Kaleidoscope || t. scamander

Calm Before the Storm

Reginald Hawkes was not a patient man.

He hated waiting, loathed it with every fibre of his being. Which is why relief had flooded his nerves when he heard something whip past his ear, looking up just in time to grab the letter delivered to him out of thin air.

He read Theseus's letter thoroughly and twice through, a frown dotting his features when he took in the gravity of the situation. This was definitely not something that they could deal with behind the Ministry"s back. This was something way more complex, something that, in all honesty, made Hawkes' skin crawl as he thought of how this kind of thing would end, if not dealt with properly.

He was more than happy to find that every member of the particular mission came back safe and sound, and as they crowded around the room in a dead, heavy silence, it was hard not to notice the helplessness, the weariness etched onto their features. Even the passive and easygoing Newt had his lips pressed into a tight, firm line, sporting blue aprons weighing heavily right beneath his eyes. They all looked like they needed a plate of warm food and a night's rest, and Reginald dismissed them home before stating that he would ponder over the matter and decide what to do.

Only Theseus remained when the rest of the group had filed out, and Hawkes wasn't surprised. It was clear that his best auror was just as worried about the consequences as he was.

"There is nothing we can do for now, Theseus." were the first words that came out of the head auror's mouth while he took a seat at his desk, a small sigh heaving from his chest.

"Newt and Roo filled me in on the Bermuda Triangle," Theseus said, "There's no way we'll get past that without help. And if we can't find a way, then neither can Grindlewald."

"We can't assume that, Theseus. Grindlewald has more tricks up his sleeves. It would be foolish of us to let our guards down." Hawkes's fingers reached up to pinch his nose bridge, feeling the tinge of migraine just around the corner, "But while I wish I knew what to do, this is clearly something we can't keep to ourselves. The Ministry has to be made aware--"

"The Ministry does not care about what Grindlewald wants." Theseus stated, "They just want to stop him."

"And they have all the right to believe so. It is true that stopping Grindlewald just makes everything easier. The question is: Can he be stopped, now that he has that kid on his side?"

"Credence, you mean?"

Hawkes nodded, "It's unfortunate, but that is the reality of the situation. I'll handle things, for now." he paused, before grabbing a case file from his desk and presenting it to the auror opposite him. The latter took it without a word before flipping open the file and scanning its contents.

Theseus looked up, "Grindlewald's followers?"

"Found three of them in France again. Could you take care of that for me in the mean time?"

Theseus dipped his head into a single nod, murmured his parting words before making his exit. It was only when the door closed softly behind his tall figure that Hawkes proceeded to swivel on his chair, absentmindedly thinking of how to deliver this news to the Ministry without having to be cornered as a suspect. They would surely be reticent and displeased upon hearing that the latter had decided to conduct a secret mission on his own. But he had some credibility for that, because they weren't doing anything useful to help with Grindlewald's case.

This was going to be one hell of a ride.

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After taking the night off to rest, Roo had received an owl in the early hours of the morning, waking her up as it had knocked straight first onto her windowpane. Instructions were written by her senior and with a small grumble under her breath, the said woman got ready and had just enough time to stuff a peanut butter sandwich into her mouth she got out of her house, hurrying towards Piccadilly Station.