Truth Will Out

Thaor woke up in the emergency room, his head aching, and chest still hurting. As his vision came back, he looked around him. He saw Khaat, Michael, and other healers. This isn't my office. he said to no one in particular. He tried to sit up, only to realize he was strapped down.

Are these really necessary. I'm clearly fine. he said, looking to Michael for help.

After a second, he realized he wasn't going to be allowed to leave until he at least brought Khaat and Robert into the loop. Thaor laid back down, and let the healers work.

"Your office is a sucky place for you to be right now," Khaat told him, knowing he knew how to cope with the sort of sarcastic humor that was so common between their two families. "I wasn't the one who ordered you to be restrained, but its probably the lesser of the evils. What I might have done to you might have been worse. And you really should be glad I'm not my father. He doesn't play.

"You're lucky Michael reacted so quickly," she said. Elldirs were notorious for being harsh to their bodies. "I probably don't need to ask if you've been trying to take care of yourself, do I? That will need to change, though. You've had a heart attack. And I do take that seriously."

She knew, from her own experience, that the ghost of a loved one rarely appeared like Thaor had just done unless there were a lifethreatening situation that seemed to summon their attention. How she knew that was a confession for a far different time.

The situation, though, merited some further investigation. She wanted to know what Thaor's son was doing with Michael. She wasn't totally unobservant that Michael had one of her mother's pensieves. Michael wasn't a seer, so what did he have need of it for?

And there still appeared to be unfinished business with Thaor that kept him from being at peace.

Thaor sighed as Khaat lectured him about taking care of himself. That was the last thing on his mind. He would humor her, for now.

We need to bring her in the loop now. He said, looking to Michael.

We need the room, now. he demanded to the healers. Someone send for the Minister, I would send a patronus, but in my current state, I feel it would be unwise to attempt such a draining spell. he said, glancing at Khaat, hoping to get in her good graces for 'taking care of himself'.

He waited for the other healers to leave the room before speaking again. Why is my father still here, and why hasn't he shown himself to me? he asked Khaat.

Khaat saw Thaor was trying to put things to what he felt was right. Not an uncommon response for someone in such serious condition. She wanted him to rest, but he was most likely not going to do that well unless he could first speak his mind. The healers cleared the room for them when Khaat supported Thaor's request.

Michael looked at Thaor. "The alarm I sounded would have also reached Robert. If he can come, he will." He knew Khaat wasn't up to speed on what they knew, but he left her out for the moment. "Now, you listen to me," he said to the young man. "You aren't in any shape to go off after this man. But I promise you--we will get him. We're going to do it right--a clean case that he won't ever come back from."

"What are you talking about?" Khaat said.

"I found a couple of thought threads. I know who set up Thaor. I know who cursed him," Michael said.

"What?" she frowned. "Is that what's in that pensieve?" Michael nodded. "Is it clean? Is it incontrovertible evidence?" He nodded. "Then, go. Secure those threads immediately. We're fine here. Go." Then she had a second thought. "Wait...who are we looking for?"

"Pierce," Michael said. "It was Pierce."

"Bring those threads straight to me," she ordered. "As Chief Warlock, I'll take them and enter them into evidence against Pierce in the case against him." Michael nodded. The case against Gideon Pierce was getting larger all the time.

Khaat tried to absorb what she was hearing, but she met that news with anger. She reeled it in quickly, determining to do Thaor justice. Now she redirected herself to his son. He wanted answers. He deserved them.

"I probably have more experience with ghosts than most people want to have," she told Thaor, sitting beside the bed. "Our loved ones are bonded to us by love. Its the one thing that remains, that transcends all. And when we're in trouble, it alerts them and sometimes draws them to us.

"In my own experience," she said, "they are freer to appear to us--unless they feel that we're potentially at a crossroad where we need to make a choice about living or not. There seems to be some resistance about their appearing at that time. I can only guess that in that moment when we're feeling so confused about what we want, they want so much for us to live that they deliberately don't appear when we're making that choice so their appearance doesn't influence us to a wrong choice. In fact, sometimes they do their best to block us from knowing they were near. Its just my own thought, though, that because they love us, they can never truly leave us. My best guess is that, like any loving father, Thaor wants you to stay and continue his fight. That's just what good dads do. But life, all life, is--to some extent--a choice."

Thaor sat quietly for a moment, taking it all in. The silence seemed deafening. His father was stuck between the veil, that was so like him. That stubborn arse.

Well that's lovely. he said, as he began to chuckle. He wasn't sure why he was laughing, it really wasn't all that funny if he thought about it.

So what do we do about Pierce now? he asked, deciding to deal with his father later.

Thaor exhaled loudly, clearly his father had other ideas, as he floated through the door after his question.

Sorry about earlier, I was floating through the Great Hall and then suddenly pulled to Michael's house, it was a rather weird sensation. Thaor Sr said, looking around the room.

Where is Robert? Sr asked, noticing his absence.

"Pierce is already wanted for a number of crimes. This will be additional charges and incentives to get him stopped. As for Robert, he won't be far, if he can help it," Michael said. Robert didn't ignore distress alarms. Never. For him not to come meant he was preoccupied with something not easy to walk away from.

Khaat was still steadily working to stabilize Thaor when she heard her father finally enter.

"You're late," Michael scowled.

"Clearly," Robert said. He figured that the alarm had been sounded for whoever the patient was. He saw there was a ghost in the room but he didn't see who it was. "Pardon," he said, focused and all business, walking through the ghost.

Michael curled his lip for a moment at someone voluntarily 'sliming' themselves, but Robert either didn't notice or didn't somehow feel it respectful to be repulsed for something the ghost couldn't help.

Robert saw Thaor Jr there. He looked at Khaat. "What have you got?" he asked.

"M.I.," she replied quietly.

"You're stabilizing?"

"Its holding," she replied. He understood her, and decided to step in and help with what she didn't have a free hand to do.

Jr swatted Robert's hands away as he began to take over for Khaat. I'm fine, lets focus on the more important issue at hand. he said, motioning to his father's ghost. What the hell my father is doing here.

You're a hard man to find. Sr. said to Robert. Also, after all this time, no, hey how are you? All I get is you walking through me. Sr said, laughing a bit.

Hi dad, how are you? Jr said angrily. He couldn't believe his father still hadn't acknowledged him.

Thaorson. Sr said, smiling at his son. You've done great, but we need you to relax, and take care of yourself. We're worried about you.

Thaor Jr looked as his father. Rule 55: Be cautious, yet vigilant, leave the worrying to your enemies. He said with a smile. His father was always fond of his list of 'rules'.

Robert was accustomed to patients being difficult, so for now, he tolerated being swatted at.

"I'd suggest you let her work," Robert told the young man. "You're not gifted with her skills. You don't even have the foggiest clue what she's doing." He glanced at Thaor Sr. "Oh. Didn't see it was you. Not surprised you showed up. But your son has his priorities in the wrong order. And don't let him make up the rules. Some things just shouldn't be messed with."

He looked back at Junior. "I don't know what you're on about, but when a spirit shows up, its not out of choice. Your father's being here isn't the problem. The problem--apparently you--is why he's here."

He looked at Michael. "And why exactly are you here? What makes me think you're at the bottom of this?"

"What was in the pensieve, Michael?" Khaat asked.

"You don't have a pensieve," Robert scowled at Michael. Michael shrugged. Robert narrowed his eyes at Michael. "What did you do?"

"He's got Mother's silver bowl," Khaat said.

"I borrowed it," Michael shrugged.

"Suurre you did," Robert said. "And why would you need one?"

"Just wanted to look at a couple of thought threads," Michael said.

"They shouldn't let you into that school. You've been looking in the restricted section, haven't you? What exactly were these threads and why were they important?"

"Because I saw who cursed Thaor Sr," Michael said. "He planned it all, and afterwards he saved the threads and hid them. I found the vials. They weren't labeled, so I decided to see who would hide thought threads in such a weird place."

He glanced at Thaor Sr. for a moment and looked back at Michael. The rest of the story seemed to write itself. Michael and Thaor Jr had both seen the threads. Thaor Junior apparently hadn't known he wasn't healthy enough to look at them, or hadn't cared--one or the other. Before it went any further he looked at Thaor Sr.

"You need to follow your own rules and keep your priorities in check here," Robert said. "I chase the bad guys. You be the parent. Got it? Don't make me do your job here."

Jr. rolled his eyes at Robert. He slipped the knife he kept up his right sleeve and cut the restraints holding his arms down. Rule number 9, never go anywhere without a knife. he said, smiling. Continue, if you must. he said to Robert. He figured he may as well let the man work, it seemed to be the only way he was going to be able to leave the room.

Thaor Sr sighed, and turned to Robert. I'm afraid, you're mistaken about why I'm here. he said, turning to his son. I am so proud of you, you've been amazing, but , Robert is right. You need to rest, you're of no use if you're dead. Sr turned back to Robert.

It wasn't Jr's emergency that brought me to Michael's house, it was Michael's panic. At first, I thought I was stuck here because I needed to fix things with my son. Now I know the truth. I need Michael and your forgiveness. he said, his voice shaking.

I'm sorry Robert, Michael, Khaat, for all of the devastation I caused in your lives. Please forgive me. He said, turning to Robert, Michael, and Khaat, in turn.

Rule number 6, never say you're sorry, it's a sign of weakness. Jr said to his father. There was so much to take in, he decided to ignore it all.

That's the point, I was weak. I was lured into the Department of Mysteries, cursed, and I tried to kill Robert, then blew up half of Hogwarts. I am weak. That is my legacy, that is my story. I can't change that,

"You have it wrong," Michael said quietly to Thaor. "You're missing important bits that I found in the thought threads. You were used. You were a pawn. The curse was meant for you. It was meant to turn you against, specifically, Robert.

"I saw him design the curse from the darkest books in the restricted section of the library, I saw him revise the spell and twist it and use it to torture his own father into a vegetative state. And he used the same curse on you to create a permanent state of torture so that it would drive you to go after Robert as your only means of release. The curse was designed so you would kill Robert and then kill yourself."

"You saw this in the thread," Robert questioned. Michael nodded. "This wasn't your fault, Thaor," Robert said. "Whoever cast this curse is responsible for all of it. Not just for casing a dark curse, but the attempted murder of his own father, and, ultimately your death, the curse on me,...all of it. You were innocent. You certainly have our forgiveness, but you don't really need it. It wasn't your fault."

"Michael," Khaat said. "Did you see who cast the curse?"

"I did," he said. "It was Gideon Pierce. He hates old men. He didn't like any of us. Not Thaor, not me, and especially not Robert. He wanted us all gone. And he wanted England for himself."

"Thaor," Khaat frowned. "You don't owe me an apology. You never hurt me. Never." She became aware of her scars. The entire left side of her face that was so hideously marred. The paralyzed left arm and hand. "This had nothing to do with you. This was a werewolf attack. If you want to do me a favor, you'll go scare the shit out of him just because you can."