Ancient: The Legacy of Slytherin

Idiot

Arabella POV

For the rest of the week, I couldn't stop thinking about Marvolo Gaunt.

I hated him.

But no matter what he did or how annoying he was, he also stirred something else in me. Some deep, instinctual feeling that felt forbidden. He was always popping up at the most unexpected times; our lives couldn't seem to stop colliding. Was he doing it on purpose?

There wasn't time for me to harp on my feelings. I promised Natty I'd investigate a nearby castle with her. She believed it to be the stronghold of Theophilus Harlow, Rookwood's right-hand man. If we could take him out, Ranrock's operation may begin to crumble. And at the least, we'd leave the Ashwinders without a leader, and they'd tear themselves apart from the inside out.
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"Do we have a plan?" I crouched beside Natty behind a bush outside of the Falbarton Castle gates.

"No, we do not have a plan," she responded rather matter-of-factly. "I was hoping with our combined skill, we could be in and out."

Natty had such an intriguing accent I almost forgot to listen to her words as she spoke.

"Are you good with that, Arabella?"

"Well seeing as though I don't have a better plan, I'm rather inclined to agree. I'll follow your lead. But Natty-"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why do you want to take down Rookwood and Harlow? I'm not complaining for the help, it just- it seems personal for you."

"It is. You're quite perceptive, Arabella. I've known many men like Rookwood and Harlow back in Uganda. Thieves. Poachers. They need to be stopped, before things get out of hand. I won't stand by if there's something I can do to stop them. And apparently Officer Singer needs proof before she'll intervene. I'll get her the damn proof."

"Why doesn't the Ministry of Magic intervene in these sorts of things? Rookwood, Ranrock...I just don't understand."

"The Ministry may not be what you believe it to be, Arabella. All worlds are full of corruption. This one. The muggle one. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said:

'Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.'

The Ministry has been gazing into an abyss for a long time."

I swallowed hard. Natty was wiser than most adult wizards I've spoken with.

"I understand."

The sun was setting as we approached the main gates of the castle. Hues of pink and yellow and orange peppered the sky, making the clouds an almost purple color. Scotland was undoubtedly beautiful, even in the most dire circumstances. I took a mental picture of the sky before I refocused my attention on the mission. In the back of my head, I heard Miriam's voice, like an echo:

"Remember these little moments, dear child. Before you know it, you'll blink and be an old woman like me. Live, Arabella."

Live.

I wiped a tear that formed in the corner of my eye. Natty deserved my full attention.

There didn't appear to be any guards around the outside, so we opted to sneak in over the walls. Natty laced her fingers together and I stepped into her palm as she hoisted me up until I could grasp the wall and pull myself over it onto a landing. I peered back over the edge as Natty spoke.