The Sun, It Does Not Cause Us to Grow (Cas)

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

It felt strange for Parvati not to be meeting Cas at Safe Harbour, though it must have felt just as strange for him to be in the sitting room of her Hogsmeade flat. It seemed nicer, although much more personal—even if her flat wasn't so much of a home to her, either. She had tried to make it look better than it had in recent weeks, clearing up some of the clutter that had accumulated when she hadn't had the energy to deal with it and setting out her tea tray on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

She had asked him there to follow up after their conversation with Ginny and Teddy the previous day, although this conversation wasn't strictly to do with Ouroboros. There had been a lot happening—inside the organization, outside of it, and in her own life—and it felt necessary to touch base with him.

"I'm sorry if this is awkward. I just thought, you know, a change of scenery wouldn't hurt," Parvati told him with an apologetic smile. The safe house, useful though it was, felt so… dreary at times. Her flat was a little bit better in that regard, though a part of her wondered if Cas had been expecting her to live in the visual equivalent of what Dolores Umbridge's office at Hogwarts had been (or Madam Puddifoot's, as a less dated example), instead of the relatively sparse little place in which she lived while not at Hogwarts. "But I wanted to speak with you again, since there really wasn't time yesterday," not with everything else that the four of them had had to discuss. "About, well… a few things. All of it's positive for once," she added, which was a miracle in itself.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Cas was starting to think about investing in a Pensieve, if only because his mind seemed more and more cluttered with thoughts every day. It was the nature of his work, he supposed – managing the business at Borgin and Burke’s, remaining active with Ouroboros, becoming a point-of-contact for many of the shadier elements of the wizarding world. It was exhausting, contradictory work, and every part of him felt pulled in a different direction depending on the role he’d chosen for that environment. He didn’t consider it arrogant to say that he was an expert at the game. But, someday this delicate balancing act was going to collapse on him, on a day when he’d forget who he needed to be and let something slip.

Conversations with Parvati were both helpful and distracting, in that sense. She was another obligation to juggle, to weigh what was safe to tell her and what was better off remaining unsaid. But, as members of Ouroboros, he could be more transparent about his true opinion on things without needing to worry if he’d shown too much of himself. Still, he’d never really imagined the day he’d find himself in her sitting room for tea time (it was amazing how seriously the English took tea time). Cas tended to avoid these types of scenarios – he really had very little excuse to be here and being seen could make things complicated. But there was also something interesting about meeting Parvati somewhere not explicitly tied to Ouroboros, where the topic of conversation didn’t always have to be work-related. Not to mention, he wasn’t the biggest fan of tea.

Cas was sitting somewhat rigidly in his chair (he couldn’t quite banish the concern of how he’d leave undetected at the end) but he took a polite sip of tea before setting the cup gently down. It hadn’t escaped his notice yesterday during the meeting that Parvati had looked more composed than he’d seen her in recent months, and much less stressed or emotional. If she was going to share more about that transformation, then he was all ears. “The list of things to discuss always seems to grow longer,” he observed calmly, before shrugging slightly. He was guilty of it himself – he had new things to discuss with her as well. “But change is natural. You have news?”

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

Cas asked if she had news, and Parvati nodded her head. It probably wasn't what Cas was expecting—and it was far from being anything groundbreaking—but it was still news, nevertheless. "I had a conversation with my daughter, Shreya," she began, "after everything happened. She's a trainee Mediwitch at St. Mungo's now, and… I sort of… realized that I hadn't been taking the greatest care of myself." Her mind had been all over the place, and she hadn't exactly had an opportunity to take a few steps back and away from her stressors.

"I went to see a psychiatric Healer," Parvati explained, expecting to feel more shame than she did as she said it aloud. "I was prescribed some potions, and…" That was about it, as far as that went, and she gave a small shrug. "It's not perfect," she added—nor was she seeking perfection—"but it's something." She didn't want to stop feeling entirely; that would have been even worse than before. "I don't feel as if any little thing might… you know." It was relieving not to feel so on edge all of the time. "I haven't felt like this in such a long time. It feels silly to say that it's… freeing, almost?" There was still life beyond stress and guilt and grief.

Smiling gently, she continued. "And I also might have done a bit of recruitment." It was only two more members, but that was better than nothing. "Shreya is interested in joining, though I think she'd prefer not to be directly under her mum's control," she noted with a slight laugh. Not wanting Cas to get the wrong idea, however, Parvati added, "I can't say that I blame her."

Parvati knew that she would have felt the same way at her daughter's age, though it didn't keep her from feeling some sadness and frustration at the fact that Shreya had been pulled into something that should have ended long before she and Sav were ever born. "I mean, she's my daughter, so of course I'm worried"—it was only natural—"but she's… Parvati paused, feeling strange for thinking of her child as an "asset" in any capacity. "She'll be of help to us."

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Cas maintained a neutral expression as he absorbed the first part of Parvati’s news. The two weren’t friends – they were coworkers and, while they had a smooth working relationship, didn’t engage much further than that. So this was the first he’d heard of a daughter or any details about Parvati’s struggles the past few months.

He wasn’t a particularly affectionate person, and there was a safety to acting detached. He needed to mull over his answer, because Cas’s first thoughts about Parvati’s trip to St. Mungo’s had been about potential vulnerabilities. Blackmail material? An indication of a leader being unfit to serve? But no, there was nothing of that sort – nothing outrageous in what she’d said, and she in fact had looked much more composed than any of the others yesterday.

Not wanting to say such things out-loud, of course, Cas gave a muted smile (really just a small quirk of the lips) and nodded. “Perfect isn’t important, only functional. If you are clear-headed and ready to work, and you’ve taken the proper precautions…” he trailed off, then shrugged. Cas couldn’t ask anything more of his colleagues than he himself was able to provide. He’d hardly call his current lifestyle healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was functional. Sustainable. And that was the key thing. “You do appear to be doing well. Better than the rest of us, at any rate.” And that small brush was the closest he would get to discussing his own life or saying anything ridiculously sentimental like ’I’m happy that you seem better.’

Now, the subject of recruitment…that was interesting, but Cas reflexively leaned back in his chair in trepidation. Recruitment was the lifeblood of the organization, but it came with risks. Hence why Cas stayed far away from issues of membership. He mentally re-sorted the small scraps of information he knew about Parvati’s daughter – Ouroboros had only a small foothold in St. Mungo’s, so any new recruits would indeed be of use. But he was still wary. “How much does she already know?” There were many sub-questions wrapped into that one line. How much did she know about the organization? About its members? If not Parvati’s squad, whose?

His eyes narrowed at Parvati’s last line. “A mother will always worry about her child. But Parvati, if she joins, it can’t be as your daughter. She will need to be a full member, with all the risks it entails. Can you separate your emotions from the work we must do?”

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

As much as the both of them were of the same mind, Parvati knew that she and Cas were also of diverging perspectives when it came to Ouroboros. They came from very different life experiences, though they weren’t so dissimilar that it led to clash. She didn’t expect an overly emotional reaction from him in response to what she had told him about having gone to see a Healer, nor did she get one. Something that was almost but not quite a smile was a lot from Cas, to be fair. “Perfect isn’t important, only functional,” he reminded her. “If you are clear-headed and ready to work, and you’ve taken the proper precautions…” Cas gave her a shrug instead of continuing his thought. “You do appear to be doing well. Better than the rest of us, at any rate.”

Doing better than the rest of them was relative, of course; they were all torn up over the loss of Hermione, especially, and the additional losses just added to the punch to the gut that had been the end of the Quidditch match. She was only functional because of the potions, though she was certainly ready to work and to do what was needed of her in light of what had happened.

At her having brought up recruitment, Cas waited, seemingly a little fearful about what she was going to say. “How much does she already know?” he questioned. Parvati had no time to formulate a proper answer to that, however, before Cas looked at her with an expression that she could describe only as skepticism. “A mother will always worry about her child. But Parvati, if she joins, it can’t be as your daughter. She will need to be a full member, with all the risks it entails. Can you separate your emotions from the work we must do?”

Parvati almost felt the need to become defensive over what Cas had said to her. Becoming defensive didn’t do any good, though. It wasn’t productive, and it defeated all point of her having a clear head about what they were facing. Attempting to answer both of Cas’s questions in one, Parvati took a breath. “She doesn’t know everything. She knows about Dumbledore's Army, of course, and the old Order, and now Ouroboros, obviously…” It hadn’t felt like the right time to go into a history lesson with Shreya about her mother’s involvement with—and leadership in—a secret society that was actively working to keep a young woman who had been a student herself only a few years before and however many followers she had from becoming the new Voldemort and his Death Eaters. “I didn’t get into Finn Nottingham or any of that,” Parvati added, shaking her head. There were a lot of intricacies that, while necessary knowledge, had been less important than gauging Shreya’s sincerity about wanting to join.

“Shreya’s an adult, and I trust her,” she acknowledged, “but I don’t know if it’s the best idea for her to be in my squad.” It would benefit them both, she felt, if there were some separation between them. Shreya needed to be allowed to grow in Ouroboros without her direct influence, and Parvati knew that she didn’t need to be fretting over her constantly. “I’ve actually got another favor to ask, though,” she continued, a favor that had nothing to do with Shreya. “About another recruit.”

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

If there was anyone in Ouroboros that Cas could say he genuinely liked, Parvati was the closest to fitting the bill. Of course, that didn’t include Titus – one of his oldest friends and therefore likely the only person who could come close to actually knowing him. But despite the fact that he and Parvati came from distinctly different backgrounds, and tended to operate in distinctly different manners, it never hampered their ability to work together. And she never reacted disproportionately negatively to Cas’s rather unique approach to Ouroboros business. He could admire that.

His questions had been insensitive in their execution because the topic of new recruits was one he took most seriously. His difficult position meant he needed to guard his identity closely, and all it would take to destroy the delicate house of cards he’d built would be one careless rookie. But considering the line of questioning – Parvati took it in stride, and her answer was well-reasoned. It wasn’t enough to relax Cas, but he wasn’t on the figurative edge of his seat anymore. He nodded slowly as he processed this new information. He had a bad habit of manifesting his nerves through fidgeting with his wand, so he’d purposely kept it in his sleeve this time. But the teacup served as an acceptable substitute for his preoccupied mind.

“It will be difficult to explain the last year to someone who didn’t experience it,” Cas began slowly, turning every word over in his mind. Stories about Finn Nottingham or Hermione Granger was enough to demonstrate why the job could be dangerous. “But that could be done after full initiation,” Cas concluded. He understood Parvati’s point about placing Shreya in a different squad – that wasn’t unusual, and family members in Ouroboros tended to operate in different squads anyway. Look at the Mugwumps. The thought made him nervous, but he vocalized it anyway. “I could take her into mine,” he offered. There was no guarantee of safety for Shreya, but Parvati knew he preferred to act with caution when possible, and it reflected in the tasks he set for his squad. “It’s easier for me to be seen around other purebloods, at any rate.” And he wouldn’t mind the opportunity to gain more access to St. Mungo’s.

Cas raised his eyebrows as Parvati mentioned a favor, and he leaned forward in his chair. “Another recruit? You’ve been busy,” he said with an underlying hint of amusement. He had a rather unique set of services to offer compared to the main body of Ouroboros, but he didn’t much see how it related to new recruits. And at any rate… “While you tell me about this favor, perhaps you could look at something of mine in return.” He reached below the table to grab his seemingly empty briefcase (although for once it didn’t have anything to do with his ledgers) before removing a folder and flipping it open for her opinion. Real estate options in Knockturn Alley. It was a gamble, but a seemingly necessary one given recent events (and he trusted his contact as much as one could in these circumstances). “Potential safe houses,” was all the explanation he gave.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

"It will be difficult to explain the last year to someone who didn’t experience it," Cas replied to what it was that Parvati said that Shreya knew—and didn't know—about Ouroboros at that point.

He was right, in a way. Explaining all of it, especially when so much of it had bearing on what they did and had decided to do as an organization, wasn't going to be simple. It wasn't "difficult", in the sense that bringing up a secret society in conversation with one's own child was difficult, but it took time. Though, there was a chance that it wouldn't be so much of a challenge. Even if she hadn't experienced the past year as a member of Ouroboros, Shreya had experienced the past year as a Hogwarts student in her final year of schooling, which was hardly comfortable, itself. Parvati had faith in her.

"But that could be done after full initiation."

There was also little point in going into some of the history if someone wasn't going to commit themselves to joining. Parvati didn't think that Shreya would, but there was always a chance that someone would back out at the last minute. Anything shared in excess of what was truly necessary was something that could be exploited in the wrong hands.

"I could take her into mine." The offer came from Cas himself, which was the best case. Parvati was going to ask, but she didn't want him to feel as though it was something that he had to do. Shreya would have been more familiar with Ginny or even Teddy, but Cas knew the other side of the coin. He could keep Shreya more easily protected from the sorts of things that probably wouldn't have crossed her mind. Cas added that it was easier for him to be seen around other pure-bloods, which was also true, and Parvati doubted that anyone would think much beyond teenage rebellion if Shreya was seen out somewhere like Knockturn Alley.

"If you could," Parvati replied gently, though she didn't go much more into that. Ensuring Ariadne's comfort and safety, given her background, took priority.

Cas noted, amusedly, that she had been busy, though it really didn't feel that way to Parvati. It was what it was, and it wasn't surprising to her that there were more young people who were interested in doing something about everything that was going on and to which many of them had felt powerless. "While you tell me about this favor, perhaps you could look at something of mine in return," Cas added, and he got out his briefcase. This time, it was for a folder—real estate, in Knockturn Alley, apparently. Cas wasn't suddenly looking to expand his business, though it might have looked like it at a glance. "Potential safe houses."

Parvati didn't want to need them, but it wasn't a matter of "wanting" them. They needed options for the worst case. Places that no one would suspect were ideal, which was what made Knockturn Alley a good fit. Someone like Cas could do business dealings there without being questioned, something that wasn't true for any of the other leaders of Ouroboros. Carefully, she took the folder from Cas and gave the information on the properties a cursory glance.

"I think that another recruit would… benefit from meeting you, specifically," Parvati said, beginning to look over the information on the properties in Knockturn Alley more thoroughly as she spoke again. She was careful to guard Ariadne's privacy, in case there were any additional issues there about which she wasn't directly aware, but she knew that there was a level of support that she couldn't provide her. There were experiences to which she couldn't speak that Cas could. "I've already agreed to take them on in my squad for now," so that wasn't a concern there, "but is it alright if I connect you, Cas?"

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Parvati seemed to be done discussing her daughter for now, so Cas left the conversation there. Having not done much recruitment himself (his value to the organization manifested itself in other ways), he was unclear how to delicately bring someone into such a complicated landscape. There was so much relevant information to convey, but also a danger of doing too much too soon. He would give Parvati the time she needed before he would follow-up (being the detail-oriented person he was, Cas rarely forgot assignments), and they had other things to discuss anyway.

In particular, the elusive answer he received regarding this new recruit had piqued his curiosity. The tea in his cup was still warm, and Cas took a sip as he considered the puzzle. The recruit – gender unknown, Parvati was going to great lengths to keep their identity under wraps – had to be someone in at least semi-regular contact with her, and who had already agreed to be in her squad. That narrowed down the possibilities for who she had managed to find. And yet, they must have something sordid or undesirable in their life story to warrant a consultation with him. Cas wasn’t much of a mentor figure, but he seemed to have a talent for accidentally encountering young wizards and witches who, for whatever reason, sought his advice. It was unusual, but not nearly as dangerous as other tasks he undertook daily.

He shrugged. “Connect us,” Cas responded, setting down the now empty cup. “I can meet them at a neutral location, given enough advance notice. Do I get any clues for how to identify them?” he asked wryly. There wasn’t much more to say about that, unless Parvati wanted to share why this new recruit would benefit from meeting him or any other pertinent information. Cas didn’t like being left in-the-dark, but he was willing to excuse this one instance because it seemed only temporary. He’d learn what he needed to soon enough, and he could make a plan from there.

In the meantime, he shifted his attention back to the folder Parvati was now beginning to examine. “Knockturn Alley might seem like a poor location for an Ouroboros safe house,” Cas began, “but it would be the last place a Purifier would think to look. They can’t begin to imagine the presence we have there. And it would be much easier to run missions in the area with a nearby base. Ti and I can handle the particulars of setting it up.” Each of the squad leaders could set their own protective enchantments as well, and it would be a safe place for members to hide out if the situation continued to worsen. It wouldn’t have to be the only additional safe house Ouroboros acquired, but this particular situation was one Cas could take lead on. He’d already selected the top contenders for such a space, but Parvati’s outside perspective would be valuable.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

"Connect us," Cas agreed with a shrug. "I can meet them at a neutral location, given enough advance notice. Do I get any clues for how to identify them?"

It was nothing against him, but Parvati was hesitant to give any identifying information away about Ariadne without her permission, either. "I'll check with them, if you don't mind?" she replied, pressing her lips into a line that was almost a smile after she'd spoken. She wasn't trying to be difficult, but treading carefully was paramount. Ariadne drew suspicion on both sides, which placed her in a position similar to Cas, though Parvati didn't for a moment doubt the young woman's loyalties. "I'm really not trying to sound like a Sphinx," Parvati added lightly, just to clear that up with him. "I think you'll understand when you meet them, Cas." She hoped that he would understand, at least, that there was a reason for her continued vagueness. "I'll make sure that you're known to each other," she promised.

On the safe houses, Cas said much of what Parvati had been thinking already. While Knockturn Alley might have seemed like a poor choice for Ouroboros, he explained, it would be the last place a Purifier would think to look. "They can’t begin to imagine the presence we have there. And it would be much easier to run missions in the area with a nearby base. Ti and I can handle the particulars of setting it up."

"I understand completely," she assured Cas, nodding. "Anywhere with safeguards." That was really all that mattered, in the end. Secret passageways, security enchantments… whatever they could do. "Something hidden in plain sight might be best."

Parvati looked up from the folder, and, seeing that Cas's cup was empty, motioned to it. "Would you like some more tea?"

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

Parvati’s evasion regarding her newest recruit suddenly gave Cas an insight into how he must look to other people. He was overly cautious by nature, and he worked hard to avoid declarative statements or anything that revealed too much too quickly. It was a defense mechanism, and he had no interest in changing what had kept him alive thus far. But, he had to admit, it was difficult being on the other side of the conversation – and being told, essentially, to trust Parvati and her judgment. He gave a faint smile as she joked about sounding like a sphinx, and as she assured him that the situation would become clear after meeting the recruit. “I’ll see what I can do.” It was a hard statement to make because, well, he wasn’t sure what needed to be done, but he could deliver results.

He leaned forward to sift through some of the papers in the folder composed of potential safe houses. Parvati’s point on hiding in plain sight had also occurred to him, and he had already eliminated several options as being too conspicuous in one form or another. “I have a few favorites,” Cas began as he scrutinized several papers before sliding one around for Parvati to read. “This one was an apothecary until it was shut down last year by the Ministry. The building’s been empty ever since.” He liked that one – despite some space issues Ouroboros might face, it would be easy to Apparate nearby without suspicion and it would be a straightforward process to transfer the ownership rights.

“And this one,” Cas stopped to slide another few pages towards Parvati, “was the private residence of an old warlock who recently died of dragon pox. No remaining family left to claim it. It’s on the second story, however, and I haven’t confirmed yet what is on the ground floor.” It was an important detail to consider, but Knockturn’s residents valued their privacy and he had to move slow or risk raising a few red flags.

Cas clutched his cup protectively and coughed embarrassedly as Parvati asked if he wanted more tea. “No thank you,” he responded quickly (too quickly?). He sighed (Parvati might mistakenly believe the reason was personal) before admitting, “I’ve never understood the English fascination with tea. It barely tastes like anything.”

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

Although she hadn't given him very much to work with, Cas assured her that he would see what he could do. Once he realized that she wasn't asking him to move mountains and just wanted to make sure that Ariadne had someone else in a situation similar enough to her own to whom she could go if she needed it, Parvati thought, he'd probably relax a bit more.

Relaxation was relative in a conversation that had turned to a discussion of potential safe houses, and Cas proceeded to fiddle with a few of the papers before showing them to her again. "I have a few favorites," he explained. "This one was an apothecary until it was shut down last year by the Ministry," he said of the property that he had put into focus. "The building’s been empty ever since."

Provided that there wasn't anything else there that the Ministry wanted or needed as evidence, it didn't raise any immediate concerns. "And this one"—Cas showed her more information on a different option—"was the private residence of an old warlock who recently died of dragon pox. No remaining family left to claim it. It’s on the second story, however, and I haven’t confirmed yet what is on the ground floor."

That made it a risk, of course, and it seemed that they both knew as much. They would have to ensure that any other tenants weren't going to get suspicious of what was going on upstairs.

As Parvati considered the "favorites" Cas had brought up, he coughed a little at her offer of more tea. "No thank you," he answered her quickly, only to sigh. "I've never understood the English fascination with tea. It barely tastes like anything."

Parvati laughed, and not solely for the sake of making pleasant conversation. It was genuinely amusing to her, though she did feel bad that Cas had felt compelled to drink the tea even though he didn't want it or like it at all. "Oh, you could have told me!" she smiled, shaking her head. She wasn't offended. "Do you want something else? I don't mind." That was one of the benefits of being in her home, rather than Safe Harbour, she supposed.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

There was still more research to be done on the safe houses, and this was hardly the last conversation they would have about it. Cas could handle the logistics of setting something up in Knockturn Alley, and he could count on the fact that the other squad leaders would do their diligent research too. Ouroboros needed more than just Safe Harbor, and it wouldn’t hurt to create another handful in case the situation truly grew dire. He hoped these safe houses would never need to be used, but…the Quidditch final had shown them that they could assume nothing, and that the Purifiers were as much a threat as they’d ever been. He felt almost certain that Hermione wouldn’t be the last casualty in this undercover war, and the last wizarding war had shown the prudence of having backup options.

But for now…as much as his instincts warned against it, he could relax. Cas was used to always needing to be on-edge, because his paranoia was one of his best tools in staying alive. It took a physical effort, but Cas forced himself to slouch slightly in his seat as he sheepishly examined his empty cup. Parvati’s smile was reassuring, and he matched it weakly. “The Karkaroff household has always had fairly strict rules about drinking whatever is put in front of you,” he responded wryly. One of the many things he hated about his family and how he'd grown up. “But some coffee would be nice. Something strong.” His tastes weren’t too specific, but he had a particular love for well-blended coffee. There had never been a shortage of that in his various assignments abroad – Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, to name a few.

He took another moment to look around Parvati’s place. “All this space just for you?” he asked. He didn’t know what her family situation was like, but they seem to have covered all their Ouroboros business temporarily. There was nothing wrong with a little casual conversation – it was astounding how little he actually knew about his ‘coworkers.’ And as blunt as his questions might be, Parvati never seemed to be too offended. She understood his style more than most in their organization.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

"The Karkaroff household has always had fairly strict rules about drinking whatever is put in front of you," Cas clarified with a touch of humor. "But some coffee would be nice. Something strong."

"I can talk and get you something at the same time," she pointed out gently, standing and walking towards the kitchen even as she spoke. It wouldn't have been the first time that she had multitasked.

As she went to see what all she had as far as coffee went, Cas spoke again. "All this space just for you?"

Parvati gave a slight nod. "I suppose? Me and my cat, mostly?" It did feel horribly empty at times, though having Dolly, her red point Himalayan, around helped some. "Er, I don't use this place very much, to be honest, and Savtaj and Shreya are both grown and living on their own…" She had found a place with two bedrooms—one for her and one for the twins—out of convenience, but it was a rather moot point. Previously, they were in school more often than they were home, and neither had desired to live there once they had left Hogwarts. "They lived with Ernie through the divorce, technically," she explained, since she had started working at Hogwarts and lived there during the school year. She had been the one to move out of what had been their family home, rather than Ernie.

"I can't say I'm running the next Madam Puddifoot's from my flat… Have you had filter coffee before?" she asked. As opposed to what might have been called "drip" coffee, filter coffee was more of a South Indian specialty but popular regardless. "Black coffee? I've got spices for masala chai, as well, but…" Considering that he had made clear his aversion to tea, Parvati wasn't going to push it.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff

[Casimir Elias Karkaroff]

As Parvati walked off, presumably towards the kitchen, Cas swirled his almost empty cup absentmindedly. Watching the last few drops of tea reminded him horribly of Divination class, of which he’d taken exactly one year in Durmstrang before dropping it. Still, his friends that had stuck with it used to practice reading tea leaves and the like with him. Of all the outlandish predictions he’d ever received about his future, he doubted anybody could have seen this. The thought made him put down his cup and push it away slightly.

Cas nodded as Parvati mentioned she didn’t use her place very often. “Neither do I,” Cas admitted as he leaned back in his chair. “Sometimes I need to work through the night,” he added. He did his best to stay away from his rented flat anyway – it was just a place to sleep and someone’s living quarters were usually the first place potential enemies attempted to break into to steal information. Cas’s office was better-protected, and he spent much more time there anyway. So he preferred to keep his secrets there – and a small cot that could easily be Vanished. Besides, if Cas ever acquired somewhere decent to live, he might be expected to host. Now that was truly the stuff of boggarts.

Her divorce was something Cas knew vaguely about, but he’d never really been curious for the details. Admittedly, he was more interested in meeting Shreya now, both to see what kind of skills she had acquired through her training and to see the effects of Parvati and Ernie’s parenting on her. You could learn a lot about the parents through the children without saying a word, and admittedly it sounded easier to Cas than asking Parvati about her personal life. Small talk was never much explored with the Karkaroffs, because the point of small talk was to offer tidbits about yourself in exchange for another person’s, and that sort of equal exchange was unthinkable to someone as private as his mother (who, truly, made Cas look like a chatterbox).

“I’m familiar,” Cas responded to the question about filter coffee. “Black,” he confirmed, eyes drifting around the room since he was somewhat alone. No sign of the cat she’d mentioned. He tapped his fingers on the table idly as he considered his mother and what she might think about this (she didn’t cross his mind often, it was something he tried rather hard to forget).

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

June 29, 2025

Cas mentioned that he also didn't use his own place very much, which didn't come as a shock to Parvati. Really, she tried to make herself available to the students and her colleagues at all hours when she was at Hogwarts, which usually meant her sacrificing her sleep. "I know it's not healthy, but what can you do?"

While she and Ernie might have been on marginally better terms than they had been, that only really extended to the point of civility with one another. Parvati was relieved when Cas didn't press on about the divorce, though. If it wasn't one thing making her miserable, it was another. That whole situation was something of which she wasn't exactly proud. She'd made some decisions that she had since come to regret. It was better that the details of her relationship with Marcus Flint weren't out in the open.

Although Cas said that he was familiar with filter coffee, he added that he would take his coffee black. "Alright," Parvati confirmed, beginning to prepare the coffee for him, the aroma of the ground coffee beans strong.

As she did, Parvati switched the subject back to the safe houses. "I think the apothecary is the safer choice," she expressed. From what Cas had told her about it, there appeared to be fewer risks. "As long as we're sure the Ministry don't want anything else to do with it, there won't be as much trouble. The only problem is the shopfront," she considered, "but that's not terrible." Maybe it would be better, in fact, if the place were to be reopened under new management, operating essentially as it had been—well, at first glance, anyway. The other option was to leave it derelict from the outside, with enough security and improvements inside to be of use to them. Both would take work, but there were options.

"If there's a cellar or something like that," Parvati added, "that might give us more space." They could expand upon anywhere that wasn't visible to a bystander.

Casimir Elias Karkaroff