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

Tara was keeping extra close tabs on the situation in France now. Which turned out to be easier than she originally thought it would be, as the British, American, and French Ministries were exchanging information at a much higher rate those days. New reports were coming in practically by the hour, or so it seemed.

But there were no reports on Credence. Or Newt.

Which somehow scared Tara even more.

She was growing more and more on edge, anxious that she wasn’t able to do anything except sit around for a piece of paper that would inevitably tell her that one or both parties were either dead or captured.

So, when she woke up to the sound of an explosion the following day, her frazzled mind had first assumed that the Muggles had started another Great War.

Someone pushed Theseus’ door open in a hurry. The Head Auror hadn’t even had the chance to take his coat off yet.

“Theseus-” Norma said, sounding out of breath. “An alert just came in. From Chester. There was an attack on the building.”

The man's brain was slow to catch up with the flurry of words sent his way.

“Chester? But he was stationed…”

Realization hit him like a freight train.

And he and Norma quickly sprinted back out of his office and down the hallways of the Ministry.

Tara coughed violently, expelling the smoke from her lungs as best she could as she pulled Clyde out onto the street. A small, but still-raging fire was billowing out from one of the bar windows, rocks and bricks littering the street around their position.

The scene was eerily familiar, and Tara felt a large pit growing in the center of her stomach as she sat the bar owner down on the edge of the sidewalk. She quickly crouched down at his side, watching on worriedly as he too let out a few ragged and brutal coughs.

“Are you alright?” 

He nodded his head, clearing his throat again with some force. Tara opened her mouth, an apology sitting on the edge of her tongue, when she suddenly heard the sound of her name being called out from the opposite end of the street.

Rising to her feet, her eyes furrowed in a brief moment of confusion, before a pair of hands appeared on either side of her arms as Theseus all but materialized in front of her.

The witch blinked in surprise.

“Are you okay?” the Auror asked, his tone rushed and seemingly panicked.

“Yeah.” she managed to cough out. “I’m fine. It was the bar.” she explained, gesturing to the man sitting on the sidewalk down by their feet. Who by that point, was already being tended to by another Auror that had descended upon the scene.

“Did you see who did this?” the Auror asked as they helped Clyde back onto his feet.

The older wizard just shook his head.

“The windows just- shattered and suddenly the entire room was on fire.” he explained. “The alcohol was lit, that had to have been what caused the explosion. I didn’t see a soul until Kelly here pulled me out.”

Tara’s head tilted back over her shoulder, something catching her eyeline as Clyde continued talking. Quickly peeling off from the growing circle of Auror’s, she jogged back over to the front door of the still-smoldering speakeasy. Her eyes tracked down to the ground just below the small window to the right of the entranceway, and when she saw what was laying there, amidst the rubble and soot, her breath caught in her throat and her fists instinctively curled at her sides.

“Tara?” Theseus called out, having immediately followed in her footsteps. 

As he pulled up to her side, it didn’t take him long to find where her attention had landed. 

“I thought he was in Paris.” Tara said through gritted teeth as she stared, unmoving, at the dead raven that laid pointedly amongst the bricks.

“He is.” Theseus replied. “Reports confirmed sightings just this morning. This- it has to be a hit.”

Tara’s breathing slowly began to become more rapid, her chest burning with anger.

“He wanted me to know he was still out there.” she said darkly. “That he hadn’t forgotten.”

In a flash, she had turned on her heels, drawing her wand.

“Hold on! Where are you going?” Theseus called out after her.

“The Ministry. I need to find Leta.” she spat before apparating away.

Tara walked into the Research Departments front office, finding their secretary sitting behind her desk. A newspaper covered most of her face as she madly devoured an article.

“Leta-”

“Can you believe this?” Leta said upon hearing her enter. “They’re trying to say that Credence is- Merlin, do they have no sense? Why would they even think-”

“Leta!” Tara barked, shocking the younger witch out of her borderline-tearful rant. Her glossy eyes quickly found those of her friends.

Tara pressed her lips together.

“I’m sorry.” she said. “I’m so sorry, but you have to listen to me right now.”

Just from the look on her face, Leta could tell something bad had happened.

“What is it?”

Tara took in a shaky breath.

“Grindelwald sent a wizard to attack the bar.” she said. “I got Clyde out, but the place is torched.”

Leta quickly rose from her chair.

“What? But-but they’re in Paris…”

Footsteps sounded from behind them, and both witches turned to watch Theseus march straight into the office, a grave expression on his face.

“We found the wizard who was sent on the hit. He was still loitering around the crime scene.” he informed them. “They’re interrogating him now.”

Both witches nodded their understanding. 

“For the time being, however, we don’t think it’s safe for you two to return to your flat.”

“What? Why?” Tara asked. 

“Why?” Theseus repeated incredulously. “You’re joking right? He attacked your building, Tara. With you in it! You’re lucky to be alive right now!”

“He’s right.” Leta was quick to interject, moving around her desk in order to grab at her friend's arm. “He knows where you are. Without even having to be in the country. You can’t stay there.”

Tara scowled, knowing that they were both right. She then pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to quell the headache beginning to rage through her brain.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* : ｡☆ﾟ.･ ───

Theseus stood in the back corner of the interrogation room as another Auror, Theodore Elliot; the most seasoned interviewer that the Ministry had on staff, kept probing the man slouched in the chair across the table from him.

“We know who sent you. It won’t help your case to deny it.” Theodore told him. “All we need is the why.” 

The wizard scoffed, absentmindedly playing with the magical binders around his wrists.

“Listen, lad.” he said with a smirk, his accent thick and heavy with amusement. “I don’t ask questions. I’m smart like that. ‘S why I’m still alive.”

“So, you weren’t aware of your target?” Theodore countered.

The wizard scoffed.

“I didn’t say all that.” he mumbled.

Theseus’ jaw clenched angrily.

“Don’t you all have something better to do?” their prisoner then continued to speak, leaning forward to rest his folded hands on top of the table. “Seems like an awful waste of resources, don’t it? And all for what? One lowly Ministry whore?”

Theseus’ palms slammed down, hard, onto the table, directly in between Theodore and their nameless assailant. 

“What does he want from her?” Theseus growled, getting right in the man’s face.

The wizard didn’t flinch, barely even moved at all. His eyes simply raked over the Head Auror’s expression, ever so slightly widening in realization a few moments later.

“Ah.” he breathed out. “Now I remember you. You’re the one who broke in that night. Knocked me out with a very powerful spell. I didn’t even know Auror’s were allowed to use those on civilians.”

Theseus slowly stood back up to his full height, glare unwavering.

“You’re no civilian.” he spat in response.

“Theseus, what is he talking about?” Theodore asked in a whisper.

The Auror turned back to the interrogator. 

“This is clearly a waste of time.” he muttered in response. “Let’s just be done with i-”

“What’s she to you anyway?” the wizard across the table interrupted loudly.

A heavy silence fell over the small room, but Theseus did not entertain his question with so much as a glance. He simply kept his attention on Theodore, locking his jaw in place.

“Get whatever else you can, then get him out of here.” he ordered before finally turning around and throwing open the door of the interrogation room.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* : ｡☆ﾟ.･ ───