______

⁂

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗:
𝙲𝚊𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝
𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚃𝚠𝚘

⁂

______

"Corin," Newt said in attempt to distract her, and it had. He had always been the voice of reason in her mind. The blessing was here was that she finally had an active voice to tie with her idol, but she shook her head with the streak of tears return back to her face.

The executioners were robotic with their actions, it didn't matter if they agreed with Graves or not. The order had been set in place and there was no legal way to get out of this, and that was first step in concocting the a plan.

What are the set limitations?

What is in your arsenal?

The long black and metallic corridor lead the three into. A pure white cell, consisting of a single chair suspending magically over a square pool that took up half the room.

Corin instantly recognized the potion with the way it sat and the sharp bitterness in the room. Rippling potions.

They were forced into the room by the executors while a guard stood ready at the waiting.

"Don't do this—Bernadette—Please!" Tina begged, and it was odd to Corin at first. But the name that the witch had used caught Corin by surprise as well.

These were Tina's coworkers, she had worked alongside Graves for however long and that wasn't enough to install a sense of trust that she was on the right side of the war.

Which was the perfect identity for a criminal to use to his advantage.

Corin and Newt watched in horror as Tina was being led to the edge of the pool, and it was clear that she was in the midst of coming terms with what was about to happen. The Ravenclaw could easily detect the beginning of a panic attack, especially when her breathing became so heavy and erratic.

It was straight out of a horror movie the way the executioner was smiling as she rose her wand, all in the motion of extracting Tina's happiest memories from her head. The effect of this caused her to instantly turn into a blissful state of calmness—Her expression now vacant and completely transcendent to what she was seeing.

Corin could only assume she was hypnotized by seeing her most prized inner thoughts as the executioner cast the memories into the pool, allowing the potion to make a sort of projection for the whole room to view it.

"Momma..." From what Ms.Rosewood knew, was that Tina's mother has passed—But that wasn't why Corin turned frantic. If they were taking good memories, they were surely going to find things from the future in her mind.

Shite!

"Don't that look good? You wanna get in?" The way Tina nodded didn't sit well with Newt, neither did the way that Corin started back up with her attempt in getting out of her binds.

Nothing smart ever came when she let the fear consume her, she needed to act—And so she pulled her hands to the front of her body trying to grip one of the utensils from her belt—She had almost been caught at the first movement, but she hid it well by acting it was a stretching role of her shoulder.

After hiding the scalpel up her coat, she returned back to where her wrists were fixated. Trying to undo the lock with the sharp end of the pick, the hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. The small slice on her hand caused her to hiss.

Especially with how crazy the witch looked in doing her job.

"Okay, let's get the good stuff out of you—" The executioner raised her wand to Newt's forehead. And the slight sting was all Corin felt as Newt only allowed one moment to pass before seizing the opportunity—He jumped backward and out of the way, his once bound hands were soon revealed to be undone as he swished his hand.

Revealing the swooping evil who must've been resting in his coat. He then swiftly turns and punches the guard, knocking him out cold. Leaving the Ravenclaw breathless and more than surprised, especially when the chains had dropped from her wrists.

She turned to see Pickett starting to climb up her arm, which she aided to move him up to his shoulder so he had a better take on the room.

Corin didn't know what caused the pool underneath Tina to start rising up, turning much more aggressive. Even going so far as to switch the means of the potion's task.

Good memories—To bad.

Corin docked her scalpel and bent down to the pool's edge, she had a theory that couldn't rightly make matters worse. And if it did, then off to a new plan.

Did Corin snag one of Newt's potions? Yes. She wanted to analyze it better when they got the chance, but she never did and instead she poured the contents straight into the pit.

What would a rippling potion mixed with a memory spell react badly to an untested memory potion?

Corin smiled at the final product, the entire pool had gone to a cement-like substance and she sighed in pure relief. "Tina, we need to go!" The ex-Auror had hesitations and Corin could read them all, her hand extended forward in a peace offering.

Even if Corin had ill-thoughts on the Auror, that didn't mean she wished her the death penalty.

"Tina. You have no reason to trust me, but trust that there is something happening and staying here won't let us solve it. Come on!" Corin said, standing on the edge of the pool, her face pleading with her desperately.

Tina took the blind leap of faith and took the offered hand of Corin, it was a blessing that she still had a bit of strength from her days of playing Quidditch, but the two gals stumbled a bit.

Though when they managed to settle correctly back to their feet, they caught Newt recalling his creature back it's cocoon form. He hadn't wasted a moment before grabbing Corin's hand and head for the exit.

She almost lost her footing a few times as Newt would stagger and cease his advances throughout the ministry's basement corridors. While it felt like a perfect charge to freedom, the sudden group of Aurors that must've been alerted had begun firing off.

Newt had pushed Corin against the likes of the pillar and looked out behind it, his head tilting to get a better view. He once again send out the swooping Evil, swirling overhead and flying in and out of the pillars, blocking the better end of the curses.

Even going to far as knocking them to the ground.

Corin gasped as she caught what the Swooping Evil was truly after, and the zoologist simply made a clicking sound. "Leave his brains! Come on!" He called out, leaving the three to continue their dart off.

The creature didn't stop its task in protecting Newt and the gang, but it surely couldn't feel all that great. So when Corin pulled on Newt's wrist, he instantly thought the worst.

Yet he calmed instantly when he caught Corin ripping off the cork of a potion bottle and begin to pour out the contents, she let it spill as they continued to run.

And the next time Newt turned to look behind him, he realized that she had created a sort of dust cloud with the potion. "What was that?!"

"Swooping Evil!" Newt announced.

"And the potion?"

"A failed experiment!" The laughter between the three commenced as they had finally managed to the basement's main door, only to run straight into Queenie and Jacob.

"Get in!" She ordered, and the four wanted members instantly found themselves listening to the order. First Corin, who waited at the bottom to help Tina down properly. And while Jacob had gone off into the exhibit, Corin didn't feel safe until she caught Newt starting to climb down the latter.

And nothing could've prepared him for Corin's tackle, his back pushed up against the likes of the ladder behind as he stood there. Completely at the Ravenclaw's mercy.

"Thank you." She said, and while Newt had been afraid that perhaps she would've believed everything that Graves pointed out in the interrogation. She hadn't, instead she was shaking like a kitten in his hold.

But Newt didn't know how to comfort someone when they enacted it, he was in pure hesitation trying to understand what to do. Tina gave him the once over, as if silently saying 'Hug her back!'

Which he did, though Corin felt the awkwardness and chided herself for acting without boundaries to him once again. She pulled away and cleared her throat, embarrassed enough to hurry away in defeat.

"I uh—" Tina shook her head, seeing the blush on Newt's cheeks start to rise. Though he couldn't felt it, it was for the world to see. Instead he followed after the others and caught Corin running away, and sure it stung his heart.

But his conscious reminded him that Ronan was off in that direction, and he'd be wise to give her the much-needed space. Especially after his failure to comfort her.

Newt remained a good distance away while Tina had turned wide-eyed to the rest of the case, her eyes beamed with child-like-wonder. Some magic was just unbelievable until actually witnessed and this was surely it.

The happy yips soon filled the ears of Corin's companions, while Ronan was aware of the danger his friend was in. He sat patiently as he was lifted like a child into her arms and off towards a chair, one that Newt was sure she was about to pass out in due to exhaustion.

Whatever Queenie had done to get out of the ministry was sheer brilliance, but no part of Corin wanted to leave the case. Not until Jacob placed a hand to the small space on her back and lead her towards the ladder.

Claiming that the 'fresh air would be good,' and she instantly recalled how choked she felt in the musty basement of the American ministry.

Stepping out from the case caused her thoughts to return back to the impending doom that awaited them. Her grandfather will surely get in trouble for her escape, and she could only hope that they didn't fault him too badly for it.

She needed to act smart now, but at least another person around her knew the truth.

Queenie had brought the entire group to a rooftop, and while the cold air was nice—It made Corin shiver and curl further into Ronan and his winter coat.

Newt hadn't dared let his eyes wander too far from what she was doing, and instead she found a nice corner of the roof that blocked the majority of the winds from one direction all before pulling her hood up.

Hiding from the rest of the crowd.

Ronan worked his own comforting magic and licked her tears away, of course he had comforted her previously, before the group was arrested. But now Corin had faced the thought of her best friend being killed right alongside herself, Newt and Tina.

The near-death experience and the thrill of being a traitor to the city caused another unnecessary array of stress to course through her body. And Newt knew that any longer that she'd exhaust herself to the point of falling unconscious.

This time he didn't need the push of Tina to try and comfort Corin, he managed his way forward towards her after locking up his case and coming towards her.

"Corin...?" He whispered, and she flinched at the sound of his voice—Instinctly causing Ronan to yap at him, in pure fairness of a warning that he wouldn't be afraid to give the male a nip.

Yet she pulled the creature back from his threats and looked to Newt from beneath her hood. "I'm okay." She mumbled, and the wizard shook his head.

"I find that hard to believe Cory, here...Drink up." He offered a small pouch, one of which he'd use on his travels and drank water from. He might've slipped in a few drops of a calming potion but Corin didn't say no to a bit of water.

Much like a creature, Newt placed his hand against Corin's forehead and then her cheek. He was undoubtedly worried that she had enough of the adventure, but alas, the potion was working.

"Sorry."

"Sorry for...?" Her brain was too exhausted to conjure up a sarcastic and witty remark. But then she was reminded that there wasn't anything that she needed to apologize for.

And so an ever so small smile appeared on her lips. "Much better, finish that up...We still have to find Dougal."
"Dougal?" Tina questioned, as she had seemingly changed sides as the traitorous actions of Mr.Graves was spotlighted.

"Dougal, my Demiguise. Slight problem is that...Um, he's invisible." Corin chuckled into her next sip and hummed, the effects surely working and she embraced it to the fullest.

"Grave always invited the disturbances were caused by a beast. We need to catch your last creature so he can't keep using them as a scapegoat." Tina finalized, her mind operating purely as an Auror.

"So uh...How do you catch something that—?" Tina questioned, and another smile formed behind Ronan's fur.

With immense difficulty. Corin quoted, but her heart nearly melted when Newt said the phrase.

"With immense difficulty." Which caused her to beam her smile up towards the both of them, perhaps he had given her a tad bit too much calming potion.

But it was better than another panic attack, they needed Corin had her best.

"Gnarlak!" Corin gawked at Tina, what sort of horrible curse was that?

"Excuse me?"

"Gnarlak—he was an informant of mine when I was an Auror! He used to trade in magical creatures on the side—"

"He wouldn't happen to have an interest in paw prints, would he?"

"He's interested in anything he can sell."

For some reason, that didn't sit well with Corin.

______

Date: 09-14-2020

Time: 8:11

Words: 2370