Khaat had never ever been angry at Eli before but she was now. She had, for the very first time, had enough of his attitude. In a maternal way, she was pleased he was expressing his opinion, but the way he was doing it was directed at her and had a hurtful, hostile edge to it that was hard for her to back away from altogether. She worked hard at immediately trying to reel in all her own pain and anger, to remain very logical, rather than exposing any more of her heart to the Krums. They didn't care about anything except themselves. That much was now crystal clear. He had hurt her more than she had expected to receive from him, intentionally or not, and as a self defense mechanism, she instantly shifted her demeanor and became as stone faced as she knew how to be. Somehow it seemed to hurt less if she felt more insulated behind a stone facade and it made her feel less vulnerable to him. She was going to do this as purely business now. She was a bit taken aback with herself to realize that she was capable of so much anger at someone she loved so deeply and devotedly, but in fact, it was that love and devotion that had created the anger.
Most specifically, she was angry and hurt that he wasn't able to see beyond himself anymore. He hadn't bothered with so much as the first word of contact until now. And even then, it had been VIktor's request, not his. She felt sure, now, that had it been up to Eli, he'd have never shown up on her door again, and in retaliation for something she had not done. His rebellion in his behavior and his words felt, to her, as if he had betrayed her, and she had been willing to look past all that until he had just shown he now had a side of himself that he had always promised he would not allow himself to have.
On top of that, now, as usual, it was all entirely about what Eli wanted and didn't want, what he felt entitled to or not, and exactly how he expected that the world should deliver it to him. And the fact was, outside of Krum arrogance and the input about all those endless "I want's", he didn't hold a single card in this game. And what the devil was with the posse with him anyway? He had never needed that before to talk to her. To her, it only symbolized how much he didn't trust her or want her in his life anymore. Khaat had never been a threat to Eli, so what the devil did they all need to be here for? If Eli was half the man he thought he was, then surely he didn't need Harry as a protector. Harry was just a pain the the ass, and the way he hung on Eli like a shirt on a hangar was just plain nauseating. She didn't know Irina, but she thought she seemed very likable on first appearances. Khaat truly had had a passing thought that she might actually like to go shopping with her. Irina was certainly light years better than Marina had been.
Viktor had one card--and only one--to play here on British soil, and more particularly in this room: he had the ability to know when to be polite and diplomatic and at least mature. He was being a perfectly appropriate gentleman thus far. That much appealed to Khaat quite a bit right at the moment, superficial as that was. His family's status in Bulgaria and the money, none of it meant crap to her. It never had meant anything. She utterly ignored all of that. Eli, as usual though, wanted what he wanted when he wanted it. It was a very adolescent response to a very adult situation. And in order for her to even give him the first part of what he wanted, he had, himself, as usual, made no investment in it but was letting Daddy deal with it, and further, Eli had no damned clue what it required of her. Nor did he care, quite obviously. It required her to hurt one of her "children" to please another--no matter that she loved them all equally. It required her to crush Chase just in order that Eli could feel happy. And now he appeared to have the arrogance to slap Khaat in the face because her package wasn't gift wrapped the way he liked it. She paused a long, long moment, gathering herself before she finally spoke.
"No," she replied with a quiet, iron firmness she had never used with him before, unable to entirely suppress her anger at him, despite how much she really was trying. "You can want what you want as long as you choose. It does not mean I have to give it to you. I am responsible for giving you what you need, not necessarily what you want--although I have always tried to do both for you. Let me see if I can break this down for you.
"First of all, you either weren't listening or you really still aren't well because I never ever said anywhere in this discussion that you had to return to Hogwarts full time. In fact I said quite the opposite. I said I would bend all the rules to make sure you could have pretty much whatever you bloody well wanted. Your being a dropout is not acceptable. Period. It never has been, and you know it very well. I have made that abundantly clear on numerous occasions. I agreed to home schooling because it would free up your time if it is done right, and rarely does home schooling mean any student spends their entire day studying. One of the clear advantages of home schooling is that they can do the same amount of work in a fraction of the time that they would spend in a classroom setting. For most students, even muggle ones, they can accomplish what would be six hours of traditional classroom work in an hour or two a day, and you're intelligent enough to do it in that or in less time. When you look at what the time and energy commitment really is, it is not all that significant, and we are merely looking at a period of perhaps another 9 months. Its not forever, for pity's sake. But then again, you're too good for schoolwork, aren't you? You don't go and you don't do the work anyway. I believe you just said that yourself.
"You clearly believe that you know all the wisdom you will ever need for the rest of your life and what you don't want to bother to clutter your brain with, your money will buy it. But, let me tell you something. It would benefit you to polish your skills with a wand. I have seen how very gifted your father is with his. When he was your age, he was known not only for his skills with a broom, but his skills with a wand. I advise you to try to get enough of the rudimentary skills to protect yourself. Our world is getting much darker and more dangerous very quickly. Sooner or later, you might actually have to fire that stick you carry and actually mean it if you hope to stay alive, no many how many bodyguards you can afford. What will you do if you find yourself toe to toe with one of the darkest wizards you can imagine and facing the business end of his wand? If all you can muster is turning him into a cat, you are so screwed. Why the devil do you think I want you to finish? In this dark day and age, a wizard who cannot defend himself will be killed in a fraction of a second. I would prefer that not happen to you. I would prefer you at least learn how to fight enough to protect you and your children. But since you know best, suit yourself."
This was exactly the person Eli had said he would never become--the very spitting image of his father. The sad thing was, he was being Viktor more than VIktor was being Viktor. Furthermore, the moment anyone believed they never needed to learn any more, they were exhibiting the epitome of foolishness. Furious, she turned to the only apparent reasonable Krum in the room.
"I'm sorry, Viktor," she said softly, truly regretting where she was having to go with this now. She had truly wanted to help them. "We do not have an accord. I can't do it. I am so very sorry. However, for the record, let's get our facts straight. You requested this because you were concerned Eli was unhappy. I do understand that. However, he has not apparently cared enough about Fauve and Thierry to contact me one time since Chase took them. And I would certainly think, guadianship aside, that Eli might have once thought about the direct connection he has with the Chief Warlock to even ask if there were anything I could do to help him. If they were my children, I would be moving heaven and earth to look for anything I could find to get them back. But apparently it has never entered his mind for him to check with the one person in this entire country who did indeed have the power to help him. It did, however, enter yours. Kudos to you for being a decent grandfather.
"But he also has no desire whatsoever to learn what he needs to do to keep himself or Fauve and Thierry safe with the new dangers coming in the wizarding world. That puts not only himself at risk but, if the children were there with him, it endangers them as well. That only shows me how much he is NOT ready to parent again yet. Eli has chosen to do as he wishes, but I will not put Fauve and Thierry in an environment with ignorance as a foundation. At some point, we might discuss visitation with the children, but I don't see that happening today. So far as I'm concerned, it sounds very much like this discussion is over. If you want to persuade me that you're a man, Eli, and that you are well and able to do this, then come back when you can act like it. My door is always open, and you have always known where to find me. Now if you all will excuse me, I have people to tend to that actually want the help I can give them and who are willing to do their part to help themselves. I believe you all will find the door is still in the same place that it was when you used it to come in here."
The bottom line was that the children would remain with her until some sort of an agreement was made so that she knew that Eli, Fauve and Thierry would be safe--long term. That just did not appear to be something Eli was willing to do. A muggle school would never teach him how to duel and actually not make a freaking mess out of everything he tried, or turn everything he touched into a cat. There was no point whatsoever in this continuing. She was all done talking. Eli had blown it for himself, as far as she was concerned. Anyone with that much self-centeredness was not ready to have children in his care.
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