negotiations | cas

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

19th july 2026

AH SUMMER. THE BEST AND WORST time of Veronica's life. June had already passed, meaning that the Ollivander was one year older and being one year older...While alone?...Horrific. It didn't matter though, as with the warmer months upon them, Veronica knew Ollivanders would become a lot busier, busier than she was already and her constant purchase for cigarettes would be doubled. What was nice though was the eldest child had finally hired an intern. There hadn't been one or even an apprentice in almost two years, especially since the last person Veronica worked alongside was her younger sister.

Huffing out to rid herself of her clouded thoughts, the brunette took a puff from the cigarette slotted between her lips, letting out a heavy sigh as she breathed out the smoke. It was only July and already the Ollivander was slightly stressed out from the wand orders she had. From the destruction of Hogwarts also resulted in the loss of many wands, resulting with more orders of replacements being made. So any time taken in between her whittling or management of cores was simply lost time for fulfilling an order. Her intern had stepped out momentarily, probably to have a break or lunch or whatever, the Ollivander couldn't recall.

As she used her magic to clean up around her station, she remained focus on the custom order before her, almost missing the quiet jingle of the bell as the door opened and closed. Having no time to rid herself of her apron, Veronica tutted quietly, placing the cigarette in her gifted ash-tray, swiping off any wood chips that had made it onto her lap before getting up to go and see who had entered.

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

hopefully this works!

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

19 July 2026

Loyalty meant something different to Cas. He wasn’t the highly idealistic type, a Gryffindor to his core – no, not at all. He was a businessman, and a pureblood, and that meant his loyalty came at a high price. His family had it, if only because their fates were tied together and that meant they would rise or fall as one. He didn’t have many values, and he would certainly never consider selflessness one of them, but he supposed family loyalty was one of those precious few. But in business? Cas was here to turn a profit, and he didn’t much care how he did that. Borgin and Burke’s had a reputation, and it certainly lived up to it. A witch or wizard could find just about anything there, and if Cas didn’t stock it – well, then he knew how to get his hands on it. Dark magic didn’t mean much less to him than your average garden-variety spell if it meant a few extra Galleons, too.

So Cas had been using Nell Ollivander’s services for the last – oh, a year or so already. He got his hands on a wand every now and then, usually of historical value rather than one to be used, and receiving the Ollivander stamp of authenticity from Nell meant he could sell it for a much higher price. It was a good arrangement, one that worked for both sides, but…Cas was a businessman. And he knew there was another Ollivander in business only one alley over. It would be neglectful for him not to check her prices, to see if she could sweeten the pot – or if he was better off sticking with the younger sister. He didn’t care about personality, only how much money he could make.

The middle of the day was the perfect time to visit, since most of his business only happened once the sun had begun to set anyway. Just like he had with Nell, Cas neatly packed a wand into a box and walked at a measured pace towards Diagon Alley. It wasn’t the same one of course – he’d sold the Japanese wand ages ago. But he wanted to see what Veronica Ollivander could do, and it was never a good idea to buy someone’s services without confirming they were everything they claimed to be first. As he entered the store, a bell rang lightly and Cas waited patiently. He examined the wand boxes stacked high on the shelves, crammed together and reaching all the way to the ceiling. Once he heard movement from the back room, Cas turned to greet what he supposed could be considered an old friend. “Pleased to see me?” Cas asked with a crooked smile, taking a step closer towards the counter. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Veronica truly pleased -- she was a woman of high standards -- but he wasn't completely without charm. Even if he would certainly never compare to his youngest brother in that sense.

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

AS VERONICA HEADED TO THE front of the store, she welcomed the customer with a small smile at first before her lips formed more of a genuine warmer smile. Casmir Karkaroff and his family had always been welcome to the Ollivander's store and home, the friendship between the two families blossoming even in the younger generations. The eldest Ollivander knew that Cas spent most of his days doing business with others, hence resulting in Veronica barely seeing her friend outside of business.

As he teased, questioning if she was pleased to see him as he approached the counter more, Veronica couldn't help but laugh quietly and stepping closer to the counter, offering a friendly hug over it. "Always pleased to see an old 'friend' truthfully." The statement was mostly true, but considering how high Veronica's standards tended to be about most things, it was safe to assume she wasn't always the easiest to please. "How have you been? And..What can I do for you?" She added, stepping out from behind the workshop to stand by his side.

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

The pureblood world was becoming smaller by the day, and there were so few traditional families left that it limited the opportunities for advancement if that was the only way you knew to play the game. Cas had started to deal with ‘unsavory’ types – half-breeds, Muggleborns – ages ago, although he kept his mother uninformed of those activities. His siblings didn’t much care, since they had their own indiscretions and he kept quiet enough when it came to those. But Cas would do business with anyone if they proved to be talented enough for his services, and he regularly worked with vampire dealers and Muggleborn middlemen when it came to his store’s business.

Still, his background meant he’d seen plenty of the Ollivanders while growing up and their families were generally on good terms. It was the only reason he allowed Veronica to hug him before she moved to join him on the other side of the counter. Cas was traditional in that he liked to add a personal touch to business, and he tended to mix the two all the time. His closest friends were usually business associates as well, and the connections he’d formed through his family or Durmstrang tended to become long-term relationships that set him apart from other dealers. Besides, Veronica was a good deal prettier than his average customer in Knockturn, which as a general rule meant he never pulled away first.

He skipped answering the first question – that was another rule of his, Cas didn’t like to talk about himself and his life. But he shot her a smile as he slipped the wand box he’d brought onto the counter. It would only take Veronica a second to identify it, considering that she had dedicated her life to following her family’s wandmaking tradition, but he knew she’d be itching to open the box and see what kind of wand he’d brought. “Came to see what you can do, Ronnie,” he said with a playful lilt to his voice as he tapped the wand box with his fingers. “I thought you might be getting bored with starter wands. You haven’t lost your touch with unusual cores, have you?”

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

AS A HALF-BLOOD WHO preferred the qualities of life that upper-class Pureblood families presented, Veronica always knew in the wider sense of traditions and values, she would be frowned and looked down upon because of her blood status. It was ironic in a sense, considering that most of the socialites she associated herself with, along the families that would visit the Ollivanders in her younger days, were predominately Pureblood, but never once did those families shun the Ollivanders.

While it was probably due to the status they held in society, noted as the best of the best for their wand-making, there were still doubts in the eldest Ollivanders mind nevertheless in regards to it all. At times, it irked the wand-maker, especially as she was the type to compare herself to others, and ironically enough, the man who strolled into the store was just another being she compared herself to. As he seemingly ignored her first question and instead presented a wand box on the store's counter, Veronica's hands reached for her glasses that sat in her hair, moving them so they sat comfortably and allowed her to focus more clearly on what Cas was presenting to her.

Walking behind the counter as Cas spoke - to create some distance between the two of them as well as allow the Ollivander to focus more on the box at hand - Veronica let out a quiet sigh while she removed her glasses for just a moment. "How many times must I remind you that my name is Veronica and nothing else?" She smiled in his direction though, knowing that it was just his playfulness peeking through - probably in an attempt to soften her up in order to give him whatever he wanted. But as he continued, the Ollivander scoffed before laughing soon after, putting her glasses on once more.

"Not every order I take in this store is a starter wand Mr Karkaroff. Mind you, we're centred in an area that is simply accessible to the younger students..Nothing more, nothing less." Veronica then smiled a little wider then, looking down at the box once more. "Certainly not. While we don't..like to stray away from the three highly used cores, there's no doubt I don't know my way around others.." Being taught to only focus on three cores as a child sometimes proved difficult for a younger and more curious Ollivander, but as the current owner and a wand-maker, she simply understood why. Some cores worked only best for temperamental wands, and others were simply too unstable. "But please, do enlighten me by finally...Presenting whatever is inside here."

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

His siblings had gotten so used to seeing him as the head of the family that they seemed to have forgotten he hadn’t always been so carefully controlled. Good pureblood boys didn’t just choose to become cursebreakers, especially with the sort of lifestyle that followed with it. Living in rough conditions, being separated from civilized society (or any society at all) for long stretches of time, and camping out in sketchy pubs more often than not. Cas missed the limited freedom he’d had before retiring early and entering Knockturn Alley as a businessman to carve out a name for himself and his family. He supposed that was why he liked Veronica so much – they hadn’t seen each other much in recent years, so Cas could still pretend he was the same boy he’d been and not a solemn man with a living now.

“I have selective deafness,” he answered, a half-smile twisting at his lips at Veronica’s indignant reminder that she didn’t like nicknames. After a moment, it was obvious that she was playing too so Cas leaned on the counter as he continued, “And I’m afraid it’s rather incurable. Ronnie.” He could have continued in a back-and-forth like this all day, but the wand box sat rather heavily on the counter and almost demanded to be looked at. At the end of the day, it was what he lived his life for, and he knew that Veronica did the same. Owning a store was serious business in any case, but it meant something more when your family name was attached to it. The Ollivander legacy was old and prestigious, and that was why pureblood society could politely pretend that the family hadn’t lost its pureblood status.

Veronica’s lecture about the store was familiar, even if it wasn’t particularly relatable to him. Cas rarely sold to students, and they were usually accompanied by a parent he regularly did business with. And if any Hogwarts student wandered in alone, he would usually raise an eyebrow and stare coldly until they stepped out again. Borgin and Burke’s wasn’t a novelty store, and unlike Ollivander’s his main demographic was not eleven years old. “Then you shouldn’t have any problem at all,” Cas said pacifyingly as he watched Veronica put on her glasses. He was actually quite excited about this wand, if it proved to be the real thing. It was a British wand, medieval from what the records could tell him, and it had a troll whisker core. That was unusual enough on its own. The wood was beech – although that didn’t particularly say anything to him, as a non-expert. Cas carefully opened the box and laid the wand out on the table. “I place this wand at about 500 years old. I hope you can tell me the rest.”

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

AS CAS CONTINUED TO SPEAK cheekily, Veronica couldn't help but laugh softly as her head shook. "Selective hearing or not Mr Karkaroff, I can just simply not serve you." She removed her glasses once more as her lips widened with her smile, hoping that he knew she was simply joking. That was the nature of their...friendship anyway. Lighthearted teasing between the two of them and the occasional threats. But as Veronica realised he wasn't bound to change his words or ways anytime soon, the Ollivander sighed, putting her glasses once more.

As Cas finally opened the box, Veronica's interest in the wand immediately peaked. She could already tell the type of wood, length and core it had simply before Cas laid it out on the table. "May I?" The Ollivander requested, referring to holding the wand. "For a closer analysis anyway?"

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

i have no idea what to say about the wand except Sir Cadogan was rumoured to have a wand with the same core thanks google

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Her light threat was familiar – it was one of her favorites whenever the conversation turned less serious and became a little more cheeky. Cas wouldn’t have allowed himself to relax like this if his family was here. No, there was something about the presence of another Karkaroff that stiffened his spine and let the responsibility and duty inside him rise to the surface. But without his family, in those rare moments that he came across reminders of his past, well – he was just Cas. A little more impulsive, a little more prone to lighthearted teasing. And he liked Veronica. She understood what it meant to carry a family legacy on your shoulders, to bear that weight while the younger siblings had the freedom to enjoy their lives. Not to mention she was a damn better sight to look at than the others in his inner circle of old friends.

He could feel the moment he lost her attention as she focused completely on the wand – and it felt strange to be annoyed by an inanimate object. “Ah, I thought you were considering whether or not to serve me?” he asked, a half-smile playing at his lips as he let his hands fall to the counter. He leaned forward slightly, stance more casual than he would have dared in his own store with a client. “I could always find another wandmaker. Horizont Alley seems full of them these days.” His inner businessman had already calculated whether it would have been a better financial decision to find a cheaper, less prestigious wandmaker – but that wasn’t the consideration at play here. His voice wasn’t cold or distant like he might adopt for a negotiation. Actually, his eyes were lit up with a challenge as he glanced up at Veronica. He didn't like things easy, and he knew she was the same way.

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

WHILE HER THREAT WAS IN a joking manner, Veronica wasn't the type to shy away from embarrassing a client if they dare tried to do the same to her. Luckily things were lighthearted between the two of them as they seemingly understood one another. The weight of a family legacy upon their shoulders and maintaining a certain appearance and business ethic and etiquette in order to keep the older members of their families happy. It was a little too much pressure from time to time, at least Veronica believed so.

Regardless, with the wand placed in front of her, the Ollivander felt nothing but eagerness as she wanted to further inspect it. But as Cas played around a little more, Veronica scoffed at his claims that he could always find another wandmaker. "But would those various other wandmakers treat you to the same deals as I do? Authentic inspections with precision so you could sell such a fine item off to the highest bidder?" She remarked, her smile wide as her eyes somewhat gave a taunting look - as if she were looking for an answer.

"Besides Mr Karkaroff..you and I both know you actually enjoy my company and the business we deal here." Turning so she faced the wand entirely, she briefly looked up at Cas once more, her brows raised while her expression donned a 'may I?' sort of look.

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

It was an odd encounter somewhere between business and pleasure – but Cas had always been inclined towards mixing the two. He saved his best business for old friends, whether they had been his schoolmates or connections between the families. That was a generally accepted policy in the pureblood world, where merit meant much less than having the right pedigree. Still, as radical as Cas’s approach could be – because he was willing to do business with anyone as long as they were good for it in galleons – he tended to fall back on what he knew too. And the pureblood system hadn’t failed him yet. Veronica Ollivander, despite all the nuances of her family’s blood status, still fell into that category. They hovered somewhere between friends and business partners, and he didn’t mind residing in that gray area. He practically lived there, after all.

Her taunting remark meant she knew him, after all. “That offends me as a collector,” Cas shot back teasingly, although his words were softened by his crooked smile. “I work to find historical wands so they can be enjoyed. I would never dream of being motivated by money.” The words had a sarcastic edge to them, and Cas wouldn’t have dared to tell such an outrageous lie except to someone who understood him and had that familiar history. He thought Veronica might enjoy the irony, at least. Then again, you couldn’t really change a Karkaroff’s nature and his generation had been working tirelessly to restore the family name and vault. He couldn’t deny that part of the reason he continued to return to Ollivander’s was because it was profitable.

“I do,” he admitted after a pause as Veronica all but turned her back on him with some weighty final words to better examine the wand. In the end, he did like his rare visits to the Ollivanders and to her. It added a little flavor to an otherwise endlessly dull routine. He ducked his head to get a better look at the wand and adjust its position in the box so it was fully uncovered. Cas knew he’d found an unusual wand, but was it historical? “Would it be too outlandish to say it could have been the wand of a medieval noble? It was found in Wales. I’d still need to study the local archives before I could definitively claim an Arthurian connection, however.”

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

WITH CAS, VERONICA KNEW WHERE they stood perfectly. Their interactions with one another were predominately business related, but it never hurt anyone nor killed to add in a trickle of humour here and there. To others however, the Ollivander's actions could come across as her way of flirting. Though, Veronica wasn't the type to flirt with others, especially after her divorce - as despite it all she was still having her own secret affairs with her ex-husband. But that was a story for another time.

Considering that the two families had been friends for an extended amount of time, it was only natural for the two to become friendly. Though, his words were easily recognisable as sarcastic, yet to an outsiders ear, they wouldn't be able to understand such a thing. "Ah but Mr Karkaroff, what other reason are we here for?" She smiled. Historical finds were most definitely intriguing but the eldest Ollivander knew Cas would be lying to himself if that was his only motivation to find such an item. As Cas adjusted the position of the wand in its box, uncovering it completely, Veronica's eyes lit up with interest.

"Potentially." She responded, lifting the wand carefully. Inspecting the wood, the carving and the core of the wand, Veronica looked up at Cas momentarily. "Wales you say?..It explains the choice of core for this wand..Some call it a Common Welsh Green Heartstring. They say a dragon of that kind potentially caused the Great Fire of London." Lowering the wand, Veronica paid more attention to the carving and the wood of it, humming quietly in interest. "The carving wraps along one side but presents a sort of..asymmetrical manner upon the other side. Size, just under 10 inches...And for flexibility? Slightly bendy, but too much pressure may cause an issue. A remarkable find."

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

thank you online for wand info

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

It was hard to find somebody these days who could actually claim to know Cas, what with the careful and calculating moves he’d made since leaving Durmstrang. If his siblings insisted on following their own whims, at least the oldest Karkaroff had to make an effort to restore a little dignity to the family name and their reputation. But Veronica reminded him of better times – simpler at least – and it was hard not to get drawn into the game with her. She was charming (if you weren’t a competitor or an employee) and understood what it meant to carry a legacy on her shoulders. And despite the little games they played, Cas didn’t have to pretend around her. She knew why he was here, why he kept coming back, and her expectations weren’t higher than what he was capable of delivering.

Her smile meant he was on safe ground, so Cas let himself push the game a little further. “It’s a shame I can only enjoy the pleasure of your company here. I’m not completely certain you exist outside of this shop.” He tended to be the same way – it took a lot of effort to take Cas away from his businesses – but he didn’t like to confine conducting his business only to Borgin and Burke’s. There was something to be said about managing to coax someone out from their stronghold in order to get a clearer picture of who they were and what they could be tempted with. And, surrounded by high shelves positively stacked with wands in every direction, there was no doubt that they were in Veronica’s place of comfort.

But he let himself be drawn into the history, because there was no way to be in his type of business without finding the past just as alive and powerful as the present…more so, sometimes, when it could completely capture his obsessive focus. Cas let himself begin to build the story he would use when it came time to sell the wand – a faded line of nobility with a dash of vanity. His eyes lingered on the features of the wand as Veronica pointed them out. “A dragon core is a good sign,” he murmured thoughtfully, “It would have been harder to acquire in those days. A knight would go on a quest for a wand like that.” He tilted his head thoughtfully but refrained from touching the wand while Veronica was in the middle of her analysis. “Is it possible to determine which sort of magic it was used for?” He knew some types of wood were compatible with branches of magic, but he didn’t know if there was a time limit to see a wand’s last spells…

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

BEING THE OLDEST OF A family as well as the only to have a child in his late teens was enough for Veronica Ollivander to recall truly how old she was. Although she adored her son, she did have him fairly young and fresh into her marriage, only to fulfil the wishes of her parents no doubt. Regardless, she remained consistent, pleasing those she needed to keep happy while doing her best for herself. Of course in certain areas this did not work out, including her marriage and relationship with some of her siblings but alas - she had a successful business and a happy son. That was more than enough.

As Cas pressed on, Veronica's smile worked its way into a small smirk. She loved the teasing truly, even if it was supposed to be nothing more than playful. "My my Mr Karkaroff. If anyone were to hear such a thing they'd assume you were flirting with me." She teased, eyes looking back towards the wand. She knew he meant nothing more to his words, but given how drawn she felt to him - especially in times like this - a little male attention was a wondrous thing.

"Absolutely." She agreed, knowing that while the history of the wand sounded interesting, the shouts of peoples interests would be something Cas was more intrigued in. "Potentially, but it would be something I would have to consult with my father as I'm more..refined with cores and woods from our current era you see..Plus it gives me the advantage to learn more about this wood in particular." Her father was bound to know something regarding the wand, especially through a history lesson no doubt. With this, Veronica gently returned the wand to its casing. "If you have the time, maybe return back the day after tomorrow? I should have some information then."

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Cas wasn’t used to smiling (it was a cold world out there), but he’d stopped pushing down the crooked smile a while back and it stayed fixed on his face. He’d learned a long time ago in Durmstrang that there wasn’t much use in expressions or smiles, because they only gave away the game and could get you into trouble. In that sense, it was better to keep your cards close to your chest and leave the other side guessing. And around his family…no, he didn’t want to have to suffer Ana’s curious stares or Damian’s clever quips (which basically all amounted to some sort of joke about Cas’s age, so not really too clever after all). But the fact remained that Cas did seem to find himself smiling when he visited Ollivander’s and it was a secret that would stay confined to the shop.

He must’ve caught Veronica in a good mood today, because he’d been pressing his luck a little and she didn’t seem to mind. Her teasing reply came quickly, the way it always did, and Cas shook his head as he paused slightly before answering. “If I were doing such a thing, I’d never let anyone else hear it.” But he didn’t deny her playful accusation. He’d always been very careful about how he phrased his statements, but that was just Cas’s style in general. Not too direct, not too bold, just subtle enough that he could say something without having actually said it. He was the cautious type, but the people in his life had learned to speak his language. And he couldn’t count how many years he and Veronica had known each other without starting to feel his age a bit.

Again, Veronica’s answer came quickly as she confirmed that she could look more into the history of the wand. Cas nodded, but he was unsurprised. Everybody in England swore by Ollivander’s and had repeatedly told him that they were the best around. He had limited experience with wandmakers, since his own was a legacy wand and had been handed down through the generations, but he was satisfied with the general agreement that you could always get what you needed at Ollivander’s. Still, he raised an eyebrow questioningly as she stated that she’d need to consult with her father on some of the particulars of the wand. “That sounds like you’re searching for an excuse to see me again,” he shot back, “Or this is all just an elaborate attempt to rob me.”

veronica giselle ollivander

[veronica giselle ollivander]

━ you have bewitched me, body and soul ━

KNOWING THAT VERONICA NOR CAS would cross any lines in their professional relationship, Veronica felt rather relived or more so..amused at his answer. Sure, a woman craved a man's attention every now and then, but it wasn't particularly necessary for the Ollivander, especially given the business she was in. But sometimes it felt draining to be continuously monotonous or direct with business.

At his next teasing assumption, Veronica smiled, looking down at the wand and up at Cal once more. "Again, that's just simply far from the truth." The Ollivander began to pack the wand away in its box, gently sliding it towards Cas. "I'm far from the thieving kind Mr Karkaroff. But if you're still so sure this is..an elaborate plan to see you once more, I could instead have my rather elderly father come to visit the store for his own analysis, but I wouldn't want to torture his poor legs."

| Casimir Elias Karkaroff |