"Ní mhaireann solas na maidine don lá." // "No morning sun lasts all day."

The following morning, Tara and Leta walked into the Ministry side by side. For most of the journey in, the former hadn’t uttered so much as a word to her friend.

“You look angry.” Leta finally noted as they meandered down one of the main, carpeted corridors. There were easily a few hundred other wizards rushing about around them as they continued their more leisurely stroll.

“Don’t I always?” Tara replied sarcastically.

“Did something happen?”

“Did you know that Newt’s brother was Head Auror?”

Leta immediately winced.

“Yeah. I suppose I should’ve mentioned that.”

Tara let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing at her temples.

“Why?” Leta pressed on. And almost immediately upon seeing the slightest of twitches in her roommate's expression, her shoulders fell. “No way you started a fight on your first day.”

“Not exactly like I could help it.” Tara responded in a weak grumble. “It’s bad enough they want me to work with these boneheads every day. But to know that the most boneheaded of them all is the one in charge-” she completed her statement with an overtly child-like groan that caused a few Ministry workers in their immediate vicinity to glance over at them.

Leta pointedly tilted her head over both her shoulders before turning towards her friend to speak in more of a hushed tone.

“Look, just grin and bear it for now. I’m sure Theseus isn’t really the villain you make him out to be.”

“You have no idea-”

“Tara…” Leta cut her off with an exasperated tone that immediately caused the Irish witch to clamp her mouth shut. “Just…try not to take anyone’s head off. Start there.” she continued. “Plus, you are technically the one in charge. Don’t let them forget that, ok?”

Her words finally managed to draw a smile out of Tara just before the two of them ultimately went their separate ways.

A few hours later, Tara was standing in front of a line of Aurors, inside of a large recreational space that the Ministry had provided for them. It sort of resembled a gym, almost a more empty and bland version of the one that her family ran back in Dublin. 

That fact had brought her the smallest ounces of comfort, helping her feel as though she had some sort of control in the space.

You’re technically the one in charge. Don’t let them forget that. Leta’s voice bounced around inside of her head as her eyes tracked across the faces of those standing before her.

“Right.” she inevitably broke the silence. “Welcome to Lawmen training. The Ministry seems to think that your numbers are in need of some extra conditioning, so that is what I am here to do. Sessions will take place anywhere from three to four times a week depending on your caseloads, and we will be going through a number of topics including fighting techniques as well as physical training and improvement.”

Her words were met with silent nods in acknowledgement. Tara carefully observed their expressions for a moment longer, soon coming to the realization that none of them were really taking this seriously.

She would need to make a statement then.

Her eyes quickly landed on where Theseus was standing off to the side of the main cluster of wizards. The Head Auror had his arms crossed over his chest, and was staring at some phantom point in the back of the room.

“Mr. Scamander-” she called out to him, gesturing with her hand to the empty space in front of her. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

All heads immediately turned towards the taller man, who clearly had been seconds away from denying her request. But under the silent, powerful, peer pressure from the other Auror’s in the room, Theseus was forced to let out a short huff of air before sauntering across the floor and placing himself a few steps in front of where she stood.

Tara furrowed her eyebrows at his clearly annoyed demeanor. For she certainly didn’t want to be there anymore than he did. Swiftly, she brandished her wand, running it through a few of her fingers a few times before settling it in the tight grip of her fist.

“Consider this a test run.” she said to both him and the assembled bodies. “I would hope that the Head Auror would have some of the better wand discipline in the Ministry.”

Now Theseus was really scowling, obviously hearing the taunt in her voice.

And as he took out his own wand, Tara couldn’t help but remark to herself within the confines of her own mind, just how little things seemed to have changed from their days back at Hogwarts.

She gave him no warning, simply sent her first wordless spell forward. 

Immediately whispers and sounds of surprise bubbled up from the small crowd of onlookers as Theseus was forced to duck to the side.

The glare that he sent her in response was so childish that Tara had nearly laughed out loud.

Theseus’ counter included an attempt to disarm her, followed up by a few wildly-aimed blasts of magic that did in fact force her to defend.

But fairly quickly, Tara had a read on his fighting style.

Theseus was a large man. Always had been. Back in their schooldays, he had easily been one of the tallest kids in the castle. And he had certainly filled out over the years that followed his graduation. It was that size and build that he appeared to be leaning on almost entirely as he fought. Perhaps hoping that his sheer power would overwhelm any fancy strategy or combination of spells that his opponent would send his way.

What he was surely unaware of, was the fact that this was something Tara had been specifically trained on how to combat. She had been taught from a very young age how to take on people so much as five times her size.

Use their own body against them, she heard her father’s voice in the back of her mind.

Tara quickly casted a spell down in the direction of Theseus’ left hip. It was going to miss him by a few inches, as was her intention, but the man had still moved in an attempt to deflect it. His wand arm crossed over his torso, leaving the top of his shoulder exposed. And as fast as lightning, Tara managed to nick it with another relatively harmless blast of magic. 

Theseus grunted in surprise and moved to intercept whatever her next attack would be, but ultimately was too slow to do so.

As she mumbled an incantation, the Auror’s tie was pulled forward by an unseen force, offsetting his already greatly disrupted balance. Two more definitive shots hit his shoulders next before finally, Tara fell still.

Theseus slumped in defeat, his wand arm hanging limply down at his side as he attempted to slow his breathing. His eyebrows, as they had been for the last few minutes, were furrowed tightly in frustration.

“How did you-”

“You’re being too predictable. All of you fight the same way. Like you’re pushing around a child on the playground.” she spat. “Every day you waste your talents on those you know you can beat. Waste your time trying to make yourself look good by arresting the local drunkard. Well I am not someone you can beat. Neither are your true enemies. The true threats to our world. You don’t stand to last so much as a second against such dangers. You’re just the Ministry’s guard dogs-” she said, pointedly turning her head back to face Theseus. “-one’s that are all bark and no bite.”

The Head Auror stormed forward, quickly losing his composure and getting right in her face.

“If you hate us so much then why are you even here?” he demanded in a loud voice, glowering back down at her.

Tara didn’t even flinch. Instead, she smirked.

“Payment.” she countered. “Do you know how much money I was offered to do this?”

“You’re insufferable.” Theseus growled.

“And you are a child!” she spat in return. “Making pretend at being a hero.”

The heaviest of silences fell over the room, and it continued to sit there for a few, long moments as the two feuding wizards fought a battle with only glares as their weapons.

“Well, I guess we know who wears the pants in the relationship.” a whisper slipped out from somewhere back in the crowd of onlookers. Before, his words probably wouldn’t have reached their ears, but with such an intense quiet surrounding them in that particular moment, he might as well have shouted it at the top of his lungs.

Immediately both Theseus and Tara whirled on them.

“Relationship?!” they both shouted in unison, equal amounts of disgust dripping from the word as it left their lips.

The Auror who spoke, a man named Harry Crowman, quickly lost all the color in his face.

Without even so much as turning her head, Tara shot a curse down and to her left. The blast of magic nailed Theseus in the knees, causing him to fall forward and onto the floor in an unceremonious heap.

“Push-ups. Now.” she barked. “I want 30 from all of you.”

She was given little verbal resistance, but could easily see the disdain in several of their expressions. As they began their reps, she stalked through their numbers much like a lion would through the tall grass. Occasionally, she would place her foot on the back of someone who’s form she determined to be lacking. 

“You think that this is all a game.” she was lecturing as they went. “That this is a joke and you have no need to be here. But the threats that you are being asked to face, the wizards that you are being asked to hunt down, they know nothing of mercy. They will not hesitate to kill you where you stand.”

30 push-ups later, she sharply ordered them to stop. Most of the Aurors slumped to the ground, embracing the floor amidst their exhaustion. At the head of the room, Theseus rolled over into a seated position, resting his arms over his knees as his shoulders rose and fell with every deep, labored breath that he took.

Tara stared directly at him from where she had paused in the doorway.

“I am being paid to help you fix yourselves.” she spoke back out into the room. “And I don’t think that I can.”

Again, she was met with silence.

“Feel free to prove me wrong.”

And as the door slammed shut behind her, Theseus angrily wiped the line of sweat off of his forehead.

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