Dark Waters

"Weasley, huh? I can't say that I've met him," Michael said. "But I've been a bit preoccupied with the attacks on Robert and Khaat. Its not much consolation that Thaor is gone because we don't know much more than we did before and Robert is still suffering. And James Blood is an entirely different story.

"But, yes, your idea about Weasley is a good idea and I'm glad you're familiar with him. That will definitely help. As for me, the people I feel I can trust in the Ministry are limited. My list of 'good guys' there was a lot longer than it is now. I have a much longer list of folks I don't trust any farther than I can throw them. I usually believe people are innocent unless I know otherwise. I've become a bit more skeptical about most of the Ministry staff lately.

"I believe there has been some talk, when we can get all assembled, of a weekend for a training camp of sorts. That would perhaps expose operatives to some different techniques that they don't specialize in. And, no, I'm not going to teach you to crack muggle security systems or crack safes. Or at least I don't think I'm going to," he laughed.

He motioned the tea pot over to warm up the tea. His own mug was almost empty, and he wanted a warm up.

"I understand your feelings about the Order," he sighed. "I don't know if it helps, but Sirius had some of the same control issues. There were always some do-gooders who were insecure enough that they wanted a great deal of credit, and they felt like the Order was the magical equivalent of a muggle's mythical superhero league. They saw themselves as superheroes, and the infighting caused a lot of difficulties. A lot of those arguments happened around this table. I don't know if he had the right idea, but Sirius tried to divide tasks and keep them busy enough that they didn't have time to gripe at each other.

"I'm not suggesting you do that necessarily because I saw times when that worked for Sirius and times when it didn't. You could do what Jess Potter did by sharing leadership roles with someone else. It's just a suggestion. Ultimately, I think you could backburner any decision about the Order for now. If we need them, we could try to work together somehow to rally them. Or perhaps Robert has some ideas for that. You have enough on your plate now as it is without shouldering that by yourself too."

Jack nodded her head. “Yeah, Fred’s good. I mean, family name doesn’t say everything, but with him it sort of does, too. He should be high in ranks by now – I heard he was Head back in America, and the only reason I know is, well, I’m good at making it my business too.” She smirked a little – if one thing could be said about Jack Dyllan (even though there was truly lots to be said about her, and apologized for) it was that she had an uncanny knack for gathering information. She just always seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it gave her a lot of intelligence to handle.

She smiled a little at his words but did not say anything. Perhaps it was because her time spent in the Ministry was spent among the middle dregs, above the mindless drones and below the figureheads, but she had met more corrupt people in the Ministry than she had met noble ones. Mostly, it was people corrupted by their own agendas of greed and self-promotion, but it had still made her a bit cynical about the government as a whole. Something that she had learned to live with, but not learned to accept whole-heartedly.

Jack grinned as Michael laughed. It was beginning to get somewhat exciting, the idea of taking on this work. It would be like going back to the days where every day had some potential for a thrill, for danger. She would be equipped, though, she kept telling herself that over and over. She had no fear for herself, but she could not just leave the responsibility of her cousin and niece to her poor flatmate either. She had to stay alive and sane…

She had to stay alive and as sane as she currently was.

She took another bite of sausage as he warmed up his tea. He addressed the matter of the Order and Jack could not help but feel a bit pleased that he brought up Sirius Black. The muggleborn in her could not help but look up the noble wizards of the past, despite all she knew of how they must have really been like, from her own experiences of walking in their shoes. But that any comparison was being drawn at all was enough to make her feel a sense of hope and happiness.

“Consider them our reserves, then,” Jack said. “They may be the deciding factor between victory and defeat - they have been in the past." Unfortunately, they had decided both in the past.

"I think that's a good plan," Michael said. He reached in his pocket. "Then, I'm to give you this."

He drew out a pendant. He had chosen this for her, knowing what she would say. It was a one of a kind pendant, designed for her, totally unusual and unique, and set with a clear, completely flawless diamond. Michael had wanted the diamond to be a perpetual reminder for her of the strength and the fire he knew she had.

The pendant hung on a beautiful gold chain. In its current state, the chain was only about three inches in length. He looked at her neck, guessing how long it might need to be.

"Let's see if it works," Michael said. He gave the diamond a firm squeeze. He waited for a moment, and the diamond blinked at him, in a flash of beautiful soft white light. He looked up at her. "Robert. He was waiting on my signal. Consider that as much of an acceptance letter as he can give you right now. This is your emergency signaling device. You can summon with it. Or you can be summoned with it. No two Unspeakables have the same device. This one is unique to you. Just as mine is to me." He showed her the ring he wore on his right hand-the honey colored silver agate in the gold set.

He took the chain between his index finger and his thumb and began running it through his fingers. The chain began to strengthen and lengthen.

"Sixteen inches, perhaps?" he asked her. As he was stretching the chain, the diamond flashed a second time. He paused, looking, waiting to see if there would be an additional flash. No. There wasn't.

"It seems I am to tell you the rest of it," Michael said.

Jack had turned down jewelry before, always using the excuse that she just didn't wear it. This, however, was a lie, and ever since the death of Chase Moor, she had worn a chain with a small golden chess piece on it. It often lay hidden beneath her shirt, and her collars often hid the chain, but if you looked at her close enough, you could see it sure enough.

Michael Tremaine had surely noticed it before, because something about this chain had the same feel to her necklace. Jack worried about the diamond (the work she did was not exactly elegant) but she was certain it was probably strong enough to withhold her active lifestyle.

"Thank you," was all Jack said. She would have to take a look at the spells on the necklace. She'd love something like that for Sunny. Charlie could apparate and wouldn't be in situations that needed too much protection. Sunny, however, was pretty much defenseless.

She nodded in answer to his question before she looked at Michael curiously. There was more it seemed.

"There is more, but I hadn't intended to go there," Michael said. "Its not your task, I don't think. I presume he merely wants you fully read in on our top priorities. "

That wasn't entirely true. Robert didn't miscalculate on the intentional release of information, and Michael knew it. It was no secret that Jack knew far more about werewolves than Michael did. Robert had obvious reasons for wanting her informed. But Michael was not going to let her go tracking a mass murdering animal like James Blood. Not if he could help it

"But...the other task I have is to find James Blood and his pack. He has attacked Khaat and her children in the last few weeks. More than once. They are alright--so far. But, in the Hogwarts incident, he killed a student and turned four others to werewolves and took them. And his pack continues to kill in random patterns in our world and in the muggle world. There's also been a pattern of kidnappings in the same neighborhoods on the same nights as the random killings. Robert is suspecting that Blood is somehow responsible. It is too much coincidence for him to think otherwise.

"We suspect he has a base in London someplace, but we're not sure where. He has a mate now, a female werewolf named Moira. She's animalistic and powerful and aggressive, much like he is.

"As near has we can figure, aside from his agenda to make werewolves the dominant species, he also wants us to be trapped into a situation where he can use one of the Lupins as bait. He wants Khaat--and with good reason.

"First of all, he has an obsession with the enchanted necklace she wears. He has discovered that it has the power to warn her of werewolves and to help protect her somehow. He wants that stone more than just about anything.

"Here's the thing, though. It is completely impossible for her to remove it. Remus enchanted it years ago, trying to protect her, making him the only one with the power to remove it. So, for obvious reasons, she can never take it off-- short of beheading, that is. And he will do just about anything to lure her out in public.

"The other issue he has is that he's developed some sort of thing I dont' know much about. Edward seems to know more. He called it bloodlust. James seems to be completely obsessed with her. He seems to know how to smell her, track her, find her,--he almost seems to be able to taste her on the air...more effectively than any bloodhound I ever saw. None of the Lupins or anyone they love is safe as long as James can use them to get to her.

"They are my family. She's my goddaughter, and up til now, up til this marriage law business, I thought she might be the closest thing to a child I would ever have. I have been mandated to get married, and we all know that's just a short leap from being mandated to produce children for them. Why else would they care if we were married or not?

"But I digress. James has to be found and stopped. The killing must stop. The werewolf curse has to be stopped from spreading. And decades ago, I swore to Robert, no matter what, I would do whatever it took to protect his family. Breaking that promise is not an option. I may end up fending more of the ministry undercover thing to you and the others while I am elsewhere."

Well, okay, so the last bit hadn't been Robert's thoughts at all. It was Michael's choice to shoulder Blood to draw away Jack from James. But what the hell? What did she need to know about that?

It was a lot to digest, but this was information Jack knew she could deal with immediately. Political maneuvering took the finesse Jack believed she lacked. Dealing with large beasts, however, was something she knew she could do. It took someone with her brand of bravery and honesty to deal with people who had nothing to lose.

She had often wondered what part Ariel Greyback played in her life besides the introduction or romantic feelings. Everyone else had led her in one direction or the other... And then there had been the blonde heir to the Greyback pack.

But because of him, Jack had become the point person for all werewolves. Her home was open to them, she freely gave food and wolfsbane, and she was typically considered off limits, because without her, most werewolves in the country would be much worse off. It didn't take compassion for werewolves to realize they benefited from her alive - it took brains.

"I can help," Jack said. She knew Michael would argue, so she quickly shrugged off her bag and began looking through her knapsack. She found the very thing she was looking for and slid it onto her wrist, showing it to Michael.

"Werewolf hair," she said, by means if explanation. Hairs if grey, white, ginger, black, and brown wove together to form a bracelet around her wrist. "Each one given with a pledge. Any werewolf can smell who it is. Both Greyback heirs. The late leader of the Holloway pack. And a dozen or so lone wolves. It's a pledge and it's protection."

She dropped her arm. "It means I can speak with Blood. I know it won't deter him from his path, but we can figure out his endgame, figure out what compromises can be made."

She paused. "And, in the meantime, I can look through my contacts. See if we have a werewolf on our side who might be willing to run around with his pack for us."

It struck Michael with amusement, and he laughed. Truly laughed.

"I am a bit thickheaded. You do realize that there are some things I just never learn, right?" he laughed. "Robert has far more respect for you than you know. He obviously saw this coming and knew exactly what was going to happen when he told me to finish the story. It was a no brainer how I'd tell you.

"He trusted your knowledge and your skills, though. It was what he was banking on.  He trusted I would, unwillingly, do as he asked, and he also trusted that you would have knowledge I didn't. Brilliant," he said, truly amused. "Even cursed, he can still outplay me in these things.

"Its a good plan, Jack.  Really good. And, yes, I surrender. I can't begin to protect you from something I understand. I know very well how to toss myself under the bus, but your plan is better. And it is. Let's go with it. I presume you'd be better off doing it with me since it is a circle that is comfortable with you and might well not be with outsiders.

"You really are going to be a stellar Unspeakable. You know that," he grinned.

Jack has not honestly expected Michael to be so willing to accept that she was the person for the job. She was certain that when he spoke to her, he still saw the sixteen year old prankster who still had a trick or two to learn. She couldn't blame him - she often felt sixteen again when she met with Michael. But she was certainly not sixteen. She was a twenty year old woman, and an old twenty at that.

Jack often surprised herself with her age. She would meet with people she had graduated with and the decisions they were making were to change jobs or to shack up with their boyfriend. Jack had loved and lost and killed and fought. She had been condemned to Azkaban twice. She had taken on the Order. She had become a Death Eater and defied all orders in the name of love and compassion. She had become the figurehead of her family.

Jack had lived a very full twenty years. She was not a twenty year old woman, but was someone much older trapped in the constraint of twenty years of time.

Jack nodded. "Yes, it'd be better if I'm alone. I'd want to meet the whole pack, really. More likely than not, there will be more of them unwilling to harm me than willing. And I want them all to hear any compromises I may offer, in case any want to take them up personally."

His next words were unexpected - not because it was out of character for Michael to think well of her, but because Jack rarely thought in terms of good or bad. She thought only of the results. One of the corners of her mouth rose. "I'm going to try."

"Of all the missions I'm doing right now," he confessed. "Its not catching the goof at the ministry or running after werewolves that bothers me nearly as much as having to plan my own wedding. Dear God, I hate that.

"And its not her. She's likeable enough," he said. "Don't know much of anything about her. Except that she detests the idea as much as I do. Neither of us are willing to send the other to Azkaban, and that's what's making us do something we both loathe.

"That, and I think that I know Robert well enough that once he overturns this, I think he'll annul any marriage that was done under this law if the couples truly choose that.

"But, awhile back, I had a further thought. By actually going along with this meeting, I was hoping that I could learn something about Elijah Krum or Ana Levski in this matter. And I think I might have. Maybe. See if this makes any sense.

"Krum seems too self serving to have dreamt this up himself. He's too much of a boy when it gets right down to it. He might be going along with someone else's idea, but this is not something he'd have stayed up all night to think up. Is he still the arrogant but squeaky clean kid that lived with Khaat? No. Not on your life. Can I prove it? Nope. But I'm not convinced he's an experienced master criminal either. He's into it, or the law would have died long before it got this far. I don't know how deep he's involved, though.

"Levski came across to me as a bit of a nutter," he said. "I understand all about weird, and she's just weird enough to have perhaps either dreamed up the law or to have thought it made sense. But I seriously doubt she'd have had the legal mind to have worded it into a law that was so flawless that it sewed us all up without a loophole. There's someone pulling her strings, and I'm betting I'm not the only one who studied the law forwards and backwards looking for some way to weasel out of it, am I?" he glared a bit at her, knowing full well she had already done the same thing.

And they were on the topic that no one could ignore anymore. It was only natural, of course. It seemed everyone had bad their own plans about the day they would be wed, and this law ruined all of them. Jack had never really considered it, because it had never been on the horizon. That made it almost more traumatic, then, when it was forced upon her.

Jack simply did not want to get married. Not because she did not care for a family, but because no one ha proven to her that people remained together. She had learned that love did not guarantee that two people stayed together. And, of course, there was the whole child rearing thing. Jack liked kids but she had no maternal instincts telling her to have her own. And she could not imagine being out of the action for nine whole months.

Lastly, there was that whole concept of freedom that he believed in. The Ministry had ever right to plea with its people to consider protecting magical bloodlines, but it had no right to force people into marrying and procreating. It sounded like a plot right out of a dystopian novel.

Michael spoke of Elijah Krum an Jack's lip curled. "I hope this open eyes about him. I think he's gotten away with a lot so far because he thought he had good intentions, and people sympathized for him. I think he knows deep down that his intentions are not pure and his actions reflect it. Charm does not make someone good." Jack had tried, and she would always begrudgingly acknowledge that Krum was clever. But she had decided with this law that he was no friend of hers.

She could not say anything of Levski, mostly because she didn't know quite enough about her yet. She did know one thing, so she left it at that : "That woman's a piece of work."

He spoke truth and Jack could not help the small smirk that came on to her face. She had done a lot to get out of her marriage thus far, and she was not opposed to a bit of bragging. "Besides throwing a tantrum during my meeting, I also claimed I fell outside the restrictions of the law because I am already previously married to Nemo Omara." Michael knew of Nemo what everyone knew - that he was back in America somewhere. He did not know the details - no one would. But he knew what their relationship had been like, so he knew how far of a stretch that was. "I told them I'd waive that reason if they could find definitive proof that I was not married to him, or of they could find proof that he is deceased."

Thoughts she did not want to even consider. "Unfortunately, I imagine it won't be long before they get frustrated and attempt to marry me off regardless. More recently, I might have snuck into Levski's office to make copies of files. And tampered with my own file. It's all buying time at this point, but at least it's something."