"Tina, you're always turning up where you're least wanted"

So I decided to split the fic up into multiple parts because it's so long. The next part will pick up to the events just after the film and onwards :)

With that in mind, I hope you all enjoy the first part of this fic – it's been many months in the making, and I'm very hyped (and nervous) to share it with you all!

Tina hadn't exactly been…planned: in fact, the discovery that she was on her way had been slightly bittersweet for the Goldsteins had been married just three months and were still attempting to establish their respective careers in New York. A baby had not been planned or wanted at all.

It had taken a few weeks for both of them to warm up to the idea – and then they had been thrilled because, despite the fact they hadn't been married long at all, it seemed only natural to love their child, however unexpected they may be. Both parents had quickly become excited by the news and eagerly waited for her arrival in the following August. Tina had been loved from the very start, and no one could deny that.

In contrast, Queenie had been planned – just a year after Tina had been born, the Goldsteins had decided that another child was just what they wanted; it would be lovely for their children to grow up together so close in age, and so they had started trying almost immediately. It hadn't taken long at all for her mother to fall pregnant again, and her baby sister had been welcomed the following spring to much love and affection from both parents and her sister.

Her parents cooed and cradled Queenie constantly after she was born, absolutely enamoured by her; she had their mother's blonde hair, already curling at the ends, and big blue-green eyes that melted hearts. People would stop them in the streets and coo at her too, complementing the Goldsteins on their beautiful new addition even when Queenie had grown into a toddler, and their parents would beam with pride.

Passers-by never fawned over Tina.

She wasn't anything like Queenie: she had thick black hair that never sat right, like their father's, and brown eyes that seemed almost dull in comparison to her little sister's bright colourful ones. It was easy to ignore her with the new baby around, and though she loved Queenie she couldn't help but resent how much more everyone else loved her.

And, to add to insult, Queenie got a cute name to go with her adorable appearance – and Tina was stuck with 'Porpentina', a name she could barely even say.

One day, whilst in the front room of the apartment, Tina gazed at her sister – now a beautiful little toddler – and wondered if, one day, she'd be as pretty…maybe she just had to wait until she was grown up? Maybe, if she wished hard enough, her hair could be blonde, her eyes blue, and she could be pretty too.

I wish I was as lovely and cute as you, she thought sadly.

Queenie looked up – and then she beamed, showing off her perfect tiny white teeth, a giggle following shortly after.

Tina was amazed that her little sister was suddenly smiling at her so happily, as if she had heard Tina describing her as 'lovely and cute' in her head, and she couldn't help but smile somewhat shyly back. Queenie had that effect on people, she had noticed, but she couldn't resent her for it – despite all of Tina's grievances on the matter, she couldn't help but love her sister dearly. She liked having a sister, liked having another little girl she could play with (for they were rather close in age), and nothing would change that in her mind.

The Goldstein parents had loved both of their daughters with their hearts, and they loved them equally; their father would tell Tina stories of his work as an Auror and encourage her when she proclaimed she wanted to be one too someday, just like him. Their mother would sing the sweetest softest lullabies as she cooked or cleaned and encourage Queenie to join in. Both would play games with their daughters, reading to them and tucking them in into bed with goodnight kisses every night.

But nothing lasted forever – things had to change, as they always did.

Their father had caught the dragon-pox first, perhaps during one of his work assignments; their mother had nursed him as best as she could – but it had infected her before long too, and the girls had been forced to stay with relatives that they barely knew. They had both waited for their parents to get better so that they could go home again, to continue as they had become used to.

When they had been told that their parents wouldn't be coming back, Queenie had cried and cried like she'd never done before – she had cried before the words had left their aunt's mouth, seemingly sensing things in the way that she always did. Tina had wanted to, but couldn't find it in herself for some reason – instead she had hugged her sister and whispered to her that it would be okay.

She needed to protect her sister – Queenie needed her to be there, to be strong.

It was a very long and difficult night; it took well over an hour for Queenie to stop crying and fall asleep, cradled in her older sister's arms. Tina had waited until she – her beautiful little blonde sister, so young and innocent, the only one she had left in the world – had fallen asleep before allowing her tears to fall, sobs muffled by the scratchy pillow of the bed in their aunt's spare room.

Mama…Papa…I wish I knew what to do.

Despite the fact she had been nervous about leaving her sister, Tina loved Ilvermorny already.

She had been rather pleased when the Thunderbird statue had flapped its wings in approval at her, knowing from her research beforehand that Thunderbird was the house of adventurers (though she wasn't quite sure that applied to her really), and she had spent her first week drifting around the corridors in a kind of daze. The fact that she was suddenly allowed to learn how to do all of these magical things was extraordinary – it was all she had wanted since she was little girl, having seeing her parents doing magic. It didn't even matter that she would have to relinquish her wand during the holidays up until she was of age, or that any kind of magic outside of Ilvermorny was strictly forbidden now that she was a student and learning to control her abilities, because for the first time in a long time she felt somewhat at home.

The only real problem was that she just found it difficult to make friends.

Part of her wished she wasn't so shy or awkward, that she could be more like Queenie and just smile to beguile people – the other girls in the Thunderbird dorms had found it more than easy to start conversations and giggle together, even within the first week, and it left Tina feeling rather left out despite the fact she hadn't tried to talk to them yet. She vowed that on her second week she would do better – she would make friends with the other students in both her house and in her classes: she didn't particularly mind which house someone was in, so long as she could perhaps be their friend.

She had walked into her Charms class that Monday, a spring in her step and forcing herself to smile as she took her seat near two fellow Thunderbirds and a Horned Serpent student.

"Hi!" Tina greeted, nearly wincing when her voice naturally came out quietly. "I-I'm Tina. Goldstein. Tina Goldstein, I mean."

The Horned Serpent girl raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat bemused; one of the Thunderbird students, a girl in her dorm, stifled a giggle behind her hand. Tina felt her cheeks flush.

"Her name's not really Tina," The girl stated. "She's Porpentina really."

The other two were smirking to themselves, highly amused; a boy from Wampus was sitting nearby, and he guffawed as he overheard their conversation. "I'd probably go by a different name if my parents were stupid enough to name me something like that."

Tina really hated her full name more than ever – Queenie had gotten a cute little name, but no, not her: she had to be Porpentina, an oddity, strange and weird.

"Just Tina is fine," She whispered, trying not to duck her head in shame – she had to at least pretend to be confident, after all. "S-So, uhm…how…how are classes going?"

All of the other students laughed, the Wampus boy turning away from her and the girls shaking their heads pityingly. Tina suddenly wished she'd sat somewhere else, or at least not opened her mouth and attempted to speak.

"Classes have barely started," The Horned Serpent girl tutted. "We haven't done anything yet."

"Oh. I-I know, I just meant-"

"Ignore her," One of the other Thunderbird girls sighed. "She didn't bother speaking to any of us last week; I think she's a bit strange, you know."

"She hasn't had any letters either," The other Thunderbird confirmed. "Her parents haven't even bothered writing to her."

Tina felt tears well up in her eyes and told herself that she couldn't cry – it would be silly to cry, absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps if she explained to them, she thought, that her parents had passed away then they might take pity and treat her nicer. It was worth a try, she reasoned.

"I don't have…my mother and father…"

Suddenly she was choking on her words, unable to speak; her heart was beating hard in her chest, eyes stinging, and she wished that she could have had her sister with her – if only to hold and hug her. She wanted Queenie with her, wanted to be sharing a room with her again, to be able to see her bright smile and blonde curls.

"…Miss Goldstein, are you feeling quite well?"

Tina nearly jumped at the stern voice of the Charms professor, hurriedly scrubbing her eyes. "'m fine, m'am."

Professor Stonehart, a most formidable woman who always looked strict and unimpressed, pursed her lips. "Do you need to be excused, Miss Goldstein? I will not have students blubbering through my lessons."

"No, m'am," Tina managed, staring down at the desk and wishing she could disappear. "I'm fine."

After the lesson, she heard the girls giggling and shrieking as they left the room – she picked up snippets, specifically her name and the words 'don't want her near us' and 'weird'.

If only Queenie were here…she would listen and understand. She always has.

Queenie had, of course, been a most popular student at Ilvermorny from the day she arrived; she had blonde curls that the girls envied, a smile that could charm even the toughest of trolls, and she just knew what to say to get people to like her.

When the Pukwudgie statue had raised its arrow into the air for Queenie, Tina had admittedly been disappointed; she had so hoped that her sister would be in the same house as her, that they could share dorms and the common room together. She had clapped and smiled, however, and deep down she knew that Pukwudgie was a perfect fit for her little sister – Queenie was one of the kindest and most generous souls around, even at a young age, and she would immediately be comfortable in a house that celebrated the heart of a witch or wizard.

Despite being placed into different houses, the Goldstein sisters had still found more than enough time to spend together; Queenie had soon picked up that her older sister was not exactly the most well-liked student in the school and made a habit of sitting with her during meals or the like. Many had been baffled that she – someone who nearly everyone wanted to be friends with – would choose to spend time with her 'weird' awkward sister.

"None of them are genuine, anyway," Queenie announced rather cheerfully at lunch one day when Tina brought this up. "Besides, you're not weird, Teen – you just get shy is all. I can help you make some friends, don't worry!"

Tina highly doubted that anything – even Queenie's wonderful smile – would help her make friends, to be frank, but it was the thought that counted.

The boys at Ilvermorny never paid Tina very much attention; part of this could have been due to the fact that, on her first day when the first-years were being sorted, her full name had been shouted into the hall for all to hear – students still snickered and called her 'Porpentina' to annoy her sometimes. Tina knew, however, that it was mostly because she simply wasn't pretty.

She wasn't ugly, by any means, but she wasn't stunning or gorgeous like some of the other girls – she was plain old Porpentina Goldstein. Though she wasn't particularly study-orientated, like the Horned Serpents, she did still try hard to get good grades – she wanted to graduate and get a decent job to provide for Queenie. The sisters were all each other had, and they had to plan carefully on how to look after each other in the future for they had nothing and no one else. She didn't have very many friends either, though not from a lack of trying – every time she tried to talk to another student, she just felt awkward and unsure.

Though she mostly kept to herself, there were of course the stirrings of feelings towards some boys – she was only human, after all – and she found herself quietly admiring them from a distance; she wouldn't have dared tried asking one of them out, even some of the nicer ones that had made her feel butterflies in her stomach, because she already knew that they would reject her without a moment's hesitation. Even worse, by the time Queenie had reached her fourth year she had nearly every single boy head-over-heels for her; it was hard to miss the stares and longing looks that were thrown in her direction – even boys that Tina had found herself liking were interested in her sister.

But then there was William Clifton.

He wasn't one of the most popular boys, but a boy from Wampus who was in several of her classes and seemed to get on with everyone; they occasionally sat together, and they even talked on a number of occasions. His smiles were always soft and genuine, and he was one of the few who never called her 'Porpentina' to get on her nerves. It was no wonder she found herself developing feelings for him, to be honest, and when Queenie found out (through reading her thoughts, that was) she encouraged her sister to pursue it.

"Oh, go for it, Teenie! I'm sure he really likes you – he sounds like a nice guy!"

She had been so happy, so excited, by these feelings that she had taken her younger sister's advice – she later learnt that she shouldn't have been so foolish.

At first it seemed to go perfectly; William just listened and smiled, saying that he liked her too, that she was a nice girl and that maybe – just maybe – they could 'try' it out. He'd had a couple of relationships but nothing that had lasted very long – Tina had even less experience – so he suggested that they test the waters a bit before committing to something serious; Tina was so relieved that she agreed without a moment's hesitation.

It was absolutely wonderful and blissful for all of four days.

They had been studying together in the library, occasionally sending each other shy smiles, when Queenie strode up to their table; even in her robes she looked dazzling, blonde curls styled perfectly, make-up meticulously applied (but not overtly so), and a lovely smile on her face.

"Hello," She said to William politely before turning to her sister. "I was just wondering if I could borrow some of your notes on charms, Teenie; I got a big test tomorrow, and some of them are giving me some trouble."

Tina had agreed and reached into her bag for said notes – she carried notes on all of her classes, just in case – without any hassle; when she had dropped her bag to the floor again, however, Queenie's smile had vanished. She was no longer looking at her sister but at William, as if appalled.

"Is everything alright?" Tina asked, looking between the two.

Queenie was still staring at him as she took the papers from Tina. "No…No, of course not. I was just…thinking. Uhm…Hey, Teen?" Her voice dropped in volume as she leaned closer to her sister, so that William couldn't hear. "How about we meet up in the hall tonight? I think we need to have a…a talk."

It wasn't the first time Queenie had wanted 'a talk', though it was usually to do with school or (embarrassingly) to ask for lady things; nevertheless, she agreed and watched as her sister retreated.

Once she had left the room, she heard William let out a low whistle. "Is she your sister? You look nothing alike."

Tina shrugged, going back to her homework on dark wizards in history (a topic of great interest to her, she had found). "Yes. She can be a bit full-on sometimes, but she's lovely really."

That evening in the hall, Queenie's eyes had looked sad as she leaned in close to her sister. "That William boy…I'm sorry, Teen."

"You're…why?" Tina questioned, confused by this. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, you should have heard what he was thinking!" Her sister whispered furiously, and there was a glimmer in her eyes, as if she were about to cry. "He took one look at me and…and…I can't."

"Queenie, tell me!" Tina pleaded, gripping her sister by the wrist tightly. "Tell me now!"

Queenie let out a small wince of pain, trying to pull away from her sister – when this achieved nothing, she sighed and started speaking reluctantly. "He was thinking…these weren't his exact words, but it was along the lines of…of…" She took a deep breath. "Oh, what a bombshell! If only I weren't stuck with her sister…"

"You're lying," Tina denied quickly, refusing to believe it. "You're lying to make me jealous – can't I have just one thing, Queenie, without you ruining it?"

Queenie's eyes were tearful. "Teenie…I'm sorry. I'm not lying, I swear! That's what he was thinking!"

But Tina had stormed off, furious and angry that her sister would say such a thing; she made the decision right there and then that she was going to find William himself, forget about her sister – he liked her, of course he did. He wouldn't think something like that!

William would have probably been near the Wampus dormitories, she knew, so she immediately set off to find him; she was just around the corner from the dorms when she heard him laughing. He wasn't the only one – there was a group of boys with him, by the sound of things.

"…yeah, she's a doll!" She heard one boy say, and she halted in her tracks. "With those big eyes…and her lips! I could kiss those for hours!"

Eavesdropping was not a nice quality, she knew, but her curiosity was getting the best of her; careful not to make any noise, she ducked behind a pillar and eagerly strained to hear more.

Another boy was laughing again now. "Yeah – she's Goldstein's little sister, isn't she?"

They were talking about Queenie – of course. Boys loved Queenie, wanted to around her and be seen with her. But surely William would say something nice about her, Tina reasoned hopefully; he had to, didn't he? He liked her-

"Hey, Clifton, ain't you dating Goldstein? The older one, that is?"

He likes me. Of course he likes me. Calm down, Tina.

William was chortling. "Yeah – but if I'd have known that the little one was that gorgeous…well, I'd have waited!"

No. He can't have just said that…he's…he's probably just saying it to make the others happy, to fit in. Tina's stomach was lurching unpleasantly, however; surely she had imagined him saying that, he wouldn't have been that cruel…

"Can't believe they're related," The first boy snorted. "If I were you, I'd dump the cold fish and get with the blonde one."

William was humming in thought. "Well…I think I'll stick with Tina – but only until I can get her sister to go out with me. She can't be that hard to convince, right, little piece like her?"

Tina stormed away at this point, not caring that her face was blotchy and red or that passing students were staring at her – she needed to get away as quickly as possible.

She had gone back to the Thunderbird dorms, cast silencing charms around her bed and cried that night; it just wasn't fair! The one boy she had thought she was different, the one boy who liked her and not her sister, was a liar – he didn't prefer her, didn't like her in the way she had hoped. No, he preferred Queenie – beautiful, perfect, blonde, kind, caring Queenie. She had been stupid to assume otherwise.

The next morning, Tina promptly told William that she was ending their relationship, much to his dismay, and then made a point of avoiding her sister for the rest of the day.

Despite knowing it wasn't her sister's fault, she couldn't help but feel bitter resentment at the fact that her sister had unintentionally ruined her first and – so far – only relationship. Yes, it was more William Clifton's fault than Queenie's – but it was easier to blame her sister, easier to feel jealous of someone so perfect.

Queenie got everything, and it just was not fair.

Tina was in her fifth year when she firmly decided that she was going to be an Auror; her father had been an Auror, a highly-regarded one at that, and she had always taken an interest in his work even when she had been a little girl. Truthfully, she had thought about it for a number of years before coming to her final decision; there weren't many female Aurors, she'd been told, and it would take quite a lot of hard work.

But it was what she wanted, and she was sure of it.

Whispers started around the school, of course, about how strange Tina was for wanting to join the Investigative Team at MACUSA after graduating, and at first they hurt – but she learned to remain strong, even if she was hurting, to ignore them. People would always compare her to her sister, no matter where she went in the world, and there was no point in dwelling on it for the rest of her life – she knew that she was nowhere near as beautiful as her sister, she never would be, and she accepted it.

"…Hard to believe they're sisters, they're nothing alike…"

"…The older one got the brains, sure…but the little one, she's going to go far. She's got the looks for anything, really…"

"The blondie is a doll, a catch…so different from her milquetoast sister."

It would be ridiculous to be offended over such things, she decided: who needed a relationship when she could have a career for herself? A chance to do the right thing, to protect people? She and her sister would need the money when they left school, need something to buy an apartment or dwelling with, to start over together – and as the eldest, it was up to her to make sure her little sister was provided for.

Ma and Pa would want that, Tina told herself, and it made her feel slightly better. They'd want us to look out for each other…and that's what I'm gonna do.

So she threw herself into her studies as much as possible, working outside of lessons to improve her knowledge; she took extra-curriculars such as the Duelling Club at Ilvermorny, determined to better herself and her skills. The students who had mocked or thought degrading things of her soon were amazed and impressed, and they mostly stopped comparing her to her sister; instead of "the beautiful one's sister", she was "that Goldstein girl who's good at duelling", and it made her prouder than she cared to admit.

By the time she graduated, she was at the top of several of her classes – and, frankly, no one was particularly surprised at all when MACUSA immediately offered her a place on their Auror training programme.

"Goldstein!"

Tina was immediately on her feet, straightening up as Graves approached her desk; he had a way about him that was stern and controlled, calm and cold. She always felt her face heat up at the sight of him – he really was unfairly good-looking, and while she didn't delude herself that he would ever think of her in that way, it didn't stop her from admiring him all the same.

Mr Graves' face was unreadable as he looked her over, though he did look slightly disapproving – he always did, really. "Apparently you were the one who shut down the illegal trading ring last week. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir," She said carefully, forcing herself to look at him; she didn't want him to think that she was weak or just a blushing schoolgirl, after all. "It was mostly Class-B tradeable goods, but we managed to recover a few Class-A goods as well."

"I see. You were working on your own for this case, weren't you?"

Tina hesitated. "Yes, sir, I was. If something in the paperwork is incorrect then I'll amend it immediately, Mr Graves-"

"No, your paperwork is perfectly filled out," Graves interrupted calmly, still studying her; he seemed to be considering to himself for a moment, debating in his mind before speaking. "Tell me, Miss Goldstein; you're not a part of our field team, are you?"

"No, sir. I was only out in the field to round up the smugglers."

He merely raised a brow, almost to himself. "Hmm. That seems an awful waste to me; you took out four armed thugs with barely a scratch – it's the kind of skill we could use on our team."

She had learnt a long time ago not to get her hopes up – things never worked out how she wanted anyway – but it was hard not to feel slightly intrigued and hopeful at his words. A promotion was what she had been hoping to work towards – both for her career, and because she and Queenie needed the money. Her sister had secured a job in Wand Permits, sure, but it was hardly a well-paying position – certainly not enough to rent an apartment and cover living expenses, not even when combined with Tina's salary.

Graves was watching her keenly, like a hawk. "You're relatively new, Goldstein – new and young. You're nowhere near as skilled as our top investigators, even if you did luck out with the trading ring last week. However," His tone was only somewhat softer, lower now. "I would be open to considering giving you training, if you're willing to put the work in."

Tina was stunned. "Mr Graves, sir, that…I…"

"It won't be easy," He informed her coolly. "And I won't be easy on you just because of your age or because you're a woman; if you want to be on my team, then you have to train until you meet my standards. Is that understood, Goldstein?"

"Yes, sir," She agreed quickly, still flabbergasted by his proposal.

Graves nodded, seeming only somewhat satisfied as he straightened himself up. "Alright. You start training tomorrow – six-thirty sharp. Don't be late."

Mr Graves hadn't been lying when he had told her that he'd work her hard; he was incredibly strict and no-nonsense during their sessions together, pointing out every flaw and every mistake she made – and she needed that, really, to better herself. She made sure to mentally keep a note of anything and everything he said, eager to prove her worth to him: she wanted to convince him that she belonged on the team, that she was focused on the job and wouldn't allow anything to distract her. Queenie worried a slightly for her health, of course, concerned that she wasn't eating or sleeping enough, but she always brushed her sister's concerns off; she was a grown woman, fully capable of looking after herself (and her sister, if need be).

It was six months later that Mr Graves announced she was joining the field team for a raid in a nearby bar – a "test", of sorts, to see if she was ready to officially be counted as a part of the team. Tina had accepted willingly, of course, more ready to show him that she deserved a part on his team just as much as anyone else.

The other Aurors were stony-faced as Graves introduced her on the morning preceding the raid, unimpressed and uncaring – hardly a surprise, really. Only two offered her rather unenthusiastic welcomes, barely meeting her eyes before getting to work; she had merely shaken it off, reminding herself that they'd most likely warm up to her in due time.

The raid that evening was a success, all of the criminals they had tracked being arrested before they could escape, and several types of illegal goods being secured. Tina hadn't been able to stop herself from flushing with pride as she disarmed the last wizard and used her wand to tie ropes around his arms and legs to prevent an escape; she just felt so pleased, so exhilarated, at arresting someone and doing something good, something that would make the world a better place perhaps. To add, Mr Graves had offered her the briefest of smiles when she brought the thug to him – small but still, a smile. It made her insides grow warm, her cheeks red for an entirely different reason.

The next day, it was made official: she was to join the Investigative Team permanently, with an increased pay raise and a chance at working more dangerous or important jobs.

Queenie had been thrilled at the news, of course, making a special dinner that night to celebrate and gushing at how she had always known her sister would go far in the Auror department. Tina had laughed, shaking her head but secretly feeling pleased with herself once more – with the increase in pay, they would be able to live slightly more comfortably, could perhaps start working towards a better life… Even so, she wished that their parents were there to see how far she'd gotten all by herself – at how well she and Queenie were doing.

Her younger sister had smiled somewhat sadly at her upon hearing her thoughts, taking a sip of her water before speaking. "I know. I'm sure they're real proud, Teen, wherever they are."

It soon transpired that not everyone was as thrilled with her promotion as Tina and Queenie were; it was only to be expected, really, given that she was one of the youngest in the department and that she hadn't been working for very long, and she decided it was silly to take offense over it. She would show them, Tina thought to herself determinedly, just like she showed the other students at Ilvermorny, and she'd prove that she deserved this promotion.

She had been working in the new position for a few months when she was assigned to a more dangerous case; a wizard or witch in the city had been hexing No-Majs for a number of weeks, and whilst no one had been killed or seriously injured, it still meant that a number of Obliviations were required to be carried out. There were two other Aurors working on the case with her, and they gave her half-hearted glares when they were informed that they were to be working with her.

It had taken just a few days for Tina to track down the perpetrator as being the owner of a seedy Wizarding club in Manhattan; he had been in trouble with the law before, and his records showed that he had held a rather low opinion of No-Majs for several years. The other Aurors assigned to the case hadn't seemed as convinced, deciding between themselves to wait until another attack before making any moves – but she couldn't do that, not with a good conscience.

So, without a moment's hesitation, she tracked down his club and apprehended him; it was a bold move, she knew, and risky – he had attempted to fight her off when he saw her, though she had quickly disarmed him without getting hurt – but it paid off.

Mr Graves had raised his brow at her after she brought the wizard in, looking rather unimpressed. "There's a reason we assign multiple Aurors to these cases, Goldstein," He reminded her disapprovingly. "He could have taken you out easily, and that would have been that. Next time there's a case such as this one, you go out to arrest a suspect with back-up. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," She mumbled, unable to meet his eye as her cheeks turned pink. "I understand."

He moved away as if to leave before stopping short and hesitating for a brief second. "Other than that, I suppose I should say… Well done, Goldstein."

Not everyone had been quite as generous about this arrest, however; as she was finishing her paperwork for the case later that evening, she had overheard the other two Aurors on the case ranting and muttering about her to their colleagues. It was impossible not to hear them, and they most likely knew that – knew that and probably didn't care.

"She just has to barge in," She heard Johnson huff, his tone frustrated. "Since the first day she's been a nuisance."

"I dunno what Mr Graves was thinking," The other Auror, Norton, agreed in annoyance. "She's nothing more than a little girl – a liability to the team."

Tina had deflated in her seat at hearing this from her co-workers, disappointed that they still didn't view her as one of them even after several months of working together; the point of the job was to arrest criminals and keep the city safe, which she was trying to do to the best of her ability. Most of her arrests had been successful, with the rare two or three exceptions – she was good at the job, she had thought, and eager to improve even so.

They'll see one day, she told herself as she picked up her quill once more, forcing herself to think of her recent arrest again: it's just because I'm new, that's all. When someone else joins, then they won't be as harsh on me. I just have to be patient and work hard.

Whether they wanted her or not, she was going to do her job and she was going to do it right.

Please feel free to leave comments or likes - it makes me so happy!