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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Mar 5, 2020 7:56:44 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 5, 2020 7:56:44 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 It had been confirmed by the Daily Prophet that Elaine Dupree was dead, and it was impossible to go anywhere without hearing people talk about it. The news was a shock, considering that it was a Saturday, and of course everyone wanted to know how it had taken Hag's Fever for her to come out of hiding. Every member of the general public was suddenly an Auror or a Ministry official—each expressing their opinion about what they thought should have been done.
Of all of the awful things that she had done and the very real dangers that remained from those who followed her, Parvati hadn't expected to feel grief. Yet, strange though it was, it had hit her. She knew full well that Elaine had been an adult and in control of her actions, but it was different when she put into perspective just how startlingly young Elaine had been.
It felt wrong to feel sorrow over the death of someone who was a known fugitive and murderer, though Parvati knew that her reaction wasn't solely because of Elaine. It was grief for her victims and for everyone else who had been affected by what she had done. It was regret and frustration for ever having allowed things to reach that point, not that Parvati herself had had any way of stopping it. She hadn't begun working at Hogwarts until after the kidnappings, by which point Elaine had already established herself as a criminal.
Would it have been any better if she had been able to be captured? If Azkaban weren't in ruins? If she didn't certainly have followers out there, not to mention those who had escaped from Azkaban, maybe it would have been. Parvati knew that she could work through hypothetical scenario after hypothetical scenario, but it wouldn't—it couldn't possibly—change anything.
What she could do—what Ouroboros could do—was their best. There was no shortage of work left to do. If anything, it had just become harder. Elaine might have been dead, but that didn't mean that everything went back to the way that it had been. To the contrary, they didn't know how many others had taken inspiration from her. They couldn't use Veritaserum to determine what Elaine knew. They could only move forward, and Parvati's inclination was to go where she could be assured that she could work through her thoughts on the matter without endangering anyone or anything.
Not all of the members of Ouroboros were those with whom she would have interacted openly in her day-to-day life, so an abundance of caution brought her to Safe Harbour. The Ouroboros safe house was physically isolated off of the Irish coast, and it had more security charms placed upon it than just about anywhere else.
It was strange, arriving there alone. The place was almost too quiet for comfort, though—upon entering the house—Parvati realized that she hadn't been alone in her idea to come there.
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 10, 2020 7:45:10 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Mar 10, 2020 7:45:10 GMT -7
Cas needed somewhere quiet to think – somewhere he could be sure of no unwanted interruptions. He usually kept his routine varied and unpredictable (a useful tactic to make it difficult to be followed) and he took advantage now to disappear. It couldn’t be done often, what with all the heavy responsibilities he was charged with, but this…this was a special circumstance. He’d read it first in the paper. It was unusual for him to receive important news this way – usually it came from other members of Ouroboros – but for him in particular it was difficult to find time to meet with his squad. He was one of the members that had few ready-made excuses to run into Ouroboros people, since he ran in vastly different circles than the rest and it was dangerous to be seen too often outside them. They had their ways, of course, but this time he’d needed to depend on the Daily Prophet. Elaine Dupree was dead. He’d never known her, of course, never had the (dis)pleasure to come across her, but her exploits were well-known. It was good news for the team. A dangerous player was off the playing board, but there were still so many open ends to follow. Had the paper gotten it right? Her manner of death seemed odd, after everything. Had another been involved (perhaps the Purifiers or Heliopath)? And what did her death mean for the remainder of the Purifiers, who were undoubtedly still out there? Naturally, it wouldn’t be the end of the group. But perhaps they could take advantage of the reorganization that would need to occur within the Purifiers to spot changes that could lead to revelations. Perhaps. Cas would also no longer be able to ignore his own stakes in the game. The nightmare of the Azkaban breakout was far from over (and their investigations into both how it had occurred and where the prisoners were now had hit dead ends). But there was a loose end that could be tugged there. Cas would need to share what he knew about Lúthien and his father eventually. Maybe even today. He’d come to the Ouroboros safe house to consider this spider web of intrigue. He’d needed space and quiet, and interruptions at his store were continuous. Cas was sitting at a table, feet unceremoniously propped up on the edge, and he tapped his wand idly on his leg as he considered what the group’s next steps needed to be. Following up on the escapee lead, searching for signs of Purifier activity or reorganization… The place was under heavy protective enchantments, so he didn’t startle as he heard the telltale signs of someone entering. A quick glace revealed Parvati. Cas straightened in his chair but didn’t stand as he greeted her. “Parvati. I thought someone might stop by.” He studied the tension and conflicting emotions in her face. “Did the Prophet get it right, then?” parvati patil macmillan
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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Mar 12, 2020 21:01:58 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 12, 2020 21:01:58 GMT -7
June 7, 2025
"Parvati. I thought someone might stop by." Upon hearing her name spoken, Parvati turned her head to see that Casimir Karkaroff was sat at a table, his feet against its edge. Given the circumstances, he looked relatively calm, although there was nothing to suggest that he was treating the situation with any less seriousness than it deserved. She ensured that the door was closed completely and took a few steps inside. "Did the Prophet get it right, then?" Solemnly, she nodded. There was no way that Elaine Dupree could have remained alive, save for the creation of Horcruxes. As determined and as brutal as she had been, the possibility that she had accomplished such a task felt miniscule. Elaine, she thought, wouldn't have been concerned with evading death in the same way as Lord Voldemort had. If she had been as ill as it seemed that she must have been to seek treatment outside of wherever she had been in hiding, Parvati doubted that Elaine's focus would have been on ensuring that some fragment of her soul would remain alive in someone or something. "I never would have expected it," Parvati remarked, moving nearer to where Cas was seated and sitting down herself. She did not ease into the chair, however, and remained rigid in her posture as she looked at Cas. "For her to have died like that…" It was unbelievable that Elaine had died without a prolonged duel or even a battle. No, she had emerged just as suddenly as she had been killed. Parvati knew that she and half the world were of the same mind with that shock. "I know it must sound ridiculous," she prefaced, clasping her hands together, "but I can't stop thinking, you know, how young she was, and…"Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 16, 2020 7:13:08 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Mar 16, 2020 7:13:08 GMT -7
Cas watched Parvati’s progress across the room as she joined him at the table. Now that he was no longer alone, he straightened completely and sat properly at the table (as reluctant as he was to remove his feet). He folded his hands on the table and idly played with his wand as he watched Parvati speculatively. She looked solemn, of course, and ready to talk, but there was more to the multiple emotions warring on her face than on his carefully blank one. She looked almost mournful. The room was eerily silent, and completely empty save the two adults at the table. Cas preferred semi-darkness, and had ignited only the minimum of the lights required, so the shadows fell across the table and his face now. More Ouroboros members would come, undoubtedly, and then the room would fill with more noise and light and they could discuss business. Now, however, it did not escape his notice that the two appeared to be as if at a wake. His own dark clothes and features contributed to the image rather well. He gave a contemplative hum of agreement as Parvati commented on the manner of Elaine’s death. Cas concurred – after everything, it was an unusually mundane and coincidental death. When Parvati opened with ‘it must sound ridiculous’ Cas’s gaze sharpened and he gave a slow exhale as he mulled over what she said. His eyes carefully studied her face before dropping to watch his hands as he continued to idly fiddle with his wand. “It doesn’t surprise me,” he finally said, slowly. “Her age. For those of us who grew up in the direct aftermath of everything that happened…the arrests, and the trials…it was an essential experience. To remind us of our thorough defeat.” He thought of his earliest memories, of how much life had changed after the quite public disgrace of his father, but shook his head. There were almost certainly Purifiers from his particular age group, but he doubted if they constituted more than a small portion. He would never forget the power of the Ministry that he had seen exercised so swiftly against the Death Eaters. He’d grown up learning to fear it. “The greatest threat isn’t from those who witnessed it. It’s the ones who were told about it. The ones who heard about the disgrace but never had to actually see the consequences of that behavior. Perhaps we need to examine students and recent graduates more closely…” That was about as close as Cas would ever allow himself to getting personal about his life. He was fundamentally different from most of Ouroboros, and there was almost certainly still a degree of mistrust surrounding him. His motives for being here were incredibly nuanced and relied on an understanding of what he’d been subjected to growing up. He wasn’t anxious to dive into them. He preferred to get to business. “We need a new plan. Her death happened despite our organization. There is still far too much that we do not know.” parvati patil macmillan
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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Mar 16, 2020 21:54:58 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 16, 2020 21:54:58 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 It took another moment for Cas to reply. "It doesn’t surprise me," he said. Parvati continued to look at her own hands, although she listened to what he had to say. "Her age. For those of us who grew up in the direct aftermath of everything that happened… the arrests, and the trials… it was an essential experience. To remind us of our thorough defeat."
While he clearly contemplated the subject, he continued. "The greatest threat isn’t from those who witnessed it," he said. "It's the ones who were told about it. The ones who heard about the disgrace but never had to actually see the consequences of that behavior. Perhaps we need to examine students and recent graduates more closely…"
From Parvati's vantage point, she knew that it wasn't actually failure—the world would have been unthinkable had the Death Eaters prevailed—but it was difficult not to feel it. They had all sworn on their lives, short of making an Unbreakable Vow, that they wouldn't let it happen again. They knew what it was like. The generational divide between her generation—the ones who had been students at the time of the war—and Casimir's wasn't as large as it could have been, but he had a point: It wasn't insignificant, and neither was his perspective where the Dark Arts were concerned.
"We need a new plan. Her death happened despite our organization. There is still far too much that we do not know."
Parvati shook her head and brought it into her hands. "I hate this," she murmured. That everything had gotten to the point that it had… again. History kept repeating itself in the most terrible of ways, with the added stressors of, at present, a quarantine and the lack of a functioning prison. "I hate all of this. So much." It was something that Parvati didn't feel comfortable discussing openly outside of certain company, even though it was known that she had been a member of Dumbledore's Army and had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. As much as it wouldn't have been difficult for anyone to guess her loyalties, she tried to remain careful.
She knew that Cas had a good point. They had no choice but to monitor even the students and young people around them. She didn't doubt that there were students who sympathized with Elaine; they had already expelled one student, Priscilla Rosier, a few months prior for brutally attacking another girl.
"I'm sorry," Parvati apologized, massaging her temples as she lifted her head again. "It's just…" It was more challenging than she had expected to be able to put her thoughts into words. "You know, I think about how she was barely older than my own kids," not to mention Padma's children or the children of many of the people with whom she and her sister had attended school—friends and acquaintances alike. "And it's so painful," she continued, "to think that maybe my generation… that we haven't done enough to prevent this from happening." She let out a shaky breath. "A-After everyone we lost… After everything we did just to survive, I… I-I can't just stay sat here and pretend that it hasn't affected me." Trying to compartmentalize it all for the sake of her children, especially, was never easy. She worried for their sake more than they knew.
Pausing, Parvati breathed in and then exhaled softly in an effort to focus again. "But you're right." They would have to try to keep track of the students more closely, among other things. It would be harder now that summer had arrived, but it wouldn't be impossible. "We had to expel one girl, you know. One of the Rosiers…" It was no secret; the news had made the Prophet.
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 18, 2020 8:18:51 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Mar 18, 2020 8:18:51 GMT -7
Cas had a lot of respect for Parvati. Truly. He’d only seen the wizarding world in the aftermath of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, but she’d witnessed much more. She had seen how things had actually been under Voldemort’s reign, and what it meant for the Death Eaters to be in power. She’d fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, and although his family had been on the opposing side of things and had suffered greatly for that decision, Cas couldn’t help but admire the ‘enemy’ – the strength of spirit necessary from the Order of the Phoenix to defeat such a threat. He was unusual that way. Taking sides had never mattered to him growing up, and in most of the pureblood community that was a rarely-discussed topic. Most purebloods wanted to enjoy the status of their birth, but that was a far cry from becoming or even supporting the Purifiers. Still, to actively join the ‘other side’ and to support and even become a rising leader among people he’d grown up to learn to call enemies…well. It would have required a special set of circumstances to ever prompt Cas to take a side – but here they were. Sometimes the world worked in mysterious ways. Still, even with all that respect and Cas’s intent determination to see this commitment through…he didn’t believe much in this part of things. Talking about feelings. How these events affected them as human beings. Getting personal. Perhaps it provided some service for most people, but he was a very private person. This idea of sharing things about himself to people only felt like giving them more ammunition. He listened quietly as Parvati shared her mind, then apologized. Cas probably wouldn’t have tolerated it from most other members of Ouroboros, but Parvati came from such a unique background compared to most that he felt compelled to let her speak. It was an unusual form of showing respect, but nothing about the two of them sitting in this safe house was ‘usual.’ Cas sighed slightly as Parvati speculated whether her generation had done enough. “History will repeat itself as long as the variables remain unchanging,” Cas finally responded as he watched Parvati grow more emotional. “In this case, a dying way of life within an eternally shrinking social group. And the more power that group loses, the harder they fight back.” He thought for a moment before shaking his head and adding, “Nothing will ever change as long as purebloods are allowed to isolate themselves from the rest of society. I’d never even met a Muggleborn before attending Durmstrang. Too much about pureblood ideology has been allowed to remain static.” Finally, finally, Parvati moved away from the personal and into a topic of interest. Cas had remained rigid on his chair, but he leaned back and closed his eyes to better absorb this old piece of news. "The Rosiers…I’m familiar with them. Traditional family.” Very traditional family – even across Europe, the number of pureblood families was dwindling to the point where they were all somewhat familiar with each other, particularly if they sent their children to the same schools. He’d had some contact with the Rosiers, although he had admittedly dismissed the piece of news about this expulsion as uninteresting. Perhaps not. “I sold something to a Rosier, I believe. Last year, nothing sophisticated.” His fingers, still fiddling with his wand, gave a twitch of annoyance. People treated the Dark Arts all the same – as crude pieces of weaponry with which to inflict maximum pain. There was no doubt that some forms of Dark magic were unspeakable, but to treat all Dark magic as if it were only a simple tool to commit evil…it was shortsighted. And unimaginative. And unfortunately, the majority of his business. He hesitated, before making a decision. He didn’t believe in ‘fair’ but he did believe in reciprocity, and Parvati had just shared a piece of herself with him. Cas made up his mind. He’d brought a seemingly empty briefcase with him, which had remained hidden in the shadows by his feet, although he brought it up to the table now and tapped it sharply with his wand. It suddenly bulged as some of the protective enchantments lifted. Cas pulled out one of his ledgers, chosen at random – it was well-known among Ouroboros leadership that Cas kept two sets of books. One, of course, detailed the transactions of Borgin and Burke’s, all his sales and purchases. The other, naturally, contained transactions that may be of interest to Ouroboros, either because of people-of-interest or because the object had particularly dangerous or Dark properties. Perhaps the Rosier purchase was even in this book. Taped to this ledger was a receipt of an item he had sold recently to an old school friend of his, and as it so happened, an Azkaban escapee. “I feel useless sometimes,” he confessed. It was unimaginable that Cas would share this thought with anybody else, but it felt right to unburden himself for once. “I monitor the movements of every object that passes through my store, and I have developed means to track them after they leave my possession. But I do nothing with this information.” Parvati had been privy to one of these experiments herself – Cas had planted a cursed Divination textbook in his shop months ago to be sold, with the intention of seeing if it ever arrived at Hogwarts as he expected. He’d gone to Parvati so she could do her part in monitoring the book’s progress. Cas continued after a brief pause. “And I have all this…experience, and memories, in my head from my upbringing. About pureblood society. About potential individuals of interest. And I wonder if it’s worth sharing, if it actually means anything, and if tragedies might happen because I don’t…” parvati patil macmillan
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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Mar 18, 2020 16:23:30 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 18, 2020 16:23:30 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 As she made her way through the rush of thoughts that filled her mind, Cas reminded her that history was often doomed to repeat itself. The adage, unfortunate though it was, was too true. At the same time, as he pointed out, the way of life of those who espoused blood purity so strongly that they were willing to go to the greatest lengths possible to preserve it was dying out and their fight against it was as strong as it was because they were only dwindling in number.
And they would continue to do so, if Casimir himself—and a number of others like him, to be fair—were any indication. The world was shifting, but not without tension. Cas recalled that he had never met a Muggle-born prior to starting school, and Parvati could only hope that similar experiences would become a thing of the past.
On the subject of the Rosiers, too, Cas said that he was familiar with the family. Parvati didn't doubt it; they were among the remaining families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight whose lineage had stayed—however true in actuality—entirely "pure".
"I sold something to a Rosier, I believe. Last year, nothing sophisticated."
In expectation that Cas would elaborate, Parvati watched him. Instead of speaking immediately, however, he brought up a briefcase that had been by his feet. She hadn't noticed it prior to his setting it on the table and opening it with his wand. It drew her attention, naturally, and she had to wonder what had struck him so suddenly.
His ledgers—both sets.
Parvati remained silent as she listened to Cas open up to her. "I feel useless sometimes," he confessed. It was the most candidly she had ever heard him speak. "I monitor the movements of every object that passes through my store, and I have developed means to track them after they leave my possession. But I do nothing with this information," he explained. "And I have all this…experience, and memories, in my head from my upbringing. About pureblood society. About potential individuals of interest. And I wonder if it’s worth sharing, if it actually means anything, and if tragedies might happen because I don’t…"
Although Parvati was, herself, a pure-blood, she knew that she couldn't relate in quite the same way. Her family was by no means extremist and never had been. She was familiar with many of the same families, although primarily by name beyond those who were around her own age.
"Cas…" she spoke, offering him a sympathetic smile as she addressed him. "If you're comfortable sharing that information," she began gently, knowing just as well as he must have that there was plenty at stake, "then, by all means…" She would do her best to ensure that nothing would happen to Cas because of it. "But I don't want to force you, certainly not without proper precautions in place."
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 19, 2020 3:18:40 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Mar 19, 2020 3:18:40 GMT -7
It was an odd sensation, to see the entire sum value of a human life sitting in front of them. At least, that’s how it appeared to Cas as one of his ledgers lay on the table – a thick black book with no identifiable markings or anything extraordinary-looking to it at all. The other matching book was still in the briefcase (heavily protected with every enchantment Cas was able to throw at it). Together, they summed his entire value to Ouroboros, and (as it had become) one of the sole purposes for his continued presence in the United Kingdom. Being so transparent had been…nerve-wrecking. The idea of sharing such a vulnerability chafed against his nature, and even now a voice in the back of his head was screaming that this would be the reason for an inevitable betrayal. But that was wrong – and it had taken him months to realize it, until he was sitting in the safe house in semi-darkness waiting to be joined. Because becoming a part of Ouroboros was already against the values he’d had drilled into him growing up, and the idea of becoming part of a team instead of operating as an individual was already against his natural instincts. With all that reasoning stacked up, his continued seclusion and secrecy would inevitably cause more harm than good (although of course, some things would always have to be private). Trust was a dangerous tool, and only to be handled in small amounts, but Cas needed to start to learn how to minimally trust his ‘coworkers.’ Still, Parvati’s sympathy annoyed him, even as he understood it was the natural response to a declaration like he’d just made. It wasn’t that the sympathy was fake, just…misplaced. He wasn’t a child like her students at Hogwarts. He wasn’t anything like her acquaintances or loved ones. He wasn’t here because he wanted to be like them. It was just business – with him, it was always about the transaction. Cas kept his tone neutral. “These ledgers are my only value to this organization. Keeping them hidden in an enchanted briefcase will do nothing to advance our goals.” He deftly removed the receipt from its mock place of honor on the cover of the ledger and lay it flat on the table. “If I were to be discovered and neutralized tomorrow…then I ultimately did nothing at all. Redundancy in a system is what keeps it alive during a crisis.” The final irony would be if these ledgers held no relevant information at all. But Cas doubted that. Borgin and Burke’s was a hub of the bartering and exchange of Dark artifacts hidden from most of society’s view. Eventually, something relevant would pass through. He pulled out the matching ledger and, after tapping his wand again to silently remove the final enchantments, flipped it open to a random page. This one detailed very specific purchases of particularly dangerous items Cas wanted to keep track of, or mundane items sold to dangerous individuals. Even after they left his store, he had ways to find them again. It wasn’t an incredibly subtle move, but it could have its uses in future operations. This ledger was smaller than the other, but in many ways more important. He quietly flipped through to the entries from March before matching the receipt to a particular entry. Parvati had already seen a receipt from his store, so Cas didn’t bother explaining his organizational system. Name, date, price, item description. This one detailed a transaction with Lúthien, an old school friend of his from Durmstrang. The transaction was worth notice not because of the item sold (which was rather uninteresting compared to most of his merchandise) but because of the client. Primarily because she was supposed to be Azkaban. Cas didn’t say anything else, but sat back in silence to let Parvati examine the books and the receipt. parvati patil macmillan
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Mar 19, 2020 22:34:28 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 19, 2020 22:34:28 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 Cas seemed to have stiffened up. "These ledgers are my only value to this organization," he stated. "Keeping them hidden in an enchanted briefcase will do nothing to advance our goals."
Parvati was prepared to counter him on that, especially the fatalism with which he spoke. His integration into the Knockturn Alley side of society was an asset, of course, but his being Ouroboros's eyes and ears there wasn't his only value.
There was a receipt on the ledger's cover that appeared to be of the most interest to Cas. He laid it out upon the table, where it was then visible to Parvati, as well. From what she could see of what was written on it, it wasn't particularly alarming, but Cas's words were. "If I were to be discovered and neutralized tomorrow… then I ultimately did nothing at all. Redundancy in a system is what keeps it alive during a crisis," he added. Then moving to the other ledger—the smaller of the two—he flipped to one of the pages, then again through the book. Cas was looking for something.
When he reached what he had been searching for, he sat back, leaving Parvati to study the receipt and his log of it. Cautiously, she moved forward in her seat to look over what Cas had wanted her to see. There was a reason for his silence, she quickly understood, her eyes drawn first to the name of the person to whom the item had been sold. The name in Cas's records wasn't a common one: Lùthien Anarion.
"Merlin… Wasn't she…?" Parvati's voice trailed, suddenly chilled. Lùthien Anarion had been imprisoned in Azkaban, one of two members of the terrorist group Kraken who had only just been captured by Magical Interpol alongside her partner about… What? A month before the prison had fallen?
Parvati's eyes darted over to the date of the sale. It was too recent, from March of that same year. She breathed a gasp of shock. What else had Cas been keeping in his ledger? And why had he kept it to himself? Her first reaction, besides how stunned she was, was one of anger. Surely he realized how valuable that information would have been as soon as he had sold anything to an escaped criminal, especially one who had claimed responsibility for such a deadly attack as the one that had killed both the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations to Hogwarts the previous year.
She looked up from the page. Obviously, Cas had known with whom he had made the transaction; it was there in ink. Why he hadn't alerted anyone, even anonymously, was the biggest question. As much as she wanted to avoid accusing him of anything without knowing the details, her manner became more restrained. "You're certain it was her?" she checked, watching Cas carefully.
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 20, 2020 3:14:57 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Mar 20, 2020 3:14:57 GMT -7
She finally seemed to be getting it. There were naturally many complexities to keeping a double set of books in any store in Knockturn Alley, although becoming the owner had significantly helped conceal his efforts. But his business wasn’t clean, or ‘good,’ or anything any respectable wizard would want to get involved in. And there were still so many problems to confront. The most complicated was the sheer scope of Borgin and Burke’s business. Being such a well-known store had its advantages and disadvantages – the biggest disadvantage being that it was more closely watched than other, darker segments of the Dark trade. It didn’t scare away clients, but there were many odd ways of conducting business to maintain anonymity and privacy wherever possible. That said, Borgin and Burke’s handled so many potential artifacts of interest, and practically every wizard interested in the Dark Arts passed through at some point. It was an overwhelming role. And then of course, there was the question of his cover. Cas was a cautious person by nature, but he’d gone to the extremes to protect his affiliation and the doublehanded work he did. It only took one rat to betray him, after all, and although he was beginning to warm to his Ouroboros team members, that level of trust was impossible to obtain in Knockturn Alley. It would only take one mistake to compromise him. Naturally, Parvati didn’t take it well. He didn’t expect her to. It was difficult to explain his thought process around Lùthien because she was a particularly complicated case. Intelligent, destructive, and of course their previous personal history. If anyone had the ability to discover his activities, it was probably her if she chose to investigate – and she would show no mercy if she did. He didn’t share that thought, but he straightened in his chair as Parvati asked if he was certain. She was watching him closely, and the tension was palpable. “She is a master of disguises,” Cas began slowly, sorting the information in his head. “But she likes to play games. And in this one, she chose to reveal herself.” He paused there to think – it was difficult to characterize her, and he’d worked hard to distance himself from her destructive streak after they’d left school. This renewed acquaintance might help Ouroboros in the end, but he found conversation with her distasteful and repellent. It had only been the one time, although he doubted she’d decided to leave him alone. And he would never turn away a sale. “She gets absorbed in the immediate present. Perhaps in the future, this decision will come back to haunt her. In that moment, however, she’d gotten the reaction she wanted.” He narrowed his eyes as he weighed how to answer Parvati’s unspoken question. Why now, and why not in March? “She’ll be back,” Cas finally concluded out-loud. “She’s never been good at staying away from what will hurt her.” He had the impulse to cross his arms, but he wasn’t going to be put on the defensive. It was just one unspoken question, why not earlier? “My position is at once simple and difficult. If she comes into my shop for the first conversation we’ve had in years, and a week or a month later she notices a Ministry tail, I risk being compromised. If I sell her an object that does not execute its curse as guaranteed or that contains a tracking charm and she notices a month or six later, I risk being compromised.” Cas leaned forward and maintained eye contact with Parvati. “It’s difficult to have a piece of information and be unable to act on it immediately. But it hasn’t been enough time. There hasn’t been enough contact. My business operates on long-term relationships and privacy. Our cover must be well-established first.” He exhaled slowly. “I recognize that in some contexts I am unable to act as an objective observer on when it’s time to act. So my ledgers are open to you. One person’s judgment on the value of information is insufficient.” parvati patil macmillan
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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Mar 20, 2020 7:46:26 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 20, 2020 7:46:26 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 Parvati swallowed and nodded as Cas explained himself to her, trying to put herself in Cas's position. He had to act as though it was business as usual at Borgin and Burkes, or he would feel the heat. If his shop was, for example, the only one to which Lùthien had gone, or if he intentionally sold her something that deviated from its intended purpose for the sake of tracking her or making her whereabouts more apparent to the Ministry, there would be a target on his back without hesitation.
There was a chance that Lùthien Anarion could have fled after that—that she was somewhere beyond the British Ministry's jurisdiction and into the hands of Magical Interpol again. She could have left, gone into hiding, though Cas's comments suggested otherwise. "She'll be back," he had told her, as assuredly as anything. "She's never been good at staying away from what will hurt her."
She couldn't help but notice how Cas spoke of Lùthien with such familiarity throughout, of her tactics and her likely thought process. There was more, Parvati guessed, that Cas had yet to tell her. The records of his sales were only part of the story there. Although not completely put at ease, she allowed herself to relax slightly again. Before moving on to discuss the other potential leads that sat on the table for her perusal, there was the matter of Lùthien alone. Merely knowing that she had been recorded at one location at one time didn't give them enough to act on… but, perhaps, his additional knowledge would.
"I… take it you know her well," Parvati spoke up, her guard lowered again for the time being as she tentatively moved back in her chair. "She's not just a customer of yours, is she?"
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 21, 2020 8:06:09 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Mar 21, 2020 8:06:09 GMT -7
Cas had guessed that it would come to this – he’d brought his ledgers with the expectation that it was finally time to start unlocking some of his secrets. But Merlin’s beard, it was uncomfortable. It fought against his natural instincts, and it required a scrutiny into his life that unsettled him. And how to describe Lùthien to someone who didn’t know her, and how to characterize the complexity of their relationship? Parvati appeared to have relaxed, but her questions were worse than the silent accusations. Cas leaned back in his chair as he grappled with how to start – some of his internal conflict must have shown in his troubled expression. Did he know her well? “Not so well anymore,” he finally said flatly, folding his hands together and gripping his wand tightly to hide the tension. “We were school friends. I was rather unpopular…my uncle’s reputation still means something in Durmstrang. And Lùthien, in those days, wanted to be something more than what she’s become.” Their history was something of a tragic story in hindsight, not because of anything that had happened during their friendship but because he now had the knowledge of how that story had ended. “I broke off contact with everybody after I graduated. Except for Titus.” Parvati would know who Titus was – another member of Ouroboros, another pureblood from Cas’s circles, and in fact the strongest influence that had made Cas the man he was today. He shrugged and continued. “All I know of her story after that is what she told me, and what the Prophet reported. She sees herself as having reached her full potential, once she stopped pretending she could be good.” His expression darkened as he considered their last conversation. He was still tightly gripping his wand, his knuckles white with tension, and he kept his gaze locked on this family heirloom. “She’s always been skilled at being the devil on your shoulder,” he murmured. “At revealing your true nature and encouraging you to let go, let the darkness overtake you…” It had been months already and he couldn’t forget how she’d warned him to stop pretending and accept who he was. That he could never be an angel. Cas didn’t realize he had trailed off until he sharply came back to the conversation and looked up to see Parvati watching him. He cleared his throat, already irritated at himself for letting Lùthien’s words worm their way into his mind again. “She’s not a lead I would follow unless we had no other choice. There must be something else we can pursue.” parvati patil macmillan
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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Mar 21, 2020 15:28:28 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Mar 21, 2020 15:28:28 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 As Cas recounted his history with Lúthien Anarion, Parvati remained attentive. He had been unpopular at school at Durmstrang, he told her—a far cry from her own experience at Hogwarts. She and Padma had never had any difficulties fitting in; it was no secret, either, that they had been considered the most attractive girls in their year. The more he spoke about Lúthien, the more she felt at a loss for how to provide reassurance to him. It wasn't "alright", per se, but she wanted him to know that she didn't judge him for feeling the way that he did. There was some manifestation of anger and fear behind his words, and she could see it in the way that his knuckles had blanched around his wand.
The only person from his school days with whom he had remained in contact was Titus—Titus Burke, Parvati knew. All that Cas knew of what had become of Lúthien, he said, was between what she had told him and what the newspaper had reported about her. "She’s always been skilled at being the devil on your shoulder," she could hear him say, what seemed to be thoughts spoken aloud more than a comment directed to her. "At revealing your true nature and encouraging you to let go, let the darkness overtake you…"
In spite of that, Cas was visibly hesitant to move forward with what he had provided. "She’s not a lead I would follow unless we had no other choice. There must be something else we can pursue."
If anyone was equipped to handle the matter of Lúthien, Parvati knew that she wasn't. Titus was a possibility, and she mulled it over, but she didn't want to introduce that thought to Cas until he was in the right headspace for it. His comment about Lúthien as the devil on his shoulder struck her, and she needed to ensure that he was alright before continuing—with anything related to Lúthien or otherwise.
"Cas," Parvati began, her voice soft again as she looked at him. She didn't know to what extent she would have to talk him down from whatever he was feeling, but the comments about Lúthien as well as what he had said before about his lack of usefulness to Ouroboros outside of his ledgers gave her enough of an indication. She appreciated that he felt comfortable enough to speak his mind around her. "I promise you that I won't act upon anything in those ledgers without your permission." The information wasn't hers for the taking, and she hoped that it would be of some comfort to him to know that she wouldn't exploit it. "Or what you've told me about Lúthien," she continued sincerely. "It's not my place, and I don't want to lose your trust." He was in safe company, though it must have been difficult. She offered him a slight smile to signal that nothing—at least not from her end—had been irreparably damaged, and then she paused. "…Would you like a moment?"
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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last online Apr 29, 2024 11:15:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Apr 2, 2020 5:54:08 GMT -7
Post by Casimir Elias Karkaroff on Apr 2, 2020 5:54:08 GMT -7
The conversation had veered far off-track from the original intention. They were veering into personal histories, and emotions, but to an uneven extent that made Cas uncomfortable. He’d been raised to remove the emotional element of conversations and relationships, and to view other people with the lens of how they can be used or leveraged for the proper advantage. It’d taken him years to shake off the most problematic teachings, but in many ways he was still a product of that upbringing. Parvati’s tone, to that end, was almost repellent to Cas. It was soft, and gentle, and an additional reminder that they were on very uneven footing right now. The assurance about his ledgers – that was helpful, in the sense that it could be very easy to misuse sensitive information and coordination would always be required before acting on any piece of information he documented. He would make sure to update the ledgers more frequently, and perhaps establish a regular point of contact with Parvati to review them. But everything else…he needed to inject the logic and reasoning that he was comfortable with back into the conversation. He had been thrown off his usual state of being enough for one day. Still, he took Parvati’s offered moment wordlessly to one-by-one put every emotion of his into a little box and push it deep inside him. The buzzing in his head disappeared, and he was able to reflect coolly on the situation. Such as reflecting on the fact that they were still the only two members of Ouroboros in the safe house. That irked him, and would likely continue to roll around in his head until addressed at a later date. Cas had closed his eyes for a moment, but he redirected his gaze to consider Parvati. “We need to have a real meeting soon.” His voice was curt and every word was deliberately considered and placed in the context of the greater thought. “It’s too difficult to track where every member is and what they know. News like Elaine Dupree’s death is too significant to treat as everyday business.” He considered briefly how to verbalize his next thought tactfully, but dismissed the idea and spoke bluntly instead. Parvati would challenge him where it was necessary, and Cas’s thoughts on the subject had only occurred abstractly thus far. It would need to be refined more carefully. “An event like this can be an opportunity – to reevaluate what we know and what we don’t know. How our member base operates and how our operations are run. Ouroboros needs to put itself back together.” parvati patil macmillan
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last online Apr 27, 2024 18:58:40 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2020 7:27:40 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Apr 2, 2020 7:27:40 GMT -7
June 7, 2025 Parvati took a step away as it appeared that Cas had taken her up on her offer. She didn't want to impose her presence upon him while he recomposed himself, and she knew that their exchange had become uncomfortable for him once he had brought up Lúthien. It seemed that they were the only ones at the safe house, so there was little harm done in getting up and providing Cas with a little bit of distance. That inclination ran contrary to how she typically behaved; she tried not to be distant, and that kind of approach wouldn't have worked very well as a counselor.
She didn't go very far—just enough to give Cas space—but it wasn't long before he spoke again. "We need to have a real meeting soon," he stated. It was true. “It’s too difficult to track where every member is and what they know. News like Elaine Dupree’s death is too significant to treat as everyday business.” They couldn't operate with the assumption that everything would get through to the people it needed to reach. “An event like this can be an opportunity – to reevaluate what we know and what we don’t know. How our member base operates and how our operations are run. Ouroboros needs to put itself back together.”
Parvati nodded and crossed the floor, back over to where she had been seated before. "It shouldn't be a challenge to reach Ginny," she noted as she sat herself back down, "or Teddy, for that matter." Ginny had a similar schedule to her own anymore, since she had started teaching at Hogwarts. The summer months were typically less challenging, in that regard, and it wasn't as though anyone could go very far on holiday with the quarantine still firmly in place. The four of them needed to meet aside from everyone else, to figure out on what each of their squads needed to focus. They would be able to relay information to their own squads in the event that someone couldn't show for a full meeting, though Parvati agreed with Cas completely that they needed to call a meeting of the entire membership sooner rather than later. "I know Hermione's availability isn't ever ideal," which came with the territory of being Minister, Parvati supposed, "but we need to arrange something, call everyone here… And sooner rather than later."
Casimir Elias Karkaroff
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