#honestly Natsai's quests are my least favorite ones

[faustinio27]

I'm going to ramble a bit about Natsai and Faustine's last quest against Harlow.

First, I finished this quest after the main one. After Faustine saved Hogwarts, massacred Rockwood's camp and himself, Ranrok and his loyalists, avoided death and loose Fig. In other words, she remains unstable during this period. Although her peak of rage has passed, and the death of her mentor has plunged her into deep grief and depression, she keeps this anger deep in her heart.

Natsai wants to finish Harlow off on her own, as she feels Faustine is already at her wits' end and should avoid fighting for a while. But she decides to talk to her about it, as she doesn't want to do it behind her back, as it's a quest they've started together. But when Faustine finds out, she insists on following Natsai. Although recovering, she refuses to let her friend face an enemy without being at her side to protect her. Natsai tries to convince her otherwise, but nothing works, and she finally gives in.

Then comes the battle against the last followers of Rockwood and Harlow. Natsai and Faustine come through without too much trouble, after all the enemies they've faced together so far. What's more, the group of dark wizards is only weakened by the death of their leader.

Then comes the fight against Harlow. Two against one, the fight doesn't last long. Faustine uses all the ancient magic she's accumulated from her previous battles to unleash it against him. But she refrains from killing him as she did Rockwood, because this time she's accompanied by Natsai. While they think he's defeated, neither of them pays any attention. Out of pride or overconfidence, they think that this time it's all over. Tiredness catches up with Faustine, who no longer has a drop of the ancient magic left in her. None of them thought he'd cast the pain spell on Faustine.

Natsai was the first to realize this and took the blow instead of Faustine, who was much faster in her gazelle form.

As the griffindor collapsed to the floor in agony, time seemed to stand still. Faustine sees Fig's lifeless body instead of that of her friend. Terrified that the same thing had happened to her. That she had lost a second loved one in such a short space of time. As if the whole world wanted to take away from her what she holds most dear in the world. She hears Natsai's mother screaming her name and running towards her. Faustine doesn't react when she sees her, doesn't wonder why she's there. Guilt and anger surge through the student, a sly, cold rage. Just when she'd want to do something, anything, she feels she has no ancient magic left in her. So the first spell that comes naturally to her, as she turns to a sneering Harlow, is the death spell. An unforgivable, fatal spell that she has never used, never needed to use, but which burns her lips as she twirls her wand above her head.

Just as she's about to cast it, a voice behind her casts the expelliarmus spell, which intercepts her wand and knocks it further away. Faustine, enraged, turns around to discover the auror Ruth Singer casting an immobilization spell on the dark wizard. With one look, Faustine understood that the auror wanted to prevent her from committing the unforgivable. Natsai's cries of pain brought her back to reality. She runs to join her, but doesn't dare get too close as her mother cradles her in her arms, crying. Guilt hits her hard. Once again, she hadn't been strong enough to save her friend.

Although Natsai will get over it, and neither she nor her mother hold a grudge against the Ravenclaw girl, she can't forgive herself. If she hadn't made the promise to Professor Fig, she'd have gone back to retrieve Isidora's magic deposit. So she promised herself she'd become stronger in another way, with her own ancient magic. So that no one could ever again attack her family.

After Hogwarts, the two students will train together to become Aurors, and will becoming one. It's Natsai who will see Faustine's resentment deepen every time she goes on a mission. And Faustine will always refuse to join forces with Natsai on missions, knowing that she would spend more time watching over her to protect her than doing her duty. Which tends to annoy her, since she too is an Auror. Eventually, she'll help Faustine realize that this path isn't for her, because this resentment consumes her too much and become unhealthy.