Chapter Twenty-Seven
Confronting the Faceless 💀 CompleteFebruary 10-16, 1998
"People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong"
Theodore Yaxley knew he had been taking a risk when he set up the fake information drop for Zara to attend, but he also knew that he needed to allay her suspicions. Zara Wong is a lot of things, but subtle was never one and Theo knew the instant she started suspecting him of sabotage.
Which, to be fair to her, is something he's been engaging in since December. Since he'd learned about the death that had occurred during his last encounter with Kent Sylvester.
He hadn't known Evera Sylvester, not really. He'd seen Kent talking to her and her partner (slash Kent's roommate) Drake Jarvis in the halls on occasion, knew her blonde ponytail well from watching Kent run after it after they'd said their goodbyes at the end of the work day, but he can't recall ever actually having a conversation with her.
And yet he does know her. He knows her from Kent's stories about their school days, from tales of their childhood shared during boring stakeouts. He knows her mischievous streak, her terrible taste in men, her stubbornness. And the thought of her lying cold in the ground somewhere hit him in a way he hadn't expected.
That image, combined with the already nagging pit in his stomach left there by his fight with Kent all the way back in October, had pushed him to start using his new position to slow down the Unit and knock them off course where possible.
And then Zara had started getting nosy, and he'd panicked. Which is incredibly unprofessional, but it's not like they'd trained for this scenario in boot camp. Theo is working with what he's got.
At first he thinks he might have gotten away with it - Zara had seemed content enough when all was said and done and they headed back towards the Ministry together. Theo just hopes he'd bought enough time for the homeless Muggle man to beat it before Zara inevitably went back to examine his story more closely - that's the one area this could all fall apart, but he'd been sure to warn the beggar to leave as soon as the meeting was finished, so he'd done everything he could on that front.
When he gets into work the next morning he's greeted by a very chipper Zara - which is unnerving because Zara never gets to work before he does. The chipper thing is a little more common these days, so it doesn't throw him off as badly as it had back when she first started (though that doesn't make it any less uncomfortable).
"We have a meeting with your uncle and Yurina this morning," She says the Japanese woman's name in the same way others might refer to human excretions, "So you should get any paperwork done quickly."
"What about?" He asks, careful to keep his voice light and slightly bored. It almost worries him how easily he slips back into the skin he used to wear as a teenager at Hogwarts, but he supposes that acting certain ways is like flying a broom - you never really forget how to do it, no matter how much time has passed.
"Oh, just the usual checkup and all, it has been a busy month!" She says, still far too cheerful. Her voice is almost sugary in its sweetness and it reminds him uncomfortably of Umbridge from the Muggleborn Registration Commission. The tiny witch is no threat to anything as far as he can tell, but she still sets him on edge for some reason.
Still, they do have monthly meetings with their two supervisors, so it's possible this is just that, like Zara says. But normally he knows about those meetings ahead of time, which means she's probably lying.
Theo is already formulating cover stories to provide to his uncle as he makes his way to his desk and leans back in his chair, flashing a grin at one of the nearby female Unit members, who giggles and blushes. Obviously Zara thinks she knows something, but if it was concrete wouldn't she have dropped the act? Rubbed it in his face?
He observes the teenager closely as he slumps in his seat, looking to all the world as though he hasn't a care even as his mind races with possibilities.
Ugh, this is why he didn't want to get involved in the first place. He really should have listened to himself the millions of times he'd tried to talk himself out of pulling any of this espionage in the first place. He'd had a good thing going before, letting Zara handle the annoying stuff and bossing around the hopeless Unit members on how to be less pathetic.
He blames Kent entirely for this. The idiot has been making his life difficult since Hogwarts, both on and off the Quidditch pitch. Obviously this mess is his fault as well.
Ultimately he decides to play everything normally. So long as he acts unconcerned and lets Zara make a fool of herself, as she always does when his uncle is involved, he knows his uncle will be on his side (and Yurina likely will be as well, considering how blatant Zara is over her dislike of the slightly older girl). Really, he shouldn't have anything to worry about - between himself and Zara he knows who the more popular Unit leader is, and it's not the whiny teen in the work-inappropriate tight dress. His word will likely be taken over hers on principle.
"Meeting's at ten, just so you know." Zara declares as she passes his desk with an armful of paperwork, still far too cheerfully sweet.
"Sure, sounds good." He replies dismissively, ensuring he's grinning at another female coworker as he does. The woman giggles even as he sees Zara grimace in his periphery. That's good - he can still get under he skin. He'll have to use that to his advantage in the meeting, if it does turn out to be her finally trying to oust him from his position.
In the fourty minutes he has before the meeting he decides to rile up Zara as much as possible. The more emotional she gets, the less control she has over her words - it's one of her many hypocrisies, considering she regularly mocks other people for being "too emotional" and letting feelings interfere with their work.
It's just too bad, he muses as he watches the girl hurry around the Unit offices collecting and completing paperwork, that her emotions didn't stop her from becoming a great spellcaster.
And therein lies his biggest problem - Zara's skill with magic. For all her bluster and ego Zara actually has some firepower to back her up. Theo has colleagues in the Hit Wizard division who aren't as proficient as Zara is at silent spellwork. If he's honest with himself, he's not entirely positive he could win in a one-on-one duel with her, should she ever be pushed to that. He was top of his class, sure, but in a prolonged duel with someone who's next move you can't hear before it's cast? Not odds he wants to test, thanks. He's where he is because he doesn't take stupid risks (ignoring his latest one, which he's still going to blame on Kent).
So he spends the fourty minutes he has left flirting with Unit members, making snide, clever comments about Zara, and watching his co-leader silently fuming even as she attempts to keep hold of her cheerful mask. Hopefully it's enough to make her trip up on whatever she intends to say during the meeting. And, if she doesn't, at least he's spending his final moments enjoying himself.
It's ten minutes to ten when Zara informs him, with a tense smile, that they should head over to the main office for their reports.
"Sure sure." Theo replies distractedly, keeping his focus on the giggling Unit member in front of him rather than properly acknowledging Zara, which he knows is only pissing the teen off further. "I'll talk to you later then." He winks at the woman before finally, slowly, dragging himself out of his chair to lazily stroll after Zara down the hall.
"Although," He says idly, letting his words roll lazily off his tongue and grinning at how it makes Zara twitch, "I don't think it takes ten minutes to get to Uncle Corban's office. Is this a height thing? Do your legs not take long enough steps to get that far?"
The jab at her height seems to be the final straw as Zara's mask finally crumbles and she spins on her heel to glare at him, all cheerful pretense now gone. Theo just grins at her.
"Listen up pretty boy." She growls. "You better laugh it up now, because death is going to seem like a luxury when I'm done with you."
"I'd be more intimidated if that threat wasn't coming from a teenager dressed up like a concubine." Theo replies, maintaining his bored tone even as he mentally cringes, knowing that Zara isn't lying. Conversely, she's letting him know her opening moves, which means he'll be able to counter and hopefully press the advantage.
All this assuming he hasn't successfully shaken her enough to make her unable to argue her case to his Uncle. Which, based on this outburst, he thinks he probably has.
Still, something akin to worry settles like a knot in his intestines and he finds he rather abhors the feeling, as it's an unfamiliar one for him. Even in those early days partnered with Kent, Theo has always felt generally in control of all situations, or at least been certain he'll be able to handle anything that's thrown at him. Now though, he's in uncharted territory, and some long silent part of his mind is shaking off the dust and voicing it's concerns for his safety.
They do reach the office early, as Theo had predicted, and they're forced to wait outside while Yurina and his Uncle Corban discuss something unrelated to the Unit. This of course only irritates Zara further, which draws a genuine smirk from Theo. No way in her current state Zara will be able to string any logical argument together.
They're finally admitted by a bored-looking Yurina, who Theo half-acknowledges with a head tilt, though his focus is primarily on the actual authority in the room - his uncle.
Corban Yaxley has been a constant presence in Theo's life, from his childhood through to his joining the Hit Wizards, and if he's honest Theo is more concerned about his uncle finding out about his sabotage than his father - Corban is the sort of wizard to do anything required to get what he wants, no matter who he has to go through. Theo's father has high expectations but Theo is pretty sure he wouldn't kill his only son in pursuit of the Dark Lord's approval the way Corban would.
Not that he's seen his father in a while - the man is off fighting with the other Death Eaters - so maybe things have changed in the past few months. Goodness knows Theo is doing things now he'd never have dreamed of six months ago.
The office hasn't changed any, and Theo claims the guest seat that's been shoved to one side, posture perfect even though he's leaned to the side. Zara stands in the middle of the room, possibly to try and look important. Theo thinks she just looks like a little girl in mommy's clothes - or perhaps a criminal on trial.
Yurina closes the door with a lazy flick of her wand and leans against the wall, eyeing the room with clear impatience. She's never cared much what Theo and Zara are doing with the Unit and now obviously isn't an exception. Which says to Theo that Zara hasn't actually informed either Yurina or Uncle Corban of her suspicions, which is another point in Theo's favor.
"Well Ms. Wong? I don't have all day for this." His uncle says flatly, waving at Zara almost dismissively, and the teenager clears quickly.
"Of course, I understand completely." She agrees, voice adopting the silken quality it takes when she wants to manipulate someone. Theo thinks it would work better if she was a little less obvious about when she wants things.
His uncle looks equally unimpressed, though Corban doesn't say anything to make Zara move through what is likely a pre-planned speech any quicker. Theo slouches a bit lower in the chair, figuring this is likely to take more time than he wants it to, so he may as well be comfortable.
"As you've both seen in my reports the past few months, the Unit has been flourishing under my leadership."
Theo may want this to go by as quickly as possible, but he does still have his pride. "They're generally responding well to my training." He adds in, drawling the words out and letting his pride over that fact lace through his tone. "Some are quicker than others, but I make sure to team them up so that everyone's weaknesses are covered."
Zara glares at him. "Right." She grits out. "But I believe - no, I know that we could be doing even better. I have recently discovered that there is a traitor within the Unit." She says it grandly, clearly expecting a massive response to the declaration.
Theo smirks when his uncle just looks unimpressed, and Yurina outright laughs. "Is this you trying to prove that your failures aren't actually failures?" She mocks, still leaning against the wall but now looking a little less bored. "No one actually cares about-"
Corban cuts her off briskly, though Zara looks like she wants to hear more, just to have an excuse to hex the other woman. "If you believe this, simply remove the person. The Unit is your jurisdiction." He looks over at Theo. "Are you of the same opinion as Ms. Wong, Theodore?"
Theo gives a half-shrug. "I haven't noticed anything myself, and this is the first I'm hearing of Zara's concerns." He says. It's technically true - even if he's known about her suspicions for weeks, she hasn't said anything outright until just this moment.
His uncle looks unimpressed. "In that case I suggest you keep this matter between the two of you-"
"No!" Zara explodes, and Theo grins. Check and mate. She won't be able to convince anyone of anything in this state.
Yurina perks up, wand appearing in her hand and eyes lighting up. Theo's uncle waves her down.
"Ms. Wong." He says tensely. "You have one minute to explain to me how you haven't completely wasted my time, otherwise I will be remanding full control of the Unit to Mr. Yaxley."
Yurina gives him a mostly nasty look, which is ignored. Zara takes a stuttering breath before nodding jerkily.
"You see Mr. Yaxley, I couldn't tell Theo about the traitor because he is the traitor."
Theo can tell that Zara realizes at the same time as he does that that wasn't the way to broach the topic, and he adopts a half-shocked, half-annoyed expression, even glancing over at Yurina to swap a knowing look - isn't she the most obnoxious brat you've ever had to deal with? (Though truth be told he's never thought Yurina was much better, with her flouncing about terrifying Ministry workers and not doing anything else so far as Theo can tell).
"I have evidence!" Zara adds quickly, but Theo can tell that his uncle is already mentally dismissing the teenager as desperate, which is exactly what he'd hoped for.
And yet his nerves don't settle in the slightest, which is... concerning, to say the least. His uncle is on his side, so why are his instincts still shouting for him to be careful?
He sits a bit straighter in his seat as Zara stumbles through her description, explaining the information drop and how she'd caught Theo's hired homeless Muggle and interrogated him, confirming that he had no connections whatsoever.
Theo keeps his expression steady as she speaks, but his mind is spinning. So the guy hadn't gotten away, which is not ideal, but it sounds like Zara had killed him which - ill as it makes him feel - is good for Theo. The only witness is Zara, who's coming across as desperate.
His uncle looks to him when the girl has finished. "Do you have anything to add Theodore?" He asks tightly, and something in Theo twists.
His uncle is actually suspicious. He glances towards Yurina, who has returned to looking bored and probably only caught half of what Zara had even said.
Theo tilts his head. "I can't say I know what Zara is going on about." He says decisively. "I'm already putting together a team to follow up on my contact's information, and frankly if this is how she chooses to behave I'll be sure not to take her on my next meet up."
His uncle nods. "Excellent-"
"But there is no information! The drop was a hoax, the so-called informant told me everything!" Zara interrupts, falling apart as she loses control of the narrative. "And I can prove it!" She adds suddenly, the grin on her face reenforcing the uneasy feeling that's refused to move out of Theo's gut. "I didn't kill him - I can find him again."
. Of all the time for Zara to actually think things through it had to be now.
His uncle looks ready to dismiss this as well, but Yurina finally speaks up.
"Why don't we just leave these two to figure things out? They're supposed to be in charge of keeping the Unit running smoothly, we're just the oversight." She suggests with a knowing grin. "Right now this seems to be little more than the desperate power grab of a teenage girl, and it certainly indicates that the Unit is not running smoothly as it should be. This seems to me, Yaxley, to be an issue these two should sort out between themselves rather than drag us into it, considering we have more important things to concern ourselves with."
Zara looks ready to commit murder, but by some miracle she doesn't act on the urge.
Theo's uncle looks vaguely annoyed at Yurina's speaking up, but he nods all the same. "Very well, as you are the official head of the Unit." He acquiesces. "Ms. Wong, I do hope you decide to be more mature about such matters in the future - this endeavor is far larger than you and your ego.
Theo just nods silently as Zara fumes, enjoying the moment. He decides to speak up once he's finished savoring the win. "So if we're done? I should get back to organizing the patrols for this week."
Zara's glare turns to him even as his uncle smiles thinly.
"Very well, you'll do as Ms. Nakayashi says. Sort this out between yourselves."
In that moment, with that specific phrasing, Theo knows he's screwed. Zara can't do anything just yet, but he knows she'll be making a move sooner rather than later, and he's going to need an escape plan ready to go when that happens. His uncle clearly just washed his hands of the entire situation, and Theo's unexpectedly lost his biggest advantage in this dangerous game he's been playing with Zara.
It takes all of five days for Zara to make her move. She's been disconcertingly quiet in that time, lurking around the office on occasion but more often assigning herself to patrols with other Unit members, putting her out of Theo's sight but unfortunately never out of mind.
He doesn't work on Sundays - never has outside of extended missions with his former squad - and when he comes back into the office on Monday he knows that whatever Zara has set up is ready to explode. The office is tense, Unit members who usually greet him look uncomfortable and won't meet his eye.
He keeps his posture and movements relaxed as he strides further into the room, though his mind is rapidly pinpointing everyone's exact locations, capabilities, and where they are in relation to the exits. He feels like he's scoping out enemy territory, and he supposes in a way he is - it's just an odd sensation considering he's friendly with most of the people he's marked as possible opponents.
"Good morning Rosier." He says cheerfully to the first person who dares to get close enough to interact with.
Max Rosier is a newer member of the team and one who came well recommended by his connections. Honestly Theo likes the guy well enough, maybe enough that they could have been friends in another life, but circumstances being what they are Theo doesn't think they'll have enough to time to really bond over anything.
"Morning boss." Max replies after a slight hesitation, and if Theo wasn't already suspicious that would be his tip. As it is, it's a final red flag confirming that he'll be making his exit from the office sooner than expected when he'd left home this morning. Max is always friendly, and genuinely terrible at lying.
Theo keeps externally relaxed though, giving Max a grin and continuing towards his desk. From there he'll have a clear line to two of the exits, both of which he's assuming Zara will have covered. However, he also assumes she's underestimating him - he can take out most of the Unit members easily, even if they're paired up. He may be the one training them, but that doesn't mean they know all his moves.
He doesn't see Zara at all, which is both worrying but also normal - it's only nine in the morning after all, and she's always late to work. But still, considering the tension in the room he'd somewhat assumed she must be in the vicinity, ready to watch the chaos.
Maybe she is here, he thinks, and she's just hiding to try and maintain normalcy, so he won't be suspicious. It's a bit smarter than he would normally give her credit for but she's obviously been planning this out, so he has to stay alert.
He settles at his desk and flips lazily through some files that had been left on it, the picture of boredom and mild distraction. In reality he's actually processing the information in front of him just fine - this sort of multitasking is first level stuff in hit wizard training.
Zara waltzes into the office thirty minutes later, apparently not hiding, just genuinely late as usual.
"Good morning!" She declares gleefully, and Theo leans over the back of his chair to shoot her a wry, semi-mocking grin.
"Morning. We seem to be a real quiet bunch today." He observes wryly. He's not going to play stupid, but he also knows he shouldn't point-blank admit he knows what's up.
"Hmm, well, it is Monday." Zara replies, clearly going for dismissive but having just a touch too much excitement in her tone to pull it off.
"That it is. You have the week's teamups?" He asks, moving to stand from his desk. His instincts are telling him in no uncertain terms that Zara is going to make her move sooner rather than later, but if he can get at least a few people out on patrol that's a few less people he'll need to fight through to get out.
Zara, however, has obviously thought of that as well. Unfortunately.
"Actually we have a very important order of business to attend to first, that requires everyone here." She says, now going for detached professional but still too giddy to pull it off.
Theo sighs. "Right, fine." He agrees, leaning against his desk in a show of relaxing. In reality he's tense and ready to go whenever she makes her move.
"Theodore Yaxley, as determined by the Fugitive Recovery Unit you have been deemed a risk to the mission and are under arrest." Zara declares proudly. "Drop your wand and come quietly and-"
"No thanks." Theo cuts her off with a drawl, already firing off stun spells at the three Unit members closest to his desk and nimbly flipping over it and bolting directly at Zara.
His gamble works - she's clearly caught off guard by his head-on attack and doesn't get her wand up fast enough to block his stunner. The rest of the Unit is struggling to respond, but Theo doesn't give them a chance to regroup before throwing himself out the main exit and out into the central offices of the Department.
He takes the stairs at a brisk pace, no longer running in order to avoid unwanted attention, but once he's gotten out of the building he's taking off again as fast as he can manage - which is slower than usual, he'll admit. Clearly he's gotten out of shape in the past few months.
The problem now is that he has absolutely no idea where to go next.
He opts to shed his wizard robes and head into Muggle London to throw off pursuit - even if Zara does look there she won't be familiar enough with the streets to be able to search effectively. In just a slightly wrinkled dress shirt and slacks, with his wand hidden in the pocket, he blends into the crowd decently well.
He wanders mindlessly, more focused on whether anyone is tailing him than where he's heading. As such, he manages to surprise himself when he ends up in a very familiar neighborhood.
He's only been here a few times, after missions gone longer than expected when he was too exhausted to want to risk Apparating back to his own flat. He's partly surprised he'd even remembered how to get here well enough to do it on autopilot, but when he thinks about it he's not surprised by the location itself at all.
Despite everything, Kent's flat feels like a safe zone, and safe is something he's craving right now.
He knows it will be empty, surely. After his defection the flat would be the first place searched. But Theo still finds himself magically unlocking the doors and letting himself into the building. He still remembers which floor Kent lives on, and he hesitates in front of the door.
What exactly is he hoping to accomplish? Is he just going to crash on Kent's couch and hope they don't think to look for him here?
... That actually isn't his worst idea, now that he's considering it. Kent's apartment is probably empty, and Zara has no idea who his former partner was so she wouldn't even know to consider this location if she looks for him (which he's uncertain if she actually will or not - her goal was to get rid of him, and she's accomplished that).
Feeling a little more confident he raises his wand again to unlock the door, only for it to swing open moment before he can cast Alohamora.
Theo blinks, momentarily struck dumb. On the other side of the door, Kent Sylvester looks equally startled.
After what feels like ages, but is likely only a few seconds, Theo finds his voice again. "...The Deatheaters really are idiots, aren't they?"
Kent blinks, and then snorts. "Merlin's balls Theo, what the heck are you doing here?" He asks. His wand is still up but his expression has relaxed, not that Theo thinks Kent couldn't still disarm him in a heartbeat if he deemed it necessary.
Theo holds his wand out to the other man. "I guess I'm on the run?" He answers vaguely. "I didn't really intend to end up here but..." He trails off vaguely, suddenly distinctly uncomfortable. Kent looks the same as ever, but the last time they'd seen each other hadn't exactly been a positive experience. What incentive does Kent even have to accept his story?
Kent looks down at the offered wand, and then glances over his shoulder into the apartment. "...Well, as it happens the guest room is available." He says after a moment, stepping back to allow Theo entry.
It's then that Theo sees Kent isn't alone his apartment - a half dozen people are now staring directly at him. And Theo is willing to be they're up to Order stuff.
He sighs. "I worked for idiots." He confirms.
Kent laughs openly this time. "Just a little, yeah." He agrees. He then turns to the others in the room, gesturing for Theo to follow him in.
"Sorry guys, we'll have to cut this short today. But before you go, this is Theo, my partner from when I was a hit wizard."
Theo wants to point out that Kent is still a hit wizard, that he can have his job back when all this is over, but he bites down on the urge. It's possible that after everything Kent doesn't want to go back. Which is completely fair.
"Theo this is Frederic Dufort, Ekaterina Zima," He introduces two of the other people, a slim brunet male and an albino woman, who both nod in greeting. Theo figures they're likely a couple from how close they're standing and the man's clear protectiveness of the woman. "Bill and Fleur Weasley, you might remember Bill from school?" He points to the next two, obviously married, "And this is Willow Kiddell." He points to the final woman, who tilts her head, her eyes sharp and suspicious. "She lives here too, at the moment."
Theo awkwardly sits on the couch once the introductions are over and the two couples head out. He apologizes to them for interrupting though he's waved off, and Fleur wishes him a good night before she leaves, which Theo feels is far too nice considering she doesn't know who he is or what he's done.
Willow doesn't leave, but she does head into the bedrooms at a glance from Kent. Once she's gone, Theo's former partner takes the space next to Theo on the couch.
"So she's staying here, but the guest room is available?" Theo asks after a moment, and Kent gives a faint grin.
"Yeah." He says, a bit dreamy, and it's good to see. Theo honestly would have expected a far more broken man than the one in front of him. A moment later though, the smile is gone and Kent is in full interrogation mode. "I'm willing to give you a chance here Theo, but you need to prove to me that it's a good idea."
Theo nods - he wouldn't expect any less. And so he tells his story, from the beginning - being assigned to the Unit, working with Zara, his increasingly daring attempts at sabotage resulting in his eviction not hours before. When he's done he realizes he hasn't looked at Kent once during the entire narration. Even when he realizes it he still can't seem to make his eyes turn upwards from his lap.
There's a long minute of silence as Kent processes before he speaks again. "Alright then. I'll call Kingsley, you can give him any information you think will help."
Theo's head snaps up. "...That's it?" He asks. "Why would you trust me that quickly? Honestly, basic training covers-"
"Basic training doesn't cover you." Kent cuts him off firmly. He's not looking at Theo, though, but instead at a picture on the fireplace. Theo can't quite make it out, but he knows what it is - a family photo.
"Besides," Kent adds, "I told you before, you're one of the good ones. You just needed some time. And anyway," His gaze finally returns to Theo and he gives the other man a lopsided smile, "We both know I can best you in a duel any day of the week."
Theo rolls his eyes, but he's smiling too. Maybe this could work.
Author's Note: Well that was fun! It's always enjoyable to show the mind of someone always thinking two steps ahead when their plans get yeeted out the window. There was a lot of manipulation going on in this chapter though, it was rough trying to balance everyone's plans xD But there you go! Our very first Theo chapter, finally~ And a proper partner reunion too!
Next Week: Sometimes fantasy is the only place that feels safe
So I'm thinking I might do a final 'afterwords' chapter to share my thoughts and feelings on writing this story, if that's something people would be interested in? I'm also open to answering any lingering questions people might have there as well!
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