Destined for Darkness (A Draco Malfoy Fic)

Stateside

PART II

[[Eleanor's POV]]

The green flames dissipated, and I stepped out of the fireplace and into a dimly lit office. A bank of windows made up the opposite wall, and I furrowed my brow at the inky black sky and moonlight streaming in.

What time is it?

As if on cue, a chime sounded behind me. I spun around and saw that the clock on the mantle read three-thirty. I had been so caught up in the fact that I was leaving Hogwarts that I hadn't even stopped to think that it would be the middle of the night in the States.

A door opened suddenly, causing me to jump slightly, and in walked a tall, dark-haired wizard dressed in the familiar red MACUSA Auror robes.

"Ah, Eleanor. Sorry that I wasn't here when you showed up. I ran down to get a cup of coffee, but the pot was empty." He strode across the room and placed his mug and a few folders on the desk. "Ever since the elves unionized, we have to brew it ourselves between the hours of five p.m. to eight a.m." He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Speaking of odd hours, why exactly did I have to come back at three-thirty in the morning?" I watched as he thumbed through the papers in one of the folders and then raised an eyebrow when he chuckled.

"Just like your dad, straight to the point—" His breath hitched when he realized what he said. The smile fell away, and he pressed his lips into a thin line as he slowly turned to face me. "I'm sorry about your mom and dad. They were two of the best Aurors I've ever known. The department just isn't the same without them."

"Thank you," I said tightly, hoping he wouldn't take that conversation any further.

He nodded his head once and then held out his hand. "I'm Auror Matthews, by the way." We shook hands, and then he gestured to a chair in front of the desk. "Please have a seat, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, starting with the one you already asked."

Auror Matthews walked around his desk and settled into his high-backed office chair with a grunt that made him sound older than he looked, which I guessed was mid-thirties. He took a tentative sip of his coffee, testing the temperature, and then sighed as he set the mug down.

"So, first off, I do want to apologize for how sudden this all was. I only found out about an hour before you arrived. Normally, in a case where both parents are deceased, custody of any children immediately falls to the next of kin. However, due to the nature of this case and the fact that you were under temporary guardianship at the school you were attending, we were able to delay the custody transfer while we conducted our investigation. Unfortunately, in these situations, we are held to a timeframe to make a decision. Our time was up at midnight, and it seems your aunt wasn't going to wait for a second longer because the Chief Auror received a Howler from her at twelve on the dot stating she would file kidnapping charges if you were not brought back and placed in her custody immediately." He rolled his eyes, but his tone was all business.

"So...is she here?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Yes, she is." He studied my face for a moment before continuing. "But I wanted to speak with you first. I assume you have been informed that we obtained evidence that led to the capture of the wizard responsible for your parents' murders?"

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"And I'm also assuming that you know that your aunt was a prime suspect for most of our investigation?" I nodded again in affirmation. "So, while it is not uncommon for family members to be some of the first suspects in a murder case, your aunt was at the top of our list from the beginning because she has been on MACUSA's radar for a while. Much longer than I've been with the department," He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned back in his chair. "Now, my boss would likely have my head if he knew I said this, but I'm going to be honest with you. It makes no sense to me why she has been on our watchlist most of her life. Witches and wizards that we monitor that closely have direct ties to dark magic organizations. Your aunt's file only contains a couple of records of unauthorized magic when she was a teenager, but I don't know a single witch or wizard that didn't get caught doing underage magic at least once."