I Never Give In (Percival Graves x Reader)

The suspicion

It was a light morning when you have stepped out of the train, stretching you stiff arms. You have come back from a mission you were sent on to deal with some minor misbehaving wizards on the East of the US. Being one of the leading aurors made Madame Piquery trust you to complete the mission alone, and although it was quite a long one, you have finally managed to bring it to an end. The three men responsible were now escorted by you to the trial that would take place a day upon arrival to New York at the MACUSA headquarters. You were exhausted from the chase that was leading from town to town and the combat alone against the three as well- at a memory of it you massaged an aching jaw in the place one of the men hit.

A job like a job.

You got off the train, nodding to the fellow wizards that have been waiting for you to take the prisoners over from there. The mission took much longer than anyone had imagined and now a warm summer turned to a dark and unwelcoming late autumn. A cold wind has gotten underneath your skirt, sending cold shivers through your skin and making you tighten your coat even more. The thought of your own warm bed and warm tea fortified you and lifted your mood a bit, the thought of seeing your friends even more. Especially one of them.

Graves and you have known each other for quite a long time now and you were proud to say you were one of his few friends. Graves has accompanied you a few years ago on a mission to deal with an obscurus in Canada and you have become closer ever since that. However, with both of you being married to your job and more and more incidents happening over the time, you couldn't see each other as often as before. Queenie was your second friend, with whom you could talk about everything and everyone. Apart from them you had almost no one, being very picky about your surroundings and acquaintances as you couldn't stand mindless and naïve people that cannot think for themselves.

You breathed in the smell of the city, listened to the noise of the people up and about, mixed with the squeaks of seagulls. It was your home and you missed it. You held your suitcase tighter and walked deeper into the city. The report could not wait so you headed to an abandoned alley and after making sure that there was no one around you, disapparated and apparated in front of MACUSA headquarters. You went up the stairs and entered the building, greeting the porter while going through the door. Everyone inside seemed busy, more than usual, as if something has happened. However, every now and then something that needed more attention has been going on and as a result you were not bothered by a it anymore. That is, not until you have looked up at the magical exposure threat meter, which was at one of the highest possible: Severe Unexplained Activity. The golden light filled you with confidence and eagerness to be ready for action.

You rushed towards one of the elevators on the other side of the hall and asked to be brought to your own office as you wished to leave the suitcase there first. After just a moment you were there, opened the door and entered the room. It was dusty and the dead flowers on your desk looked quite depressing. The table was standing in the middle of the room, with drawers on both sides. There were two bookcases on the other side of the room, filled with works on different topics, majority being related to spells and charms, along with the defence against the Dark Magic. On the right were many file drawers that you would regularly go through, update and add new papers to it. All the furniture was made of wood, keeping its original colour. There was a painting of Yellowstone, a place you loved deeply, above the file drawers. You felt here at home, your own space in the enormous building that was MACUSA.

"Scourgify" you used a cleaning charm and settled your luggage by the left wall of the room, hanging your coat and hat above it on a hanger as well. Something was not right, you didn't believe that you could have left your office with so many papers laying around. Maybe you were in a hurry? After all it was a month ago and you could no longer recollect everything you've done before leaving.