They Put The "Dark" In "Darkness" (Finn)

[Deleted]

Zeph tried to separate her family life from her professional. She knew she had to be two different people in both. At home, she was a wife and a mother. Her biggest duties were making meals and reading stories. At work, she was an Auror, a sworn defender of all innocents in the Wizarding World. Her duties ranged from a lot of paperwork to taking down some of the worst Dark Wizards in England. She had to go from having a mother's heart to an Auror's toughness. Her job was not for the soft-hearted.

Still, with all that had been going on, she couldn't help but think of her wife and children. The world wasn't safe anymore. An evil the likes of what entered the Wizarding World over twenty years before seemed to have returned. Her safety was one thing. She could handle herself. The safety of her loved ones... that was eating away at her. Her family was her everything. She couldn't breathe without them.

Tonight, she had to focus though. She was assigned to investigate some illegal happenings in Knockturn Alley. Well blood hell, when weren't there illegal happenings in Knockturn Alley. This was big though. It involved the murder of a prominent Ministry Official... someone who walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. Zeph, and her colleague were checking out different parts of the alley, and were to meet in front of Borgin and Burke's shortly. With her wand out and ready, she looked and listened for anything out of the ordinary... well significantly out of the ordinary anyway.

Zeph stopped when she saw a light in what should have been an abandoned building. Alright, that was most curious. She took a deep breath and moved forward.

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@zephyra

Knockturn Alley. The back alley black market deals that went on throughout the seedy shopping district were a systemic issue lately. Despite only being in London short of five months, it hadn’t taken Finn long to discover the darker side of her new hometown. New York didn’t have a clean slate either, but from her experience working on the auror squads there, the Big Apple was better policed than London was. The things she had seen so far were inexcusable, to say the least. Sales and transportation of magical beasts and their various body parts. In a controlled environment, some of those were legal. Expensive sure, but at least a lengthy prison sentence wouldn’t be attached by buying it at a store. While she technically wasn’t authorized to confront dealers (her right to apprehend and arrest becoming null once she left America), that didn’t mean she couldn’t compile data and research the methods that the dealers were using to transport their products. If she put everything together for the Ministry aurors, it would be that much easier for them in the long run, as well as less man power being put towards it. She was practically unknown in London, and that made moving around that slightly easier for her than it would be for an undercover auror.

Currently she was in an abandoned warehouse that, up until today, had been used as a secret storage area for black market dragon eggs. It had been a while since she had last dealt with dragons, most of the ones in the US being detained to mountainous regions that she didn’t have jurisdiction in. Her beat had always been the streets of New York. The sight of a cleared out building was all too common for Finn, and that meant the past weeks’ worth of work was out the window now. That probably meant one of the eggs had hatched and the sudden burst of smoke and flames was drawing too much attention. Wandering around the empty building with her wand dimly lit, Finn kicked at an empty box on the floor. Nothing. Back to square one it was then.

[Deleted]

Zephyra had now put her personal life out of her mind. She knew she had to. If there was a dark magic user inside, she knew she had to be focused. Her enemies would be focused as well after all. They so often were. One un-dodged curse could mean the difference between life and death. So Zeph walked into the building and looked around with her wand prepared to deliver a defensive spell... or an offensive one if need-be.

She moved sharply when she heard a noise. It sounded like something being kicked... a box perhaps. She turned to take a quick look out the window to see if her colleague was about. The build was near Borgin and Burke's after all. No one... where was he? She sighed and turned back, following the noise. She popped in and saw another woman present. To Zeph, the woman didn't look wicked, but appearances could be deceiving. Often when Zeph was out with her wife and children, people had no idea she was an Auror.

"Evening," she said. "Mind telling me what your business is here? Doesn't seem like a place where one would conduct anything legal, now does it? Let's move over here a bit... nice and slow, alright?"

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@zephyra

She must have been getting rusty since leaving the auror department at MACUSA. The sudden voice that echoed through the warehouse had Finn practically jumping out of her shoes. The first thought that went through her head as she whipped around to face the new person was that it was the black market dealers come back to check up on their former territory. That wasn’t usually how they worked, but if they had an inkling of an idea that they were under a watchful eye, they would act irrationally. Irrational dealers were not a fun day in her books. Most of the time that ended up with them in a whole world of hurt because the only thing any of them were good at was being conniving, little thieves. If they had any real talents, they would have been assimilated to society. She understood why they didn’t do that though; conforming wasn’t for everyone. Hell, even she didn’t want to follow the rules all the time. If she did, she wouldn’t have been doing any of this in the first place.

That moral dilemma could come at a later date though, because currently she had a woman standing in front of her, telling her that she looked suspicious, but in more words than that. Well, obviously she looked suspicious. Everyone in Knockturn Alley did. Finn kept her smart-ass mouth shut though, as she tried to process what to do next. The fact that the other woman made the effort to point out that no one conducting legal activities in the building was enough of a tell. A criminal wouldn’t say that. “Evening,” Finn responded, lowering her wand just a smidge so that the light wouldn’t block her vision. “You tell me. Last I checked, there were a couple dozen dragon eggs sitting in temperature controlled boxes over in that corner,” she pointed to the spot she was talking about, “but it looks like whoever was working that is gone now, doesn’t it?” Finn followed the woman’s order and moved closer to her, making sure that her wand didn’t look menacing. This was the first time she had been on the other side of this. “Auror?”

[Deleted]

Well this was most odd. Usually a dark witch would sneer and swear and be on the offensive, ready to snuff Zeph's life out with a quick curse. However, this one didn't attack. As Zeph drew closer, she got a good look at the woman. No, she didn't look like a dark witch at all. Zeph learned in her training... what to look for, the subtle traits. She saw none of that in this one. However, she only lowered her wand a little. She also trusted the other woman just enough to look over to the corner. She quickly looked back though.

"Yes, looks like the individual is gone," she said. She was then asked about her occupation. "Yes, I am an Auror. Heard there was more trouble than usual in Knockturn tonight... and when one sees a light in what is supposed to be an abandoned building... well one investigates." She then sighed and lowered her wand a bit more. "So, the new question is... what's your interest in those eggs? Judging by your accent, you're not an Auror... at least not one from the Ministry anyway."

Suddenly, there was a green blast outside and a scream... a familiar one. it belonged to her partner.

"Bloody hell," she whispered. She then ran to the window. Her partner was lying on the ground, barely moving. She then saw two shadowy figures heading toward the warehouse. She apparated and then reappeared behind some large boxes. She looked at the other girl. "Assuming the two coming in aren't your good mates, we've both got trouble."

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@zephyra

Finn wasn’t sure if this woman was stupid, or just extremely trustworthy. Personally, she never would have looked away from a potential enemy in the manner that the woman had from her. Finn also knew that she had been more serious about her job when she was still doing it; apprehending and taking in criminals was her thing. She wasn’t going to risk getting blasted with a spell simply because she decided to look at an empty, dark corner. Her superiors would have had a field day making an example of her if that ever happened. While she thought about this, the other woman confirmed that she was an auror, and explained her reason for the questioning. Finn eased up slightly. That made sense. She couldn’t exactly blame law enforcement for being weirded out by a girl wandering around an abandoned building in the middle of the night. As for the eggs, that one would take a little bit longer to explain. “I was an auror. For MACUSA. Old habits die hard, I suppose.” Even if the other woman was an auror, that didn’t mean that she was privy to the information that Finn was trying to acquire. That went to other people. Ones that could actually put it to good use.

The sudden blast of light from outside had her reeling for cover in an instant. Funny that she had just stated old habits die hard, because now it looked like she was about to be right back in the thick of it. “Not friends of mine,” Finn called across the room as the other woman switched locations to be behind some boxes. The beam that she was currently behind would be good enough for now. If they didn’t know she was there, that would be an opportune time to strike. As far as they knew, it was only the woman and her partner, who was on the ground outside. “Draw them towards you, and I’ll try to get behind them,” she whispered as the two individuals opened the warehouse door and entered. That was a pretty standard tactic that every auror knew. The element of surprise was probably on their side. Hopefully. “Also, dead or alive?”

[Deleted]

Well that made sense. She worked in the States. Zeph had not met a whole lot of people from the States and had rarely heard an American accent. Any traveling she and her family did had been in Europe. Even with Ministry pay, they could never really afford to go too far. The thing that threw Zeph off a bit was the "WAS". She was an Auror. Did she defect? What had happened? No wonder she didn't have the traits of a dark witch. Zeph now felt a bit foolish for looking away like she did. Hopefully, the Department wouldn't hear of that. She'd been in far too high standing with them to mess up now.

"I suppose they do..." she said of the habits.

Zeph knew the other woman would say that they weren't friends. Even if they were allies, a dark witch wouldn't admit to that with an Auror close by. Still, she sounded honest, She also brought up a standard Auror tactic, That heightened Zeph's trust a bit. Enough dark wizards and witches had fallen for that trick for Zeph to know that most weren't aware of it.

"Alright," said Zeph to the plan. She really, really hoped her instincts were right. One wrong move and she wasn't coming home to her family tonight. She then raised an eyebrow about them coming dead or alive. "Alive... if we can help it. Someone has to be questioned after all." Zeph then sighed and placed her wand at the ready. She slowly moved out and looked at the hooded figures.

"Evening," she said to the two figures. "Seems you've met my partner outside. Attacking an Auror holds a big penalty. Let's not make it worse." One hit a curse at her, but she quickly used a shield charm to deflect it. Zeph was anxious to see the ex-Auror's next move.

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@zephyra

Alive it was. Finn could work with that. As far as she knew, the two entering the building weren’t more than disgruntled petty criminals, whose territory they were currently encroaching on. Those kinds didn’t deserve to be knocked off just because they sold illegal elixirs or dud floo powder. At most they needed a quick stint and a closer watch until they were squeaky clean again. If anything, she was probably already under an observant watch, seeing as her movements over the last few months had definitely looked sketchy. Finn made a mental note to remember to ask the auror about that after they cleaned up here. So far she had gone relatively unnoticed, and considering this was her first encounter with an auror, that either meant she was in the clear or that they were so spread thin that she hadn’t been looked at yet. Those were all problems that she had come over to try and fix though. Hopefully. “Alive works,” she shot another whisper back to her temporary partner before starting to move into her place behind the criminals. If it worked out, she wouldn’t have to worry about crossfire from the other woman’s spells. If not…well that would come later. She had been in stickier predicaments.

The woman caught the hooded figures’ attention, and that was plenty of time for Finn to set up her next plan of attack. The pillar she moved behind gave her a full view of the floor, and as one figure sent a curse sailing at the woman and had it blocked, the second started to raise their arm as well. That was a mistake on their part. Finn sent a disarming spell straight at the second’s wand, sending it flying across the room. She followed up with a standard stunning spell, which according to her plan, was deflected by the other figure. Had they never dueled in pairs before? By disarming one and distracting the second that left both wide open for her new partner to take down the remaining attacker. That was standard. Finn prepared to send out a volley of ropes should the woman take out the other figure. That would end this in only a matter of seconds. Not too bad, if she could say so herself.

[Deleted]

It seemed like this girl was one of the heroes... at least on the surface. If anything, she wasn't some psycho wanting to kill all she considered evil. She agreed to have them brought in alive. That was good news going into the fight.

"Alive then... we hope," sighed Zeph. Saying she would take them in alive and doing so were two different stories. Some of the worst of dark wizards would fight to the death for their causes.

When the other girl sprang into action, it was even... two on two. Their enemies seemed to realize that, and separated with each trying to fight off one of them. Those were good odds for Zeph. She wouldn't need to watch her back all that much... well unless her new ally was harmed. Her ally was a big help when she disarmed the other one. That one could be finished off while she dealt with the one facing her.

The two adversaries took turns blasting and deflecting. The dark wizard had some training. The thing was, Zeph had just a little bit more. Zeph pretended to hesitate on uttering a spell, and the dark wizard thought he had a chance, but before he could aim his wand again, Zeph sprang her trap.

"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Zeph as she aimed her wand swiftly. The dark wizard froze in place and fell to the ground. Zeph smiled and looked at him. "Well he's going in alive as planned. He's just going to look like a bloody corpse." Zeph's partner then staggered in, groaning. Zeph smiled at him. "You missed the fun, mate. By the way, this is..." She looked at the girl. "Actually, I didn't get a name."

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@zephyra

Just as planned, the auror took out the second character, and ropes sprang forward from the tip of Finn’s wand. All in a day’s work, as far as she was concerned. It was good to flex the crime fighting muscles every now and then, even if it was an easy fight. She wasn’t sure if calling it a fight was fair to her and the auror though. They had the upper hand from the beginning because the criminals thought they had taken down one of them already. Finn had run into that sort a lot back in New York; petty criminals that were only worried about their territory if someone that wasn’t supposed to be there happened to be snooping around. Unfortunately for these two, they decided to pick the wrong people to fight. Their loss. A criminal was still a criminal at the end of the day.

With the one stunned and the other tied up, Finn felt confident enough to ease up, and headed towards their spot in the middle of the warehouse to make sure that they were as constricted as they looked. “Doesn’t matter what they look like to me as long as they can’t fight back.” Finn hadn’t made a strategy should they have been better duelers than they led on to be, but she knew an array of more…dangerous spells, should they have become necessary. MACUSA didn’t hold back in their training. From her short experience with this auror though, neither did the Ministry. Kicking the tied up criminal the shin lightly just to make him squirm a little, Finn watched as the auror’s partner entered the building. Finally. He seemed fine to her, though he would probably still have to go to the hospital. There were plenty of nasty curses that could come up later if they went unchecked. “Finn,” she answered with her name, moving towards the auror and her partner with an extended hand. “Like I said earlier, I was an auror for MACUSA.”

[Deleted]

(Wrapping up I guess)

Zeph nodded about the fact that their foes wouldn't be able to fight back That was always a good thing. She then smirked a bit as Finn kicked the tied up one. That was unnecessary, but the dark wizard probably deserved it.

Zeph then nodded as Finn gave her name. Zeph introduced her partner, and then motioned to herself.

"... And I'm Zephyra," she said. "Well, it's been a pleasure, but we've got some dark wizards to transport, a partner to get to St. Mungo's, and a lot of paperwork to fill out as always. Thank you for your help though. I'm sure the Department will be back to investigate this place... if you'd like to lend a hand, former auror and all. Good night then." She then gave a wave of farewell as she and her partner took hold of the dark wizards and apparated.

finn kylie nottingham

[finn kylie nottingham]

@zephyra

Introductions complete between Zephyra and her partner, Finn glanced over at the two wizards on the ground. They weren’t really struggling much (even though one physically couldn’t because he was frozen solid), but that didn’t take away from the fact that these men would have killed if pushed enough. They were only petty criminals, but like wild animals defending their territory, the wrong circumstances could have led to any number of outcomes. They had managed to stun the one auror long enough to get into the building; that was intent to do harm. Finn wasn’t exactly sure how different the Ministry’s laws were on that from MACUSA’s, but she was sure the punishment was one in the same. Wand snapping and memory modification. Maybe even a brief lock up to show them what they had done was wrong. Like that ever changed anything. Criminals were criminals in the end. If they had no intent to change their ways, they wouldn’t. Systems were broken, and not even the magical legal codes were perfect. She thought wand snapping was a pretty harsh punishment for anything less than physically attacking another person, whether they be no-maj or magical. But she wasn’t a law maker, just an enforcer when needed.

“My pleasure,” she responded as Zephyra explained their plans. Was it that easy to walk away? No more questions? Nothing about why she was in the warehouse to begin with? Tossing out that she was a former auror apparently meant a lot over here. Back home she would have cuffed the person anyways, at least until the provided proof that they were who they said. Instead it seemed like she was going to get off free without any of that. Odd, but policies were different here. She had helped them take down two wizards that had attacked an auror. That alone spoke volumes and granted immediate trust. Finn gave them a small wave as they collected the criminals and disapparated from the building. Looking around the empty room once again, she let out a sigh and decided to leave as well. Those two were her only lead for what may have been going on inside the building and where everything had gone. There would be other leads though, and it wasn’t like going back to square one was detrimental for her career. It wasn’t like this was a real job. Just passing the time until something truly interesting came her way. Shrugging it all off, Finn stepped out of the warehouse and into the shadowy alley beyond.

[The End]