The Breaking of the Unbreakable

"The problem was not in lifting you. The problem was fitting your bum into my 6" cauldron," Robert laughed. "I suppose I could have dropped you into a bathtub, though. So, how do you feel? A bit of disorientation is to be expected for a bit. From what I understand, that will wear off." He paused and then he said to Thaor, "As far as I am concerned, you do not need to try to provide Jess with more convincing. He has what he needs to do what he needs to do."

Robert and Khaat both had a great love for Jess and the things he stood for, and he trusted him impeccably. The things they all believed in were things that the Lupins had believed in for generations. The differences between Robert and Jess, when they did present themselves on rare occasion, typically separated over Jess's need to see things in strictly black and white terms, while Robert found himself being forced to operate much more often in the grey areas instead in order to try to make the greater good come about. That had forced Khaat, and Brian for that matter, to grow up having "family" members who functioned on both sides of the law, or a great many who lived fairly consistently in the grey. It made it difficult for them to sometimes see eye to eye with someone who appeared to be judgmental at times and discriminatory against anyone who wasn't as sparkling clean.

Robert remembered being Jess's age and seeing the world through eyes that were similarly unjaded. If he had had the choice to stay that squeaky clean, he would have. He just had never had a choice. Situations in his life had presented themselves where in order to save the ones he loved, he had to move into murkier waters. He wished, very much, that Jess never found himself having to live on that sort of an edge. But Robert believed in people like Thaor and Michael and he held them close in his heart to him. He had no doubt that when Thaor needed to turn on the Death Eaters, they would most likely find themselves fighting, yet again, side by side. It hadn't been the first time, and it would most likely not be the last.

"Okay," Robert said to Thaor with a very slight grin, needing to break the tension in the room, "So, when you turn on them, and I have to save your ass again, is there another horcrux I can use to bring you back, or do I need to save you before we get to that point because you have no Plan B?"

Thaor laughed at Roberts attempt to lighten the mood. I feel fine, everything's coming back nicely. Thaor said, streatching out. And this Thaor said raising an eyebrow. was plan b Thaor said with a smile. I'm afraid if I die again, I'm dead for good. Which isn't a problem, I can come back and haunt you and Michael.

Thaor started pacing the room, and came to a stop by the door. Care to open this thing up? I'm hungry. Thaor said with a smirk.

"Hm...." Robert smirked. "Its always nice to know when you're someone's second choice. I guess its up to me to come up with a Plan C, then. Well, I'm farther up the list this time than last time, and whether you like it or not, I don't feel like letting you die in some skirmish with a dark wizard.

"Khaat," Robert said, "Would you care to open the door, please, and let our friends leave not just this room but it might be nice if we let them out of our psych unit. Take Thaor down to your office and get Hannah to bring up food. He's not getting free until he eats something." It made Khaat want to laugh, but she maintained a sober face. It reminded her of how her father believed feeding someone was helpful, just like Remus believed feeding someone chocolate made everything better.

"I'll take care of it," she said. She released the spell on the treatment room door. "Anyone for getting out of the psych ward and getting some 5 star cuisine, this way, please."

"I'll be there in a moment," Robert said, starting to clean up the mess he'd created in the room. He wanted no mistakes with that either.

Jess cocked an eyebrow at Robert's cocky attitude and shook his head irritably behind his and Khaat's backs. "Robert, Thaor, Khaat. Forgive me but this is no time to eat. Thaor got himself into this mess, he knew the consequences, being hungry for ten more minutes will not kill him," he said, shooting a look at Thaor and smirking, maybe it would but not in ten minutes' time.

"Right now we need to discuss what we just learnt. Gellert Grindelwald was one of the world's darkest wizards during his reign, second only to Voldemort, and he could only stop when Dumbledore stood up and put a stop to him.

"We don't have a Dumbledore, we've nothing like Albus Dumbledore," he said, "And as much as we could ignore this problem and enjoy our five star cuisine, and enjoy one last meal in peace, any chances of that happening are gone. We need to mobilise and unite against this threat, we need to stop it now before it grows," he said, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

What had been revealed in this room was going to shake the world, shake it like nothing else ever had, and it seemed incredulous that they were talking like there was nothing wrong. This could be the beginning, realistically, of the end.

"You obviously are not a healer," Robert fairly spat out the words at Jess. "You just never learn, do you? First of all, this is not your hospital. Its mine. Thaor is not your patient, he's mine. I heard Thaor the first time he told us all of this. Gellert Grindlewald. I get it. I do know my history. And I also remember when he was here the first time around. I've lived through that history you've only read about, remember?

"However, it will serve no one if we all panic like you're doing. Get a bloody grip, would you? The first thing I need to do is to get Thaor on his feet so he can mobilize the Death Eaters. I know that sounds completely backwards to you, but in order for us to defeat them, we have to get them all the hell out of Malfoy Manor. Now, how exactly would you propose we do that? Engraved invitations, perhaps? You seriously don't think they are all at Hogwarts teaching classes, do you? They would not have left the manor vacant in order to teach. When the battle comes we'll be there. But until then, I do have a responsibility to get Thaor on his feet in order for him to be able to lead them out to betray them to us. Would you, just for once, think?

"And what do you think Thaor and Khaat and I, and hopefully you, will be doing in that ten minutes over the food he so badly needs to recharge himself for the task ahead. Do you think we'll be passively exchanging recipes over tea? We'll be refining our plan. Ten minutes for a plan is certainly better than hours of war without one. What is it with you? This is not an ordinary hunger. This has one hell of a lot to do with the whole horcrux process for him. I need him to be in at least as good a shape when he leaves as when he came in, or all of this goes up in smoke from the start.

"Unlike you, I don't care if I am about to go up in front of the devil himself. I refuse to fear. When people fear, they make mistakes, and that's one thing we cannot afford. Not this time." Robert knew Jess was furious with Robert's logical mind, his cold and calloused exterior, but he was going to do his best to be sure that first things were done first. Jess had never, ever understood that about Robert. Not ever."

(sorry for the double post)

Khaat turned back and looked at the three men. The only one who looked rather nonplussed at all this was Jess. She understood all three men and felt caught in the middle. Her father rarely ever used such a strong tone or strong words. Almost never. And right now, from what she could see his mind was whirling a million miles an hour trying to outstrategize something that had clearly been brewing for months. He was behind the 8 ball on this and he knew it. But she also knew that even Jess rarely plunged into anything without even the root of a plan forming.

"Jess," Khaat said gently, hoping to soften the blow her father had just dealt him. "He knows what he's doing. Come on. Come with us. We still need your input. We need to be functioning together. This isn't going to take as long as you think."