Thankful to be out of the office proper where tensions and angers had been running high Berkeley swiftly led the trainee into a small interrogation room that had about as much personality as a bowl of porridge. There was one long metal table and two metal chairs on either side. Berkeley knew well enough that the room was enchanted to record any and all conversations that transpired inside and there was even a spot for other Auror's to view those within. For now it would be their base of operations and she only hoped the trainee was prepared for what they were about to do. If he had some glorified view of the Aurors, all wands blazin' and dark wizard catching than he was surely to be disappointed. There was a large amount of paperwork and investigation that went into to almost everything the Auror's did, something Berkeley delighted in and excelled at. In fact she was often charged in doing the paperwork for her comrade in arms who didn't have the time to do it themselves.

'But your writing is so much neater Cavanaugh.' 'You have a flare for this sort of thing Cavanaugh' 'I'll owe you big time kiddo.' She often responded with a cheery blossom smile and a nod of her platinum locks, never refusing and never complaining despite the extra hours she spent at her desk because of it.

For now though this was something that she saw as a matter of importance. They needed to take stock of what was going on and her analytical brain was around put into gear, "Put the box here please." Even amoungst her peers, her colleagues, or someone like Tarelin who was only a few years younger than her, Berkeley was formal and proper in every word she spoke. She had been seen as stuck up in her Hogwarts days but she merely saw it as necessary.

She started to place the letters in a vertical row and placed the attached photos and what not next to each she could recall, "We need to make sure these match up perfectly to the letters they were sent with." She paused only a brief moment as she placed the picture of the werewolf next to her own threat. Her ice blue eyes lifted to the iron ball tucked under the young man's arm.

"Your parents?" She had yet to read his letter since he had discreetly shown it to Jonas to save Eddie's feelings but she knew well enough what that ball symbolized. As thorough as ever Berkeley had made sure she read Tarelin's dossier when he had been brought in as a trainee. His initial training had been put on hold when his parents had been injured by a rogue bludger. He had been put in charge of taking care of them. For once she could actually relate. With her mother's death and her father's condition Berkeley was put in charge of her family making sure her younger siblings, Briar and Kyson, were coping and that her father made it to a safe house to receive his wolfsbane every month.

Tarelin followed Berkeley into the hollow shell of a room, used by the Aurors when interrogating case suspects. Glancing around, he couldn't help but imagine all the dark witches and wizards that had been brought in here for questioning, just how many followers of Voldemort had been held here in the years following both his downfalls. Shrugging away the thoughts, he returned to the room, wondering just how they could get started on the monumental task which lay ahead. 'Find trends', Trevelyan had told them.

He placed the box down where instructed, beginning to unload the contents onto the tabletop with Cavanaugh's help. Glancing across at his fellow Auror as she sorted, he realised that, despite their similar age, he didn't know much about her. She seemed efficient, which is exactly what this task needed, and Tarelin had often seen her quietly carrying out paperwork. However, with the more boisterous Aurors around the office, Berkeley seemed to get pushed into the background.

"We need to make sure these match up perfectly to the letters they were sent with."

Nodding, Tarelin began helping her line up note and photographs and other 'gifts'. The majority of notes seemed to have come with photographs, often of people, who Tarelin guessed were mentioned in the notes. Finally, he placed the bludger next to his own note, taking out his wand and giving it a flick to stop the ball from rolling astray and ruining their arrangement. As he did, Cavanaugh spoke again.

"Your parents?"

Tarelin was slightly surprised by the question, not fully sure what Cavanaugh meant by it. Glancing across at her, he nodded solemnly. "Yeah, they were injured by a bludger at a quidditch match. It's why I wasn't training for a while." Tarelin didn't feel the need to go into too great a detail. If more detail was needed later, it was freely available to them in his files. "MacDuff could have found out about the incident easily enough - the Prophet covered it, but they didn't mention names. I'm wondering..." He paused for a second, turning his attention from the bludger on the table to Berkeley, fixing her with a gaze. "Could MacDuff have gotten ahold of Auror records? I mean, how public are they?" Tarelin had never thought about it now, but suddenly it seemed so very important. "It might explain how he could track these people down and get their pictures."

Berkeley simply nodded as he confirmed details of which she already knew. There was no need to let the younger man know that she already knew about his parents and the affect their injury had on his early Auror career. She had only asked to ascertain the contents of his threat without coming across as rude by reading it without his permission. While she was aware that she was doing so for each of the other Aurors it was a different case when the man it affected was standing right in front of her, especially given how he had been so discreet with the threat to begin with. Much like she had done with her own. She had only shown the picture attached to the others without actually letting them read her note.

She scanned the letters, her ice blue eyes flicking from parchment to photograph over and over again. She was able to match most of them together given what she knew of the other Aurors. One thing was clear from having all of them in front of her and while it may seem like a minute detail it was a big clue to her. The writing in every single letter - which had quickly totalled sixteen - was identical. Which meant that while MacDuff may have had help in acquire his information he had made all the threats himself.

She shook her platinum locks, "Auror dossiers are high clearance information. Only Senior Aurors have access to all of them and even then there are files that have to be cleared by Raynor before they can be looked at. The only way MacDuff could have seen even the lowest of Auror files would be if he was working with an Auror." She turned her ice blue eyes to the man across from her. For a moment they shone with panic. She wouldn't even dare think that one of the red robes was collaborating with a known terrorist but MacDuff had already shown the lengths he would go to in order to scare them. What would he do to get any information he felt he needed?

While it may be giving the savage more credit than he deserved Berkeley wasn't one to rule anything out until she had all the facts. At that moment the facts were simply: MacDuff was psycho, MacDuff had information it seemed impossible for him to have, The Auror's had a mole in MacDuff's world and Berkeley definitely wouldn't put it past the beast to torture him for the information he needed. The image of a handsome young Auror trainee with dirty blonde hair flashed in front of her mind's eye and Berkeley felt her heart skip a beat. Was it possible that MacDuff tortured Chris to get this kind of information?

She threw her small body forward scrutinizing each and every threat. Rosier, Raynor, Harcroft, Stilicho, Radley, Spencer, Eleor, Vaillancourt, Cavanaugh, Holt, Malone, Depardieu, Pratt, Trevelyan, Whitman and Faust - No Colburn. Berkeley felt as if her heart actually stopped this time and she stood up straight doing everything she could to wipe the panic from her face. Chris hadn't received a threat. Was it because he had already received one in person or did his simply get sent to his station at the Black Chimera? If MacDuff had already tortured him for the information in the first place was there even any reason to threaten him? Perhaps she was over reacting. Afterall she had already let emotions get the better of her once today she wasn't going to let that happen again, especially not in front of the trainee.

She straightened the front of her skirt and nodded as if nothing had happened, "It's very unlikely that MacDuff had any access to official files. Keep in mind the man is a verified psychopath who has let Lycanthropy warp his mind and delude an conscience he may have had. He could easily have stalked each and everyone of us to obtain such information." Although the idea of MacDuff stalking her wasn't any more pleasant than the thought of him torturing Chris and she made a note to herself to send and Owl to Chris all the same.

Tarelin listened intently as Cavanaugh explained the procedure for accessing Auror files to him, nodding on occasion as he took in the details. As Tarelin had expected, the process seemed steeped with precautionary measures. Unfortunately, in this instance, the level of security did not fill Tarelin with hope. Rather, the opposite: if MacDuff could get through all that and find out the amount of information he had about the various Aurors, up to and including locations of close relatives and friends, then the trainee didn’t want to imagine what else he was capable of.

"It's very unlikely that MacDuff had any access to official files. Keep in mind the man is a verified psychopath who has let Lycanthropy warp his mind and delude an conscience he may have had. He could easily have stalked each and everyone of us to obtain such information."

Tarelin remembered reading about Werewolves during Defence Against the Dark Arts classes back at Hogwarts. The sickness could be controlled through various potions taken during the full moon, but if it wasn’t… Tarelin gave a small but visible shudder as he recalled the stories he had heard. He had always wondered how anyone could consider letting Lycanthropy control them, that to do so and to give in to such an uncontrollable side of oneself was something only the more vicious and evil of people could bare to do. That alone painted a clear enough picture of MacDuff for Tarelin’s liking.

“He’s really serious, if he’s stalked us all. It must have taken him a while…” The young Auror was talking as much to himself as he was Berkeley when he said this, moving his eyes across the table, reading the notes and looking at the pictures to make sure he had a firm grasp of all the information available to them. When he got to Berkeley’s own note and photograph, however, he paused, unsure quite what the picture was. Acutely aware that the recipient was stood next to him, Tarelin used the hand closest to her to tuck his hair behind his ear, masking his face as he tried to better make out what the picture was showing. It looked like…

His eyes widened a little. A werewolf! Why had Berkeley been sent a picture of a werewolf? He reread the note as subtly as he could. It mentioned that MacDuff was planning on doing something to her father, was this what he had planned? Tarelin considered asking her now, but decided that this would require a little more tact than just a blurted-out question. No, he would ask in a moment, once he’d had a chance to properly word his query. Looking up from the table, he turned his focus to Cavanaugh herself. “Do we have notes here from everyone around the office?” Tarelin knew that the majority were here, but was sure that Berkeley would be more likely to realise if any Aurors had been ignored by MacDuff.

Though she had not been looking directly at him Berkeley caught the shudder that ran through the trainee's body. She couldn't really blame him. Here he was fresh out of the academy not even a full Auror yet and he was receiving death threats from a psychopath, 'Welcome to the Auror Corp, Skipper! Enjoy the Macabre and Demented!' She almost felt bad for the kid but it was better for him to know what he was getting into early. Berkeley herself knew full well what was in store for her when she signed up - half her family being in the Corps and almost as many having died in service.

She turned her ice blue eyes back to the task at hand, "Even if he wasn't, it's always best to assume that everyone is serious in what they're doing. Less screw ups that way." That was Berkeley's way of giving the rookie advice. Perhaps not the greatest approach but that was the best anyone ever got out of the pint sized doll of an Auror. Quick and to the point, all the while being perfectly polite. It was an infuriating quality to many but Berkeley had always simply accepted it as who she was, no sense in trying to act any differently.

With all the notes and mementos matched up Berkeley grabbed quill and parchment and started to jot down each Auror's name and the general threat that was posed to them. She would later elaborate it into a much larger list with several different cross referenced categories but for now it helped having it all down in one place so they didn't have to constantly go back to the display in front of them.

"One's missing." She said bluntly, despite the furiously quick movements of her quill her writing was almost impossibly neat and legible, "Colburn, Chris. He's a trainee like you though he's been around for longer. He's currently working undercover in Knockturn alley. If he wasn't threatened by MacDuff we can only hope his cover hasn't been blown and MacDuff is completely unaware of him." Berkeley didn't bother voicing her concerns on the opposite. She was already nervous as it was that MacDuff knew too much about Chris and was using his undercover position to siphon information about the Aurors.

"Even if he wasn't, it's always best to assume that everyone is serious in what they're doing. Less screw ups that way."

Worst case scenario.

Cavanaugh was right, it was best if the Aurors assumed that the crimial was serious and knew what they were doing, just in case they were and they did! Tarelin hadn't had much experience in dealing with someone like MacDuff during his training, though he doubted many had experienced someone who would threaten the entire Auror office en-mass when they were in his position. Judging by the reactions of many of the Aurors earlier today, MacDuff was something very new...

"One's missing. Colburn, Chris. He's a trainee like you though he's been around for longer. He's currently working undercover in Knockturn alley. If he wasn't threatened by MacDuff we can only hope his cover hasn't been blown and MacDuff is completely unaware of him."

Tarelin nodded, recognising the name: he had trained with Colburn on occassion, though never got to know him enough to warrant calling him a friend. In hindsight, he should have taken into account other trainees, rather than just fully-fledged Aurors. After all, he had received a message, so why shouldn't the other senior trainees have done so? Though Berkeley was incredibly professional as she answered him, it didn't take a genius to recognise the worry in her voice as she finished her sentence. Did she know Chris? If so, in what capacity. A silence decended over the room, which seemed to go on for a while as Tarelin struggled for something to say.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Tarelin forced a grin to his face, though he wasn't sure he believed it himself. "I mean, he wouldn't have been posted there if they didn't have confidence in him, would they?" For all their sakes, he had to trust the judgement of his department heads, as well as Colburn's skill as an Auror.

Looking back to the pictures, he decided that the topic needed changing. Picking up the photgraph which had been delivered to Cavanaugh so that he could get a better look at it for a second before glancing up at her, turning the photo so that she could see which one he was referring to. He tried to make his choice of picture look as random as possible, as if he had just grabbed the first he had seen. "Do... Do you know what MacDuff means by this picture?" Tarelin felt a little awkward asking this question, even though he had to if he was going to understand the full picture. He doubted the answer was going to be something he would enjoy hearing, or that Berkeley would enjoy telling.

Berkeley barely moved her head as her eyes turned to the man standing next to her. She suddenly realized that his words were not random but in response to the tone of her own voice. While she had tried to keep herself as impersonal as possible the trainee had caught onto the worry that was balling itself into the pit of her stomach over Chris. She chided herself for letting her emotions get through to another Auror and had to keep in mind that this was an unprecedented and stressful sort of day. Not even the most seasoned Auror's were keeping it together, surely she was allowed a few foul ups herself.

"Of course. Colburn is more than capable of taking care of himself, that's why he was chosen." She was hoping that her second attempt sounded more neutral than her initial response. She had to get control over herself. She had to remind the man next to her that she was as good as any other Auror in the office and the unfortunate accident of birth that was her gender wasn't going to get in the way of getting the job done.

However Faust seemed content to keep her rocked as he picked up the picture that had been sent to her. Berkeley made a show of leaning forward, perhaps a little too close to the trainee, to get a better look at the picture. While she usually wasn't one for dramatics it gave her those few extra moments to compose herself and make the split second decision of how best to proceed.

"Eleven years ago, during the Battle of Hogwarts my father, an Auror, was attacked and mauled by one of the werewolves under Voldermorts command. He survived but contracted the Lycanthropy virus." She paused to straighten herself and turn her ice blue eyes back to the table, her face as expressionless as it usually was, "I can only imagine that by claiming he'll finish the job MacDuff means to murder my father." She purposely ignored the first half of his threat. The part about her not living up to the family name. A Cavanaugh Auror was about as common as a Weasley with red hair, however Berkeley had always been the one her family thought would settle down, have a family and concede to a meaningless life as a housewife. The porcelain doll of the greater Wentworth clan was doing everything she could to fight off everyone's preconceptions of her.

"Eleven years ago, during the Battle of Hogwarts my father, an Auror, was attacked and mauled by one of the werewolves under Voldemort's command. He survived but contracted the Lycanthropy virus."

Tarelin listened, nodding as she spoke. He had only been a first year when the Battle of Hogwarts was fought, though he remembered it like it was yesterday: hidden away in the Hufflepuff common room alongside a small gathering of fellow first years, Tarelin had witnessed the murder of an older student who had helped fight to defend the castle from Voldemort's forces, saving the younger student's lives in the process. It was this event which had pushed him to learn how to defend others, and eventually join the Aurors.

"I can only imagine that by claiming he'll finish the job MacDuff means to murder my father."

"I'm sorry." Tarelin looked at the Auror in front of him, doubting he could say anything that might help. To have to deal with a father who was afflicted by such a terrible curse for over a decade... Putting the picture down, he made sure it was neatly aligned next to Berkeley's note before turning his head slightly to look at her, trying his best to read her. Cavanaugh was certainly a mystery, but Tarelin felt like he was getting a better impression of her.

Her expression was focused, almost stern. Some people might have said it was as cold as her ice-blue eyes which stared at the grid of notes and pictures, especially when a known criminal had threatened someone she loved. However, as far as Tarelin was concerned, right now she was the most Auror-like person he could hope to meet. Her attention was son her job, as if she was trying to distance herself from the threat to her father. Perhaps it would be best if they returned to the task at hand, as it seemed the thing Berkeley was most comfortable talking about right now.

"Looks like MacDuff's threatening to kill someone in each note, typically a family member," It was best to return to the wider picture, take her mind off any one note. If MacDuff was serious - which the Auror-in-training now no doubt the lycanthrope was - then they had to figure out any connections fast, and anticipate any and all of the criminal's next steps. "Seems he wants to shake people up a bit. Have you spotted anything?"

Berkeley nodded in acceptance of the young man's apology. While she had made sure to have found out as much information as possible about those she worked with she never expected others to go to such lengths. Not to mention, considering his age, it was possible that he was too young to have known any of the names on the casualty list of that night - at least the non students that were killed that night. Berkeley had neglected to mention that not only had her father been turned into a werewolf that night but that her mother had been killed as well. At this point that little bit of information was unnecessary.

She had to give him credit though, the kid had tact. He said his apology and went straight back to business. She actually admired him for that, though she'd likely never say as much. It was quite the admirable trait to learn of such a tragedy and smoothly transition to more pressing matters. It seemed Faust was going to make a fine Auror if he kept this up.

Berkeley herself easily transitioned back to the topic at hand glad to not have to give the kid anymore information on the subject. It wasn't so much that she didn't like talking about it but that she felt there were more important things to be doing right now. She analyzed the threats once again, this time writing down the nature of each threat. Faust was right - most of them seemed to pertain to the death or murder of an Auror's loved one.

She pointed to the note sitting next to the threat sent to Trevelyan, "Oddly enough this one's different. MacDuff isn't threatening to kill the woman, but seems to imply forcibly mating with her." Berkeley suppressed a shutter. It wasn't so much the insult implicated by the way MacDuff used the word mudblood or that he seemed to be equating her to an animal by using the word mating - it was the fact that the brute seemed to think that forcing himself on the woman would be a far better punishment than murder. She then pointed to two others, Archer's and Aberdeen's, "Radley's, well I can't really decipher it, far as I know he doesn't have any children but there seems to be some kind of implication there and for Spencer, well the bastard's just waving her kidnapped son in front of her."

"Oddly enough this one's different. MacDuff isn't threatening to kill the woman, but seems to imply forcibly mating with her."

Turning the note towards him a little to get a better read, Tarelin nodded. Cavanaugh was right, this note was different. It was still a threat to a family member, but this one seemed more vicious, more animalistic. The rest had been threats to like, but that face the woman would still have to live with MacDuff's crime long after it had been committed caused a small knot to form in the pit of Tarelin's stomach. Coupled with the use of the word 'mudblood', Trevelyan's note was easily one of the most chilling.

Looking at the photo, the trainee guessed that the woman staring out was Jonas' wife. She looked about the right age, and though the Auror had never mentioned a spouse to him, Tarelin had noticed a wedding right around the Auror's finger. The picture could have been of a close relative, though he doubted MacDuff would go for a sister or aunt when he could target someone like a partner. As he was contemplating this, Cavanaugh spoke again, cutting into what was an almost absent-minded moment for the young trainee.

"Radley's, well I can't really decipher it, far as I know he doesn't have any children but there seems to be some kind of implication there and for Spencer, well the bastard's just waving her kidnapped son in front of her."

Another two Aurors he knew little about. Once this was over, he would find out more about the people he worked with, Tarelin vowed to himself. For now, he would have to rely on Auror Cavanaugh to help him decipher some of the relations mentioned in MacDuff's threats.

Locating the two notes, Tarelin examined them as he spoke. "If people in the office didn't know he had kids, then MacDuff knowing is... impressive. Terrible, of course, but impressive nonetheless." The last sentence was added in a hurry, as though Tarelin had said something offensive then tried to cover the fopare. "The note to Radley also gives him some sign of when MacDuff might strike: after Hogwarts term is finished. The rest of us don't get that luxury." Frowning and scratching his head a little, Tarelin glanced over at the note addressed to Auror Spencer.

Tarelin had, of course, heard about her kidnapped children. It was hard to work around the Auror office and not learn when a colleague had been personally attacked. The same had been true with Pratt, but like his situation, Tarelin didn't know the details surrounding Spencer's case, just the bare facts. "I'm guessing MacDuff knows where her child is then?" The question was rhetorical: Macduff had to know in order to take the picture which had arrived with the note, unless someone had sent it him.

"Maybe if we sorted them into some kind of order, we might see things clearer?"

Berkeley nodded and pointed to the picture of Cinaed with little Robin, "He likely knows where Tawse is keeping him, which only confirms that the werewolf is working for or with Cinaed." She let the smallest hint of a smile touch her lips, "We can only hope that this means Tawse is his master. Now it's just a matter of how often he lets him off his leash." Berkeley turned away again not wanting Tarelin to see any kind of betraying expression on her face. Though she hadn't spoken to any in the office about it Tawse's sister was still her Aunt. It wasn't exactly rare for the purebloods of London to all be linked to each other but it was never easy knowing where those links lead. Berkeley had been trying to get in on the case for a while now convinced that her Cousin would be a useful source of information. The young Slytherin had come onto the Auror's radar at the beginning of the year when he was questioned about a fellow students murder, now he was a possible accomplice in the kidnapping of an Auror's child - quite the list of accomplishments for a fifteen year old.

She took up the notes and items and began rearranging them again, "Good idea Faust." She said simply as she separated the items. She had them grouped into death threats and other types of threats and from there those made towards a partner were separated from those made towards a family member. She quickly documented the new organized piles before looking to the trainee again, "You brought up a good point about Radley's threat. Gives us the beginning of a timeline. If MacDuff doesn't plan to act until the end of June that will give us ample time to get everyone to safety and well protected." She looked them over again, "Are there any that appear to be immediate threats?"

"He likely knows where Tawse is keeping him, which only confirms that the werewolf is working for or with Cináed. We can only hope that this means Tawse is his master. Now it's just a matter of how often he lets him off his leash."

Cináed Tawse? Tarelin recognised the name from a number of old reports he'd found around the Auror office. From what he'd seen, it didn't surprise the trainee that the man was involved with the lycanthropic criminal. As Auror Cavanaugh turned from him, Tarelin looked back at the picture of Tawse and Robin, frowning. Robin's eyes seemed to be staring straight at him, piercing through the thin layer of film at his captor stood uncomfortably close. What the child must be going through...

"Good idea Faust."

As Berkeley spoke, Tarelin instinctively reached out for the picture of Cináed and Robin, putting it next to the pictures as his senior laid them out. Watching her write down the orders of the piles with a nearby quill and parchment, he took a brief moment to take in the new order. It was certainly easier to see the patterns between the notes now, and Tarelin nodded to himself as he committed the basics of the new order to his mind before Berkeley spoke again.

"You brought up a good point about Radley's threat. Gives us the beginning of a timeline. If MacDuff doesn't plan to act until the end of June that will give us ample time to get everyone to safety and well protected. Are there any that appear to be immediate threats?"

"I don't know," Muttering as much to himself as much as to Berkeley, Tarelin's eyes darted over the pictures, trying to find the link she had mentioned. As far as he could see, Radley's note was the one that had any set date in mind. "They're all pretty vagu- Hang on." Moving his hand towards a few notes as he read them again, he picked up the ones addressed to Malone and Whitman and handing them over to Berkley as he described each in turn.

"The one to Auror Malone talks about her roommate at the moment, and the one for Auror Whitman mentions going into Hogwarts, which can only happen in the next month." Pausing so Berkeley could read through them, he continued after a few seconds. "They're probably the most imminent threats, followed by Radley's."

Berkeley let out a low sigh and ran a petite hand through her platinum curls, "Damn I was hoping we'd be given more time." Another of the notes caught her eye. She swore that by now she had read over ever single one but now that she was looking at each in a different context some were standing out more than ever - others practically screamed for her attention. She leaned over the desk and plucked the one that was making the most noise.

"Merlin, look at this." She showed him the threat issued to their fellow young Auror Vaillancourt, "Vaillancourt's could be as quickly as tonight. No wonder she wanted to get out of here." She placed the note back down where she had plucked it from and made another note on her parchment. She knew she was far from done cataloguing all of these, knew that she'd easily go above and beyond what Trevelyan had been expecting of her but then none of that was really new to her. She was used to overworking herself and in all honesty she wasn't in any rush to be getting home. She'd much rather be making sure everyone else was safe before resigning herself to her own creature comforts.

"Alright well that kind of throws our timeline out the window, bollocks." She pursed her lips in thought, "We'll need to get a current location on all of those threatened or their last known whereabouts at best and start listing the best ways for us to protect them all. Obviously there'll be protection spells, and those for warding off evil and unwanted guest but from the look of some of these we might have to go as far as relocation."

Berkeley was quiet for a long moment, letting her mind churn and dwell over a billion thoughts, "Any thoughts?"