August 19th, 1922.
Manhattan, New York.

Theseus woke up slowly, he felt as if he was hungover. Headache and the light was too bright it hurt the eye, and he wondered how could that be if he didn't drink last night, he only got drunk on Amélie's sweat.

He sighed, sat up and rubbed his eye, when he had adjusted to the morning light, he looked behind him. Amélie wasn't there. He looked around and she was not in the room, nor her clothes. He frowned and assumed she had left early in the morning to shower or something. Theseus remembered part of his dream as he stood up, her sweet voice saying 'I love you' and a kiss. He smiled to himself and sighed.

Theseus headed for the bathroom and took a shower himself, when he was done, he dressed up with a grey suit and walked out after he had his suitcase in hand. He stepped close to Amélie's door and knocked on it.

"Élie?" No answer, so he knocked again. "Amélie, are you ready to go?" He breathed in and out. "I was thinking we could have some breakfast before heading back to Europe." He pressed his ear against the wood to try and catch a noice, not picking any. "Élie?" He frowned with concern and grabbed his wand with his right hand and placed the suitcase down, when his left hand found the doorknob, he twisted it and the door opened, he found it arranged and empty.

Theseus walked in and looked around, she couldn't have gone out for a morning stroll around New York before heading back to Paris, for her stuff was gone too, and there was no note, no nothing. The only thing he found behind the door was her knit hat. He grabbed it and sighed.

  A part of him understood why she had left, and another one didn't, and that part was hurt and a bit angry. He couldn't figure out why did she leave without saying goodbye or out of the blue. Just like that. It took him a second to make up his mind and decide where he'd go.

He walked out, closing the door behind him and took his suitcase from the ground. He then arrived at the lobby and handed in the key of his bedroom before heading out of the Inn and making his way towards MACUSA. After he had shaken Tina's hand and she thanked him for his cooperation, he stepped into one of the chimneys and the green flames of the floo powder covered him entirely.  Moments later, he stepped out of a chimney at the French Ministry of Magic.

Once again, he stepped towards the entrance and skipped the reception, for they all already knew him and knew he was able to walk in as if he was the Head Auror. Theseus made his way towards Amélie's fancy office but found the door closed, only her assistant was at her desk typing something onto her typing machine.

"Madame Dupont." He greeted her.

"Monsieur Scamander, long time no see." She greeted back, gifting him a sweet smile that he returned before he nodded.

"Nice to see you, too." She chuckled.

"What can I do for you?"

"I was looking for Miss Rosier, she left this back in New York and I've brought it for her to retrieve it." He explained and showed her the hat.

"Miss Rosier didn't come in today, she's at her home."

"Oh?"

"Yes, she just sent in an owl informing that she'll take the rest of the afternoon saying that her trip to America left her far too tired. Would you like me to give it to her tomorrow morning?"

"No, it's alright. I'll just pass by quickly and hand it over before heading for London." The woman nodded and smiled. "Thank you, it's always a pleasure to see you." The old woman blushed and giggled.

"Likewise, sir." Theseus chuckled and walked away towards the exit of the Ministry just to make his way towards Amélie's home.

When he arrived, he stepped close to her door and sighed. Last time he found himself at her door, he couldn't bring himself to knock, he froze before the wooden gate. Theseus breathed in, out, closed his eyes, cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

He waited for a while and no one opened, so he knocked again. When no one answered the door once again, he was about to knock one last time but the gate suddenly flew open revealing a young man that's very similar to Élie, only that he has black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a fancy black suit, proper of a funeral, and he seemed to have been crying for a while.

"Bonjour?" He said.

"Err...bonjour. Is Amélie home?" The boy frowned and ran a hand through his black hair, confused and skeptical. "My name's Theseus, I'm a friend of hers." Still skeptical, the boy looked inside of her house and yelled towards the hallway of the bedrooms.

"Amélie, un homme nommé Theseus te cherche." He said and Theseus coughed as he looked around. Suddenly, the red haired witch showed up at the doorstep.

"Merci, Evan." She told him before looking at Theseus. "Hi."

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to give you this." He handed over her hat.

"Merci." He nodded as she held it in her hands. "And?"

"And what?"

"I know you, you didn't come all the way here to hand over a hat I forgot in New York."

"You're right." He said after a short pause. "May I come in?"

"Of course."

"So...who's that?" Asked Theseus looking at Evan as Amélie closed the door behind her.

"My younger brother." He remembered a young boy he once saw in a picture at her office, he was only a baby back then. A two year old boy, now he was thirteen.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Evan." She called and he stood from the couch to stand beside her. "Voici Theseus. C'est un vieil ami et collègue de travail." Élie introduced them.

"Enchanté de vous rencontrer." Said Evan and offered his hand for Theseus to shake, which he firmly did with a smile.

"He said that it's a pleasure to meet you." Amélie translated with a soft smile.

"Pleasure's all mine." She translated for Evan to understand, the young boy smiled too.

"Maintenant, pourquoi ne pas emmener la valise dans votre chambre? Je dois parler à Theseus seul à seul." She told Evan, who nodded.

"Oui." Said he, looking at Élie. His brown eyes soon met Theseus' eyes. "Au revoir."

"Au revoir." Said Scamander as the young man picked a suitcase from near the couch and got lost in the hallway. "He's visiting?" Asked Theseus as he placed his suitcase down on the floor.

"Uh, mode like moving in. My...my father died last night." Thes looked at her with shock and sadness in his eyes at the sudden fact he was given. "Apparently he had a heart attack." She scoffed. "The one thing I was convinced he didn't have has killed him." A sigh left her lips. "Anyways, Evan was at the funeral and some people tried to send him to an orphanage house but he said he had more family and that was me. They were waiting for me here when I arrived, left about an hour ago after I signed a ton of forms and papers that grants me the role as his tutor and guardian." She sighed. "Everything's happening so fast."

"I'm sorry, Élie."

"I'm not. In my opinion, Evan's better off without him. Although, to him...he just lost his father. He might've been a terrible father to me, but he was just his Dad." She said as she shrugged. "The problem's that I'm too busy to look after him. My job's too demanding, I'm never home, I'm always in the front lines...and I don't want to send him back all the way to Durmstrang, but he doesn't know any English, only Swedish, so I can't send him to Hogwarts either."

"You could send him to Beauxbatons."

"Yeah, but I feel like he'd enjoy more studying at Hogwarts. He needs more freedom, a less strict regime, you know?" Theseus nodded. "He'll finish this year in Beauxbatons and learn English, I suppose that if I speak with Dumbledore, he'd help him out. Help us out."

"He surely will." She nodded. "I hate to ask this right now, but...is that why you were gone in the morning?" She remained quiet for a moment.

"No."

"Then?" She sighed.

"I'm sorry, but...last night was a mistake." Theseus felt his heart heavy.

"What, Why?"

"I shouldn't have kissed you and we shouldn't have slept together."

"I don't understand."

"I know you don't." She sighed once again and thought about how she hoped a cure would come through in time, knowing and fearing it won't. "It's true. It was a moment of weakness. I mean, I've been saying that I cannot go on if you-" She cleared her throat. "If we reduce it to sex and you refuse to admit your feelings. Next thing I do is take off my clothes for you just because of a kiss. It would be contradictory and I'm a woman of principles." Theseus frowned, hurt.

"I dreamt of you and a kiss that you gave me." He said all of the sudden. Amélie looked deep into his eyes. "It felt so real."

"That's because it was."

"So you kiss me and then you leave?"

"As a matter fact I told you that I love you, then I kissed you."

"That's even worse, Amélie. Why'd you whisper in the dark just to leave me in the night?"

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to just leave but I couldn't face a silence. I can't do that anymore, Thes. Your silence has me screaming, and it hurts worse than any unforgivable curse could ever hurt me." He gulped. "I feel like I'm yours but you're not mine."

"I am." He stepped close to her. "I'm yours in heart, body and soul."

"Then tell me."

"Élie."

"Theseus, this is the last time I'm asking you to put my name at the top of your lips and say that you love me." She sighed. "I'm getting tired of this dynamic. I am tired of this. It's like I'm standing in a tightrope alone and I hold my breath as much as my hope of hearing you say the words I've been meaning to hear, but no."

"Amélie..."

"Be mindful of whatever you'll say because I really mean it. It's the last time I ask for it." The problem they were facing was that he couldn't say anything, once again, the words were stuck in his throat. After a few tics of the clock went by in silence, she nodded and breathed out. "Then your dream will be the last time that you hear me say those words to you, too."

"Can't we work this out? We've always worked things out, Amélie." He gave a step forward towards her.

"I don't think we can." She gave a step back from him knowing all too well that the need for his touch could make her give in again. But she can't allow herself to do so. Not again.

"Why?"

"Exactly. Exactly, Theseus. Why? Why'd you have to make me want you and give me nothing back?" She started tearing up all of the sudden, her heartbreak and frustration winning over her sanity, making her want to scream. "Why'd you have to make me love you all over again if we would end up in the same cursed place? I said 'I love you', you saw nothing back!" Theseus gulped and felt his eyes fill with water too. In a matter of seconds, Evan was standing in the hallway, wand in his hand, for Amélie's yell had scared him. "I'm done. We're done."

"Amélie?" Asked the boy.

"C'est bon, Evan, ne t'inquiète pas." She said as she approached him and told him to keep his wand.

"Élie." She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. Amélie breathed in and out, Evan asked quickly if she was alright and she asked him to go back to his room.

"Don't. Please don't. Don't make it harder than it already is, just...grab your case and-" She couldn't ask him to go. "You gave me the hat, just...please, just-" A sob left her trembling lip.

"I'll go." He said those words easier than 'I love you' and wondered why did he speak with such ease words that tasted like vinegar instead of words that'd taste like honey. "I guess I'll see you again someday." He said as he picked his case from the floor and stepped near the door, his hand finding the knob. "I truly am sorry, Élie. For everything I've done to you, to us." She looked at him as a tear fell and she let it dry, for Theseus was not going to brush it away this time. "I wish you the best." He added, barely looking over his shoulder, the sight of her crying would only break his heart further. And he didn't want her to watch him cry.

Theseus physically felt his chest aching, his heart breaking and he hated himself for it. He felt as if all of his scars were ripped open all of the sudden and Amélie felt the same pain, too. Now, it didn't matter if they had drown stars around their scars, now they were bleeding. Rosier indeed removed the dagger off of her and left them in ruins, and she cursed her own name because of it. Although she knew it was for the best.

When Theseus walked out of her house and stepped out, he didn't walk away immediately, he waited for her to call his name and say 'don't go' because he knew very well that, if she spoke those words, he'd stay forever. However, Scamander breathed in and out knowing she wouldn't do such thing. She won't, she just won't, he thought, so he walked right out and closed the door behind him. At least he thought he did.

As he walked away, a strong breeze opened the door and Amélie rushed to the door thinking he had come back only to watch him walk down the street and away without looking back. Rosier didn't realise she was halfway out the door until Evan called her name again, she looked behind her and towards Theseus and knew that he'd be a door in her life that would never close, but that wouldn't stay open either. At least not for now.

So, Amélie stepped in and closed the gate behind her as Theseus deapparated from the French streets to appear in London, walk into his empty house and close the door. Both locked themselves in their homes and locked each other in a corner of their minds until their hearts healed again.