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

Different ravens and crows broke into Tara’s office three more times following the first. But ever since her encounter with Theseus, Tara had made sure to keep all information and evidence to herself.

Whoever these people were that were attempting to contact her, they were obviously persistent, and she got the sneaking suspicion that they wouldn’t take kindly to an answer of “no.”

As she continued training the Auror’s themselves, Tara would often hear whispers of things that transpired outside the walls of the Ministry. Whether that be general happenings within the wizarding world, or even things had happened on specific missions of theirs. In one particular instance, in the midst of a dueling drill that she had been running, the words of Alice Collins- a member of Theseus’ team, caught her ear as she passed her by.

“Yeah, we intercepted these coded messages in the field last week. Flew right over our heads. They think they can link them back to Grindelwald’s followers.” Alice had been saying, a bit out of breath at that point in the drill. “They use these creepy bird symbols at the end, but that’s all we found. No obvious ciphers or anything.”

“Why those birds specifically?” her partner had asked.

“No one knows.” Alice replied. “We passed it onto the Research team. So maybe they’ll be able to make sense of the Ravens.”

Tara instantly felt her blood run cold. 

Ravens.

Grindelwald?

She attempted to keep her facade up as much as possible, calling the session at the end of the evening at its normal hour. But ultimately she had been the first one out the door.

Tara glanced over her shoulder twice as she hurried down the hallway. Back in front of her, she caught sight of someone pushing a cart piled high with letter boxes in the direction of the Research Department. Picking up her pace a bit, she jogged over in order to hold the doors open for them, flashing them as kind a smile as her frazzled state could muster. The wizard thanked her gratefully as they continued on inside, and Tara waited until they turned down a distant aisle before disappearing through the very same threshold.

Walking with an aura of confidence she hoped would help her blend in, Tara eventually found herself moving through a room that resembled that of a large library. But instead of books filling the countless amounts of shelves, it was pounds of research documents and boxes of evidence.

The aisles were labeled alphabetically, so immediately she had b-lined for the one with the “G” depicted above it. But upon coming across the shelf that clearly held all the information they had on Grindelwald, she realized that there was simply way too much material for her to sift through on her own. And she was already operating on borrowed time. 

This is stupid, she thought to herself, turning around to make her way out of the department altogether. 

That’s when she passed by the aisle labeled “R.”

A heavy sigh traveled through her body, and she briefly closed her eyes.

“What the hell.” she mumbled in resignation.

Turning down the corridor of research, her eyes quickly scanned across the labels on the boxes and folders that packed the shelves. Until low and behold she came across one with the word “Raven” scribbled onto the white divider.

Pulling the box off of the shelf, she propped it up on her knee and frantically began to rummage through the contents. And just like she had overheard during her training session, she found an active report from an Investigative Team, dated just earlier that week. The main subject of the report seemed to be the potential significance of a raven symbol. A lot of the notes that the researchers had started adding to the report really didn’t provide any more enlightenment on the case, as plenty of notable pureblood families used the bird in their emblems.

Tara found and pulled out the original file that the Aurors had sent over.

And she nearly dropped it as she did. 

At the bottom of the paper was a scribbled likeness, it was poorly done, but she still recognized it. For it was the same exact symbol that had been printed on the front of every single letter that she had received over the past few weeks.

Immediately, Tara shoved the report back in the box, not caring if she bent it as she did so. And after practically throwing the box back up onto its position on the shelf, she took a frightened step backwards and away from the wall.

She couldn’t have gotten out of the Research Department fast enough.

Theseus peeked around the corner of the archives, waiting until he heard the doors close shut in Tara’s wake. The second that he did so, he turned and jogged back down the aisle, searching for the boxes that she had gotten her hands on. 

It took him even less time to find the now-crooked box labeled “Raven.”

Theseus pulled it down, exactly as the witch before him had done. And as his eyes read over the report, his expression morphed into one of stony seriousness.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* : ｡☆ﾟ.･ ───

As time went on, the specific meeting date that a few of the letters had stressed to her began to draw ever closer. Tara was having a hard time focusing on her job whilst at the same time juggling the very real possibility that it was Grindelwald’s fanatics that were trying to contact her.

What the hell could they possibly even want? And how long had they been watching her?

It had begun stealing her sleep at night, and her appetite during the day.

She recalled all of the years of abuse her half-blood family had suffered in Ireland at the hands of blood purists like them, only serving to inflame her anger and confusion. 

Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t deny just how much her curiosity had been peaked.

One afternoon in the canteen, Leta leaned her head towards the wizard who was standing in front of her in line.

“You Auror’s must be really bad students.” she joked lightly, causing Theseus to glance back over his shoulder to meet her smiling gaze. “Your instructor seems particularly stressed out these days.”

“We’re bad students?” Theseus scoffed, “She’s the one that’s…wait- stressed? What could she possibly be stressed about?”

Leta noted his rapid change in tone with a single raise of her eyebrow, but simply shrugged her shoulders in response. 

“Just noticed her skipping more meals than usual.” she said, grabbing her choice of food and placing it on her tray. 

Theseus said nothing in response to that, only scowled deeper.

Once both adults had their lunch, the smaller witch turned back towards the Head Auror.

“Try to be nice to her, ok?” she said, semi-seriously. “She’d never admit it, but she feels totally isolated here. She could use at least one friend more.”

Theseus blinked in surprise at her words, but ultimately managed to force a small smile onto his face.

“Well, you know she isn’t exactly making it easy.” 

Leta smirked.

“I know. But I have faith in you, Scamander.” she replied. “I mean, if anyone can break down those walls of hers, surely it’s the man who’s had a crush on her since he was a Hufflepuff.”

And with that, the witch turned on her heels, practically skipping out into the expansive lunchroom. 

Theseus’ reaction had set in far too slow.

“Lestrange, I do not-!”

She was already long gone, and his shout had quickly drawn the attention of several other wizards in his immediate vicinity. All of them eyeing him with either surprise or annoyance.

With a forced gulp, the Auror was quick to turn his attention back down to his own food.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* : ｡☆ﾟ.･ ───

Tara sat at the edge of her bed, the parchment with the address scribbled on it resting in the palm of her hand. As she stared down at the words, her leg bounced uncontrollably in the only way that was helping her quell her anxiety.

“Fuck it.” she finally spat, standing up and shoving the paper shard into her back pocket.

“Where are you going so late?” Leta had asked as Tara walked past the kitchen, throwing her coat haphazardly over her shoulders.

“Uh- for drinks.” she quickly made up. “With some people from work.”

Leta’s expression brightened ever so slightly.

“Tara Kelly, you made friends?”

The Irish witch scrunched up her nose defiantly.

“Why the tone of surprise?” she mumbled, making for the front door.

“Have fun!” Leta called out to her as she went.

Tara nodded in response but otherwise said nothing. Throwing open the door, she then disappeared out into the darkness beyond it.

But when the door slammed shut behind her, the sound caused Leta to jump in spite of herself.

Tara carefully approached the run-down apartment building, whose number matched the one on the parchment she held tightly in her now closed fist. It didn’t look friendly at all, and she was very quickly overcome with the instinct to turn around and apparate back home. But unfortunately for her, the less sensible part of her brain continued to propel her body forward. Albeit at an extremely cautious pace.

Swinging the door open, Tara held her wand out in front of her as she pressed on into the darkness. 

She had made it about halfway through what once upon a time was probably a rather nice main foyer, when she heard the first pair of footsteps shuffling up ahead of her.

Then another. And another.

“Talk.” she quickly demanded the shadows. “And if you’re wasting my time-”

“Now, now.” a slithery voice cooed from the back of the room. “There is no need for hostilities.”

Tara fell still as slowly but surely, figures began to step out into the dim moonlight that was pouring in from the broken side windows of the house.

The man standing at the front of the small group was easily recognizable. For his face had been printed on every newspaper in London, as well as every wanted-poster in the Ministry for the better half of the last three years. His slicked-back, blonde hair shone eerily in contrast to the shadows.

It was Grindelwald. In all of his unsettling glory.

At his flank, were three additional wizards, a small collection of his followers no doubt. They said nothing to her, only eyed her raised wand with caution, their hands undoubtedly hovering over their own.

Grindelwald on the other hand, smiled, slowly opening his palms outwards in what was an attempt at a welcoming gesture.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Miss Kelly. Your reputation precedes you to be sure.”

Tara slightly shifted the hold she had around her wand.

“What do you want?”

At her tone, Grindelwald’s smile only appeared to grow. He clasped his hands together behind his back, taking a single step forward away from his followers and towards her instead.

“We have been watching you for quite some time now, Miss Kelly.” he said, beginning to pace back and forth across the space in front of her, creating a repetitive half-circle. “Your skills are legendary for a witch of your age.”

Tara scoffed.

“Yeah, well, you’re not the only ones.”

“Oh, I know.” Grindelwald said with a sickly purr. “However, I must say, we would not have pinned someone of your…disposition…as the Auror type.”

“I am not an Auror.” she growled defensively in return. “But I do work for the Ministry. So either you tell me right now what all this is about or I’ll-”

“What exactly has the Ministry done to earn them such…loyalty?” Grindelwald interrupted her.

Tara fell silent.

For she had no answer.

And Grindelwald knew that too. 

As his smirk grew, one of his lackeys walked up to his side, obviously growing a bit agitated.

“Sir, this is a waste of time. Why are we even bothering with a half-b-?”

Grindelwald had raised his hand to silence him, only a millisecond too late.

Tara’s jaw tightened with such a veracity that she felt a few of her bones click.

“Is that what you want from me?” she asked, her voice deadly still. “My loyalty?” 

Grindelwald once more unfolded his empty hands out before her.

“I am in need of a general if I am to amass an army.” he said poetically, as if it were a rehearsed line for a play that he was putting on.

Tara scoffed bitterly, shaking her head.

“Go to hell.” she spat. “It’s blood-purist-fucks like you that me and my family had to defend ourselves against for years. You’re delusional to think I’d ever stand with you.”

Grindelwald sighed, and Tara saw one of his eyes twitch. One of the only flickers of breakage she had seen in his expression up until that point. At his side, his followers fell into a tight defensive formation.

“Now, now. Let’s not make any rash decisions.” Grindelwald said through gritted teeth. “This doesn’t have to end in a fight.”

Tara cocked her head to the side. 

“I suppose you haven’t been watching as carefully as you claim.” she said darkly. “It always ends in a fight.”

The room quickly illuminated with the glow of her first spell.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* : ｡☆ﾟ.･ ───