Wicked Game [Cade]

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

15 June 2026

One month since it had all gone down. It felt like ages had passed since the burning of Hogwarts, but it also felt like no time at all. Bianca hadn’t found a single free moment, because everybody seemed to want a piece of Law Enforcement these days. The arrival of a new Minister meant they were finally racing ahead on issues that had been bogged down for months – rebuilding Azkaban, creating a unified Ministry position on Yrisle and what to tell the druids. And then there were the arrests and trials of seemingly dozens of Purifiers, not to mention Asher’s lengthy interrogation (and the simultaneous frustration and satisfaction of leaving him to stew in his cell for long periods of time). Those were all internal Ministry problems, and Bianca had barely had a moment to remember that the outside world still existed.

But it felt like she’d been doused with cold water as she read the Prophet’s front-page headline for the day. It was one thing to know that the public was still in turmoil over how the Ministry had handled the whole Hogwarts affair, and that a month later they were still looking for someone to blame. As if there could have been a way to prevent the whole thing from happening – some super magic wand that could beat all others. But it was another thing to know that Cade was allowing these scathing reviews of the Ministry (and her department) to be printed. Some part of Bianca’s brain could be logical, and reason that he was only doing his job. But she still felt a surge of anger as she read the article again and again, committing each word and criticism and insult to memory. Like it was him saying these things to her, and not some nameless reporter who’d gotten flowery with the language.

It had been a month since she’d seen him too, and his absence in her life still hurt. Merlin, she missed him so much, and every little reminder of him was like opening the wound again and again. The events of the last month had been hell, watching Hogwarts burn around her and then leading the charge on coping with the aftermath, but it was made worse by forcing herself to be alone and keep her distance from Cade. Some form of punishing herself for the things she’d started to say to him. And as she stared at the front page, she didn’t know what to allow herself to feel. Angry, remorseful, resentful, longing. But it all led to one conclusion. She wanted to see him. Needed to see him. Ministry employees didn’t brave the Daily Prophet Headquarters often, and in Law Enforcement they’d always had various nicknames for it. Some kinder Aurors would call it a rat nest, while the more veteran officers knew to call it Hell. Either way, there was already an infestation of reporters at the Ministry for every press conference and after every crisis – they didn’t need to tempt fate by going down to the Prophet HQ for anything less than the absolutely necessary.

But Bianca had made up her mind, and she was impossible to stop once she got started. So, clad in her Ministry robes and still clutching the day’s paper, she marched straight through the front doors of the Daily Prophet with a stony expression, ignoring the wide-eyed stares from every newspaper employee she passed. “Is that—” she heard one intern whisper to another before cutting themselves off suddenly as she shifted her glare towards him, pausing a moment before she continued down the hallway. She was recognizable, extremely recognizable to everyone there, but she ignored their stares as she stopped curtly in front of a secretary’s desk. She cut her off before she could begin to speak. “Cade Woodward’s office.” The secretary gulped and pointed down a different corridor, and Bianca began to walk at a brisk pace again.

She barely stopped to confirm the name on the small placard outside the door before she flung it open and paused at the threshold. Bianca hadn’t seen Cade in a month, and she swallowed slightly as her eyes stopped to rest on him. That complicated tangle of emotions in her chest rose to the surface again, and Bianca felt her heart skip a beat before she finally crossed the threshold and slammed the door shut behind her. “I can’t wait to hear how you’ll justify this as news,” she finally said through gritted teeth, letting the anger dominate over everything else as she stopped just in front of Cade’s desk and tossed the paper onto it. She missed him, badly, and all those feelings that she’d begun to acknowledge a month ago were as sharp and fresh as if they’d only spoken yesterday. But Merlin, this article. The slew of articles she could expect to come. Her eyes burned bright as she crossed her arms and forced herself to ignore the strange dryness of her mouth. This was business, only business. She was here to defend her department's conduct, and question how exactly the Prophet could dare to call this news. She couldn't afford to let herself think about anything else.

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Risk was a part of the job. If you asked the Ministry of Magic, so was having the audacity. Cade let out a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to him. Reviewing articles as the words began to blur together, but all of his journalists were working. He’d even pulled some of his best such as Beatrice from Quidditch, to help cover the recent events concerning the fall of Hogwarts and the rounding of Purifiers. So far, the official word was that Elaine Dupree was dead, but they’d fall for that before, hadn’t they? It didn’t even help Cade that he had that inside information with the Order of the Phoenix in times like this. Even within that organization, much had been kept from them.

It wasn’t as if he had anyone to talk to about it either. Bianca had been in the Order, and therefore, he could speak much more freely about certain topics. However, she’d made it plainly clear that she wasn’t interested in that kind of dynamic, and Cade wasn’t one to settle for anything less than what he was interested in. But Bianca wasn’t interested in that, so he left it alone and focused on his work. The chaos in the world kept everybody busy. Cade reviewed articles multiple times a day as he tried to get all the facts but was careful about what they published. While he wanted the people to know what was going on, he also knew that causing further panic would not help matters. Still, there was clear frustration in the air.

It was the same questions time and time again. How had this happened? And to be frank, Cade had that exact same question. With all the resources at the Ministry’s disposal and the Order of the Phoenix, Hogwarts had still fallen, and if people didn’t come out with physical wounds, they had memories that would stick to them for a lifetime. How did Elaine gain access to Hogwarts? And how had this gone undetected? Could the Ministry have acted sooner? Cade stood up and stretched his back, his jacket was slung over the back of his chair, and his sleeves rolled up as he prepared for a long day and night. Beatrice had just dropped off a folder. She had hit the ground running as soon as Cade had sent her to handle questioning the Ministry. Times like this, he missed the legwork and being out in the field, but he needed to manage things here.

The article that day had been a risky one to publish, and Cade had been on the fence about it. It bordered on sensationalism but still held true to what facts were public and known with very little leverage on rumors. And because of that, he’d sided with the Editor on publishing it front-page, hoping it would kick the Ministry into releasing more information or even into more action, so far the main stonewall had been on what was being done about Asher Burke. How had a longtime Ministry Employee and Department Head fly under the radar as one of Elaine’s followers despite his family’s dubious past? Cade had his back turned to the door when it swung open rather violently, and he turned to see what force, magic, or poltergeist had done so but saw that it was none of the three.

Bianca. Cade turned completely as she approached and threw the Paper onto his desk, today’s front page staring back at him though he’d memorized most of it word for word with how long he’d spent reviewing it. This was one of the risks he’d considered, and despite whatever personal feelings he had, she would have marched in here regardless and demanding blood. ”Ms. Rivera.” Cade spoke calmly as he crossed his arms, not bothering to pick up the paper. ”There’s nothing in that article that isn’t a fact, and the questions are valid.” Cade took a seat, honestly hoping someone would barge into his office as Anastasia Karkaroff had done that day to interrupt this. Cade knew he hadn’t seen her in months and could easily admit that he missed her company. Working missions for the Order or even a quick chat at the Ministry, though quickly that had turned into nights and she’d even begun to amass a small collection of movies at his flat, he’d cleared books from the bookshelf to make room.

”Though a bit of advice, one professional to another, overworked Aurors can be quite chatty after a few pints.” Cade had always frequented pubs for socializing, though typically getting a drink for himself. All those times, a lead was almost derailed by a pretty face, but Cade was headstrong when it came to his work. They both had that in common. He decided he’d let her have a few more minutes before he insisted she schedule time with his secretary, he considered it a professional courtesy to let her yell at him for a moment or two, but he did have work to finish.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

The last time they’d seen each other, they had only just started to wander into the beginning of a fight before Ana had interrupted them with life-changing news. Or really, life-ending news. There wasn’t much to dissect in terms of what had been said, since all the heavy implications could be found in everything that wasn’t said. In the immediate aftermath of Hogwarts, Bianca couldn’t even find time for simple tasks, like eating lunch or catching more than a couple hours of restless sleep. But as the tasks grew less urgent and the Purifier cases moved to trial, she’d found time in the empty spaces between emergencies to think about everything she hadn’t said. And everything she might say if she ever had the chance again.

But Aurors were intimately familiar with their fight-or-flight instincts, and Bianca was deep in survival mode. She didn’t know any better way to describe the situation with Cade than one that she just had to get through intact. It wouldn’t have been a struggle, a year ago or even only in January when he was more a professional nuisance than anything else. But now? Her chest was tight with the realization that she felt something for him, still did, and that it went far beyond whatever casual arrangement this had started as. And that made this betrayal all the worse, the blurring of lines between personal and professional and the scathing content being produced by the Prophet. Bianca’s mouth flattened in displeasure at Cade’s calm response, a frosty undertone to the detached way he greeted her and the way her angry entrance seemed like nothing more than an inconvenience to him. But fine, he wanted to play it that way? Fine.

“Facts?” Bianca repeated in disbelief, anger coloring her tone as her voice raised in pitch and volume. “This article is a ploy for readership dressed up as facts. Taking advantage of a tragedy and a well-known pureblood name to keep the Prophet relevant,” Bianca accused, her eyes flashing as she glanced at the article and Asher Burke’s name splattered across the page. She watched Cade take a seat, but didn’t move an inch. She’d gotten an insight into how he worked, first through their Order missions and then simply by the sheer amount of time they’d begun to spend together. And she knew what it looked like when he wanted someone to calm down – to mirror his body language, slowly lower the volume of the conversation. She was tempted to let him, if only because this wasn’t what she wanted to talk about. It wasn’t what she’d thought about when she was alone in her office or at home, wondering how she could fix this.

But it was almost like he’d slapped her with his final words, and Bianca reared back at his ‘advice’. It was provocative, and she could only guess at which of her Aurors he might have sent his reporters to track down. And it aggravated her to think of all the ‘interviews’ he might have conducted himself, ones that might not have ended at the pub. She felt the color rising in her face and had to force her voice to stay even. “Is that what you do?” Bianca asked in a low tone. A dangerously low tone, a dangerously sharp tone. She couldn’t banish from her mind the first time they’d really started to talk, at the art gallery. Before the reunification of the Order and their mutual realization that they’d be working together in the future. That was all she’d been, at that point in time – an overworked Auror on her break. “You find overworked Aurors and stay close until they start to talk?” Her gaze was accusatory, imagination in overdrive, and was it possible to physically feel your heart breaking? Bianca’s fingers twitched, although she didn’t even know if she meant to brush her wand in her sleeve or not. Magical Law Enforcement always had higher rates of dueling-related incidents than any other department, mostly because that was how Aurors and Hit Wizards relieved their frustrations. But Merlin, she wasn’t frustrated. She was hurt, and that was worse because…after Felix, hadn’t she promised herself she was done with that?

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Cade felt certain that regardless of the status of their…relationship or whatever one would have called that arrangement, she would have marched right in there demanding answers to why such an article would have been printed. It wasn’t personal. It shouldn’t have been for either of them. He was first and foremost a journalist who was determined to print the truth and ask questions so the public could stay informed. The Ministry of Magic was an institution and didn’t always have the people's trust on its side. The previous Wizarding Wars had proven that.

Bianca was an Auror, an officer of the Law, and Cade had grown to know her well enough that justice was her goal above else, regardless of what he thought. He was just doing his job, just as she was. As long as he was professional, he could remain distant. It was a far cry from the usual friendly and charismatic persona he portrayed. But he always needed another tactic to deal with angry targets of articles…but also women who made his heart skip a beat. Cade raised an eyebrow at the accusation, she wasn’t entirely wrong, but it wasn’t the article's main point either.

”It’s a tragedy that the Ministry wasn’t aware of a Purifier within their Senior Leadership.” Cade didn’t feel like sitting anymore. He stood up and placed his hands on his desk to lean forward slightly. His face was still serious, creases forming at his brow as his eyes narrowed a bit. ”Tell me—why isn't he in Azkaban yet? Zabini dueled him, did he not?” It was a simple question. How was such a man caught red-handed at the scene of the crime still in custody? Where was the trial? The spectacle the Ministry needed to win public opinion on their side while ignoring the other facts for a moment? It wasn’t personal, he told himself. It was a valid question.

But when Cade spoke again, he had done so knowing that he was tip-toeing a line. Again, it was a valid point but considering their past friendship and the casual relationship, it added another layer of meaning and insinuation. Her tone was low but repressed in response—Cade knew she was angry. He could feel it emanating off her. But as she spoke, Cade stood up straight, wishing he hadn’t said it in the first place, but it was too late to take that back. Naturally, she was taking it personally, but he was taking to heart the insinuation of his own actions. Cade’s eyes narrowed as he didn’t move his gaze. ”You know very well that I don’t.” Crossing his arms again, he again wished someone would barge in.

This wasn’t supposed to be personal, yet he could feel nothing but the thick tension in the room. Truthfully the accusation stung, especially when Bianca knew him this well. Cade had never been that kind of man. Did he take advantage of Aurors that spoke too much to gather notes? Naturally, but that only involved listening and nothing more—lesser men would have taken advantage of such situations. ”If you wish to make a formal statement, you can make an appointment.” Finally moving from behind his desk, he walked near the door so that he could prepare to close it on her way out. But, walking past her, he felt that feeling in his chest as he was so physically close to her for a moment. ”Normally I’d be happy to discuss it over a drink, but I’m sure you’re very busy, as am I.” Stopping, he turned to look at her. There was that fire in her eyes and he looked away so he could remain focused.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Bianca knew why she was here. Her blood had begun to boil and her temper had been simmering dangerously close to the surface ever since she’d first spotted that article in the day’s edition of the Prophet. It was inflammatory, and bordered on sensationalism, and highlighted all the worst qualities of the Ministry. Qualities she’d seen for herself over the years – how big and slow and reactive the Ministry had become. How useless it could be in causing any real change, or helping people, or doing what it was supposed to do. There was an echo of truth in what was written, even as Bianca was easily defensive when it came to her own department and how hard she worked to ensure they fulfilled their mandate. To serve the community, keep it safe, and fight back dark forces and influences that wanted to destroy the world.

But even as she was in the middle of calling his newspaper a desperate cry for attention, her traitorous heart stuttered at the authority that Cade radiated as he leaned forward on his desk and fixed her with a serious look. It was so different from his usual style, a brilliant smile on his face as he made warm and friendly conversation with anyone while he asked about their kids or their last vacation or favorite pub. She liked that, if only because she wasn’t capable of that sort of charisma herself, but this look now? Her eyes trailed over his figure, lingering on his stern expression, and she swallowed slightly before pursing her lips. He wasn’t going to distract her from being angry, or from the outrageous things he’d said. She couldn’t help but find herself defensive at his own accusatory tone as he questioned her about Asher Burke and why he was still in custody. Such a reporter – even in the middle of an argument, he was ready for a cross-examination at any time.

“Maybe I have a plan,” Bianca growled as she took two sharp strides forward until she was at the other end of the desk. She didn’t bother to confirm or deny whether Burke and Zabini had dueled – that was her own tendency, to avoid commenting on anything that could potentially be used against her later – but she huffed slightly and dropped her gaze to the newspaper on her desk. She already knew where that interrogation was going, the only place it possibly could. It would make her look like an idiot in the court of public opinion for losing such an easy conviction, but it would give the Ministry the tools they needed to finish off the Purifiers for good. As soon as she finished breaking Asher Burke. Bianca raised her gaze again and said hotly, “I don’t settle for the easy win. Maybe there’s more happening than what you can see. Or should be able to.” She didn’t even know who she meant by that anymore, Cade or the Daily Prophet or the public in general. It was impossible for her to separate what was personal and professional when there were such ugly articles coming from the office of a man she had feelings for.

His dig about overworked Aurors had thrown her, mostly because she’d never thought of him as someone capable of saying something only meant to hurt her. She didn’t believe what she had flung sharply back at him, because she knew he wasn’t the type to use people and throw them away once he was done. But the thought of him with other women made her chest burn with some unidentifiable emotion (although it felt like she had swallowed acid), and some small part of her felt satisfied at his clearly defensive comment and posture. That she wasn’t the only one being hurt in this argument. Cade moved past her as if to open the door (the most polite way someone had ever tried to kick her out of their office), but Bianca was stubborn and brought a hand up to stop his progress. She didn’t break eye contact – couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away as she furrowed her eyebrows in displeasure and unclipped her badge from her belt.

“You seem to have forgotten this is my appointment,” she said coldly, shoving her badge into his chest and turning to face him fully. She didn’t move her hand away, felt it stop to rest traitorously on his chest like she couldn’t bring herself to break this little bit of contact between them. It was such a difference to a year ago, or even less, when she had always been careful not to cross the professional boundaries between them. Now? Now she closed the distance between them without thinking, found herself being pulled closer even as she was still incredibly angry. “You’re not too busy for me,” she asserted in a quiet voice, finally dropping her hand and returning her badge to its usual place of honor. This cold façade that Cade was showing her – she wanted to believe it was just a show. That he hadn’t actually moved on to a place where he didn’t want her anymore. But her cheeks burned with the embarrassing potential that maybe she wanted to see him more than the opposite was true. Her tone, her posture, it was all a challenge. And Bianca had never been the first to back down.

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Cade knew that it was only a matter of time before Bianca had come storming into the Daily Prophet, ready to kick down his door and offer an opinion on what was written for the front page that day. Their methods differed on that front. Cade was always on a quest for information—for the truth. Justice needed to be public if anything was ever to change. Individuals like Asher Burke, who participated and supported such terrible things as mass murder and terrorism, needed to be crucified publically as a warning for anyone else who even thought about tip-toeing near that path.

But he was naïve to think that perhaps the greater influence of the Burke name had something to do with it. The connections a pureblood family of the sacred twenty-eight might hold could not be ignored. Some mountains could not be scaled at this time, and the solution was to break them down over time instead. And while Cade had admired and been rather attracted to the way Bianca moved pushed through with such passion, fury, and determination—Cade knew it was not a practical approach one-hundred percent of the time. And on that front—as a source of information to the public, Cade knew there were two sides to every story. Why wasn’t the Ministry acting? What did they have up their sleeve, or rather, what were they hiding up there?

Cade scoffed slightly. In his mind, it was the responsibility of the Ministry to be decisive and quick in response to such an event (and against children, no less) if they wanted to maintain the confidence of its constituents. A plan. What did that even mean? All Cade saw was an opportunity for justice going to waste. ”And what about the truth? And justice for all those children that never made it out of that Castle? Will your plan give us that? Or is the Ministry too scared to go after a Burke?” Cade argued in response. Though he was never one to lose his temper, in any case, he would stand his ground on what he believed in. Still, he wanted to believe in Bianca—he had grown to know her well enough to know that she wasn’t some public-facing figurehead as Krum had been. She meant business, though Cade now wondered if her ‘going with her gut’ approach was hindering her behind this plan she alluded to. It would haven’t have been the first time he’d seen her just react.

As he walked past her to see her out, she stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. He stopped, though he felt like he had frozen for a split second at the contact. How long had it been since they’d been this close to one another? This arguing, the trade of insults—months ago, an argument of this magnitude would have instead been a discussion over dinner or a drink. Perhaps whatever food one of them cooked up at a random hour in the middle of the night because they’d lost track of time. Two people who enjoyed one another’s company rather than two people on opposite sides of the battlefield throwing accusations to see who would crack first.

Cade couldn’t quite read the expression in her eyes. It was a mix of fury and something else. His own blue were probably tired, guarded as he spent the days pushing through his immense workload, and whatever dwindling free time he did manage to find was spent grabbing a drink at the pub as he craved talking to someone about anything that wasn’t Work. Suddenly her Ministry of Magic issued badge was in his face. It read ‘MINISTRY OF MAGIC’, and Cade glanced at it but looked away, not impressed by the show. But he finally looked back. The badge had returned to her waist. He Cade was familiar with the badge as it had gotten annoying in the way once or twice, and he’d resorted to throwing it to the side.

”That badge may give you authority in the Ministry—but not here.” He spoke calmly, and as far as he knew, nothing illegal had been done. Cade wasn’t one to just print slander for the sake of putting words to a page. That wasn’t his goal or his endgame. If Cade had felt exhausted before she’d arrived, he didn’t feel that. Only how his heartbeat against his chest from adrenaline and the way it did whenever she stood so close to him. And there was that look in her eye, the one of a predator that was not going to back down, nor were her eyes ever going to leave her target. Bianca was a large presence in a small frame, and Cade felt that void every day. He took a step closer to her, unsure of why he did—it was a rare moment of doubt for him. He had half a mind to just grab her, and the other half pushed him to show her the door.

The tension in the air was palpable, and Cade’s mind stumbled between his feelings for Bianca but also remembering how she’d so quickly rejected him. ’You’re not too busy for me.’ Bianca was never good at questions or requests—and this felt like one of those requests hidden inside a very straightforward demand. ”And as far as I know, I haven’t done anything illegal. Unless it is now a crime to be honest.” Cade’s eyes met her own as he returned the challenge. All he’d ever done was be honest.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

It had been a long time since anyone had pushed back on Bianca in any meaningful way. Once upon a time, that was all she had faced from her Auror days – wizards who didn’t believe she had what it took to reach the top. Wizards who had excluded her, and belittled her abilities, and challenged her at every available opportunity to prove them wrong. That was what had driven her to flatten anything that might stand in her way. It was the only way to teach an Auror a lesson, and Merlin she had taken to it like she’d been born for it. There was something in her blood that called for settling injustices and making things right. But then she’d gotten her promotion, and suddenly her worst obstacle hadn’t been cocky bastards that needed to be taken down a notch. No, she’d found herself surrounded by the sycophantic career-types, ambitious young politicians who would say yes to anything in order to get ahead. And people had stopped saying no to her.

So she wasn’t ready for this pushback. Cade’s scoff sent a chill through her, and Bianca felt the color rise to her cheeks at the dismissive shake of his head. She pursed her lips in disapproval even as she felt her hands curl into fists at the uncomfortable sensation of being argued with, and she clenched her jaw at his response. Merlin, she liked Cade a lot – more than she should, more than she’d ever planned to. There was something magnetic about watching him work, how perceptive he could be and notice things even she had missed. But there was a patronizing quality to his tone that grated her nerves and caused her to grit her teeth as he lectured her about truth and justice. Did he think she didn’t care at all? Was this just another instance of someone believing that she really was that heartless?

The word ‘Burke’ was barely out of his mouth before Bianca launched into her counterattack. “Oh don’t be naïve!” she exploded, her hands naturally finding their way to her hips as she glared at him. “Truth and justice? What have you found in this ugly world that makes you think you can have it all?” There was so much energy coursing through her veins, and Bianca began to pace as she ran her hands angrily through her hair. She finally turned back to face Cade, eyes flashing as her voice continued at a growl. “God Cade, can’t you see the bigger picture here? You’re so obsessed with Asher Burke that you’ve stopped thinking. This is so much bigger than just one more wizard filling another cell in Azkaban.” She was restless, her hands were everywhere, and Bianca was painfully reminded of all those times watching her mother yell at her father with that hot-blooded Italian passion. There was a time and place for Cade’s optimistic tendencies, his ability to see the best in people even when they buried it deep inside. He’d seen it in her, seen who she could be, even while she’d done everything she could to hide it from him. But here and now, when they were discussing the real world and the much bigger game that the Purifiers had been playing? This wasn’t about Asher Burke, it was about everything he could give them to end the Purifiers forever. That had the potential to right so many wrongs, to put an end to their horrible reign of terror. The thought of letting Asher Burke walk free left a bitter taste in her mouth, but the knowledge that this price would give her the ability to do so much more to keep people safe? It was what kept her going. Her voice had pitched into a shout, but now it returned to its normal volume, albeit with an accusatory note. “Or have you forgotten what we were fighting against? It wasn't just Asher Burke. You think that’s all gone because of one fire?”

She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying anything more. These last few months, Bianca had found herself so eager to share with Cade. To pick that brilliant brain, ease some of this weight off her shoulders. He was so easy to talk to, and sometimes she forgot herself when they were sitting close together late at night over a bottle (or two) of wine. But she couldn’t forget that this meeting was professional, that he was working as hard as she had once upon a time to maintain that semblance of boundaries between them. Her heart was pounding, but she still hadn’t forgotten herself. As much as Bianca wished she could tell him everything she was planning, it was too new. Too dangerous. The Ministry was so close to dismantling the Purifiers, ending them forever. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself and ruin it all.

So instead Bianca let her fingers run over her badge and shake her head stubbornly. “This badge gives me authority everywhere,” she countered, her voice hard – the same authoritative tone she used when reminding rebellious Aurors who was in charge. He’d taken a step closer, and Bianca could feel her head spinning as she dropped her hand from his chest. They were so close, and she could feel the pull inside her that wanted to just close that last little bit of distance between them and forget what they were arguing about. She missed him, and she felt that ache in her chest at how hard she had to force herself to stay where she was. Her mouth felt dry at his last words, and her face flushed at his reminder of the last time they’d spoken. “That isn’t fair,” Bianca whispered. Her voice came out as a stutter as she continued. “Y-you know how hard it is for me to…” she swallowed hard, unable to finish that sentence. All at once, all that restless energy disappeared and Bianca was left standing stock-still and staring at him hard. Eyes searching his face for some sign of what he felt. Finally she said, her voice still at a painful whisper, “Even if I don’t always say it, that doesn’t mean that…that I don’t feel it. You should know that.”

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

It was hardly an act of rebellion to want to write the truth and get to the bottom of an issue. And perhaps he had been prepared for the yelling and whatever accusations Bianca would throw around in his office. In fact, as he reviewed the article, there were points where he swore he heard her voice in his head and a direct quote of things she had said before or reactions that were easy to elicit. She looked about, ready to hex him. Cade could see the frustration emanating off her as he watched her stance and the way her face changed or all the little details he had grown accustomed to seeing from her.

But it didn’t stop him, this was her element, but they were on his territory. And the absolute certainty that he had done nothing wrong fueled him further. The rebuttal was expected, and she began pacing a hole in his floor. ”You see—that’s where you’re wrong. You can have both. You just refuse to see it.” In Cade’s mind, it was not an obstacle, and he didn’t try and convince himself otherwise, or he’d always stop himself. Doubt was the greatest enemy. But she spoke of the bigger picture, and Cade actually had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Had she really learned nothing about him during all that time? What was the point of managing such a publication if there was no vision or way to connect it to the bigger picture? ”You forget who you’re dealing with. The world he comes from—the connections. That is the bigger picture.” Cade had watched men with these infamous names walk through Wizarding society unscathed, saying what they want and doing what they want.

It had always frustrated him, as much as trying to figure out the Purifier's motives outside of essentially just chaos. His eyes moved from the desk back up to her. ”Yes.” They’d been in those Order meetings, shared information the public would never know. ”Of course, I remember.” He was frustrated, and he didn’t like feeling anything less than calm and in control. It was remarkable how they pushed one another, even after time apart. Not even Beatrice’s persistent questions and passionate rants about history repeating itself ever rattled him. It unnerved him that he let himself get so worked up. But even more so how he felt even more rattled standing so close to her as he realized his feelings had not changed one bit.

Cade didn’t care if Bianca was the Minister of Magic at that point. If things were broken here—it wasn’t any laws. She stood firm in her stance, at least until he spoke. Cade hadn’t wanted to bring up their previous conversation. In fact, he’d been trying to forget it in every way possible, but it had not been that easy. It didn’t matter how he distracted himself, how hard he worked to fill his mind with article after article and conversation with his staff—she was always there. But that stance had shifted—faltered. And where she had been unable to stop herself from speaking before, she could barely form a sentence now. Cade didn’t look away. He couldn’t.

All he could focus on was remembering that feeling of his heart sinking into his stomach from before. One could hardly forget that. This wasn’t about that article anymore or whatever jabs Cade had taken at the Ministry and their process. His eyes softened at the softness in which she spoke. But as much as he desperately wanted to ask…she had made it so plainly clear before. ”You’ve never had a problem speaking your mind before, Bianca.” Cade still hesitated as he forced his foot to move a half step back when it was so very tempted to move forward instead. He had always been a straightforward man, and he didn’t like that it wasn’t the situation now.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

A sound of impatience escaped Bianca at Cade’s answer, but it wasn’t unexpected. She had known what his answer would be the minute she’d demanded to hear what made him so certain he could have it all. That was just the kind of person he was, bright and hopeful and always ready to step forward into the future. He didn’t have any of Bianca’s darkness, or the fear that had been driven into her from all her near brushes with death. Bianca dreaded the future, and what kind of pain and uncertainty was lurking just around the corner. He’d started to change her mind, slowly – showing her everything that had been missing from her life and making her realize that she wanted it too. But when it came to this, the pursuit of justice and doing the right thing? She knew she was right.

“No.” The word was out of her mouth the minute Cade stopped explaining what his bigger picture was. Bianca shook her head and repeated the word emphatically. “No. Stop thinking like a wizard for a minute. Forget about personal history and purebloods that never learned their lesson.” Her tone was even and measured for the first time since she’d stormed into Cade’s office. He had grown up in the magical world, and it was all he knew. Blood purists and wizarding wars – they weren’t just abstract events to him, entries in a textbook that she’d been forced to memorize in school. No, this was his history and that made it personal. But Bianca? She’d never been as fazed by blood purists as half-bloods seemed to be, and the word ‘mudblood’ didn’t hold any weight for her. The wizarding world was small, and magical society had gotten so caught up in family names and ancient history that they were unable to look past it.

But Bianca had that outside perspective, and it was what made her so valuable to her department. The ability to see what needed to be done, where the true threats were, without being blinded by what young witches and wizards from either side had been told growing up. Bianca’s tone was even but still stubborn as she continued. “The world he comes from is toxic. I won’t say it isn’t. But the Purifiers weren’t just a handful of purebloods with a plan. They built networks, safe houses and supply chains and an entire underground we can’t see. That is the bigger picture. That has to be what I care about.” There was a personal satisfaction to seeing Asher in chains that Bianca couldn’t deny. After months of torment and clashing at every possible opportunity, catching him in the act and arresting him had made her year. But as important as he’d been to the Purifiers – he was still one piece in a much larger game. Bianca wouldn’t take the easy conviction if it meant losing the opportunity to find and tear apart that whole network.

As he finally looked up to meet her eyes and their gazes locked – it was easy to feel the undercurrent to their conversation. They weren’t just talking about business anymore. And as she felt them move from the safe and sturdy topic of the Purifiers into something more tentative and uncertain, Bianca felt that flash of fear course through her veins again. The same instinct that, a month ago, had told her that she was too open and exposed. Too vulnerable to the possibility of getting hurt again. She’d searched desperately in that moment for a little space, a little perspective on how she could have let him get so close. In some twisted way, she’d gotten that…and it made her miserable. It had been the worst month of her life, and every crushing failure at Hogwarts and in the aftermath was made so much worse with the knowledge that she was alone because she’d chosen it and pushed him away.

Now they were standing close together, but it still wasn’t close enough. There was a distance between them that felt impossible to cross, and Bianca couldn’t remember any of what she’d told Xiulan she wanted to say if she could only have another chance. All the breath left her lungs at the way he was looking at her. Merlin, they weren’t standing so far apart – could he hear the way her heart was pounding, could he see the desperate need in her eyes to pull him closer? Bianca couldn’t think, wasn’t thinking anymore, and she moved forward instinctively as he took a step backwards. “Cade…” There were so many emotions that all rushed to escape as she breathed his name -- all the regret from their last conversation, and the realization from the last month that she'd started to fall for him without ever even realizing it. His last words almost sounded like a challenge, a reminder that this uncertainty wasn’t her. The words felt impossible to say, but at the end of the day – Cade had always made her feel strong. And Bianca was struck by this sense that they were walking on the edge of a deep chasm, and if she didn’t want to lose him…

“This isn’t about my mind,” Bianca said quietly. She exhaled softly, shaking her head at herself and feeling her gaze drop. She’d never been good at knowing what she felt, much less saying it to the people she cared most about. But she thought about everything Xiulan had told her, on her birthday when it had felt like Bianca’s whole world was crashing down around her, and she lifted her gaze again. Took another half-step forward. “I’ve always been in control. I need to be, it’s the only way to survive in my world. At least, I thought so.” She gave a humorless laugh under her breath, unable to tear her gaze away from his deep blue eyes. “It feels like I’ve been seeing another world lately. And I want to believe in it. You make me want to believe in it.” Bianca wanted so badly to lift her hands and touch him, close every last bit of distance between them, but she forced herself to keep them by her side as she clenched her robes. Her voice was strangled and dropped to a whisper, “That scares me so much. I’m not in control anymore, and it’s…the best and worst thing I’ve ever felt.” She bit her lip as she confessed, "I can't stop thinking about you. And I don't want to stop."

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Cade pinched the bridge of his nose. This argument was going nowhere, and the article was already out and printed and read—there was no retracting it. Knowing Bianca’s approach was not going to stop the pressure from the Editor or the public in terms of information flow. And he knew himself, and he knew Bianca well enough to know that a topic as divisive as this would not let either of them yield. Cade was not an Auror, nor had he ever been. His time as an investigative journalist had been the closest he’d been to being the one trying to solve the puzzle. But overall, his job had always been about perception.

People didn’t feel safe. They didn’t feel safe sending their children to magical schools. So far, this was the fourth school in less than five years that had been attacked in some way with devastating effects. Which school was next? And by who? This one was Elaine, but what about the other ones. There was the bigger picture to consider, and it was apparently far more extensive than whatever Bianca was seeing in her mind. ”Bianca—I am doing my job. You are doing your job. And they are clearly different things. People don’t care about the bigger picture right now—they’re scared. Their children almost died.” Cade wasn’t sure how much clearer he could put it for her. ”I’m not so blind that I don’t know there is more at work here, but the longer you go without any significant action…” Cade merely shook his head. Mostly from frustration, he also didn’t want to finish the sentence.

Things never went well when the Ministry had an image problem. Cade knew there was a way to publish correct information and put people at ease. It wasn’t taking down a single Apothecary that hardly connected to most people’s lives. OR even the string of robberies earlier in the year. These things didn’t matter until they affected someone. And that Cade could say with confidence after over a decade of talking to people. But, it was all more of the same in any case. She frustrated him to no end, and just when he thought he knew who she was, she managed to surprise him. The risk of rejection was always there—he wasn’t so blind to think it wasn’t on that front either. But he had not expected it, nor had he expected it to sting as it had.

How much of what he was fighting for was his own views of the world and his optimism and how much he was trying to help her not become the scapegoat he knew created by these types of events? And the closer she stood to him, the more he began to doubt how he would answer that question. Tentatively he had taken a step back but then it was Bianca’s turn to close the gap as he tried to find the real meaning behind her words. She was passionate and determined—a sense of control made sense, or one would lose their way, he figured. Cade paused as she fished speaking, his mouth went dry, and he processed it all. And he found he took a couple of steps back to lean on his desk but also so he could concentrate. ”Secrets…I’ve never liked them.” Cade responded, looking away, or he’d never finish this train of thought. ”I never liked not knowing why something was happening.” That curious determination that had fueled his entire career and personality.

But maybe it's why that conversation had left him feeling so empty because he couldn’t understand her reaction. Like there was some blatant piece he’d just not seen. It was a strength as it was a weakness, almost like the fear of losing control that Bianca admitted to. So he’d admitted his own. The secrecy of the Order had always weighed on him, but Bianca had helped him forget all about that. Finally, he looked back. She looked exactly the same. Though Cade could tell she hadn’t been sleeping, she didn’t look any less beautiful in his eyes. ”I never stopped thinking about you. I’ve never been good at letting things go.” A small grin began to form on his face as he looked back at her.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

She liked to win arguments. That was the bottom line – Bianca had never been good at ‘agree to disagree’ or letting the other side walk away while still believing their (wrong) opinion. She was smart, and principled, and had such a clear picture of what the world was really like. It wasn’t enough to simply know that, though, because there was this little part of her brain that woke up whenever it heard something naïve or misleading or just wrong, and then she couldn’t stop until she’d proven her point. She liked to win and the thought of letting it go didn’t come naturally to her. It was what made her such a good Auror – but also what made her such a pain to argue with. Bianca felt a prickle of annoyance as Cade pinched the bridge of his nose, and felt it grow as her eyes picked out the other small signs that he was frustrated with the argument. Sometimes she found it endearing, but not when he was doing it to her.

Merlin, she just wanted him to nod and agree and move on. He was so stubborn sometimes, and he could follow the thread of an argument well to keep his points consistent. That was annoying too – couldn’t he contradict himself once, and give her something to pick at until the rest of his argument unraveled? It seemed impossible to see how she could possibly convince him that he couldn’t be right, because he couldn’t see everything that was happening. It was important to have good instincts, but Bianca had seen many Aurors go astray and make mistakes because they were operating on their gut instinct and limited information. His big picture – it might be enough for the Prophet to write its next ten articles (oh no look at these pureblood families and how they go crazy!) but it didn’t have that realist perspective. That ultimately it didn’t matter what these purebloods thought if they didn’t have the means to carry out their big plans – the supply chains, the contacts, little holes to hide away for some time. Bianca didn’t care about ideology.

“Clearly,” she said through gritted teeth at his observation that their jobs were different things. She was tired of having to explain herself so much to people who just didn’t understand – she knew what she was doing, knew where she wanted to go. Merlin, why was it so hard to make him understand that publicizing these kinds of details was dangerous – not just for the investigations, but for the people who had to put themselves at risk to carry them out? “We are acting,” Bianca snapped, crossing her arms at the unfair implication that the Ministry wasn’t doing anything at all, “And if you reported on that instead of acting as a gossip column, then maybe people wouldn’t be so scared.” But…never in a million years would she admit that he had a point. In the end, the Ministry served the community, and if they didn’t feel safe then that was her concern too. She’d been so busy managing the fallout of the Hogwarts fire that she’d never stopped to wonder what the Ministry should be saying about it. People weren’t mind-readers (most people, anyway) and most departments had been maintaining full radio silence since Burke’s arrest and the turnover between Ministers. Nobody knew what to do, and nobody wanted to act first and risk becoming a martyr. It wasn’t fair to the public, and it wasn’t fair to pretend that nothing had happened after such an intense month. Her mind began to work quickly – Bianca was never one to remain inactive for long – as she wondered what she could do. What she could say to reassure the public, and Cade, that she cared. That she was doing everything she could.

Her mind was racing as the beginning stages of a plan formed, but everything inside her stilled as she watched Cade take two more steps back. His admission hung heavy in the air, and Bianca could feel her chest tighten as she processed the words. Secrets had always come naturally to the Ministry, and she’d been taught as a trainee that it was the best way to stay protected. Bianca would never be able to forget the string of attacks that had started the year of her injury – Purifiers taking the names of Aurors published in press reports and conferences and hunting them down…but she knew why he must hate secrets. The way people could be hurt because of them. He had an instinct for protecting people, only he'd never done it with a wand and badge. No, Cade sought to make the world a better place by exposing its darkness to the light and he’d never backed down from a challenge. He wasn’t the type of person who could stand to the side and refuse to act – and that was so attractive to Bianca. His words sounded too close to a rejection and she swallowed hard.

There was always a storm brewing inside Bianca, that neverending pressure to save the day that had been driving her since she was little. That meant she could never find the time to stop and consider what she needed too. But now…as he started to smile at her with that soft look in his eyes, that same look that could always make her feel like she was the only woman in the world? She felt the storm inside her quiet, and a smile lit up her face at his tentative words. Bianca couldn’t think of too many reasons to smile anymore. Her work was so serious, and jokes from James or her livelier workers – well, it always got an unimpressed look from her. But the reasons to smile always seemed to grow around Cade. “I love that about you,” she admitted in a low tone, unable to tear her eyes away. “I don’t…I don’t want you to let this go.” Bianca felt her voice catch for a moment, felt that same flash of fear that had paralyzed her a month ago. It was still there inside her, and she knew that none of those concerns would go away so fast. She didn’t want to get hurt again. Didn’t want to be left again. But spending a month without Cade had shown her that he was too important to her to risk letting him go. Bianca cleared her throat and forced herself to finish the thought. “We should…talk. Somewhere there won’t be a hundred people trying to guess what we’re talking about.”

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

This argument was going nowhere. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Bianca was a stone wall that not even Cade could get past. It was frustrating as he tried every way to get his point across and as he tried to get Bianca to see from his perspective. In another situation or occasion, Cade would have found it very attractive how she didn’t back down, and she stood so tall in the face of what she believed in. She was formidable and unstoppable. Cade simply didn’t like being the target of that fire and fury.

Cade’s sister would always remark how he would have succeeded in Magical Law Enforcement, he was headstrong and stubborn, but Cade preferred to write. He was tired, and the longer she stood here in front of him, the more he was reminded of all those lingering feelings. Why had his heart settled on someone who wasn’t interested in such types of interpersonal relationships and someone who was as much a workaholic as he was? Someone who had to argue with him on everything? Someone who just didn’t want to be with him.

Moving on was not as easy as it sounded, not even for Cade. And as Bianca spoke candidly about what she was thinking and feeling for the first time, Cade tried to figure out where his own mind had settled. The reasonable side of him settled on caution—she had reacted so quickly before. Would Bianca do it again? Would she wake up a week from now and decide that her work was the only thing she could focus her energy on? Where was there room for him when her ultimate drive and goal was for justice in all things? The other side of him was the opposite. She was the one taking the step forward this time and Cade’s turn to respond.

And he hadn’t moved on. As he let his arms loose from where they’d been crossed, he realized he had not moved on one bit. ”They’re likely taking bets on whether I end up arrested, dead, or injured.” He joked. ”I have solid writers—but they gossip more than the staff of Witch Weekly” From time to time, he overheard interesting conversations from around a corner while getting a cup of tea and before they noticed him there. And many of them were rightfully terrified of Bianca Rivera. But he paused a moment. Uncertainty had never scared him, but he still believed in caution. Cade moved from where he had been leaning on his desk and closed that short distance between them. ”We can’t leave together.” Cade wasn’t interested in being a topic of gossip in the office. ”But give me a time and place…I’ll be there.” They did need to talk.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

She’d never been the type to hesitate before. It wasn’t in her nature to second-guess her choices, or think twice before making the decision to just go. Bianca was always in motion – whether it was tearing after a criminal who’d decided to make a run for it, or stepping into an abandoned building to look into a lead (but why did it always have to be abandoned? No criminal ever seemed to keep his stash somewhere neat and tidy). And she’d never hesitated when it came to getting what, and who, she wanted. In reality, Bianca had never thought too hard about what would make her happy. That seemed like asking for too much in a world that always seemed to take from her, and she’d been stuck in survival mode for so long as a result – simply getting through each day, leaving thoughts about the future to everyone else around her.

But then she had started to realize that waiting wasn’t always a weakness. Becoming a department head had slowly started to show her that the stakes were so much higher than in her Auror days. It wasn’t just about making it through the day anymore, not just about her and surviving the next sixty seconds. No, now Bianca had an entire department that was counting on her to make the right choices, and she’d discovered that those choices were rarely black and white. Most of the time those decisions were hard, impossible – two bad options and no easy yellow brick road to follow to the other side of the rainbow. Her Aurors and Hit Wizards deserved someone that had their best interests in mind, so she’d learned that stopping to analyze the situation could be a strength, could even save lives. And she’d also started to discover with Cade that sometimes…she needed to be patient. It couldn’t always be about what she wanted in the moment she wanted it.

Bianca took a deep breath and pushed her hair back from her face. Her heart still fluttered in her chest and she could feel the force inside her that wanted to propel her forward. Following that instinct would have been her usual pattern, the same technique that had started and ended every relationship she’d ever had. But Merlin, she didn’t want this one to be like all the others. It was different, he was different. So she stayed where she was and let herself smile a little at his joke before she pinched her lips and hide it behind a stern look. “A night in the drunk tank might do you some good,” she suggested, “You could make some new friends.” Bianca couldn’t deny that she might have fantasized about the thought a time or two in the past (reporters really were such pests), but the thought was always ruined quickly by the knowledge that Cade could find a way to talk to anyone. And that there would always be another article, another press conference, another opportunity for a public cross-examination about law enforcement procedures. Even in her fantasies, the Prophet always seemed to win in the end.

The thought of being caught by half the staff at the Prophet made Bianca wince slightly, but she felt her breath catch as he closed the last bit of distance between them. Her gaze was pulled upwards to lock with his, and she nodded slightly at the logic of his thought. Talking had never been her strong suit – she’d always been a woman of action, and Bianca believed in that more than anything. Action always meant more than words, because words by themselves were worthless. And being transparent about how she felt, acknowledging those emotions and saying it out-loud? She’d never been any good at that either, and the fear was still palpable in her chest at how vulnerable that would make her in front of him. But she knew what she wanted, she always knew, and she wanted this to work between them. To find some impossible way to look past the obstacles and find the dynamic they’d perfected when it was just the two of them alone. “Do you remember that tapas place?” she asked in a low tone. It was just around the corner from her apartment (which was convenient for a constant workaholic) and she still remembered choking on her food at his (lame) jokes the last time they'd been there. “Dinner tomorrow, so your secrets are safe from your writers.” Her tone grew more playful as she added, “Including the fact that their boss steals the blankets at night.”

cade owen woodward

[cade owen woodward]

what a wicked thing to say

you never felt this way

June 15, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

’Ever the optimist.’ His sister would always say when Cade would speak about an issue or an injustice he saw that day. Her approach was always far more practical—bordering on cynical while his other sister simply shrugged and insisted it was just how things were. A younger Cade was fueled by a blinding optimism and one so fierce that it made everybody wonder if the Sorting Hat had been wrong about his House placement at Hogwarts. Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor. But as he grew older and experienced more. Especially after graduating, that blind optimism began to fade—though it never left entirely. It was why he could still smile through dark times and still laugh despite the heavy words he had to edit, proofread and print.

It was why he’d been so surprised by himself the last few months. An important part of the world—his world had literally caught fire, and yet all he could think about was the dull ache in his chest when it came to the void left in his life by Bianca. The woman standing in front of him was far from the blind optimist and perhaps the opposite. Distrustful at times, though not without reason. Resigned to the fact that not all injustices could be fixed, but not unwilling to try. Calculating and yet afraid. In the end, journalists and law enforcement all wanted the same thing, right? Their methods simple differed significantly. And that would not change for them, nor would this be the last argument they ever had about such a topic. Cade was still not swayed from his original position as his brain processed how to approach this from a different angle in the future.

He gave a slight smirk at the mention of the drunk tank. Unfortunately, despite their high positions of authority, Bianca still held the stronger end of the power dynamic there. But he wasn’t worried about such action from her, though perhaps if the conditions were bad enough, it would make an excellent article for the paper. She suggested a place to meet, a familiar one. Cade had not actually been back there since before he’d last seen Bianca. Inadvertently, he’d avoided it. ”Mmhmm.” He responded. It worked for him. But, before he could respond to her last comment, he let his fingers lightly push away her hair. And his fingers trailed down to her chin. Merlin, he wanted to keep going, but if she spent any longer in here, the rumors would certainly begin.

”Maybe they’d be interested in what the Head of Law Enforcement mumbles in her sleep.” Cade finally responded in a low, growling tone. And after a moment, he pulled his hand away while he could still control himself, and he took a step back with that slight playful grin on his face. ”Dinner tomorrow.” He confirmed as he made his way back to the other side of his desk. Once on the other side, he crossed his arms loosely. ”I think this is the part where you yell something loudly at me and maybe damage the door a little bit when you storm out.” Cade suggested it would mirror her entrance and scare his staff back to their desks rather than the end of the hallway where they were likely gathered.

[ end cade ]

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