Fantastic Hearts and When to Trust Them (2)

How It Feels

They Apparated into an office. Celia's legs gave out, but the Auror pulled her up again. "Your boyfriend's right," he told her as he opened his office door and guided her out. "Every Wizard who wants to marry a Muggle has to apply for it, go through interviews, and wait and see. You'll do the same."

"Why?" she gasped. "Where's Newt?"

His hand now only rested on her shoulder. "Because if we didn't regulate it, people would do it for business instead of pleasure."

People were staring at her, staring at them, as an Auror led a barefoot colored woman through what must be their Ministry of Magic. Most disregarded them after only a moment, but some watched them longer.

"What happens now?" she asked, cheeks still wet, forehead throbbing.

"We see how busy the MRD is, and sit you both down for individual questioning." He nudged her toward an elevator. The grates slid closed before them, then Celia lost her footing again as the elevator shot backward. He caught her before her face slammed into the grate, but she was shaking again.

Celia felt as confident as a wet newspaper when he finally opened the door to another office, sat her down in the stiff, black chair before the wide, deep desk, and left her there with firm instructions not to move. The gray walls seemed to lean down over her, inspecting her every dream and every fear. They weren't sure yet whether or not the first were valid.

The door opened and a bright-haired young woman stepped quickly in. "Hello, Miss Green! You're nearly famous, by the way. Thought you might like a cup." She plonked a tray with a teapot, two cups, and dishes of milk and sugar on the edge of the desk. "Let me get those for you." She retrieved her wand and tapped Celia's wrists before she could flinch, and Celia's shoulders jarred with pain as she finally brought her hands before her again. "Here, I'll clear up that scrape too, while I'm at it."

"No please!" Celia finally found her voice. "Please, I'll wait. It isn't awful."

The woman shrugged. "Your choice. Mrs. Luttewald will be in soon." She shut the door behind her with a definitive click.

Celia put her face in her hands.

The door whisked open with enough brisk force to cause a breeze and Celia lurched forward as though to run from it. Her hands shook in her lap as she resisted the urge to try. Another Ministry woman arrived, and threw a stack of paper on the front of her desk, taking a seat. "Miss Green."

Celia's breathing had hitched right back up again. Tears filled her eyes. "Hello," she managed at last.

The woman's brusque tone lost one of its edges. "Miss Green. We are not here to punish you."

One of the cool tears slid in a caress down Celia's nose, and dripped without a sound onto the back of her wrist, where it peeled down her skin and disappeared into her skirt. "That's what you all say," she whispered. She took a shaking breath. "But then you look at me like everything I never done is my mistake, and treat me and those who care about me like trash if they show it. If I am not being punished, why did I arrive in chains?"

"If you'll look at me, Miss Green, maybe you'll feel more comfortable speaking as equals."

Celia sniffed, furious and dismayed, and lifted her head.

Mrs. Luttewald was even darker than Celia was. And she saw Celia's surprised when the younger woman noticed that. Momentarily, her British accent rippled, turned to tones Celia recognized. "I done married me a British man myself." She smiled, then lifted the stack of papers like evidence. Her learned accent returned. "As I said. Wizards have to protect ourselves just like any minority. There is always the chance that a Muggle will discover us and either use leverage to convince one of us to marry him for his own gain, or the marriage will be a business transaction between the two sides. Whether or not the union is of mutual benefit only matters when it comes to whether or not we'll press charges against the Wizard in addition to Obliviating the Muggle. However, the marriage of two people who just happen to love each other is permitted, we only need to ensure that that is the case."