Quest for Truth

It was difficult to console a father in mourning, which was why Elijah Krum stood in the Leaky Cauldron and wondered why Jaquellene Dyllan had been left in charge. Now, make no mistake, Elijah himself knew that Prim was not deceased, far from it in fact, but what James mourned over his Firewhisky was the child he did not know, the child that could have been anywhere and nowhere, the only knowledge he knew of it being that of her existence and the fact that she was not with him. Elijah empathised with James in that sense though he knew better than to speak of Chase when Jack was present, especially in the manner to which he had become accustomed.

At this thought though, Elijah warily eyed Jack, wondering whether she could read his mind; but upon reassuring himself that she could not, Elijah turned his gaze back to James, raising an eyebrow at the man that, as far as Elijah was concerned, was mostly mumbling to himself.

“Why didn’t you just visit her?” Elijah asked, somewhat bored by the lack of thought that the man before him had put into his search. “I mean, for goodness sake, she only works at Hogwarts. It isn’t as if you’re banned from gracing the grounds – or was it one exploded toilet too many?” Elijah smirked a little before shaking his head. “Jamie is not unreasonable, James. I shouldn’t think she would be entirely against meeting you if you were to ask her politely. There are other ways of going about things; one doesn’t always have to be gung ho.” Elijah then turned to Jack. “Speaking of which, how’re you, Red? Still in the Department of Fluffies?”

"She works at Hogwarts?" James echoed, "I had no idea. When I left her, I....well, left her. I didn't ask about her, didn't keep in touch....Albus had kept in touch with her for a little while, but even he said that he didn't know where to find her."

"...or he wouldn't tell me," James thought bitterly to himself, remembering how long his brother had kept the secret of his daughter from him.

James sighed.

"I get it that perhaps I should have slept on it. Then perhaps I wouldn't have ran around making a arse of myself, but I have to admit, I've never been one to stop and think things through. I'm more a man of action than words. I'll just have to do what I should have done from the start, and send her an owl...first thing tomorrow morning."

James pushed away the rest of his hot chocolate, and ordered a firewhiskey instead. He had a feeling he'd be up all night anyways.

Jack didn't like the fact that she was here. The poor woman had no idea what the rest of her weekend would end up entailing- this debacle with James, resigning from the Ministry, consoling two disillusioned Order members, and losing the only person that seemed to be of comfort to her. Had Jack known that the next five days included no sleep and maximum heartbreak, she could have bore this with more strength. But, unlike her roommate, she was not gifted with Sight, and she had only be disgruntled with her present lot.

She felt Elijah's eyes on hers and she glanced up, locking eyes with his soberly until he looked away. Jack turned her eyes back to her Firewhiskey, listening to the exchange and trying as hard as she could as to appear as the indifferent third party that could serve as a tie breaker if necessary.

That wasn't enough.

Jack looked up at Elijah's question. "Funny question for the Deputy Minister to ask," she responded. "Yes, I am. Where else could I be?"

A pang throbbed in her heart as she thought the answer to herself.

For Elijah, this was quite the surreal experience. Jack had never been someone Elijah was particularly close to, his only link to her really being through Chase who Elijah was more than happy to try and forget and James was only a figment in his memory, Jamie having blotted in the knowledge Elijah knew of him that chilly day they’d spent down by the Black Lake, her stomach already swollen and ripe with pregnancy. It was something he would not forget. But then, Chase had been the same. It seemed bizarre to think that the majority of his time was spent around women – and pregnant women at that. Athena was no exception. In fact, it dawned on him then at that moment that it had been the first time in a long time that Elijah was out in the company of those he did not consider family. His only male friend was Kendall and where Athena went, Kendall followed so it was rare for the two men to go anywhere fun by themselves.

Blinking out of his reverie, Elijah looked at James and smiled wryly at the other man. “You weren’t to know, mate.” Elijah assured him. “But, don’t the Daily Prophet report these things? I don’t really read it, myself. I prefer the People’s Palmist if I have to read anything. Utter twaddle, mind you, but it it’s a good laugh and Merlin knows the information is more reliable than whatever the Prophet reports.” Elijah shrugged his shoulders. “James, I’m sure whatever Albus kept from you, he did it to protect you. He’s your brother after all.”

Elijah smiled a little and shrugged again. “You’d better continue drinking, then. That’ll clear your mind. You’ll have a thumping great headache in the morning but in the long run, it’ll probably be worth it.” It was then that Elijah turned to Jack. “I washed my hands with the paperwork I kept getting from your department. It is not as interesting as the Department of Mysteries. I get the risk assessments and the paperwork pertaining to fatalities and the burnt down wings that our lovely Unspeakables are responsible for. It’s fantastic. Come to my office sometime and I’ll show you. More often than not, the parchment is singed too. I’m actually glad I don’t work down there. It’s lethal.”