Alecto knew â sheâd known all along how terrible her engagement would make her feel. On the surface she remained almost neutral to it, careless, unbothered, but in the inside she despised any marriage she couldnât choose on her own. Though she hadnât really gone to this stage with Vincent yet, it was clear the Avery boy was a perfect choice for her, or so her father would suggest any way. Still, with them getting a bit closer than formerly anticipated, Alecto started to accept her fatherâs decisions considering she wouldnât find a better match. No, this engagement hadnât been based on love or real trust at first, but she started to feel for Vincent in a way she couldnât rationally explain, not like she was used to. Mutual respect and a freedom within the cage her father tried to cage her in, she clung onto him as a source of strength rather than someone whose entire life would mix with hers, robbing her off her personality and duty in this world. Alecto was, after all, an individual first and a soldier second. No one, not even Amycus, could rob her off of her individualism and need for freedom â but with Vincent she partially agreed to let go off that thought and create a newly defined role for herself as a spell inventor first and wife second.Â
Months past and the truth came out. Now she walked on her own again, free and thriving on the pain of others. This unsatisfactory life turned out to be the base of a legacy. Having lost the weight off of her shoulders Alecto finally learned how to breathe again, how to fully invest her time to her legacy â and sheâd soon be recognized for her own achievements.
Her thoughts kept her pretty occupied as she walked through the busy streets of Diagon Alley before slowly taking a right turn into Knockturn Alley. Darkness welcomed her, let her face reappear with every new crack of sunlight she approached. Sheâd come for one particular reason: to find out if anyone within the White Wyvern Pub was willing to earn a few galleons and be her willing test subjects. Approaching the White Wyvern, however, she had to follow a path up the stairs, just next to Markus Scarrs Indelible Tattoo â a place sheâd never even recognized before, never cared for, but this time â a pair of curious, blue eyes watched her. Coming to an abrupt halt, Alecto pressed one hand gently against the surprisingly clear window, almost as if to stabilize herself, almost as if to grab through it. She didnât know what to think or what to feel, even. Maybe sheâd already found what she was looking for â a willing subject.
Opening the door and entering the shop sheâd ignored ever since setting foot into Knockturn Alley for the first time, Alecto immediately approached Vincent with a stern gaze. She kept her poise, kept her hands together in front of her chest ever since sheâd entered the tattoo studio. âThatâs a lot of commitment,â she pointed out dryly while gesturing at some of the pre-designed tattoos. âVincent,â she added with a softer tone to her voice, almost as if to calm him. âYou seem â lost. I could help you if you desire.â
Romance had never been a priority to Vincent. Back at Hogwarts, while most of his peers were discovering their newfound hormones, he quietly ignored them, devoting his time and attention towards his pursuit of knowledge. He knew the life laid out before him included a wife he would likely have no say in choosing, and he was content with that. For a lot of his youth, he had always hoped that it would be Georgina chosen for him. They were twin souls, they always said, and he had more in common with her than anyone else he had ever known. And yet life was not kind, especially to those who wanted things. It was not Georgina that he would spend his life with, but Alecto Carrow. Like all things, he accepted this with little argument, setting forth into his engagement with his usual disengaged indifference. It was not a match based in feeling, and yet when was it ever for people like them? He never quite managed to let go of those feelings for Georgina --- even now, they swirled around inside of him, angry at being ignored. But, despite this, he was surprised by the way he came to settle with the idea with surprising tranquility. There was an unspoken understanding between Vincent and Alecto --- neither of them had chosen this path, yes, but they did not have to allow it to define them.Â
In time, Vincent even came to care for her. She was smart, almost ruthlessly so, and it was that quality that eventually endeared her to him. Yes, there was no love between them, but one day maybe there would be. That alone was something Vincent never thought he might have. Alecto Carrow was an unlikely choice, but he had come to understand that she would make a good wife for him, and he a good husband for her.Â
And then his mother opened her mouth, and it all fell apart. He hadnât reached out to Alecto since then, wary of what she would say to him now that he wasnât a pureblood anymore. He supposed he never had been, but it didnât feel that way. It felt like something had been ripped away from him. Still, he didnât expect Alecto to be very understanding, previous relationship or not. He hadnât thought much of her in these last two months, too focused on trying to keep a roof over his head while also avoiding his sister. But there she was, right over there, looking directly at him. All of those old thoughts and feelings came rushing back, and against his better judgement, he found himself taking a step towards her.
His eyes flickered towards the tattoos on the wall and then back to her. âIâve got no problem with commitment, Alecto, you know that.â He said, his tone reflecting her gentleness back to her. How strange, to run into her like this, and to speak like nothing had changed.Â
        âLost?â He said. âWell, youâre not wrong.â He had never felt more lost than he had in these last two months. She was hitting the nail on the head. âThough, I wonder what sort of help you could provide?â