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legilliimens · 3 years

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— shrieking shack, with dove longbottom.

there’s a chill gripping his spine that he doesn’t know how to shake, a coldness that reaches the bone. the sensation left behind after having eyes bore into you. not just any pair of eyes either, unreadable ones that don’t hesitate to hurt them. dae won’t forget the faces in that room, the joy that was definitely present on some of their faces as dae writhed under pain they hope to never feel again. a pain they hope to never recognize in another. there were moments, while he laid breathless on stone flooring, wondering if she’d come for him. countless moments. more than he’ll ever admit because it wasn’t a reflection of them at all. of course dove would find them, but it was a hard thing to tell himself to believe when a wraith was pulling secrets from behind their eyes.

the war had always felt very real, but it hadn’t touched him yet. dae had watched it tear apart families, dove’s most vividly, but still the wraiths felt like an outside force, and one that while terrifying him, he felt protected from. but now they knew him, knew his secrets, his loved ones. the barrier that kept their mind from tipping over the edge was gone, and their safest option is now this hellishly loud place that creaks on its own. “it’s so loud here.” their voice raw, dae coughs after their words, a brief break from the shaking. he’s stopped crying at least, tears don’t obscure his view, but dae’s eyes flick back and forth between the door and windows, curled up on an old bed in the corner of the ever dusty room. “why is it so damn loud?”

finally, his eyes find theirs. “can you make it stop? please?”

#* seokdae hyeon. > interactions.#* seokdae hyeon. > interactions. ( dove longbottom. )#* timestamp. > 2028.#i am the king of vague timestamps #also this gif hurt to use ur welcome

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legilliimens · 3 years

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hippogriffing:

The mention of nepotism elicits a laugh from Daiyu, too. Even at fourteen, she had known what it had meant to leave, what she was turning her back on. An empire, an opportunity to claim part of it as her own and never worry about money ever. And even then, Daiyu had had little interest in it. What good was money when you had to kill yourself over and over again for it? She had preferred the surname Valentine over Volkova a thousand times. “Wonderfully high up, apparently. Literally.”

She feels weighed down and yet forces her body to be featherlight, moving around the place as if it’s a stage and she a ballerina. Daiyu has always laughed in the face of danger. “Oh yes, they did. Very grave, serious faces, informing us of dark wizards in organised crime … I never paid much attention in those bits of training.” They flash a grin, and don’t add that they’d preferred not to pay attention because of the guilt curling in their chest. As far as Daiyu knew Inna, she wasn’t one for guilt, anyway. “Yeah, I definitely expect a postcard of sorts when he bites it.” They let themselves fall on a chair throwing their legs over the armrest and kicking her feet a little. “Not three just yet, but almost.” And fuck, how proud she was of having made it as an Auror, even if she bent the rules to her own will and didn’t fully believe in the Ministry. Besides, Daiyu knows it’d piss her father off, and that’s always been a great motivator.

Inna calls Vissa a pet and Daiyu observes her for a moment, wanting to laugh at the irony. “And you? Still a silent force?” She must still be working with Alexei, she supposes, which makes her something of a puppet, too. But her father is not here, which is … something. “All this time, yes. Even went to old Hoggy-Hogwarts.” She cocks her head. “Guess what house I was sorted in?” It has to be obvious. The second answer is not granted with an answer just yet, and Daiyu swings her legs back on the floor, getting up and closing the distance between Inna and herself. The proximity is distracting, but she wants to look her right in the eye. “I’m not telling you shit about them,” she begins, tone lacking the feigned lightness she had dipped her voice in before. Over the years, she has found herself protective of Nik and Dana, the three of them looking after each other like a small pack of feral wolves. The pack survives. “What’s to stop you from telling Alexei? Get a point in your favour, win his approval … I haven’t forgotten how this game works.” Her wand is still in her hand, a loaded gun of sorts. “Who’s to say you haven’t already? Hm?” And perhaps that’s when Daiyu starts to realise that she may have walked into a trap of her own design, willingly entering a space that she does not know. They’ve never been one to think over their actions before taking them, and grip on their wand tightens. Wary, suddenly, even if they’re supposed to be the one in control of the situation.

inna knows her sibling well enough. it’s hard not to get to know someone when exploiting them, and what was she good for if not exploiting? alexei got what he wanted, at least one daughter to inherit the family cruelty. one thing inna could never quite decipher from observation alone was to what degree daiyu’s brazenness was true or forced, if their bark and bite are as ferocious with no other volkov in sight. “didn’t think to use your insider knowledge to reach top of the class? or did nikolai-” his name tastes sour in her mouth, more so than their father’s, “tell you to hold back?” a postcard, something to mundane, something loved ones send each other from great distances. a i’m not with you, but i’m thinking of you, here’s the proof. that notion is foriegn to her, but to say she didn’t think of them countless times over the years would be a lie. “hard to send a postcard to a ghost.”

initially, she feels rage. how dare they criticize her when they got the luxury of slipping away. but like everything, inna brings herself under control, and the flash of fury in her eyes morphs back to the abyss that usually stands in her eye sockets. instead of giving into the taunt, inna moves over to a small furniture housing a bottle of whiskey and a pair of glasses, pouring a little in both. holding one close to her chest, she holds out the other glass to daiyu. “hogwarts, huh. i’m surprised you weren’t home schooled.” she doesn’t have to articulate her guess, there’s only one house daiyu could realistically have fallen into if she was remotely. “i’m sure a hogwarts education suited you. alexei always said the british were too soft banning dark arts.”

as the distance between them shrinks, the corners of inna’s mouth raise ever so slightly. it’s not a warm smile, quite the opposite. daiyu has every right to believe the words that leave her mouth, but they couldn’t be further from inna’s truth. “you’ve forgotten enough.” inna starts, the smile fading as quick as it comes. “we aren’t children anymore, daiyu. there is nothing he can give me that i can’t take for myself.” and then her sternness fades away, her posture loosening. “what on earth would i gain from giving my enemy my information.” what on earth would i gain from giving up some of the only people who could help me finally tear him down? but that’s one card too many to be holding out for others to see. “besides. if you came here thinking i’d sell you out, then you’re more stupid than i remember. or there’s no one left to protect but yourself. so, i’ll ask you again,” inna takes a slow, steady breath, “are they here too?”

#* inna volkova. > interactions.#* inna volkova. > interactions. ( daya valentine. )#* timestamp. > 2026.#i wanna hug them

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legilliimens · 3 years

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hippogriffing:

Years have passed and Daya – or is she Daiyu, now, here? – has wondered about what they have done to Inna. They can’t have been kind, because life simply isn’t kind to those born in their family, but that still leaves plenty of other options. The urge to reach out has never left, truly, but it had quieted at least. And now they burn with that curiosity again, that curiosity that had eaten away at them when they’d spend their first years at Hogwarts. Daiyu may not have seen her sister in years, but Inna has been with her in thought almost every day since. Like a dog, she’s been unable to let go of the thought of her siblings. Fangs buried, refusing to slacken jaw.

Inna steps aside. Daiyu chooses to lower her wand as a response, though she holds onto it all the same. Wary, healthily so. “You seem to be doing well for yourself,” she hums as she steps into impressive penthouse, though she’s hardly surprised. Blood money tends to buy the prettiest places, after all. But it’s something of a question wrapped in dry comment, and she looks at her sister over her shoulder.

The mention of torture threatens to bring memories back. Was it not years ago, that Inna and them had pointed wants at each other with the intent to harm? “I’m quite good at interrogating without resorting to fucked-up methods, these days.” She shrugs, trailing around the penthouse as if it’s her own, feigning comfort when her skin is crawling with suppressed memories and wariness. “Learned a thing or two. That’s not to say I unlearned any of the shit dada dearest taught us, though, mind you. Speaking of, the fucker is still breathing, yeah?” They look at Inna, then, wanting to apologise for leaving her with him and Vis, but Daiyu isn’t quite ready yet. And so they continue to spew. “So, how’d you find me, then? How long’ve you been in England?” Daiyu moves to pick up a trinket, observing it for a moment. “How’s Vissy? Still a little bitch?” She places the thing back down, turning fully towards their sister. “Sorry for the questions, been fucking burning with them. You got hot.”

she’s silently thankful for the lowered wand, every instinct telling her to bite back. it’s been some years since anyone dared to do what her little sister does so dauntlessly. raising your wand to the volkov’s only daughter was a death sentence, but daiyu has a habit of avoiding such things. inna can’t help but be impressed under all the resentment (of a life she could have had too, had she not been abandoned in a pit of snakes on a glacier). daiyu had always stayed true to themself, a quality inna lost before starting her education at koldovstoretz. the heiress almost laughs imagining the expression of their father if he were to find out he fucked up so royally his youngest turned became an auror. inna thinks the title suits them.

“oh, well. you know where nepotism can get you.” not that inna would thankher humor is much like her uncle’s: so deadpan it’s hard to tell it’s humour at all. but if anyone would clock it, it would be daiyu. inna watches. notes the differences in the way this being moves compared to the girl she knew years ago. daiyu looks comfortable. as comofortable as one could be in a situation like this. inna decides it’s a pleasant change.

inna laughs out loud this time, a short, somewhat humourless noise. “i can picture so many disappointed faces. what a sight that would be.” it’s not a threat, but a subtly sinister reminder of ‘i have power, don’t come into my house with the intent of fucking me over’. “auror training must have been a blast. did they warn you about people like us?” her next laugh is brighter, some honest amusement. a rare sight. “you’d know if he was gone.” i’d make it so. “purely on accident, i hate to admit. how long have you been working there, three years tops, no?” it barely feels like coincidences, part of her is wary and right to be, why was she offered up to inna on a silver platter? “little under four years. good to know keeping under the radar worked.” inna wonders if he knows, if nik has the faintest idea, she hopes she has him fooled. another laugh, one that leaves resentment in the air around her. “of course. still a pet. still no mind of his own.” and that’s why i’m going to win. but it’s hard to revel in her own accomplishments when looking at daiyu elicits what can only be guilt. a walking reminder of the cost of ambition. inna doesn’t like this feeling. “my turn now.” if there was pleasantness on her features before, it’s dissapated now, resentment bubbling over. “you’ve been here all this time? are they here too?” and then a look that can only mean one thing, don’t fucking lie to me, i’ll know.

#* inna volkova. > interactions.#* inna volkova. > interactions. ( daya valentine. )#* timestamp. > 2026.#tumblr pls let the formatting work this time #i would also Respectfully like daya's hand in marriage #WHY DOES IT NOT WORK i hate this site

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legilliimens · 3 years

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#i will change graphics eventually but hello my son #* archie graham. > reflection.#gonna tag leo too but the earrings is an ARCHIE thing #* leon graham. > reflection.

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legilliimens · 3 years

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hippogriffing:

daya and inna

WITH. – @legilliimens WHERE. – inna’s place of dwelling. WHEN. – sometime in 2026-ish.

The person that had been tailing them had been good, sure — but Daya had been better. She had not spend years looking over her shoulder without honing some sharp instincts, after all. And so she had cornered their tail, fishing information from his less-than-willing mouth in a more humane way than most Volkova’s would, and left him with an altered memory after he’d uttered the name Inna. A name that haunted like a ghost in an old home, sneaking up on Daya when she was near sleep, dragging ice cold fingers over her back. Inna. It was all they had needed to hear to know why someone was following them. Almost as if she’d been waiting for this day, reunion between sisters inevitable. Access to the Ministry’s files on its citizens had been easily abused – Daya never above using her job for other gains – and there the name had been again. Along with an address.

And that’s where she is now. Staring at front door, a knife in coat pocket and wand in her hand and apology/insult on tip of her tongue. Hesitation is not a sensation that Daya is very familiar with, too used to trusting gut instincts and acting on impulse. Yet, her hand lingers as it hovers in front of the doorbell. They press it all the same, melodic tone following. Some time passes and Daya considers pressing it again, letting the bell ring for a full minute before letting go again, the wish to annoy their sister age-old and apparently not yet faded. But then the door swings open and Daya finds herself thrown off by the sight of Inna Volkova.

But she does what she always does: she opens her mouth and lets words fall out. The yappy runt of the bunch. “The guy you had follow me was fucking shit,” she says. “I’m kind of insulted you didn’t choose someone more competent to tail me, Inna. Took very little to figure out it was you he worked for.” The wand in her hand is pointed forward, but in a passive manner. Daya is not looking for a fight, but she knows her family’s ways too well to not come prepared for one. “Anyway, hey! Surprise!”

the hours since seeing what inna hoped to be a ghost turn into what feels like days. no more are the matters she attended to at the ministry important. in those hours, the ministry and all her hard work hooking her claws into britian could go up in violent flames and it wouldn’t matter. if inna wasn’t smart, she’d send multiple people out in search of evidence that the face she saw was real, but when you work in an industry you can’t trust, her best option was to hire someone with no ties whatsoever to her family and especially not her father. it’s a risk, but one she’s willing to take.

a risk that didn’t seem to be paying off as the day grew dark and still, no news. she truly considers for a moment having the man she hired killed, a thought she has while relaxing in a tub that costs more than any sensible human being would ever pay. just as she brings the rim of a wine glass to her lips, the doorbell rings. inna’s in no rush, despite her desperate need to answer the questions swimming around like hungry sharks behind her skull. when the doorbell rings a second time, dragged out and infuriating, inna thinks again about having the man killed. but as she opens the front door in a satin robe, she isn’t met with the man she hired.

daiyu. it must look odd, to see inna volkova with an eyebrow raised. surprised. she’s real. she’s here. inna is torn between relief to see colour in her little sister’s cheeks and a burning anger that makes her wish she had her wand pointed at daiyu’s throat. “clearly.” are her first words. inna looks past daiyu, scanning the lobby of the penthouse where there should have been some of her men on watch. “i’m not even going to ask.” exhasperated, eyes snap back to daiyu’s and then to the wand loosely pointed at herself. at least she’s not totally stupid. for a moment, inna continues to observe her in silence, waiting for something but not quite knowing what. an embrace? an apology? both options felt too niave to entertain. “come in, then.” inna steps to the side, motioning for daiyu to cross the threshold. it’s not a gesture of trust, but the closest thing to a peaceoffering that inna can provide. why is she offering peace? she’s still not quite sure. “still torturing? or do you want me to believe you asked him nicely?”