When glory comes, loss of memory follows

The luminous hospital lights were bright and intrusive. A gasp escaped chapped, broken lips and Elijah’s eyelids flickered over his chocolate orbs as he fought the glow; in the end though, his eyes focused. His brain sent the appropriate messages down to his arm and his muscles contracted as he lifted his right arm. The joint moved easily as he bent the arm and he brought his hand, heavier than he remembered, to his face. Then, as the weight became too much, he let it fall above his face onto his cheek. A quiet groan flew up Elijah’s throat and left his mouth. But as it did, his ears twigged slightly. Something was wrong. He knew groans were deep as they were quite guttural, especially his, but that was far too deep, too dark and too rustic. And then his face became aware of his hand and vice versa. His palm was larger than he recalled and his face more chiselled. There were no sunken cheek bones or the remnants of baby fat. He just simply had a properly formed face. As much as he’d been dreaming of that – of a properly formed body and the end of that gangly mess he was used to – he hadn’t exactly been expecting it. Micah had said people didn’t change overnight hadn’t he? So what was this?

Again, Elijah groaned; and once again it sounded odd to his ears.

Letting his hand fall away from his face, Elijah’s fingers grazed the splattering of hair on his jaw. He jumped a little and forced his fingers back up to touch it. He didn’t remember having that either. Some of the older boys did. They boasted about their masculinity in a way that was ultimately more intimidating than them with their wands out. Elijah knew he could take them in a fair fight but there was no such thing as a fair fight – not with those boys involved. No, they’d grab him and they’d let Isaak have his way with Elijah. He’d hex him and punch him and try out as many new spells as his tiny brain could retain. They’d often get him while he was unawares in the hallways. He was too good at hiding now so they had to catch him between classes. Elijah wondered if that was what had happened; whether this time...he hadn’t been able to fix the damage they’d done.

He couldn’t hear anyone else, just his own gentle breathing and the strong and steady thump in his chest. He closed his eyes again and held them there for a few minutes, content in the darkness, before pealing his eyelids back once more. He then lifted his arm again, putting more effort into it than he would have done before. Before what, though? His mind prompted him and waited for answer but Elijah couldn’t find one. Before the boys had ambushed him he supposed. He couldn’t remember though. He’d still remember even when they stashed him in broom closets and he woke up disorientated hours later only to emerge just as a teacher or a prefect was walking down the corridor. He’d always remember, even if it was only little things; even if it was only the pain.

The sound of a door opening prompted Elijah to quickly place his hand and arm back where they were before clamping his eyes shut. He exhaled heavily and tried, no doubt in vain, to get his breathing to regulate. The people that had entered seemed to have not heard and understandably so as they were in a conversation; a conversation about him. Stelladora had always told Elijah never to eavesdrop. He knew that he shouldn’t have done so but he was awake and they were making no effort to be quiet for his sake much less anyone else’s. So, without any other option, Elijah chose to listen.

“You can’t pretend any differently, Viktor! This is the fourth time he’s been in hospital this year to my knowledge! Your boy is turning into a liability and Merlin only knows how many times he’s been here without telling any of us! This is all because he’s not under your roof, Viktor Krum! You need Elijah home. You need him where you can keep an eye on him otherwise he’ll end up dead! He’s lucky to be alive, Viktor! Don’t you realise that? The whole place was ablaze! Three children nearly lost their father and we don’t even know why! He’s your son, Viktor, and so far, seventeen years down the line, you don’t even know a single thing about him – let alone why he nearly died!”

Elijah held back a breath as he listened to the rant. The voice was firm, strained and clouded with emotion. He could picture the tears in the woman’s eyes for it was a female voice; one belonging to his Aunt Iskra. He pictured her with her long, waist-length blonde locks but when he cracked an eye open to look at her, Elijah found a completely different appearance. She was greying and looked as if dying her hair mahogany had been a last ditch effort to ward off time. Her eyes had laugh lines around the sides and her forehead bore the strain of life. She was old, worn. He remembered her aging, yes, but still in the prime of life. She was not old by wizarding standards when he had last laid eyes on her. Now she looked strange. She was still beautiful, that Elijah could not deny, but she looked aged and tired as if a hospital was the last place she wanted to be – not that it was Elijah’s choice of locations mind you.

The next person Elijah laid eyes (or eye) on was his father; Viktor Krum IV. Elijah had always wondered why he hadn’t been called Viktor after his father and his father’s father etcetera but he could remember vaguely in his mind the voice of a woman murmuring ‘Elijah’ to him. ‘My baby boy’, she called him and ‘My treasure’. He didn’t know whose voice it had been and Elijah doubted he’d ever know. It was some sort of comfort though. It meant that someone loved him. It ensured someone loved him; even if it was for a few seconds. But his father looked as worn and grey as Iskra did but not in such a visible way. He looked older but he did not look wise – far from it. Elijah could see the stress on his face and the worry in his eyes. His shoulders were tense and his hands clenched as if he was trying to stop himself from lashing out. He would not hurt her in any way – Elijah knew this – but in knowing that, Elijah wondered where his mother was.

Elijah’s heart clenched at the thought of his mother shopping in Milan or Barcelona while he lay on his back in an uncomfortable hospital bed.

He was stopped from pondering upon this though, as his father’s voice cut through the pregnant silence in the room. Elijah’s mind had barely begun to decode the words when the door opened and closed. It was then that he realised that he was thinking in English. He wasn’t thinking in Bulgarian or French – but why his mind supplied French, Elijah didn’t know. Micah had showed no willing or desire to teach him anything to do with the French so Elijah passed the anomaly off as wishful thinking. Still, he couldn’t help but be a little bit bothered by the English-based thoughts. He understood every word without fail which left him dumbstruck. He’d always found English difficult and he was adamant he’d never be able to understand. The fact that he could and that his thought patterns were in the language left Elijah feeling slightly intimidated; and what was this French nonsense for goodness sake?

“I just spoke with one of the Healers. He said Elijah will be fine eventually but they said something odd showed up on some of the inspections they did on his head. They said nothing more on that – oh Iskra don’t look like that. He’s alive isn’t he? Just be glad those poor children weren’t there. Has anyone thought to owl Chastity; or even go looking for her?”

Elijah recognised his Uncle Adric’s voice and he listened intently for more to be said. His father gave a non-committable grunt and Iskra informed her brother that a group of Angelovas had gone out looking for her and the children. Elijah had no idea what this meant. He understood that someone with children had been wherever he had been and now she was gone, her name was Chastity, and she was being looked for by some of the bastardised descendants of Nia Angelova. The woman and her children sounded rather important and Elijah couldn’t work out for the life of him why they would send the Angelovas. He knew how his family felt about them and if baffled Elijah as to why they would send one of them – let alone a group – to go and fetch someone that had become important to the family.

Elijah should have known better than to question his father’s judgment; and he did but that didn’t mean his judgment was worth a pinch of salt. It was both a spoken an unspoken rule that you did not trust the Angelovas with something important. Elijah didn’t know what had changed to make them send the Angelovas but Elijah wasn’t going to question it if they got the job done and found the girl. They’d been waiting to prove their worth and it was about time they had their chance. Elijah’s prejudice against them was inbred not because of his own formed opinion. He’d been influenced and, like the rest of his family, he believed them to be a threat instead of a group of people that just wanted to be accepted by the family they’d been born into. Elijah knew he should have been trying to put weight on decisions that favoured the Angelovas but he was as scared of the consequences as many of his cousins were. So, just like the rest, Elijah stayed silent where they were involved.

“The Healer mentioned something about memory loss,” Adric murmured. Elijah’s ears twitched slightly at this but he forced himself to remain still. “The Healer said he could have lost anything up to a few weeks to a couple of years. He hinted it was the latter but also mentioned he could have lost everything. Has he woken up at all?”

There was a chorus of grumbles and Elijah felt eyes on him. He held his breath and listened as his Aunt’s heels clicked across the tiled hospital floor. He felt her long, greying hair tickle his arms as she leaned over him, blocking out the intrusive light, and he fought to keep his cool. He didn’t want to wake up just yet. He was content where he was. Elijah had a feeling she knew he was awake though and as she continued to loom, the tickling became too much. She blew air across the bridge of his nose and that was what finally undid the boy. He stifled a giggle and he heard Iskra laugh in triumph. Elijah’s eyes snapped open and he looked around, fully taking in the shocked faces of his father and his uncle; as well as the smug smirk that sat on his Aunt’s lips.

“I’m sorry I eavesdropped,” Elijah apologised meekly. He felt Iskra’s lips against his cheek and his face filled with blood as a bashful smile took his mouth upwards. He laughed awkwardly and as the sound filled the room; his eyebrows came together in confusion. It was a deep guffaw that sounded far too foreign to him. He knew his laugh and it wasn’t this. What exactly had Isaak and his friends done? And what was that about memory loss? He remembered everything fine. Well, everything that had happened prior to the attack. Elijah bit his lip and he met the gaze of his father. Viktor took his wand from his pocket and Elijah watched as the tip was pointed towards him. Swallowing, Elijah closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. When nothing happened though, he opened one and found his father standing at the foot of the bed.

“Who is Vivienne Mercier?” Viktor demanded of his son. Elijah’s eyes opened fully and Iskra helped him to sit up. Viktor clicked his fingers impatiently as Elijah settled himself against the soft pillows and he eyed his father curiously before shaking his head. “She’s your daughter’s mother.” Viktor spat before glaring in Adric’s direction. “Next question: Who is Thierry’s mother?”

As the pressure to get a right answer fell on Elijah’s shoulders, his breathing began to speed up. He wracked his brain for answers that he knew he should have been able to supply. His eyes darted around the room, desperately seeking help from his aunt and uncle. They refused to help as more information was fired at Elijah as he failed the questions. His breathing continued to increase in speed and soon, all Elijah could hear was the pumping of blood in his ears. His eyes grew to the size of saucers and his mouth fell open as he struggled to get air into his lungs. It was as if everything that was going in was being rejected. Tears sprang in his eyes and he gripped the sheets strewn over his lower body. He heard his aunt shout but that was the last he heard before he once again descended into the abyss of unconsciousness.

Khaat found Eli's chart in the nurses station by accident. It was no secret, as many times as he had been here, that Khaat was his guardian. She demanded to know, instantly, why she had not been consulted or had been asked for her consent. And with her demands, the mumbling began. No one would own up and take responsibility for letting Viktor Krum sign as the legal next of kin. Khaat began by firing everyone in the emergency room where Eli had been brought. She fired the entire shift. Immediately.

She was outraged. She found the endless stream of Krums outside Eli's room, and she began by ordering them out, with a fierceness that she rarely ever had to show. They had a choice. If they didn't leave, she would hex them or transfigure them or whatever else she needed to do. She took her responsibility as Eli's guardian with a ferocity that Eli probably alone knew. She saw Viktor trying to assert himself as being the rightful authority figure here. She walked up to him and did not hesitate in getting straight into his face.

"Don't you make me bring you the legal paperwork, Viktor," Khaat hissed. "You had no right whatsoever. You gave that responsibility up years ago when you decided that donating your sperm to him was the extent of your duty to him. Eli is my legal ward--my responsibility. Now, you take this herd out of my hospital this instant. I'll let you know when you can visit. You do one more ounce of damage to him, and I'll have orders for full custody of all of Eli's children so fast, you won't have time to bat an eyelash, much less flick a wand. You--not all them--may leave an address where my assistant can reach you when I deem fit--and not one moment before. As of now, he is not welcome to receive any visitors until I say otherwise."

Adric dived forward, catching the boy before he fell off of the bed. He motioned for his sister to re-arrange the pillows and she did so before helping her brother bring Elijah back down into a lying position. Viktor sighed and ran his hand through his thick head of dark hair. He muttered something incoherent and stalked across the room to the window. Iskra placed a kiss on Elijah’s temple before drifting over to her brother-in-law. She could feel the frustration rolling off of his shoulders in waves and she could empathise him. He’d just gotten his son back into his life and now this happened. She’d seen the confusion in the boy’s eyes and the panic as he tried to please his father but realised that all of the man’s questions would have to go unanswered.

“Three years.” Viktor murmured, turning to look at Iskra. Her eyes drifted back to the boy and she sucked her lip between her teeth before looking back up at her brother-in-law. Viktor sighed and averted his eyes; as if he couldn’t bear to look at his own son. “He’s lost three years and we don’t even know why. Is this my fault, Iskra?” Iskra knew he sought reassurance and she was willing to give him what he desired. She placed her hand in his larger one and managed a smile for his benefit. Viktor shook his head again and walked back over to the bed. “I want him home,” he said decisively. “Someone contact Stelladora and calm her down before anything else. Then tell her to come here. She’s the first person he’ll want to see when he comes to again. When did the Healer say he could be discharged?”

Adric opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when the door flew open. Viktor straightened himself up and watched as the tiny Lupin woman stormed into the room, citing something about paperwork and how she had more authority over Elijah than he did. Viktor heard Iskra stifle a gasp and he exhaled slowly. The Lupin woman might’ve had a liking for taking in strays but his son was not one of them. Viktor needed to make that apparent. He was his son’s next of kin regardless of what a bit of parchment said. She seemed quite confident but Viktor was adamant. He wasn’t going anywhere and nothing she could say or do was going to make him move. She could scare out Iskra and perhaps even Adric but Viktor had lived with Marina Harrow since he was twenty-years-old; Khaat did not faze him in the slightest.

“Are you done?” Viktor asked contemptuously. “He is my son and therefore my responsibility first and foremost before anyone else. I acknowledge I have made mistakes but I’ve been trying to put that right. Now if you want to help him then I suggest you let us stay because when he wakes up – he isn’t going to remember you. Get your head out of your arse, Lupin. You are not his mother. His mother is dead and until Marina walks through that door – no one else is going to fill that position. You might have rights to him but I did not wave mine at the first opportunity. He is my son – my responsibility. You want his cooperation then you need someone he knows here. That isn’t you anymore. You will be a stranger to him – just another healer. I’m not leaving and I doubt anyone else plans to either. You didn’t find him. We did. He hates hospitals. He wants us here.” Viktor scowled before adding. “If you don’t want me here then let Harry stay. Merlin knows his face will be much more appreciated. Also, it’s highly unlikely you’ll get those children into your custody. The fiancée has flown the nest. The Angelovas are looking for her and the children.”

Viktor shuddered at the thought. They’d been a last ditch effort. No one else had wanted to go. They wanted to be at the hospital. The Angelovas were much easier to control and were now scouring London in search of them.

"I really do not care if you are the King of Bulgaria," Khaat said. "This is not Bulgaria. This is England, and over here, I have charge of this hospital and of your son. No, you didn't wave your responsibilities--you never picked them up until just very recently. Until he nearly died and caused you a fit of conscience. You don't consider me his mother, and that's fine. However, if I had been his mother, I'd have surely done a better job of it than Marina did. That's for damned sure. He's a fine young man, no thanks to either of you two. I honestly am not disturbed by the fact that he wont' remember me. I am a healer, remember? Its not the first I've encountered it. Believe me, I'll do fine. I do not need any of you here to bribe him to cooperate. Eli's not stupid--memory or not.

"As for what is in his best interests medically, I do believe I am more qualified to determine that than you. Eli needs rest and quiet while we try to undo the damage. Certainly even you can appreciate that Eli could benefit from more sleep. As I said, tell Hannah where we can reach you and I will call you when I need you."

She did know that Viktor did love his son. So did Khaat, but the last she wanted was the entire Krum clan in her hallways. She wanted them to leave her to do her job to help him get his memory back as best she could--if it could be done. There were people upstairs in the 4th floor psych wing who had been there for decades because of a bloody obliviate spell, although, granted theirs had been more pervasive. This was nothing to mess with, and she didn't need him trying to be Father of the Year here right now. He could do that later when Eli was himself again. And then if Eli wanted to jaunt back off to Bulgaria, that was certainly his business. She would miss him, but she most often let him do what he wanted. The only thing she had ever said no to him about was the whole prospect of quitting school. That was the one thing she had refused him--repeatedly. As for the kids, she had her nestful of small children to take care of. She did not need all of Eli's. As long as they were adequately provided for, she would not interfere. She had enough on her own plate.

There really was no time to be arguing but Viktor wanted her gone. There was a reason why he’d had Adric deal with the Healers. He didn’t want her finding out and it seemed as if someone had failed him. And now there was this. Viktor didn’t want to fight her for his son. She was not blood and therefore she was insignificant to them all. Viktor knew though that if he was going to be allowed to stay then he’d have to cooperate. He knew Elijah would – if only to speed up the whole process and get the hell out. He would be polite and he’d certainly keep to himself. If he was fourteen again in his mind then there wouldn’t be much to converse about. He was at his quietest during his Durmstrang Years and the loudest since he’d been at Hogwarts. All he seemed to remember was everything before he ran off to Paris. Viktor was determined to jog Elijah’s memory but until then, it would be a battle to pull him out of himself and assure him that he was safe and sound; that he wasn’t going to get beaten up upon turning every corner.

Viktor had a feeling only Stelladora would be able to convince Elijah of that. Viktor just hoped she’d be able to convince him to go home. The only reason they didn’t take him to Bulgaria was because the Apparation would have tampered with what had already been done. Viktor wanted the family physicians, not the Lupins and their self-righteous uselessness. Viktor wanted Elijah patched up enough so they could get him home and have him seen to properly. Perhaps they should have just bitten the bullet and Apparated with him instead of taking a risk and turned up at St. Mungo’s. It was a bad move on Viktor’s part and he was very aware of that. It would be remedied soon enough though.

“I can soon take him back to Bulgaria,” Viktor retorted, raising an eyebrow and practically asking the Lupin woman to dare him to. “Perhaps it would be better to. I wanted Healers that were emotionally detached – not you. You are no help to me or to my son. I don’t care whether you own him. He’s my responsibility and I will make decisions concerning him. He was my son before you even began to associate yourself with him and you’d do well to remember that before you start meddling in affairs that you know nothing of.” Viktor’s eyes narrowed when Khaat mentioned Marina and he heard Iskra stifle a gasp. “Do not test me, Lupin. You have no right to say something like that,” he turned to his brother-in-law and nodded, murmuring, “Excuse me.”

Viktor did not turn away because he did not trust her. Instead he passed her and stalked out of the room before she had another chance to speak. As Viktor left, Harry stumbled into the room and the door was slammed shut. The Bulgarian cleared his throat and straightened himself up, dusting invisible lint off of his clothes. The tension was palpable and it definitely set Harry on edge. Harry’s eyes fell on the slumbering boy in the bed and he crossed the room, paying no attention to Khaat what so ever. He leaned over Elijah and brushed his hair out of his eyes, murmuring a near-silent prayer in Bulgarian that perhaps only his father would hear at a stretch. Adric did look down but said no more as Harry began to speak quietly to Elijah.

“Viktor wishes to take Elijah home,” Adric said formally. “He needs time to calm down. Harry will stay and his brothers will linger also but the rest of us shall leave until Viktor decides it is time to return. This is his son – his only heir. He wants Elijah in a place where he can observe his son’s health. You are not helping. You are angering him at a time where his anger is not useful. If you wanted him to leave as badly as you seemed to then you have succeeded but it was quite a selfish way of doing so. He is Elijah’s father. That is above anything that you have written on paper. If it wasn’t then you would have been his mother. As it is, you are not. Marina was; and no one can fill her shoes. If you are here then it is preferred that you do your job – your real job. Leave us to be his family. We are familiar faces. Nothing you can do will make yourself one in his eyes – not yet anyway. We all need time to heal. Forcing anyone upon him is futile and pointless because he will reject it. He was a stubborn young boy even if he was skittish and introverted. If Viktor is right in his estimate then what we will find when he wakes up is a long forgotten memory and not what we came to know. Just, please, do the job you are being paid to do. Make him better again; or as better as he can be. Viktor isn’t going to stand for anything less.”

"Khaat," Robert's voice called her from behind her quietly. "I need to speak with you a moment." She turned and saw him standing there, tall, powerful, quiet, self assured, wand in hand. There was a look on his face that even she could not describe. She turned and went over to him. He led her to the empty room next door and shut the door. "Sign off on the case, Khaat," he told her quietly. "Sign off on it to me."

"What?"

"The Krums always have been and always will be egotistical bastards. All of them. Eli was an exception because he had escaped before Viktor and Marina could pervert his little mind. However, that's all been rewound. You are not, nor do you ever need to be, a doormat for some asshole like Viktor Krum. I will deal with him. If they want to take him back to Bulgaria, so be it. I really could not care less. I do care, however, about more pressing matters at hand, none of which concern the Krums whatsoever. Its fine to care about Eli, and if he ever gets his brain back in working order, he will remember how much he loves you. Right now, though, it is not worth the fight. I do not want to see you having to be subservient to Viktor or one of his insolent lackeys in your own hospital."

"I wasn't going to. I was going to toss their asses all out. Period."

"Eh. Sod them all. Let them stay. I really don't give a rat's behind. I'll transfer him to Bulgaria and their half wit healers will have him recovered at twice the time that we could have, but if that's what he wants, let Viktor have it. I know the healers and the facilities there. It will take double the time to heal him that we could do, at best. But you are far more a concern to me than any Bulgarian royalty-wanabe." He held out the chart to her and a pen. "This does not change the fact that you are still his guardian, Khaat. And Viktor cannot so much as sign the first form here in England regarding him. It only means that you're turning his care to me. That's all."

"I know," she said, signing the form. She handed the chart back to her father and apparated out. Robert delivered the chart back to the proper storage and then walked into Eli's room.

"You will now deal with me," Robert said, his wand still in his hand. "As I believe the hospital director told you, Elijah is not permitted visitors. You may wait in the hallway, but not in his room. I need you to leave the room." He was giving this young prat one try, diplomatically. The next time would not likely be so.

Nothing was going to move Harry from place. He didn’t care whether the Minister transfigured him into something – but if he did, Harry would most likely sue. He didn’t want to leave Elijah alone. He knew that when the boy awoke he’d be disorientated and most likely scared. Harry didn’t want to put him in that situation. He’d changed a lot since Elijah had been fourteen but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d been twenty the last time Elijah set eyes on him. Three years had changed a lot in Harry. He was all grown up. He’d lost the remnants of teen life and he had a good head on his shoulders. It was just a pity no one in the family seemed to see that. Still, Harry knew his place and that was right beside Elijah. It always would be. He adored him with every fabric of his being and no matter how far the ocean of separation was between them, Harry would always come back to Elijah and he knew Elijah would do the same.

Robert seemed adamant but Harry was prepared to do whatever it took for the man to allow him to stay. Harry straightened up and stood his ground, lacing his fingers with Elijah’s. Elijah’s long fingers were cooler than Harry’s but pleasant and familiar none the less. For the first time, Elijah was the reassurance. He was reassuring Harry in his own quiet way that he was in fact alive and there was nothing anyone was going to do about that. Harry vowed silently to himself that he would look after Elijah in the future. He’d always been there for Elijah and he always knew in the past when the boy needed him. Lately, Harry had been a failure. He knew that and he wanted to make that better. He wanted to make it up to Elijah somehow.

Harry screwed his lip between his teeth as he searched his mind for a diplomatic reply. He knew he had to be respectful toward the man for he was the one that was going to heal Elijah until they could get him home. Harry knew there were several talented healers in the family as well as a few academics that studied the mind. They were all nestled in the forgotten branches of the tree. Harry had a feeling Viktor would seek them out again just so they could treat Eli. It was imperative that he stay for as long as possible but Harry understood his uncle’s logic. In Bulgaria they had control. In Bulgaria, the money controlled what happened. They had their own physicians and Elijah had shirked his, an elderly man called Renaldo Gatsby. His daughter also healed from time to time but never as extensively. His wife had been Elijah’s therapist of sorts after Alice had died and she was probably the only one who knew how and why she died. The boy had never revealed much. It was said that he didn’t even trust her enough to give her the real details.

“With all due respect sir,” Harry spoke carefully, trading the waters. “I think someone should at least stay with him. No one wants him to wake up surrounded by strangers. Mentally...Elijah was very delicate at fourteen. There was a lot of doubt in his mind and a strong desire to change. He didn’t like people and certainly didn’t respond well to strangers. I don’t honestly think it is a good idea to leave him alone. I don’t want to leave him alone. I trust that he is in good hands but I don’t want him to be alone when he wakes up. I know he’s not allowed visitors but I am here because they seem to believe I’m his best bet. I love him, sir. I don’t want any harm coming to him. Obviously I’ve failed but I...” Harry averted his eyes and brought his spare hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“I’ve failed him.” He continued finally. “And I can’t stand knowing that I left him to pursue my own hedonism when I should have known he was in trouble. I just...I should have known. Like that,” Harry snapped his fingers, “I should have known. I should have woken up that morning and gone to see him. I should have done something to prevent this! I need to make it right. I know I can’t and I know he won’t understand why but I need to do this to make peace with myself. I was always there for him – I was there when no one else was many times. No one was here for him now...or, rather, then. Just, please...let me stay. I promise I won’t interfere. I just...I need to do this. I’m not interested in the medics or the politics of all of this as the rest of them are. I just want someone to make him well again and I don’t care who it is as long as it is someone. My uncle had no right to kick up like that but he....he’s scared. Elijah is his only heir. He’s not willing to see his brother as head of the family and certainly not one of his sons. He’s just...taking it out on people that don’t deserve his shit. For that, I apologise, sir. But please, just...let me say...please?”

The lad at least didn't quite have his head up his ass quite so far as Viktor's head was up his own. Still, this boy followed Viktor's lead far too much for Robert's likings.

"Look," he said to the boy, "I know you care about him. I know VIktor does, as much as he knows about love. Khaat does too. I have had some limited success with a potion, but it does take time to brew, and it is not guaranteed. Sometimes there isn't a lot that can be done to bring back what an obliviate spell has taken. Sometimes it can be returned, but there may be things that he selects to never bring back. If you want to stay, then stay. However, I doubt very much I will allow Viktor back until the feuding stops between Viktor and Eli's guardian. That is not helpful for Eli whatsoever. And I know his guardian well enough to promise you that she will not back down from a fight where Eli is concerned. Not now, not ever. "

Robert did not know what this boy knew, but Robert remembered, all too clearly, that when it would have been so easy for Khaat to give up and go across the veil to escape Felix Barker, that she had not gone, solely because of Eli. She had simply used every ounce of her will to hang on to a thin thread of life until help had come. In Khaat's mind, this wasn't even really a battle. The choice was clear and obvious for her. Robert also didn't want stress to continue for his daughter or for Eli or for his family, and so he had inserted himself and simply asked to take over the case. Furthermore, he had had successes in helping patients recover their memories if there was hope at all. But if Viktor wanted Eli to go to Bulgaria, Robert would eventually get Khaat to sign the paperwork to allow him to return home for awhile.

"Stay if you want to, but not one ounce of interference in his care if I do let you stay. Are we clear?" Robert asked. "At the first interference, I will make sure you are removed. And that goes for every one of his family members. Are we clear?"

Harry had always known that the Krum family was a dangerous family to be a part of. They were all willing to stab each other in the back. It was a wonder if any of them truly cared for each other. They all had one common bond though and that was the harassment of the Angelovas. That was the only thing they could agree on: that the Angelova bastards were scum that needed to be destroyed. That was their common ground. Other times they’d be scrambling over each other to get ahead. It didn’t matter whether mother and son or father and daughter were at each other’s throats. The Krums always sought to better themselves and they didn’t seem to care who they got rid of to ensure that that happened. They were poisonous – all of them – and that was why Marina had fit in so well.

Elijah had the opportunity to change all of that. When his father died, Elijah would be made head of the family. He would be in charge of them all. He could change the way everything was run. Now, with time rewound, he would become a pawn. Harry couldn’t predict what would happen. He just hoped that Elijah flourished the same way. Obviously now some bits could be cut out and he could be shaped as a better person but he needed to have the same strength – the same resolve.

Robert was fair enough. Harry didn’t necessarily agree but he begrudgingly decided that it was probably best to agree – especially if he was going to let him stay. Harry nodded and released Elijah’s hand. He stepped away and gestured for Robert to do what he needed to do.

Robert went over to Eli and laid his hand on Eli's forehead, checking him. He wasn't happy at the damage the spell had left behind. This might well take time. He sighed heavily. The likelihood of survival for whoever did this for him was nil if Khaat were the one to catch the criminal. She would not hesitate, whether Eli remembered her now or not. He began to weave a tight, impregnable and protective net of spells around Eli, around his mind and his memories. Once he felt that those were in place, he began to place within that net a wealth of healing spells. It might well take people donating memory threads to Kate or Khaat to use to replace into Eli so that it would recreate what the obliviate spell had taken.

He turned now to the young man in the room. "What are you willing to donate to him for the recovery of his memory?" It was a blunt question. Robert knew that. And he had counted on this young man being willing to give whatever it took. He could, if he had to, ask Rob and Jen. He figured he might count on Chase. It would also require Fauve and Thierry's help. There were people who loved him that would donate memory threads. Taking a memory thread was not painful, but the sensation of drawing a thread out of one's brain was a bit odd. It did take some getting used to, and he knew that either Kate or Khaat were proficient at it, as seers. "And--are there others that would be willing to donate for his recovery? People that are trustworthy? Oh, and one more question--are there any worthwhile memories that Viktor has of Eli?" He was not going to implant painful things back into his mind. Not at first. Those things were necessary too, but not as his first memories. Eli needed to be given things worth remembering--a reason to want to remember.