The Sallow Saga - Vol. 2 - In the Shadows of Memories [A HL Fanfiction]

Chapter 17. A Game of Truths

The home that Marvolo lived in at Aranshire was the largest building in the tiny square. Cassy recognised it immediately and felt a small part of her cringe at the ridiculousness of Ominis's brother. After the events of her fifth year, Cassy had voluntarily opted to rid Aranshire of an infestation of deadly acromantulas. The nest of the beasts had been located in the same house that Marvolo had chosen as his comfortable, temporary abode. Fitting really, Cassy thought, that the house of a black-market trader killed in her own greedy pursuits, would serve as a convenient lair for Marvolo to work on his own ridiculous pursuit of revenge.
Marvolo graciously invited her into the building and indicated a narrow stairwell, detailing a room on the left which housed an array of outfits 'the previous occupant has yet to collect'. Cassy stared blankly at the man, before hesitantly indicating her discomfort at wearing a stranger's belongings. Her hesitancies were loftily waved away.
"Pish, posh my dear – I've been living in this house for the last six months. I'm inclined to believe that if the previous occupant of this house valued their attire so greatly, they wouldn't have left it all bunched up and covered in dust and webs." He smiled smugly. Cassy smirked back as she thought, unless they'd been eaten alive; and their house had become an overly extended nest for abnormally large spiders.

She carefully headed up the stairs. Wearing a gown was not common practice for her, and so navigating the long skirts with a rickety, wooden stairwell was not the easiest of tasks. As she entered the room Marvolo had detailed, the acrid smell of residual acromantula venom hit the back of her throat. She quietly gagged several times as she allowed her senses to grow accustomed to the discomfort. As she pulled open the wardrobe door, the strands of webbing twanged apart and trailed stickly across the wooden floorboards. She flicked through the hung clothes and selected a more comfortable outfit. Clearly the old acromantula breeder had been a keen hunter too, her wardrobe consisted of sturdy hunting boots, armoured leather corsetry and starchy blouses of a natural earthy hue that would camouflage well while hunting in the nearby forbidden forest. Cassy quietly got changed and as quickly as she could, took stock of her surroundings.

The bedroom's window looked directly out over the main square; she recalled the old vending post that used to be in place to the right of the house she was in. There was a large floral arrangement in the centre of the hamlet and two houses to the left of the one she and Marvolo were currently in. Outside the second house on the left stood a proud and overly grown venomous tentacula, not something she'd like herself or any of her friends to engage with, but certainly worth knowing of its presence should it be needed.
"Are you alright up there, my dear?" Marvolo's voice slunk, slimily up the stairs.
Cassy shivered at the sound. She had never experienced such an intensely negative reaction to anyone both during her time at school or even as an auror; yet Marvolo's voice seemed to illicit the same disturbing sensation of being under and over her skin, all at once!
"I'm quite alright Marvolo, I'm afraid there's nothing too feminine here – I believe your home's previous owner was quite the tomboy. I have pieced together a little something that should suffice for now, though." She sighed somewhat dramatically. In all truthfulness, the outfit she was wearing was more in keeping with her own apparel preferences, but Marvolo didn't need to know that.

As she took one last glimpse out the window, she spotted Sharp in his Shunpike guise, striding toward the house. She kept her eyes firmly glued to him from her bird's eye view and noted his sudden urge to cast a brief look up to her window. He offered her the briefest of winks that could have easily been mistaken for a nervous twitch, to assure her it was him, before heading to the front door and knocking it smartly.
Cassy took a few delicate steps toward the top of the stairs, cautiously placing each foot to ensure it wasn't heard. Thankfully, the layer of dust lay so thickly on the ground that she didn't need to worry about casting a muffling spell on her shoes. Cassy heard Marvolo take a couple of long strides toward the door, unbolting several locks, before standing in silence.
"You?!" His voice sneered, quietly; "I thought you were otherwise indisposed."
"Sorry to bovva y', Sir!" Sharp's nasally impression of Shunpike, dripped heavily with a greasiness that was very unbecoming; "was released early – Tempest's doin'. Said she'd been impressed wiv m' tortorin' that Sallow kid." There was the sound of something being hocked up and spat outside.
Cassy was genuinely impressed with Sharp's acting prowess, still – he hadn't made it up the ranks to chief auror by half-heartedly committing to a role.
"Oh, that was you? Was it?" Marvolo's sneer became more of a bored drawl; "very well – where is Tempest? I had hoped she might meet me and my guest for supper?"
"On 'er way. That Sallow kid randomly showed up in Feldcroft just now, she seemed excited for me to pick up where I left off – now that your brother is h-incapacitated and not able to interrupt. She wanted to make sure I get the job done, this time." Sharp wheezed a maniacal chuckle.
"Very well," Marvolo sighed, evidentially bored; "ensure that Tempest doesn't overindulge in your catch of the day – there's a tempting morsel or two, waiting for her upstairs;" he hissed, wickedly.
Cassy slunk back to her room and picked her wand up, she tucked it in to a holster belt that she had pulled out of the wardrobe, and fastened around her waist. Hurriedly, she picked out the Tampered Tankard Tingles paint and painted a layer over her small finger. Finally, she grabbed the vial of amortentia from her purse and slipped it into her back pocket. So, Marvolo had some fun and games he wanted to play too? As the door shut downstairs, Cassy watched as Shunpike (Sharp) slunk off to the other side of the hamlet's square and duck out of view. She turned her attention back to the stairwell and thought determinedly, this game of wizarding chess has been set up nicely to play, and this white witch is about to play her first turn.