grey clouds covering the sun

Cecilia Krum was six months pregnant and had just left a check up in St. Mungos where she had learned that the smaller male twin was no longer growing inside of here and that she had lost a child before she had even had it. Her face was tear streaked and beat red from crying. She had loved that little boy as much as if h had been born and alive for even the shortest amount of time, but he would never get to grow up and live a life. So looking tired and upset Cecilia went the only place she could think of going the office of deputy minister Elijah Krum.

Having washed his hands of his biological family, the last person Elijah Krum expected to see walk through his door was his sister, Cecilia. He had hardly been sympathetic to her plight and hadn't moved to help her at all when it became clear she was in fact pregnant and the rumours had truth in them.

Many had questioned him, accused him of all sorts of things, but he was quick to remind anyone that was listening that his father had deserted and disowned him. He owed nothing to him, or Cecilia and no amount of blood between them was going to change that. He had other things to worry about; namely his own children and that of Irina's and Athena's.

Looking up from his work, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, Elijah's eyebrows furrowed and immediately questions sprung in his mind. Cecilia hardly looked as if she'd had a good time. Elijah sighed and took the cigarette from his mouth. He exhaled the last of the smoke clambering from his lungs and he took a moment to study Cecilia before asking:

"Why, in Merlin's name, after everything that has happened, have you come to me?"

"I knew of no where else to go," Cecilia spoke quietly wipeing a tear away from her eye and pushing her hair out of her face. "I could not go to the man who is supose to be a father, he and everyone else feel I am a disgrace to their family. And..." she possed in her explination, "I just came from an appointment at St. Mungos, I got some horrible news and i needed someone, anyone. You where the only one I could think of." The girl sniffled as she stood infront of her brother tears still falling from her eyes though it seemed impossible for her to still be crying and one would think she would have ran out of tears by now. "Will you help me understand?" She whispered

Elijah exhaled, blowing a mouthful of smoke out before him and lowered his hand back down to the surface of the desk, one eye on the smouldering end of the cigarette he held. He did not know what possessed Cecilia, even in her despairing state, to come to him.

He had never treated her well. He had never really tried to treat her well – there had been no effort in that endeavour. Yet she returned to him as if somehow he could provide for her this comfort that she sought.

She did not know him as well as she though, clearly, for he could do her no great justice. He could not find it within himself to feel sympathy for her for he found no respect for women who did not honour their bodies as they should have done, hypocritical or not.

Sighing heavily, Elijah gestured for Cecilia to take a seat. There was no use her standing there.

“Viktor has his own children to worry about,” Elijah commented idly, taking one last draw from his cigarette before stubbing it out in the ash tray by his elbow. “I believe he and Irina now possess two sons. Lucky them.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be much help to you,” Elijah told her, soberly. “But I can try. What’s happened now?”

When motioned to take a seat Cecilia took up the offer carefully sitting on the edge of the seat of one of the chairs that sat across from Elijah's desk. "There had been two of them," She whispered trying to explain the best she can. "One little girl and a boy. The boy had not been growing properly and he didn't make it while his sister did." a lump had formed in her thought as she spoke. "I hadn't wanted a child, or children, but i had grown to love them. Now i have lost one before it was even born." more tears began to fall from her eyes and run down her face and instead of looking at the man that she had once known as her brother she looked down at her hand cearfully folded in her lap.

It was difficult, even in his general disregard for his sister’s welfare, for Elijah not to falter a little at her admission. He stayed the course though and cleared his throat, his eyebrows furrowing as he feigned a determined appearance to actually understand what had happened. He knew well enough. It wasn’t completely rare for some twins to expire in the womb. What Elijah was not sure of was where the baby would go – surely she’d give birth to it as well? Elijah pursed his lips a little and sat back in the chair, holding his hands up to the air as if asking for divine intervention.

“What now then?” He asked, somewhat heartlessly. “I can’t help you, Cecilia. Truly, I feel for you, I do, but it is not my place to comment. I have expressed concern for you in the past, I admit, but I feel as though in your decision to take this path you must ride it yourself. You are betrothed are you not? Lean on him. It is not my responsibility to provide for you anything, if that was what you had come here in search of. I can, out of kindness, provide for you a simple room for the time being but you must rebuild yourself, Cecilia. This cannot be your fate. Do not waste yourself. Place the child in care when it is born. Live how you first intended. Do not be burdened by something that was forced upon you. Sad though this event is, perhaps there is a reason for it.”

"I did no come to ask you to take me in," Cecilia spoke quietly and looked up at the man who she had always looked up to as a big brother though he had never truly treated as family. "I guess I was hoping you could help me understand why everything that could ever happen has to have happened to me. I was hoping you could explain why the child I had grown to love had to die before he could live." She was quiet for a while and Elijah asked about the person she had been betrothed to, "No, I'm not. His parents found out that i was bearing the child of a muggles and the called it off. This world will never let me be happy will it?" she asked. "I have no one, and i can bearly care for myself, you know this all to well. How am i to care for another human?"

Why the child I had grown to love had to die before he could live...

Elijah’s eyes widened a little. His heart constricted in his chest and for a moment, he could hear the glorious giggles of his daughter, of his Katherine, in his ears. He closed his eyes, determined to rid himself of the memories, but instead, on the back of his eyelids he saw her bright eyes, her sprouting, copper locks. Elijah quickly reopened his eyes and swallowed the hard lump that had formed in his throat. Elijah’s hands fell to the arms of the chair in which he sat and his fingers gripped tightly the intricately embroidered upholstery. He sat up a little straighter and shook his head, an attempt to swing free the moisture in his eyes.

Clearing his throat, Elijah looked at Cecilia steadily and tried to form the words that would reassure her. But he had none.

“Things just...” Elijah looked away, unable to face truth that had so much relevance to himself, as well as his sister. “Things just sometimes happen like that. We never really know why and it destroys us when it does. But in the end we figure that it happens for a reason and it might not be for the best and sometimes that feels as though it’ll be impossible to deal with but eventually it’s alright again and you can learn to live without thinking about it. But when it comes back to haunt you... it’s like your body and your soul has been wounded all over again.”

Elijah returned his gaze to his sister. “Pick a place. I’ll find you a place to stay and I’ll match whatever I can shake out of your father in terms of allowance. It should be enough to run a household and have enough staff to look after your child while you finish your studies. You do not have to return to Hogwarts if you don’t wish. Tutors can be provided.” Elijah pulled to him a piece of parchment, suddenly having gathered a decisive resolve.

“Happiness is something you have to find for yourself. It is dependent not on other people. We can fix this, Cecilia. It will take time, granted, but it can be resolved and I am sure there are suitors that are willing to make an honest woman of you. Or, you could pick yourself, hmm?”

Elijah put down his quill for a moment. "How does that sound?"

“That is more than I could ever ask for and I would be forever in your dept.” Cecilia said she had finally stopped crying and her face was red and puffy and her eyes were blood shot. Her gratefulness clear as day in her eyes as she looked up at Elijah. She attempted to smile at him but failed as she sat there. “I had a job but after everything I lost it because of the flaws in my face and the children. I’d like to go to Paris if possible. Hopefully I could find another way into the fashion industry there.” She doubted he would be able to get much out of their father. “I also have some money left over from the last time I modeled for something. It is not much but it could help in finding me a place to stay.” She spoke quietly again as if she were speaking to herself though she wasn't.

The last time she had truly been happy was when she was up on the runway and now that she would no longer be able to do that thanks to the child she carried. No one wanted a fat model. And that was the only thing she could think of that would make her happy.

Elijah paused in his ministrations and looked up to meet Cecilia’s gaze. His fingers twitched a little around the quill and his body began to ache with the need to embrace his sister. For the moment though, he put it off and dropped his gaze back to the sheet of parchment before him that he had been furiously scribbling upon in an effort to organise the swirling thoughts in his mind. Elijah exhaled a breathy laugh, suddenly feeling light and airy, as if something had finally been resolved. He looked up again and took in his sister’s face, seeing her for what felt like the first time in many years. He found he no longer wanted to truly push her away and he doubted he ever wanted to in the first place. She was just a girl, one that had been abandoned and it had fell to him to look after her. In many respects he’d failed that but he was determined now to make things right.

“Paris is no place for a child,” Elijah shook his head before smiling comparatively at Cecilia. “I’ll open a house in Amiens and keep an apartment in Paris. The child can be in the countryside and play on the Somme while you pursue your career, eh? Nothing better than country air for a growing child – or her mother, eh? Make sure you rest before going to Paris. Take time. I know a handful of people that can help you onto the runway in Paris, though. You might have to settle for photography first but beyond that there are wide opportunities.” Elijah finished scribbling. “Don’t worry about Viktor. I will deal with him. There is so be a betrothal between our cousin, Alaric, and Gisele Delacour. I think she’s in your year, isn’t she? Certainly in Ravenclaw. I shall take the opportunity then to talk with him. I am due to visit Irina that day, also.”

Elijah rose from his chair and walked around the side of the desk. He placed his hands on Cecilia’s shoulders and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He brushed stray locks of hair from her face and smiled reassuringly at her.

“We’ll fix this, alright? Everything will be alright in the end.”