the less I know the better | bianca

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon nervously picked at the side of his fingernail while his knee bounced up and down under the table. This wasn’t a room Obie ever imagined he’d sit in; in fact, he hadn’t even thought of an interrogation room in…well, ever. Even when Bianca would rattle on stories of her work or complaints about whoever had crossed her that morning or cut in line at the coffee cart, Obie could listen and compartmentalize what he needed to. It wasn’t his world. The politics of the Ministry hardly crawled into his corner of the world. But the last week had changed everything.

Hardly five months before, Asher Burke had seen fit to promote Oberon to Information Liaison—the go-between, so to speak, to the Minister and their staff. Not that Oberon ever met with the Minister for more than ten minutes. There wasn’t much to share if he was honest. And Oberon learned quickly that while he knew more than the average unspeakable, he didn’t know everything. Burke had implied that he might come close to equaling Asher on what was occurring in this corner of the Ministry of Magic with time.

Obie was fine with that and happy not to pry. But ever since Asher Burke was arrested the week before, after a duel at Hogwarts…well, things had changed. While a raid on the Department of Mysteries was unsuccessful, every Unspeakable or intern awaited their turn in the hot seat. As far as Obie knew, none had fled. But he hadn’t spoken to Bianca all week, and not for a lack of trying. Surely, she had to know that he would never have supported such a destructive scheme like burning Hogwarts to the ground. That type of evil was against everything Oberon was as a human being. And now he was afraid if he spent any more time alone in this bland room without a clue of what would happen, he might start conversing with himself, and then there would be a different problem on his hands.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

23 May 2026

How did we get here?

It was a question that had been plaguing Bianca for a week, the little voice in her head that could never quite be stifled and haunted her as she tried to work, eat, sleep, anything. She’d been knee-deep in investigations and interrogations for the last week, trying to sort out the giant influx of arrested Purifiers that were waiting to be processed and tracking down the others that thought they could fade into the relative safety of obscurity. It was enough work to bury the Ministry, to keep every Auror and Hit Wizard working through constant shifts while the support staff put every system into overdrive to cope with the horror of the last week.

And still that question haunted her. The public’s faith in the Ministry had dropped precipitously, but that was to be expected. Bianca could handle that. It was much harder to banish her own new insecurities and the feelings that tore through her – the anger, the loss, the shame. She’d been put into the impossible situation of having to defend a system that she was struggling to believe in, to be its sword and shield when she still couldn’t quite banish the nightmares running through her mind. And above all that – the Minister loved to give her impossible assignments. Asher Burke’s arrest was one of the worst scandals to hit the Ministry in years, and it subtly hinted at the deep level of rot that had infiltrated the Department of Mysteries. An independent, enigmatic branch that was completely untouchable and yet undeniably intertwined with the Purifiers’ ability to wreak havoc these last few years.

So how was she supposed to clean up Asher Burke’s mess when nobody wanted to share their secrets? It was impossible, but still expected. She’d decided to bring in the entire department for interrogation, one by one, from the greenest intern to the most veteran Unspeakable. If there were any more secrets to be uncovered, she hoped to catch those criminals with their defenses down. Let them think they could disappear among the rest of their coworkers. She’d been taking care of the interrogations herself – if only because there were too many important people waiting for answers to simply hand this off to her Aurors. They’d proven to be frustrating so far. Bianca had to explain, firmly, that she wasn’t interested in their day-to-day work. Didn’t need to know what projects they were working on, didn’t need to know what their job title was.

But they still had to talk and Legilimency was no use here. It took ages to get the information she needed, if they ever said anything at all, but Bianca slogged through the job…because really, she had no other choice. She stared through the one-way glass into the interrogation room, her expression hard, at Oberon fidgeting at the table and looking around the small room. This was one of the ugly leads she’d gotten from these interrogations that she felt compelled to follow. A pureblood who’d been recently promoted by Asher Burke himself to an important liaison role. Also one of her oldest friends in London who’d been by her side for years. Bianca fought off the shiver of apprehension and the voice of suspicion that told her Oberon knew something. Had to know something. It was unthinkable, but her world had been turned upside down a week ago and nothing seemed impossible anymore. She finally pushed through the door roughly and sat down across from her old friend. She had no patience for small talk or to pretend that he had nothing to worry about. Bianca set down some files and stared hard at Oberon. “Tell me why you think you’re here,” she finally said, leaning back stiffly in her chair.

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

The past week felt like a glimpse into the past. Suddenly, people looked at Obie with something new in their eyes. Not because he was a Blishwick but because he was a pureblood who worked for Asher Burke. Such things never mattered to Obie or his family. Honestly, he probably forgot he was a pureblood if not for his employee file and other records stating so. And then the doubt began to creep in. Did Burke only see fit to promote him because of his blood status? And not because he was worthy of the role? The thought made him feel a little queasy, if that were the case then he’d have to step down. Well, first, Oberon needed to figure out if he still had a job after this entire mess.

He couldn’t even trust Bianca to help him. They were best friends, but that meant Oberon knew well enough that she would put the law before anything. Justice was always her calling, just as curiosity was Oberon’s. Until now, that distinction had never mattered, but now that fork in the road converged to this moment when Bianca sat in the chair across from him with a masked expression. Almost like an alert dog, Obie sat up as she looked at him, but this wasn’t Bianca joining him for coffee or lunch. This was serious business. Files now sat on the table, but they weren’t distinct in any way.

Oberon’s eyes glanced at the files and back to one of his best friends. She didn’t ask him a question but rather demanded an answer. Swallowing hard, Obie really didn’t know what to say. ”Erm…Burke?” It was the obvious answer. The Head of the Department of Mysteries was arrested, which surely put all his staff on the spot. Not to mention the most enigmatic part of the Ministry of Magic. Obie found himself shaking his head. ”Bianca…I had no idea he was…” The very idea was upsetting. How many people had died over the years, and the entire time, one of the perpetrators was right there? More than anything, Oberon didn’t want to be in a position where he could not answer her questions, not because he didn’t know but because he was bound not to speak on the matter. Unspeakable was not just some cute name for him or his colleagues. It was something quite literal.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Bianca had never believed that an emotion could cause physical pain until she’d started to slowly lose the things in her life that she loved. She’d dealt with injuries before – it was part of the job, and she’d been conditioned to bounce back from it. The body healed over time, and the scars were a point of pride. But the heart was something different, and she’d felt it chip away slowly after the years. Her father, her mentor, it all left little holes. Those were the places where the doubt and fear crept in, and worst of all – the cold hard feeling of absolutely nothing at all. People thought that feelings were something to be scared of or controlled, but they didn’t realize what a blessing they were. How empty it felt to be completely detached, unable to force yourself to bring back the sweetness of feeling something – even if it was pain or grief or trauma.

The cold wave of detachment threatened to sweep over her now, and Bianca forced herself to cling to the emotions, any emotions at all. It wasn’t too hard, in this instance. She looked at Oberon, one of her closest friends, and his open face. He looked nervous and fidgety (he should be), but Bianca didn’t enjoy knowing that she was the one causing the uncertainty in his eyes. In the same way that she was still hurting from the uncertainty that he’d sparked in hers. She neatly organized the files on the table just to find something to do, fingers soothing the creases and straightening the edges so they lined up.

“That’s right, Asher Burke.” Bianca’s voice was hard. She hated every word that she was about to say but there was no place to be soft or gentle right now. Not when the world had just been torn down in blood and fire and people wanted answers. People wanted heads to roll. Bianca pushed on relentlessly, building a momentum that would let her line up the dominos one by one until she was ready to watch them fall. “He promoted you. He jumpstarted your career and took you to new heights, the kind of opportunity that most people never get at all. People might say you should feel grateful. People might even say you owe him something for that.” Her tone was ruthless, and her eyes bored into Oberon’s like she might find the answers there that she didn’t want to see. Desperately didn’t want to see.

It was a legitimate line of thinking. She was purposefully toeing the line and not asking directly about his work, because for now – he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to reassure her that he hadn’t done anything. The minute she brought up a forbidden subject, she might lose that momentum. And while Bianca ultimately wanted to find the pieces of evidence that would let her put these criminals away for good, the all-consuming driving passion of her life to enforce justice, there was a warring desire this time too. For Oberon to say the exact right thing that would convince her of his innocence. To walk away from this and still believe that he was her friend. She wanted that badly. “So,” she said again, voice crisp and hard, “How much loyalty did that earn him?”

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon wanted to believe it was not Bianca’s idea to place him in the hot seat like this. Surely, there were demands for an equal interrogation of all Department of Mysteries employees. But could she not vouch for him? How often had she sat in his home and interacted with his family? Blood status meant nothing in their world, it wasn’t as important as the qualities of a person. She coldly and plainly asked him questions, like he was some common suspect and Obie felt hurt at the treatment. Not to mention the insinuations he felt from her eyes before the words left her mouth.

Taken aback by her statement, Oberon stared at Bianca, his mouth almost hanging open in shock. This was not the first time Oberon had heard such a thing. Whispers every so often in the Ministry had reached his ears over the past week. But to hear Bianca say it…well, it physically caused him some pain. ”It’s not like that…” Obie began to plead. His shoulders slumped further while he tried to keep his anxiety in check. The panic seemed to lodge his diaphragm in place. ”Bianca, I swear…I had nothing to do with the school…” With his eyes, he pleaded with his best friend.

If she didn’t believe him now…well, who would? The idea that his recent promotion was some sort of pureblood reward was nauseating. There wasn’t a chance that he was the only one in the department or the Ministry, for that matter, right? But then doubt crept into his mind. Why had Asher chosen him? Was he even worthy of the work and the title? Or maybe Burke saw someone who was easy to fool and manipulate. Alongside the hurt, shame and guilt hung heavily on the Blishwick’s shoulders. Shaking his head, he spoke again. ”I don’t want it.” Oberon’s eyes stared at the table. ”Give the job to someone else.” Oberon wasn't interested in politics or power.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

It felt like Bianca was back in Dueling Club, launching spells with a white-hot brutality at her opponent and watching them cause damage and leave a mark. She could see Oberon slowly processing the implications, her detached observations sinking into his skin while she tried to force a reaction and end this interrogation early on. His face morphed into an expression of shock, like he’d never imagined she could say these sorts of things to him, and Bianca forced herself to inject iron-clad certainty in her blood so her hands wouldn’t shake. Her body had been betraying her this past week, from the night terrors that plagued her or the breakdown she’d had at Xiulan’s as she tried to force herself to forget what she’d seen. The combination of not being able to eat or sleep or do anything but work to find even a shred of justice in all this was unsustainable, but it was also the only thing keeping her going at the moment.

So she heard him swear he hadn’t done anything, but it didn’t penetrate the defensive walls she’d slowly been building in her mind before she’d walked in. “We’re not just talking about the school,” Bianca said with narrowed eyes, refusing to allow himself this out. Maybe he hadn’t been involved with the destruction of Hogwarts, maybe the Purifiers had been smart enough to keep their agents compartmentalized. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t guilty. But she did see an opportunity to give him the option of putting a little distance from the Purifiers, if there were other things he’d been willing to confess to. “Maybe Burke asked you for little favors, things that weren’t related to your ongoing projects. He didn’t tell you what it was for, you never asked. That would help keep your hands clean, keep your conscience clear, wouldn't it?”

Bianca had been managing to keep her tone cool and restrained, and she thought she had her emotions under control. But she felt something snap inside her as Oberon slumped his shoulders and offered the job to someone else. “No!” Bianca said forcefully, slamming a hand on the table angrily. She felt her free hand curl into a fist as she stared at Oberon, who was looking at the table like he hoped it was a Pensieve he could dive into. “You don’t get to clean your hands of this now,” she continued hotly, feeling her own shame and guilt swirling around inside her. “We’re all responsible. We all let this happen. Even if you manage to convince yourself that you couldn’t have known, or you weren’t senior enough, or this wasn’t your area of expertise. He used you, and your department’s resources, and nobody stopped him. Think, Oberon. You don’t just get to walk away from this.” Her tone was bitter and Bianca forced herself to uncurl her hands and place them flat on the table. “Just talk to me. It's not too late to still do the right thing.”

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

It was now plainly clear to Oberon that his closest friend Bianca was not in this room. No, the person interrogating was veteran Auror and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Rivera. Obie was alone in this room with nobody to defend him or have his back. The realization was a harsh trigger as Oberon let his eyes bore holes in the table. As much as Oberon feared being alone, he supposed his career all but guaranteed it. This current exchange would exist as exhibit A in his mind, though only known to him. So, as he was trained and taught, Obie focused on that.

Oberon existed alone in this room. The realization sat heavily on his shoulders next to misplaced guilt at the actions of Asher Burke, his former boss. Someone who had always treated him fairly, but in hindsight, perhaps there was more to it. The continued accusations might have made him flinch had he not already decided to stop pleading with his friend and instead pretend a stranger was asking him questions. There was nothing of his friend in those dark and fiery eyes. This person had no right to his thoughts or memories, and nobody had the right to the deep well of restricted knowledge in his mind.

Obie’s gaze returned to his interrogator. Little favors? Unrelated work? He kept his expression calm, although he couldn’t stop this feeling of betrayal. All the same, he racked his mind. His work was very specified, despite his new role, but Oberon didn’t say a word. But Bianca’s patience, which was already limited on a good day, appeared to be wearing thin. He flinched as the table rattled, swallowing hard. Sharing any details of his work felt akin to breaking an Unbreakable Vow. Why couldn’t she understand that? Again, Oberon just sat there with his shoulders slumped, and his gaze focused on the table.

Speaking felt like a bad idea, but so did silence. Either path was an admission or condemnation. What if he did share details, and they didn’t even pertain to this or were completely irrelevant? What were the consequences for Oberon then? ”’Unspeakable’ is more than a job title.” Oberon finally spoke. His tone flat and low. While he felt alone in this corner he was backed into, Oberon knew his colleagues were in the same boat. The right thing. What did that even mean anymore? What level of fear and anxiety did one person need to reach in order to feel numb? Oberon wasn’t sure, but he’d certainly reached it. Bianca was not going to let up, especially not with the ruins of Hogwarts still smoldering. ”I have a right to silence, do I not?” He glanced back up at Bianca, wondering if she would wring his neck or simply combust from the anger and frustration.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

She saw the exact moment his mind began to close, and Bianca bit back a few of her favorite curses in Spanish. Occlumency had always come much harder to her than Legilimency, but any trainee knew the fundamentals of what it entailed. Separation, compartmentalization, being a rock while a storm tried to tear through you. She’d lost him, and Bianca fumed silently as she watched Oberon retreat into himself. It was hard to pinpoint what she was angry about, if only because the last week had been a relentless hurricane of emotions inside her. Anger at the world, guilt at her inability to stop it, the suffocating pressure of knowing that this nightmare wouldn’t be over for months. Not for her, certainly not for anyone who’d lived through it.

Merlin, she missed being an Auror. Bianca positively ached for the days of throwing herself into the field, wiping her mind of everything but that one goal, knowing that the only thing that mattered was listening to her instincts. In those days, she’d only been responsible for herself. Now, with the weight of a department and a thousand pairs of eyes on her at all times? The responsibility was overwhelming, stifling. Sometimes Bianca thought she might drown, and there was nobody to hear her as she screamed silently. It hurt to think that Oberon might’ve known something, because she’d known him for years and there was no darkness inside him at all. He was probably one of the only truly good people in her life. But he might’ve been taken advantage of, and that was a betrayal in and of itself. It was every scholar’s flaw, the inability to see the end result of their research. A complete disconnect between their actions, and the consequences that came as one domino knocked into another.

Her expression hardened and she narrowed her eyes at Oberon as he invoked the right to silence. “Yes, you do.” Bianca’s tone was frosty as she continued. “You can be silent. Just like all the kids who died. And all the others that Asher Burke was responsible for, too. They don’t have a voice anymore, so why should you?” She scoffed at him and stood up, rifling through one of the files while she paced restlessly. “But are you ready for the trail to end with you?” She tossed the file back onto the table with a little more force than she’d intended. “Because you don’t think everybody stayed silent, do you? Whatever is keeping you quiet…guilt, fear, some kind of messed up honor code? Not everyone has it.” She didn’t have anything concrete on Oberon, only somebody else who’d pointed the finger at him. People could become ugly when they sensed danger. They’d do anything to save themselves, like rats fleeing a sinking ship. The Department of Mysteries was going to be torn apart before it could be put back together. Bianca would make sure of that.

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Without looking, Oberon could feel the frustration and anger emanating from his interrogator. She was never one to hide her feelings, only her heart. But that was not a factor in this room. Obie focused on keeping himself calm. It was all he could do while his mind filed away facts and other things. The question was clear, but how he would or could answer was not. In hindsight, Obie should not have put off the Occlumency training offered to members of his department. Asher had never pushed it either, but Oberon knew his former boss was accomplished at the skill.

He couldn’t help but cringe at her words but kept his eyes on the table. Merlin, all those students…it hurt to think about what had occurred at the school where he received his education. So many innocent lives were caught in the power struggle, but Oberon only knew what he heard within the Ministry or read in the paper. Many began to whisper or speak in hushed voices whenever an Unspeakable appeared. Swallowing hard, he knew she was trying to get him to crack. How many times had Oberon caught her trying to read what he was writing over his shoulder?

Looking up suddenly, Oberon looked confused. Someone had said something? Who? ”N-no…that’s impossible…” A file slid in his direction. But he hesitated to open it. It felt like some sort of trap. Or would Oberon see something he could not unsee after the fact? ”This isn’t fair Bianca…I’ve done nothing wrong…” She had to know he would’ve come to her if he could. Especially with so many innocent lives affected. Was there no path forward for him anymore?

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Even if she was only a few steps away from Oberon, it felt like there was this wide chasm forming between them. In truth, it felt like Bianca was slowly getting cut off from everything, the deeper she sank into the consequences of the Hogwarts fire and the war that Law Enforcement suddenly found themselves in. She was knee-deep in the trouble all the time, but it felt like the quicksand was rising and Bianca had suddenly found herself on an island, miles away from everything else and surrounded by nothing except heavy expectations. It didn’t feel possible to think that this might end someday. Or that maybe he was closer than he seemed to be. It just felt like Bianca was adrift, and Oberon refused to anchor her. To say something that could end this now.

Bianca had stopped pacing, although she still stood and clutched her remaining files tightly as she studied Oberon’s hunched form at the table as he stammered about the impossibility that someone might’ve said something. She knew she could force it out of him. He’d been left unprotected, another one of Asher Burke’s many failings – or maybe a purposeful choice not to enforce Occlumency on all his Unspeakables’ minds so he could leave them open for himself later. But the thought of forcing herself into his mind disgusted Bianca, and she flinched away from the thought in the same moment it crossed her mind. But tragedies had a way of hardening your heart in ways you might never expect, and what sort of chance did values or a sense of honor stand against the hard cold necessity of doing what it takes to survive and get through it? She hesitantly returned to the thought that she could force his mind open like a reluctant shell and take what she wanted. End this interrogation right now, and maybe even all the others if she got lucky. But maybe the horror of the thought showed on her face. Or maybe she just felt the wrongness of it in her chest.

She couldn’t. He wasn’t a stranger, some Dark wizard standing in her way. This was Oberon. One of her oldest friends since she’d left her whole life behind to come here. Dread settled in her stomach at the realization that Bianca would rather walk away with nothing than do that to him – because it still left her in an impossible situation. What was she supposed to do with the Department of Mysteries? How was she supposed to complete the Minister’s task? Bianca moved back towards the table and sunk into her seat – still tense, rigid, but also a little fearful now of the boundaries she might be asked to cross later. But she was relieved that she could still feel fear, too. It helped push the anger a little farther away. “I want to believe that,” she said quietly, her tone still hard but not quite so angry. “But…your word isn’t enough right now.” Bianca paused, saw her knuckles turn white from how hard she was gripping her files, how badly she wanted this to be over already. “Help me. Please. Tell me anything that can help me help you.”

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon tried to make sense of all this. It wasn't easy in this room and under her gaze to let his mind work. The logic had to be right before him, and Oberon knew he was capable. He was an Unspeakable for Merlin’s sake, not some parchment-pushing secretary with a brain only for the latest office gossip. It was likely that Bianca had saved his interrogation to last, considering their friendship. His mood sank as he wondered what this meant for their friendship and whether it could survive the Hogwarts fire any more than the old bricks in the ruins. Maybe it was just another item on the list of collateral damage.

And even as he racked his brain through recent projects, assignments, and whatever Burke had filled Oberon in on after his promotion, nothing stood out so significantly that Oberon felt compelled to break his oath. In everyday life, Obie was quite aware of what others might think of him. He was too ‘happy’, too optimistic, lost in the clouds, or an annoying hopeless romantic. But he knew he was intelligent and capable. Working hard was not an issue for him, and even all those hours of daydreaming served a purpose.

Hindsight did not yield any results in his mind, which meant that whatever the other Unspeakable allegedly said was either a lie or irrelevant Department of Mysteries information. How often had Bianca shared stories of interesting interrogations during lunch or when she claimed an old film during movie night had gotten it all wrong? Oberon wasn’t some Purifier grunt. ”You can’t help me, Bianca.” Obie responded because it was the truth that he had concluded, given the information in front of him. But her plea for help was genuine, though Oberon unfortunately could not answer.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

It felt like an almost impossible task to pry herself open and allow a little of the vulnerability to peek through. Even at her best, she’d never been able to completely lower her guard and trust in the fact that she wouldn’t get hurt. But Oberon had always been good at that, and he’d come closer than just about anybody in managing it – being the calm and reassuring presence that he always was. Maybe it was an echo of all the earlier years they’d gone through together that made Bianca want to try now. It would’ve seemed impossible to believe after the fire that she could ever let herself feel open again, but breaking down at Xiulan’s had softened her defenses a little. Just enough that a hint of desperation bled through on the word please, a call for help that she would’ve never dared to say to anyone else.

But if she’d made a small bit of progress in warding off the despair, it threatened to pull her back down at his answer. It didn’t sound like a spur-of-the-moment response – no, it was a cold calculation of the situation. That she didn’t have anything on him, and he didn’t have anything to give her. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. It might look like a sign of frustration or annoyance, but really it was that same sense of misery that ebbed and flowed and revisited her whenever she was feeling particularly vulnerable to it. Bianca revisited the castle in that one brief moment, flinched internally at the memory of looking up and watching the roof collapse around her while her wand blasted away rubble and students clung to her robes. The memory washed away after a moment, although she’d be sure to see it again later tonight.

She didn’t open her eyes immediately, taking comfort in the darkness for a second while Oberon’s words rung in her ears. When Bianca reopened her eyes, she placed her hands flat on the table and resisted the urge to curl them into fists. “And you won’t help me,” she said flatly, trying and failing to keep the hurt out of her voice. She took another second to breathe deeply, then forcibly pushed aside the little cuts of betrayal that felt like they were being carved into her. “Fine,” Bianca continued through gritted teeth, trying to find her usual interrogative tone. She withdrew an empty sheet of parchment and pushed it and a Self-Inking Quill at him (that charm was tricky, but inkwells weren’t allowed in interrogation rooms after the Squid Incident of ’25). “I need a timeline of your involvement in projects from the last three years. You don’t have to include names, just label them however you want.”

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

don't make me wait forever

May 23, 2026
Bianca Alia Rivera

The mask Bianca wore was familiar to Oberon, but he’d only seen it as an observer and never as an intended target. He could see why she had done so well in her career and garnered results. This was not the type of skill that Obie had ever possessed. Confrontation was not something he sought. Instead, he was perfectly happy to hang out in his corner of the room or in the Ministry to do his work. And it made perfect sense to the Unspeakable why it resulted in answers and all the like. Bianca was terrifying when she wanted to be. Like right now. But on top of it all, she was cold.

Sympathy nor empathy existed in this room. The weight of accusations and dread slumped Oberon’s shoulders as her sharp words nipped at him like frostbite. Obie wondered what he risked by not cooperating, aside from one of his strongest friendships. Would Bianca throw him in a cell herself? Or perhaps delegate the task to one of her aspiring Aurors, figuring he wasn’t worth it to handle herself. Again, he flinched as she placed her hands on the table again. Her eyes betrayed nothing, and yet Obie saw a profound exhaustion—the kind caused by pain. The guilt sank further into his stomach. Oberon had never seen her like this before.

Parchment and a quill appeared before him, but Oberon didn’t move. Her question did not change, which meant neither did his answer. After a few brief moments of silence, he spoke again. ”You know I can’t do that.” Again, he just thought about that look in her eyes. It was frigid but also far away. Merlin knew what she had seen this past week, while Obie only heard pieces of stories around the Ministry. ”I won’t help.” The problem was that the department head was in chains, and nobody superseded his knowledge. Had Asher Burke been some regular Unspeakable, that would be a different story. But that wasn’t the case.

Oberon took a breath and sighed heavily. He felt awful in all sorts of ways. ”B-Bianca, I can’t help you. Not in the way you want me to.” His voice trailed off at the end. A wave of sadness washed over him because he could feel the distance between them and the growing wall.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

There was a moment where the despair pulled her down and Bianca contemplated letting it take her to a place of complete detachment. It didn’t feel out of her control – no, it was like everything inside her was just screaming to let go and let herself be overwhelmed. Because if it was a choice, then that was already something…right? Better than letting herself continue to be put in a corner, given no options until that inevitable breakdown wouldn’t be in her control. And it would overwhelm her anyway. The words echoed in her head over and over again. I won’t help. It seemed like the complete opposite of who Oberon was to her, the source of comfort and even home that she’d discovered since making the decision to leave her own family.

At some point, it triggered a switch inside her. The anger that had been bubbling in her stomach suddenly erupted, and she felt it flow like lava in her veins. Hot, absolutely unbearable, but it continued to flood her regardless. “Yes you can!” she said forcefully, as she wavered dangerously close to outright shouting at the Unspeakable. She moved to grip her files tightly, but whatever thread of control she’d started with was gone. She tossed the files (forcefully, on the near edge of violence) and didn’t even turn her head to look at the trail of destruction they left on the floor of the interrogation room. Her careful stacks, with the edges neatly lined up, were gone. Now the files were simply a mess of parchment and some glossy photos that had lost their sheen.

“What good are you then?!” Bianca continued in a shout, her hands curled into fists as her voice continued to grow exponentially in volume. She couldn’t bear to be seated across from him for another moment and pushed her chair back to stand up suddenly and take two giant strides away. “Why shouldn’t I just put you away until you’re ready to talk?!” None of her careful control or earlier chilliness was there anymore. Bianca couldn’t seem to find a way to rein herself back in, because she didn’t want to. She wanted to rage, or cry, or do anything besides this cold negotiated interrogation that she was so badly losing. It was different with the others. She was sure of that, because they were just strangers. Innocent until proven guilty, questioned until she could root out whether they deserved to be in Azkaban or not. But she couldn’t see Oberon like that and it filled her with more impotent anger than every other interrogation had until this point. Her back was to him as she studied the mirror in the room. She didn’t want to see how pale she was, or the dark bags under her eyes. But she preferred that over looking at Oberon anymore.

oberon anteros blishwick