Marriage is Murder

Even with a bang to her head, she wasn't entirely dense. He somehow knew her father. And for at least the last 30 plus years.

"It appears I was brought back for a wild goose chase," Khaat sighed. Hannah drew off her headache and then got an icepack for her and put it against her head. She remembered she was in her jeans and Brian's ragbag shirt. "I hadn't intended to be here tonight."

"Clearly," Hannah said.

"My father is well," she said to Cummings. He was observant. He'd caught the wedding rings. Well, they really werent' small, though. "So you know Brian, then?" But since Brian and Khaat didn't know each other until they were eight, Cummings must have known both her parents and Brian's. How odd. She was going to speak again when she heard apparating in the hall. Her father and Brian came in. Brian was leaning on the stick Robert had given him.

"Cummings," Robert said. "Not sure how you were here, but I'm glad you were." Brian didn't know this guy, but Robert did. And what bothered Brian was that he had a medallion. Brian thought he knew everyone who had a medallion. Obviously not. Brian merely nodded to him respectfully and went around to the other side of the bed to check Khaat.

"You okay?" he asked, kissing her.

"Yeah. Fine," she said. She handed Brian the parchment. He read it and passed it to Robert.

"Well isn't that just lovely," Robert sighed. "I am presuming this is a forgery but still, I'll check it. Cummings, I believe an introduction is in order. You know my daughter. And this is her husband, Brian Quinn. I shall return." He left them. It seemed it might be a bit awkward for all of them. Cummings was about as out of the loop about them as they were about him.

Jim stood and smiled at her as he nodded " only as a young boy, as I knew you as the young girl." He stepped back as Robert walked in with a young man he smiled as Robert spoke to him " she had a run in with some nasty wizard , you having trouble Robert?" he asked all though buy the look on Roberts face he knew his answer and said no more watching as Robert checked Khaat then left them alone. " so Brian, you finally tied the knot " he chuckled looking at them both. Then he smiled at them " My name is James Cummings also known as Jim, I have been some what other wise occupied, but I have kept up to date with current affairs, I know Grindelwald is in the ministry, James, gelding and fenrir all have dropped off the radar thanks to Robert and the organization taping them all dry " he said " As for zada forbes, I thinks shes off painting her nails some place" he said looking at them both " so any kids yet?" he asked

"Five," Khaat said, taking her father's sudden departure as his confidence that she was in safe hands.

"Well, technically, five children and one grandchild," Brian said. "But for us it feels more like six. The oldest graduates this year. If Hogwarts is still standing by graduation. As far as Robert's enemies go, the list just seems to be getting longer right now. I don't look for that to ease off any time soon. If I had to wager a guess, it might well just be an attempt to lure the Lupins out of their safehouse in order to try to make one last stab at keeping the ministry. It does look very much like Grindlewald is getting a bit desperate. I don't honestly think Forbes is worth worrying about. Not at this point in the game, anyway." He looked back at Khaat. "I don't see a concussion. Wonder what he hit you with."

"No clue," she sighed. "It was dark. Whoever it was flicked the lights off."

"Thats not a surprise. Where were you?"

"The sub-basement," she said.

"Okay. So I take it you were her rescuer, Cummings? I didn't even know she was gone," Brian sighed.

"Thats because I didn't tell anyone. I just left when I got the owl," she said, as Brian helped her sit up. He steadied her from some momentary dizziness. "Better?" he asked her after a moment.

"Yeah. Fine," she said, regaining herself.

Jim nodded and smiled " it was a brass instrument, like a telescope, I think its still down in the basement, I'll fetch it and see if I can find anything useable from it " he said " and yes I happen to be following a rather unfavorable man and he brought me right here to the basement, your lucky if I hadn't been there he surly would have done more damage " he said " that was fake and that's why Robert just left " he said smiling moving to help her stand but seeing Brian had her he just stood close buy for if he was needed.

" I agree their all just biding there time, but we should not let down our guard things like this are tests to find out just how strong we are " he said " so six kids huh bet that's a hand full " he said and smiled " got three of my own thought that was enough, how did you do it ?" he asked brushing off some dust from his trouser leg.

"We wrapped a tight staff of bodyguards around us, and they've all learned how to multitask," Brian said. "Its become one of those necessary evils. In this business you do learn to take advantage of every moment to take care of family in between the crises. And for the last two years, its been little more than one crisis after another."

"You can say that again," Khaat said. Her father came back.

"Records room has not even been discovered," Robert said. "The enchantments have held. Clearly it was geared to root you out. When the hell did you get an owl?"

"When I went up to see Angus," she said. "There was an owl at the bedroom window."

"Your room, of course," he presumed.

"Yes."

"And it never occured to you to bring that message to me, did it?"

"No," she said. "My hospital, my responsibility."

"Of course it is," he said, sorely tempted to remind her that he was chief of staff and the responsibility did not rest squarely on her. Instead, he had resorted to sarcasm to send his message. "Take her home, Brian," Robert said. "I will finish things here."

"Yes, Sir," Brian responded. He took off his winter coat and wrapped it around Khaat and nodded a farewell to Cummings and apparated her out before Cummings had had a chance to respond. Robert hadn't been happy, and Brian didn't feel like pushing it.

Robert looked at Cummings. "I think I'll take a walk downstairs. Care to come along and brief me?"

Jim chuckled and listened more he saw Robert walk in and took out his pocket watch it pointed down the hall to the basement he looked up just as Robert spoke to him he glanced back to see the last bit of Brian and Khaat disappearing. He nodded to Robert his face now business as he walked out tucking his watch back in his pocket " its quiet all around too quiet, was checking on a lead when I saw a man and followed him didn't know he was going to take on Khaat, shes grown and so had Brian " he said smiling.

Entering the basement he looked around seeing something under a shelving unit , leaning down he took out a cloth and picked it up. Walking over to Robert to show him it " this is what hit her " he said and in the light he could see engraving all down the brass neck. He retched into his pocket and took out a small plastic bag he held it as he gave it to Robert.

"That's mine," Robert sighed. "He swiped it out of my potions lab to use on my daughter's head. What irony. I'll see if I can't find any clues on it, but I doubt it. I take it you don't have an identity for the man you were chasing or you would have said. My guess is that Grindlewald has his rats scrambling to shore up his grip. Either that or they're getting desperate enough to try to secure a few assets in order to insure for themselves that they can lay low for awhile when this all breaks. And we've always known that having the medical records of nearly every wizard that has ever lived makes us a large safety risk here. That's actually how Brian got back into Khaat's life after all those years in Paris. I brought him back here two years ago because Khaat was very seriously vulnerable when she was working here. She was attacked several times and almost every single time was right here in this hospital. I brought him back to bodyguard her."

Jim gave it to Robert in the bag and shook his head " heard about your farm , that was a low blow " he said and looked around more finding nothing he moved back to Robert " there have been whisperings to that effect but I wouldn't bet on anything happening soon though " he said he listened to Robert and chuckled " and he ended up marrying her , that boy moves fast , then again he always did have the hots for her even if he didn't admit it " he said and smiled " so your back in England , a bold move on your part but an inevitable one I guess." he moved back up the stairs. " you coming? not much else down there. " he said waiting at the top as he looked back down into the dim basement. " it's good to see you again " he said and smiled " It's been along time"

"Actually," Robert said, walking back up with Jim, "It didn't quite happen for them like that. Khaat was briefly married to a man she was deeply in love with. And the boy loved her. But--he neglected to tell her he was the largest illegal potions manufacturer in England and in most of the known wizarding world. Or the fact that he was ridiculously wealthy. Or the fact that he was highly commitment phobic. So he got her pregnant and then abandoned her--n the night she miscarried with their child. She nearly died. So did the child. I called Brian because we were short staffed here that night, and he did what he always does. He saves lives. He coached her through that horrible mess and didn't leave her for weeks. He took her and Abbey into his own home and took care of them himself around the clock. And he's never left her since.

"You'll like this part of the story, though. I did manage to file a legal divorce for her and liberate every single sickle, galleon, cent, and pound her first husband ever earned. Its all hers now. Not to mention Brian has liberated Gelding of his millions repeatedly. Technically, neither of them have to work. And neither of them married for money. We all saw Khaat and Brian getting together for years. Brian was about as far from romance as it came. And when they did finally admit it, I think they were the last to know. The rest of us saw it far before they did. He's good to her, Jim. But then, he always has been. And you'll never ever hear him say those kids aren't his. Even though they're not. Not as far as I can tell.

"Being back in England, though, is nothing. It was time. You should have joined me for breakfast the other day. I gave an interview to the editor of the Prophet and had breakfast with James Roland. Nothing like broadcasting your whereabouts straight into the enemy's ear," he laughed. It was no secret that the Ministry ran the Prophet, so it was in Grindlewald's hands right now. And Roland had sided with Grindlewald a long, long time ago and had been almost single handedly responsible for how much power Grindlewald had ended up with.

Jim listened and chuckled " well that's just like you " he said and smiled " instead of avoiding the danger you openly poke it " he said and laughed " I heard about that dent, didn't know it was your girl he married if I had I would have come sooner" he looked at Robert and placed his hand on Roberts shoulder " He has done you proud Robert " he said and walked to the main entrance. " things in the east flared up again took us years to get it settled I left the main contingency there to keep a lid on things, its why I came back that and the wife pestered me to move back to the kids could go to Hogwarts like I did when the time came" he took out his medallion " it's scratched bit I still have it " he said " Margaret made me leave the Aurors, said it was too dangerous, she was right, lost six good men before I left." he turned to face him " look Robert, you have your body guards could you use one more ?" he asked