Their Life

Chasing Grindelwald Part 2

The Aurors appeared in a large field. Tina released Theseus's wrist and ran towards the small, rundown shed that served as the Auror Offices for that particular area. A man sat slumped against the wall by the door. He was dressed like a homeless tramp but Tina knew he was a guard against No-Majs or magical attacks. Pulling out her ID, she flicked it open and showed it to the man. Theseus did the same beside her.

The man got to his feet. "Thank goodness you're here," he said. He pointed his wand at the door. "Go right in. They're expecting you."

"Thank you," Tina replied. She pushed open the door and walked inside. She found herself in a large open room with rows of offices on either end. There were two elevators on the opposite wall, a number of maps hung on either side. A large map was set up in the middle of the room showing Grindelwald's path. The last point was still in Indiana.

A young man stood in front of the map. His arms were crossed defensively. He looked nervous and he jumped when Tina spoke.

"Excuse me," she said.

The man spun around, his sandy hair falling into his eyes. As he pushed it out of his face, Tina held up her ID for him to see.

"Thank goodness," he breathed.

"Are you in charge?" Tina asked.

"Yes, but I wish I wasn't. I've only held this position for about three months so my team and I are still trying to figure out the best way to do things. None of us were prepared for this to happen," the man said. He was speaking very quickly and was gripping his wand tightly in both hands, the end pointed towards the ground. 

"No one was," Tina said dryly. "If you think you're having a hard time, I'm in charge of all the Aurors in all forty-eight states, I've only been in this position two months, and this happens."

The man seemed slightly more comfortable. He extended his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Peter Wright," he said.

"Goldstein, Tina Goldstein," she replied.

Wright turned to Theseus. They shook hands.

"Theseus Scamander."

Wright looked surprised. "The war hero?"

Just then, another man appeared. "Sir, he's been sighted again."

Tina spun to face the map. A new point had appeared, still in Indiana, still in line with the others, and only one step away from their current position.

The man was looking at the map, a thoughtful expression on his face. "What I don't understand," he started, "is why he keeps appearing by all the Auror Offices. I mean, if he's trying to escape, wouldn't he want to avoid Aurors as much as possible?"

Tina frowned. That question had been sitting in the back of her mind since she had first seen the map. "I've been wondering the same thing," she said. "I suppose it might be because Grindelwald doesn't really know America that well but he did go to all the Auror Offices while posing as Graves." It was a weak argument and, even as she said it, Tina knew she didn't believe it.

Tina asked Wright and Theseus to call their Aurors together as she rounded up her own. When all the Aurors were gathered together she quickly explained her plan. The plan was very simple. All it was was for the Aurors to take their positions around the field and, when Grindelwald appeared, wait for her signal to attack.

If he does appear, Tina thought. I don't understand why he would, but it seems pretty obvious that he will.

All the Aurors filled out of the building, forming a large circle around the field. The grass came up just above Tina's waist, making it possible to see across the field when standing but it was still long enough to hide in if she crouched. All the Aurors were slowly disappearing beneath the grass. Once the field looked empty, Tina knelt in the grass herself.