Out of the Dark

"I don't know how long you have either," Robert told her. "A bit of time, surely. My hope is that, since he was made, to have him lay low a bit until I know whether or not he's at risk here while he's under my watch. I can provide him back up here."

The other part of it was that Robert needed to know if Cooper was too damaged after all the years alone to be used as an Unspeakable in any different assignment. Or if he had become the man his cover had demanded he be. Robert didn't believe Cooper most likely even knew that for himself at this moment.

"Do yourself a favor when you talk to him. If you fall back on interrogation techniques, do try the 'good cop' bit before you fall back on the 'bad cop' business," he smiled. "He's been waiting a long time to talk to you. Kind words will probably get you farther than being hard with him, even though that might be tempting for you. Then, if he's too prickish, feel free to shift gears."

Robert could guess how he thought Cooper would respond, based on just normal human character. Unspeakables, though, could be quirky. However, at the moment, Cooper was with the man who had seemed to know all there was to wizarding quirkiness. If Cooper got to be a bit much, Michael Tremaine would sit on him somehow. It was the prime reason that Robert had untypically included Michael in the team to retrieve Cooper.

"I think its a very safe wager that he's at Michael's place in Hogsmeade, at least today. You know which place is his?"

There was something about the ministry that made everything calmer. He had an ability to talk to people, to understand them and know exactly the right things to say and how to say them. Hearing that the minister didn't know how Rick's condition was seemed somewhat terrifying but the calmness in which Robert spoke of the topic made the unknown that bit less worrying.

Whether it was the fact that the minister had gotten to know Hallie's personality or his advice was generalised to anyone who wanted to talk to her Father was left unknown. The blonde had had many conversations with Theodore. She'd started off the good cop and within a matter of seconds she'd stamped the words bad across her forehead. It appeared all those arguments attempting to reel in her tendencies to get over emotional and heated were going to be put into practice. She'd lost Theodore and though they'd be arranged she did still love him, probably she always would but Hallie didn't want t lose her Father. She didn't want to bicker and shout as much as her heart would probably want to.

'I think I know the place.' Hallie commented. Although she'd never been to Michaels house personally the location had arisen in conversations before at order meetings and such like.

'Do you think I'd be okay to visit tomorrow?' She asked. 'I don't feel up for it today.' It was the truth. Hallie wasn't trying to hide from speaking to her Father, she knew she'd have to sooner rather than later because that was the sort of person she was but on the other hand she did need to sleep on the information she'd learnt today. Hopefully Hallie would still be able to work and the minister wouldn't insist she take a few days off. Although a couple of days to mentally recover would be vital for some Hallie wasn't 'some' she needed distractions, she liked to be kept busy and work was the only way she'd be able to channel her confusion into. Right now she needed a good problem to solve... Or at least that's what she was telling herself.

"I think that would be alright," he said.  "You do need to consider one more thing though.  Your mother is a very clever woman.  She will most likely find out or piece it together somehow.  If that happens that she finds out that you found out and didn't tell her, you might very well be creating an opportunity for a rift between the two of you that really doesn't need to be.  

"Let the issue between them stay between them.  Let them work out his existence between the two of them and stay out of that piece for awhile. Then, when they have even some sort of temporary resolution, then I'm quite sure you'll work out some sort of family dynamic.  How happy or positive that is is not entirely in your control. But it certainly won't help if you put yourself in the position to be in the middle.  You might be more naturally in that spot if you were underage, but that's clearly not the case now.

"Technically, since he was declared dead, their marriage ended then.  However, what they decide to do with that now is up to them. You know as well as I do that love is a powerful and completely unpredictable thing, and yet, its one of the things we crave the most. Once we find it, it doesn't simply stop.  You're all still going to have powerful feelings. Be gentle with yourselves and with each other."

(ooc: shall we soon start a thread between Hallie and rick?)

(Yes, would you like me to start this time)

Amelia. Once again Hallie's attention had arrived back to her Mother, prompted by the minister. As much as it seemed the right thing to tell her Mother Hallie didn't think that she'd be able to. She couldn't put her Mother through the pain, confusion and sense of betrayal the blonde felt, especially how fragile Hallie thought her Mum was. Before she mentioned anything to Amelia, if she did mention anything, she wanted to speak to her Father first.

'Thank you for the advice Minister, and thank you for... talking.' Hallie sighed. The conversation really had drained the auror and, for once, Hallie didn't want to continue going through things in her head until a plan had been sorted. Instead all she wanted to do was get back to work, finish her hours and then return to Cooper Cottage and-

Cooper Cottage was where her Mother was. Amelia had returned to England only last month taking Hallie by great surprise. The witch had gotten lonely in Spain and saddened by the fact that that was the place her and Rick had intended to retire together. There was no together with Amelia in Spain alone so she'd returned, deciding to take some time off and write a book before returning to Hogwarts.

How could Hallie face her Mother tonight knowing what she knew? The older witch would be writing in the study, give her a hug upon her return home, cook her dinner, want to sit with her daughter in the evening. No. Hallie couldn't return home tonight, she'd write a letter home saying she was seeing Maura that evening. A room in the Leak Cauldron was waiting.