Fergus isn't unused to being summoned into the leader's office, so he doesn't think too heavily on it when he's called in one Saturday morning only minutes after he's gotten himself comfortable at his desk. He simply hops up again, shoots a wry glance over at Alex who rolls his eyes in return, and then heads over to where Cadi is leaning against the doorframe, watching him intently.

"There's someone here who'd like to meet you." She says once he's in earshot. "It has to do with that additional work you've been handling for us."

That comment causes Fergus's breathing to briefly falter - any time they mention 'additional work' they're always talking about his Vow situation, and if there's someone actually here today, does that mean...?

He steps into the office uncertainly, not wanting to dare to hope but doing so in spite of himself. Inside, a blonde man who looks to be in his forties (though it's admittedly  hard to tell - his hair is still thick and fully blonde so he could be late thirties and just very stressed to explain the faint wrinkles adorning his brow) is chatting with Audrey. They both glance up at his entrance, and Audrey offers a warm smile while the man stands up and holds out his hand.

Fergus accepts the handshake, which is just this side of too strong, and he has to flex his hand a few times once it's released to make sure the bones and muscles in it are all still in the correct alignment.

"Aidan Ward." The man introduces himself while Fergus gets his hand back in working order. "I'm a spell creator. Claire Wilson from the Wizengamot Administrative Services reached out to me about your situation and I believe I've created a spell that can help your situation."

Fergus's breath catches again. This is actually happening. This is... it's going to be over?

"That's cool." Is what he says aloud once his mind finishes tripping over itself in excitement long enough to send a signal to his vocal chords. "What do you need me to do?"

Aiden laughs. "Just relax - I'm going to try and isolate the magical strings tied up with the Vow - luck permitting we should just be able to clip them and that will be that - you won't be bound anymore. I should say that the person on the other end will probably be made aware of the break, since the backlash will go both ways down the string." He adds, clearly in warning. "I don't know what kind of response that could trigger from the other end."

Fergus grimaces - he can't imagine 'the other end' would be particularly happy about it, but in this moment he finds he honestly doesn't care for once - if he has a chance at being free, for the first time in nearly two decades, then he's going to take it. He'll deal with any possible repercussions if and when they happen. He refuses to overthink his way out of freedom.

"Do what you need to." He says firmly, and Aidan nods.

"Alright then, take a seat. This is a pretty delicate process, so the less you move the better." Aidan instructs, gesturing towards the chair he had evacuated. Fergus sits, some nerves rearing their head though he resolutely shoves them down. This is not the time to get cold feet - and if he were in any real danger from this Audrey and Cadi would never have approved of it. At the very least, it can't be any more dangerous than just existing has been for... well, nearly half of his life.

Fergus does his best to relax as Aiden begins muttering a rather long incantation, half of which Fergus is pretty sure isn't even Latin. Aidan's wand is moving slowly around him, and Fergus lets himself be lulled slightly by the chanting, relaxing back into the chair and trying to clear his mind. Aidan had said to move as little as possible, and he's definitely going to twitch if he focuses too much on what this could mean for him if they're successful. So he closes his eyes and empties his mind - a trick he's perfected in the past fifteen years. He lets himself drift, lets Aidan's deep, rhythmic voice lull him into a meditative state, matches his breathing to the beat of the spell.

He comes out of it slowly, unsure of how much time has passed, but the chanting has finished so he thinks the spell must be done.

He blinks his eyes open curiously and finds Cadi seated next to him, watching him patiently. She offers a smile.

"Hello, welcome back." She says with a grin. "Seems you fell asleep for a minute there."

"Is it over?" He asks, still a bit bleary and wondering if he really had fallen asleep. It would be a bit embarrassing if he had, though at the same time he hasn't rested properly in months, so he was probably due anyway. He decides to not let it bother him, and instead waits for Cadi's response to his question.

She's grimacing slightly. "There were... some complications. I'll let Aidan and Audrey explain it - I don't understand magical techno babble unfortunately, thought not for lack of trying."

Fergus nods and lets Cadi help him stand up - he's feeling a bit sore and still very sleepy, and he wonders if that's a side effect of the spell or if he's just getting old.

He decides to blame the spell.

Aidan and Audrey are at her desk, speaking quietly to each other. They glance up when Cadi and Fergus approach, and Fergus feels his heart drop slightly at the heavy frowns both of them are sporting.

"It didn't work?" He guesses, trying to keep his disappointment in check. It was really too much to think things could really be over that easily - his life doesn't work like that.

Aidan grimaces. "Not exactly. We located the magic thread, but unfortunately we can't just cut it - the backlash would almost definitely kill you, and even if it didn't you may lose access to your magic. It's not worth the risk."

Fergus nods mutely. Right, of course. He doesn't want to die... but at the same time, he wonders if they should try anyway, considering he's not really living either.

"I'm going to see if I can use the thread to trace back to the person you made the Vow with." Aidan continues, and Fergus blinks, refocusing on him. "From there we may be able to sever the connection from the other end without any risk to your safety and wellbeing. I'll need a few more days to create the tracking spell, but that shouldn't be too difficult to do."

Fergus blinks. "Really?" He can't help asking, and Aidan laughs.

"Well, I have been doing this for a while. But now that I have a reading on the thread itself I can personalize the locator spell, which is a lot easier than what Lion asked me to do before." He explains. "So give me the week to get the kinks ironed out and I'll report back."

Fergus nods, still a little bit in shock. Then... it really will be over soon? For all his hoping, he hadn't really let himself believe that. But it seems that, maybe, things may actually work out in his favor.

Cadi is suddenly in his face. "You alright there Fergus? That all sound good to you?" She checks, a bit of a Welsh accent slipping into her voice, which is something he's learned happens when she's worried.

He grins and nods. "Yeah. Yeah that sounds amazing, actually." He confirms, maybe a bit breathless but he thinks he has a right to be.

Audrey laughs at the response. "Will you be alright for your meetings today?" She checks. "I seem to recall you're in the final stretch of the Floo implementation now that you've been approved by the Muggle Transportation board, or whatever it is."

Fergus takes a deep breath to clear his head a bit, dragging himself down from his high through sheer force of will. "Of course, I'll be fine. Channer will be present as well, so he'll be more than likely taking point seeing as he's the Head of the Floo Authority." He adds, and Audrey nods.

"Excellent. I am glad this is being cleared up soon, but we do still have our job to complete."

"Speaking of, what ever happened to the information Cadi picked up a few months back?" Fergus thinks to ask before he heads out. "Would now not be the ideal time to use it?"

Cadi grimaces. "Well, thanks to you that information isn't quite as much of a surprise as we'd like it to be - we'll release it only once you're cleared." She tells him. "That way there won't be any heads up that we're about to send it out. We want them scrambling."

Fergus nods mutely - that's honestly fair, even if he feels his guilt raise just that bit more when he realizes his situation has probably put a lot of things on hold to prevent them from being revealed. On the flip side, it's good that they know, at least, and have the option to try and surprise the other side. It's a hollow comfort, but Fergus supposes it's better than nothing.

He returns to his desk shortly after, still a bit hazy but determined to refocus himself in time for his meeting later in the day. He dives into his files, rereading everything he and Channer have accomplished up to this point and carefully committing their main talking points to memory. He ends up working through lunch, which is maybe not his best idea but it's too late to do anything about it by the time he realizes.

Channer arrives thirty minutes before the scheduled meeting, as agreed upon, and he raises an eyebrow when he spots Fergus.

"No offense, you look exhausted." His friend comments, and Fergus sighs.

"Great. I'll be fine - who is it we're meeting with again?" He asks in what he knows is a transparent topic change, but he also knows that Channer will let it go: he's not the nosy type.

Channer hums and, as expected, moves on. "Her name is Lydia Sampson, and she's about your age. She's part of the Muggle Department of Transportation but I didn't get a clear answer on what exactly her job is, so my guess is we're being given either a new hire or a secretary."

Fergus frowns. "That doesn't sound like they're really interested in hearing our proposals, then." He observes, brow furrowing in annoyance. After everything they'd done to get this meeting through, it's insult on top of injury to be sent to meet with someone who can't actually do anything to help their cause.

"Ms. Sampson will probably be reporting back on whether it's worth pursuing." Channer agrees, sounding less annoyed than Fergus feels. "So we need to wow her enough that she'll take up arms over this."

Fergus sighs. So definitely not a good day to be slightly distracted, which is unfortunate. He'll just have to do his best to zone in as much as possible and hope that he manages to impress Ms. Sampson despite his wandering attention.

The meeting is being held in the Muggle Parliament building, at the request of the Transportation Offices, and as he's never been here before Fergus has spent the last few days poring over maps of the building to ensure they won't be late. However, he quickly realizes that looking at blueprints is very different from actually being in a three dimensional space, especially when you're used to magical maps rather than flat paper ones. They end up having to ask for directions, though thankfully the staffer they stop proves cheery and genuinely helpful, even after he guesses that they're wizards.

Their meeting room turns out to be a small, seemingly disused office in one of the 'wings' of the building (Fergus honestly still isn't sure what this is called - their guide had pointed out every little area they passed and it all blurred together in Fergus's adrenaline-spiked brain), and he and Channer settle in as quickly as they can. There are still about ten minutes before the official meeting time, so they review their points once again, just to make sure, and then all that's left to do is to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

It takes twenty minutes before Ms. Sampson actually arrives, and Fergus is irritated enough by the clear show of disrespect that he's actually managed to distract himself from the Aidan situation. When she finally shows she doesn't even offer an explanation, just a brisk apology before taking her own seat in the chair they'd left open for her. She's a relatively young woman, maybe late-mid twenties, but she's sitting with a poise that indicates she thinks she's owed something.

"I only have about fourty minutes." She tells them firmly. "So you should stick with the key points for now."

Fergus nods stiffly. He's dealt with these types before - lower management goons who fancy themselves future department leaders and act like they're in charge long before they've actually earned any kind of respect. They're obnoxious, but managable, especially considering they just need to give this one the information she's requested and leave. 

Channer, as expected, takes point, rattling through their key discussion points and answering Sampson's (surprisingly thoughtful and probing) questions with ease. Sampson, to her credit, takes notes throughout - she may be one of the arrogant ones, but it seems she actually does her work, at least, which to be fair is better than most people like her.

Fergus does offer a few points himself, but as planned he leaves things primarily to Channer, as he is still a bit on edge about everything despite himself. And really, Sampson isn't anyone worth trying to impress - she'll file this away somewhere and they'll likely be back in limbo all over again. Fergus knows the wheels of bearaucracy well enough to know when they're turning against him.

They manage to keep the meeting to thirty minutes, after which Sampson assures them she'll forward the information to her superior and get back to them soon.

Fergus holds in his eyeroll until they're about a block away from the building. "So do you think 'soon' will even fall into the time we have left?" He asks sarcastically, and Channer chuckles tiredly.

"Perhaps. Her questions were encouragingly involved at least, so whatever she's handing over will be accurate and somewhat detailed. Considering they obviously were expecting to just toss this aside entirely we actually got lucky." He shrugs. "From here it's a waiting game - we'll push in two weeks if there's no response, but if they don't want to budge there isn't much we can do from our end."

Fergus sighs. "Unfortunate." He muses. Particularly as it means there won't be any new work to focus his attention on for the next few days.

As expected, he's distracted in the following days, rereading files he's already annotated just so it at least looks like he's doing something. He does add a few additional notes, but overall it's an unproductive week. He keeps sending his reports every evening, and each day wonders if this will be the day that the Vow notices what he's up to and he keels over. It would be just like his life to up and die right before he's finally free of this nightmare.

But he makes it to Friday with all organs in tact and breathing normally, and when he walks in he's immediately waved over to the leaders' office. His heart rate picks up enough that he'd be surprised if no one else could hear it thundering in his chest, though he tries to look nonchalant as he drops his bag at his desk and saunters over to where Cadi is waiting for him.

Aidan is present in the office as expected, and he's grinning victoriously. Fergus in a small breath.

This might actually, finally, be it.

"I think I've got it. Sit?" He gestures to an open seat, and Fergus drops into it. The chanting starts up, but this time he's too keyed up to be lulled into the trance like state he'd entered earlier in the week, and he realizes how complex the spell being performed actually is. He's impressed - how Claire had gotten someone this skilled ot help out is beyond him, but he's glad she somehow knew Aidan.

The man in question pauses for a few minutes, humming to himself, and Fergus feels something tighten in his chest. He isn't sure if it's nerves, or if something has gone horribly wrong with the spell, and he's honestly afraid to ask. So he stays still and silent, focusing on breathing deeply.

A moment later, Aidan raises his wand again, and the tension in his chest increases, which definitely means that whatever this is, it's linked to the spell. Hopefully that's not a bad thing.

After a minute, during which Fergus starts having some trouble breathing, Aidan lowers his wand and the tightness vanishes at all once. Fergus instinctively in a few deep breath, and Aidan chuckles tiredly.

"Apologies, I should have mentioned the possible side effects." He says. "I'm guessing the tightness was around the lungs?"

Fergus blinks blearily. "I suppose? So that was expected?"

"It was a possibility, but this is entirely untested - the theory said it was a possibility, but one never knows until it's actually tried."

Fergus tries not to think about the full implications of that sentence and opts to just be glad he's still breathing at all. "Did it work?"

Aidan's wry grin grows somber almost immediately. "We'll find out soon enough." He replies ominously, turning to look at Audrey. "Did you make the arrangements I asked about?"

She nods, equally serious, and Fergus shifts a bit nervously in his seat. Cadi looks slightly confused, but as she doesn't ask any questions Fergus decides not to either. If it's important, they'll be told.

"Right, we need to follow this string to the other end then." Aidan says, and it's only now that Fergus realizes the man is gingerly gripping a thin golden string between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. "Once we find that other half, we'll be able to sever the connection once and for all. Without backlash for Fergus."

Fergus nods mutely, a rush of... something, crashing over him. He can't call it relief, because it isn't quite that. Anticipation, perhaps, but that doesn't fit either. He decides to not worry about labelling the feeling as he finally stands from his seat at Audrey's instruction.

"I have to pick someone up, but we'll meet you in the Atrium shortly. Take the tunnels."

The wall drops away a moment later, and Fergus can't help smiling when Cadi jumps and then swears under her breath.

"I'll never get used to that." She tells Fergus as they walk with Aidan down the tunnel to the Atrium. "This is how maintenance gets around, right? I didn't really catch what any of this was when Aidan used it the first time."

Fergus nods. "That's correct. No one really knows how the tunnels work or how they're set up, but they've been here pretty much since the Ministry was founded. Longer, even, according to some gossip. Whatever the case, it's old magic, the kind even people who don't have inherent magical skill can still use. Self-running, if you would."

"It's fascinated me for years." Aidan hops in on the conversation, startling both of them. "And with how things are now, with the reveal and everything, I'd say there will be massively increased focus on understanding the mechanics behind these tunnels. If we can figure out how they work, and why they work no matter who's directing them, then we may be able to literally make spells for Muggles to use in their day-to-day."

Cadi whistles. "Man, younger me would have killed to work here. I was always super jealous of my little brother for having magic when I didn't, not that I ever told him that. He was stressed out enough." She chuckles. "I mean, he went on to run a second hand bookstore, so that tells you how little interest he really had in magic."

Aidan blinks. "Wait, are you Myrrdin's sister? We were in the same year, though I can't say we ever really talked."

Fergus tunes out of the conversation at that point, having no clue about any of that, and instead lets himself really think about what he's going to do once he's free.

This is an exericise he'd occasionally entertained back when all of this had started, but it isn't something he's allowed himself for a long, long time. Now though, with freedom actually seeming to be an option again, he lets himself delve back into that once-deemed dangerous territory. What will life even be like? Will he tell people about what had happened, or will he keep it to himself?

He frowns. Should he even tell anyone? His family might notice that he's spending more time with them (something that's definitely at the top of his to do list once the Vow is ended), but should he really worry them with all of this? They might be hurt he hadn't tried to tell them sooner, or worse blame themselves for not noticing anything amiss. He frowns as he ponders all this - there's a lot more to consider than he'd realized, and he's honestly not sure he's in any way prepared to actually handle not being under the Vow any longer.

The three of them wait in the Atrium for about fifteen minutes before Audrey and another woman step out of the lift. Aidan makes a slightly surprised noise.

"Elspeth Selwyn?" He asks, sounding slightly disbelieving. "You..." He coughs. "Um, long time no see."

The woman standing behind Audrey isn't one Fergus recognizes, and he knows that if he'd seen her before, he'd remember. So Aidan knowing her probably means they have history, not that she's famous.

Elspeth Selwyn is an intimidatingly tall woman with straight black hair cut in a severe bob around her face, and the beginning of wrinkles that indicate a life without many smiles. When Fergus notices most about her, however, is the fact she's wearing official Ministry Executioner clothing.

Suddenly he's less enthused about this entire situation, as he realizes what severing the connection from the other side is actually going to entail.

Selwyn has tilted her head silently to Aidan in greeting, her face still pulled in a tight frown. Audrey quickly rolls through introductions before Aidan takes point and they all follow him out of the Ministry entirely, to where five broomsticks are waiting for them.

The flight is chilly, and made mostly in silence. Aidan takes the lead, following the golden thread that only he's really able to see. Fergus catches glimpses of it every so often, but it's like trying to focus on a snitch when it's right in front of the sun - difficult, painful, and not really worth doing unless you're actually in charge of looking at it.

So he just focuses on flying, and even mentally begins to work through what he should put into his report that evening, a little nervous that the closer they get, the more likely he is to be killed by the Vow. Hopefully planning like this will keep it docile.

It takes nearly fourty minutes to arrive at their destination - a mansion on the west coast of Scotland, hidden by several layers of magical mist and defenses, all of which are briskly taken apart by Selwyn. The woman's grimace seems to deepen as they descend on the house, and Fergus wonders if this is yet another case of everyone from the war seeming to know each other. It really is getting past the point of coincidence and into 'ridiculous' territory, if that is the case.

They land silently, though Fergus doesn't doubt that their approach has been noticed - with all the security in place he's honestly shocked they weren't just blasted out of the air.

Selwyn leads the group in, though she's closely followed by Aidan, who's still following the golden string. They traipse up the stairs, and with each step Fergus becomes more wary. Why is this so easy?

The group ends up in an over large sitting room. At the center, in the sort of reclining chair reserved for the elderly and other people with joint issues, sits an older Asian woman. She's not bothering to move, though her eyes are light with a fire that contrasts her clearly weakened body. Fergus has no doubts that if this woman wished to stop them, she probably could. Or could at least try. But her wand is sitting on a side table and she's not even looking at it, her hands relaxed in her lap as a twisted, knowing smile plays along her face.

"It took longer than we expected." She says, as if in greeting, and Fergus feels a chill running down his spine. Expected. They knew, then, despite the attempted secrecy, the limited circle even aware of the situation. Every precautions had failed, then. They'd known all along he was trying to get out of it.

But then, why is he still alive?

"You're the Handler?" Aidan asks, sounding confused.

"No." Selwyn says heavily. "This is Hui Ying Wong. She should have been put in Azkaban twenty years ago, but got off due to her age and the fact her daughter was killed in the final battle at Hogwarts. It was considered punishment enough."

"Do not speak of her." The woman hisses, the first sign of any emotion beyond smug to contort her expression. "I lost everything to that pathetic child, but we will not be stopped. Yurina and her consort will bring about the true world order, the one my daughter gave her life to bring about."

"Her consort?" Audrey asks, worry clouding her voice. "What do you mean?"

Hui Ying sniffs at the Undersecretary dismissively, not bothering with any further verbal reply.

Fergus glances over at Cadi, who looks as concerned as Audrey sounds.

"If she's not going to be helpful, shall we get this over with?" Selwyn finally says, sounding bored more than anything. Hui Ying's eyes turn back to her and lock on.

"And you. Elspeth. The filthy traitor now whimpering and at its master's hand in the desperate hope she might be loved." The woman says caustically. "You had your chance for glory, for greatness, and you turned your back on your own kind!"

"I turned my back on your kind." Selwyn replies evenly. "Undersecretary? I need your approval to proceed."

Audrey takes a shaky breath. "If anyone wishes to excuse themselves, now is the time."

Fergus leaves. Much as he's been waiting for this moment, he finds he doesn't really want to be present for the event itself, which is an odd feeling for him. He's approached life for so long with a critical, logical lens, he's not actually sure why the idea of watching an execution makes his stomach turn the way it is, but he's not going to challenge it right now. So he goes into the hallway and leans against the wall, wondering if he'll feel it when the Vow is severed.

His answer comes a few minutes later when a shooting pain races through his entire body. He bites down hard on his tongue to stop himself from screaming as his legs go weak and he collapses to the ground, shaking and continuing to fight for control of his vocal chords. His vision whites out entirely, and it feels like he's been set on fire. Is he dying? Is the Vow finally killing him, now, right when he was supposed to finally be free of it?

Slowly his sight returns, bit by bit, and the pain begins to recede, leaving an unpleasant, sore, tingling across his entire body. He finally releases his tongue from his teeth, and isn't surprised by the coppery tang that follows. He'll have to heal that when he's fully coherent again. For now he releases a soft whine of pain and tries to shift so he's sitting against the wall rather than curled up on the floor like a baby.

At the very least, he's able to recognize that he's not dead - if he was dead he wouldn't still be so disoriented for one thing. For another he's pretty sure he wouldn't be aware of anything anymore on account of being, well, dead.

A blurry figure appears in his eyeline - thankfully after he's managed to get off the floor so he's not too horrifically humiliated. He blinks a few times in a vain attempt to make the figure come into focus, but his eyes refues to cooperate and it's only when the figure speaks that he manages to identify her.

"You alright?" Cadi asks, moving to sit next to him against the wall. "There was quite a light show in there just now, and Aidan said you might be feeling a bit out of it."

Fergus forces out a chuckle. "That's a way of putting it." He says, his voice hoarse in spite of his success in not screaming.

Cadi hums. "I've never seen anyone die before." She says after a moment. "I think you had the right idea, leaving."

Fergus doesn't reply. They stay seated on the ground for a long time, not talking, until the rest of their group finally emerges from the room.

"It's done." Aidan offers after a moment. "The string is cut - you're free of the Vow."

Fergus expected to feel victorious, and maybe that will come with time. Right now he just feels hollow.

He pushes himself up from the ground, taking a deep breath when the room spins. "Right then. I suppose I should tell you what I know." He says briskly.

Audrey and Cadi exchange a look, but the former nods after a moment.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's not do it here, though." She suggests, and Fergus agrees. He may not be able to see the body that Selwyn is presumably still attending to, but that doens't mean he fancies sharing a space with it while he finally reveals everything he's been forced through in the past decade.

When he goes home that night, his throat sore from how much he'd said, he still doesn't quiet feel real. He puts up multiple defensive spells and alarms to tell him if someone breaks in, and even then he can't sleep.

All this fuss to finally break free, and somehow he feels more trapped than ever.

Author's Note: So... good and bad? Good and bittersweet? Anyway, here are a few more cameos from earlier in the series! There are only ten chapters left (can you believe it?) so we're very much running into the end game now! It's going to be nonstop - hopefully the Initiative can keep up~