tore me apart like a hurricane [Ariadne]

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

3 April 2026

It had been months since Cas had last thought about Ariadne Lestrange. He’d watched her integration into Ouroboros carefully over the summer, noting how she got along with the others and her apparent fondness for Parvati. He couldn’t explain exactly when his attention had started to slip, or why. Some of it had to do with his own work for the Order – coordinating the Ministry heist with Ana to recover the magic dampener had taken months of planning. After that, he’d spent most of the winter and early spring shut away in their Knockturn Alley safe house, studying the dampener and learning how to fix it. He’d really only torn himself away from that task to travel to America and also sit with Harry and Claire to organize the logistics for a reunification. That had happened, and the Order of the Phoenix had returned. It was exhausting work, but Cas was satisfied with the return on that particular investment.

Still, he hadn’t approached Ariadne again to formally confirm that she was alright. That wasn’t the Order’s fault, only his own nature. Cas had taken the same attitude in seeing his younger siblings enter and pass through Durmstrang – they needed to be strong to succeed, and they would never be able to realize their own agency if their older brother did all the work. He’d been there, watching and occasionally cutting in with thoughts and advice, but he generally took a hands-off approach to the whole affair. He withheld (too much) judgment in how his brothers had come out of the experience, but Ana was proof enough that the strategy worked. She was a brilliant witch, if not stubborn and determined to break out of the old pureblood ways. He couldn't deny that he was still pleased with how far she had come. So Cas supposed he had naturally fallen into the same pattern with the young Lestrange. She’d had doubts about how much she could succeed with such a taboo family name, and he’d given her his perspective on the matter. After that, it was up to her to sink or swim.

But he couldn’t deny that he was curious to see if she had managed, and he also couldn’t deny that his own feelings toward the Order had been going through a turbulent period lately. It wouldn’t be fair to the purebloods he’d worked hard to recruit, Ana or Jasper or Ariadne, to ignore them while he deliberated taking any drastic measures to address these feelings. They were all putting themselves in danger to carry out the Order’s mission, and the purebloods had a unique perspective on what it meant to balance between worlds. So he supposed going to see Ariadne was a selfish move in a way – not only going to check on her, but also to reassure himself that he was making the right choices. Cas didn’t much care for the idea of a ‘Tea Room’ – because honestly, tea was such a weak drink that it was hardly worth all the attention – but he was curious to see Ariadne in her natural environment. And anyway, he never had a good reason to visit St. Mungo’s, and there might yet be something to learn from such a trip now. He sat stiffly at a table in the top floor of the hospital, eyes narrowed at the mug in front of him while he waited for Ariadne to finish her shift. He picked it up suspiciously and swirled it slightly, watching the murky brown liquid carefully, before setting the cup down again. He didn’t dare quite yet.

@ariadne

[Deleted]

Ariadne was more than ready for a cup of tea - it was midafternoon at Saint Mungos, and she had already delivered four babies, including a set of twins, since her shift started that morning. It was a rewarding experience, handing the new life to their exhausted but elated parents. Ariadne hoped that perhaps one day she could experience that sheer joy herself, but she knew she was far from that day yet. She was barely in her twenties, and after all she had been through in her childhood, she wanted to ensure any children she brought into the world herself would be safe and secure and loved.

Yawning, Ariadne trudged up to the top floor where the tea room was. She wondered who else would be there; sometimes she’d see fellow Healers, or Mediwizards come in from the field. Mostly however it was guests of the patients, and the atmosphere could be hopeful or bleak depending on the status of the patient. She opened the door, and to her surprise, Casimir Karkaroff was sitting at one of the round tables. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him, except a few glimpses at the Order Reunification meeting, since she had been inducted into Ouroborus last year. She had wondered if he was avoiding her, or if he was simply one to sit back and observe, not actively participate once recruits were initiated. “Casimir?” she greeted him with a small smile. “Whatever brings you to St. Mungos? Is it one of your siblings?” she asked, her smile fading slightly as her brow furrowed with concern. While she didn’t know many of Cas’ siblings personally, she had met Ana on several occasions. She waited patiently as she ordered a tea for his answer.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

If there was one reliable fact about the English, it was that they always stopped for tea time. Cas didn’t quite know how to feel about it, since he could appreciate the consistency and how easy it was to exploit it when the time was right – but for tea? It hardly seemed worth all the fuss. At any rate, he swirled the murky brown liquid in his cup around, so it at least looked like he was doing something while he was waiting for Ariadne. His mind was chaotic, far from its usual orderly state, but none of it showed on his closed-off and guarded expression. Cas’s mind was a vault, after all, and he didn’t appreciate the thought that anyone might try and look inside. Ana had the unfortunate advantage of being his little sister, so she could usually glean details about his thoughts and moods from his face. But he was quite determined that nobody else gain that ability.

He was usually quite paranoid when it came to observing his surroundings, since it was paramount that Cas not appear to do anything except what a typical pureblood would do. But he was slipping, a symptom of the recent hurricane of emotions that he could feel churning in his chest. He didn’t notice when Ariadne finally slipped through the doors, wearing the robes that marked her as one of the Healers, until she said his name and hovered near the table he’d chosen. “Ariadne,” he echoed, tilting his head slightly at her. He gave a small dismissive wave of his hand at her question. “No. My brothers aren’t in London anyway, and Ana can take care of herself.” It was a fairly easy answer for him to give, since Alek and Damian were both still in Prague as far as Cas knew, being the good Karkaroff sons and keeping an eye on their mother and the estate. Somebody needed to do that job, and while Cas was willing to sacrifice so much of his life for his family...well, staying in the open-air prison of Karkaroff Manor wasn't one of them. And Ana? Well, Ariadne would know her from the Order, and everything she was capable of. Besides, Cas wasn’t actually sure his sister would write to him if she ended up in the hospital anyway. It wasn’t the kind of relationship they had.

At any rate, it was polite of her to ask but Cas hadn’t made the trip to St. Mungo's to discuss his turbulent family dynamics with Ariadne. “I came here to see you,” he corrected, gesturing at the open seat in front of him in a silent invitation for her to take a seat. She looked tired, but no more so than any of the other Healers Cas had passed on his ascent to the top floor. As a general principle, Healers were usually some of the most overworked individuals in the magical world, and it was something to take into account for anyone considering the career. But Ariadne didn’t look ill or troubled, and he supposed that was a good start. “I was curious what name you use here. Considering the topic of our last conversation.” The words were casual, his tone distant, but it was obvious that he was interested in the answer. Or why else would he have come here, so out of his way, to see her?

@ariadne

[Deleted]

Ariadne breathed a small sigh of relief when Cas assured her that his own siblings were fine and that he had come to the hospital to see how she was doing. Parvati had known what she was doing, introducing Cas and herself. They had grown up with at least one parent who had been sympathetic to the Dark Lords plight, and both their last names had been synonymous to treachery for many wizards in Britain. Ariadne had never personally done anything to make anyone think of her as a dark witch, but back in school when the Muggleborns had been killed, everyone had easily believed her responsible. But Cas’ words had stuck with her, about not allowing her last name to define her. And it had made a difference.

“Healer Lestrange,” Ariadne informed him with a small smile. “I did take your advice, and spoke with my supervisor about it. I think it surprised her to hear more than two sentences from me at a time,” she added. Indeed, the Head Healer of the maternity ward had allowed Ariadne to speak for a full five minutes, and she still wasn’t sure if the woman had been attentively listening or was just stunned. In the end however, the woman had agreed to allow Ariadne to use her last name instead of going by ‘Healer Ariadne’. She must have listened to at least some of what she had to say. “What about you? I know there’s been a lot of changes recently, and it can be a lot to take in,” she asked him. Ariadne herself could barely wrap her head around what had been going on recently, and she was certain she was not alone.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Cas didn’t know why he’d taken such an interest in Ariadne Lestrange. The parallels between them were obvious, especially for those in the Order who had a first-row seat to the way the purebloods of the group tended to hover together…but he didn’t like the idea that he had favorites. It wasn’t the way he’d raised his siblings, always refraining from taking a side in their little disputes. He was quite talented at finding the most acceptable compromise, one that would decisively settle the debate but leave every side cranky that they hadn’t gotten everything they wanted. And in cursebreaking, Cas had worked hard not to develop an attachment to any of his trainees. Some stuck in his mind more clearly than others (and Rhys Greyback’s tendency to jump into fights without thinking would always elicit an eye roll from Cas), but he’d been considered a fair mentor. Tough, uncompromising, but fair.

He kept his distance from Ariadne just like he did with the rest of the Order, and the young witches and wizards that he somehow always ended up seeming to mentor. So that made this visit unusual, a departure from his usual routine – and Cas considered that thought for a moment before letting it go. Ariadne cheerily announced that she’d taken his advice, and was now officially known as Healer Lestrange within St. Mungo’s. He gave her a nod of approval, and swiftly ignored the little seed of pride in his chest that was pleased with her decision to listen to his advice. “You’ll be better off for it,” he instead informed her frankly, finding it much easier to fall back to his usual overbearing tendencies. He couldn’t help it – he’d become a pseudo-parent for his siblings at a young age, and had since gotten used to telling them what to do with minimal backlash.

At her question, he maintained a blank expression as he considered how to answer. He’d been busy, of course. Borgin and Burke’s demanded a large portion of his time, and Cas gave his store the sort of personal attention that most people in his life never got. The store was his key to gaining influence and power, and becoming a formidable player in Knockturn Alley. It was his eyes and ears for the Order, and a tool to ensure the Karkaroff name meant something to the local pureblood community. He shrugged slightly and said, “I was abroad for a while. I only just returned.” He’d traveled to America to learn more about the magic dampener in his endless quest to repair it. That had been a productive trip, although he was relieved to return to a relatively quiet London. Cas wasn’t much inclined to confess that he didn’t feel as put-together as he looked, but he exhaled slightly through his nose and took a measured sip of tea. “There have been a lot of changes,” he acknowledged, setting the cup down, “I would be curious to hear your thoughts.”

@ariadne

[Deleted]

Ariadne nodded in agreement. “Yes, you were right - I just have to show these people how I am not like my family name. Give Lestranges a new reason to be remembered,” she responded with a small smile. She knew someone like Cas could understand her station in the Wizarding World much better than even James ever could; James was the son of Harry Potter after all, the hero of the Wizarding World. Whereas she was the tortured middle child of pureblood fanatics, who had met their end at the hands of their other two children, Andromeda and Ares. James had never treated her differently, in fact he had always gone out of his way to be kind, and the kindness formed into something more. But it was nice to have a confidante who could truly understand what having a last name like Lestrange was like.

Ariadne raised a brow when Cas said he had been abroad, but didn’t push any further. Cas was like her in that way; he shared what HE wanted to share, and nobody could wheedle anything further out of him. If he wanted to tell her details, he would, plain and simple. “Well…” Ariadne started, pausing. “To be honest, I don’t really know what to think. I just joined and then Harry came back, and now it’s back to what I’m hearing is similar to what was in place when Voldemort was coming back to power.” She hesitated, then shrugged. “I’m very happy Harry is back, and I’m happy how happy it makes James. But I think some members are probably a little put-out with the reunification. It kind of seemed like some preferred the two splinter factions to remain separate,” she admitted finally. She was too new to have major opinions in this, she felt. However she could see the positive effect it had on her beloved, so that couldn’t be all bad.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Legacy was a complicated topic. Cas hadn’t quite made up his mind on what he wished it was – whether it was something you inherited with the intention to keep the same, or whether it could be a way to leave your own mark on the world. He didn’t know whose legacy he was protecting, his or his family’s, and he didn’t even really know if there was a difference between the two. But for all the existential crises that he’d sat through on the subject, Ariadne seemed to take it more in stride. She’d always seemed a more optimistic sort of person than he was, even if Cas had been the one to point out the benefits of reclaiming a tainted family name. At any rate, he quite liked the words ‘you were right’ and decided to leave it at that, on that high note.

The Order was a more complicated beast to tackle. Cas nodded slightly at Ariadne’s observations – even if she was relatively new to the operation, she had a good sense of intuition and seemed to have picked up on some of the underlying tensions. “It’s logical that some people would want the factions to remain separate. Divisions cause instability, instability offers the opportunity to seize more power,” Cas noted, before taking another casual sip of tea. His posture seemed too relaxed to say such a heavy statement, loaded with a subtle note of accusation, but that was the world Cas lived in. Every pureblood family constantly sought to expand their influence and power, and a divided society was the perfect battleground for the tougher wizards and witches to work their magic (so to speak). He shook his head slightly and set the mug down. “We’ll just see if it’s enough. It’s been quiet lately.” Suspiciously quiet from the Purifiers – but that could only mean they must be planning something.

@ariadne