Level Two, around 11am...



Fauna waited in the hall outside the rows of conference rooms, her heart thundering in her chest. Almost no one sat at their cubicles this morning. Aurors hurried down the halls, coming into the bullpen or leaving it, speaking in hushed whispers or shouts. Fauna paced by one door in particular, arms tight across her stomach. She'd spent the morning helping Abby volley memos back and forth between the departments at the Ministry. That was where she'd found out who had come to the Ministry, and why.

"No response yet from Level Four. What is Carter doing, sleeping in?" An Auror snarled as she passed in the hall.

"Blake!" Another Auror pointed at her, then let his hand fall. "Damn it, you don't have magic, do you. Never mind."

Yes damn it, Fauna agreed numbly, her breath coming quicker. Was Tia even in the room behind her? She wanted to open the door and poke her head in. She really did, even if it pissed off the Auror inside, even if it was only supposed to be a few questions, a few minutes, a quick catch-up on the horror that had befallen the Dumfriesshire safehouse earlier.

Safehouses were supposed to be safe. That was the whole point. They were supposed to be a safe alternative to the Ministry, a refuge, an option for those who didn't have many options.

The last Fauna had heard, two werewolves had been taken from the safehouse. A trail of blood and gore left behind. The attendants were either suspects or victims or both. Auror Xin was on it, and had sent the remaining werewolves to Level Four to check in. Who was missing, Fauna had asked, looking up from a stack of memos. Which werewolves had been in danger, she'd asked next.

Kissinger, Santos, Hampton, Gamp.

Adrestia Gamp.

She'd been at the safehouse last night and Fauna hadn't even known. Fauna had been so wrapped up in preparing for an ambush these past few days, that she hadn't asked someone she was growing to care about very much where she would be - a werewolf! - on the most dangerous night of the month. At the Ministry, Fauna had assumed.

Fauna shook her head, marching up to the conference room door.

"Sellaphix... Saint Mungo's," someone muttered behind her.

What. What?

What!?

Her hand on the doorknob, she turned her head, eyes wide, searching for the source of the words.

The handle turned. The door opened.

Fauna took an instinctive step back to avoid a collision with the Auror.

"Tia!" She breathed, looking around the Auror's shoulder. Tia's lovely face, her brown eyes, her dark hair. Tia, alive.

Fauna opened her arms.

The last time Adrestia Gamp was a hair's width away from death, she'd been attacked by a werewolf and left to die on the craggy hills of Greek island on her year off after Hogwarts. That's what she kept telling herself as they were brought from Dumfries to the Ministry, from the MLE foyer to the questioning rooms.

This wasn't bad. This could have been worse. She's seen worse.

And yet no matter how much she thought it, her insides did not believe those words. All Tia could feel was the sharp fear of knowing someone had been in that safe house with them, someone who did not belong there and who could have taken advantage of that situation. What frightened her the most was the inexplicable knowledge that the person who did it was not afraid.

Anti-werewolf rhetoric, it sold you on the dangers of the werewolves. Kidnapping werewolves to kill people? Awful but still the focus was on what a werewolf could do to a normal person on a full moon.

This was different. This made her feel less like a monster and more like a... more like a victim than she'd felt in years. Adrestia numbed herself to the fear, answering Auror Roh's questions mechanically as she retreated into herself over the course of the interview. The questions came and went... did she hear threats, were her mentees threatened, why was she in Dumfries, did she know the rude attendant.

And then there were done, her heart fluttering anxiously. Done. Free to go, but free to do what? She'd been ordered around ever since the safe house and it was easier to just follow those orders instead of deciding what to do on her own accord.

Roh opened the door and Tia lifted her dark gaze, and genuine surprise cut through the suffocating anxiety in her chest. Fauna! Fauna Blake! "Tia!" exclaimed the blue-eyed auror-in-training, as if in response to her thoughts. The other witch was like a beam of sunlight - shadows were shoved to the periphery in her presence.

"Oh my gods!" Adrestia pulled her into a hug as soon as Roh was out of the way, hands going around to clutch at Fauna's back. "Fauna!" she wanted to let go, to say something more coherent, like thank you for coming to see me but the words didn't come and her arms did not budge. "Oh gods, Fauna," she kept muttering, eyes shut tight with her face in Fauna's shoulder.

She wanted to say: it could have been me, it could have been any of us.

Zora followed the young Adrestia Gamp out into the hall in plenty of time to see Fauna Blake had been lurking and then them fall into each others arms. Zora stopped in the doorway, impassive, and let them have a moment.

She didn't even know they knew each other - why would she - let alone this kind of closeness. Blake honestly shouldn't be doing this kind of thing on duty, but today was a horrible day, everyone was off-kilter, and it was going to affect a lot of people. A little humanity, if that was needed, could go without comment or correction.

Gamp had done well, considering. Not a lot she could really say, but it would rule a lot out.

Zora silently held out her card and when she had either of their attention said, "if there's anything else, let me know."

Emphasis on the me. Last thing she needed was more Fauna Friend Drama. Zora tried not to be so cold about it all, but hey, everyone coped differently.

For once in Fauna's life, she did not blush. Her arms wrapped around Tia and held her closely, a nice warm hug, much fiercer than her gentle air-hugs. Tia's head rested on her shoulder and all she wanted to do was stay like that forever, holding her close, Tia's hair tickling her face. She shut her eyes. If they stayed together in their own little bubble, no one could hurt them.

A voice sounded. Not Tia's voice.

Fauna opened one eye. Squinted.

Who was talking? What was this now? A card? Roh's contact card. Okay, Roh. Sighing softly, she took the card to hand to Tia, and continued holding her, only pulling away when she did too.

"Are you ok?" Her voice trembled, emotion bright in her eyes. Her hands reached up to gently cup her face for a moment, then rested lightly on her shoulders, stepping back to look her over.

"You ok?"

If she weren't, she'd be at St. Mungo's, or...

Fauna did not allow that thought to finish. No logic allowed in this hallway. Not yet!

It wasn't hard to calm down in Fauna's arms, surrounded by the other woman's comforting scent and her warmth. Tia didn't even hear the auror speaking - she just allowed herself to be held for a little longer before pulling away, colour in her cheeks. She felt untidy with her tracksuit and plain face and messy hair. Nobody was at their most attractive the morning after a transformation and she wasn't an exception.

           "You ok?" Fauna repeated, and the genuine concern in her voice was something to hold on to.

"Yes." Adrestia finally answered after taking a couple of deep breaths, eyes wet but not quite on the brink of actual tears. "Yes, I'm okay. It was just..." she laughed weakly, a touch of hysteria. "One hell of a morning, you know?"

By far the worst experience she had ever had in a safe house. Definitely not going back to Dumfries. "I still can't believe it. It's like a nightmare," she swallowed, though her mouth was dry and uncomfortable. "But I'm not physically hurt. None of us were," Tia's tone, which had been rising in confidence, faltered. "None of the six of us were."

Oh, she'd seen the logbook page when Kurby showed her[1] the list of names. Eight. There were meant to be eight of them.

1.	9th Jan - The Ruin of Many a Good Wolf

Her eyes were watery, but she was talking, even letting out a weak chuckle, and Fauna understood that she was trying to hold it all together in this hallway. Fauna took a deep breath too, setting aside the injustice of it all. She focused on Tia, warm and solid and here, the fabric of the tracksuit underneath her fingers, her pale face. All reminders. Something terrible had happened - but she was here.

"Yeah, I hear that," she agreed gently, the corners of her mouth curving into the slightest tremulous smile. One hell of a morning, one hell of a night, one hell of a week.

Tia was usually a ray of sunlight in the underworld of the Ministry. Fauna could be that for her now. She glanced around the hall, stepping off to the side with her to let the Aurors bustle past.

None of the six of them. Tia must have heard about the two that had been taken, or she'd glimpsed the goriness of the scene. Fauna's gaze dropped, hiding a well of emotion in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Tia," she shook her head, her hands open at her sides, there for Tia to hold onto.

She glanced up at her, blue eyes reflecting the emotion they both felt, her mouth thinning in determination, then softening.

"I know that Two and Four are looking," she hesitated, unsure if this was really what she needed or wanted to hear. It sounded so meaningless, looking. It couldn't change the horror of what had already happened.

"I'm grateful that you're ok," she breathed, with another shake of her head. "But I'm sorry that you have to go through this at all. That anyone does."

Werewolves. Werewolves had been targeted. Specifically. At a safe house.

Fauna bit her lip, brow furrowing. "What can I do?" She asked softly. "Do you want to sit down somewhere? Do you - do you want coffee? I can get a hold of family, I can listen..."

She could spare, at the very least, a few more minutes to make sure she was alright.

            "I'm so sorry, Tia."

Fauna's hands were right there, open, welcoming. She held them - they were stood so close to each other in the corridor, foreheads almost touching, finding safety in the proximity. The words meant something but Adrestia let them trickle through her like a stream, like she didn't have any obligation to grasp or understand any of them. Something about two and four, about trying to find the missing names in the log book.

In her mind, those names were cut out of the fabric of reality. Tia knew that if they ever found them, they wouldn't be alive.

What she had seen and sensed in the safehouse, she'd never felt that before. The deliberation. They were all here in the Ministry, scattering in different directions and asking questions but somebody out there had all the fucking answers. Had planned this so well that nobody even knew of the awful violation until the morning after.   

          "What can I do?" Fauna asked, and Adrestia realised that she had closed her eyes for a moment.

She forced them open now, looking at the other witch with forced calmness. This was a work day for Fauna Blake, auror extraordinaire. There were things she should be doing... maybe even things Tia ought to be doing, if she could find it in herself to remember. "Family," she repeated the word. "Could you owl my parents? And coffee," coherency caught on the more she talked. "If you can spare the time. Just a minute to sit down."

Her entire body felt tired after last night's transformation but her legs felt the worst, like jelly.

"I think I'll go home and sleep, after." Adrestia tried smiling again, with renewed gusto. "Sleep solves everything, right?" Never one prone to nightmares, it did seem like the most attractive option to her. If she slept, she wouldn't have to think.

And if she didn't have to think, maybe she wouldn't have to feel either. At least for a little while.

"Yeah," Fauna gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, of course I have time. We'll owl your parents and I'll get you a coffee. Just ask if you think of anything else, ok?"

The corners of Fauna's mouth lifted in a slight, sympathetic smile, understanding Tia's tendency to grin and bear it. Many witches would.

She glanced at the conference room. Empty, but formal. Bland.

"Let's, uh, stop by my cubicle. It's nicer," Fauna's smile widened sheepishly. Well it was! It was nicer, somehow. She displayed family photos and desk baubles and she definitely hadn't taken down the holiday cards yet.

Fauna rested a hand on Tia's back for support, leading her through the bullpen and to the familiar sight of her cubicle. New messes had accumulated atop her desk since she'd cleaned it in December, along with a stack of auto-memos and a few old fashioned pens. Level Two had gifted her a large Get Well Soon card, full of jokes about the 'musical' measles, her habit of sneezing explosively, one confused condolence about the health of her mother (who was doing just fine) and one accidental 'happy birthday'.

Her lamp was on, and underneath it an unlit candle that smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. Her FLORA poster was still up on the wall, with vampire bats and music notes doodled among the flowers.

She gave Tia her own chair and took the extra one with the wobbly leg, using pen on parchment to write a quick note to Tia's parents.

"I'm going to mail this and find you a coffee. We'll get you home soon and you can get some rest," Fauna explained out loud, as Tia looked like she was processing a great deal.

Smiling softly, Fauna stood. She wanted to lean in and kiss her on the cheek, but she didn't dare to with all the Aurors running around.

Her eyes lingered on her face, "I'll be right back, ok?"

It took her a few minutes to mail the letter, and another few to make a fresh pot of coffee, and to find a clean mug, and some milk for the coffee, and to wrap a pastry in a napkin. With her hands busy, her mind felt free to land on the many conclusions she'd been hoping to avoid. The two missing. The planning involved. Tia involved. Could have been Tia. Fauna took a deep breath and shook her head. Later. She'd freak out about it later.

Coffee and pastry in hand, Fauna made her way back to her cubicle, anxious to see Tia again.

"Tia." Andie thought she had seen her. Andie was supposed to be home. She started her shift at noon yesterday. Full moon had got extra. She wanted to see it done. Carter's place was a mess. That would stay with her some time. But she had heard about the safe house. The Dunnigan Brothers.

Her uniform must have smelled of cold, blood and smoke. But she was relieved to see Tia was in one piece. That she had not got loose. She looked her cousin up and down. It was not time to be polite. It was time to regroup. This was Blake's cubicle. All cutesy and feminine. Like a Hogwarts dormitory. A heck of a contrast to the safehouse.

"I am glad you are safe." She said. To the point. "How are you holding up?"

Surrounded by Fauna's belongings and photographs, Tia was able to feel a little less anxious. The cubicle was... loved. That wasn't something she had expected on level two but maybe that's just what Fauna was like - maybe she just carried her love around with her, and there was no stopping its infectious spread.

            "I'll be right back, ok?"

The auror disappeared, and Adrestia looked around her in a daze. It smelled nice here. Another weird thing. Aurors were supposed to smell like sweat and wand polish but this little corner was redolent of sweetness instead. She breathed in deeply, in and out, in and out, in and out. Her eyes latched on to small details - a get well card, old stationery, a photograph of people she didn't recognise (but happy people nonetheless).

A shadow crossed her and the werewolf looked up, blinking. "Tia." Cousin Andie was everything in an auror that you expected, including the smell. Still, Tia was totally relieved to see the other Gamp, and got up to hug her - a quick, awkward hug, very different from Fauna-hugs.

"Andie! I'm okay," she answered, stepping back and rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I think. Fauna's gone off to owl ma and da, just to let them know. I'm just exhausted, honestly..." her gaze dropped to Andromeda's boots, and then took in the rest of her appearance. Adrestia's nose twitched.

Blood. That was always a problem, just before and just after a full moon. Scents were so much stronger. "Where have you come from? Are you alright?"

"I will be fine." Andromeda quickly replied. She would always be good. She did not become an auror because she was soft. She did not show weakness. "I have been on duty all night." She explained. "I started noon yesterday. I should have finished at dawn." But she was still here. She had still gone there. "I am finishing now. I had one more place to go." She kind of wished she had not. She would not say. But Tia worked there too. And Tia might know him. He was kind of her boss. "Alec Carter." She swallowed. "Bagnold and Ballentyne found him. Or found what was left of him." Andie shook her head. Clenched her teeth. "I tell you. Shit like this. I will build you a safe room at Godric's Hollow and guard it myself."

True to expectation, Andromeda did seem like she would be fine. She was the toughest Gamp of them lot! Still, Tia appreciated that the other witch was going out of her way to explain what had happened anyway - everything felt like such a mess and it was good to have someone so unshakeable around. A rock in a storm.

            "Alec Carter. Bagnold and Ballentyne found him. Or found what was left of him."

The department head? That Alec Carter? Carter who was in step with the Minister's policies on werewolf, Alec Carter? Adrestia was staring with her mouth open, and almost didn't hear what Andie was saying after that. She pulled herself together - her expression softened. A safehouse in Godric's Hollow.

Tia took Andromeda's hand, just for a second, and squeezed it. "I'm sorry. That must have been... so, so awful to see. Um," she bit her lip, shaking her head. "I can't belief all that stuff happened last night."

She felt extremely lucky to be alive and to not have been one of those werewolves kidnapped to shred people apart. It was super surreal to think of Carter as dead. Adrestia never liked him but she never wanted him dead!

"You're headed straight home, after this?" she asked her cousin. "I'm doing the same as soon as Fauna gets back. She must think I look like hell." Not exactly how you wanted to look for your sexy auror girlfriend!

Voices sounded from her cubicle. She caught the last bit of Tia's comment and paused in the aisle, deciding to pretend she hadn't heard. Poor Tia! The last thing she needed to worry about was how she looked! Especially for Fauna! Especially today! Fauna knew there would be many a time when she'd be traipsing about in blood-stained Auror boots smelling like... well hi, Gamp. Auror Gamp. Funny seeing her here.

"Hi, uh, Auror Gamp," her eyes widened. Family! She'd forgotten that they were cousins, that Tia already had family on Level Two.

The Auror looked like she'd been on her feet for days. Though Fauna suspected she'd rather remain standing, Fauna left the extra chair for her.

"Tia," her expression softened when she looked at the witch, relieved to see her safe and sound.

"I sent that owl to your parents and brought you coffee," she set the mug and the snack down on her desk. "Milk, no sugar. And a pastry that doesn't seem too stale," her brow furrowed in worry before she fixed a smile on her face.

She hovered in her own cubicle, wanting to be there if Tia needed anything else.

Fauna really didn't mean to ignore the Auror right next to her. Auror Gamp's very presence demanded attention in the most badass way, wherever she went.

It was just that Tia's very presence caught all her attention. In the sweetest way.

"Neither can I." said Andromeda. Tia worried about what she looked like. That was kind of sweet.

Blake came back. She gave Tia a drink.

"First class treatment." said Andie. She nodded to Blake. Approving. "Yes. Going home. Try to sleep." Andie answered Tia's question. "You can come to the house. If it makes you feel safer." She shrugged. Andie lived in a big house. It had belonged to their parents. There was a house elf called Solly. People had come over for Christmas. Her niece Ariadne. Her brother Cepheus. They grew up in it. Turning the cellar into a safe room for Tia was a better idea. Better than using it for dark magic like Andie's dad.

"You just on shift?" she asked Blake. "Or you been on overnight too?"

Fauna was back!

That was a relief, and not just because it meant that she was one step closer to being able to leave the Ministry - to wash the taste of that questioning out of her mouth. It was just nice to see her face. "Thanks," she mouthed at the other witch as she picked up the mug to sip on her milky coffee. Tia knew that by the time she got halfway through it her headache will have dissipated some.

            "You can come to the house. If it makes you feel safer."

Andromeda always surprised her. It was easy to forget that there was kindness and goodness underneath her cousin's tough, arse-kicking exterior. "That... that actually sounds like a good idea," Adrestia nodded, thinking back to her visits to uncle Mortimer's home, always at holidays. Always cosy and warm and safe.

In spite of what had happened to Andie's mum and dad, she still thought of the house as a good and safe place. A place full of warm memories.

"I think I'll head back with you and get some sleep," she smiled tiredly, taking a deeper gulp of the coffee. "I can owl mum and dad from there."