The Concious Mind

Thaor knew it would be only a matter of time that Felix would give him up. So he decided it would be best to go talk to Robert and Khaat, and fill them in, before Felix did. Thaor pinned his Wizengamot badge to his shirt, and apparated from his shop to the Ministry. He went straight for the lifts, stepped in, and rode the lift to the ministers office.

Thaor knocked on the door, and waited for a response.

Khaat was bringing fresh food from Sparks for her father, who never seemed to have enough time in the day for himself. She had brought a basket with a large thermos of her beloved French roast coffee and brought in an enormous platter of fresh scones and a fresh supply of fresh fruit for the crystal bowl he kept on the credenza. The basket also held plenty of paper plates, cups and all the other necessities.

She was putting the fruit into the bowl for him when someone knocked. "Come in," her father called. When Thaor entered, Khaat smiled at the confirmed Death Eater. "Good morning, Thaor," she said. "We're just getting into some scones and tea that I brought from Sparks. Please--join us. There's french roast coffee on the desk and a big platter of an assortment of scones. Join us, won't you?"

"Come in and sit," Robert said. "Can I pour you some coffee?" he asked. He poured a large cup for Khaat, who never drank a small cup of french roast, and poured himself a cup. "Oh, and there's also Earl Grey on the credenza. What would you like?"

Robert believed in casualness, hospitality, and friendship. And even over business, he preferred hospitality over formality. Khaat came over and took her cup of coffee from her father, and sat down in one of the chairs facing the desk.

Thaor was taken back by their hospitality, surely they knew he was a death eater, and it was very possible they knew that he had aided Barker. For the first time in his life, Thaor was speechless, his lips were frozen in fear. Fear of what? Robert has been his friend for a long time, never-the-less, Thaor couldn't speak.

Thaor shook his head from side to side, and took a seat. Forcing himself to speak, Thaor said, No thank you, I can't be long. But I needed to have a conversation with you. It's been bugging me for far too long Robert. Thaor said, looking to the floor.

Khaat, I wish for you to be in on this conversation as well Thaor said, looking from the floor to Khaat.

"Alright," Robert said. "So what's on your mind, Thaor? You can speak freely here. I think Khaat has had a sense that we've been able to be friends, despite our differences. I think that perhaps she has inherited that ability from me somehow. Tell us what's on your mind."

He had known Thaor long enough to know the look on his friend's face. Whatever this was, it either wasn't good news or it was something that made Thaor a tad anxious. He never liked distance between his friends. Not this kind of distance anyway. He felt better when the cards were on the table. He looked at Khaat. Her face had just the very slightest glimmer of satisfaction in finding out her suspicions about her father and Thaor were in fact validated.

Thaor decided the best way to do this, was to get straight to the point. He looked at Robert, and looked him in the eye. The night that Khaat was found, the second time. Felix Barker, and Naomi Greyback came into my shop. Naomi needed a new wand, and they asked for shelter. I obliged, and let them stay for the night. Naomi is by no means, under any enchantment, but acting of her own accord, she is in fact, in love with Felix. I have seen her as recently as a couple days ago, at Malfoy Manor. While I can not hand her straight to you, I can aid you in finding her. Thaor said, finally breaking eye contact with Robert, to look towards Khaat.

Khaat, I am sorry that I didn't hand him over, it would have complicated things within the Death Eaters. Caelani didn't approve of what he was doing. But she used him as a scapegoat to take the fall for us kidnapping Sophia Lestrange. I would have found it impossible to stay among the Death Eaters should I have handed him over. Thaor said, looking to the floor.

Robert sat for a moment, thinking before he spoke, taking it in.

"I can see why you might do that," Robert said. "If I were in your shoes, I might have done the same thing." Thaor was one of the few people left alive that knew that Robert himself could have a twinge of a grey edge. It was brought out by his temper, which he had worked for years to reign in. The thing that could bring him to a boil quicker than anything else was harm to Khaat. Robert didn't like it when his temper allowed him to cross over into a darker side of himself. One he did not like. His friends and family kept him drawn back from that 99% of the time. There were unreasonable people that expected Lupins to be saints. What a misconception that was. Remus's legacy was sometimes a pain in the ass. Remus had become bigger than life, and they expected every Lupin to be in line for sainthood too. That did aggravate him. Robert was about as far from sainthood as it got, despite what people thought.

"Its water under the dam, Thaor," Robert said. "He's off the streets now, and Naomi doesn't seem to be capable of doing anything without him, so she seems to be simply allowing herself to be used by him. I'm not in any hurry to do anything with her. He was the bigger pain in the butt. Hopefully Naomi stays in Malfoy Manor and out of my hair." He looked at Thaor deliberately. He wanted Thaor to keep Naomi there and keep her out of trouble.

He watched Khaat look at Thaor. Her voice was gentle. "Its okay, Thaor. I do understand. And as my father says, its more important that he's off the streets now. At least he can't hurt anybody else. I'm letting go of all of that and move forward. No harm done."

Thaor knew what Robert was getting at when he spoke about Naomi. She will stay out of trouble. Thaor said with a nod. That leads me to the second thing I need to talk with you about. Thaor said, looking from Khaat to Robert. Caelani has left, I assume she's been killed by now, her owls stopped coming in. That leaves me in charge. I am the leader of the Death Eaters, if there is anything you need done, let me know. Thaor said with a nod towards Robert.

Thaor was unsure if Robert would say anything on the subject while in the presence of Khaat, she was, after all, on the opposite side of the field as Thaor. It was public knowledge that she was a part of the Order of the Phoenix. Thaor had long decided, if they were to meet at a battle, he would not so much as even think about cursing her. Robert and him had been great friends, and had done much as they were growing up. Thaor would even go as far as protecting Khaat, not that she needed it.

"Good to know," Robert nodded. "Thank you. And I will do my best not to compromise your position there. Honestly, so long as they don't present a direct threat to anyone's safety, they have the right to believe whatever they want politically. We both know I don't like the dark arts, as a whole, but Khaat and I do have all kinds of friends. And that's not a secret to much of anyone, I don't think. To be honest, it did rather surprise me that they even wanted me to be Minister in the first place for that very reason. Unless the myth proceeds the man. Perhaps they'd much rather believe what they think they know. I have no idea."

"Don't make yourself sound like such a criminal," Khaat told her father. "That grey edge you always talk about isn't quite that big. Not to those of us who really know you."

"Bigger than you think, my dear," he laughed, looking at Thaor. Thaor knew those parts of Robert's past when he had done things that he was not proud of now. And Thaor also knew that Robert was not above doing them again. It was a huge part of what made Thaor and Robert able to be friends despite their strong differences. Had Robert been too much of a goody two shoes, his friendship with Thaor would have never been any sort of reality in the first place. He also knew that there would have been some of the staunch Order members who would have abhored the very notion that Robert could have a civil conversation with the leader of the Death Eaters at all. And if they knew he had no issue with it, Robert figured he might well be tossed out of Grimmauld Place on his ear.

"You still grill those marvelous steaks with that secret dry rub you wont' let me have?" Robert grinned at Thaor.

Thaor knew Roberts 'grey edge' was worse than Khaat believed, but that was between Robert and Khaat. Thaor frowned at Roberts question. You know, I haven't made them in a very long time. Not since Walker passed. They were his favorite. Thaor said, shaking his head slowly.

It was all he could do to hold back the tears. Walker was the last remaining sibling of Thaor's, the rest murdered by his father, who later died in Azkaban. When Walker passed, Thaor spent weeks maybe even months, just laying around his house. Not entertaining visitors, nor going to the shop. He only left the house after receiving word that he was hired at Hogwarts.

"Then," Robert said, "Its high time we did that again--if for no other reason than to honor and remember Walker. I liked him. I just bought a supply of outstanding Kobe beef steaks. Filet mignons, actually. Enough that we could eat our weights in steak."

"How'd you get Kobe beef into England?" Khaat frowned. That was something she had wanted to do for Sparks but had not found it possible to do.

"Don't you know that I usually get what I want somehow or another?" He laughed. "Actually, its not that devious. I just went and got them myself and brought them back."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"For muggles, yes. But not for wizards. I am very aware of the wizarding laws. We have not outlawed prime grade beef. Not even Japanese beef. And, really, who's to stop us? A muggle?"

"I see your point."

"You bring the rub, I'll supply the steaks. I'll have Kate make that mixed berry tart we all like with the chambord cream on the top. Khaat, you're welcome to join us, if you bring those cheesy potatoes you make, and that spinach salad your mother and I like so well."

"It would be my pleasure," Khaat smiled.

"What do you say, Thaor? Shall we do it as a tribute to Walker?" Robert asked.