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latent-sense-of-loyalty · 8 months

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Ch. IV

Word Count: 4306

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AN: Time to start picking up the pace. If you want to be updated for new chapters, let me know and I'll add you to the tag list!

《《Previous - Next》》

"Miss Onai, thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"I will tell you it was quite unexpected, Professor. I did not think you were the kind to visit your past students." Natsai's smile was warm as she welcomed the man inside her small home. It seemed she had done pretty well for herself since graduation, living in a small home by herself nestled in Godric's Hollow. It had been a bought of nostalgia for Aesop, being here. It had been years, and the memory of the funeral was one he liked to keep repressed.

"Yes, well," Aesop cleared his throat, not wanting to seem embarrassed by the comment. "Unfortunately, I have not exactly come to see you on those kinds of terms Miss Onai." He followed her to the small sitting area of the home, a crackling fire lit and a beautiful aroma surrounding him.

"Tea, Mr Sharp?" She held the teapot towards him. "A special blend my mother and I had brought from home."

Aesop could only nod, Natsai bustling around the tea and he readied his notes, enchanted quill hovering a new piece of parchment and notepad in hand. After his meeting with Aia, he had poured over the notes and records of the Auror's office, unable to find any kind of concrete record of Justinian Rosier. Any request to Phineas to see if he somehow had anything was met with being brushed off, claiming he was far too busy with the mess of political PR. It had been nothing short of infuriating trying to get anything, and these students were his last line in knowing where she was.

As he was about to speak, he noticed the Ministry of Magic's insignia on one of her coats hanging by the door he had walked in, the silver stitching catching the fire's glow. Natsai noticed his stare, chuckling to herself as she took her place across from the Auror.

"The Department of International Magical Cooperation." She motioned to the coat.``I have been there for a few months." She took a sip of tea, smiling at the coat. "I'm trying to make my way into the office of law."

To say Aesop was impressed would be an understatement, eyebrows raising. It was a daunting career, and one he had only heard of some of the best students going into easily. Yet with the skill he had seen himself from her time at Hogwarts, and the wonderful strength and support of her own mother, he would say her prowess was well worth the position.

"May I ask what intrigued you about that particular department?" He knew it was not part of the immediate investigation, but Emrik had let him know time again that building a report with whomever your questioning could make information getting far more painless. Besides, he was genuinely curious.

"I just…" He could see a look of discomfort cross her face as she scooted herself forward off the couch, leaning in close. "Promise to keep this between us." Aesop nodded, Natsai taking that as enough of an agreement. "I feel, from what I have seen from my time at school, there is a gross neglect on the Ministry's side in regards to poaching laws. We saw it… experienced it…." He saw a flash of pain cross her face as her hand collected the fabric of her trousers into a fist. "It must be changed, and I feel if I try my hardest, I can make the change to fully outlaw it." He could see the determination in her eye, a determination he had seen before, only shared with the student beside her. He knew what had happened with Natsai and Lenore, the downfall of Harlow, Natsai's own injuries. He truly empathise with her, and knew Lenore was probably so proud of her.

Speaking of which, he did have a purpose of being here that was not catching up.

"Well, Miss Onai, I do truly wish you the best in your goal. I would love to see it happen too." His experience seeing what they did with his career and Lenore, it would be a dark spot best wiped clean.

"Anyways, miss, I came to see you today in regard to a current investigation taking place." His tone became serious and stern, eyes hardening. In the opposite effect, Natsai's own eyes widened with surprise, a sheen of nervous sweat on her brow.

"Oh… Oh I'm so sorry I shouldn't have said-"

Before she got herself in a panic, Aesop held his hand up. "No no not about you miss. Don't worry, I won't repeat what you said." There was a sigh of relief across from him as she took another sip of tea. "I'm sure you already know, but it is in regard to a former classmate and friend of yours."

Aesop studied Natsai's expression, seeing how it transitioned from shock to worry. "I-I am sorry professor I don't know-"

He raised his hand, reaching into his bag to fish out the wanted poster of Lenore. His chest tightened, still not used to her face framed by such horror, but gently he set the page down on the table facing Natsai.

"Miss Onai, when was the last time you saw Lenore Arkanos?"

Natsai picked up the page, Aesop feeling some kind of urge to tell her to handle it gently. There was a pregnant pause between the two, before Natsai set it down, her face what he could describe would be the definition of confusion.

"I-I am sorry professor, sir." She corrected. "But I don't know who you are speaking about.

The same frustration he had felt seeing the list of names with no affiliations came over, Aesop pinching the bridge of his nose to remain calm.

"Now Miss Onai. Both you and I know that is not true. Lenore was your classmate, your friend. You had spent time together outside of school. Now be honest, when did you last see Miss Arkanos?"

Natsai shook her head, confusion began to mix with her own frustration. "I am not lying to you, I have never seen or heard of this person! If she did go to Hogwarts, she and I never met or saw each other." Her voice became hard, fear lacing with her words.

Aesop didn't understand, he saw them together, in class, sitting side by side. This wasn't true. Why was she lying? "Miss Onai I ask you don't lie to me-"

"I am not lying!" She stood from the couch, her teacup knocked over by the force. Quickly she tried to compose herself, enchanting a napkin to clean the spill. "Mr. Sharp I do not know what you are trying to say, but I have never met that woman in my life, and I am in no way linked to any of these attacks."

For a moment he just looked into her eyes, trying to see if there was any kind of hint of deception. Yet, all he could see was concern and fear. She was telling the truth.

But how was that even possible?

He looked down to his notes, only noticing now how his hand was shaking. Without speaking, he quickly got up, collecting his things half hazardously, making sure the only document he took care to pack away was the wanted poster. "Thank you, Miss Onai, for your time." Before she could say anything else, he swiftly left the home, limping down the street.

After a few minutes of walking, the sound of crunching leaves under his boot mixing with his racing heartbeat, he found himself leaning against a wall. It took another few seconds to try and catch his breath, his mind racing in a frenzy.

'They sat in class together, travelled together, she said she would visit in the summer. What is going on?' Taking out his notepad, he crossed out Natsai's name, looking at the other list of students. Dread made its home in his stomach.

Through the next week, Aesop travelled to the other students.

Amit Thakkar, now taking a break from his travels, had the same response as Natsai. The woman he had helped tutor had shown his telescope to, who also sat with Lenore in potions class, he had no recollection of her existence.

Poppy Sweeting, now helping as an assistant in Hogwarts to Professor Howen, had a more alarming response. Never had he thought the woman would flat out yell at him for questioning her truth. Honestly, it shocked him in a good way. But again, it was the same response. The woman she had helped in her class, no memory.

The list went on, the same responses followed, and soon Aesop was sitting at his desk again, completely dumbfounded. Not one single friend he had seen her personally speak with, spend her time with, even tell him about during their personal time together. It was as if Lenore never existed, that she was some kind of figment of his imagination. But even that never made sense. Aesop had written owls to Headmistress Weasley and Nigellus, needing to know if somehow, he was crazy. Phineas quickly told him that yes, of course Lenore existed, and to not bother with ridiculous questions.

Matilda's response was more alarming. His own had asked if she could please confirm that not only was Lenote a student, but that the professors that had taught her before also recollected Lenore's existence. In her response, not only did she, of course, remember Lenore, even still had her field guide, but all professor's remembered her.

All but one.

When Matilda had asked about Lenore to Professor Onai, the Divination teacher had absolutely no memory of Lenore, nor the friendship that her daughter shared with anyone like Lenore. Matilda did not want to press on, not wanting to make anyone afraid or panicked. Aesop understood, but as he wrote his notes, and continued to fill his walls, more and more questions were being asked, and it was all starting to crack and crumble before him. Yet he had two more, the two that were truly woven into Lenore's life.

Throughout his tenure at Hogwarts, Aesop did not find himself travelling around the surrounding area of Hogwarts. The farthest he had gone was Hogsmeade and his excursion with Lenore. Much to his disdain, his injury had left him much more sedimentary. Lenore had been one of the very few to get him out and explore the world around him.

Even now he could not hide the chuckle as he walked through Feldcroft, knowing that even with her not being here, she was still getting him to explore. The village itself was fairly quaint, the aesthetic of the region truly beautiful to him. He understood why many witches and wizards enjoyed coming out to these small villages and hamlets. He himself had thought about retiring out here, Aesop was not one for densely populated areas. He remembered Lenore agreeing, her joking how no matter what she would still find him to pester him. It made his chest warm, but he shook himself from the thoughts. He had a job to do.

After a few minutes of searching, he found himself standing before the Sallow home. It was a beautiful cottage, flowers growing around the front. It looked extremely well kept, he would like to live in a place like this one day.

With a deep breath, Aesop knocked on the door, the anxiety of the situation slowly starting to creep up his spine. When the door opened, the woman behind it only made his anxiety grow.

"Hello Ma'am. I am looking to speak with Sebastian Sallow. I'm from the Auror Office." He quickly flashed his badge. The woman looked from the badge to him, her expression sorrow filled as she came out, quietly shutting the door.

"I am sorry sir… but nobody from the Sallow family lives here anymore." She let out a breath. "Tragic loss the boy faced… to lose an uncle and a sister.. I couldn't imagine."

He did not expect that. From his time with her, Lenore had mentioned Sebastian's family, Aesop even teaching Anne for a time before she was taken out of the curriculum. He did not remember her extremely clearly, but he did remember that she was a fairly sweet individual.

"My condolences… From what I remember she was quite young." Aesop's voice was sympathetic, but at the same time he was getting more concerned. "I won't bother you further.. but do you know where Sebastian Sallow went to?"

The woman thought for a moment, her lips pursed and brows furrowed. After a few seconds he could see the answer came. "There was a friend I remember seeing him come here with quite often. I couldn't tell you his name.”

That was enough information Aesop needed. Thanking the woman for her time before quickly aparating out of the town.

The last place he could go, his last hope. And this hope was very daunting as he stood before the manor.

The manor itself seemed to exude its ancient age, its Stone old and eroding, the roofs sagging and covered in a dark moss. Aesop could only imagine just how long the rotted wood had left. Yet itself, it still stood regal. From his interactions with Ominis, to the countless conversations he had with Lenore about him, it seemed an odd place for him to live. Tentatively, he reached for the knocker on the door, the wood almost black. As he waited, he took in the surrounding woods around him. It seemed to be in a different world of its own, the massive willow trees leading towards the house gnarled and ancient looking. The hedges surrounding the home were overgrown, unkempt. The yard, Aesop assumed was once well manicured, was now overgrown with different weeds and wildflowers. The only plant worth of note to him were the occasional roses, thorns long enough to be used like a dagger.

The door creaking open behind broke him from his inspection, now being met by the oldest looking house elf he had ever seen. 'Is everything in this family ancient?'

Without speaking, it led him inside, directing him to an old yet lavish sitting room, an obsidian fireplace casting a green shadow over everything. The mantle itself seemed to be made of a dark obsidian, snakes intertwining with themselves until they led up to an extremely large portrait. Staring down at the auror was the great Salazar Slytherin himself. It took Aesop's breath away to see one of the great founders like this, in a portrait that was likely the only one in existence. He almost didn't see the two figures walk into the room.

Before him stood both Ominis and Sebastian. Ominis wore a suit of pitch black, with Sebastian wearing a dark green knitted jumper and slacks. It was hard for Aesop to see them in anything but their school robes, but it had been some time.

"Professor Sharp! What a surprise!" Sebastian threw his arms open, walking towards the Auror and grabbing his hand in a strong handshake. "Never thought I'd see the day you would want to visit!" He was taken aback somewhat, until his attention was taken by Ominis himself. His face showed unease. He hid his best to mask it with. Polite smile as he followed Sebastian, also shaking Aesop's hand. It was almost the opposite of Sallow's, his hand hesitant and cold.

"Yes well.. you are partly right about that, Mr. Sallow. I don't make it a habit to visit my old students. Aesop felt nothing short of uncomfortable in this situation. From the happiness of Sebastian, to the strained tension between him and Ominis, nothing was sitting right with him.

"Please, have a seat." Ominis finally spoke, heading towards the large leather couches by the fire. As Aesop sunk into the couch, the ancient looking house elf from before set the table in front. "Master's favourite tea." He croaked, pouring the cups before teleporting away. Without any prompting, Sebastian began to go on a tangent about their time after school, filling Aesop in about his moving from the Feldcroft, his growing relationship with Ominis, and his want to begin training with the Aurors, his only reason for being so late was due to the move. The entire time Sebastian spoke, Aesop kept his eyes on Ominis, taking in every micro expression he could, but the boy was masterful at keeping his face like stone. Soon enough though, Aesop knew he had to get to the real conversation.

"It is good to hear that you have been doing well for yourself, despite all you have been through." Aesop was glad the couches they all sat in were leather, hearing Ominis fidget and straighten himself.

"Yes well… it is always a hard time finding your place and career in the Wizarding world." Ominis' voice was strained, reaching to take his cup.

"I meant about Anne. I do truly offer my condolences-" the sound of porcelain shattering on the floor interrupted him, Ominis sputtering as Sebastian immediately tended to him, noticing the cut now present on the man's hand. Aesop was about to get up to help when Ominis held his other hand up.

"No, I am fine… Sebastian, could you please grab my kit from upstairs?" Sallow nodded, quickly apologising to Aesop and leaving the room. As they heard the steps go farther and quieter, Aesop noticed that Ominis had stood, standing beside Aesop, facing towards the fire.

"I ask you, while you are in my home, to not mention anything in regards to Anne. For Sebastian's sake, mine, and hers."

Aesop immediately got to his feet, staring down at the boy. "What do you know?"

"Now now professor. There is no need to get up in arms. I will tell you right now, she does not wish to be found. Sebastian will know nothing, like the others." Aesop's heart pounded in his chest, finally getting some kind of answer about Lenore.

"Ominis, you need to tell me what you know, for her safety and possibly yours." He was trying his best to keep control, but from the smirk on Ominis's face he could hear the worry seeping through. Without saying a word, Ominis waved his wand. Before the two men, the large green flames parted, the brick behind breaking away and shuffling themselves to the side, revealing a small vial. Aesop could deduce immediately what it was.

A memory.

Ominis reached in, taking the vial and placing it in the Auror's hand. "I can't say much, for Sebastian's sake. But just know she did this for our safety. Lebore cares for you, deeply. It killed her not to come to you for this, but after your last interaction, she thought you would not want her to come back." Hearing that was a gut punch to Aesop, trying to keep composure.

"We both want her to be safe. We both know something is wrong. But she wished that I…. We…. Lead our lives in peace. If that means she is gone, I accept that for her sake." Ominis turned towards Aesop, his hand clutching the man's shoulder. "All I want is for her to be safe and okay. Please… if you do somehow find her… and find out whatever is happening.. keep her safe." He let go of Aesop's shoulder, going back to sit on the couch as Aesop clutched the vial.

Sebastian hurried back into the room, tending to the wound on Ominis's hand. For a moment Aesop just stood there, looking between the vial and Ominis, before quickly pocketing it, collecting his bag. Sebastian looked up, confused. "Leaving already, Professor?"

"Yes, uh, well I just realised I had other things to take care of that slipped my mind. But it is good to hear you're doing well, Mister Sallow." He made his way to the large doors, Sebastian and Ominis following. With a brisk handshake for Sebastian, he thanked him for the hospitality, moving to Ominis. As he shook his good hand, Ominis leaned in, whispering in a soft voice.

"Take care of her, and tell her we are happy." Without another word, Aesop turned on his heels, aparating away from the estate.

Aesop was lucky he knew someone with a Pensieve. A quick letter to Matilda was sent, the owl with her response coming back only mere hours later, welcoming him to use it if it would help.

That night as he stood in Matilda's office, he could only just stare at the Pensieve, surrounded by other vials filled with memories. His anxiety was piqued, wondering what to expect from what he was about to see. Ominis had not instilled any kind of confidence in the growing situation, and Aesop was still asking more questions. He hoped, with all this heart, this would explain something. With a shaking hand, he poured the memory into the basin, watching the silver swirl and dance in the water.

Slowly, Aesop leaned his head down, submerging himself in the memory.

—

The world around him was dark, like being plunged into the blackest of night. It took a moment for Aesop to realise exactly why.

The world slowly pieced itself together, and through the blackness, shapes emerged. Some were crude, a flat surface here, a cold pane of glass there, all in distorted greys. Some objects, however, had more details. The ornate carving of the table, the old teacher of the couches, the obsidian scales of the mantle, all of which were like the other object, somewhat distorted and grey.

He could feel the heat of the fire caressing his face, one of the few things in this blasted house he actually had some kind of admiration for. He hated being here, this house filled with such horrors. Yet knowing Sebastian was here, that Lenore was here, it gave him some small joy.

The creaking of the floorboards in the distance knew the deed had been done. Slowly, they grew louder, approaching him slowly as they wavered on the grand staircase in the entrance hall. Her shoes heel clicked against the old wood, and after thirty seconds, he heard the shuffling from the entrance of the drawing room, something being placed beside her. She must have bathed, the scent of soap and lavender filling the room.

"Is it done?" Ominis cursed himself for the waver in his voice, wanting to seem stronger than he was.

"He is sleeping…" Lenore's voice was quiet. Judging by how her own voice quivered and the sniffle following, she had just finished crying. She moved closer to him, the sound of leather straining beneath her form as she sat. Ominis moved to sit beside her, his hand holding hers tenderly.

"So, that makes everyone then." His only response was a small 'mhm'.

Squeezing her hand, he let out his own breath. "You don't have to do this, Lenore, you can stay."

"You know I can't, Ominis." He knew clearly she was not going to hide the pain in her tone. "I won't let anybody's safety be at risk because of me. They will find you… hurt you.."

"And him?"

He could feel her hand shake in his, her pulse jumping."By the time the news gets to him… he will hate me. That is enough to know he is safe."

"Lenore… you know he will try to -"

"Stop!" He could hear her coming back the tears, Ominis immediately holding her in his arms. They stayed that way for a while, Lenore being the one to break away.

"What will you do then?" He stood with her, following her with his wand.

"I need to find somewhere far enough away from everyone, from people who could get hurt.." he heard her pick up the bag she dropped earlier, both going towards the door. "They will have spies everywhere. I can lure them to my position and…. take care of them. They will lose numbers soon enough."

Ominis grabbed her by the elbow. "You know they will twist this. They will make you a monster"

"Then I will have to bear it." She turned to him, leaning against the door. "I'll find an isolated enough place. You will all be okay, and I'll do what I must -"

"Just stop, Lenore!" His grip tightened. "Quite trying to think you need to do this alone. You don't."

"I'm not losing you! Sebastian has been through enough! You need to be there for him, to finally be happy! Maybe one day, when they have forgotten about me, I'll come back."

"Promise?"

"I promise…"

The two embraced, her body shaking against his own as he stroked her hair. It was longer now, still damp from the bath.

"I have enough polyjuice to get me by for a while if I need to go into town. I know of a good spot ill-"

"Lenore…. If he comes trying to find you… I won't lie to him."

That made her stop, her breath hitching as her palm laid against the door. "For you… I won't. You deserve happiness."

Ominis heard the door slowly open, Lenore's footsteps growing quieter and more distant as she walked away from the manor.

—

Aesop felt a chill go down his spine as he backed away from the Pensieve, sitting on the stone steps of the office. His breathing was erratic, vision focusing after being used to the darkness. For a moment, he just took in the sound of her voice, how broken she sounded when Ominis had mentioned him. His own heart felt for her, wanting to just hold her again like that last time, to breathe in her completely.

But a few things had become clear to him now. Lenore had not been killing Aurors. The Ministry was behind something.

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