Nightswimming
1925
1 The next clue was, according to the coordinates written on the enchanted galleons, hidden close to an abandoned barn, in the middle of nowhere, on some godforsaken field. It would have been preferable to travel to the place via Floo Network or Portkey, but both methods were more likely to lead unwanted intruders to the place in question than Apparition. Celestia didn’t exactly feel comfortable Apparating (semi-) blindly, but after everything she’d already done and everything she was still planning to do, this seemed almost tame. Besides, they weren't Apparating blindly, per se; they had the exact coordinates to the place in question, even though none of them had ever set eyes on that field.
The plan was simple: first, they would find the next clue. Then, Celestia would switch wands with Apollo and continue on to meet her contact – she and Nocturna, that was. Apollo, Ares, and Ethel would then stay behind and kill the Auror Goldstein, should she show up in the hopes of catching Celestia. Ethel’s assumption was that Goldstein would use MACUSA resources in order to track Celestia’s wand and through her, the frozen heart. If that were the case, Goldstein would no doubt be acting more or less alone; she’d walk directly into a death trap. Maybe Goldstein wouldn’t defy her superior. Maybe she’d stay in New York and just do as she’d been told. Probably not, though, according to Ethel, who was the only one who actually knew the Auror personally. If Goldstein really did track Celestia’s wand and follow it, she’d be murdered in cold blood. Celestia wouldn’t be the one to cast the killing curse, but she’d be directly responsible – no use in pretending otherwise. She would become a murderer. She would cross a line that could never, ever be uncrossed. A human being would be dead because of her.
It was better not to think about that too much.
The group Apparated on a grassy, windy field that stretched on for several acres in every direction. In the middle of the field stood a rather dilapidated red barn with a partially caved-in roof. Farther away, the field was framed by a dark-green forest. The sky was blue, and a pale sun was shining.
“Where are we?” Ares all but shouted. He was trying to keep the wind from messing up his hair, with zero success.
“No idea,” his brother said, shrugging. “But who cares? We’re where we’re supposed to be. Let’s find the next clue and get this sorry affair over with.” He pulled up the collar of his black coat. “Do we proceed as we did in the forest?”
Celestia, trying to ignore her own hair problems, nodded. “Yes.”
Apollo smiled a little. “Let’s not waste any time, then.” He raised his wand. “Invenio.” A small sphere of white light appeared. “Lovely.” He turned around and marched off.
Everyone else did the same.
Again, Celestia was joined by her sister.
“You don’t seem happy,” Nocturna said, as they trudged through the swaying sea of green toward the barn. “So close to success, and you’re still sad.” She sounded so concerned, it was enough to break a person’s heart.
“I’m not sad,” Celestia said. One glance at Nocturna revealed to her that the former wasn’t buying the talk. “Really, I’m not.” Her foot caught on some hole in the ground or something similar, and she stumbled, but didn’t fall. Not that it would matter. Her clothes were mud-stained, anyway. She wished the MACUSA goons had given her briefcase back, but it was still being inspected for illegal contraband. Americans and their bureaucracy.
“Wistful, then. Depressed. Melancholic. Call it what you will.”
Celestia brushed a knotted strand of her ruddy hair from her face. It didn’t help. Two seconds later, it was dancing in front of her eyes again like a panicking bird. How to put into words what she was feeling without sounding whiny and self-important? Nocturna was her sister, though. If a person couldn’t disburden their heart to their own sister, then to whom?
Only a couple of years ago, Celestia’s answer would have been ‘to Alastair’. Well. There was something poetic about coming full circle inside her own mind, wasn’t there? She said, “I keep trying to remember the most beautiful things I lived through – all the good things. But everything feels like it got drowned in the daily grind of this past year. My memories have become distorted reflections on a windowpane. I see everything through water.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m finding it harder and harder to remember how any of it felt. This quest has become my life. It’s as if there’s nothing beyond it.”
“But now, you’re days away from completing it. You should be rejoicing.”
“I’ll believe it once it’s over. I refuse to allow myself to celebrate a victory I haven't achieved, yet.”
“You should allow yourself to feel hope, though.”
“Hope, dear Nana,” Celestia said, her eyes fixed on the growing sphere of light emanating from her wand, “is the driving force of this whole affair.”
“You mean your quest or Alastair in general?”
That was almost amusing. “Both.”
They were getting closer to the barn. The others were approaching it, too, from the other side.
“You won’t change your mind at the worst possible moment, will you?” Nana’s tone had grown sharp, suspicious. She’d never been particularly inclined to mask her emotions. “About Goldstein. She’s a terrible nuisance. Worse than that: she could compromise this entire mission. We’re at war and can’t afford sentimentality.”
“Like the kind I’m prone to, you mean? You wouldn’t be speechifying otherwise.” Celestia cast her sister a quick look over her shoulder. “I’m still hoping she won’t be showing up.”
“From what I’ve seen of her and from what Ethel’s told us, that seems unlikely.”
Squinting in the sunlight, Celestia said, “What’s the history there? And who is this Ethel person, anyway?”
To Celestia’s surprise, Nocturna laughed.
“What’s funny?” Celestia felt a bit like the only person in the group who couldn’t get the joke.
“It’s just that sometimes, life is more interesting than any of us would’ve thought.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It’s a story for another day…and don’t think I haven't noticed how you’ve deflected from the subject of killing Goldstein.”
Suppressing the urge to turn around and glare at her sister, Celestia said, “I haven't. I simply don’t understand why Ethel hates that one particular Auror so much, which led me to wonder who Ethel even is. But it doesn’t matter. If Goldstein shows up, you’ll kill her, anyway. Let’s not pretend that my opinion makes any difference.”
“Which is a great way for you to wash your hands of the responsibility, isn't it?” There was definitely an edge to Nocturna’s voice. “After all, we’re the murderers, not you. No, you’re just trying to save Alastair and his family. If we’re done with pretence, why don’t we stop pretending that your plan won’t end up killing people, too? What will they be to you, I wonder? Collateral damage? What did your goodie-two-shoes friend Scamander have to say to that?”
Despite the cold and the sharp, bitter wind, Celestia’s face felt hot. Her eyes were watering. She stopped walking abruptly and spun around. “You don’t know anything. You want to accuse me of navel gazing? Really? You, who just up and vanished, not giving a single damn about what your own family was going through? And all because you found a noble cause. Well, congratulations! That justifies your own hypocrisy, doesn’t it? Why don’t I get the same right?”
An uncomfortable moment passed as Nocturna just stared at her, wide-eyed. Then, her shoulders slumped. She rubbed at her eyes with her free hand, then raked her bony fingers through her short, carroty hair. “All right, fine. You have a point. I abandoned the lot of you and justified it by keeping my eye fixed on the greater good, yes. But I have a point, as well.” She took a step toward Celestia. “You can’t pretend that you’re not involved in my affairs anymore, Tia. You never wanted to be political, but here you are. It’s your decision, too. Whatever happens, the responsibility isn't just ours; it’s yours, as well. Own it. Stop claiming the moral high ground. It won’t work. You’re not special enough to have the right when we don’t.”
Suddenly, all Celestia wanted to do was lie down and sleep. She pressed her lips together, closed her eyes, breathed, and gathered herself. When the moment had passed, she returned Nocturna’s look calmly. “You’re right. I don’t have the moral high ground. I’m not more special than you are, and neither are my sorrows. Whoever gets killed as the result of our actions…well, their blood will be on my hands, too. I’m sorry.”
All aggressiveness just melted off Nocturna’s face. She smiled; it was an honest, relieved, sweet expression that reminded Celestia of the carefree days of their youth. “It’s all right. I understand.” She reached out and briefly caressed the side of Celestia’s face. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Celestia said, meaning it from the bottom of her heart. “Now, please, let’s keep going. I don’t think I could bear it if Ares were the one to find the next clue.” The unpleasant sensation in the pit of her stomach didn’t go away, though: they were planning to commit a murder. Whatever else might happen, there was no walking away from that. There was no going back. Celestia dearly hoped that the Auror Goldstein would decide to follow orders and not run into the death trap that would be waiting for her.
2 The tracking spell that allowed an Auror to find a registered wand was easy. All the Auror in question needed to do was take the copy of the permit, point their own wand at it, say the right words, and watch the magic happen – literally.
With the President’s note in hand, Tina got easy access to the copy in question. Her sister by her side, she pointed her wand at the parchment, and said, “Baculum magicum ostende mihi.”
“This is why I could never be a career girl like you, Teenie,” Queenie whispered in Tina’s ear. “All this Latin you have to learn. It just ain’t worth the effort.”
Tina smiled a little, keeping her eyes fixed on the sheet of paper. “Everyone’s got a skill. Mine is dogged determination.”
That was when the spell began to work: from the black letters on the parchment, golden light started to shimmer. It rose up, hovered in form of the letters above the sheet for a moment, and then seemingly streamed into Tina’s wand. She raised it, gave it a little wave, and promptly, an image formed in front of it: a huge field, framed by an almost black forest. In the middle, a dilapidated old ruin of a barn stuck out like a sore thumb.
Queenie scrutinised the image, brows furrowed. “Where is that?”
“It’s all in my wand, now: all the information I need,” Tina said, not even trying to ban the triumph from her voice as she turned to smile at her sister. “Wherever she goes, I’ll know.”
“So…what now? Do we follow her?”
“I have authorisation, so yes, I’ll follow her.”
“No. You’re allowed to track her, not follow her – not the same thing. And that spell only tracks her wand, anyway, not her.”
Tina made a face and pocketed her wand. She placed her hands on Queenie’s upper arms. “How likely is it that she’ll go anywhere without her wand? Also, why do you think the President gave me authorisation that overrides Graves’s orders, in the first place? She doesn’t trust that Prewett woman. I need to keep track of her, and for that to happen, I need to follow her.”
“You should talk to Mister Graves, first,” Queenie said, her frown deepening.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just gonna say no.”
“Exactly. He’s your boss, honey. If you defy him, he’ll punish you – authorisation from the President or not.”
“Not if I catch Prewett trying to do something she’s not supposed to.”
A small silence ensued.
Queenie looked down at her feet, chewed on her lower lip, exhaled sharply, and then raised her face to lock eyes with Tina again. “Fine. But I’ll go with you.”
Oh, great. Did stubbornness run in their family, or what? Trying not to sound condescending, because the last thing she wanted was to hurt her sister’s feelings, Tina said, “You can’t.” Queenie opened her mouth to protest, so Tina hurried to add, “You’re not an Auror. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“No. You ain’t going alone. I can’t lose you, too.” Her expression turned pleading. “All we have is each other. If I lose you, I got nothing.”
Hearing these words made Tina want to cry a little. She gnashed her teeth together and sucked in a sharp breath through her nostrils. Then, she smiled again, even though it felt pained – probably looked just as bad, too. “Okay.” She went serious and jabbed a finger at Queenie. “But you do as I tell you. The moment I tell you to bolt, you bolt. No heroic acts of self-sacrifice, understand?”
Queenie beamed and clapped her hands together. “None at all.”
“Good.” Tina nodded curtly. “Then let’s not waste any more time. I got a feeling we’re really close to solving this thing.”
3 It wasn’t often that Percival Graves, Director of Magical Security and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was visited in his office by the President herself, but today was a special day. He’d already known that she’d show up, ever since he’d told Tina Goldstein to stay the hell away from Celestia Prewett. Well, of course, Tina being Tina, she refused to listen and went behind his back to go after the British witch anyway; he knew as much from a diligent and loyal Permit Office underling. The only person allowed to override Graves’s authority in his own department was Picquery. Therefore, it was only logical to assume that Tina had gone to Picquery, and that Picquery would then confront him about his decision to let Nocturna’s little sister go.
These people were nothing if not predictable.
Before the Prussian ambassador arrived, Picquery showed up in Graves’s office unannounced, without bothering to knock. That was one self-confident, tenacious and determined woman; one had to give her that.
Of course, the same attributes applied to Tina Goldstein, as well. That made her such a good Auror.
When Picquery strode into the room, which was no small feat considering her gaudy getup, he naturally got up from his chair. No matter what the situation, there was never any need to be rude. Also, in this case, it would be more than a little counterproductive. He tugged down on his dark-grey suit jacket. “Madam President. Please, have a seat. What can I do for you?”
As expected, she remained standing. “You should’ve informed me that you recruited the sister of a known Grindelwald acolyte. Fifteen minutes ago, I was forced to defend your strange and appalling decision to that overeager Auror of yours. I could hardly tell her that you only informed me – via note, no less – after the deed had already been done, but I can tell you that it was a bad decision. If we had spoken face to face before you let Prewett go, I would’ve advised strongly against it.”
He nodded, hoping it would come across as solemn. “Yes. In retrospect, I believe that I should have consulted you, first.”
She shrugged, visibly exasperated. “Then why didn’t you? Because you thought I wouldn’t approve? If that’s the case, then you were right: I don’t approve. Graves, what were you thinking?”
After crossing his arms and looking down at his shoes just to keep himself from sneering at her short-sightedness, he offered her a thin-lipped smile. “Madam President, you put me in charge of this department for a reason. I know recruiting Celestia Prewett is a gamble, but I’m absolutely certain that it’ll pay off.”
“What, you don’t even have a sliver of doubt? How long have you even known this woman?”
Of course, he could hardly tell her that he didn’t need to know Celestia in order to be sure that whatever decision she made, it would benefit his cause. But more than that, he knew Celestia’s sister quite well. Nocturna would keep her younger sibling on the straight and narrow. She’d help the latter cure her paramour, and then, the lovely instrument of power that was the frozen heart would be theirs to use as leverage against the wizarding governments all over the world. It had been the right decision to hide in America for the time being. Who knew? Maybe this New World had even more wonders to offer than the heart of a dangerous magical beast. Only time would tell. Of that, thankfully, he had enough.
“Only a fool would have no doubts whatsoever, about himself as well as others,” he told her, “but in Miss Prewett’s case, I can guarantee that she will not betray me.”
Her frown deepened. “You are certain?”
He nodded. “Quite. She’s an asset. With her help, we can keep the object she’s looking for out of the hands of the Grindelwald fanatics.” The masquerade was more than just a little amusing. Sometimes, he even indulged in enjoying the farce. The temptation was just too great.
Still, Picquery didn’t look convinced, let alone pleased. “You should’ve consulted with me, first.”
“I didn’t know that.” Again, he smiled thinly. “Next time, then.”
“Next time,” she echoed coolly. “See that you keep control of the situation.” She turned around, walked two steps toward the door, but then stopped short. Without looking at him, she added, “Oh, and just so you know: I gave Porpentina Goldstein permission to track Prewett’s wand. She’s probably gonna go after her, if she hasn’t already done so.” With that, she left.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Predictable or no, why couldn’t people just do as they were told? It wasn’t as if he held any ill will toward young Tina; she was a good Auror and a very brave, decent person. Still, if she chose to get in harm’s way, then that was her choice and hers alone. She would have to bear the consequences, even if that meant death.
It was time to warn Nocturna Prewett that she and her group should be expecting company.