Chapter One / Good riddance

BRITISH MINISTRY OF MAGIC, UK

˗ˏˋ ───── Maeve Yaxley rarely ever found herself a moment alone, but when she did, she welcomed the silence. It gave her time to think about all the many things she'd done in her lifetime, more notably, how and where it all went wrong. She'd liked to say it began well before adulthood, but there'd be little truth to that statement. While her childhood had been bleak and damming as any pureblooded child, so much of her later years in life were equally miserable.

Since she'd been all but a small girl, Maeve had thought herself to be cursed. She wasn't, of course, but the idea had already crept its way far into her mind like a parasite until it manifested itself within herself. Puberty had been a thing close to what some might describe a nightmare, like what she imagined a trip to hell and back would be. It took the backseat in the horror show of her unfortunate upbringing in The House of Yaxley. Life since then had been a steady decline from bad to worse. At least Maeve could come to admit what most wouldn't; she was a bad person.

Hell, she had generations of Yaxley immorality coursing through her flesh and blood— enough to earn her a personal, qualified seat next to the Lucifer himself. If there was such a thing as redemption, it wasn't in the cards for her, not in this life nor the next. Maeve had been damned from the moment she drew breath and that was that, end of story. And yet, not everyone seemed to agree, or at not least without putting up a good argument.

Theseus Scamander, for one, was determined to argue the point—or at least, to notice her. He had a knack for observing many things, including Maeve Yaxley. Not much could be said about the woman's character beyond what he already knew. She had good work ethic and sometimes, even taste in books. He would always see her straight faced and more interestingly, perfectly postured, something he was slightly jealous of.

He would have to say, one of his most enjoyable past times was bothering the Yaxley woman whenever given the chance. The reason why being her particular department, which conveniently fell under his supervision meaning his interruptions were both frequent and unavoidable. For Maeve, these surprise encounters were never quite as enjoyable on her side, but all was fair game between the hours she entered the ministry and when she left.

"Did you lie?" The sound of Theseus' voice spoke behind her. Having been caught off guard by both his presence and choice of words, Maeve faltered if only slightly. She turned around slowly, rising from her chair and studying him warily.

"W-what?"

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly only when she looked at him properly. It was then she realized the grin that was tugging at his lips. Theseus held one hand in the pocket of his three piece suit (something Maeve found incredibly pretentious) and gestured casually with the other as he spoke. Dark shadows lined the skin underneath his eyes, a new addition to his otherwise perfectly structured face that she didn't bother to comment on it.

"I am appalled by your lack of memory," He said, his laugh tinged with feigned offense as he balanced on the heels of his shoes. Maeve blinked, still unsure about what the bloody hell he was on about.

"You told me the best coffee house in London was in Leadenhall," he continued, "but I disagree."

She frowned, trying to recall this 'alleged' conversation. She briefly wondered whether a concussion had occurred in the time between when she last spoke with him til that very moment. Was he making things up now? He shook his head at her blank expression.

"Oh," She said eventually, the word drawn out. "Alright, then."

With an uncomfortable tight-lipped smile, she turned back to her desk, resuming sorting through paperwork.

But Theseus wasn't finished. "Well?" He prompted, clearly expecting more of a response from the woman.

"That's lovely." Maeve mumbled without looking up, her tone all much too dismissive for Theseus.

After a long moment had passed, the air had gone silent. Maeve had almost convinced herself he'd left, but the sound of him clearing his throat told her she was not that fortunate enough.

"I thought you'd want to know," he persisted, "that i've found somewhere better— in Greenwich, at the market there."

"Oh?" Maeve responded, her voice flat and devoid of any actual curiosity as she continued working through papers. He couldn't see the way she rolled her eyes,
so there was no need to feel guilty about it and even if he did, all the better so he'd finally get the hint and leave.

Still, from the corner of her eye, she saw him perk up ever so slightly. "Y-yes, perhaps y—" Before he could finish the sentence, the arrival of Travers interrupted their conversation— or lack thereof— much to the delight of Maeve.

"Scamander, Yaxley." He greeted curtly, offering a nod to both. Maeve straightened instinctively. Respect had been a lesson beaten into her a long while ago. Even if she didn't like the man entirely, there wouldn't be question about it.

"If you'll notice the time Scamander, your Brothers hearing is about to begin." Travers continued, his annoyance clear, though when was it not? "Do go and find him, or there will be no sixth chance for him." He left no room for argument before the setting off again just as abruptly as he'd came. Nobody was complaining about that. Good riddance if anything.

With a sigh, Theseus turned back to Maeve, who raised an eyebrow in silent curiosity. "They're considering lifting Newt's travel ban." He said quietly, earning a noncommittal hum from her.

From what she had gathered, Newton Scamander was trouble in all the wrong ways. He had gotten himself into problems back in the states with MACUSA. From there, it had only spiraled until Grindelwald had gotten involved and eventually left New York in ruins. Unfortunately, most of the details from the case were still classified.

Theseus didn't linger long after either, offering a brief goodbye before walking away back to wherever it was he was needed. Oblivious to his retreating figure, Maeve stayed rooted in place, her eyes following him until he disappeared down the hall and out of view.

Shaking off the thought, Maeve chose not to think on the matter any further. And so, she returned to her mundane tasks, organizing and filing the seemingly endless piles of papers on her desk just as before. For better or worse, the silence settled soon after.

(AUTHORS NOTE!)

Wrote this to cope bcuz i'm actually about to crash tf out rn. I checked my grades and i'm failing THREE CLASSES LIKE WDYMM??? I have less than a month i'll never make i might as well just drop out now and start my life of crime and crippling addiction to drugs and gamble my life savings away, all just to end the day in an alleyway reminiscing on my life failures. I blame my Ap lang teacher, she refuses to give me above a 77% and now stupid fucking essay TANKED my grade. Wow. Anyway, let's talk about how fineee jude law is bcuz damn. don't forget to comment or like it up!!