hold you down [cas]

[Deleted]

april 3, 2025

Knockturn Alley wasn't a place Rose would normally be caught dead going; there was a reason she had charmed her hair to be a dark chocolate color rather than its signature red, and it wasn't for fashion. It was funny how easy it was to disguise herself - all she had to do was change her most distinctive feature, and it was like she was a whole different person. She had still worn a billowy cloak to distract from her body shape, and a hood to hide her youthful face, just in case. The moment she stepped into Borgin and Burke's and confirmed it was empty save for the shopkeeper, she flipped her hood down. It felt strange and it limited her peripheral vision, which wasn't something she wanted when she was already vulnerable.

"Cas," she greeted. She didn't think six months ago she would've believed anyone who told her the owner of Borgin and Burke's was an ally, but things changed. Being a member of Ouroboros put Rose in contact with people she didn't think she'd ever rub elbows with, and also taught her a lot about trust; she had to believe that she and Casimir were on the same time, even if his surname was Karkaroff. Rose had mostly broken the habit of judging people based on their surname - her parents had been sure to instill that value in her - but there were still some split-second judgements she couldn't help but make. "You needed help?" Cas hadn't been specific about why he needed her to visit his shop, so Rose's curiosity was piqued.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Left alone, Cas felt freer to express his frustration when something didn’t go as planned, so he slammed a fist on the table as he scanned the pages of a book. He had sold a relic last week with a rather unique curse, and the sale had pulled at a hazy memory. His ledger (which after six years of work had turned into a series of ledgers) had not revealed the answer because he couldn’t locate it within the pages. His handwriting was tight and cramped, and there was no easy way to navigate the literal volumes of artifacts. As the only one with access to the ledger, it would take him far too long to locate what he needed.

The temporary solution to his problem was about to walk through the door, so Cas enchanted the book with the usual security precautions and hurried to the front. He watched Rose Weasley enter the shop with the typical furtive behavior of those in Knockturn Alley, although his gaze quickly snapped to her eyes to glean what was on her mind. He didn’t react outwardly to either her greeting or the fleeting distrust he saw (considering who he was and who she was, it was reasonably well-earned), and instead maintained his usual look – subtle smile playing at his lips, but calculating eyes that showed no warmth. She had used his nickname, so he returned it with his own short hello, “Ro.”

He didn’t respond to her question right away, and instead sharply waved his wand to shut the store down. He watched bars and blinds close over the windows, the displays, and the door, which plunged the usually dim shop into further darkness. Every precaution was necessary for their type of work. “Follow me to the back.” Cas shot one last look towards the door before making his way to his private office.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade

[Deleted]

Casimir replied to her greeting with one of his own, but didn’t answer her question. Instead, with a wave of his hand he plunged the store into darkness, bars and blinds folding over the windows to protect them from view of the outside world and make it clear to anyone who was interested in coming into the shop that it was closed for business. Rose would’ve laughed at the melodrama of the hand wave if the atmosphere weren’t so intense. Besides, she was supposed to be here as a professional, and it wasn’t professional at all to laugh at your associate. The dramatics might have been warranted, for all she knew; Ro just had to wait for further information.

She was invited back into the shop, which was another place she never imagined she’d be. She followed nonetheless, trying not to let her gaze roam too much; she wasn’t particularly interested in knowing all the different curses placed on the artifacts that were within arm’s reach of her. Casimir’s office was slightly less intimidating. Offices all looked the same, more or less, and if Rose ignored the dim lighting, she could almost pretend she was in her Ministry cubicle. “You’re not planning on murdering me, are you?” She asked, trying to relieve some of the tension.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

The back rooms of Borgin and Burke’s were, by nature of the business, unorganized and cramped with all sorts of odd relics and ancient antiques. There was just no way to control the mess, and while Cas often sent his shopkeepers to conduct inventory checks and keep the antiques in good condition, there was little else he could do. His office, on the other hand, was well within his control to keep organized and Cas preferred a minimalist style. He gestured for Rose to take a seat while he walked over to the bookshelf to fetch a ledger.

He wasn’t fond of turning his back on people, but he needed to roll his eyes desperately and didn’t want the girl noticing. He idly responded as he searched for the right book cover. “If I were interested in murdering you, I’d do it out in the street and not in my office.” His tone was rather neutral, and he was floating halfway between being serious and joking. He finally located his very first ledger, disguised as a book on Irish architecture, before removing it and placing it gingerly on the desk. “Very few people know this exists,” he murmured, running his wand along the spine of the book and hearing various clicking noises as he disengaged the security mechanisms guarding it. He finally flipped it open to reveal its true contents, displaying row upon endless row of the descriptions of dark artifacts in his tight handwriting.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade