[b]10:03 AM - Rosaline Hall, East Wing, Servants’ Quarters[/b]

Compared to the old Snatcher camps, this was heaven.

True, the servants’ quarters of Rosaline Hall were far from luxurious, but it was still a far cry from the hovels he’d been made to hole up in. One time, he and a few others spent a grand total of five weeks running about the wilderness, in order to make sure that not a single Muggleborn slipped through the Ministry’s clutches. Every day, it was the same thing. Wake up, have a meagre breakfast, search the area until it got dark again, supper, and then, back to sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. Maybe if it was an exciting day, they would actually find a straggler or two to haul back to HQ. But most of the time, days passed rather uneventfully. Ludo could get used to the cold, the rain, even the noises that filled the forest at night, but never having anything solid against his back was driving him crazy. Not to mention the soul-crushing monotony.

That horrible experience [i]did[/i] teach him a useful trick, however -- to be able to rest whenever he had five minutes for it, and wake as if his eyes had never been closed.

It’d taken him months, nearly a year, to earn the reluctant trust of the Ashes, and now, he was finally tasting the fruits of his labour. Of course, Ludo was still nowhere near having anyone vouch for him, but under the circumstances, one had to take their victories where they could. [i]Baby steps[/i], he told himself. There wasn’t an easy solution nor shortcut to these kinds of things, and he knew that better than anyone else.

...Though he couldn’t say he was looking forward to it. His past working for the Dark Lord might not mean much to him, but to some others, that was something downright unforgivable. An age-old adage comes to mind whenever the affair is brought up: [i]“a leopard never changes its spots”[/i].

But Ludo had to admit, the Ashes were much more tolerant of such things. Most of them, at least. Since their very own leader had been in the Dark Lord’s service himself, he supposed that was only logical. Still, not one to get into such boring moral debates with himself this early in the morning, Ludo quickly deserted the train of thought, instead preoccupying himself with getting to the meeting room. Apparently, there was an important announcement to be made, though one had to wonder whether it could’ve waited a few more hours.

[hr]

Soon enough, after quite the walk, Ludo found himself at his destination. Of course, he could’ve just apparated himself there, but where was the fun in that? There was so much to hear and see along the corridors of Rosaline Hall, and these days, many would agree that information was the most valuable currency of all. Was it eavesdropping? Perhaps, but there was no harm in happening to overhear a thing or two while he passed by.

Stepping inside the room, Ludo made himself comfortable in one of the chairs closer to the door, sprawled across it like a long-limbed octopus. [i]Merlin[/i], the rich sure do spoil themselves, eh? Even the chairs and tables in this place were swanky, the former’s stitching lined with Erumpent hide. This kind of opulence was very likely something he’d never get used to. Too much time spent huddled around a burning stove, the frigid, ocean gale digging into your skin, and you learn to appreciate the little things.

For a moment or two, Ludo remained silent, eyes flickering across the room at his companions, scrutinising. But when he spotted the scruffy, bedraggled mess that was one Mr. Colquhoun, a stirring of remembrance surfaced in him. There was something he needed to tell him, wasn’t there? Something about a new shipment of ingredients… 

Oh, right. Now he remembered.

“Hey, Finn.” Ludo said, none too loudly, but either way, his voice seemed to carry right across the room. “Me and my boys managed to get ahold of some Dragon Blood and Doxy Venom yesterday. You told me last week you needed those, right? For your potions?”