An Inconvenient Truth

Lachlan walked down to the file room and entered, he quickly locked the door behind him, he wanted warning before anybody decided to barge in

He looked up the files on employee misconduct in the workplace, he was desperate to find something more on Brock or ideally something incrimanating on Kallie, he felt sure it must be tucked away here some where

Half an hour had past and he had sifted through 11 files, he only had 5 more to go, if there wasn't anything here he would have to venture down to the Department of Mysteries

Lachlan wasn't particually keen on that idea, because it was bad enough he was snooping around here, he could at least say it was for his job. But Archive Workers didn't have much business in the Department of Mysteries

Stretching his fingers, Julian made his way through the Ministry, pausing at each corner to peek around nervously. By all accounts, he should still be resting, but spending his time just lying at home was something that he couldn't do. And if Kallie found him here, she'd undoubtfully make sure he went back to the Fontaines.

And besides, he still hadn't found out the name of the woman's voice in the elevator. Pulling up his sleeves, a determined glint in his blue eyes, he pulled out the key to the file room. Unlocking the door, Julian blinked at the dark-haired man inside.

"Hello," he said cautiously in clipped English, his French accent shining through. "You work here, I assume?"

Lachlan heard someone address him, they had quite a strong French accent at first he thought it was Eleazar, but the voice sounded a lot younger, as he looked up he saw a boy standing there, Lachaln was puzzled as to how he got in, and figured he must be the son of one of the employees

"Yes thats correct I do work here kid, and this room is very confindental, so how about you go wait quietly in the foyer for your parents"

Lachlan then looked back down at the file in his had and continued to sift through it

Stepping into the room, Julian closed the door behind him, leaning against it. "I could," he said after a moment of watching the man in front of him. "But you know, Muggle-born and everything, they'd never actually show up."

Shrugging, he jangled the key in between his fingers, watching it before glancing back up at the man, "Actually, I'm sort of the apprentice of one of the people who work here. Maybe you've heard of her? Kallie Nikkala?" Shrugging again, Julian threw the keychain up in the air before catching it. "It'd be pretty sad if you hadn't.

"I'm actually looking for something," Julian said with a slight nod and a tilt of his head. "And as you work here, I assume you could help me look for it?"

Lachlan wasn't really listening when the boy started speaking, he just continued to read the file, then he heard the boy mention he was Kallie's apprentice, Lachlan quickly slammed the file shut and fixed his eyes on the boy

After staring at him for a few mintues, he returned to his professional composure, the had asked he needed to find something

"Well in my line of work, I am in here abit. What exactly is it your looking for?" Lachlan asked, he wanted to hurry up and find what the boy was looking for so he could get back to his snooping

Raising an eyebrow at the man as he stared at him, Julian watched him curiously. What was that about? Did this guy not like his boss or something? Maybe, but the way he'd shut that file.....a little frown appearing across his face, Julian wondered what this man was looking for.

And the only way he'd be able to find out was if he kept the man in here as long as possible.

"Well," he began slowly, "there's more than one thing. Firstly, I'm curious about the identity of the woman's voice in the elevator. And secondly," he made this one up on the fly, though now that he thought of it, he was rather curious about this as well, "don't they say that all Muggle-borns have some Wizarding blood way up their family tree? I'd like to know who that person was."

Lachlan resisted every urge in his body to roll his eyes at the boys question, why on earth would even care who's voice it was in the elevator, was it even important

"Well I dont not exactly who the woman is, but I do know she works down in administration, so perhaps going down to recpetion they would be more than happy to help you out" Lachlan knew he could find in the files but didn't ahve time to entertain this boy's mundane questions

Lachlan then groaned as the boy wanted to know his bloodline, he then paused for a moment then, looked back up at the boy

"Yes thats true, most muggleborns do have traces of magic in their bloodline" Lachlan then walked over the boy and placed a firm hand on his back and began pushing him towards the door

"But you know it will probably take me a couple of days to get that information to you, so how about you come back on Thursday and I should have that all set for you ok"

Frowning, Julian shook his head, knowing full well that this man wanted him out of the room. But Julian had always been rather stubborn. Tilting his head, he asked, "Hasn't it been the exact same voice in decades? I don't think the person's still alive, let alone working here." Resisting the urge to shake his head at the man's foolishness, he stretched his fingers out, his gaze still on the man.

Raising an eyebrow as the man walked closer to him, Julian opened his mouth to say something, immediately snapping it closed and flinching hard as the Ministry worker began pushing him out.

He - he was - his breathing speeding up, the file room practically melted away. He was back in that alley, and - and his father was trying to kill him again and - this man was touching him. He was going to - to finish what had been started - screaming at the Ministry worker not to touch him, the temperature in the room shot up. Flinching again, he cowered against the door. Opening his eyes again, he started. Accidental magic, he thought, eyes wide.

He'd set the man's hair on fire.

Lachlan felt the tempreture in the room rise, he thought that was strange, suddenly he felt this burning on his head and realized his hair was on fire, he quickly doused the fire with the Aguamenti charm. He quickly then waved his wand over his head making his hair grow back to its normal length, at this point Lachlan was glad he grew up with two tormenting older brothers, or else he would have never known that spell

Lachlan then fixed his eyes on the boy, his cool calm composture had long vanished, he had reached the end of the rope with this boy

"RIGHT!!" he yelled "Thats it!, I have had enough of you and your NONSENSE, Get OUT!!" His voice full of rage

He - he hadn't hurt him. Letting go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Julian sighed softly, rubbing at his eyes. This was the second person he'd physically hurt in last two months. What was wrong with him?

But this time, it hadn't been his fault. The man had attacked him, Julian was sure of it. And as the man began to yell, memories began to seep back into Julian's mind. Flinching, it was his father's, not the Ministry Worker's voice that rang in his ears.

"I'll be the last thing you ever see."

Looking up at the man, a bubble of rage engulfed him. He wasn't going to let anyone talk to him like that anymore. Not now.

"That doesn't give you the right to attack me!" Julian growled, stepping towards the man, "What did you expect I'd do? Let you hit me?" Scowling, he switched back to French, "God, what sort of idiot are you? There's no way you're qualified to work here. The Minister won't be very happy to hear you're attacking her apprentice."

Lachlan squinted at the boy, he could see how he had hit the boy he then shook his head

"Hit you? Hit you?, whats your problem kid no one hit you" he said sharply, the boy then began speaking in French Lachlan had no idea what on earth he was saying

"Just GET OUT!! got it?" Lachlan snapped back at this boy, after he said he was wondering if he should have done that, he couldn't get this boy off side seeming that he would probably go tell Kallie

Lachlan then took a step closer to the boy "Im sorry, im just very busy. I will give information about your bloodlines to Kallie to give to you ok" Lachlan said trying to sound as sweet and caring as possible, meanwhile feeling like he wanted to smashed this kid through the wall with all his annoying questions

"You were going to." Julian gritted his teeth, flinching again at every loud word the man said, pressing his hands against his ears, "And stop yelling," he hissed, glaring at him. "It doesn't get your point across any faster."

Scowling, he planted his feet on the tile floor, hesitantly moving his arms to cross in front of his chest. He wasn't going to have this nobody boss him around. "Make. Me." He growled, his voice low, a venomous expression marring his face.

Flinching again as the man stepped towards him, he stepped backwards, pressing his back into the door, breathing heavily. "Don't come any closer. Or I swear, you'll regret it."

Lachlan tried hard to supress his anger for this boy, but he had a real way of working him up, he found it amusing that a 16 year old was trying to threaten him

"Look kid im very busy, so I will need you to leave, I don't think I can make it any clearer than that" Lachlan then turned around and walked back to the files and pick up a new employee misconduct file and began reading through it

He figured that if he just ignored the boy and not respond to him, he would get bored and decided to leave. It was just like handling an attention seeking 5 year old

Scowling at the man, Julian rubbed his arms, his blue eyes darkening. He wasn't going to leave. Why the hell would he leave? This man couldn't make him do it.

And besides, the longer he spent with the man, he'd find out what he was doing in here. Slipping past the man, he muttered, "Dieu, tu es un con."

Reaching the flies he'd stopped at the last time he was here, he hummed softly as he thumbed through them.

Lachlan rolled his eyes as the boy spoke in French again, "Learn to speak English" Lachlan said quietly, as he continued to flip through the file, he glanced over to see what the boy was doing

He was shocked to see him flipping through files "Ah thats enough of that thank you, maybe in your country adults sit back and let kids do whatever they want, but not here" Lachlan said sharply

"There are very confidental files in here, information which can not be trusted with a 16 year old. We can't have you going around gossiping about what you read in here" Lachlan was over being nice to this boy, he could not stand obnoxious children

"You know I can speak English," Julian sighed softly, glancing sideways at the man, shaking his head softly.

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced back at all the files around him before lifting his gaze back to the man, "The Minister lets me in here. If you want proof, go ask her. She obviously trusts me. And she's your boss, right? So obviously, she knows a thing or two that you don't."

Lachlan smirked at that the boys ignorance, he fast begining to see why many British people hated the French if this boy was anything to go off by

"Well thats where your wrong, Kallie isn't actually my boss" Lachlan then gave a light chuckle "See kid I think you'll find Linda Heartborn is the Executive Manger of the Archives Department, which makes her my boss"

Lachlan then took a step closer to the boy "Deary me... your not very smart for the Ministers apprentice are you" he said in a mocking tone

"And I think You will find Mr. Cooper, that should I wish to seek something, Ms. Heartborn is more than willing to accomadate me," Kallie said briskly walking into the archive room, a look of displeasure across her face.

"As it so happens, I explained my apprentice's situation to Ms. Heartburn over a month ago, and she was quite alright with allowing the boy to come and look over the files. In fact, if I remember correctly, she as rather interested in what he finds out."

She set down the file she had been about to put back, and looked between the two, "So despite the fact that I feel he should be resting, he is in fact allowed to be in here, and look at whatever he wishes. I do appreciate that you actually use your manors with him in the future. He is not just a child, though from the way you were behaving before I came in here, part of me is inclide to wonder if you are."

Shrugging, he muttered under his breath that Ms. Heartborn reported to the Minister, technically making her his boss. Shaking his head, Julian frowned, looking up to see the man walking towards him. Scrambling bacwards, he flinched, "Don't come any closer!"

Letting out a sigh of relief as Kallie walked in, he momentarily forgot that he should be resting, not going through the Ministry's files. Nodding along to her words, he glanced over at the man - Cooper, was it? - smugly. The expression changing to a sheepish one as she brought up that he should be in bed, he looked from one to the other, wondering just how this would play out.

Lachlan heard the familiar voice of Kalllie, he had little to no respect for this woman, as for he viewed her as totally incompentant. He then turned around shooting her a fierce glare, he then took a couple of steps towards her

"Oh? Linda approved this did she" Lachlan said in a doubtful tone, he then quickly pulled out his small notepad and a pen and wrote boy being allowed into files? then returned it to his pocket

"So silly of me, though it sounds as though your undermining my legal obligations of protecting confidentiality, by just expecting me to assume that every unidentified person can just walk in here and do what they want"

Lachlan then leaned in closer towards the woman "You see Kallie, I take my job very seriously, and do not make regular vists to Mr Cox's office for some... afternoon delight

Lachlan then made a dramtic grasp "Oopsy, thats right im not suppose to know that" Lachlan said in a snide tone, he then turned his back to Kallie and began putting away the misconduct files, he would have to wait til tomorrow to access them, when he would be left alone

"She most certainly did, and no Mr. Cooper, I do not expect you to just believe that this is allowed. Mr. Rousseau here is supposed to have a pass on him that states otherwise. Whether he has shown you this, and you have chosen to ignore it, or whether he has forgotten about it, I do not frankly care to know. Speak to Linda as you wish, but believe me Mr. Cooper, I take my job seriously."

She glanced over at Julian, she would have to talk to the boy later when this ignoramus was no longer causing them both grief. She rolled her shoulders and was about to move closer to her apprentice, say something to him about this when Cooper's last words hit her.

Kallie froze, back straightening and eyes narrowing. The woman could put up with a lot of things, but this was the last straw.

"No," she stated stiffly, "you aren't, because it's very hard to know things that are not true."

She took a deep breath through her nose, trying to keep calm; her finger twitched for her wand, she as dying just to blast the man back into... the eighteenth century for all she cared. He was daft, stubborn and ignorant. He was disrespectful and over confident.

She was through being even a grain of polite anymore.

"Listen close, Cooper and listen well," she turned her face blank but her eyes flaming. "You are the most- you think you deserve my job don't you? You think you are so much better than everyone else in this building. But here's the thing Cooper - to do my job, you can't let petty little feuds and jealousies get in your way. You can't act like a child, and certainly can't make up whatever you feel like because you didn't get something to go your way."

"The word is not against you, idiootti, you merely fail to except that truth that is right in front of you."

She breathed hard and took a step forward, "Since you seem to think you know so much about my personal life with Mr. Cox, let me enlighten you on a few facts, not that it's any of your business, but while we're here, maybe you can get this into that thick head of yours; Yes, I have known Brock since I was in my second or third year at Durmstrang; yes, I started to date him - on and off - in about my fifth year. Yes, if you must know, I have slept with him before in my life - and yes, I loved him very, very much. But in my seventh year, despite everything else, I could not get him to say it back, and in the stupidest decision in my life, I left. I left him, and I did not go back. It hurt. I'm sure a part of me died... and I'm still not sure it came back.

"That being said Mr. Cooper, as I told you the first time you brought up this ignorant, stupid, unfounded and quite frankly hurtful accusations, I barely spoke to the boy the rest of that year, and once school was over we never saw each other again. And between the that time, and this time, I have met someone else, someone that I am very much in love with and committed to. Someone who managed to make that hurt a hell of a lot better. "

Her nostrils flailed as she took another deep breath, and stepped closer to Cooper so she was only a inch or two away from him.

"So, Mr. Cooper, to conclude, I will let you imply many things, since obviously your mind is too small to accept the truth, and see the world the way it is, but I will never let you suggest that I would do something so callous as throw my job and responsibility away, and I certainly would never do something as stupid as sleeping around to my fiancé."

Her eyes were still dangerous and she refused to move away.

"Do we understand?"

Eyes swiveling from one Ministry official to the other, his eyes widened at the conversation. Resisting the urge to clap at Kallie, Julian simply grinned. God, his mentor was amazing. He'd already know that, but just - wow. "I actually have that here." he said softly, pulling the pass out of his back pocket and waving it around, "He just never asked to see it, so..." he trailed off, shrugging, content with simply watching.

"Oh, I heard about that." Julian nodded as she mentioned Eli. "Congrats. I got you presents." he added, grinned before replacing it with a frown, "But I left them at home." Deciding that he really needed to stop talking, Julian shuffled a little bit away, muttering that he was done talking now, watching Cooper, curious for his response.

Lachlan continued putting the files away as Kallie went on with her rant, he could even be bothered wasting the energy to listen to her, after putting away the last file he then turned towards Kallie and walked up to her

"The lady does protest to much, and I must say the way you lost control of your emotions just then, such an endearing quality in a Minister" Lachlan said sarcastically, he then pushed past her knocking her off balance abit

"Be sure to send my love to Brock, Kallie dear" Lachlan said with a chuckle as he walked out of the room. As Lachlan made his way back to his office he had smug smile on his face, he successfully manged to crack the Minister, his plans were slowly falling into place

If Cooper wasn't going to listen to her, she certainly wasn't going to waste her energy on his pointless comebacks. The man had made his own oppinons and there was simply nothing that he could do.

He may have thought what he wished - but he had nothing, for Kallie had done nothing wrong. Her and Brock, as she had told the man, had done nothing of the things he was implying since they were both children.

No one could be condemned for their past.

She planted her feet, and refused to be moved even a bit as the man shoved into her. Taking a deep breath, she remained silent until he left.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Julian," she spoke softly, turning back to the boy, "Mr. Cooper has... biases that colour his emotions greatly. I do hope that you believe what I have told that man, and not what he has told for me, for that is the truth."

Taking another deep breath she smiled, "Thank you - and you did not need to get presents... and speaking of home, should you be there?"

She raised her eyebrow pointedly

Watching the man leave, Julian glared at his retreating figure. "Can we kill him?" Were the first words out of his mouth as Cooper left the room, a scowl etched on his face. The list of people he hated had just had a name added.

"I don't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth," he said sourly, eyes still glued firmly to the door, glare blazing. Blinking, he tilted his head. The name Brock...it sounded familiar. And not just the character on Pokemon. "I met a guy named Brock once," he looked up at Kallie, "Back in October, I think. About this tall," he raised his hand a few inches above his head, "brunet. He was nice, I guess," he shrugged, trying to remember. His memories had been fuzzy at best, as if had been months ago and he had been knocked out before the man had shown up. "A little weird though."

Shrugging sheepishly, he smiled, "I know, but I like being presents. It's oddly comforting." Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he shrugged again, "Yes," he said slowly, "I should be there. But, um, I got sick of just lying in bed all day. It's boring. And if anything, the Ministry's far from boring," he added with a wry smile.