broken dreams incorporated | beatrice

[cade owen woodward]

I have seen what you call progress

Every warning sign ignored

June 4, 2026

@beatrice

Cade’s expression was serious. He read the articles on his desk, wondering how to organize them for the next day despite all the questions he still had. Hogwarts had burned to the ground, a Ministry of Magic Department Head was in custody, and now a new Ministry of Magic. Truthfully, he’d carried this desperate feeling of wanting to casually walk over to Bianca’s office with coffee, much like he used to and try to get answers to those questions—but also he missed seeing her. It had been a few weeks since he’d last visited her office, with a rough plan in mind until he was interrupted, and after everything, they just hadn’t spoken. True, Bianca had a lot on her plate, and her department was the center of attention. And yet, nobody even in the Order of the Phoenix could tell Cade how a longstanding Ministry of Magic Employee and department head turned out to be a high-level Purifier.

It brought his anger to the surface, which he’d rather feel than the slight pain of whatever this was with Bianca. Though he knew that she was the person who would answer some questions, but not from him. Cade had back up, his journalists were working full time, and he’d tried to coordinate them to the best of his ability. But there were still questions he needed answers to. The public was demanding those answers. Cade heard a light knock on his door frame, and he looked up to see the person he’d been waiting for. ”Come in and close the door, please.” Cade stood up, taking a moment to stretch a little. He’d long since removed his tie and blazer and rolled up his sleeves as he went over the details over and over again.

”I know I’ve asked you before, but I need your help.” Cade paused, pulling a folder out from a stack on his desk. ”The Purifiers took Hogwarts.” Cade shook his head. Every student that had ever passed through its ancient halls felt that loss. ”They say Elaine is dead. The Ministry has Purifiers in custody.” Cade extended his arm and held out the folder to Beatrice. ”And nobody can seem to answer how the Head of the Department of Mysteries was also one of them.” Cade had read through the reports from the Aurors and Ministry staff interviewed and the St. Mungo’s staff on scene. Even Professors and students alike. He’d read it all, and had it not been for Zabini, Asher Burke could have done a lot of damage. What was worse, if he’d never shown up, he would still be the Head of the Department of Mysteries.

Cade let out a frustrated sigh. All that work with the Order almost seemed like a waste. All that time with Bianca hadn’t turned up anything as significant as this. How had they missed it? ”Bea—you’re one of my best. The Ministry is going to protect its image now that the Burke arrest is public.” Cade looked at his longtime friend. ”So?” Sure he could have sent his other reporters, but Beatrice really was one of the best, but more importantly, he trusted her.

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Beatrice had been more intrigued by anything when Cade asked to meet him in his office privately when she came into work. It had been several weeks since Hogwarts had been destroyed, and Bea still didn’t quite believe it. The castle had been her home, hers and Cades and everyone she cared about, for seven whole years. People had tried and failed to tear the castle down before, but none had succeeded. Except now, with Fiendfyre and paralysis potions. That was all it took for the thousand year old castle to come down. It didn’t seem like it was enough, but she hadn’t been on the scene, so she had no idea what the on site experience had been like. And part of her never wanted to. Hogwarts was sacred, and the idea of it being gone was just...baffling.

Not that Beatrice was completely unaware of some of the details of what happened. It had been Elaine Dupree all along; Beatrice had known in her gut that the rat wasn’t dead. The Ministry had been too quick to trumpet their success, but Elaine had been a twenty year old leader of a full blown dark wizard organization. If people like Asher Burke reported to HER, obviously she was bringing more to the table than anyone gave her credit for. It was infuriating; how many lives could have been spared if the Ministry had taken a hot minute to check that the person impersonating Elaine back in 2025 was really her before blasting her with a Killing Curse?

After knocking, Beatrice came into Cade’s office and sat down across from him. He looked rough, like he hadn’t slept well for awhile. She knew they both had a passion for reporting and journalism, and telling the truth. The Ministry however, always had their reputation as their number one priority, which really didn’t help their mission. She listened as he went on a small rant about how the Ministry was trying to cover up how they didn’t realize their long standing Head of the Department of Mysteries had been a high level Purifier, which was a huge gaffe on the Ministry’s part. “What is their current plan then, for handling the arrest of Burke? What is their angle?” she asked, pulling out a notepad and pen. Normally she would have thrown a few sarcastic quips here and there, but one look at Cade’s face told her that he needed her to be as straightforward as possible here.

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

I have seen what you call progress

Every warning sign ignored

June 4, 2026

@beatrice

Cade recalled the last conversation he had with Beatrice regarding these topics. She had been heading in the right direction in terms of her intuition, but it wasn’t something Cade was at liberty to disclose just yet. There was a loyalty to the Order that had bound him, as painful as that had been. And even now, he felt a bit of regret to that fact. It was slightly against what he stood for. The people had deserved to know, but he’d justified keeping it to a limited group knowing the chaos it would cause among the people and if there wasn’t a viable solution to keeping the Purifier threat at bay.

But now, he was frustrated and irritable. But honestly, he’d been like that for a few weeks now, masking it as just stress of the aftermath of the burning of Hogwarts. The big picture was public. The Order didn’t have much in terms of the inside scoop anymore, and it was different to be on a level playing field. Beatrice didn’t make the usual jokes when she came into his office, closing the door. Nothing about his eyes or the way the interns looked at him or how he could just smile any secretary in the Ministry and get information out of them. He wasn’t in the mood for that either.

She asked more on Burke, and Cade paused to think. ”He’s in custody. I’m assuming Bi—Rivera will question him herself. He wasn’t popular with the other Department Heads.” Not that he had to be. Nobody bothered the Department of Mysteries, and there wasn’t the same coordination required. ”It’s no secret that his sisters were Hogwarts Professors, either.” He paused again, shaking his head. The idea that they were possibly complicit and among the students did anger him quite a bit. He let out a frustrated sigh. ”I’m sure they can use the angle of the Department of Mysteries. They say the Ministers themselves never know what's going on there. “ Cade shifted to lean on his desk a bit more. ”I need you to see what information you can get from Rivera.” Cade knew this would possibly infuriate Bianca, especially when she was so busy, but he wasn’t planning on leaving any stone unturned when it came to this. ”What do you think about all this?” She had an interesting way of viewing the world. Cade wanted the insight of his longtime friend.

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[Deleted]

Beatrice blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The Ministry angle was predictable of course; who really knew what happened in the Department of Mysteries after all. But something nagged at her. “If I remember my recent history correctly,” she began, twirling a pen in her fingers as she spoke. “Back in 1996, six teenagers and a whole bunch of Death Eaters infiltrated the Department of Mysteries. I was under the impression that while details of their work were kept under wraps, anything bigger was discussed with the Minister. One of those teenagers was Hermione Granger, the former Minister.” She paused for a moment after that barrage of words. “I simply cannot bring myself to believe that after an infiltration of that magnitude the Department regulations did not change,” she declared firmly.

Cade then asked her own opinion on what she thought about everything that had happened. “How much time do you have?” Bea asked with a wry smile. “I think that over this past year, with the Minister being blown up, Elaine Dupree not really being dead, to the fire that destroyed Hogwarts, the Ministry really has no idea what the hell they are doing. They keep getting embarrassed by a 21 year old girl, Ministers are rotating at an alarming rate and now they’re trying to downplay Asher Burke rising to a leadership position when his loyalty lay with the Purifiers all along!” Bea threw her hands up, the pen flying from her hand and landing in the corner with a clatter. “I’ll get that later,” she said dismissively, then looked him in the eye. “You mean Bianca Rivera?” She confirmed, a coy smile playing at her lips. She had seen Bianca a few times over the years; Bea thought she was quite pretty. And she had noticed Cade almost call her by her first name. She chose not to take it any further though and continued speaking. “Are we setting up an official interview or is this more of a ‘off the books’ sort of chat?” She asked him.

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

I have seen what you call progress

Every warning sign ignored

June 4, 2026

@beatrice

Stress could do a number on a person, but Cade typically took it all in stride. Calm, collected, determined. His drive and sense of justice during his school days might have had people wondering if he wouldn’t have done better in Gryffindor—but there was a difference. Cade had learned patience and due diligence were important. There was nothing wrong with pausing at times and looking before you lept. Beatrice might have been a bit less patient than he was, but she was one of his best, which is why he wanted her to work on this current event. Children in danger, a major terrorist organization, and implicated Ministry of Magic Department Head, links to pureblood society. It all seemed so familiar.

Cade leaned back in his chair but let his arm closest to his desk lean on it while listening to Beatrice speak. He could always rely on her to know the history and the facts, which people would forget but be relevant. It was true—if Hogwarts students could manage to sneak into the Ministry of Magic and one of the more secure departments…well, their security was likely higher. If what Cade had heard about Asher Burke was true, then who knew what kind of sinister things a man like that did behind guarded doors. But also, what about the Unspeakables? ”Do we know if any of the Unspeakables have spoken or have been questioned?” All they needed was one that would say something…anything to give them a clue.

He should have known that asking her opinion was opening a flood gate, but this was the top priority, and the Editor was pushing Cade to push stories out faster, but he pushed back as much as was feasible for his position. The last thing he needed was incorrect information on the front page, like some bad tabloid magazine. His eyes followed the pen that flew out of Beatrice’s hand and then went back to her as he feigned a bit of concern. ”I don’t think anyone would disagree with you. Rowen Root is certainly more qualified than Viktor Krum ever was.” Cade looked away, thinking a moment before looking back. It had become more difficult than anticipated to separate and compartmentalize the different parts of his life. He didn’t have to deal with the Order anymore, but it didn’t stop him from still having the knowledge of what he had learned over the years.

”Yes.” He responded, but he thought about the approach. Bianca was not likely to do official interviews so soon after the major event. Though she was hardly one for casual conversation, as Cade remembered bumping into her at that Art Gallery and the icy way she treated him. ”She’s not as concerned about the Ministry’s “image” problem…I think we can go ‘off the books’ on this one.” It was the safer approach. ”I appreciate your help on this.” Cade added, his tone calmer than when previously ranting. If there was ever a moment, he needed people he could trust—it was now.

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