landmark and a signal. I don’t care whether I’m dragging eight prisoners with us, or you’re in the middle of burning Lawrence personally. We meet each other on the signal..though I’d be more conscientious than to give the signal for anything but marshmallows when Lawrence is on fire. ” Though she would be disappointed on that case, and she thought it better not examine why, and to just give a soft, teasing response to Charlie faux confused question. “Lethal force forgiven but not needed, simple man.”

Mia let out a long, slow breath through her nose with a clearly aggravated expression when Astrid so easily brushed aside the possibility of being undercover. A snappy comment along the lines of ‘I’m a young, healthy witch, why wouldn’t I look good?’ hovered in the back of Mia’s throat, but she suppressed it. It was a common, polite thing to say. Mia had said it countless times. It was just all small talk in general that utterly grated on her nerves these days, it seemed. It used to be her forte, and she couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly when that stopped.

“It’s as exciting as it can be these days,” Mia responded, easing the aggravation with a mental exercise to calm the tension throughout her face and shoulders. “After the incident at Knockturn Alley, it was discovered that quite a few of the merchants there were violating even some of the most basic rules. Are you working on that case? I’m sure the Aurors all have their hands full.”

It seemed to Astrid Mia was getting worse at controlling her emotions. Surely Mia was still better than many far older than she was, but there was noticeable tension in the younger woman’s bearing for a moment, and this was only small talk. Where was the woman who defended knowing nothing about the attack on her wedding and made what everyone knew was a lie convincing enough to pass all tests? She was already on edge, again, understandable to expect trouble, but Astrid had to wonder if it was just general danger-sense or one source was concerning Mia more than another.

“I am working the case,” Astrid admitted freely without any cryptic stalling when it was free information, though she layered the expected significance of tone and pointed look when talking more details. “We managed to collect almost as many pensieve declarations as verbal statements for once, so you can rest assured we are closing in and will find whoever is behind it soon.” Not if Astrid could help it they wouldn’t, the thinly veiled threat wasn’t supposed to be against herself.

‘‘I thought it’s irrelevant and would put you in a bad position. Now I know that’s nonsense. I told you right away about this other thing, didn’t I? It wasn’t a matter of keeping secrets,’‘ he explained calmly, for the first time actively concerned that Jared would wake up early and intervene. He usually had no shame regarding Astrid’s brother, but this was different. 

‘‘We didn’t hurt her, aside from the dueling hexes. Nothing bad. I’m not stupid or cruel. We gave her a truth potion. And curly used Imperio. But don’t jump to conclusions, it’s good she did. They killed the missing girl. Bellamy said she was a squib and they… brought her to a better place for her. Something like that. Lawrence wanted to research spirit elementals. That’s why those kids were kidnapped. They were spirit elementals. I don’t remember their names. Roxanne’s better with details. We know about the dragon. The only dragon. I know kind of what wards they are using… but that doesn’t mean I know how to disarm all of them. They’re not all that easy-breezy. She had no idea about any conclusions regarding their experiment. Of course Lawrence wouldn’t tell brain-dead Bellamy everything. I knew I should’ve gone for Aerwynna. But, admittedly, that would have been another deal.’‘

“It does put me in a bad position.” Her tone said that was what was truly irrelevant. 

She listened intently to Charlie, silent but shifting in expression, waving away the use of imperio instead of gasping (it was a disgusting spell in principle, but in the context the most humane and efficient if you weren’t caught up in legality, which they were already beyond) though she may ask later if he knew anything about where Curly learned or perfected such a spell, accepting the confirmation of Scarlet’s death with sad resignation. The idea of the younger Burke girl as a squib didn’t fit, but she didn’t address it. The revelation that followed it however she couldn’t take silently. “They were all spirit elementals except for Burke? Did she say that? There was no other mistake or control for the experiment?” It wasn’t asked with disbelief and raised brow, but rather with the air of an interviewer just trying to make sure the facts were laid out straight. The implications could be marveled over after. “Write the list of wards before you forget them. We’ll start researching.” The singular dragon she didn’t pretend to have a reaction to. “Where do you have Bellamy now? What do you plan to do with her longterm?”

Mia hadn’t spoken much throughout the night, mostly just listening to what others were saying. The happiness, or at least calm, that seemed to permeate the room was unsettling to her. Obviously she wasn’t in the mood for an unexpected wandfight, but she expected some people to at least bicker some more. Perhaps everyone was resolving to be more forgiving and patient that year. What a waste of time and energy. 

“I’ll have the same,” Mia stated when she heard the Auror’s choice. If no one else was going to instigate anything, it seemed that only left her to have a sane mind about the gathering and how to properly react. “Are you secretly on duty now, or is there another reason you’re avoiding the firewhiskey?”

Mia copying her order didn’t clock as strange,worth noting but not odd. If anything it was strange for it not to be a common request considering the mixed company.  “No, I’m not on duty, though if I were here officially and undercover--as undercover as I could be in present company--would I be likely to tell you? You look well, Miss Selwyn. Sorry, Mia, it does take some getting used to not addressing those I knew recently as students by last name,” she changed to pleasantries without addressing the second part of Mia’s question. “How is International Trading Standards?”

“How responsible auror McCall. Perhaps my new years resolution should be to be more like you,” Ellie leaned her back against the bar, elbows propping her up, and half finished drink glinting beside her, “Albeit there might be a little too much wine and cheese in my career to avoid it altogether. They say willpower is a limited resource.”

“You can do better than that for a resolution I’m sure,” Astrid dismissed. “If my willpower was that strong, would I need to make sure the bartender has instructions?” She turned her back to the bar, though she didn’t lean her elbows like Ellie, and scanned the room. “A little wine never hurt anyone,” she shrugged a shoulder, “Unless it’s poisoned and that’s not likely to happen even tonight.”

“So I’m guessing you’re here on duty?” It did make her feel a bit calmer to know that there were aurors here tonight. This seemed too much like a trap, but she hadn’t figured out yet who was trying to trap who with this. 

“Not an official duty, but I suppose I am, and I’m staying sharp tonight. I could suggest you do the same, but I don’t want to advocate paranoia. I’ll leave that to your cousin Louis.”

“Grandma is beginning to sound threatening. Let’s agree that we’re not there yet and won’t have to be for a while. Okay, but we might want to be quiet discussing it. We clink the glasses to celebrate the New Year and the drinks will turn into Portkeys for some empty land Roxanne chose. We then attack. Simple, right?”

“Not for decades,” she agreed definitively.  She cast a muffling charm, though the drawn wand seemed out of place in the current environs. “Not quite that simple. Zones of the battlefield or targets to cover? Exit strategy? Some details are given.” She put a hand on her own chest, “Lethal force only as a last resort, subdue and contain preferred,” then she waved the same hand toward Charlie, “Lethal force likely to be used, but it still is a little less simple than fire until one side stops standing.”